March menu - lunch

As promised, here is this month's lunch menu. I counted one day eating out because I think I will be having a girl day celebrating my Mom's Birthday that day, and Alif likes to order pizza or something when it's just he and the kids.

Some days I plan lunch around the previous night's leftovers. For example, tonight we're having chili and there won't be enough left over for a full meal, but tomorrow we'll have a scoop of chili over some brown rice and that will be a nice lunch.

Also, I usually will add in whatever fruits & veggies we get from our CSA box and at the grocery store. When you see lunch looking breakfast-ey, it's usually on a Sunday. We give the kids a little snack before church and eat a big brunch when we get home.

chili & brown rice
taco salad
pasta w/marinara, tomatoes, basil, balsamic vinegar
egg sandwiches, fruit
banana splits (banana, yogurt, fruit, cereal)
tomato soup, grilled cheese
tuna sandwich, apples
pita pizza
english muffin w/jelly, boiled egg, banana
chicken & cranberry sandwich, pears
bean omelets, fruit
baked yams, salad
lentil soup (will freeze half for next time)
turkey sandwich, oranges
snacky lunch (will just cut up fruits, veggies, deli meat, boiled eggs, whatever we have around)
taco salad
salad w/tuna
egg scramble, cinnamon rolls
baked potato, broccoli, ranch
chicken & veggie quesadilla
tuna sandwich, applesauce
english muffin pizza
cottage cheese w/fruit, boiled egg
blueberry pancakes, fruit
macaroni & cheese w/peas
lentil soup (see? there it is!)
pita sandwich (w/tuna, celery, green onions, carrots, mayo, dijon and lettuce)

March menu

I was inspired by Lynette to make my menu for the month this time instead of a week. She just mentioned it casually, and later when I thought about it, it made perfect sense. Each week I get out paper, cookbooks, my computer and pencil to make my menu. Why not just sit and do it all at one time? It took me 45 minutes, and it usually takes me 20-30 to make a weekly menu, so it was a huge time-saver and wow, what stress relief to know that I don't have to think about my menu again until the end of the month!

In fact, I printed four blank calendars: two for March and two for April. I used one March calendar to make my dinner menu and will use another to make our lunch menu, which doesn't change nearly as much as our dinners do so it will be quick and easy, relatively speaking. I'll keep the April calendars at hand so that when I see a recipe or meal idea that I like, I can jot it down and April's menu planning will be even easier than March was!

We eat out (usually Subway or Del Taco) on Tuesdays, since it's just easy to do that on our way home from ballet and also because it's nice to have one day a week that I don't have to cook! We used to eat out at LEAST 3-4 nights a week so once a week has been a major cutback for us, and so good for us in many ways. Here are the rest of the meals we have planned for March:

chili & rolls
stir-fry, brown rice
pot roast, veggies, mashed potatoes & gravy
baked ham sandwiches, fruit
pork chops, oven-roasted carrots, peppers, onion, red potato wedges
burritos, salad
chef's salad
parmesan garlic chicken, green beans, pasta w/marinara
breaded tilapia, brown rice, broccoli & carrots
spaghetti w/meat and veggie sauce, garlic toast
chicken fajitas, beans
sloppy joes, corn
black bean soup
chinese chicken salad
pasta w/chunky vegetable sauce
slow-cooker black beans and brown rice
pita pizzas, salad
taco salad
taco soup
turkey burgers, salad, fruit
citrus grilled chicken, brown rice, pineapple
fish tacos, asparagus
shredded chicken sandwiches, fruit
broccoli garlic pasta, yams
white chicken chili, cornbread

I'll post our lunch menu tomorrow.

Coty Cuties Tutorial

I have taken up couponing, which means that I am stocking up on some things around the house - mostly bathroom things like shampoo, razors, toothpaste, things like that. I realized pretty quickly that I'd need to sort out the stuff in my bathroom to organize and make room for it all. I did that today and it looks great and feels so good to have everything I need at my fingertips without sorting through a lot of extra.

In my organizing, I came across two empty Coty loose powder containers. At first I gave them to Caris, which thrilled her, but then as I was sorting out our hair things, I saw what great little storage containers they would make. I asked her if that would be ok and she said sure.

I picked out a couple of pretty papers . . .
Cut them to size . . .
And used Mod Podge and a foam brush to adhere the papers to the Coty containers. I certainly didn't do a perfect job, but they look so sweet in my medicine cabinet! One holds fabric rubber bands and headbands and the other holds clear rubber bands and bobby pins. Nice and neat and cute!

Oh Spud, you stud!

Spud? Darling? Art though cozy next to me in our wedding bed?
Darling, you know I am. Let me kiss thy split pea lips.
Oh Spud, I'm so thankful I can always lean on thee!

And I on thee, darling!

(Be so very glad I didn't include all 20+ photos Caris took of the potatoes she decorated for Potato Head Night at Awana! But she and Graham both won prizes for their studly spuds! Graham's was truly amazing dressed as Mister T!)

Picture Time

Sorry to start you off with this scary self-portrait, but do you like my new haircut? It's the shortest I've been in a long while and I'm loving it! I'm really never absolutely happy with my hair but this cut and I are getting along pretty well. We were heading out of town this day and my kids wondered aloud why I was taking so many pictures of myself. Talk about feeling vain!
Little Missy all done up for Valentine's Day, and looking just as cute as she can be!
A couple days later we went ice skating with some homeschooling friends. It was a surprise for the kids and though that caused some angst for Graham, they were all really excited when they saw where we were and what we were doing there. The big boys took off and had a ball ice skating. Caris tried it out a bit and then played in the warm party room, and Canaan didn't like his skates much at all. Ahem - until I realized I'd gotten him a size that was too tight for his feet. Once I went up a size he had great fun running around in them, but didn't skate much.

I have seen the healing hand of God

A couple of weeks ago, my Mom started to have some pain in her leg. We tried not to worry - after all, I myself had a strange ankle injury a few weeks ago that got so bad I went to the ER but it settled down and was nothing more than a sprain, though it induced extreme pain.

An x-ray of my Mom's leg showed no fracture. An ultrasound did not find a blood clot. An MRI, however, produced a result none of us was prepared to face: "spots" in the bone marrow. Out of the orthopedist's office and into the oncologist's office, we heard the news we had all been dreading: there is a 1.5" tumor in the bone marrow, and we must assume it is cancer until proven otherwise. We will do a bone scan to get a better picture of what is going on and then we will discuss whether radiation is a viable option or whether we will need chemotherapy.

A week. We slept on this news for a week. We cried over it for a week, held very still and listened for God's voice for a week, discussed the news with only the most fierce prayer warriors for a week. We wondered. Worried. Trusted. Hope rose and fell, rose and fell. Most of all, we prayed for a week. A long, solid week.

Today came - the day after the bone scan; the day we would learn about our future. I drove alone to meet my Mom, her husband and my sister (who drove from out of town) at the oncologist's office. I scanned the Christian radio stations, looking for music of praise and hope. I found none, but heard God ask me to be heard. So I was. I prayed softly to Him - not a prayer of desperation, no tears, just a prayer asking for peace, for healing, for wisdom, clarity, understanding - for Him. All of Him surrounding us.

We were ushered back to a small room and we waited, chatted, laughed. These are the people in my life I can be genuine with. There's no need to put on a brave face, but our relationship is so strong, so close, that we lift one another up without even trying to.

The doctor peeked in and said he needed to speak with the radiologist. What could this mean? We were on pins and needles! He came back quickly, asked my Mom to describe again where she is feeling such pain. She motioned to her knee and down the side of her shin. He was quiet, looked her right in the eyes, and said, "Susan, the bone scan is completely normal."

I . . . cannot describe to you what that moment was like. A split second of disbelief, then joy flooding in. Assurances that the bone scan showed absolutely no cancer anywhere, the bloodwork was clear, the tumor marker is in normal range (as in, normal for any person, not just for a cancer patient!). What is causing her pain? A torn meniscus! Oh, there's never been such rejoicing in all the land over a torn meniscus.

Here's the thing that is amazing: our God used this scare. Ohhh did He. I couldn't begin to list everything He taught even ME during this time, much less what He did in the hearts of my Mom, my sister, the people who love us and prayed faithfully for us during this week. I will tell you this, though. I HAVE seen the healing hand of God. I have seen devastation turned to hope. I have trusted Him in the face of crisis, and His Spirit has enabled me to do that. I have felt peace like a river, knowing that whatEVER the outcome of that bone scan, His plan is holy and good and trustworthy. We can put *everything* into His hands and know that we are well cared for.

This week, as my family and I prayed for my Mom, we prayed for complete healing. He chose to give her complete healing - here on Earth. And I am . . . SO thankful.

Mom, I love you. You - are - INCREDIBLE. Megan, Rod, I love you too. You two are pillars of strength and hope and joy and you mean the world to me. Alif and Jason, you are rocks in our lives and we could not do these hard times without you. Love you both so much. Father God, Healer, thank you. Tonight and always, may we rest securely in your arms.

52 Books in 52 Weeks: Ever After

Karen Kingsbury. I just can't decide how I feel about her writing. Her stories are sweet. They're clean and Godly and the message is always trustworthy. But oh, they're predictable, and I mean, I could have written them myself, you know? There's just never anything in them that makes me say, "Wow!"

Ever After was the same. It's a nice follow-up to Even Now, the first book in the Lost Love series. I was interested in the characters' lives and I thought the story took a few nice turns. If a book #3 came out I'd read it.

I just can't jump up and down over it.

Quiet time: who's it for?

(Picture credit Google Images)

I've heard many homeschooling mothers declare that as long as she has children at home, there will be a daily quiet time. I've always thought it to be a good idea, actually.

In 1998 I had my first child. He slept a lot. You know, being a newborn and all. In 1999 I had my second child, and my first was only 20 months, so there was still a lot of sleeping going on. Next child came in 2003 and the first two were 5 and 3.5 and both still napping. By the time child #4 came in 2007, we were well established in a quiet time/nap lifestyle. All of my kids have napped well into age 5 and 6, and my older children have been easy to train in quiet time ways, since it has been a daily habit and also quite a privilege to be allowed to play quietly or read or color instead of sleep.

Enter Canaan. (And if we're being honest, I sighed loudly here.) He *just* turned three. Not even two weeks ago. And he flat-out DOES - NOT - NAP. Period. Not only does he not sleep at naptime, it has been VERY challenging trying to teach him to play quietly for an hour while everyone ELSE is having a quiet time. He sneaks out ("But I *LOVE* my Sissy!"). He sneaks out again. He sneaks out YET again. He plays loudly. He comes downstairs.

He drives me insane. At quiet time.

And in light of the obnoxiously non-quiet behavior of the smallest child, the older children are acting a little less quiet during quiet time as well. Today I had two calls for help with a movie on the laptop, one child yelling for help with an annoying brother, another child coming OUT of his room to ask for supplies for tonight's potato head night at Awana, and yet another child yelling for help, resulting in annoying brother being banished to the downstairs with lots of tears as he went.

NOT relaxing.

Which got me thinking: who is this for?

Off the top of my head, I'd answer honestly that it's for them and for me. The children are rested after quiet time. After a busy, hectic morning, everyone seems ready for some downtime - some alone time. They come out with smiles on their faces, ready to face the afternoon.

But if I'm being really BRUTALLY honest, I think quiet time must be more for me than it is for them. Because if a disturbed quiet time leaves the children happy and Mother decidedly UNhappy, maybe Mother needs to suck it up and find other ways to help the children recharge during the day.

Will be praying and will update when our precious, wise Father answers.

52 Books in 52 Weeks: Same Kind of Different as Me

Wow. I don't even know how else to begin my thoughts on this book. I read this because it's the Bloom Book Club pick, and Angie and Jessica rave about it so much I knew it had to be great.

You know how sometimes you hear so much about a book or movie that when you finally delve in yourself, the build-up was just too much and you're left disappointed? Well, I wouldn't go quite that far with this book, but the first 100 pages I was kind of like - eh, yeah, it's good. But dang, it's not THAT good!

Then. Ohhh man. It gets GOOD, friend. It really did become a book I could not put down. I was lying in my bed sobbing. Literally, I got up to go to the restroom and my eyes were red in their sockets. Alif finally came to bed at 12:19 and I didn't want to keep him up all night with my bawling and everything, so I closed it up and went to sleep. I finished it the next morning, bright and early. LOL

The basic storyline is two lives become entangled - Denver, a modern-dady slave, and Ron, an art dealer with loads of money. It's the kind of relationship that could only be ordained by God, and the story - which is all true! - plays out as only a divinely appointed story can.

Inspiring? Soulful? Entertaining? Heart-wrenching? Lovely? Moving? Check - and so much more. I loved it so much that I finished it three days ago and I haven't picked up a book (except the Bible) since. It needs to just resonate with me a while. Read it.

52 Books in 52 Weeks: Summer Sisters

I have to tell you that within the first - oh, several chapters of this book, I was thinking that I would not be using this book for one of my 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge books, because I knew I'd be embarrassed - er, ashamed - to admit that I was reading it.

It's a coming of age story, totally. So it starts out with these two young girls who are unlikely friends but who develop a sisterhood-type friendship very quickly. As these girls grow up, they find themselves getting into all sorts of R-rated (ok, maybe even X-rated) situations. Do not let your teenager read this book.

BUT. There is something really sweet about this story. I am blessed to have an actual sister AND a best friend who FEELS like a sister, and this story was like all of those relationships balled into one for me. There's love, angst, periods of time the girls aren't close like they were before - it's just very real and an accurate portrayal of what it's like to be a sister.

The end of the book took me totally by surprise. I can't figure out how I feel about this. It's not that the story took a really bizarre turn or anything, it's just that the whole tone of the book went from light, fun and silly to serious and mature very suddenly. On the one hand, it was a really pleasant surprise after reading through a LOT of fluff. And really, it works that it's so mature when the characters themselves have actually grown up. On the other hand, it's a little weird to have the whole tone change THAT much.

All in all, I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars. I wouldn't read it again, and I wouldn't even recommend it since it did have a lot of hanky-panky, but I enjoyed the book.

52 Books in 52 Weeks: Olive Kitteridge

Olive Kitteridge. I debated with myself throughout the book whether to say "kitt'ridge" or "kitt-er-idge". It annoys me when I'm not sure how to pronounce a name in a book. Here's a basic description of the book from Publishers Weekly:

Thirteen linked tales from Strout (Abide with Me, etc.) present a heart-wrenching, penetrating portrait of ordinary coastal Mainers living lives of quiet grief intermingled with flashes of human connection. The opening Pharmacy focuses on terse, dry junior high-school teacher Olive Kitteridge and her gregarious pharmacist husband, Henry, both of whom have survived the loss of a psychologically damaged parent, and both of whom suffer painful attractions to co-workers. Their son, Christopher, takes center stage in A Little Burst, which describes his wedding in humorous, somewhat disturbing detail, and in Security, where Olive, in her 70s, visits Christopher and his family in New York. Strout's fiction showcases her ability to reveal through familiar details—the mother-of-the-groom's wedding dress, a grandmother's disapproving observations of how her grandchildren are raised—the seeds of tragedy. Themes of suicide, depression, bad communication, aging and love, run through these stories, none more vivid or touching than Incoming Tide, where Olive chats with former student Kevin Coulson as they watch waitress Patty Howe by the seashore, all three struggling with their own misgivings about life. Like this story, the collection is easy to read and impossible to forget.

I should have taken the "thirteen linked tales" part a little more literally. It's sort of a collection of short stories with a few key characters appearing throughout. I'm not a fan of short stories, and this was no exception - at the end, there were so many characters I wondered about but had no resolution, and while reading it's hard for me to remember who's who. It just annoys me.

However. This book is very well-written. The characters are vivid and believable and relate-able. I wouldn't say I couldn't put it down, but I definitely enjoyed reading it. I would rate it a 4 out of 5 stars.

Dining Room Disaster

I cleaned my dining room! It took me three days, mainly because I sprained my ankle and it hurt too much to work on it steadily. Here's a before picture:
And here's the after! What a transformation!
Ok, so I don't have an actual before picture, but just trust me when I say that it was awful. When a dining room is actually used for homeschooling, sewing, crafting, coloring, playing, reading - oh, and you know, eating - it can get out of hand pretty quickly. I always want everything right at my fingertips, so I'd tried to cram way too much into the bookshelves, which actually meant that nothing was right at my fingertips when I needed it, and our school days were incredibly frustrating.

I tried to solve the problem with workboxes. It worked! I was thrilled with them. Only one MAJOR problem: I got sick and tired of loading 36 boxes every day. Then I tried loading them once a week, and putting notes in each box for what each child needed to do. Then I got sick and tired of loading 36 boxes every week. It just wasn't working out. Plus, I hated how the space between the bookshelves was completely full with those ugly stacks of boxes.

So? Wanna come along and see what our new system is like? You'll see that I put all those drawers to good use! This bookshelf is now almost completely school-related. The top shelf has my teacher's manuals, baby books, miscellaneous school-related books, and a drawer with various types of papers that we use on a daily basis.

The second shelf has mason jars filled with colored pencils, markers and pencils, and an old tin that my grandparents used to keep around for us. When we were little it contained crayons, but now it holds scissors and things like that. It's just not something I want the kids handling a lot since it's so old and special to me. Next to that is another drawer with one for each child. As I write up the kids' lesson plans, I will put anything the kids will need for the week in their drawers - coloring pages, worksheets I print, things like that. In the next drawer over, there are stickers (the kids get to use these on their journals each day), crayons and school supplies like glue sticks, tape etc.

Next shelf down there are hardback school books and then two drawers. I put all the kids' paperback workbooks and things in the drawers so it's easy to find what we need without stacks of things falling over. Malachi was using his drawers in another room so his are missing.
Looking down, we have reference books as well as books we all use together, and then our kazillion binders.

On the bottom shelf are all the photo albums, drawers with coloring supplies and a basket with math blocks.

And this other shelf? Was really bad before. I would get out a sewing project, work on it a bit, then shove it onto one of these shelves. I'd put papers here, shipping supplies, stuff I wanted to sell on eBay - you name it, I shoved it into this poor bookshelf. Let's see what we have now!

Top shelf - cookbooks and other miscellaneous books that I read fairly regularly, and the kids' finance department - their containers for tithe and savings.

The next shelf is my eBay merchandise shelf.

I used serious, serious discipline on the next shelf down. This is the only shelf I allowed myself for sewing supplies. (Serious pit in my stomach over this!) Everything else I moved to the hall closet. It takes me approximately 17 seconds to walk from the table to the hall closet, and to maintain order in my dining room, I will use even more discipline and put most of my sewing stuff in there. Of course that doesn't include fabric, which is taking up a significant amount of space in my garage and in my laundry room. Ahem.

The next shelf has a spot for educational games and then a drawer for shipping supplies, which I use several times a week.

The bottom shelf is all Canaan. There's not much there right now but I am going to make 3 or 4 school-time bins with things he will use mostly during school time - playdough, puzzles, certain books, coloring books, art supplies, just special stuff that he can use when I need some quiet one on one time with one of the older kids. He's really good at entertaining himself but I'd like for him to have some special things to do too.
So in place of workboxes, I made the kids these clipboards. I'll go over these more another day, but for now just see how cute they are hanging out of the way on the side of our bookshelf there. One is missing since Malachi was using his when I took the picture.
So - yay, we really enjoyed eating dinner in our nice clean dining room tonight! It's certainly a multi-purpose room but it's lovely to have it organized.

Picture Post

Caris' Dottie had a Birthday. Funny how dog years work - Dottie just had a Birthday a couple months ago. We all have to play ridiculous games, eat strange snacks and bring Dottie presents. Can I just be honest and tell you that when Caris announces that it's Dottie's Birthday, I'm always kind of like - SIGH! This time I was thinking that I was going to tell her that Dottie can only have a Birthday once a year like everyone else. Then I realized that the next time Dottie would have a Birthday, Caris would be seven . . . and then eight . . . and then - oh my gosh, how many more years will Caris honestly want to throw her stuffed dog a BIRTHDAY PARTY?? Hello reality! Instead of moaning and groaning, I got out my newly-repaired sewing machine and whipped up a cute little dog bed for sweet, loved Dottie.
Any guesses on this picture??
Brothers - happy sigh. I got home from a dental appointment and saw the boys cuddled up like this, and it was just one of those sweet moments, quite representative of the kind of relationship these particular brothers share. Precious love.
Proof that one day a couple weeks ago, Mommy took a nap!!
I saw Caris sitting on the couch and snapped a picture, and it looked just like she looks to me - you know how sometimes pictures just capture something very common? This was one of those for me.

52 Books in 52 Weeks: Even Now

Why do I let fees happen at the library? Every time we incur fees, we stay away from the library for long periods, and then when the fees are paid off I always marvel at what an amazing resource the library is.

Right now we're all paid off and enjoying our wonderful little library. I especially enjoy requesting books online so that they call and let me know when they're ready, and they are right at the front desk waiting for me!

This time though, the kids were browsing for something interesting so I did the same. I knew I wanted fiction. I checked in the Maeve Binchy area and nothing caught my eye. I went over to Karen Kingsbury next, and there were a few books there that I hadn't read and that weren't the middle of a series. I picked this one that looked cute - Even Now.

Well? It was cute. LOL I don't have a whole lot to say about the book because it wasn't compelling, it wasn't wonderfully written, it wasn't a lot of things - but it was enjoyable to read and a sweet story.

I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

How must it feel?

Each night before bed, Canaan cuddles with Alif on the couch for a while and then I carry him up to bed and tuck him in. He sleeps all night in his bed, and about 2 mornings a week he crawls into bed with Alif and I early in the morning.

This morning was a baby-in-bed morning. He crawled in around 5:45 and we fell back asleep until I got up with my alarm at 6:45. I looked over at him and he was absolutely peaceful. He was on his back, and as I slipped out of bed, he shifted a little closer to Alif and stayed sound asleep.

Later in the day I was wishing I could get inside his head. What is it like when he wakes in his bed? Does he feel a little cold and think of our heavy blankets? Does he feel lonely and long for our arms around him? Does he miss us?

Whatever the case, can you just imagine the feeling? You're cold or lonely or scared, and you crawl up into your mama and daddy's bed, slide your hands around mama's tummy, and your world is now complete. You're warm. Your Daddy is big and solid and all yours in the quiet of this morning. Mama kisses your cheek, your forehead, your hair, and lies still, no distractions.

I think it's what it will feel like to us when we're in Heaven and our Daddy beckons us, don't you?

52 Books in 52 Weeks: The Time Traveler's Wife

I really enjoyed The Time Traveler's Wife! It had been a long time since I'd read fiction, and this challenge was the perfect opportunity for me to go - hey, you know what? If I'm going to read a book a week this year, I will most definitely make time for myself to read some fiction, because that's what I love the most.

The first half of the book was pretty much what I expected from the movie previews. Engaging, romantic, funny. There was a lot more risque content than I had expected. In the second half, I started to grow a little weary of all the time shifting and the vocabulary specific to a time-traveling book. It just got a little old. It also got creepy. Of course, I'm very easily creeped out, so I'm sure this book wouldn't be considered creepy by 99% of the population.

I'm glad I read this book, and it made me want to see the movie, even though watching a movie after reading the book usually annoys me. :-)

52 books in 52 weeks challenge - join in!

New Year Wishes

I'm thinking tonight, on New Year's Eve, of a New Year's Eve over a decade ago. I was working as a hostess at an upscale restaurant and I really wanted to look hot that night. When I walked in to work in a plunging-neckline dress borrowed from my mom and an updo that totally worked, I felt hot. I felt the sexiest I've ever felt in my life that night. My body rocked, my outfit rocked, my hair looked amazing, and my makeup was perfect.

Tonight? I weigh - umm, a lot more than I did then. My hair's in an updo alright, and my bangs are pinned to the side with a bobby pin. I'm wearing green velour sweat pants, and Alif's not exactly drooling over me - instead, he's watching a movie on his laptop while I talk to you on mine.

Sigh.

I've been considering today what I might wish for the new year. I'm not even sure I know. Isn't there something wrong with that, to not even know what I want to accomplish? I have a hard enough time achieving goals I am really excited about.

But here's the truth of the matter:

I want my Mom to remain healthy in 2010.

I want to lose weight and reclaim myself in 2010.

I want to fold in to my Lord in 2010 and stay safely under his wing.

I want healing in 2010.

High hopes and a big, big God. Bring it on, 2010.

52 Books in 52 Weeks

I saw this intriguing project on my friend Daisy's blog and thought - hey, this is a good idea! I think that, like Daisy mentioned, it will help me spend less time on the computer and more time reading books, and that would be a good thing. I already have a big stack of books and can't wait to get started on this challenge! Head on over and sign up!

Christmas Pageant

The kids have been practicing for a couple of months for the church's annual Christmas program. Malachi was not excited about this at all and in fact, at one point he cried and said, "I'm not a stage kind of person!" I said, "Well, you're already committed to doing it so you are going to perform, but it's your last year in this." I felt a little guilty about it but come on, it's just a church Christmas program! It's not like I'm asking him to perform in front of thousands, you know?

And ok, maybe I'm living vicariously through my children a little bit. Because I love to sing and would love to perform in something like this! My Mom and I were in a musical a few years ago and it was so, so fun. There just aren't that many opportunities for adults to do things like this, darn it!

Of course I made them pose for a totally unflattering, cheesy picture before we left . . .
Canaan performed too but stayed with us in the audience until it was his turn to sing. When our children's director called for the 2-year-olds to come up, Canaan just walked right up to the stage, all by himself. Big boy!
Each of the boys had a speaking part. Graham: I can't even load my iPod, 'cause they don't have internet (in Bethlehem)!
Malachi: Of all of the places they could send us! Surely they are kidding! (sounded like: of all of the places they could send us surely they are kidding.)And afterward - happy it's over, I guess? LOL

Gingerbread Cookie Decorating Party

Years and years ago, when my boys were - oh, 2 and 3 I think? We had our playgroup friends and a few extras over for a gingerbread man decorating party. It was adorable, and I still treasure the pictures I have of the kids going sugar-crazy for one special day.

Every year we talk about doing it again, and I guess every year I just haven't been up to it. This year though, we got the house all cleaned up for Graham's Birthday party and decided that it would be a perfect time to have a few friends over to consume massive amounts of sugar with us!








Thanks for coming, friends! We had such a nice time!