Taking The Challenge

I threw the leftovers of the rotisserie chicken we had purchased the other day in the trash. I was feeling the need to clean out the fridge. Then, a pang came over my conscience and it said "TAKE IT OUT NOW AND BOIL THAT CARCASS!" So, thankfully because I threw it away in it's plastic dome container so pulling it back out a few seconds later meant it was fine. I had no plans for dinner anyway to so I boiled it, strained out the bits, pulled of the little bits of meat, seasoned the broth and added egg noodles. I made some simple grilled cheese and that was dinner tonight.

Once I did this I felt like I'd done a noble deed. I resolved that I should indeed take the challenge in January as much as I can to eat from the cupboard. Money Saving Mom blogs about it here.

I will be stocking up on some staples such as milk, butter, eggs, and some seasonings I've run out of over the holiday. From there I'll be working to make it stretch a month by spending as little as possible.

The one area this always becomes a problem in for me is with lunches for Rick and the kids. I'm determined to get creative and make this work.

I'll be starting by taking inventory over the next few days of what I have. Then, I'll be blogging here what it is that I have to work with and what I come up with to eat. Should be interesting. I won't compromise our health if we get too low on fruits or veggies, I will be shopping for those. The goal however is to use up what you have that needs using. My friend Trish brought me a bunch of stuff from a harvest basket she got that she could not use because unfortunately she is allergic to a lot of stuff. It has filled our cupboards with blessings and I need to use them up.

The biggest bane of this plan is that YOU HAVE TO PLAN, AND YOU HAVE TO COOK. So, this requires knowing where you are ahead of time. I don't always want to do that. I like an easy out now and then. This challenge will be good for me to think and plan, and yes, work in the kitchen more! LOL!

I'm always inspired from the memory of what my grandma told me of my great grandma's cooking during the depression. She had 9 children and she managed to feed them. She made either cornbread or biscuits at every meal. What a lot of work! Still, it takes work to make from what you have and that's what I need to do.

So, I'll keep you posted. Oh, and please, if you read what I've got, send me some ideas!

PS- I'm changing up the blog layout in the new year. This drop down menu is not working for me as I thought it would. I may loose a few links to your blogs for those I know personally....I'll get it all on track but it may take me a while.

Honest Scrap

My BFF Trish at A Future and A Hope gave me a bloggie award a while back that I'm just now getting to. Thanks Trish. I'm supposed to share 10 honest things about myself. Scary.....

1. I don't like living my life by a book, besides the bible that is. The bible is the foundation on which our individual personalities, created like beautiful canvas artwork by God, should be based on. Though there are things to be gleaned by books that tell you how to do things or how to be, or how to react, many times there is more frustration involved in trying to become someone else. I read books when my eldest was a baby on how to raise a baby "God's Way", I read books as a young mom on how leaving your home tidy and wiped down every time you walk out the door was "godly", I've read books that say a godly husband should do this or that and a godly wife says this or that. I purged my library a year ago of such rubbish and started diving into the study of the word of God. I could almost hear the chains falling off!

(Isn't this sign funny!?)

2. I'm a horrid speller and grammar person (my spell check even just corrected my spelling of "grammar" lol!). Thankfully Rick is great at both and helps me but sometimes he does not get a chance to check my blogs and when he does it's embarrassing some of the things that get on here that I don't notice. I'm making a blanket apology right now for my lack of talent in that area. I don't shine in that department at all!

3. I've officially decided I don't like Starbucks except for Fraps. So, I guess I'm a summer time Starbucks gal. The hot coffee blends are too sickening sweet for me now for some reason.

4. I still don't know how to set a table properly, and I never will. Frankly, I don't care much for "Miss Manners" type living. Just don't show me your food while you are talking and I'm content. The rest is just to prissy proper for me. Remember, there is a tomboy under this exterior still. I was the mom who tried to see how loud my soda could make me burp till Rick warned me that may not be a good idea in front of the kids. He had a very proper upbringing, but I happen to know, he likes that I'm not. I promise not to burp loudly except when it's just me and him and I can have a good little laugh. :)

5. I rarely mop my floor. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE a mopped floor. It just seems to be one of the most frustrating thing to clean because it gets dirty again instantly. I seriously mop about once every three months unless there is company. That is kinda scary. When the kids were little I mopped more I promise.

6. Part of my wishes I lived in a big city like New York. Though I grew up in the country and I love it, especially the wide open sky and sunsets, I would love to live in a safe and quaint apartment in the city just up the road from a outdoor cafe. Something cute like in "You've Got Mail". I love the quaint old buildings with the long narrow windows and the "Sesame Street" type stairway entries. If I was rich it would be fun to have a little apartment in the city somewhere (not LA, but maybe SF) where Rick and I could get away. We would spend our days browsing through book stores, having tea or coffee, and walking the sidewalks in the neighborhoods. Living in the city with kids though is not part of my fantasy.

7. I'm a very relaxed Christian mom. We let our kids read Harry Potter and watch Pokemon. (It's not been easy though. Victoria has a Christian friend who told her "I'm not allowed to talk about Harry Potter" to which I think I will train my children to respond "really, are you allowed to talk about Gandalf?" To read my soap box on Christians and fiction go here) We let them listen to just about any kind of music and judge music song by song for what it talks about. When we hear a bad song we tell the kids why it's bad and we turn the station. We don't let them play certain stations in their room because this monitoring cannot happen there. We keep strong lines between fiction and non-ficiton and allow room for both in their lives. I let my 12 year old talk about how she thinks Taylor Lautner is so cute and am not intimidated by the natural changes in her thinking as she grows up. I've learned more and more to lighten up unless there is a good reason not to, and we do have our many things where the kids get a definite "No."

8. I love loud music. All kinds except hard rap. I will never grow up in this way if growing up means I no longer get my endorphins flowing through music! I'll be the old lady driving with loud music someday in a little red Cooper! Look out.

9. I don't like spending money on clothes. I seriously won't buy clothes unless they are from a clearance wrack (and usually less than five dollars) or the thrift store. I think clothing is one of the easiest and dummest ways to spend a fortune. I also don't believe in being too proper when it comes to how you dress. That is such a cultural thing anyway. My kids have been going to school with holes in their knees for a few months now. I'm finally going to patch them this week because they are making thier way all the way around to the edges but I don't have a problem with the look to a point. I also begged my husband not to tuck his shirt in all the time when we got married. I'm just not fashion stuffy. It's so restrictive to dress properly all the time. You can't get into life as much.

10. I am equal parts hermit and social butterfly. It causes a quandy for me constantly. This year I'm convicted to do more to reach out to people and not let my hermit side take over as much. When my hermit side takes over I shy away from really connecting with people and my social butterfly side wines about this very pathetically. This is the year of the social butterfly. The hermit has had a lot to ponder on the past few years. A lot to learn about, a lot to reach out and bravely do despite opinon both spoken and implied. The hermit has had reason to take over. It's a new year though and the butterfly is restless and confident that the hermits work was good but is settled now. She want's to fly, and smile more. You are now all convinced I'm bipolar for sure LOL!

The Birth Of A New Tradition

I love traditions! We just started a new one. It was birthed out of a decorating inspiration but turned into a neat idea to somewhat separate the beginning of Christmas from the end of Christmas, namely Epiphany.

I have a friend who did a gold and royal blue tree this year and it was so pretty. I thought that next year I'd like to do a tree with blue lights and homemade snowflakes. I still may but ....moving on...

Our tree died out early this year. I saw it coming. I had really wanted to do an artificial tree but Rick loves the fresh ones. I truly, truly understand, but with our desire to leave it up so long (from the end of November to the 6th of January or a few days longer) it just is not possible to have a tree that looks cozy and beautiful that long. I waited hoping I could find a clearance deal and I did. I love this tree. IT has frosted snowy tips that just thrill me for some reason.

Anyway, the purchase and need to switch of the trees led to a conglomeration of creative thinking on my part. Why not do the blue and gold for an Epiphany tree? These colors always make me think of the wise men anyway with their royalty and the blue sky, and the star, and the gold they brought, etc. By changing the tree we can make Epiphany more of a special ending to the 12 days of Christmas as well. So, It just so happened that Walmart had a ton of royal blue balls on clearance this year and I found some stars clearanced off at Pier 1. I also found an amazing new lit up star on clearance. We had one that was lovely but did not light up. We took the ornaments down and are boxing them up. I think next year I will not make the transition until the week before Epiphany so we can enjoy the ornaments longer. I went ahead and did this now to avoid having to redecorate three times. Whew! Many women would not even want to do this job twice but I love decorating and changing color schemes. There are so many different ones to enjoy you know!

I just think its beautiful. Now to find a copy of "The Fourth Wiseman"!

Christmas/Birthday Pictures

The first picture of the morning was an attempt at avoiding flash. I don't like the blur but I love the natural lighting. But, I had to give in and get a good one with flash. Christmas couch huddle 2009!

Stocking time! Emma is trying to show her chocolate rocks (they seriously look like pebbles) but Caedmon is blocking her face accidental to show his Littlest Pet Shop. The girls have some and he really wanted a few so Rick and I tried to find some boyish ones. This one is a fish and a frog.

Yearly tradition of a chocolate orange for everyone. Except mommy, she just wants nibbles from sharing hearts.:)

The biggest boxes they had ever seen! See previous blog post for more info if you like.

Excitement!

Caedmon with his special gift of the Batman Castle. I love the strain in his neck in the picture as it reminds me of his exclamations!

A very special Christmas wish from Emma came to be.....

Mommy and daddy found her the shell she wanted to hear the ocean with!

Yeah Grandma and Grandpa for Sponge Bob Lego's!

Yeah too for the tether ball! Very happy girls (they just went out the door to play as I write).

At the special candy store in town mommy found candy Lego's. So you can build and eat them!

Trying out he new scooter. It's so hard to find one with a high enough bar for him....poor kid.

Victoria on her new bike. Thank you daddy for such quick assembly!

Biker girls.

After we were sure they had got enough exercise with their outdoor toys we let them have the present from Granny. This is hilarious.....before calm:

Ripping and cheering...

Laughing and flailing about with glee!

Somehow caught in motion dashing off to run and tell their friend about the Wii! This cracks me up.





Happy Birthday Victoria!

Her favorite gift from her Aunt and Uncle of a horse jewelry box. It's so lovely and plays a Nutcracker song.

Reading a heartfelt (and tear jerking) card from Nana.

Again, tried no flash to catch some real light...oh, well. It's still pretty.

There was a character named Harry and he did another movie that some 12 year old really wanted. :) Victoria is a huge Harry Potter fan.

Perfume from Nana in a very pretty bottle

A Wii dance pad and game from mommy and daddy. Unfortunately the pad needs to be returned but it was a clearance at Ross so I guess I should have just tested it first. Sometimes frugal does not work out for ya. We hope to get her a new one tomorrow so she can start boogie-ing!

And that's the day in pictures.....thanks for stopin by.:)

Merry Christmas! How Our Day Went

I'm evidently a very bad blogger now as I did not wish my readers a Merry Christmas! I do hope you all had a wonderful day with your family celebrating our savior's birth. I was so busy enjoying mine I forgot about the computer except for a status update or two on my FB.

We had a blessed day. We were awakened by Emma coming up to our bed and saying "It's 7:30, why isn't anybody up yet!?". Victoria and Caed were both sleeping in and I guess she had had enough of laying in her bed patiently. We got up and turned on the heat (brrr, it was cold!) and Rick made coffee. The children were in awe at the two biggest boxes they had seen in their lives sitting in front of the entertainment center. Indeed, they were the biggest Rick and I had ever wrapped. Mommy sat trying to erase a bunch of unneeded pictures so we could use the camera because we forgot to get a new chip! Rick read the Christmas story from the bible and then handed out the stockings.
After stockings they got to open the main gift. The girls finally got new bikes. They have never had new bikes so Rick and I worked very hard to make that happen this year. Our focus was on gifts to get them moving. Caedmon has had a pretty new bike for a while now so he got a combo big gift of a Spiderman scooter and the Fisher Price Imaginex Batman Castle he has drooled over for three years! He was very excited too. Grandma and Grandpa got them the tetherball they really had been wanting (there is a pole at the back of our complex) so they spent many fun hours outside in the later morning and early afternoon. The day turned out to be gorgeous. I think it must have got up to 65 degrees. Though I would trade it for snow any day, it was a good day for outside gifts.
We purposefully waited to give them their gift from my grandma because it was a Wii! Instead of separating the money she sends for Christmas and mine and the girls birthdays, we pulled it all together to make this happen. For near 13 years Rick and I have not purchased any game system or our children. They used my old Nintendo to play the retro stuff but that was it. We never liked kids parking themselves for hours of doing nothing. The Wii we felt was a perfect compromise since it involved movement. My mom gave me birthday money and I am so excited that I got to purchase the Wii Fit system. In the new year I will be learning Yoga! I tried it out on my friends system a few months ago and thought it was amazing! We are all very excited. The girls screamed out loud when they opened the box, and then they took off running down the road (Emma in her socks) to tell their neighbor friend (who got a Wii that morning for Christmas) that they got one too! It was very fun. Caedmon did not run down with them though, he actually ran back to his bedroom to work on his Sponge Bob Lego's from Grandma and Grandpa O. that he loved. He really did not get what the Wii really was. Now he loves it and is very good at boxing and knocking the guy out. He makes the "push! push!" punching sounds while he plays despite the fact that the game makes the hitting sound effects for you. The girls are thoroughly annoyed by this but Rick and I thought it was so cute.
My dear husband got me some real roller skates! I've wanted some for years. I'm an old school girl and don't like roller blades. I'm really looking forward to getting out there while the kids are biking and trying to catch up with them. I use to be able to spin and skate backwards. Give me some Roxette in my headphones and I'll be a happy girl!:)
It was just a good day of hanging out and spending time together. We did not go anywhere at all all day long. It was great.
In the evening my mom and brother came by and it was time to celebrate Victoria's birthday. I will be doing a "What I Like About You" post for her soon. She is now 12! Amazing. We had brownies and candy cane ice cream (I have yet to have any as I was so tired of food by then). Nana gave her two new dresses , some great funky nail polish and a cotton candy perfume spray, Grandma and Grandpa sent a movie and a book called "Better Than Beauty: A Guide To Charm". I better not read that one, I'll be way to aware of my lack of charm...LOL! They also got her some lights for her new bike. Rick and I got her a Wii dance pad and game but the pad did not work so we have a return to make. Grrr. The dance games are great exercise! She is anxious to try them out. I think her favorite present though was from her Aunt Joan and Uncle John. It was a horse jewelry box with her name engraved on the front.
We ended the day watching The Nativity movie. I forget how much I love that movie. Despite the inaccuracy of the timing of the wise men coming, it's just such a good telling of the story. I enjoy ending the day with the real meaning of the day.
Before I go though, I would like to highly recommend the Veggie Tales Saint Nicolas movie. We personally have always told our kids who the real Santa was and what he did. I think the attention to him for who he really was through this little movie is so great though. I am absolutely sure that Saint Nicolas, were he here, would be appalled that we have idolized him and more than that let him take the spotlight Christ deserves at Christmas especially in the hearts of the little children. I know that is an unpopular view to take but I think we need to honor the man properly and remember what he did without adding the fiction elements turning him into something he himself would be ashamed of.
I hope to share our few pictures soon!
Blessings to you all and enjoy the celebration as it continues! Epiphany is still to come!

What I Like About You!

Yesterday was Emma Bear's birthday. Emma Bear got the name Emma Bear from her sweet Pediatrician the day she was born and had to be put under the lights because she and mommy had opposing blood types. He was so taken with her and started calling her that. How did he know it would fit so well? He is still one of my favorite people. She is so much like a cute, sweet little bear.

I wanted to do a post on what I like about Emma and then later, I'd like to get an interview on record for her like I did for Caed's birthday a few years ago.

I like that Emma speaks her mind. Sometimes it's scary how well she speaks her mind. However, in a world where I get so frustrated trying to figure out what people REALLY think (because most people hide what they really think or did you notice?), it's refreshing to have someone who is an open book. I'm much like this but Emma has me beat. When her reaction is negative you have to look out though because many a time she will make this face where she frowns, cocks her head and says something like "that's just weird!". I nearly always love it personally but I have to say I've been in places and moments where I've wished she could have told me later what she really thought:). Still, I love Emma's honesty. It's a rare quality and even if she needs to work on her propriety, I appreciate that she does not try to hide her thoughts like some do.

I like that Emma is self-motivated. This girl can plow though that which she wants to accomplish like nothing I've ever seen before. I kid you not, twice in the last week I've had to say "no, you cannot do your homework until your chores are done!" or "Emma, it's your birthday party in ten minutes, please don't worry about your homework right now!" Emma gets her homework packet on Friday after the last one was due on Thursday. Now, most kids would be thinking "yeah, is Friday! I have till NEXT Thursday to get this one in so I don't have to touch it over the weekend!" Nope, not Emma. Emma pulls it out and starts working on it WHILE WE ARE WALKING HOME FROM SCHOOL ON FRIDAY! It drives me nuts! I want to chill FOR her! Anyway....she is a bulldozer still. When she was a baby we called her that because she never let anything stand in her way she crashed right through obstacles never complaining that they were there either.

I like that Emma has a gentle heart. Despite her tough yet beautiful exterior, Emma has a very sensitive heart. When my dad was dying she was so absorbed with quiet thoughts about Heaven. She processed it all internally and came out one day and told us she had been praying and asked Jesus if she could go to heaven someday. After he had passed Emma was so healing to my mom because somehow she always knew when Nana was having a very rough time and she would just go over and very quietly put her arm around her and lay her head on her chest to comfort her. Which of course would make my mom's tears just flow but it was such a blessing to her to hear Emma's quiet way of saying "I know Nana, I'm so sorry, I miss him too". Sometimes she would verbally get out the last part but Emma does not verbally express much and usually she did not talk much about it.

Emma is a gentle encourager as well. She will tell her siblings when they have done a good job one something and make sure they know they've done well.

I like that Emma is adventurous. Emma's name means "universal; all embracing"....and boy is she that. Emma is fearless to a scary point. Someday I wonder what she will take off and do. If the Lord lays on her heart to be a missionary, I know I won't see her much because she could do it. She always has to have something going on around her. She feeds on activity and social stimulation. When she is home sick from school she nearly looses her mind the minute she feels good enough to be up because no one is around at all. The go-getter has to have something to go and get all the time but when the getting needs to be got, she's gettin' it!

I like that Emma is motivated to hide God's word in her heart. The challenge of Awana is another stimulant in her. She is very self motivated about getting those verses memorized and I'm so thankful she loves to do that.

So, needless to say Emma.....we like ya....we like ya a lot!

New Year Dreams

It's a rainy day and I just can't help but look inward and think. I've been thinking a lot about my dreams. Some are attainable and some are not. Some are what my life would look like if it was perfect and some are what it would look like if I just got my act together.

Running...

I dream of being able to run. I've never been able to run long nor have I ever enjoyed it. BL has inspired me so much and my dream is to be able to run a marathon. Next year I dream of building up to that. Right now I dream of the shoes I need to start.

A chicken coop....

Silly, I know but I've always wanted to have chickens. Our friends in WA, the Cowan's built one this year that made me drool. It was SO cute! Good job guys, now come build me one!:) I don't know if we are allowed to even have them but I'm going to find out. I don't know how to take care of them either so this could be a big dream down the road.

To garden...

I have NO green thumb at all. The only instruction I got in gardening was to pull the weeds and remove the rocks. I have everything to learn and frankly don't know where to start. I dream of a garden this year though and a shelf for seedling pots outside that the kids can start things in from seeds even that we get from our own pumpkins or squash or whatever.

To dance...

I really want to take a dance class with my husband someday. I dream of dancing with him.

To sew....

I dream of being able to make things. I come up with lots of ideas but don't know what I'm doing. I plan to get my machine out permanently this year and get my supplies organized. I dream of learning what the heck I'm doing and how to thread my machine. Yes, I'm that bad. I have to read the instructions every time I need to use it. I want to MEMORIZE how to thread it!:)

To learn new recipes...

I dream of working my way through some cookbooks. I dream of compiling what works in a notebook to keep for now and posterity. That will weed out a lot of unnecessary collecting. There are a few vintage ones I'll hopefully never have to part with.

To read the bible chronologically...

Something I've always wanted to do.

Organization dreams...

I am so close to having a place for everything. I really hope this year to finish that off this year and since I hope to stay put for a while, it will be nice to enjoy it for a good long while.

To be out of debt...

We have been working so hard on this and are making progress. My new little job will help us more in the new year Lord willing, and I think this will be a good year if we stay focused.

To loose weight...

I have 20 lbs to go people! I'm so close and yet so far away! The last ones are the hardest and that is why I know I will have to sweat everyone of them off.

To be an active family....

We have a great desire to hike, bike and generally GET OUT more with the kids this next year. We plan to have one to two Sundays a month where we spend the day doing exercises activities. This may be a seaside hike, or it may be going up to the school with our skates or basketball.

Of family evenings together...

My dream is to have a hand project (crochet, hand sewing..etc) to work on for the evenings when Rick wants to sit and read to us all. I dream of getting the girls started on some of their own. Caedmon is quite the artist and loves drawing during this time but I'd love to learn some needle work with the girls.

To remember birthdays and do something about it....

One thing I've been frustrated with my life since becoming a wife and mom is that I cannot seem to remember birthdays of those I care about. I really don't know why but it probably has something to do with my brain forgetting dates all the time. I want to find a birthday calendar and keep a bunch of things I can just give or make for those I care about for their birthdays.

Reading C.S. Lewis...

Rick and I started a C.S. Lewis book club near the end of this year. I would like to continue that all year and read more and more from this man. If I could manage to throw some Jonathan Edwards in there too, I'd be elated.

Writing my book...

I was inspired months ago with a fiction story finally and have not been able to work on it. I really like the story as it's still in my head and I long and dream for time to write. This one may not be very tangible.

Fixing the deck...

I dream of repairing and painting and ....oh, please...putting a roof on my deck outside. Another not very tangible as my husband is very smart but not a fix it guy. I dream of it looking inviting and so much better than the shabby white trash look it has right now. I dream of potted plants around and on it and steps that don't wobble when I walk on them. Ah..alas.

Letting go...

of a lot of things and holding even tighter to others.

Well, I think that is about it. Any dreams for the new year you have?

That's all I can think of right now.

Sugar and Silly String

I told the girls we could not do parties this year. I'm usually the big birthday bash mama because we did not do birthdays when I was growing up so I have this imbalanced set of emotions that I have to make up for lost time (same with Christmas..but I've mellowed on that craziness due to lessons learned!:).

The girls wanted to do a small sleepover party each and I was fine with that as long as it was SMALL. Emma has been excited for months about this event of hers and the countdown has been a constant dinner table update.

Her birthday is Monday, the 14th, but her party was last night. She invited four girls and two were able to come. Only one was planning to sleepover.

They had pizza and soda, played with silly string and then made sugar cookies (well, mommy made the cookies while they played because they were so distracted). Emma does not like cake at all so she requested doing sugar cookies months ago. I tried to get some sprinkles that were more birthday colors to have a oasis event outside of the Christmas around us everywhere.

I tried to capture a picture between the giggles. Aren't they cute!?Using an unbelievable amount of sprinkles!Little brother was happy to benefit from the goodie creations. You can really see his lost top front tooth here too.

Sadly, Emma had a rough time later when her little friend decided she wanted to go home to sleep. She had told Emma she might not make it because she did not sleep over much. They are still so very young, and Emma is more adventuresome that kids her age so it's hard for her to understand not wanting to stay. She had a good set of tears and it didn't help that Victoria had gone to a friends for the night so she was alone in the room even more than normal. It was a sad way to end her fun day but life is that way sometimes. We told her she can do a sleepover soon but you know how it is, at the time it does not console much. It doesn't help either when it's 10pm and you are melting down from fatigue and sugar as well. We felt very bad for her. Ironically, Victoria called at 11pm and wanted to come home from her sleepover a few houses down. Whew, what a night.

I have some fun little plans for her actual birthday though so the party session is not over quite yet!

Life In Five Minutes

Anyone with a blogging hobby knows you start to hear your life in blogs. You are doing something, feel a deep revelation about something, hear a funny, whatever...and you think about blogging it. Or.....am I the only crazy person who hears my life in my head this way? Oh, no.

Anyway...

Lately I just have not had the time for some of the blogging I've wanted to do. So, I'm going to give the the drive thru version , okay?!



Yearly Tradition

Rick and I have a tradition of a treasure hunting day each year before Christmas. We spend the day hopping thrift stores together looking for a steal that the kids or someone we know would love. Sometimes we do amazingly well, and sometimes it's just okay. This year we went on his day off Monday while the kids were in school. We found a few very fun things: some Christian hip music for the girls (and mommy usually likes most of it too:), some books and movies cheap, and a great deal on new (well, new to them) coats for the girls. This was actually my favorite find since Goodwill had a B1G1 free deal going on. I got two great winter coats that were actually quite fashionable for just 7 bucks!



Victoria's Basketball

I was so tickled for my little growing girl. She got in the van after practice the other night and exclaimed "Mommy! I don't huff and puff anymore!". Darlin', I know what you mean and I know how great a feeling that is! I was so happy for her. The gal who was teasing her found out that basketball was a little tough for her too and has backed off making fun of others. She is enjoying it and growing stronger. I'm excited to see her making the goal of her dream. Rick and I really look forward to going to some games in January! She will be decked out in a yellow and green uniform too! It will be a blast to cheer her on. I can't wait.



Caedmon's Tooth

Last night we were watching the season finale of The Biggest Looser (way to go Danny! you da man!) and we were cheering for the gal who won the 100,000 prize when Caedmon exclaims "My tooth just fell on the floor!". So, we transition from clapping and cheering for the contestant to clapping and cheering for him! It took FOREVER! He would hardly wiggle that thing at all. The other other top tooth is pretty loose too and we told him he may get to be two front teeth toothless for Christmas but he does not want to wiggle it. So, we'll see!



Emma's A Business Woman...I'm tellin' Ya!

Emma is a shrewd business woman. She takes her money, buys this big smelly rainbow rope eraser at the school book fair and comes home to cut it into sections. She then sells those sections to her classmates for a profit. She tried to sell her brother some of her stuff this morning to weasel him out of his new $3 from loosing his tooth! I told him not to let her do that. She is very shrewd though, you have to watch out!



Rick Wore Pants!

Yes, this is big Ozfam news. Rick wore his mailman pants the past two days. That means...yes, ladies and gentlemen, he is finally cold. I told him he looks way hot in them (cause he does) and should wear them more. He probably does this 3-5 days a year and that's it. Sigh.



Mommy's Magazine of the Mind Issues

I was going to do a whole blog on this but it won't happen. I looked at a trendy magazine recently and realized it had been years since I had opened one. All the perfect outfits, cosmetics, everything reminded me of how much pressure young women are in to conform. It actually felt like an assault to my senses. It caused me to reflect on how when I was a young mom I really looked to other women who I wanted to pattern myself after. I had to go on a real journey to realize that God had his own nitch for me and I needed to stop striving to attain what I saw as mommy superhero status as I had defined it. The past few years I've been doing the same thing, only with families. It's one thing to look up to people, but it's another to try to look LIKE other people. There are many great aspects of other families that I would love to reflect both in personality, status and accomplishment but the Lord has been showing me that this can be like a magazine in my mind that I let breed discontentment in my situation or restlessness in what He has called ME to. It's funny to me to think that when I was a teen, there was a Christian t-shirt that my parents got me which read: "Be yourself! It's better than a copy!" We really push that when we want teens to not conform to worldliness or patterns of behavior of their peers. Yet, I fight the urge to do the same thing now! It may be within the Christian circles with whom I mingle, but it's still not healthy at all. I've realized that I don't have some of the same resources personality wise and tangible wise, to what some great families do but that does not mean God cannot do great things through who WE are as a family. That is my hearts desire and to be thankful for the resources he HAS given us. My husband is not everyone else's husband, my children are not so and so's children, they are my gifts from God unique to the sphere of this home and upbringing. I want to stop flipping through the magazine I create in my mind.

Emma's Birthday!
Tonight (I started this blog two days ago and am just now finishing it on the 11th! So much for "five minutes!" ha!) Emma is having three friends over for a birthday sleepover. They are going to have pizza, and make sugar cookies to decorate. The sprinkles are NOT Christmas! We have to try so hard to keep the girls birthdays a little oasis from Christmas. She is very excited. I'm bracing myself for being very tired. Somehow I threw my neck out four days ago and it has not been the same since. I'm on tylenol constantly right now. So, hopefully the girls rest well. We just found out only one is actually staying the night so it should not be too bad.

The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe!
We took Victoria for an early birthday present to see this live at the PCPA theaterfest! It was her first live experience. This story is a challenge to put on live and for what they had to accomplish I felt they did pretty well. Of course, it was my dream to go into live theater both in acting and directing, so I had a few pointers for them that they never heard, but my husband did. :) Still, it was such a fun afternoon with our growing girl! One thing that struck me like it never had in the story was that the Professor says to Susan and Peter the fact that either their sister was insane, a liar, or was telling the truth. Now, who reading here knows why that is significant? Comment. ;)

The New Year!
For the fist time EVER in my life I am SO excited about the new year to come! Why should I not be?! My position in Christ is secure! Heaven awaits, death holds no fear, everything good comes from his hand! Trials will come and he will strengthen! I will fail, and he will use it! I will grow and He will use it! I have all the riches I need in Christ! I REALLY FELT the verse in Proverbs 31 about laughing at the days to come. That is really how I feel right now! I may not look all so spiritual, I may struggle, and I may not look like a gentle and quiet spirit if you know me, but the truth of that statement is something deeper than the surface. I am still and quiet in Him and I delight at anything to come! I'm not sure I could say that years ago. Even this year I had been so enveloped with fears as to how some things will turn out, what was around the corner. My dad's death did not scare me, but it did teach me that YOU NEVER KNOW what lies ahead. That produced a type of somber spirit in me. Now I feel the joy of the morning, the dawning of the day approaching and I know that nothing can snuff that out in my life because the hope, the dawn, the joy are not my circumstances, but my Savior!

Letting My Butterfly Struggle

I've definitely felt the parenting change my life has taken since Victoria went into 6th grade. Remember that book (horrible book BTW) "Nothings Fair In 5th Grade"? Well, I feel it should be 6th instead. This has been a tough tough year for her socially. Having come to the public school just a year and a half ago, at times like this I am so tempted to take her out and shield her from this part of growing up. Homeschooling again tempts me in these moments. Every time God convicts me to hold on, work through it, and let Him do what He needs to in her little life. It is so hard sometimes though!
Victoria is only the second child in her class with straight A's. She performs very well scholastically as she always has. She is self motivated and tells me she has to bring her grade up when she gets B+ on her homework. LOL! This gives me a chuckle as I was not an academic kid and would have been so happy with a B+. I love her spirit of focus and desire when it comes to her grades. She wants to be a Veterinarian and Rick and I are running with that goal as it will help her focus through the tough years ahead. Even if she changes her mind later, she will have the knowledge under her belt and her freedom in direction will be wonderfully open to her. If she does no further schooling and God gives her a husband and family, it still will only help her. Having the goal helps navigate the social roller coasters as well through the Jr. High and High School years to come.
Victoria has been debating for months as to whether she wanted to do basketball this year. She is not very athletic but she just loves basketball. She loved when they played out at recess or PE. She got teased however because she has always been uncoordinated. She never crawled as a baby and her coordination has shown it ever since. Her run is a little funny and her ability to run and bounce the ball is very challenging. But, she loves it. Because of the teasing she was so uncertain as to whether she would try out or not. I was encouraging her because she really needs the exercise at this time in her life. I also encouraged her to do what she loved no matter what people said or teased her about.
This one gal in the class in particular is very hard on Victoria. She teases her for being smart, and for anything else she can come up with. She has always been obviously jealous of Victoria and singles her out for criticism because of it. She recently got in trouble for not keeping her own grades up so Victoria's focus in school work is always a topic of reticule from this girl. As a "leader of the pack" of sorts, some of the girls will be nice to Victoria but mean to her when this girl is in the mix. I encouraged her to make all new friends with girls who were nice to her no matter what, nice to others all together, and focused in their school goals. She has done that but this little circle still comes around now and then and this gal always has something waiting for Victoria to tear her down.
She decided at the last minute to go for the basketball. I was excited for her. For two days the practice was challenging but fun for her. Then, a bunch of new girls decided to join and guess who was in the mix. Yep. Victoria has hard time being able to make the basket from the throw line as well and the coach has them keep shooting till them make it. Right now, she has to move up closer to get her shot. She has very little upper body strength. That's what you get when you are a gal who loves to read (and this is why we were excited for her doing this). The days before this had been tough but not discouraging. Now, this gal started laughing at her from back in the line. The distraction of that made it harder and harder to make the shot. She came home without wanting to do practice yesterday because of this and soreness in her feet. She didn't have great shoes either.
As she told me about this it was just so hard for me! Last week she had a tough week because a friend who was boy was all of a sudden being very mean to her, telling her to "shut up!" and teasing her for "sucking at basket ball". She and this boy had been friends and she had a crush on him for a while so this just crushed her. I wanted to go beat him up myself or at least demand what his problem was. That is how I felt yesterday as well. How dare this gal haggle my child over and over! I was upset and Victoria thought I was mad at her but I tried to explain that I was not but was dealing with frustration over this girl. I tried to encourage her not to let these awful kids dictate what she can and can not do. We also went shopping last night for better athletic type shoes so her feet would have more support.
In the mean time I just battle wanting to rescue her. Then I remember something my dad taught me. He use to tell me the story of the butterfly:

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly.
One day a small opening appeared.
He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours
as it struggled to squeeze its body through the tiny hole.
Then it stopped, as if it couldn't’t go further.
So the man decided to help the butterfly.
He took a pair of scissors and
snipped off the remaining bits of cocoon.
The butterfly emerged easily but
it had a swollen body and shriveled wings.
The man continued to watch it,
expecting that any minute the wings would enlarge
and expand enough to support the body,
Neither happened!
In fact the butterfly spent the rest of its life
crawling around.
It was never able to fly.
What the man in his kindness
and haste did not understand:
The restricting cocoon and the struggle
required by the butterfly to get through the opening
was a way of forcing the fluid from the body
into the wings so that it would be ready
for flight once that was achieved.
Sometimes struggles are exactly
what we need in our lives.
Going through life with no obstacles would cripple us.
We will not be as strong as we could have been
and we would never fly.
So have a nice day and struggle a little and teach well.

That feeling of desperately wanting to help that butterfly and hating that she has to struggle, be knocked about and all of this, is one of the hardest things I've ever had to feel. God keeps tugging on me though saying "nope, nope...don't try to fix this! Encourage her, inspire her, remind her of the treasure she is to me, but DON'T RESCUE HER!" My pain now and her struggle her and now, are determining her strength for her whole future. If I want her to fly and soar, I have to watch painfully and keep my hands off. It's so not easy. I really sense that God is building in her what she needs right now and I am even more scared to death to get in the way of that process.
So, I'm burdened to focus on getting active with her. To help her practice at home, to get out there and run a bit with her. To help her do exercises to build body strength. To support her in her dream to do something she loves.
If all I can do is cheer and run along side, then I'll do it. The rest I have to leave up to God.
Sometimes it's more selfish to guard them, and more loving to let them struggle.

BTW- Have you ever noticed the beautiful gold beading on a butterfly chrysalis? I learned last year from Emma's second grade teacher (who is a butterfly expert and wrote lovely children's book!) that if you mess with these gold beads at all the butterfly will come out black and white! It will not have the beautiful colorful array we see on them. Isn't that amazing? They don't really know why it's there but I think it's to remind us to keep our hands off! What's going on inside is GOLDEN!