A Joyful Family

Girls Just Want To Have Fun

2011-05-05T23:47:00.002-05:00

All is well here at our home. The last week or so has passed so quickly. We've been busy with a number of things, but we've still had time for some fun.

Jadyn is off from school tomorrow, so who knows what we will get into. I hope it's nice enough for a little trip to the park. I haven't checked the weather yet. I think neither of us would mind the rain. She loves to be out in it as much as I will let her. Following, are some photos of her playing in the rain on a pretty cold day.

We planted some seeds recently and hopefully they will grow basil and tomatoes. Jadyn just loves to do this sort of thing. No sprouts yet, but maybe they will be up any day. They are on the kitchen windowsill.

Last weekend, I took Jadyn to an open house at a local nursery. She was so excited to do the children's activities. Here she is, having her face painted. She also planted seeds, and had her caricature drawn. There were treats and balloons too. What's not to love?

Planting sunflower seeds. They are already growing!

Jadyn and I went shopping yesterday. We were actually just shopping for pillows, but of course we had to stop and take a look at the purses, hats, and flip flops. We had some fun trying on hats.

Jadyn snapped a couple of me. They were pretty fuzzy, but I'm adding this one anyway. It was fun to be silly together.

Treasure from a 6 year old. :) Some day, she won't be into picking the dandelions for me, so I'll enjoy this phase.

Have a very wonderful Mother's Day weekend with your family!

Has Spring Sprung?

2011-04-28T23:21:00.003-05:00

We believe spring is here. There are signs of it here and there, and we have had Easter. Surely it must be here.We long for warm days with no wind, and no jackets required.

Our Easter weekend was really nice. We spent time with friends and family and enjoyed it very much.
On Saturday evening, we had Lauryn and Aaron over for dinner and games, and this was our Easter meal together. The highlight of the weekend was worshiping at church on Sunday. We are so blessed to have a Savior who is alive and active in our lives!
We ate a light lunch after church and then spent the day just relaxing. We had an egg hunt late in the afternoon.

A couple of times during the weekend (actually more if truth be told) my thoughts turned to Evan. When Jadyn was dyeing eggs I said, "Guess who will be dyeing Easter eggs with you next year?" She couldn't guess, and so I told her it would be her little brother. Then on Sunday I was thinking that he will be here for the egg hunt next year. Exciting thoughts! I think it must be sinking in. I have gone from - Will This Really Happen? to - He Will Be Here With Us!

Easter flowers

This was not my best year for taking Easter photos. Seriously. I didn't get a picture of Jadyn in her Easter dress. There wasn't time to get photos before church and then she had ketchup on her dress and it was all wrinkly afterward. I will just have to dress her in it again and do some photos. A few years from now, I'll be glad I have the photos and it won't matter what day they were taken.

Here is Lexi. She had her 12th birthday on Monday! She looks pretty good for a lady who is advancing in her years. ;) She is 70 years old in cat years. I think she has the right idea about how to spend her days. -- Ask for food, nap, maybe do a little self hygiene, nap, ask for food again, nap, snuggle with someone special, nap.

I am looking forward to the weekend and time with family. Enjoy yours, whatever you choose to do!

For The Birds!

2011-04-20T11:09:00.006-05:00

For the birds! That's what this weather is. I think winter just loves Minnesota a bit too much this year. How can we miss winter if it won't Go Away?? Oh, that's right, we won't miss it at all.

I looked out this morning, and I saw 2 beautiful cardinals in the tree. I do have to admit they looked beautiful in the snowy branches. I wanted to snap a picture of them, but of course they were gone by the time I came back with my camera. I did take quite a few other photos of birds. I will share how lovely they looked on this April morning.

I do want to thank you for your kind words about my little accident last week. I am feeling much better. I can't wait to get my stitches out in a couple of days. My finger is still sore and a bit swollen, but hopefully it will be back to normal very soon. I still have a hideous bruise on my thigh, but my arm no longer looks hideous and that's a very good thing. Thanks for your concern and well wishes.

Now, enjoy the birds....

In order to see birds it is necessary to become part of the silence.

- Robert Lynd

The Crazy, No Good, Very Bad Day

2011-04-15T10:44:00.002-05:00

I have to share about my Tuesday. It was a very crazy day, and so NOT what I was expecting. The morning was great, I ran a couple of errands and then came home just a few minutes before Jadyn was due to arrive on the bus from Kindergarten.

I pulled into the garage and got out of the car. Maybe I should say that I got most of myself out of the car. Somehow, I misjudged and 2 fingers of my right hand were slammed in the car door. In the split second that it took the pain to register, my brain was also thinking, "Holy Cow! My fingers are shut in the door!" I opened the door and got my fingers out and let me tell you, the pain was among the most intense pain I have EVER felt in my life.

I somehow made it inside and to the kitchen sink. I turned on the water to start rinsing my fingers. I was trying to reach for the paper towels and I started to feel intensely like I would pass out. Amazing how quick it happened. I bent my knees and hung my head down, thinking it would pass. I remember thinking I should go to the kitchen table and sit. That's the last thing I remember, until I was crashing into a wooden railing that separates the kitchen from family room. I passed out and on the way down, I did battle with a wooden chair. It won.

I badly scraped my forearm, bruised my head, cheek, thigh, hand and who knows what else. I even broke my glasses. My head was just swimming as I tried to sit up and I was realizing that I needed to get Jadyn from the bus immediately. I rose and had the sense to call my neighbor next door to see if she could step out and get Jadyn. Of course, there was no answer. Isn't that how it always works? I realized that I would have to somehow get out to the driveway so the bus driver would release Jadyn from 4 houses down. I made it out there and got her.

We came inside and I told her what happened. I was so afraid she would be freaked out at the sight of my finger and hearing about what I'd done. She was so calm and helpful! I tried to call a friend, and there was no answer. Next I called Alan and he was on a walk a lunch time. He was able to come get us and take me to the minor emergency clinic.

The great news is that I had no broken bones, and I only needed stitches. Thank goodness for that. Getting stitches was not fun, but very minor compared with fingers in a car door. It is now 3 days later and I am doing much better. I've had pain during the last several days, but it's almost nil now. Fingers are swollen and the middle one looks, let's say...quite colorful. I feel they look amazingly good considering what I did to them. I am thankful things actually turned out so well.

The moral of the story? Make sure that your hands and all body parts have exited the vehicle before you slam it's door. ALWAYS take it seriously when you feel you might faint. Stop, drop, and sit, or the results are not pretty.

That is my crazy, no good, very bad Tuesday.

Here's a picture of me, with my bandaged hand. Notice that my middle finger has the huge bandage. You would not believe how much grief I've heard about my middle finger and the inappropriateness of that. Oh my.

Chair at right of table and the railing I crashed into. Never try to battle with a chair of this sort. It hurts.

Our Kansas City Trip, etc.

2011-04-05T14:43:00.001-05:00

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood! It's sunny and mild. Love this! There are only a few patches of snow here and there, and the pond is trying to go from solid to liquid -- ever so slowly. The geese are stopping by to check on it's progress. I see little shoots beginning to come up in the flower bed. Maybe spring is on it's way to MN.

Last week was Jadyn's spring break and we enjoyed a trip to Kansas City. We visited our daughter, Kaitlyn and son-in-law, Chris. It was so good to see them. We stayed for 3 nights, and the time went so quickly. We enjoyed visiting, eating, shopping, a museum visit, and more. We met our newest grandkitten, Tony.

Jadyn had tons of fun playing with him. He is sweet, and it almost made me want a kitten. Almost.

Jadyn, Kaitlyn, and Chris in Kansas City.

Downtown KC

Jadyn and Kaitlyn playing a game.

Kaitlyn, Alan, and Jadyn at dinner one evening.

By the way, please excuse the quality of some of the photos. Some were taken with my phone. It was just one of those "snap what you can" trips. :)

We visited at Chris' mom's home one afternoon. Jadyn enjoyed visiting the horses and other animals.

Jadyn, holding a baby chick. So soft!

So now we are home and back to our usual schedule. Jadyn's back in school and this is good. Little Miss Active needs her Kindergarten time.

My brother came for a visit yesterday and stayed the night. It was nice to have the opportunity to visit with him. He lives in Texas, in our home town. It's always a bonus when family comes to visit us.

Have a wonderful week, friends!

Feeling Blessed

2011-03-27T21:08:00.003-05:00

We've had a nice weekend. We've had time with friends and family, and you know that always gives me such joy.

I joined the Yahoo! group for Evan's province to try and find other families who have adopted from the same orphanage. I just joined the group yesterday, and today I've connected with another mom. Her family adopted a child from the same orphanage. She had really good things to tell me. She was able to visit the orphanage after her adoption and meet some of the staff. She assured me over and over that the children there are so loved. This certainly made my day. She shared other things too and it's good. At the end of the phone call, she told me they would be praying for Evan. How sweet!

I've been praying for Evan to be loved at his orphanage and have at least one caretaker who loves him. Now I have confirmation on it. God is good!

Here is a photo we received 2 weeks ago. It's Evan when he was 3 years old. Sweet boy.

Thursday's Random Thoughts

2011-03-24T12:02:00.007-05:00

Hello, and Happy Thursday to all!

Life here at our house just keeps rocking along. All is well. I'm enjoying having some time this morning to just enjoy the quiet and do what I want to do. With all of life's responsibilities and the daily to do list, one doesn't always have true quiet and leisure time. Sure, there are things I could be doing or should be doing....but I'M NOT!

This post will just be random bits and pieces, as my posts will tend to be from time to time. One thing that has many of us a little irked around here is Our Snow. Just when most of our snow had melted, we got this yesterday. How lovely.

Oh dear! That's just wrong, isn't it?? The sun is out today, and hopefully it won't take long for this to melt. I heard all of the birds outside this morning, just chattering away. I doubt they were singing. I'm sure they must have been expressing confusion and disgust.

I went to visit a friend early this week and as I was on my way out of her neighborhood I saw this. I had to use my handy dandy phone to snap a photo. Can anyone tell me what's wrong with this picture?

If you have guessed that the color of the house in the middle is A Little Wild, you are right. :) Who paints their house this shade of green? If this is your house or you've painted yours this color. I'm sorry. I hope I haven't offended you. All I have to say is, "What were they thinking?" This really makes me scratch my head.

We're checking a few things off of our list with more things for Evan's adoption. We have quite a list of things to do and complete. Oh my. I know it will all be done, one thing at a time. I needed to get a form notarized one day this week, so that it could be mailed off to Texas. We went to our city offices to have this done. Jadyn has a piece of her artwork on display there right now, in the school district's art show. So we were able to see that while we were there. Here she is with her little snow-woman. The snow-woman is wearing a tutu. Gotta love it.

Jealousy and Other Things

2011-03-18T23:20:00.001-05:00

My parents have adopted a new kitty. I haven't heard all of the details yet. It's a boy, he's 6 months old and he's yellow. He's going to be an indoor kitty. This is really different for them. They live in the country and have always had outdoor kitties. My mom posted on Facebook that she slept in the guest room last night, my dad was sleeping with that cat. Hilarious! I'm a bit jealous. I want a kitten.

Yesterday was Bryan's birthday. His girlfriend came to visit for the day. She lives out of town. She brought him a tied fleece blanket she had made. Those things are so toasty warm for winter. She also brought him a giant chocolate chip cookie with icing. I'm jealous. It's not that he wouldn't share with me. It's just that I'm older, and sedentary. :) This would not be good for me. I do have to weigh in tomorrow.

It's high time that I leave my sedentary ways behind, don't you think? Thank goodness I will soon be going for lots of walks. The weather is getting mild.

We're doing paperwork and other things for Evan's adoption. Filling out forms, sending things here and there. It's definitely exciting to think that we're doing all of this again. It's the funniest thing that once or twice a day I suddenly realize again that He Will Come Home. Glory be! Jadyn is excited and it's fun to see it in her. She asks where he will sleep, and asks again to see his photo. She says she will comfort him if he cries or gets scared.

Doing paperwork. Yay! There's lots to do, but it feels good to be making some progress.

Jadyn's teacher at church shared the sweetest thing with me. Jadyn told her that we were praying at home for Evan to be her brother. They had also prayed in class for him. Recently, she told her teacher that Jesus had not answered her prayer yet, and looked sad. Last Sunday, she was able to excitedly tell her teacher, "Miss Karen, Jesus answered our prayers!" What a wonderful faith-builder for a little girl!

Jadyn is a sweet child, and hardly a day goes by when she doesn't color something for us or make something. Here are 2 hearts she made for us. The smaller one is what she made us for Valentine's Day. Don't you love the randomness of the one on the left?

Here's Jadyn with her little sundae she had after dinner tonight. I was only a little jealous. Ha ha. All of this denying myself desserts better pay off.

Have a great weekend!

Random Bits

2011-03-13T18:27:00.004-05:00

Here are some random bits from our weekend.

• Spent lots of time...not doing much. My fav! There was just enough time for relaxation and time with family and friends.
• I got a much needed haircut. It's a little different shape than I had, because I wanted something different. I'm not sure if I am I'm happy with it. We were almost late to church this morning, because I was in a mini-panic about my hair. Funny thing is, no one even noticed it's different. :)
• A birthday party that Jadyn was invited to was postponed due to illness. I was running later than I'd prefer for getting a gift, so I wasn't sorry the party was postponed. How terrible is that?
• I went to my weigh in meeting yesterday. How is it possible to see a weight loss at home and get to my meeting and see no weight loss? Hmm. (I think their scale tells lies.)
• We celebrated Alan's birthday with 2 lunches out. Delish!

A little birthday fun for the Señor

Pretty in Pink

O, how fun.

Still thinking about how blessed we are to have our PA for Evan. It's going to be many moons before we can go get him. Right now, I'm just super happy he's going to be our son. How very blessed we are!

Dearest Father in Heaven,
Bless this child and bless this day
Of new beginnings.
Smile upon this child
And surround this child, Lord,
With the soft mantle of your love.

Here He Is! Meet Evan.

2011-03-11T20:41:00.001-06:00

It has been a really great day for our family. First of all, it's Alan's birthday and we've spent most of the day together. Alan took the day off from work and also Jadyn and Bryan had no school today. It was nice to just hang out together as a family.

I checked my e-mail just before lunch and there was a note from our adoption agency. Hooray! We got our pre-approval from China. We can adopt Evan! Oh, how excited we were that the news finally came. I was jumping up and down and doing the happy dance. They said, "Yes"!! What a joy and relief it was to get this news. There may have even been happy tears shed by this mom. :)

I was so excited and Jadyn had this look on her face like, "What has gotten into you?" I told her I was that excited on the day we found out we would get to adopt her. She thought that was pretty cool.

I am so happy for Jadyn. She WILL be getting her little brother! She's been asking me almost every day lately if I will show her his photo. Sweet.

Once I finally settled down to a halfway normal level, we went out to lunch to celebrate Alan's birthday. It was a double celebration for us.

Here are some photos of our little guy.

Evan Joshua

Recently, Alan said he thought it would be so cool if we got our PA on his birthday. Well what do you know? That's exactly what happened. In the China adoption community, that would probably be referred to as a Red Thread. I think it's also God's timing. He's like that, you know!

I was doing some reading this morning, and came across this verse in the Bible. I wrote it down and stuck it on my refrigerator. ~ Lift up your eyes and look around; all your sons gather and come to you. Isaiah 49:18
It was only a short time later when we got our e-mail about the PA. Too fun for words.

Happiness

2011-03-08T15:01:00.000-06:00

Happy Tuesday to you all! I hope it's a great day wherever you are. I see a bit of sun peeking out here in MN and I am happy about that.

Seriously, melting snow is a beautiful thing. It's been a long winter for us here. I believe I heard them say we'd had 79 inches of snow, when I was watching the news last night. 79 inches! How ~~exciting~~ ridiculous.
As I walked down the street to get Jadyn from the bus at noon time today, I could hear the sound of melting snow. What is the sound of melting snow? It's the sound of water running down the rain gutters on homes and down into the street drains as well. :) If you live in a really snowy place, you probably love the sound of melting snow too.

Can't wait for SPRING! Jadyn asks me almost every day when spring is coming. I tell her that the calendar says March 20th, but it will be awhile before it looks like that around here. Just knowing it's coming soon is a relief.

We had some good news last week. Our paperwork has gone to China, to ask for their approval to adopt Evan. So now we await word. We hope and pray it's a resounding "Yes!" There's an adorable little boy over there and a family with tons of love for him over here. We want those 2 to come together. :) Thank you again, for your support and prayer, it's super helpful.

I found this on the chalkboard above the computer desk, when I came downstairs a few minutes ago. My husband wrote it. Too cute. ;)

~ Happiness is having a home full of the love of family.~

Cherish every moment!

Death of a Snowman

2011-03-02T11:27:00.003-06:00

Can I share something funny, yet a little sad? This happened yesterday. I have had a cute ceramic snowman on my front porch for the past 6 winters or so. I loved this guy but since yesterday was the 1st of March, I decided it was time for him to be put away until next winter. I brought him into the house and I don't know how it happened, but I dropped him on the tile floor in our entryway. Ahhhhhh!! I just stood there screaming and shrieking in horror. I killed my snowman! He is broken beyond repair. :( Jadyn wondered why I couldn't just glue him together. Moms can fix anything, right? Umm, not this time. There are just too many tiny bits and pieces. Poor little guy.

He still looks so happy, doesn't he?

Thank you so much for your kind comments and for welcoming me back. Thank you for sharing our joy about our adoption plans. It's such a good feeling to have the support of family and friends in this. Some people have been over the top excited about it, and that just makes me smile. :) We are very, very blessed to have this opportunity.

My faith and my relationship with God is changing and growing so much right now. When we follow him and trust him in obedience to what he's asked us to do, Oh My! He just multiplies his love in our hearts. This adoption is a leap of faith for us. Any adoption is a leap of faith! Knowing that God is right here with us every step of the way, means it's going to be a precious journey.

Some of you asked if I would share about our weight loss plan. I have been going to Weight Watchers since early August I believe. My weight loss was pretty steady until Christmas happened. I kind of fell off the wagon completely for a few weeks. Then I had to lose a few pounds that all of those cookies caused. :) WW changed their program and that took some getting used to. Change isn't easy sometimes, but I finally decided to get serious again and more weight is slowly coming off. You know what? If I follow the plan and eat within the guidelines, it works! Imagine that.

Alan joined a program at Midwest Weight Control in July. It's a medically assisted weight loss program, and could sort of be compared to Medifast. He was under their doctor's care, and also had visits with their counselor and nutritionist. For many weeks, he only drank their shakes and ate their protein bars. Slowly, he has added in more foods, as the nutritionist has allowed and advised. Now he's only drinking 1 shake a day and eating a bar, I think. All the rest is regular food. So it's been good that not only has it been about his diet, but has also addressed the mental and emotional part of eating. Another cool thing, is that at least 2 of Alan's friends have joined and started their weight loss journeys, plus another friend at work was inspired to lose a lot of weight on his own.

We were walking a lot when the weather was warmer. I have to admit I've been much more sedentary this winter. I will be so happy when the weather warms and we can be out walking again. Alan is good to do a lot of walking and jogging on the treadmill and also walks in the skyways downtown on his lunch breaks.

Have a great day!

Hello Out There!

2011-02-24T16:47:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! It may be hard for you to believe, but I really am back after a long blogging break. I was never totally gone, as I was around the blogging world, checking out a few blogs and occasionally commenting. Why the LONG blogging break? The truth is...I have no idea. :) I never made a conscious decision to just stop blogging. It just happened.

So what have we been up to all this time? Oh goodness. The holidays happened, in all of their glory and they were wonderful. We had such wonderful times with family and friends. Winter's been happening here in our lovely Minnesota. The trouble is, it just keeps on happening!

We had family photos taken a few days before Christmas. This was Alan's idea, and I'm so glad we were able to do this. Here are a couple of them.

This is the whole family. Kaitlyn and Chris are on the left side of the photo, Lauryn and Aaron are on the right. Bryan is at the top and Jadyn is in the middle.

Here are our 4 children: Kaitlyn, Jadyn, Bryan, and Lauryn. I love this! I am so proud to be their mom.

Our Jadyn is still doing well. She had her 6th birthday back in December. She has thoroughly been enjoying her Kindergarten year. Just last week, we celebrated her Gotcha Day. She has been home for 5 years. Amazing how quickly the time has passed. She has been such a blessing in our lives. She constantly keeps us on our toes. At lunch time today, she asked me how long beavers can hold their breath. Oh my, the things that constantly swirl around in that girl's head.

Weight loss has been happening here at our house. I am very pleased about that. We are so happy to be living healthier lives. Alan and I started dieting back in the late summer. I have lost 25 pounds and he has lost....wait for it.....over 80 pounds! I am so happy for him! He looks great. Together we have lost a whole person. :)

One of the most exciting things that has been happening in our lives during the past few months is that we have started another amazing China adoption journey. Yes, you read that correctly. Some of you know about this, and some do not. Really, we have only told our family and also friends who live around here. Okay, so a few others know too. We have just never made any kind of public announcement. We haven't blogged about it or put it on Facebook.

We have accepted the referral of a 4 year old boy. He lives in Zhejiang, China. While I would love to post his photo here, I will not until I know I am allowed to do so. Trust me, he is super cute. :) We are just thrilled at the possibility of becoming his family. We would like to name him Evan Joshua. We chose his name for it's meaning. Evan means God is gracious. Joshua means God rescues. We began this journey because we know it's what God wants us to do, to bring another beautiful child home from China. Rejoice with us, and please pray with us that Evan will join our family.

Blessings to you all.

Thankful Thursday

2010-11-11T15:04:00.002-06:00

I have not done a Thankful Thursday post in quite some time. I believe I could do a post each day for something I'm thankful for. The blessings that come each and every day, from the small things to the bigger things are truly wonderful.

I hope that I never take for granted things such as God, health, family, friends, livelihood, our home etc. We are infinitely blessed!

I've noticed that a few people on Facebook are doing the 30 Days of Thankful posts. I am enjoying these very much.

Today we can also be grateful for the freedom we enjoy in our country because of our veterans past and present.
I stepped outside to check on Jadyn earlier today. She was on her tummy, on the driveway and coloring with sidewalk chalk. She was lying right beneath the flag. I thought it made a neat photo opportunity.

Last week, Lauryn, Jadyn, and I took a little day trip to Iowa to spend the day with Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn and Chris live in Kansas City and so we decided to meet halfway between here and there. We had a great time together, having lunch and hanging out at the mall. I hadn't see Kaitlyn since June, and that was much too long. Couldn't wait until Christmas for their visit, so we decided it was time to get together. I'm so glad we were able to spend time all together. Here is a photo that someone took for us.

Lauryn, Kaitlyn, Laura, and Jadyn

I'm thankful for very simple moments too, such as these.....

Happiness is having a kitty who loves you....

a girl who surprises you with her silly antics...

a son who is not afraid to show his silly side...

and a girl who knows how to shop.

~ ~ ~ Blessings to each of you, my friends! ~ ~ ~

Fun Fall Activities

2010-11-02T20:20:00.001-05:00

Can you believe it's already November? I'm so thankful that we've really had a nice fall. We've had plenty of fun fall activities and generally nice weather to enjoy. How wonderful!

I'm glad several of you have made the yummy pumpkin muffins from the previous post. I've been pumpkin crazy this fall. I think I've gone through 4 or 5 cans of it. I can't seem to get enough of the stuff. Pumpkin is really good for me anyway, right?

About a week and a half ago, Jadyn and I went to another pumpkin farm.She had the day off from school and so it was fun to get out for the afternoon. Jadyn fed hay to the cows, we walked through the corn maze, and we walked around in the pumpkin field for awhile and looked at all of the pumpkins.

She posed herself like this. :)

We decided this one was NOT a keeper.

The farm owner let us pet her kitties in the barn. Oh, how Jadyn loved this. The black and white is the baby and the gray one is the mom. Hard to tell the difference, isn't it? She said the baby was about 11 weeks old. It was a very small momma cat.

We had a Halloween gathering on Friday night. We had 24 kids here and 16 moms, all from our playgroup. What a fun time we had. Here is part of the group.

I got a kick out of the way Monika chose to sit while having her snacks.

Erin, helping Nancy feed Lily.

On Saturday, I took Jadyn to her school's carnival. She had a good time playing games, and making little crafts, etc. She also had her hair painted. I loved the polka dots.

Here she is on Sunday night, all ready for trick or treating. She enjoyed it a lot, but she's still not a fan of any porches with scary decorations. That's still a bit much for her. She's all about the candy and no scary stuff.

Easy Pumpkin-Cinnamon Muffins

2010-10-22T12:44:00.000-05:00

A friend gave me the recipe for her pumpkin muffins. I have been so anxious to bake them. It's a super easy recipe and they are ready for the oven in no time. Jadyn and I made some for breakfast this morning. Oh, they are just heavenly when they come out of the oven. We could hardly wait for them to cool enough to try one. I'll share the recipe with you.

Oh, who can resist?!

Pumpkin-Cinnamon Muffins

1 yellow cake mix

1 can of pumpkin

1 bag Hershey's cinnamon chips - 10 oz.

1/2 cup water

Mix all ingredients together. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray and fill cups about 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Makes about 18-19 regular size muffins.

• I did have to look in more than one store to find the cinnamon chips.

2010-10-19T20:19:00.003-05:00

Hello. I'm surprised to see that so many days have passed since my last post. We've been pretty busy for the last week or so. We've been busy spending time with family and friends and as usual that makes me feel so happy.

I'm happy to report that all of us are feeling so much better. Hopefully we'll stay healthy for a while now.

I've been helping with a few things at Jadyn's school, which is fun for me. It's sort of a novelty at this point. Volunteering again at our child's elementary school. Who would have thought? Tonight I made a mega amount of soup for a teachers' dinner. Making 3 batches all at once had me wondering what I'd gotten myself into. :) I got it all done though, and I hope they enjoyed it.

We've been loving the wonderful fall weather. What a joy to have had such mild days. About a week and a half ago, we went to a pumpkin farm with friends. The weather that day was very warm. Shorts weather is quite unusual for this time of year here in MN. Photos of that will follow.

Alan and I will be having our 28th anniversary this weekend. Yay! Twenty-eight years makes me feel sort of old-ish, but I am oh so glad to have a fulfilling marriage with the one I love. Happy anniversary, sweetie!

What's fun about this photo is that every one of these girls has a tooth missing. What a fun age.

We went on a hayride, a very dusty hayride!

Look closely, and you will see a peacock in this picture.

Look closely, and you will see little girls going after the peacock. One of the moms said that poor peacock would probably have dreams that night of being chased by little girls with black hair. :)

Our pumpkin. This is her 5th fall with us and for this we are very, very glad!

A Fun Afternoon At The Park

2010-10-07T21:14:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day. Jadyn and I decided to take advantage of the wonderful fall weather. We went to the park. She played, we went for a walk and then I took her for ice cream. We had such a nice time.

Yes, that tiny figure is my daughter. Don't worry, I stopped her at about that point. :) Do you ever wonder how far kids would run if you allowed them to? Scary thought isn't it?

See ya, Mom!

Treasures

All of the squirrels were so busy, getting ready for winter.

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree."

- Emily Bronte

Our Weekend and Other Things

2010-10-04T16:04:00.000-05:00

Our weekend was nice, sort of unhurried and relaxing. We had enough to keep busy.

On Friday we had a little dinner out, and then watched a movie at home.

On Saturday, Jadyn went to a birthday party. Miss Jadyn, lucky girl, has been partying every weekend lately. Fun times for her!

We spent a little time on Saturday doing some yard work. We cut down all of the old, withering plants and flowers to get ready for winter. I didn't mind seeing them go. Alan also did a lot of work on ladders, getting windows ready for new sealing. Saturday also included some shopping for necessary clothing items.

The highlight of Sunday was church and lunch with family.
Last Sunday evening and again last night, I watched the new show on TV, called Sister Wives. I'm curious if anyone else has watched it. Interesting to watch, but I'm certainly glad I don't share my husband with anyone else. :)

Jadyn and I have been battling colds for the last week. We are so ready to kick this stuff to the curb. Today my sinuses hurt all the way to my top teeth. That's just wrong!

Here are some photos of the J-girl...

A party with cake, for Mommy.

Having a sucker in the toy bin.....because she can.

Nice ride!

Jadyn lost her first tooth last week! She was so excited about this.

Here is Jadyn with her dad. She is always super happy to see him when he comes home each evening after work.

One Little Boy

2010-09-29T23:04:00.000-05:00

A few days ago, I had the opportunity to volunteer in Jadyn's classroom for Johnny Appleseed Day. The teacher had a number of different activities planned for the children. The children rotated through the different centers about every 10 minutes. My center was the snack center. I was happy about that, I mean who doesn't love serving snacks to little ones?

Our snack was apples and caramel sauce. I cut the apples for the kids, adding caramel sauce to their plates. I made small talk with the kids as they snacked, asking them questions about Kindergarten, siblings at home, etc.

Apples and caramel for snack makes some really sticky hands. As they finished their snacks, I asked them to go to the sink and wash. My 4th or 5th group of the morning was finishing up and most were washing their hands. One little boy was still finishing his apples. It was just the two of us at the table. He said to me, "My mommy and daddy don't love each other anymore....They broke up." Wow. That was not something I expected to hear from a little one at my snack table.

I told him I was so sorry, and asked if he still gets to spend time with both parents. He said he does and I told him that's so good, etc. As quick as that, the other children were back from washing their hands. That's it, the discussion was over.

Oh, how that little boy has been in my thoughts over the past few days. He has also been in my prayers. I think about the pain he must be experiencing and my heart just goes out to him. I'm thankful that I was serving snacks that morning. I was right where God meant for me to be. I'm thankful that I get the chance to pray for that little one.

Gift Card Winners

2010-09-29T13:54:00.002-05:00

Believe it or not, one week has already passed and it's time for our drawing for Walmart gift card winners.
Thank you for participating in this giveaway. It was fun for me, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to do this.

Now for our drawing!

We've written each of your beautiful names on slips of paper.

Now, my lovely assistant will draw out 3 names.

Here are the 3 names she drew from the bowl...

Congratulations to Nancy, Kaitlyn, and Liz! I will be sending your gift cards to you as soon as possible.

Thanks for entering our giveaway, everyone! Of course, I think you are all winners. ;)

Febreze Review and Giveaway!

2010-09-22T16:53:00.004-05:00

*Contest is closed, and winners will be drawn.

I was recently given the opportunity to do a product review for Febreze. I received 2 Febreze Set & Refresh air fresheners to try.

The air fresheners come in 6 scents. I have linen & sky and also thai dragon fruit. I've enjoyed them both and I think they scent my home nicely. They use scented oil, and no batteries or plugs are needed. They are very easy to use. They can be found in Walmart's air care aisle and are the only product of it's kind to slowly release the same amount of scented oils over time.

Now for the Giveaway! Thanks to Febreze and My Blog Spark, I have three $5.00 Walmart gift cards to give away. If you win a gift card, you could choose to go buy your own Set & Refresh and try it in your home.

All you need to do to enter is leave a comment on on this post. Make sure that I have an e-mail address if you don't have a blog. This is open to all readers. If you post about the giveaway on your blog, I'll give you an extra entry. Just leave me an extra comment, to let me know you posted. I'll do a drawing for the 3 winners in just about a week.

Which Febreze Set & Refresh scent do you want to try?

Thank you, to Febreze and My Blog Spark for giving me this opportunity. I've enjoyed this product.

A Very Cheezy Post

2010-09-16T18:03:00.002-05:00

This... is our son.

This... is our son on Cheez-Its

Bryan is crazy about Cheez-Its, and always has been. We pretty much always try to have some in the house. Gotta keep him happy you know.

Alan recently found a deal at the grocery store. It was a really great deal! So he bought all of these boxes. We put them on one of the bottom shelves of the pantry, in the back. The reserve supply of Cheez-Its you might say. I didn't even think that Bryan knew they were in there, since he wasn't around when Alan brought them from the grocery store.

One night, Bryan came home from work and starts hauling all those boxes out of the pantry. He wanted a photo session. LOL!
I told him I didn't even think he knew about all of those boxes. He said, "Mom, I know what goes on in my house!"

He's a funny guy, with a serious addiction. :)

I told Bryan that these photos would probably appear on the blog. He said that he has to do something every once in a while to make the blog. :)

The Big Dig, and A Small Town Parade

2010-09-14T10:01:00.003-05:00

It was a pretty busy weekend for us around here. Alan started a big project out in the backyard. I've been referring to it as The Big Dig. He's put in some underground pipes to improve the drainage of our backyard. Rain water will now go directly to the bottom of the hill near the pond. The portion of the yard near the house gets soaked and squishy after it rains and is a real problem. It's been a problem for years and Alan's wanted to fix it. But, who wants to dig up the backyard? Big project, lots of work.
So Alan rented a big trencher machine and dug trenches on both sides of our yard. Here are photos of The Big Dig.

Poor Alan really worked hard installing the pipe, doing some of the digging near the house by hand, etc. He was so tired. I helped with filling the trench and doing some clean up. Lots of work, but good exercise. It will be nice when the yard is finally back to normal. Next spring, when new grass covers it.....It's going to take a while, but will be worth it.

On Saturday, we also went to the local parade, put on by the Lions Club. Bryan marched in the parade and we wanted to see him, plus it's a great little small town parade. Lauryn and Aaron joined us at the parade, which is always fun. This is a great parade for getting candy and other things. Jadyn loves that!

The fam at the parade. Two family members had to make silly faces. This is one of Aaron's creepy faces which he enjoys making. Lauryn really enjoys this particular one. Not!

Jadyn and Lauryn

I need this car, don't you think?

I took a picture of this little guy, who was riding in the parade. I believe that's a face only a mother could love. :)

Madeline was at the parade. I figured Jadyn would be really excited to see her. Not so much. It may have something to do with that Really Large Head. :)

It was a fun parade and I'm glad we attended. Parades are all done now until next summer.

Here's a picture of Jadyn playing with her friend Marissa. Marissa's grandmother is our neighbor. Jadyn is always super happy when she comes to visit. Not too many little ones live on our street. I love it when Jadyn gets an unexpected play date.

Somebody Started School Today!

2010-09-07T17:58:00.002-05:00

Hooray, hooray! Today was the day that Jadyn finally got to go to Kindergarten. She did really well, wasn't hesitant and didn't seem nervous. It was an exciting morning for us!
She told me 2 or 3 times during the last several days that she might be a little nervous on her first day. I told her that most of the kids would be and that 1 or 2 might even cry. Well no one cried and it was a great day for everyone.

That's a real difference from the 1st day that I sent Kaitlyn to Kindergarten, many years ago. I will never forget how one little boy was scared to death. He was screaming, crying, and trying to climb up his mom. He then ran and hid underneath one of the tables. At the end of the day, I asked Kaitlyn how that little boy was, and if he felt better later on. She said, "No, he just stayed under the table all day!" How sad is that? Obviously that left an impression on me!

Now back to Jadyn. I am so happy for our little girl. She has come a long way! Here's hoping it's a really great year. Here are some pictures.

"Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one."

2010-09-05T19:08:00.001-05:00

We've had a good week, and we did some fun things. Jadyn and I went to the lake one day and she played at the beach. We went to her school and met her teacher one evening. On another day we went to the State Fair.

I'm glad we've had plenty of things to keep us busy. Jadyn is so anxious for school to begin and busyness helps the time pass faster, or so it seems. When the kids are anxious for something to happen, it makes moms that way too. Is it time for Kindergarten yet? What day does Kindergarten start??

Once she begins school, maybe she won't have to amuse herself by doing things like this.

"Mommy, I can't breathe!" Imagine this, said in a voice with a pinched nose sound. :)

Here are some photos from our trip to the beach. Jadyn had lots of fun that afternoon. I pretty much just sat in the chair, ate my lunch and took photos.

Jadyn found a new friend that day. He was a little boy of about 3 years of age. He was quite shy at first and didn't seem to want to play. After a while, he really got into it and they had a great time playing together. It was cute.

Here are pictures from the State Fair. As usual, the baby animal barn is one of our favorite stops.
Jadyn would tell you that the baby ducks and chickies are her favorites. My favorites are the baby piggies. I definitely would not want to be the new mom of so many babies at once. Oh my!

Sweet little calves.

This little calf was only about 1.5 hours old.

Llama Time! How I love these guys. :) Call me crazy, but I like them more every time I see them. They are so unusual, so friendly, and they love to be petted. They like to sniff your hand or arm, just like a dog would. Ha ha.

Seriously, if I had some acreage in the country....well I just might have to have one.

A llama needing a trim. :) He looked much like a teddy bear in the face.

Baby Llama!

Riding the Ferris wheel.

The highlight of the day for Miss Jadyn. Yummy cotton candy!

At the end of the day, we had one very tired and STICKY girl. All 3 of us managed to go home with some of her cotton candy on our clothing. Yay. :)

Something's Fishy

2010-08-31T10:28:00.000-05:00

We are heading to the beach today, for a little sand and sun. I don't think we'll see any of these creatures there, since it's just a little Minnesota lake. :) Jadyn is so excited to go. She already has her bucket and shovel ready.
I'm hoping to get in a little reading time, take a few photos and soak up just a little bit more of summer.

Summer Is Going, Going.....

2010-08-29T20:24:00.001-05:00

Ah, the last days of summer are upon us. Luckily it's still nice and warm outside in the afternoons. Can you believe that September will start this week?

My lovely summer flowers are beginning to look tired and worn out. My tomato plant looks tired and worn too, but is still bearing fruit. I hate to see summer fade, but I do look forward to the beauty of fall.

We hope to fit in a few things before the days get chilly. The days are becoming shorter already.
Jadyn has asked if we can go to the beach at the lake, so we'll do that this week. That should be fun. It's also time to go to the State Fair. I think the llamas are calling my name....or maybe that was a corn dog??

We've done some shopping for school here and there. We still need to get a few things. Our baby girl starts Kindergarten in a little over a week. She is SO excited about it and is counting the days. She's going to love it so much and she really needs this. I am excited for her!

Can you stand two or three last photos of swim lessons? :) Seriously, they are some of the only photos I've taken recently.

What's not to love about this little goggle face? :)

This is Jadyn with Jon her teacher, and his sister Joie. Joie is Jadyn's sweet little friend.

Here they are all going under the water together.

Thanks for indulging me.

I promise photos on a different subject next time! :)

My Girl Moths

2010-08-18T17:14:00.000-05:00

Yes, you read that right. Our daughter knows how to moth. I was doing some mopping on Monday, and she wanted to help. I let her help a bit so she could have a little fun. I know that for her it's all about pushing the little button that squirts the cleaning solution onto the floor. :)

So after she mopped, she asked me if I was proud of her that she knew how to moth. It actually took me a minute to realize that she was referring to her mopping skills. Ha ha. "Mom, aren't you so proud of me that I know how to moth?"

If anyone needs help with the moth-ing at your home, just let us know. I'm sure Jadyn would love to help you out.

Here is Bryan, playing with the Wii. He's been at it quite a bit yesterday and today when he's not at work. Believe it or not he's playing baseball. Who plays Wii baseball lying on the couch?? This really cracked me up. I guess it just means he's really skilled. There's no way I could do that.

There's big news with Kaitlyn and Chris. They are moving to Kansas City for new jobs. Kaitlyn arrived there today and starts her job tomorrow. Chris will follow in just a few days with all of the household stuff.
I am happy for them and VERY glad that they are 3 hours closer to us. 3 hours closer! I've already checked Mapquest, and it's 6 hours, 53 minutes to their place. :) That is WAY better than 10 hours. Woot!

Swimming, Swimming, and Spicy Salsa

2010-08-14T22:33:00.002-05:00

I am really enjoying the slower pace that we have right now. We have time to relax a bit and just enjoy the days. Summer's winding down, but that's okay. We've done some great things this summer.

I did take some more pictures of Jadyn at her swimming lesson this week. I am just so proud of her. She has come a long, long way this summer. Her teacher, Jon, was so patient and good with her. I appreciate that very much.

Going under for a ring.

Look at my baby girl! This is progress!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When life gives you tomatoes, make salsa! I've picked all of my ripe tomatoes, and last night I made pico de gallo. It's already all gone. I ate a lot of it myself. I did share with friends too. :)

This evening, I made salsa. It's yummy. I think I could eat salsa at 3 meals each day. I have a little bit of a burn going on in the tummy right now. I think maybe I should give it a rest....'til tomorrow anyway.

Yesterday we spent time with our playgroup friends. It's always so fun to be with this group. We are blessed to know them and enjoy these special friendships.

The kids played in the pool like crazy, until it was time to go. So much fun!!

So thankful for friends.

~ True friends are never forgotten, they live within our hearts and souls.... forever and always, dancing on our stage of memories. ~

A Little Catch-up

2010-08-11T15:17:00.002-05:00

It is a hot and muggy day here in MN. We go out to do our errands and then we run back to the comfort of air conditioning. Who knew Minnesota could be so s.t.i.c.k.y? Each day as I inwardly grumble about the heat and humidity, I remind myself I'll be wishing for this in a few months. :)

I have tomatoes which are growing and ripening on my deck. I actually have enough to make some salsa. Yum! It's not that I can't get some at the store anytime I want them, but making some salsa with my own tomatoes will be fun.

Jadyn's swimming lessons are going well. I am SO excited! Our girl, who was so afraid to even get her face wet is now beginning to swim. So very cute. I will take more pictures of this and post them soon.

We recently took a family vacation to Texas. We were away for 2 weeks. We had a great trip. We were able to spend time with many of our family members. Some, we had not seen in years. It was really great to reconnect.
We also went to Sea World and the Riverwalk in San Antonio. Here are a few pictures from our trip.

Jadyn is playing with 2nd cousins at a family reunion.

Here is Jadyn, at the Riverwalk, in San Antonio.

Our next stop in San Antonio was Sea World. We had a really great time, and Jadyn was so excited about seeing all of the animals. It was a fun day!

dolphin visit

The Shark Cove. I was kind of glad these guys were behind glass! We also saw rays, pretty fish, and creepy eels. Eels are just not the cuddly sort. Ick. You can see some in the next photo.

Seeing the Shamu show with the Orca whales was my favorite part of the day. How I love these whales. What was funny to me is that I had read in the literature about the show, and it said these whales are so majestic, that you may get a tear in your eye when you see them. I was thinking, "Yeah, right." It happened to me at the show. Ha ha.

We rode the Rio Loco ride and got soaked to the skin. It felt good on such a hot day!

Here's a picture we took when we were visiting the alligators. I enjoyed Jadyn's reaction when she saw them. She thought they looked scary, so did I!

Jadyn and Mom, at the end of the day. Do we look as tired as we felt?

After San Antonio, we traveled to Lubbock. This is where most of our family lives. This is a picture of Jadyn and my mom. My mom made this quilt for Jadyn. She makes a quilt for each grandchild. Jadyn's is #10 that she has made. She puts in tons of hours making these quilts.

Cooling off in Grandma and Grandpa's yard.

Here is a picture that I took, standing in my parents' garden. The area of Texas where I was raised is pretty flat. You can see for miles. That is a field of cotton in the far background. My parents don't farm cotton. My dad was a police officer in the city. They just wanted to live in the country and raise us out there. I'm part city girl and part country girl. :)

Here is Jadyn with my dad, working a puzzle.

Here is Jadyn at a family meal with some of her cousins. One cousin did not want to be in the picture. :)

While in Lubbock, we saw all of our siblings, parents, and quite a few other family members. We even celebrated a couple of birthdays.

Good times, and always a blessing to see our family.

In The Good Old Summertime

2010-07-19T16:04:00.001-05:00

Ahh, summmertime! Days of sand, sun, water, heat, sunscreen, and the like. Summer storms, washing cars, eating watermelon, slapping mosquitoes too. :)

Oh, and thank goodness for air conditioning. I am all about having the AC on in summertime. That's what it's there for! A friend recently said that they just now turned on the AC in their house. I don't know how folks can deal with the heat that way, especially with the humidity. We've experienced plenty of humidity this summer! So now you know about one of my favorite things in summer - the air conditioning!

On the 10th, we had Bryan's graduation open house. It's a big ole party and you invite just about everyone who ever knew your graduate. What a crazy tradition these Minnesotans have. Ha ha.

We had an uncut watermelon left after the party. I had some in a bowl in the fridge too and first we ate that. I had the uncut watermelon on the kitchen counter and I was going to cut into it about 3 days after the party. Alan was up before me that morning and he woke me up to tell me we had a big mess to clean up. Little did we know, the watermelon was rotten inside and the bottom collapsed and broke open. Nasty watermelon juice ran across the counter, down into the cupboard and onto some dishes. Then, it ran onto the floor and ran for several feet. What a sticky, nasty mess to clean.

I'd never seen a watermelon do that. The thing was just a shell inside, and completely liquid. Wow, I'm so glad we didn't need that one for the guests. Today, the garbage man came to empty our garbage containers we roll out to the street. Guess what was left in the garbage container.....Yep, all of that sticky, nasty, smelly watermelon juice. I did bag the thing up before it went into the garbage. I don't know what happened. Evil watermelon. Smelly! I just finished washing the garbage can out a while ago. Yuck. Good times!

On a better note, here are some recent photos.

Here's Bryan, just before his open house started.

Here is Lauryn, just about to eat Bryan's face that was on his cake. He ate her face, from the cake at her grad party. Payback time!

Our town's annual festival was this weekend. Here is Jadyn, with a friend at the parade. Bryan marched with the band that night. Lauryn and Aaron walked in the parade with our church, handing out invite cards. It was a fun parade to watch.

We had a beach day with friends on Friday.

Jadyn, Cate, and Rose.

Jadyn with Zhou

It was a fun afternoon at the lake.

Here's a picture of Jadyn, playing in her sandbox today.

I'm off now, to cut the watermelon that I bought on Saturday. I must cut it before it explodes on my counter!

Enjoying Our Busy Summer

2010-07-15T15:23:00.002-05:00

Greetings, from our house to yours!

Parties, picnics, playgroups, graduation, baseball, swim lessons, cook-outs, parades, and a mini vacation. These are just a few of the things we've been doing this summer so far. Apparently, we are trying to pack in as many things as we can. :)

We have been enjoying our summer very much. Some things have been all about relaxing and spending time with family or friends. Other things have been about learning, or doing things to help others. Some things have kept me a little busier than I'd prefer, but it's all good. Most of the really busy things are done. I am happy about that.

It's been so long since I've updated the blog, I've almost forgotten how. Just kidding of course. I hope to get back to my usual bloggy self eventually. I do always check in on many of you. Even though I may not have been blogging, I'm still here getting my blog fix on most days.

Our camera is usually on hand and we take lots and lots of photos. I will share some of our summer photos.

Bryan graduated on June 13th. We are so proud of him and enjoyed his graduation so much. We so enjoyed having family from TX, NM, and MO come for this event. What a blessing that they could come.

Bryan marches with the high school band in many parades each summer. We always love seeing the band performing. Tonight is the last one this summer, and the last time he'll perform with the high school. :(

Here's Jadyn, finding something to do to pass the time while we wait for Bryan's band to perform.

Jadyn and Jon, who teaches her swimming lessons. Jadyn has a fear of the water, but he is doing such a great job with her. He is very gentle and patient.

We went to the zoo with playgroup friends in late June.

Pretty flowers near the zoo.

At the beginning of July, we went on a 2 1/2 day trip to Lake Superior's North Shore area. We had a great little mini vacation. The beauty of the area never, ever disappoints.

Gooseberry Falls

We saw many beautiful flowers on the North Shore. We must have arrived at the perfect time. We didn't remember ever seeing so many flowers there before. God's creation is awesome.

This has been our summer so far. More fun things to come before long!

Babies!!

2010-06-18T18:43:00.001-05:00

I just have to show you the babies who are living in a bush in our front yard. They are just outside our front door really.

Jadyn made a discovery about 2 weeks ago. She came running inside and told me she found a bird's nest. She said it was a robin's nest. I asked how she knew it was a robin's nest. She said she had seen a robin fly out of it.

It's a large round bush and Jadyn is able to get underneath it. This is how she found the nest. The nest is too high for her to see into. (This is a good thing.)

I took a look into the nest, and this is what I saw.

How pretty these 4 eggs were! It took about a week after we first saw the eggs, but all of them hatched.

This is how the babies look now. I can't believe how fast they grow! They are so cute when they raise their little heads looking for food. I'd hoped to get a photo of one with its head raised, but they were all sleeping.

This is their mommy on the neighbor's roof. She doesn't like it when we look at the babies. She yells at us. :) We try not to do it too often.

Maybe I will get at least one more photo of the babies pretty soon.

Jadyn is so proud of these baby birds! We had lots of family visiting us this past week, for Bryan's graduation. Jadyn wanted everyone to see the babies. They are pretty sweet.

What's Been Happening

2010-05-28T18:10:00.002-05:00

Things have been busy around here this month. It seems that May is always that way. That's the nature of having kids in school, I think.

Picnics, parties, playdates, concerts, graduations....It's all good.

Look who has recently graduated from preschool. :) Congratulations, Jadyn!

Family members all seem to be determined to graduate this spring. One from college, one from preschool, and soon one will graduate from high school.

Bryan's graduation is coming up in just 2 weeks. Hopefully we'll be all ready for the festivities. I still feel a bit behind, due to my recovery. I'm still trying to get my stamina back. I wish it would hurry. I don't have time for tiredness and exhaustion. No time at all. :) I think I need to work on my patience with myself too.

Bryan had his last band concert this week. It was a wonderful concert. I'm sure we'll miss these times. Ah, the bittersweetness of finishing high school.

Ever the musician at heart, he'll be marching in parades aplenty within the next few weeks with the marching band. We'll look forward to seeing that soon.

After the concert.

I realized we had no pics of him with his sax and tux. A momma's gotta have these things you know.

Here's a picture from a recent photo shoot. We think the world of our boy -- soon to be all graduated and everything!

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend, everyone!

I'm Back! :)

2010-05-18T08:55:00.007-05:00

Yes, at long last, I've decided to rejoin the blogging world. It's true, I AM still around.

I've even been seen around town here and there. :) It's been wonderful to be out and about and enjoying things. I've been getting out quite a bit for about two weeks now. It feels so good. I just have to be careful not to overdo things. I've been guilty of that a time or two, or three. It happens easily.

Life must go on and responsibilities happen. And hey, I can't be the center of attention forever. Heh.

I am very thankful to be at this point in my recovery. Very thankful. It's been a journey. Some parts were harder than I expected, and some easier. There are still a few little issues that will go away with time. It's a 6-week recovery and I'm just beginning week 5. I have to remind myself of that and try not to be in a hurry for my body to be back to normal.

Our family is doing well, enjoying spring and all of the activity it brings. We've been doing some celebrating lately of happy and fun things.

Our daughter, Kaitlyn, graduated from college on May 7th. We traveled to Missouri for her graduation festivities. We are so proud of you Kaitlyn!
We had a wonderful time celebrating, and visiting with Kaitlyn and Chris. We had not seen them since Christmas. Since Christmas!

We had a nice Mother's Day. My family loves me and that is such a gift in itself.
Our lovely daughter, Lauryn, celebrated a birthday last week, and Bryan also went to prom. Good times, and as always, family is at the very center of our lives. Enjoy photos......

Kaitlyn has graduated! Congratulations!

Kaitlyn and Chris

Kaitlyn and Jadyn

Bryan, and his date Hailey. Prom-May 15th.

Home Sweet Home

2010-04-22T13:27:00.002-05:00

I am happy to report that I am indeed home and doing well.

Some of you may have already seen some postings on Facebook. My husband was posting to my wall, letting others know when I was out of surgery, etc. If anyone thought I was Superwoman, and posting to FB from the recovery room -- well I'm just not quite that talented. :)

I want to thank everyone for the prayers and good thoughts you've been sending. Here is a HUGE THANK YOU, and a hug. It meant the world to me, knowing that family and friends were praying.

My surgery went very well, took a little longer than expected, but no complications. For me, it seemed like it lasted about 5 minutes. Hooray, for the anesthesia and procedure that I was so scared about. That was the easiest part of the whole process.

After surgery was rough, I couldn't keep anything down until the next day. AND -Who can get any sleep in a hospital at night? What a long night that was, with all the constant comings and goings of staff. They were just doing their job keeping a good eye on me, but I just wanted to sleep. The pain was tolerable, once we got it under control. Honestly, the nausea was way worse than the pain.

We came home on Tuesday afternoon. I was slightly nervous about it. It's very great to be home though, and Alan is taking very good care of me.

I'm as weak as a kitten, and having a little pain and issues. But this too shall pass. I am WAY GLAD that my surgery is over! Now, to be a good girl and take it easy. Tummy incisions just naturally make you take it easy. LOL. I won't be doing much for a while.

Thanks again for your sweet comments, prayers, etc. You're the best!

It's Finally Time

2010-04-18T06:53:00.002-05:00

I've been doing the final count down here at my place. I've been checking things off my list and getting ready for the "big day".
My surgery is tomorrow and I am so glad it's finally here. This waiting around has been no fun all. OH the nervousness and crabbiness that comes along with it. I have been a little uptight for the last several days. Not every moment, but most of the moments that I was not busy. LOL.

I didn't know I was crabby until Jadyn told me. I gave her an impatient sounding answer to one of the "many questions that 5 year olds ask every single day". I immediately apologized and said, "I'm sorry Jadyn, Mommy is just so........" She filled in the blank for me and said, "Crabby?" I laughed and told her she was right. So that's it. Mommy is crabby.

My poor family. They've had to live here and deal with my crabbiness. I wonder if they'll be glad to see me finally go. I think we'll all enjoy the relief.

I've never really had major surgery, and so I've been a bundle of nerves. It's helped so much to talk to friends who've had a hysterectomy or another type of surgery. They've all assured me that I'll be fine. I told a couple of them that I want the drugs NOW. Ha ha.... Just kidding....sort of.

I have tried to stay busy during the past week. I ran errands, I painted a room in our house, I cleaned a lot, I had a gathering of friends over, I ran more errands. I cleaned even more. If it's not nailed down, I've probably put it through the washer. Knowing that I won't be able to do any type of housework other than the light stuff has me on a cleaning frenzy.

I do ask for your good thoughts and prayers for tomorrow and in the coming days. Thank you so much. I appreciate every single one.

Here is a silly picture of Jadyn. She had the background from a sheet of stickers on her face. :)

Here she is, having some fun with bubbles.

Texas Boys and Bluebonnets

2010-04-14T11:05:00.006-05:00

Today, I want to share some beautiful photos that my sister took on a recent trip. On Easter weekend, she traveled with her family to central Texas for some relaxation, and to see the beautiful bluebonnets. The bluebonnets are spectacular at this time of year in that part of Texas. Bluebonnets are the state flower of Texas, by the way.

If you know me, you know I'm a Texas girl at heart. I did live there for 36 years after all. All things Texan are close to my heart, including the state flower. I'm happy for my sister, Teresa and her family, who took this opportunity to spend time among these beautiful flowers and make some beautiful memories.

Enjoy these sweet photos, of Thomas and Aaron. They are 7 years old. Yes, they are identical twins. :)

For those of you who LOVE adoption, you'll be happy to learn that Aaron and Thomas were adopted by my sister and her husband. How wonderful that their family has been blessed by these two little guys.

Here they are with their dad, Randy.

This is their mommy. She has grown kids and little kids, just like me. She's even a grandmother of 3! I hope I look this nice when I have 3 grandchildren. :)

JUMP!!

2010-04-07T11:42:00.008-05:00

Here are two pictures of our son Bryan, as he was having some fun with friends on his spring break. I told him I was glad he had fun and didn't break any bones that day. :)

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T08:26:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter to you!

Kaitlyn and Chris sent us these lovely tulips as an Easter surprise. Hooray, for spring and pretty flowers.

So thankful that our Lord is alive and we celebrate today!

Adding Insult to Injury

2010-04-03T15:05:00.006-05:00

Poor baby

Just have to share our woes. LOL As if I haven't complained enough already. I mean really....3 posts on illness. Who does that? :)

Guess who now has a stomach virus? Jadyn does. Yuckiness!

This is her first stomach virus, and we talked about what to do if "it" happened. She made it to the bathroom and the tile floor. Thank goodness for that. The clean up could have been much worse.

Easter plans are kind of up in the air at this point. Good times, good times.

I'm glad Jadyn was able to go to an egg hunt last weekend. I'm not sure if she'll be well enough for hunting eggs tomorrow. I so hope we are able to attend church.

I've Got It

2010-04-02T17:15:00.003-05:00

I've got it, and it's nothing anyone would want. I have the family cold.

Our house must be like one giant petri dish. I don't even remember when every single one of us all caught the same illness. What a wicked little virus!

Now I'll be sniffling and snuffling with the rest of 'em. Yay.

Just hang a quarantine sign on our door. :)

Sniffle, Sniffle

2010-03-31T09:50:00.010-05:00

They cough, they sniffle, they snuffle, they sneeze, and they blow their noses 30 times a day. This is my family. They all have colds.

The poor things are so sick. :( I feel sorry for them. Having a cold is NO fun. This morning Jadyn said, "I am not happy with my cold." I don't blame her. She is on cold #2 this month.

Here's the cycle: Jadyn gets a cold. Bryan gets a cold. Dad gets a cold. Jadyn gets another cold. After Jadyn's cold had been around for 11 or 12 days, I told her that her cold was about done. Yesterday morning, I noticed that she must have a new one coming on. She'd caught the family cold. I didn't have the heart to tell her, and I hoped she wouldn't notice. She did notice. She said, "Mom, if I'm not sick, why is my nose running so much?" Poor little one.

So here I am, in the midst of all of this sneezing, sniffling, snuffling and coughing. Coughing! Did I mention coughing? Last night I said, "If I have to listen to just one more person sneeze or cough....." Don't get me wrong. I DO feel sorry for them. I also know full well that I could be next.

Did I mention they cough?? The little one coughs incessantly. It's her thing when she gets a cold. Oh.my.word. It's enough to drive me batty. :)

By the way, yes of course snuffle is a word. Haven't you heard of it? It's that sound that a person with a cold makes. :)

On to something more positive - We did some fun things over last weekend.

We took Jadyn to an Easter egg hunt which was put on by our local FCC group. There was so much Chinese cuteness going on there. So many adorable children. Here are some pictures.

On Sunday, we had the joy of spending time with friends from our China travel group. Greg, Kim, and their children are vacationing in our area this week. They came over for a visit and it was so much fun to see them again. The kids played together like crazy, and it was almost as if they'd known each other all their lives. Good times.

Agnes, Jadyn, and Drew

Thankful Thursday - Of A Different Sort

2010-03-25T18:11:00.005-05:00

I was downright cranky this morning. I have no idea why. It just came out of the blue. I'm glad it came out of the blue. Heaven knows I wouldn't want to admit it came from Me.

I didn't like the idea of having to do chores around the house, which included everything from laundry to cleaning the fish tank.

I'm not sure why I felt frustrated at having to be the one who does most of the cleaning up around the house. It doesn't happen too often, thank goodness. I don't like to have a pity party about such things. I don't even want to be in my own skin when I get so cranky.

I decided the best thing to do was turn it around and be THANKFUL for my situation.

Thank goodness I have a home and a family to take care of! There are so many in the world who live alone and are so terribly lonely.

My favorite plant was broken today. A number of pieces were broken off by a ball that someone accidentally hit it with. I was sad about it. The good part is this - I have a beautiful child who lives with ME. I'm thankful for her.

Jadyn and I decided to eat pizza for lunch today. I opened the freezer and my preferred kind wasn't there. There was only 1 pizza left for us. WHERE were all of the pizzas that it seems I just bought? -- I'm thankful for the hungry young man who is our son. Before I can blink, he'll be living on his own and I won't need to buy so much pizza.

Jadyn asked me to come to her tea party this morning. It was in the middle of my really cranky mood. While I really just wished I could have my space, I went to her tea party. I'm thankful for my little girl who loves to have tea parties a couple of times a week. Some day she won't want to do this anymore. She won't even prefer me at her parties. LOL.

Thankful for a smile...

Last week, I shared some items from our newspaper. What kids want to be when they grow up. There were more in today's paper. I can't resist sharing just one more of them. It made me smile.

Here it is: Mary said- I want to be a doctor. I'll need a "shot-er", a stethoscope, heart beat thinger, knee tapper, some toys, and potty pads in case they go potty.

How on earth did her teacher keep a straight face? Maybe she didn't. :)

Thanks for reading, friends. Blessings to you today.

Tuesday's Rambling Thoughts

2010-03-23T11:37:00.007-05:00

Raise your hand if you're loving the spring-like weather we've been having. Isn't it wonderful? Beautiful days, full of sunshine are D-lightful! Here in Minnesota, we are over-the-moon excited about what seems to be an early spring.

The past few days have been busy for us. Time with friends and family always tops my list. On Friday we had Playgroup friends over. That night, Jadyn and I attended an event at our church for ladies and girls of all ages. We were to wear a recycled prom dress, bridesmaids dress, etc. I wore a recycled prom dress, and Jadyn wore last year's Easter dress. It was a fun event and I'm glad we went. I'll include a picture at the end of the post.

On Saturday, Lauryn and I went to an all-day scrapbooking event. It was a fundraiser for my friend Sue and her family. They are bringing home a 5th daughter from China. We had a good time scrapbooking, learning new techniques and visiting with friends. Go here to see Sue's blog, her lovely family and ongoing fundraisers.

Let the scrapbooking continue! I recently completed 2 scrapbooks, which I worked on over the last several months. They're 12X12 albums and they are quite full. I began a new album on Saturday. Soon I'll be moving on into the 2007 photos. Yep, 2007. :) Do you do scrapbooking?

So...I recently shared that I'll be having surgery next month. I felt sort of weird at the time, because I didn't know how some would view it, if I shared something so personal. As it turned out, a number of ladies wrote to me both publicly and privately, or spoke to me in person. Many deal with similar issues now, or have in the past.

I so appreciate the sisterhood of women. I'm so glad for friends and family to talk with about issues of all kinds.

This morning when I was getting dressed and looking at my makeup-less self in the mirror, I was thinking. Thinking about the the pre-surgery info. given to me by my doctor's office. If you've had surgery before or work in the medical field, you know the drill. -- The list sort of reads like a What Not to Wear. What not to wear on the day of surgery. No jewelry of any kind (including all of those hidden piercings I have.) Just kidding. :) No nail polish. No makeup. NO makeup?? Now how will I, "Mascara Girl" deal with this? LOL! That's my silly thought for the morning.

Here's the photo from Friday night. Take note that my dress was poofy. That is poofiness of the dress and not my body. Right......

Photos were taken at the event too. We had our photo taken with Lauryn. Maybe I'll be able to share those eventually too.

For A Smile

2010-03-18T14:52:00.004-05:00

Our local newspaper has been publishing these little gems for a couple of weeks. Kindergarten children have listed what they'd like to be when they grow up and what they'll need to accomplish it. I just love this sort of thing, so I'm sharing some of the cute and funny ones.

I've changed all names.

Billy: Doctor. Have other doctors show me.

Lily: Princess. Move to a castle.

Joey: Police officer. Have a whistle.

Sara: Veterinarian. Love animals, even cats.

Tommy: Soldier. Practice with my toy sword.

Amy: Firefighter. Learn to spray water.

Scott: Zoo Keeper. Get zoo keeper clothes.

Anna: Olympic Swimmer. Swim a lot.

Charles: Baseball Player. Play T-ball, Little League, Go to a baseball stadium.

Matt: Soldier. Shoot targets.

Mary: Princess. Get a crown.

Josh: Veterinarian. Take good care of my frog.

Karen: Doctor. Learn how to make people feel better.

Gracie: A Principal. I'll need to learn how to get people to come to me. :)

Hannah: A Princess. I'll need to marry a prince. :)

David: Baseball Player. I'll need to learn to catch a ball.

Katie: Dentist. I'll need to learn to pull out teeth.

Timothy: Baker. I'll have to learn to cook things, pour things, bake toast and banana bread.

Keith: Chef. I'll need to learn to cook lobster.

Jeffrey: Scientist. Experiment, study in Africa.

John: Basketball player. I'll have to sign up.

Jake: Fireman. Learn to use a hose, a walkie-talkie, drive a fire truck, have a fire chief and ladder, and be very smart.

Austin: Jedi. I will need a real lightsaber.

Sherri: Scientist. I will need lots of dinosaur bones.

Ellie: Teacher. I will need to go to school and know all the grades.

Tessa: Be a regular mom and on Sundays I'm going to be a choir teacher. I will need to learn from my mom to be a regular mom and have to make up lots of songs.

Aurora: Dancer. But no jazz dance because it's too fast. I will need a ballerina dress.

Janie: I want to be a Pooh bear. I will need to learn to sleep a lot. ((LOL. I think this is the best.))

Evan: Lego Designer. Learn how to speak all kinds of languages. I will need bricks and an apron, and a boss for me.

Michael: Scientist. I will need to ask God to help me. :)

Cara: Police Officer. I will need driving lessons.

Donald: Police Officer. I will need to learn how to arrest people.

Faith: I want to be a dog groomer, but I don't have a dog.

Chelsie: I want to be a haircut girl. I need to practice cutting stuff. (( Yes, but just don't start on the hair yet.))

Luke: Be a boss. Need a place to sit, desk, and a couple of dollars.

Susan: Teacher. Need supplies to make a room look fun.

Abby: Grocery Shopper. I'll need to buy people stuff.

Gavin: Policeman. I'll need to practice really hard putting people in jail.

Nathan: Pirate. I'll need to practice riding on a boat.

Alexa: Veterinarian. Go to school and train with stuffed animals.

Darryl: Cowboy. I'll need to learn to ride a horse, I'll need cowboy pants and a cowboy shirt.

Grateful

2010-03-16T13:59:00.014-05:00

Today, I'm feeling grateful for a number of things. First and foremost as always, I'm grateful for all that God blesses me with. Every single day, His blessings are apparent.

I'm thankful for time with family and friends. What a joy it is anytime we can be together .

We're celebrating our family's March birthdays right now. My husband had a big milestone birthday last Thursday, and our son, will be 18 tomorrow. He's the youngest of our big kids. How on earth could he be 18 already?

Here is Alan, celebrating his big birthday.

I'm thankful for a sweet husband, who is always supportive and kind to me. Also, here he is playing with Jadyn. I'm thankful for a daddy who will play with his little girl.
I'm very grateful that relief is in sight for me. (My apologies to male readers.) I've been having some serious physical problems each month with my cycle. I've always had some issues with pain each month, but over the last several years it has just become ridiculous. After so many years, I sort of thought that this is just how things were for me.

Last month, I had a lot of pain. It was my birthday, and we'd made plans for the day. Due to having pain for several hours, we did not get to go out to the zoo as planned. I decided that I was totally done and ready to see a gynecologist. It was my birthday for Pete's sake. Come on!

So I visited the doctor last week, and I was so relieved that we were on the same page about my issues. We've scheduled surgery for next month. I will be having a hysterectomy and also a 2nd procedure, to give support to my bladder. There are issues there too. :(

Please pardon the graphic talk here, but I feel it's important to share and be honest. The main reason I want to share is so you can be in prayer for me on that day and on the days following. It's April 19th, that's the big day. I'll be sure to remind you and ask for prayer then. :)

I've talked to and know so many women who have had a hysterectomy. Most say to do it and don't look back, and that I'll be so glad I made the choice. I also wanted to share, because there may be others out there who can benefit from knowing and may be in need of seeing a doctor too. You never know.

I'm experiencing a lot of pain this month too. Non-stop pain for over 24 hours on Sun. and Mon. Just take me to surgery now, please! Just give me narcotics and no one will get hurt.

Relief is in sight, and I am so glad. I know it will be a bit of a bumpy road for a few weeks, but things will be better soon.

Thanks for listening.

Black and White Wednesday

2010-03-10T10:00:00.004-06:00

A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life.

Isadora James

Here is a picture of Lauryn and Jadyn that I treasure. Jadyn had been home for just 8 months. Lauryn was reading a book to her in the church nursery. Jadyn would have nothing to do with the nursery at the time, unless a family member was with her. Lauryn was giving Mom and Dad a break on this day. A friend took this photo of the two of them.

Favorite Foto Friday

2010-03-05T15:15:00.005-06:00

Lauryn and Jadyn

Here is a picture of our oldest and youngest daughters. This was taken at lunch on a Sunday recently. Jadyn was dressed and ready to attend a Chinese New Year festival.

Sorry that I haven't been bubbling over with news on the blog lately. My mom has always said that "no news is good news".

I think we've reached that time of winter which could be called Blah. We try to get out of the house on most days so that we stay sane. Preschool, playdates, lunches, errands, and church. Now you know what we've been up to. Exciting isn't it? :)

Wordless Wednesday - My Little Snowman

2010-03-03T11:22:00.003-06:00

Black and White Wednesday

2010-02-24T10:20:00.006-06:00

This is a sweet picture I found, as I was looking through our photos yesterday. What a sweet moment captured.

Jadyn had been home with us for about 9 months at this time and was nearing 2 years old.

I'm so grateful for the gift of photos. What a blessing to be able to take a look back at special moments in the past.

Daddy and Jadyn

For more black and white photos, please go to Lisa's blog and you'll find lots of wonderful entries.

Ah, Sugar Sugar

2010-02-22T11:14:00.010-06:00

Back in the day, there was a song called Sugar, Sugar. I've decided it's a good description for what's been happening around our house in the last week or two. Give this song a listen. :)

Oh the influx of s.u.g.a.r!

•It all started when Bryan had surgery and needed lots of ice cream in the house. Well how could we let him eat ice cream alone?

•Then, my birthday came last Thursday. Let there be cake AND more ice cream!

•Then, there were some overripe bananas in the kitchen. That called for banana bread. I really needed to try out a new recipe. Good news is that I liked it better than my old one!

•Then there was the friend who found it necessary to send brownies home with us.

•Plus, there was Jadyn who had a gingerbread house she made a couple of weeks ago. I promise I didn't eat any of it. She ate about 1/2 of it. Then we threw it out.

WHY do sugary treats have to be so GOOD?

"I just can't believe the loveliness of loving you!" "Pour a little sugar on me honey!" "You have made my life so sweet!"

There's a dad whose son is in Jadyn's preschool class. He does not like and does not eat sugary treats. Oh, how I wish I could be that way too.

Really, does this need any explanation?

On my birthday, two daughters with me, and one on the phone. Sweet! We did invite the guys to the party. They're just not in this picture. Alan was very sweet, to take the day off for my birthday. He ordered pizza, got a cake AND ice cream, and invited our kids over.

Sweet times!

Celebrating 4 Years Together

2010-02-19T18:41:00.007-06:00

Look who has been home for 4 years! Oh, where does the time go? ♥Four years blessed♥ Happy Gotcha Day, Jadyn.

Saturday Snapshots

2010-02-13T20:26:00.018-06:00

I really love this time of year. We celebrate 7 birthdays in our family, in the space of about 1 1/2 weeks time and it's fun to share in all of those as much as we can.

Today's my dad's birthday. We spoke to him for a while today and he said that he heard yesterday that all states in America have snow right now, except Hawaii. How amazing is that?

Since tomorrow is both Valentines Day and Chinese New Year, it will be doubly festive! Our family will celebrate at our favorite Chinese buffet place.

We've had a great week here at our house, and I thought I'd share some snapshots.

We had a beautiful Jack Frost morning today. This is my very favorite thing to see in winter. Love, love this type of morning. I hope you can see a little of how beautiful it was from this photo. This is what we see out our kitchen window.
Bryan had surgery to remove his wisdom teeth on Thursday. He has been doing really well and I've been happy that he's been such an easy patient. :) Oh man, this boy was something else when he began to wake up from the anesthesia. He was absolutely hilarious for about an hour. There was no filter, and he said anything and everything that came to mind. He has no memory of any of it, and for a while, he did not believe me when I told him about everything he said and did.

Preschool Valentine's party

Getting her "vowentines" ready for her school friends. Jadyn was so excited to get valentines ready for friends and family. She's been making some sort of valentine for someone every day. :) I remember last year, when she kept making "bowentines" for months.

We had fresh snow early in the week. Jadyn had a great time playing.

Snow sweet!

Leaning on a bench near our front porch.

Have a very wonderful Valentine's day and Chinese New Year.

Case of the Missing Mascara

2010-02-08T17:02:00.003-06:00

It is true! I lost my mascara. That's just a scary thought isn't it?

My mascara has left the face of the earth, which is what I say when I totally can't find something. A true emergency! If you are a woman, you probably understand just what I mean.

My mascara is the one kind of makeup that I try to never leave the house without. I have very blonde eyelashes, and I just prefer to have mascara on them when I go out. Call it vanity if you like. I call it necessity. :)

Some ladies never like to be without lipstick. I'm a mascara girl myself.

All 3 of my girls have dark eyelashes and I have always told them that they are so blessed to have them. If you have dark eyelashes, feel blessed.

When I was looking for my mascara, I asked Jadyn if she had seen it. I actually asked her more than once. Though she's never taken anything of mine, I thought it was possible that her little girl self may have wanted to try it out. On the second time I asked her she said, "I don't know where it is. It doesn't have legs, so it probably didn't walk off." LOL!

I bought new mascara today, and I feel so much better. You know how it is though- Now that I've bought a new tube, the old one will probably turn up. I have looked all over the place.

Last Friday, we had an emergency at our house. We had a big leak in our basement equipment room. A pipe was leaking, near where our water comes in from the city, and my husband could not get the valve to shut the water off. We had to call the city to come shut off our water, and call a plumber to replace the valve and that portion of pipe. This was an emergency, a $400 emergency.

Now I ask you, was my missing mascara any less of an emergency? Again, if you are a woman you will know what I mean.

Recipe Monday

2010-02-08T09:42:00.003-06:00

It's Monday, and a very snowy one here at our home. No one here really wants to see more snow, but it is kind of nice to have the snow make everything look all clean and white again. When we go out in it later for preschool and etc, I may not be as thrilled about it. :) Looking at it from inside our snug warm home and actually being out in it are two completely different things.

Today I'm sharing a recipe for Recipe Monday which Colleen hosts at her blog. Hop on over to Colleen's blog to see more recipes. Today, she has also shared a special story and prayer request. Please check it out.

Here's my recipe, for Tamale Casserole. It's a crock pot recipe and oh so easy. I used mild green chili peppers in mine. Choose hot ones if you prefer. I think I'll add at least 1/2 a can more peppers next time, since I love the flavor. I do like the heat of peppers, but I try to keep things mild for Jadyn's sake.

If you enjoy the flavor of tamales, you will like this easy casserole.

Tamale Casserole

1 pound lean ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained

1 can (4 oz.) diced green chilies

8 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas

2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Brown the ground beef and onion; drain. Add the tomatoes, green chilies, salt, and spices. Heat through.

Spray crock pot with cooking spray.

Tear 4 of the tortillas into bite-size pieces and place in a crock pot. Add half of the meat mixture, then sprinkle with half the cheese. Repeat layers, ending with cheese. Cover and cook on LOW for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until heated through. Makes 5-6 servings.

Our family enjoyed this recipe. Comfort food!

Brownies 101

2010-02-04T16:29:00.015-06:00

We needed to bring treats for preschool this week. I decided to make bite-size brownies. Jadyn asked if she could help.

Many years ago, I used to always make brownies from scratch. On one occasion, I complimented a friend on the brownies she had made. They were delicious and much more chocolatey than my recipe. She said she always used a mix. Ever since then, I've bought brownie mix from the store and never looked back. ;)

Jadyn's EZ Bitesize Brownies

Empty your favorite brownie mix into a bowl.

Add water and any other needed ingredients. This mix only needed water.

Now mix it up! Ask for help if your arm gets tired.

Look at that chocolatey deliciousness!

Fill the pans and add some sprinkles if you like.

Now bake and enjoy!

Random Happiness

2010-02-02T23:14:00.007-06:00

Random Happy Things

I'm happy to be feeling much better today. I've got a spring in my step again.
I'm happy to have attended our son's special concert last night, and dinner with family.
I'm happy to have had coffee with friends today - an unexpected joy.
I'm happy that LOST is back.
I'm happy that I have a new washing machine. Washing clothes is fun! (until the new wears off)
I'm happy about the Ginger Crinkle cookies that I made tonight, even if I did eat at least one too many.
I'm happy that it's February!
I'm happy that our little one fell asleep at 7:00 P.M. tonight. I cannot lie. Mommies enjoy a little break sometimes. Shhh! Don't tell her!

I'd been craving these cookies since fall. D-lish!

Not What I Expected

2010-02-01T10:04:00.004-06:00

Our weekend began like many others. The 3 of us had dinner out and watched a movie when we came home. Alan made a fire in the fireplace. It was a good evening.

Saturday, I did a few chores around the house. I went to the post office and the store. I picked up ingredients for dinner and started the crock pot.

Out of the blue, it began to happen....that little sneaky feeling of..."Wow, could I be getting sick?" Surely not...

It was true though, and don't you HATE when that happens?

It's just some weird virus I picked up. :(

It made me miss church, lunch with the family, gathering with our Sunday night small group. It made me have a really boring day and a couple of restless nights.

I hope it's on it's way out.

I do always try to keep it in perspective. There are many people who are much sicker, or going through some really tough things. I'm thankful that my virus is but a blip on the screen.

Alan took a picture of me on the couch, in a blanket, remote control in hand. He just wanted a photo of it. This snippet is all I am willing to share, because I looked...Sick. Trust me.

Here is a photo from Saturday evening, during the time when I felt myself beginning to decline. Candy Land is one of my favorite games to play with Jadyn.

So that was my boring weekend, so not what I expected. Here's hoping that it's a much better week! :)

Success!

2010-01-29T15:55:00.007-06:00

Look who is all smiles in the dental chair. Woo hoo! Jadyn has had a fear of having her teeth cleaned and checked for some time.

She's had lots of exposure to the dentist's office, but it just wasn't working out to get her into the chair. She had watched two of us have our teeth cleaned, sat in my lap in the dental chair and had her teeth counted once, and then when we tried to have her own appointment, it was a No Go. She would have nothing to do with the hygienist and the dentist.

Finally, yesterday she was unafraid to have her teeth cleaned, X-rayed, and the whole bit.

I was one happy mom, and I know she was proud of herself as well.

We've always been diligent about brushing her teeth, and I'd kept an eye on them. I really felt there were no problems.

If she'd had any kind of problem and needed dental work before now, I suppose she would have needed sedation. I might have needed sedation! :)

Her check up was just wonderful and we will stay on the road to good dental health. She even has her photo on the No Cavity Club wall.

Look, no cavities!

Letting Evie clean her teeth. Yay!

As a reward (bribe) for being so good at the dentist, I took her to the $1.00 store and she picked out a couple of things.

Next, we went to the pet store. This is one of her very favorite things. We needed some new fish anyway, since we lost some recently to illness.

Should we get the Chinese Water Dragon? He might be a good fit with our family. :) $45 for a lizard seems like a bit of a gamble to me.

Picking out new fishy friends! Always a treat.

~~Have a great weekend.~~

Black and White Wednesday

2010-01-27T10:33:00.004-06:00

Just The Two Of Us

This is a photo that Alan took in December. Jadyn and I were watching TV. I suppose that's kind of obvious. While this may not be a spectacular photo, I like it for what it is. Just a together moment.

I'm a bit camera shy, or often I'm the one behind the camera. I'm glad for simple shots like this one.

For more Black and White photos, please go to Lisa's blog. You'll enjoy!

Gratituesday

2010-01-26T14:30:00.002-06:00

Today, I am participating in Gratituesday. It's hosted at Heavenly Homemakers.

Each day, there are so many things to be grateful for, whether they are big or small.

Here are just some of the things I'm grateful for today...

♦Sunshine! The sun is out today. It may be a bit colder out, but hooray for sunshine!

♦I'm glad my husband is coming home tonight. He's been in Texas for a week, helping his siblings to deal with their father's estate. They have worked so hard all week. I know he will be so glad to get home. We're very glad he's coming home.

♦Playdates! I'm so grateful for little friends who can come and help entertain my daughter on a

cold winter morning. :)

Jadyn and her friend "J."

♦I'm grateful that God makes each of our children unique.

Bryan has always enjoyed drawing, even from the time he was very small. He hasn't spent much time doing it over the last 2 or 3 years, because his interests have taken him elsewhere. He's been taking a couple of art classes this trimester in school, since he had some extra space in his school schedule. He said he'd almost forgotten how to draw, since he hadn't spent much time doing it in years.

Here is something he drew yesterday, by copying a photo he printed from the computer. It was an assignment for school.

While I do think the guy in the photo is a little odd, I was so amazed at how the drawing came out. I know that I couldn't do this at all.

Seeing this just reminded me how cool it is to see God's handiwork in our kids.

Recipe Monday - Candy!

2010-01-25T17:46:00.006-06:00

My mom used to make this candy when I was a kid. She had not made it in many years. I was thinking about this candy not too long ago and I thought it would be neat to have it again. Just like magic, my mom suddenly made some before Thanksgiving and we enjoyed it when we were visiting them.

I made some around New Year's.

My mom said she also made some with watermelon flavored oil after Thanksgiving. I'd like to try some in cherry flavor.

This may seem kind of holiday-ish right now, but I think it could also work for Valentine's Day. No fat in this recipe, and that's good.

Oh, does this make your house smell good when you put that cinnamon oil in!

Rock Hard Candy

Ingredients

1 cup confectioners' sugar
3 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups light corn syrup
1 cup water
2 teaspoons cinnamon oil
1 teaspoon red food coloring

Directions

Cover 2 cookie sheets with aluminum foil. Sprinkle the foil very generously with confectioners' sugar.
In a large heavy saucepan, combine the white sugar, corn syrup, and water. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Stop stirring, and boil until a candy thermometer reads 300 to 310 degrees F (149 to 154 degrees C). Remove from heat.
Stir in the cinnamon oil and food coloring. Pour onto the prepared foil, and allow to cool and harden. Crack into pieces, and store in an airtight container.
Caution, this will be very hot when you pour it onto the cookie sheets and the pans will be hot for quite a while. Watch those kiddies. :)

This will take about 45 minutes to cook, and about an hour to cool.
Makes 2 small, rectangular Gladware containers full.

I Miss My Phone

2010-01-23T15:48:00.007-06:00

Bryan's friend took these photos when she was here at our house earlier this week. I thought they were cute and wanted to share them.

Meghan snapped these with her phone, and they came out pretty well. Oh, how I wish I still had a phone with a camera......

Bryan age 17, and Jadyn age 5

Some of you may recall that I would often put photos on the blog which were taken with my phone.

So why don't I have a phone with a camera anymore?

Several months ago, my phone had a little accident. It went for a swim....in...the...toilet.

Yep! It really did. I shared that story with a few friends and family members, but never really got around to sharing it here.

One evening, the phone flipped right out of my back pocket and into the toilet. It was a clean toilet, and it was at our house. That makes it a lot better, right??

I yanked the phone right out of the water, opened it up, took out the memory card, battery, etc. I dried it out overnight. It started right up the next day, and worked pretty well, except for an occasional issue or two.

I used it for several months and then it just completely died back in November. I took out the SIM card and put it into my old phone and so that's what I've been using.

I am not the type to go out and buy a new phone, especially since I can use my old one. I will just wait until our cell phone plan renews in the spring.

When I get that new phone, I'll probably keep it out of my back pocket when I'm heading for the bathroom.

Black and White Wednesday

2010-01-20T11:20:00.006-06:00

Today I am participating in Black and White Wednesday, which is hosted by Lisa at The Long Road to China. If you enjoy black and white, you can see lots of entries today at Lisa's blog.

Daddy and His Girl

I took this photo of Alan and Jadyn in August, when the three of us went on a little trip to northern Wisconsin. Here, we were on a cruise of the Apostle Islands.

Boat In Black and White

Winter Days With Jadyn

2010-01-19T22:25:00.011-06:00

Winter came down to our home one night

Quietly pirouetting in on silvery-toed slippers of snow,

And we, we were children once again.
~Bill Morgan, Jr.

Jadyn loves playing in the snow so much. She asks to play outside each day, and it doesn't matter to her how cold it is. Here are some pictures I took about a week ago.

She found a piece of snow out back that was kind of heart shaped. We both thought it was pretty neat.

I ♥ Playing In Snow!

Here's Jadyn, looking all princessy. You can see that she has a horse and small bouquet to complete her look. :)

We bought this stick horse a few months ago at a children's consignment store. I think we paid about 3 bucks for it. Boy have we gotten our money's worth. This horse has seen many miles around our house. She plays with it daily. She sometimes calls it her "horse stick".

On Sunday, she even talked one of her older sisters into riding it with her. :) Wish I'd had a camera nearby for that one!

About that little bouquet - I made that for her to carry at her sister Lauryn's wedding in 2006. She loved it so much before the wedding, but refused to have anything to do with it that day. She was only 17 months old and I guess if she didn't want to carry it, she didn't have to. You don't argue with a baby. :)

Here is a picture from today. Jadyn decided to wear a Polly Pocket hat on her face. Where does she get these ideas? She attached it to her face by suction. It was all fun until it was on so long that it left a "hickey" mark. Oops!

Recipe Monday - "What a Crock"

2010-01-18T16:30:00.003-06:00

Today I am participating in Colleen's newly created Recipe Monday.

I enjoy cooking and always have. Right now, I am enjoying a phase of trying lots of new recipes and feeling creative with my cooking. This is WAY better than being in a cooking slump. Ever had a cooking slump? Not good.

In recent weeks, I have been using my crock pot a lot. This is kind different for me, as I've never really used my crock pot very often. I've been cooking in it several times each week. What a crock!

Our son has been quite concerned about all of this crock pot use. It's been pretty funny really. I've been getting comments like: "The crock pot again, Mom?" or "Mom, I think you need to give that thing a rest." :)

I asked him what bothers him so much about the crock pot cooking. He said it's because most things that come out of there have chicken in them. He's not a huge fan of chicken unless it's fried. I did remind him about the pork chops and soups that I've cooked in there.

Here is my recipe for today and yes, it has chicken. :)

Easy Chicken and Wild Rice Dish

4 chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless

1 and 1/2 cups finely chopped onion

1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Broccoli Cheese soup

2 packages (6 oz. each) Long grain and Wild Rice mix with seasoning packet

8 ounces process cheese spread, such as Velveeta - cubed

2 and 3/4 cups water

Cut raw chicken into bite-size pieces. Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Put chicken in pot, along with 2 and 3/4 cups of water. Add remaining ingredients. Stir. Cover and cook on LOW 4 to 5 hours or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
Note: Start watching carefully after 4 hours cooking time, rice can vary somewhat, especially in a crock pot.
Serves 8.

Foxy

2010-01-12T14:04:00.005-06:00

Last night at dinner, we had a brief discussion with Jadyn about where we get our meat for meals. We'd had this conversation before actually, but I guess she needed to hear about it again. All of the basic animals came up - chickens, turkeys, cows, fish, pigs etc.

Jadyn said, "But what do we get from the fox?"

Umm...WHAT!?? LOL!

We were having ham, and she called it bacon. I reminded her that it was ham. Alan said, "Well they do come from the same animal." That's how the whole conversation started.

Now if you are a vegetarian reading this, I apologize. It probably seems quite unappetizing.

No worries, the foxes are safe.

Happy Homemaker Monday

2010-01-11T17:03:00.003-06:00

The weather in my neck of the woods:

I am excited to say that we are experiencing a warming trend this week. We'd had days and days of bitter cold, and this week we'll have 20's and 30's to enjoy. Yay!

One of my simple pleasures:

enjoying a cup of coffee, or lighting a candle

On my bedside table:

my new Reader's Digest magazine and a book called Secrets of the Secret Place

On the menu for tonight:

ham, potatoes, tossed salad

On my To Do List:

laundry

exchange a gift at the store

New recipe I tried last week:

a recipe of pork chops in the crockpot, with cream of chicken soup, green chilies, etc. We liked it.

In the craft basket:

I will do some scrapbooking later in the week. Fun! I haven't done any since November.

Looking forward to:

Hearing about our daughter's mission trip to Belize. She'll be returning tomorrow night.

Homemaking tip for this week:

If you're heading upstairs, always try to grab something (laundry or etc.) that needs to be put away up there. Helps cut down on trips upstairs and keeps the house more tidy.

Favorite blog post of the week (mine or other):

Nothing comes to mind at the moment.

Favorite photo from last week:

Lesson learned the past few days:

Fish can get sick when you least expect it. :(

On my prayer list:

friends and family

Sweet Kids

2010-01-09T21:10:00.007-06:00

As I was looking through photos tonight, I saw these. I took these photos when we were down in Texas, for Alan's dad's funeral and Thanksgiving.

This is Jadyn with our grand niece, Bryleigh on Thanksgiving day. Bryleigh and Jadyn are only 7 months apart in age, with Jadyn being older. Since we live at opposite ends of the country, they are only able to play together about once per year. Play they do though.

I think they are so cute together, and what always strikes me is how opposite they look in appearance. :)

Bryleigh is my nephew's daughter. Many years ago, as I watched my nephew grow up, I would never have dreamed that some day, his daughter would play with my daughter of the same age. I mean who would have thought? I think it's very cool.

Now for a bit of silliness. Here is my nephew, Thomas. He is 7 years old. Do you think maybe he had a bit too much Thanksgiving lunch?

Good times, good times.

Wordless Wednesday - Monkey Business

2010-01-06T11:01:00.003-06:00

Monday's Rambling Post

2010-01-04T17:10:00.012-06:00

My goodness, where does the time go? I hate it when I don't post very often. I know, you all hate it too. :)

My husband was here at home for 2 weeks. We both survived it. :) He needed to take the vacation time from work - a use it or lose it thing. We enjoyed the time very much.

We watched quite a few movies, played some card games, and even had a date one night. Our

New Year's Eve was quiet. We ordered take-out, built a fire, played a game and watched a movie.

Alan did some projects while he was home. I appreciated that so much. He installed a new sink and faucet in the laundry room. (The old one left a lot to be desired.) The new one looks great.

We rearranged furniture in our family room, moving a couple of large pieces to our living room/dining room. The fish tank got a new home in our front room. It's a 29 gallon and a heavy

thing to move. It took both Alan and Bryan to carry it. So the fish have a new location and new tank mates as well. We bought them 4 new pals on New Year's Day.

Fish with their new tank mates. New friends are at the top. :) They are GlowFish which Jadyn had been asking for.

It's been ridiculously cold here in Minnesota. This is our 10th winter here. It always seems like a novelty at the beginning of the coldest part of winter. We marvel at how cold it gets. I heard that

it reached about 16 or 17 below zero a couple of nights ago. Craziness!

The kids went back to school today, and Alan went back to work. It felt good to get out and run some errands. I do love to check things off my to-do list.

There's no business like snow business!

The best part of playing in the snow is warming up afterward, with hot chocolate in your cup.

Kitty demands equal time on the blog. Look at those eyes....would you want to mess with her?

A Wonderful Christmas

2009-12-26T20:37:00.015-06:00

We began our Christmas celebration a bit early. Kaitlyn and Chris came up for a visit and we opened our gifts with them on the 18th. It was wonderful to have them home and have the family all together again. Our family had not been together since July, at the time of the wedding. We had a wonderful visit. Here are pictures from the 18th.

Jadyn received a Barbie car from Bryan, and she loved it.

Chris and Kaitlyn

Lauryn and Aaron

How special.

Our wonderful 6. Lauryn & Aaron, Bryan with Jadyn, Chris & Kaitlyn

Their silly picture. See what we have to deal with? :)

Here is Jadyn, by the tree on Sunday the 20th.

Here is Alan on Christmas Eve, clearing snow from the driveway. The snow storm came in waves, and I am not totally sure what the total snowfall may be. It's at least 12", and it was still coming down tonight, even though it was supposed to be done. Very MinneSNOWta!

Here is Jadyn, enjoying the snow on Christmas Eve. She's been out there for a bit of play on most days. She loves it!

We had such a wonderful Christmas and wonderful celebrations with family and friends. What a joyful time. We are very blessed.

Merry Christmas Eve!

2009-12-24T14:13:00.010-06:00

Look who got a haircut yesterday!

Merry Christmas Eve! We have tons of snow coming down, and more on the way. There's a fire in the fireplace and Christmas carols are playing. Very nice!

Wow, where has the time gone? December seems to have flown by. I suppose it always does.

I wanted to update with some pictures. I've been needing to do that, plus Jadyn's big sister in Missouri wants to see some pics. - Hi, Kaitlyn!

Guess who had a birthday earlier this month? Jadyn had her 5th birthday on Dec. 7th! We celebrated at home, with family. Here are a couple of pics.

Here is our kitty, Lexi. She always enjoys the tree. :)

I'm off to make enchiladas now. That's what I've come up with for Christmas Eve dinner.

My Talented Girl

2009-12-14T09:37:00.003-06:00

She makes me smile, yes she does. Jadyn asked me for paper and a pen to draw a picture. A few minutes later, she handed me the pen, which was clutched between her toes. :)

She handed me her picture and I noticed it had wiggly letters. I said, "Oh, I see you made wiggly letters." She said, "It's because I wrote it with my foot." Ha ha. What a funny girl. Talent, pure talent.

I'm pretty sure I've never written my name with my toes.

What a girl. I never know what she'll come up with next.

This Cracks Me Up

2009-12-09T16:39:00.004-06:00

Jadyn's preschool teacher told our group of parents what was said in the classroom today. Here's the story.

It was snack time and they were having the Goldfish Crackers that are multi-colored. They were sorting them into colors, counting them, etc.

Then they talked about how old they were, some were 4 and some were 5. One child asked the teacher how old she was. She told them she is 49. Another child said, "Wow, you're just about ready to go to heaven, aren't you?"

The parents just roared when she told us the story. Pretty funny!

I hope the teacher is writing these things down. I do believe a preschool teacher could probably fill a book with the funny things kids say.

Jadyn's Christmas Card

2009-12-09T11:59:00.005-06:00

Things here are busy, busy. Shopping, preparing for this and that. I bet it's the same way where you are.

There are a number of things I'd like to share or post about, but I almost feel I don't have time. I feel behind on the blog, here, there and everywhere. I have pictures from our Texas trip, pictures from Jadyn's birthday, etc.

Hopefully I'll be back to blogging more before long.

Jadyn made this card for me this morning. I thought it was cute. :) Notice the snow falling, and the snow around the house. That is her by the Christmas tree.

By the way, 4 years ago on this date, we received the call that a baby girl was waiting for us in China. What a special day that was!

Safely Home

2009-12-02T23:27:00.003-06:00

We are home. The kids and I returned from Texas on Sunday night, arriving home at 1:00 A.M. Alan came home on Monday. I was so glad to have him home.

It has taken several days for me to feel that I have my feet back on the ground. I was exhausted and felt almost disoriented for a couple of days. I'm finally feeling more focused now.

Alan returned with a cold, poor guy. It's too bad that he has a cold on top of everything else he's dealing with right now.

Our trip went well. It was a sad time, but things went well. We were pleased with the funeral. The pastor who gave the message during the service did such a good job. He was a good friend of Alan's dad.

It was a very sad goodbye, and he will certainly be missed.

Sometimes it is still so hard to believe. I wonder how long this feeling lasts? Knowing...yet wishing it wasn't true.

How wonderfully supportive our family and friends have been. This is so appreciated!

We were blessed to see almost everyone in our families during Thanksgiving. This was wonderful.

We put our tree up tonight. It's up, yet undecorated. Jadyn and I will work on that tomorrow.

Thankful

2009-11-24T07:52:00.003-06:00

Thank you friends, for your kind words and prayers. We appreciate it so very much. Knowing that family and friends care and will pray is the best!

Have a wonderful holiday with your families.

Sad News, Prayers Please

2009-11-23T08:01:00.003-06:00

We received word on Friday evening that my husband's Dad passed away. This came as a complete shock, and was so very unexpected. This is the kind of news that you never want to receive, ever.

My father-in-law was having coffee with a friend and he just collapsed, with a heart attack. The paramedics could not revive him.

Friday night was just surreal. Phone calls in, phone calls out, constantly. After about 5 hours, things settled down a bit.

Stunned, we were just stunned. No other way to describe it.

Alan has traveled to be with his siblings. They have so much to do and plan. Alan's stepmom lives in a nursing home, due to a past acute illness. So it is up to Alan and his siblings to do the funeral planning, go through much personal and business paperwork and try to figure things out. Prayers are needed in this area. So much is unclear at this time, in the area of sorting through paperwork, and where to find this or that.

The kids and I will travel soon to be with family for the funeral.

We ask for prayers for now and in the coming days for the family. Each day it becomes a little more real. I know there will be tough times ahead, and I'm sure we will not feel or know the entire scope of what we will experience for some time.

Thank you so much.

Good News, Bad News

2009-11-20T10:38:00.008-06:00

Well, the Good News is that my symptoms aren't just because of my age. That's a good thing!

The Bad News is that I do in fact have the flu, along with Bryan. Not so fun at all. This too shall pass, and I hope it does so quickly.

As we sat under our blankets last night, watching Survivor, I was thinking about what a sight we were. I thought it would be a funny picture for the blog, but didn't have the courage to tell Alan I thought a picture would be fun. That's just a weird idea anyway, isn't it?? If you are a blogger though, maybe you understand. It's all about the photos and blog post ideas. :)

Anyway, I had no makeup on and that's not good.

I've been wondering which kind of flu it is. Bryan told me that he now has some "bathroom

symptoms". Sounds like swine flu to me.

Jadyn has told me 2 or 3 times that she is so, so, so, so sorry I'm sick. That kind of makes me feel better. (mentally anyway)

What to do today, what to do? At home... sick, with 2 kids. Help me! :)

I spent some time looking at around on the LOL Cats site this morning. Along with the cat photo above, I also found this one...

It made me laugh, and that's great right now. :)

The Flu Is Here

2009-11-19T14:12:00.004-06:00

Well, I just knew I was probably doing a dangerous thing when I posted about how much hand sanitizer we use.

I seriously thought, "Yeah, I'm probably jinxing this whole thing and now we'll get sick."

When Bryan woke up yesterday morning, he was very sick. No school for him. I suspect it's the

flu. Poor guy, he's been so sick. It's pretty bad when sweatpants, hoodie, and 3 blankets aren't enough to make him feel warm.

Honestly, I don't feel normal in my body right now. I noticed that it hurt to swallow my food at lunch and I'm starting to feel sort of stiff and ever so slightly sore. It seems more of an effort to

climb the stairs. ....or, maybe I'm just getting OLD.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

Someone from Bryan's school office said that they have a LOT of kids out right now with the flu. Two of his girl friends are out too, and they all came down with symptoms at almost exactly the same time. I wonder who the guilty party is? Ha.

Yesterday we shopped at Target for a few minutes. Jadyn asked me to take a picture of her on the big red ball. Cute!

Yesterday, Jadyn decided to make a "club" behind the chair. She asked her dad to come join. Gotta love it.

Paranoia and Pictures

2009-11-17T14:36:00.012-06:00

Goodness, I almost can't believe it's been over a week since I've posted anything. So what's up with us? Much of the usual. We've done a little of this and a lot of that.

We've been well and that's great. I'd like us to stay that way, but I'm sure our turn with illness may come. Yesterday I did some shopping and errands while Jadyn was at preschool. I realized after the last store (I'd picked up Jadyn by then) that I'd put hand sanitizer on myself and/or my child about 4 times in the space of a little over 3 hours. Just call me paranoid.

Last Wednesday during the parent-child portion of Jadyn's class, we did activities requiring parents and children to hold hands. I had to hold hands with other parents and children. I was thinking, "Oh great, I'm probably going to get their germs." I did manage to enjoy myself very much during the activities though. At one point we played a game which was a mini-war between the parents and kids, throwing about 100 soft pompom balls back and forth. So fun!

When class was over, I of course, needed hand sanitizer. Dear heavens, what is wrong with me? I never used to be this way. Am I becoming Howard Hughes, or am I a product of our germaphobic society? I really do exhibit this behavior only during cold and flu season. :)

My kids would tell you that also I have a love affair with wet wipes. I love the individually packaged ones. This is not necessarily about germs, but about clean hands and faces. Really!

On a totally different note - Jadyn and I met some new friends last week on Tuesday and then we had playgroup families over on Friday evening. It was a lot of fun, and surprisingly I have no photos of those events.

I went to the Ladies Craft Night event at our church on Friday night. We have these once per month. I enjoy going, and visiting with the other ladies. Our daughter, Lauryn attends also, and

it's always fun to visit while we do our scrapbooking. Here's a picture of us.

Here's a fun picture of Jadyn in the tub. She put her feet up and I had my phone handy so I snapped a pic. I thought it would be fun to have just her head and feet in the photo.

Here is my little cookie tucked into the shelf at the store. I was on the phone, and she decided to take a little break. I remember sitting on the shelves at the store when I was a kid too, only my mom didn't have a cell phone to snap pictures. :)

Friends Are Flowers in Life's Garden

2009-11-06T17:25:00.006-06:00

Plant a seed of friendship; reap a bouquet of happiness. -- Lois L. Kaufman

To know someone here or there with whom you can feel there is understanding in spite of differences or thoughts expressed - that can make life a garden. -- Goethe

Jadyn and I potted some plants yesterday. Some were needing a bit more space to grow. I planted, and she watched. She was dying to get her hands in the dirt, but maybe we will wait for a warmer day when we are planting things outdoors. I think it would be a bit better for her to dig outside, not inside. :)

Today we spent time with some of our playgroup friends. We were a small group today, just 4 moms, 1 grandmother and 6 children. We had a great visit, and I left there today with my heart just full of joy and thanks. What a huge blessing to be with these friends with whom I have so much in common. We shared much, we laughed much, and a couple of us almost cried, when sharing about some tough experiences.

Friends in life can come and go. Some are only for a season, some are for a lifetime. Oh what a blessing that our Lord planned for us to have friends on life's journey. I appreciate all of you as well. Have a wonderful weekend!

I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let's face it, friends make life a lot more fun. -- Charles Swindoll

Our Halloween Weekend

2009-11-02T14:06:00.014-06:00

We had a great weekend. On Friday morning, we joined our playgroup friends at someone's home for a little Halloween gathering. It was a small group this year, but we had a good time visiting. The children had tons of fun as usual.

Jadyn with playgroup friends.

Our Friday night was pretty quiet. Alan was out of town on business and didn't return until Saturday.

On Saturday morning, we joined our small fellowship group from church for a project. We raked leaves for an older friend who attends our church. It was a chilly morning out, but we had a good time. Many hands make light work, and we had it all done in no time. She invited us in for coffee, hot cocoa, muffins, etc. Yum! What a great way to warm up.

On Saturday evening, we carved a pumpkin with Jadyn.

Lauryn and Aaron came over for dinner. We played a game and also took turns handing out candy to the trick-or-treaters. We each had our share of Halloween candy too. :)

Lauryn and I took Jadyn out trick-or-treating for a bit. We really only did about 1 block of homes and she was done.

When we started out, Jadyn wanted to hold Lauryn's hand for the walk. At about the 3rd or 4th house we went to, there were a couple of motion-activated things on the porch. It was 1 small skeleton and a skull and creepy music. That was enough to make Jadyn pretty nervous. After that, she wanted to hold my hand. I thought it was kind of funny that she thought I could keep her safer than Lauryn. I told her that her sister is almost as big as her mom. LOL. She wasn't even brave enough to ring the doorbells after that. Oh well. All in all we had a good time and she brought home plenty of loot for one little girl.

Silly Girl

2009-10-29T13:41:00.010-05:00

Our computer area is in the basement, as are Jadyn's toys. We were both down here, and I was doing something unrelated to the blog. I ran up the stairs to get my cell phone, telling Jadyn I'd be right back.

She said, "Okay, Mom. I'll keep an eye on your blog!" This child makes me laugh.

The way that she plays reminds me of none of our other children. She's totally different. I love how she sort of intermixes different types of toys, using them all together. I snapped a couple of

pictures this morning. She had some of her horses in the Kelly doll house. One tiny horse was in

the swing. :)

Then, there's the way she always puts Polly Pocket clothing and shoes on the animals. Yesterday, her tiniest horse was wearing a Polly Pocket skirt. Today, it was wearing shoes and rollerblades. One time, a goat was wearing shoes. Recently, (you may have heard this on

Facebook) an army man was wearing a Barbie shirt and he looked so "fashiony". Oh the fun! When she dresses her horse or some other lucky animal, it's always so unexpected and makes me laugh out loud.

Check out the horse in the swing.

Salon La Momma and Other Things

2009-10-27T20:18:00.010-05:00

We spent today at home, just getting some necessary things done. We did laundry, dishes and other chores.

Jadyn went to Salon La Momma. I gave her a haircut, and nail trimming. She has a simple

haircut and I often cut it myself. I'm no pro, but it usually comes out okay.

She asked to have her toenails painted, and so we did that too. She also painted my fingernails.

hair, before (with Pandie)

hair after

Salon La Momma

painting mom's nails

Tonight we went to our pediatrician's flu shot clinic. Jadyn screamed and cried this time. Last year, she didn't even whimper. You just never know how they'll react. Maybe this time she remembered what it's all about. She was excited about her shiny band-aid, and the promised candy at home. :)

Update on the couch situation - Nothing at all would get the urine smell out. So unbelievable. What is the point of an animal's urine smelling so foul? I'm glad I'm not a cat.

Anyway, the last effort is to call the manufacturer and see if there's any chance that they have matching cushions sitting around. After 4 years, probably not.

Help! Something keeps following me around! It's my backside. :) I can't seem to get away from it. I am trying though. I started a diet in August, I believe. I want to shed some of the weight that keeps jumping onto my body. I won't say how much I still want to lose. If I get there, I'll let you know. ;)

It's been going okay so far. Some days are good, some days not as good. You know how it goes.

Isn't it amazing? It's so much fun to eat all that good stuff, but not so fun when you need to lose weight. I don't like to deny myself all of the treats I want.

The good part is that I've lost about 11 pounds. Yay! I just thought I'd share, and it's one more way to keep myself accountable. Now you all know, and I'll have to keep trying.

That Really Stinks

2009-10-24T15:26:00.010-05:00

Just had to share our current little problem. It's a small thing, when you think about the big picture of life.

As I mentioned earlier this week, we went away last weekend to MO. Our son was away on a trip with church youth, but returned before we did. He discovered that our cat, Lexi had been shut away from her litterbox for about 48 hours.

Bryan didn't see any pee or poo accidents when he returned, so he didn't mention to us, the fact that the cat had no litter box for 48 hours.

So, we returned from our trip, and returned to the normal business of life. We did notice however, that every time we sat in our family room on the couch, we detected a bad smell. We could not figure it out. It even crossed our minds that maybe the cat had somehow had an accident somewhere.

When Bryan returned from work a couple of evenings ago, we asked if there was any possibility the cat could have had an accident in the house while we were away. He told us how she'd been shut away from her box. He'd seen no reason to tell us, since he'd seen no accidents.

So we then sniffed all around and finally discovered that the cat had urinated on our couch. It's a sectional, and the portion she peed on was furthest away from where we sit the most. Oh Dear! It is such a funky, bad smell.

We checked the Internet, we sponged with vinegar, we bought the recommended cleaner at the pet store and we've treated it 3 times now. No luck, the smell is still there. Alan has talked to a couple of professional cleaners. They don't give us much hope. The next step is an overnight vinegar soak. If the smell doesn't come out, that portion of our sectional will be history.

If you know what cat urine smells like, you know what we are dealing with. Yuck!

So, in the grand scheme of things, this is not the end of the world. There are many folks out there with much bigger problems than cat pee on a couch.

I'll keep you posted.

No miracle for us. :)

I do have a question... WHY THE COUCH?? She could have chosen any corner, carpet, tile, linoleum, a plant pot... WHY THE COUCH??