Baby Jesus

Saturday we decorated for Christmas. I discovered that we have at least 6 manger scenes. Two are magnets, 2 are little people, 1 is Larry & Bob, and one is my very nice procelin that goes high up on the TV cabinet. I let the kids put up and play with all except the last.In the midst of decorating, the 2 sets of little people got in my way. I asked C to help me move them to the trunk so that they were out of the way. He set up one set and I set up the other. Once we were both done, I noticed something interesting. In the set that I had set up, my animals, shepehards, and wise men were facing out--looking at you the viewer. In the set that C had set up, he had all the partcipants facing Baby Jesus. Isn't that interesting? That's where our focus should be this time of year, but sometimes we get easily sidetracked. Something very simple, and I'm sure he had no idea-it was the logical placement to him-but it stuck with me. Let's keep our focus where it should be this year--on Baby Jesus.

Thanksgiving

I've been dying to blog for the past few days but haven't had time! I'll try to cover all our Thanksgiving weekend activities.

The Tuesday night before Thanksgiving our church hosts their midweek service and calls it a "Pie and Praise" service. We start with songs and testimony time in the audotorium and then go to the Fellowship hall for pies and desserts. It's a fun time! While we were eating, we got to talking to some friends and found out that they would be 'just them' for turkey day. So on a whim, we decided to get together for the day. We call this family our kids "Indiana grandparents." They are a great family. So that's where we went on Thursday.

Thursday morning we had a "Thanksgiving" breakfast of cinnamon rolls. YUMMO!

We headed to our friends house about 1:30 and were there for a few hours. We had a yummy meal (the homemade rolls were the best-even better than Sister Shubert's). It was a good time. On our way home, K fell asleep and even slept a few more minutes on the couch after we got home. We spent the evening planning Daddy's route for the good deals the next morning.

Daddy got up before 5 am to head out Friday morning. He started at Wal-Mart and has since said he will never go to W-M again the day after T-giving. But he got what we wanted there. In fact, he got most of what we wanted that day. At 8:30 we met him at McD's for breakfast and then we all went out to JCPenney's. C had a pix appointment for his 6 year pictures and Daddy and K did some more shopping. We finished up in time to have lunch back at home. That afternoon, I started putting up Christmas decorations.

Saturday was the day that the kiddies have been talking about for awhile. They were so excited to put the tree up. They both helped and loved putting the ornaments on. We did have to re-arrange some-K kept putting them all on the same branch. I think it turned out very nice. We even played outside for a few minutes while Daddy put up our decorations outside-4 white spiral trees in the front yard.

All in all, it was a very busy, very productive, and very fun Thanksgiving weekend. Hope everyone had a great day!

Wedding bells

Our friends M and Green Socks are getting married in July. July 4th to be exact. Our preacher thinks it's funny that they are getting married on Independence Day. You'd have to know my preacher. Anyway. This past Sunday morning as I was on my way to pick up the kiddies from their classes, M stopped me and asked if it would be alright if C was in their wedding-as the ring bearer. I said sure. C and Green Socks are good friends; both my kids really like the both of them. I think the both of them really like my kids too. But I asked if M and Green Socks would "officially" ask C that night--themselves. Sure.

Funny side note, as we were leaving church that morning, M's dad stopped us and said "C, I hear you are going to be in a wedding." C is going "huh?" and I'm going "Shhh!" We quickly changed it to "I hear your birthday is soon!" and C was none the wiser.

So that night, C was officially asked to be in the wedding and he said yes. Later as they were singing a song during the service, C slipped over to them and said "I changed my mind. I don't want to be in your wedding. I'm too shy." What?!?! I heard all this after the service--I was in nursery that night. On the way home, we talked to C and explained what it all entailed. I don't think he was too sure what his part would be. And I told him that he is not shy. :) I told him it was a privilege to be in a wedding and the reason he was asked was because he is a good friend of the 2 of them.

So after we got home, I had C call M and tell her "I would be happy to be in your wedding." She got such a kick out of the whole thing. Now he is all kinds of excited. I have heard nothing but "wedding, wedding, wedding" Now I have to listen to this for the next 8 months. Oh dear!

Love is....

Last night was a rough evening in our household. My K girl would NOT eat her dinner. A hot dog! How much more child friendly can you get?! She would take a bite and hold it in her mouth for about forever, then I would spank her, then she would swallow it, then she would take the next bite and we would start again. For 4 bites worth! You think she would get the idea! I was determined to win. She is stubborn but I am MOMMY! After she finally finished, we snuggled for a bit, but oh it wore me out!

Fast forward to bed time. She has this new "thing" of taking forever to say goodnight to me. She wants another item in her bed--tonight it was Snoopy. "No you already have too many." Bad attitude. Then she wants another kiss-hug. Then no covers. And it goes on and on. Needless to say, when all was done, I was ready for the night to be over!

There are many times that I say I wish I could run away for a few hours by myself. But when I do get that chance, I am missing my kiddies and trying to hurry back to them. You moms out there will understand. After my stressful evening, I logged on to check my email. I had an email entitled "Love is...." Here are a few to make you smile. They made me smile and were just what I needed after last evening. Thanks Mom.


'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.' Billy - age 4

'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.' Terri - age 4 (that described me perfectly last night)

'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.' Bobby - age 7

'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.' Tommy - age 6

And the final one was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry'

Thank you Lord for my beautiful kiddies. Help me to be the best Mommy ever.

Phone calls

Phone call #1: Saturday afternoon the phone rang and I didn't recognize the name on the caller ID, so I ignored the call. Until I recognized the name on the answering machine-it was my "blog savvy" friend-- a friend from a very long time ago. We have communicated via "space" (the Internet) but haven't talked in many years. It was good to talk to her. In elementary school and high school we were pen pals (I probably could still quote her address) and were friends in college and I was in her wedding. Another post would be about the night before her wedding--my car broke down and we were very late in getting back to the house. She was a little panicky. One comment I will make for posterity's sake: my friend now has a very Southern accent. It's kinda funny. Oh well. I'll still be her friend. :)

Phone call #2: I just got off the phone with my mother in law. I was helping her set up a blog. Who knew Grandma would have stuff to blog about? Right now, I think her life is more exciting than mine. She has "house guests" from both ends of the age spectrum. Her foster baby (7 months old) and her mother (98 years old). I can't imagine what those conversations are like. Maybe that's why she started a blog. Good luck and love you Mom!

Wednesday night AWANA

Wednesday night around 5 pm I got a phone call from a mom in our neighborhood. I sometimes watch her 2 youngest after school if no one is home. Her youngest is same age as C and they like to play together. Many, many weeks ago I had asked if her son could come with us to AWANA one night. C has one section in his book that he needs to bring a friend to AWANA to pass the section. So anyway, she called and asked if her son could come with us that night. Of course he can. That put our evening in fast forward, but if he wanted to come, I wasn't going to turn him down. It was actually a Father/Son night at AWANA. They had dinner, a devotional and were able to do "manly crafts." The little boy was so excited that he got to bring his craft (modeling clay) home with him. C made a paper airplane for his craft and actually won a prize for the airplanes.

Once we got home, C wanted his picture take with his airplane and his prize--a huge chocolate bar! So then K wanted her picture taken with her picture from that night. So here are their pictures. Silly kids.

By the way, that little boy said that he had fun and would like to come back. What a neat opportunity!

I can't believe it!

Our pond has a layer of ice on it! Already! I'm sure it will melt when the sun comes out later, but this is ridiculous! I don't mind the cold, but I am not ready for it yet. It's too early. I don't remember having a fall. My prediction: it is going to be a very long and very hard winter.

Bond, James Bond

We went and watched the new James Bond movie last night. Now that I think of it, I don't think he did his "Bond, James Bond" once in the entire movie! If he did, I missed it.

First we went to 96th Street Steakburgers for dinner. Good burgers but I'm not sure if it was worth the money we spent on them. And there is nothing else to pick from. I guess that's why it's called "Steakburgers." Then we went looking for a winter coat for K. The one she has is 18 months and I keep stuffing her in it. Poor girl. Couldn't find one that would be warm enough and for the price I want to pay. Then we went to B&N and got coffee and pumpkin cheesecake. YUMMO! That is the best cheesecake. And it was the last piece. Yeah!

Now about the movie. I would give it a 3.75 out of 5. It was good but not as good as the last one. I really like Daniel Craig as Bond. This one just didn't have the WOW factor of the last one. It did tie up most of the the loose ends regarding Vesper and he did complete a mission. I definately want to see it again, but I'll wait until it's on DVD. And then we will buy it and I can watch it as much as I want.

Some friends from church watched the kids (J&E) and sounds like they had fun. She even did my dishes and got the kids ready for bed. I think I really like her. :) Thanks E!

It was a good night, but now I have a hankering for some more of that cheesecake.

Our Saturday

This past Saturday, Daddy's business had a wedding to tape. Since Daddy's partner had plans, I was elected to go help Daddy tape the wedding. It was at a church that we know (the partner goes there), so that helped. But it was extra stress on Daddy, cuz he had to set everything up for me and him and tell me what to do and answer my questions, etc. All in all the wedding went very well. The reception was shorter than what they (as a business) are used to because there was no dancing and drinking. So we got done a little earlier than we had told the babysitters. So we went out to dinner to a BBQ place (Squealers YUM).

Some friends watched the kids (M and Green Socks) and I'm sure spoiled them rotten. Just wait you guys! Your turn will come. It sounds like they all had fun. They went out for dinner to Olive Garden, played PS, watched a movie, played, and who knows what else.

Daddy kept telling me that this would be a working day--but for me it was a nice break away from the children. I'm sure all you moms out there understand that. Yes, we worked and we were on our feet almost the entire time, but there were no kids to tend to at the same time. When we were at Squealers, we just sat at the table-not talking-listening to the silence. But at the end of the night, we were glad to get home to the kiddies. I missed them, even though it was a nice break to be away from them. What an oxymoron.

Voting

Tuesday, at our local library, the kids and I went to a homeschool meeting. I wasn't even aware that they had a sort of homeschool group. The lady in charge homeschools her son. They have a meeting once a month, focusing on a different subject each time. This meeting was about voting. She briefly explained a few facts regarding voting. Then the kids were divided up into "parties." Each party was a snack (pretzels, candy, popcorn, etc). The kids had to design posters, give speeches, debate--all on why they thought their snack was the best. Then they voted. They even got "I voted" stickers. Candy won. Then at the end, they had snacks--according to which one was eaten the best, potato chips won. (I guess that would be the popular vote). It was cute and I think the kids enjoyed it. All of the kids were older than C and a lot less disciplined. I think the leader could have done better at controlling the kids, but all in all, I think they still learned something.

Ever since then, C has wanted to "play" voting. So I got him a cardboard box to set up as the divider to vote behind. He has a shoebox with a hole in the top for the votes and 3x5 cards for the ballots. The other night we voted on what to have for dessert after dinner. He has picked up some facts and some of the lingo through all this (party, ballot, campaign). It's kinda hard to vote when there are only 4 of us, but oh well. It's kinda cute.

The next homeschool meeting is a Christmas party that we won't be able to go to. In January, they will be discussing Benjamin Franklin and his inventions. I think we will try to go to that one. I'm glad I found this group.

Ear infections-again

My K girl has an ear infection-again. This is her first one this season. I hope it is not a sign of things to come. She had tubes put in both ears back in January of 2007 and the right one replaced January of 2008. She has had numerous ear infections! This time, my clue was the red-tinged drainage out of her right ear. I took her to her new pediatrician yesterday. The doctor said the infection and pus was so thick that she couldn't tell if the tube was even still in place. So K is now on antibiotics and ear drops. Hopefully this will help cure some of her extreme grumpiness! That is another clue with my kids--when they are horribly grumpy they probably have an ear infection (C struggled with them when he was young too). I'm just praying that this will make her feel better and that we won't have to deal with this all winter. Poor girl.

Mr. Popper's Penguins

Anyone remember reading this book when you were a kid? We (actually Daddy) just finished reading it to our kids. Awhile ago, we started reading a chapter of a book each night before the kiddies go to bed. This is our 3rd book. The 1st one we read was Charlotte's Web (I cried when we were done). The second was a book about a gorilla named Barnaby. The book was called Who's New at the Zoo? by Janette Oke. We read the last chapter of Mr. Popper tonight and my son cried. He really, really liked this book. He wanted to read it again. Since he is such a good reader, we suggested that he read it again by himself. I'm trying to get him to see the excitement of reading a good book on your own. I can get lost in a good book. I've always loved to read. He's not quite there yet, but he agreed to try to read it on his own. The next book we are going to read is the first in the Little House on the Prairie series-I think it's called Little House in the Big Woods. I'm looking for suggestions for something after that (we are going to break up the Laura Ingalls Wilder books). I have a few on my short list (thanks to a teacher friend), but could always use more. I think we have all enjoyed reading these books, even my K girl. She doesn't sit the stillest, but she does OK. I'll keep you posted on how the next book goes.

The Indiana Jones movie

Daddy and I watched the new Indiana Jones movie the other night. It was good. Not "ranting and raving good" but good. It was long and towards the end, the sci-fi part disinteretested me. It seems like they tried to tell A LOT of story in a short time. But they did a very good job in keeping with the tradition of the old Indiana Jones movies. All in all, a pretty good movie. I would watch it again, but I am glad I didn't pay to see it in the movies.

PS: The James Bond movie comes out next week. We are trying to find babysitters!!!

Redneck-ness

My sissy had a post by the same label not too long ago (http://www.bergerbites.blogspot.com/), so I thought I would copy her. Let me explain the picture. Yep, that is duct tape on my screen door. We occasionally dog sit a friend's dog-probably about twice a year. The dog (Mugsy) is a very good dog. He is so easy to take care of; however, when he wants to come back in after pottying, he scratches at the screen to come back in. So he put a hole in the bottom of the screen. The hole by the handle is from our fingers when we went to open or shut the door. We had the door open the other day, but I didn't want the lady bugs to come in through the holes (there were A LOT of lady bugs). So I covered the holes with duct tape. Eventually we will fix the holes-probably next spring. But for now, the tape does the trick.

Voting

I took C with me to vote yesterday. I thought it would be good for him to see how things work. Thankfully we didn't have to wait at all. Daddy waited about 40 minutes that morning. Even that wasn't bad compared to some of the stories I saw. As we were leaving the polling place, C said (pretty loud) "Go McCain!" Thankfully, no one was around.

When we put the kiddies to bed last night, I told C that in the morning he would know who the new president was. Daddy and I saw the results before we went to bed last night. I am quite literally scared for our nation, but I keep reminding myself that Someone much bigger can see the whole picture and nothing surprises Him. There is a reason.

C was disappointed when I told him who won (President Obama doesn't even have a nice ring to it). I told him that we need to pray every day for our country because "I don't think that Obama believes in the One True God like we do." He said, "Really?!?!" (In disbelief) "I will pray Mommy." Oh, the faith of a child.

What a deal!

When we were at Wal-Mart the other day, we decided to look through the left-over Halloween costumes to see what they had. I figured if they were a decent price, I would get some for the kiddies for dress-up. All the Halloween stuff was supposed to be 50% off, but some of it had not been marked down yet. There was a W-M employee working that section, trying to get it all straightened out. As I found things, I was asking her prices and she would scan them for me. I found a white skirt that has LED lights on it that was marked $6.50, but she said it should be 1/2 off. I also found a Batman costume that was stuffed down into a bag. I asked her if I would be charged the full 1/2 price if some of the pieces were missing. It was hard to tell since it was stuffed into this tiny bag. She said to check w/ the manager at check out. I also found part of a SuperGirl costume. It was very obvious that parts were missing for it.

So when I got to the register, I told the cashier my story and she called the manager over. The manager told her to give me the SuperGirl parts--for free and to charge $1 for the Batman costume and $2 for the light-up skirt! So for $3 I got quite an assortment of stuff for the kiddies! Never hurts to ask! As you can see in the picture, the entire Batman outfit was there. What a deal! So here are my kiddies dressed up in their practically free costumes. Too cool!

Pizza/movie night

For those of you who don't know, we don't do Halloween. No real reason. Just don't. But this year we wanted to do something special with the kiddies on Halloween night. So we planned a party upstairs in our bedroom (so the trick or treaters wouldn't bother us). We ordered pizza and breadsticks, had Oreos, Sprite, candy corn, and peanuts. And we watched movies while we ate. We actually watched 2 movies, so the kiddies got to stay up late. We watched Herbie: Fully Loaded. That was C's choice. I like that movie. I would like to find all the old Herbie movies for him to watch too. And we watched The Bee Movie. A cute movie--what I saw of it. By the time we got to that movie, K was getting bored and I was trying to entertain her. There was some humor in it that the kiddies wouldn't get and you wouldn't want them to get it. All in all, I think it was a good movie. We had a good night and the kiddies declared it "Fun!" I think we just started a new family tradition for Halloween night (C is already asking how long til we can do it again.)

Here are some pictures of our family night.

Recipes

(Disclaimer: I have not made either of these recipes but have eaten them and they are very yummy! Also, my recipes are not precise, but you should be able to figure them out)


Taco Ring

1 can of crescent rolls
1 pound taco seasoned and browned hamburger
taco cheese blend
typical taco toppings

Unroll the rolls and place on a greased cookie sheet, long end to long end to form a circle. Place meat and desired amount of cheese on half of the roll (towards center of the pan). Pull short, pointy ends over meat towards center of the baking sheet till all the points meat in the middle. Bake at 350 until golden brown. Top with remaining cheese. Serve with typical taco toppings.
Hint: my blog savy friend said that you could make this by using chicken, Ranch, and mozzarella cheese. Hmmmmm. Something to try.

Bacon wrapped Green Beans

2 cans whole green beans
1 pound maple pepper bacon, thick cut (the flavoring is very important)

Gather a small bunch of beans (5-6), making sure all ends are approximately the same length. Wrap bundle with bacon. Place on baking sheet. Bake at 350 for a very long time (that's exactly what I was told). Bake until the bacon is fully cooked. These taste good hot or cold. Yummo!