Christmas in March!

Today was fun because... well... I got some fun new things. I feel really spoiled saying that, but it's true. Nothing grand or outrageously exciting, but I had ordered a few things on-line last week (I never do that, EVER!) and they all came... today!

First, my naked Sarabinder. I have big plans for you, little Sarabinder. You will be covered in pretty papers and ribbon and you will be my planner. I know it's March, little Sarabinder, but it's never too late to get organized for the year.

Second, my new recipe album. I've been waiting a long time for you, little recipe album. I've asked for you for two Christmases now, but clearly my need for you hasn't been urgent. When it comes right down to it, I probably won't use you much, but you sure will look pretty on my counter! :) Okay, seriously, I had elaborate plans for making my own recipe book, but the scraps of paper and recipes are taking over my cookbook counter. I'm on a mission to get organized. And on a mission to start cooking better, so if anyone out there has a must-have recipe, please pass it my way!


Third, two new CDs for my girls. You look so different to me, little CDs. Last time I saw you, you were much larger and made of vinyl. I grew up on Psalty... did anyone else? My parents have my original records, but I don't think they'll fit in my CD player. So, I took the plunge last week and ordered them. I hope my girls love this music as much as I did. Last week when we were driving back from Dallas, Gary and I tried entertaining the girls by singing Psalty songs. It was so fun to trigger each other's memories with songs from our past! I hadn't sung some of those songs in 20 years, and could remember every word. I hope Emma and Addie like them!


Fourth, these evil little yummy treats that Kristen left at my house last night! You taunt me sitting all cute like that in my freezer, little Dibs. Between you and my UFO candies, I will soon be ordering excercise tapes and larger clothes on-line as well.


Finally, after spending a few days at my cousin's DVR-equipped home, it was soon evident that this was a luxury we could not live without! So, we signed up for the Comcast Triple-Play thingy and with our saved money (seriously!) we signed up for DVR service. Huh, that was good thinking. Way to save some money (not!). But WOW is it cool. There's no turning back now. Figuring that thing out today was like figuring out those fun Christmas morning gadgets. Gary is going to LOVE it!

Today was also very great because my parents came up for lunch and to pick up something we borrowed. HOWEVER... they also dropped off a bunch of junk for me! Thanks a lot! :) So now, residing in my living room are crates of every single page of notes, every paper, every quiz, every exam, every piece of paper I ever received in high school. Note to self: remind my girls NOT to save every last thing. I'm throwing most of it away, but of course I feel like I need to meticulously go through everything to make sure there isn't some gem in there. I have run across some very funny things though, which I hope to post soon. They're too good not to share!

Also great today... a friend/neighbor offered to take my girls for a couple hours! I felt like a new woman when she brought them back! And she said they were GOOD! That alone made today terrific.

Finally, a fresh new picture of my sweet, adorable 6-week-old niece, Kenzie. She is a DOLL!!!

Randomness

We're back from our trip to Texas... and had a great time! We went for a funeral, but that was just a teensy part of our trip. We stayed with my cousin Alicia and her family and had TONS OF FUN! I told Alicia about my blog (make that two people that I've met face-to-face that know about my blog), so if you're reading this, Alicia, thanks for such a wonderful, great happy time. I expected to have fun, but it was even better than I'd hoped. Thanks for your hospitality and love! I'll send you a bunch of pictures, but here are a few to tide you over:



I came home to a fun little treat in my mail from Michelle, and it now has a not-so-cozy little home in my freezer! They're like giant mint-chocolate chips. SO GOOD. They're getting along quite well with my dark chocolate chips. Mmmmm. Is it bad that these delectable treats are half gone? :) Thanks, friend! I love you!

Before we left for our trip, Gary's mom was in town for a few days and I finally gave her her long-awaited Christmas present! OOPS! She didn't mind, thankfully. I guess starting this project a week before Christmas and finishing it in time for Christmas was out of the question, huh? Oh well. Here are a few pictures of the finished proect - "Grammy's ABC Book." Enjoy!






Finally, it rained all night and we even woke up to rain this morning. How I've missed the sound of rain! It seems like instantly things turned green. Even my neighbor's tree which was bare this morning now has green leaves on it! I kid you not! I wish I'd have taken pictures so I could prove it. Thank you, Lord, for Spring!

This is not good for my beauty sleep

Oh dear... I've found a new addiction and it's taken hold of my life.

Gary went to bed over an hour ago and I should've gone with him, but I can't stop...

I'm on level 33 (nurlo!) of weffriddles and I'm going crazy! I've not been sleeping well anyway lately, and this isn't going to help. I know I'm going to be laying awake solving these instead of drifting to sleep. If you've never heard of weffriddles, I don't encourage you to visit www.weffriddles.com unless you've got more self control than I do.

Gary pretty much told me he thinks I'm addicted to the computer tonight. How wonderful! :(

I know I was trying to discourage you to NOT go to weffriddles, but secretly I want everyone I know to go there so we can get through it together. Got it?! :)

31 Virtues

Hmmm... well this is going well! I can see that I won't be posting one of these a day to pray for, so I'll just post them all at once. I'll be praying daily for one, and anyone who reads this is welcome to follow along and pray with me. Regardless, it's a good reminder of the traits and values and qualities I want for my children. Each has a corresponding verse or two, but I think I'll just list them for now. Good food for thought!

1. Salvation
2. Growth in Grace
3. Love
4. Honesty and Integrity
5. Self-Control
6. Love for God's Word
7. Justice
8. Mercy
9. Respect for self, others and authority
10. Biblical Self Esteem
11. Faithfulness
12. Courage
13. Purity
14. Kindness
15. Generosity
16. Peace-Loving
17. Joy
18. Perseverance
19. Humility
20. Compassion
21. Responsibility
22. Contentment
23. Faith
24. A Servant's Heart
25. Hope
26. Willingness and Ability to Work
27. Passion for God
28. Self-Discipline
29. Prayerfulness
30. Gratitude
31. A Heart for Missions

Yep, I speak American

Thanks, Michelle! This was fun.

Your Linguistic Profile:

75% General American English

5% Dixie

5% Midwestern

5% Upper Midwestern

5% Yankee

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Well, hello Rotovirus!

Oh what fun times here at our house!

Just as Gary is getting over his nasty flu, Addie now has rotovirus. What fun. My poor baby was lethargic all day and didn't eat a thing, and finally sucked down a pedialyte popsicle tonight. She's miserable, and I feel like the whole house reeks of... yes, I'm going to say it... diarrhea. Good thing it'll be a little warmer tomorrow so I can open the windows and air out this sick ward.

The girls are finally in bed, so I'm going upstairs to work on a project before Gary gets home. What project, you ask? Oh, it's just my mother-in-law's Christmas present. Hey, better late than never. Story of my life. Doh! (I'll post pics when it's all finished. It's sooooo fun!)

One last thing... I meant to start this thing yesterday and forgot. Oh well, I'm starting today, and I'm sure this won't be my last "catch up" day.

I really want to be more consistent in praying for my kids. I said it awhile back and I just haven't gotten into a routine. But our MOPS group gave out these bookmarks with 31 Biblical Virtues to pray for our kids. With 31 days in March, I thought I'd post one a day to get it in my mind.

So here goes!

1. Salvation... Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. (Is. 45:8, 2 Tim. 2:10)

2. Growth in Grace... I pray that my children may grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Pet. 3:18)

10 Things I Love About You

A little challenge I'm doing with some mama friends... (feel free to play along!)

Blog 10 random things you love about each person living in your house.

Okay! This should be easy.

Gary (my hubby):

1. He loves me. (What's not to love about that?!)
2. He's very handsome.
3. He loves the Lord.
4. He is a great Daddy and loves his girls.
5. He's a very talented carpenter and handy-man.
6. He's easy-going.
7. He's very forgiving.
8. He's a HUGE baby when he's sick (isn't it odd how we can't help but love the things that drive us absolutely crazy?!)
9. He's money-saavy.
10. He loves my honey-do lists.

Emma:

1. She's adorable.
2. She's got a great smile... when it's "real"
3. She's very smart.
4. She's a leader.
5. She knows what she likes (and she likes Cinderella).
6. She's hilarious.
7. She's got more energy than anyone I know.
8. She's totally fun to be around.
9. She tries to use grown-up phrases and cracks me up.
10. She loves being at home with me more than she likes running errands. :)

Addie:

1. She's adorable too.
2. She's got sparkly blue eyes.
3. She's got a very spunky (and ornery) personality.
4. She loves to wear a coat around the house at all times.
5. She has a favorite blanket that she likes to have with her most of the time.
6. She kisses with her mouth open.
7. When she hugs me, she "pats" me.
8. She's quick to wave hi and bye to people, but instantly shy if they respond.
9. She's a great sleeper.
10. When she spins, she looks up in the corner of her eyes... hard to explain, but man it's funny.

Bonus pic of my three loves:

Thank you, Carl's Jr.! (NOT!)

So there's this new Carls Jr. commercial on TV where a guy is sitting eating at a restaurant and this cute waitress walks over to wash a table, showing off her little body. At the end it pans over to his girlfriend who is sitting at the table with him, and she is just glaring at him. (I love the look on her face.) :) If you haven't seen it, you can see it on the Carl's Jr. website. Yippee.

Anyway, I'm not a huge fan of this commercial, because I don't really want my kids or my husband watching this hot little waitress! BUT... Emma freaks out if I turn it. Why? At the very end they show a picture of a hamburger, and some of the buffalo sauce (or whatever) drips out. She just squeals with delight and yells, "Did you see that drip mommy?!" and then she just laughs and laughs and laughs.

Yeah. I'm sure that's what most people remember from that commercial!