TGIF

This is the first Friday my hubby has had off in 6 months. YEAH! I am so happy that I can't even feel the headache from lack of sleep today:)

Dad got home at 8 this morning and we were all jammin' to the tens rap that the first graders do. It was quite a sight. Everyone dancing and singing in the kitchen. I think daddy thought we were all a little crazy.

Got weekend PLANS for the first time in a long time. We are gonna go on a DATE on Saturday night, mom is watching the kiddos. We thought about a movie, but I would be tickled to just go to Sam's without the kids, we'll see.

I am so thankful today. SO THANKFUL! Praise the Lord! Thank you for your blessings.

God will praise each one of them. 1 Cor 4:5
From my Grace for the Moment by Max Lucado

What an incredible sentence. God will praise each one of them. Not, "the best of the them" nor a few of them" nor " the achievers among them," but " God will praise each one of them."
You won't be left out. God will see to that. In fact, God himself will give the praise...And what's more, the praise is personal!...Awards aren't given a nation at a time, a church at a time, or a generation at a time. The crowns are given one at a time. God himself will look you in the eye and bless you with the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" (Matt 25:23)

SO excited

Tried to upload this yesterday, but couldn't...

reverse psychology

Addison plays in the basket of hats and mittens everyday. She takes them out, tries them on, carries them around the house. I am constantly finding a mitten in the weirdest of places (the potty chair).

So today I figured, why fight it? I took the basket down from the shelf and put it on the floor, smack dab in the middle of the room.

She never touched it. She walked circles around it. She avoided it at all costs. I wonder if I put my computer in the middle of the living room, would she stop turning it off while I am posting?

Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous. I took the baby out and we sat in the sun. The sun was so warm it warmed her skin and for a moment I wondered if her tiny head would be burned. It was wonderful. Addison was SO EXCITED!



Completely unrelated but confoundedly interesting;

There are two major hospitals in our area. The one my husband works for, Sanford, and a Catholic hospital, named Avera. On the local news last night Avera announced a system wide pay cut. Dh's little sister called and said her pay was reduced by 5%. Is it a statement? I only wonder because Dh is so busy at the hospital this time of year. He can work seven or eight 12 hour shifts in a row, with incentive pay for every night/weekend/extra shift he picks up. Normally there are around 10 therapists on and they have been working with at least a dozen. I just can't imagine that Avera isn't busy. I wonder what Sanford will do, if anything, to counteract?

things that make me happy

Watching my oldest read the Bible in church yesterday with such anticipation. I want that to last forever...

Seeing my only boy jam out with an air guitar to Christian rock music on his mp3 player.

Holding Nora or Addi and watching their heavy eyes close for a nap or bedtime.

Hearing the furnace kick on at night to heat our home.

Knowing that my husband will not be laid off.

Watching Addison eat ketchup, with a spoon:)

Me in warm fuzzy pj's and a blanket in front of the fireplace with a book, while everyone else is sleeping.

Hearing Nora giggle when her daddy tickles her neck.

Visiting with Maleah about her day at school and her special jobs.

Listening to Gavin excitedly explaining how he was 'helping' dad and got to use a hammer and a nail.

Seeing Addison use her signs to tell me she is hungry or thirsty.

My husband coming home from work and scooping up a child to hug and kiss.

A full pantry or freezer.

Wanted...dishwasher

What am I going to do next year when my dishwasher/assistant chef goes to kindergarten?

pretty much almost done

A rant and a recipe.

I found the cumin. It was in the bag with the toothpaste that I tossed into the bathroom closet yesterday.

I am crabby today. The white chili bombed last night, I used tasteless chicken breasts and dry beans that soaked up all the flavor, turkey is much more savory, I think I will stick with using it.

I wasn't feeling well last night but with Kris's help, she did all the sewing, we pounded out the wall/hanging. All that hard work just to send it off and never see it again, I am beginning to doubt that this was a good idea at all.

Since I was in a funk, I decided to do my Bible Study homework this morning. While Addison piled blocks on my study guide I tried to downshift my brain into quiet time with me and God. Halfway through my husband came in and said, why don't you just read the Bible instead of someone else's idea of what it says. He has a good point there, you know? But I am a woman and I love hearing other people's stories. It's what turns me onto the Word most of the time. The way someone else describes how the verses made them feel or what the meaning of the original text was. I got so grumpy at him that I shut the book up, right then and there and told him what I thought. I regretted it as soon as I said it. It doesn't really matter what I said. Obviously what I was reading was not sinking in. I am terrible at the real life applications of the Word. WOW, that is amazing and that make a whole lotta sense is what my brain thinks when I am reading it and then I look out into my living room and poof all is lost. I am a poor miserable sinner who knows God and knows how to please him but chooses not to. Not only not to but to do the exact opposite of what he yearns us to do. I am pathetic.

So, here is the crappy recipe. It usually is a yummy treat, but last night it tasted awful. I don't know what I did wrong, but I failed, yet again. To be fair, when I followed the recipe in the past with turkey it has resulted in wonderful soup.

White Turkey Chili

1 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 rib of celery finely chopped
1 can of chicken broth (I always use bouillon cubes and water)
2 cups cooked turkey (Jennie O make a wonderful breast of turkey, I don't recommend chicken unless you season it as you cook it or maybe use leftover roasted chicken)
1 can great northern beans. I soaked dry ones. It made a lot, too much for the chili.
1 can white corn, undrained (or for us simple folk, regular corn)
1 small can green chilies
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce, if desired :)
Garnish with;
2 oz. shredded Monterey jack cheese
1 tablespoon fresh parsley

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add onion and celery; cook and stir 2-3 minutes until veggies are tender. Stir in remaining ingredients except cheese and parsley; blend well. Cover and cook 10-20 minutes or until heated through. To serve, ladle chili into bowls; sprinkle with cheese and parsley, makes 6 1 cup servings, 230 calories per cup.

Sneak peek

This is my creative submission for the grant I am applying for. It is a rotten photo, and it's not quite finished. I am hoping to complete this by Friday! Thanks to Kris and Doris for helping me out on this one...

where in the world is the cumin?

This morning as a made a shopping list I checked the spices for cumin. There was a thin layer of the yellowish powder in the tiny jar that just wouldn't add up to the two teaspoons necessary for my white chili.

I went about the morning. I quick soaked some navy beans. I made some dough for french loaves and did some laundry and dishes. I ran to the store and bought the cumin,or so I thought, and about 30 other things.

Soon the time came to assemble the chili. I chopped the onions the celery.I made some chicken broth from bouillon. I put the frozen sweet corn and the green chilies. I searched for the cumin. I didn't remember putting it away with the other groceries. Did it even make it to the checkout counter? It probably fell on the floor. Oh, well at least I have a small dusting to use. I went to the spice cabinet. No cumin. I looked on the counter, no cumin. I searched the laundry room, the bathroom the living room. No cumin, back to the spice cabinet. Can I substitute with curry? Nah. How about chili powder, not if I want white chili...

I opted for a few squirts of Tabasco sauce. Hope it tastes okay.

I can't for the life of me find that !@#$ cumin.

What a fiasco.

a God stop

I've been working on this grant. My brain loves to wrap itself around these things. Get into it and get it done. I emailed and researched and wrote and emailed and re sized photos and networked. Then I went to submit and realized that I had neglected to complete the second half of the project.

Curse, curse, cursity, curse, curse! I volunteered for this project and now I am going to have to go back and tell everyone I failed because I am forgetful and my brain cannot do things that require anything more than changing diapers, filling bottles and helping a first grader do homework.

Then I see it.

On the page where you are supposed to submit your completed application there is a text box that reads, "Canada and U.S. application deadline has been EXTENDED!" Then I check my email and get a message from the company with the details.

PRAISE THE LORD! I am really sorry for cursing. PRAISE THE LORD!

I have one more week to procrastinate.

BONUS! I have a super awesome friend and a super awesome neighbor that are helping me create one super awesome creative submission. If we don't get this grant I will eat a banana... and I HATE bananas.

Keeping us grounded

I did our taxes three times. I crunched the numbers. Cleared the calculator and crunched again, twice. The numbers I came up with were bigger than we had seen in the past. A week went by and after I was sure it was correct, I filed. Our return was accepted and our heads started dreaming of paying bills and having a little money left over to play with. We dreamed and dreamed and dreamed.

The return was deposited in our bank account yesterday morning.

Last night our less than 5 year old furnace stopped working. This morning it was 58 degrees in our house.

Ryan called the repair man. It will cost parts plus $150/hour for labor to fix.

I guess the Lord knew we would need a little extra cash this year.

5-finger fillet with a 15 month old

Just guess which drawer Addi can open and take things out of now?

She came into the living room with a steak knife yesterday and started stabbing the end table.

I don't know if I am gonna make it through this one.

Attention to details

I subbed Monday afternoon in my daughters classroom. It was a rainy, wet day and my new hair is curly and wild when it's damp so I wore it up. My new hair is actually pretty grayish after chemo, too. I try to color it from a box every couple of months to keep it fresh looking. Today when I went, again, to the first grade classroom (this time to help with a project) I wore my hair down and one of those adorable little children said, "Hey, Mrs. Gordon, you are different today, because your hair was dark and now it's orange."

I was kinda going for auburn, but, hey at least the kid noticed. My husband can't even see the difference.

Photos, anyone?

7 Cent 4x6 prints w/code: C7CENTS9 exp. 2/12
50% off posters and enlargements w/code: SAVEBIG9 exp. 2/25
http://www.mommysavers.com/deals/clark_color.htm

*great deal for those enlargements, Carey!

**thanks to mommysavers.com for the deals

...from catholicvote.com

First comes LOVE...

In this cold and dreary February the talk is about love. It is everywhere you look.

Every first grader has a notebook that they bring home once a week. The child writes a letter and the parent writes a letter in response. This week Maleah wrote a letter about her valentines party. I noticed as we were making her valentines that she paid particular attention to the stickers that she applied to each 'tine. I think partly because she is reading now and partly because she is beginning to discover what this thing called love really is.

I took some time in her letter this week to let her know that there are lots of different kinds of love. The biggest and best kind, being God's love for us.

This is real love.
It is not that we loved God, but that He loved us...
1 John 4:10

I told her that He loved us so much that He sent Jesus, his one and only Son, to die for us. That is so much more than any parent I know could bear. What an amazing and powerful sacrifice!

Unlike the mattress I will strap to my son's back the minute he begins to play football, there is no lock and key for my daughter's human heart. It will undoubtedly get stomped on, squeezed tight, left alone, or broken more than once in her life. I just hope and pray that she will always remember that the Lord's love for her, and that it will never fade. Love is the essence of God. Love is what motivates Him to do what He does for - down to the last detail - even when we don't love Him in return. Knowing that should give tremendous meaning to our lives. God's unconditional love for us should motivate us to love others unconditionally. Love isn't even an option. We are commanded by God to love others.

A new command I give you: Love one another.
As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
John 13:34

Dear Lord,
Help me teach my children that unconditional love comes only from our Heavenly Father. I want them to know that God does not help us because we deserve it; He helps us because He loves us. I pray that they find their self-worth in God's unconditional love for them, not in their accomplishments. I want them to know that loving God is the greatest thing that they can do.
Amen.

Tomato soup, anyone?

she found it...

her voice, that is:)




*for Grandma Judy, Happy Birthday!

one foot in front of the other...

Little Nora has officially graduated to 6 month size outfits. She is eating well. She is still working on the sleeping through the night thing.

Addison, being the older sister by 11.5 months, is hitting a slew of milestones. Today, she crawled DOWN the steps to the basement for the first time. She is taking one nap a day now and she asks for milk by using sign language. She can also say 'please' and 'more' using baby signs. Growing up in a house with older siblings is tough. Appropriate things for a 5-7 year old are deathly dangerous for a toddler. So, she has learned the word "no", and the consequences of ignoring it. She will point her finger and shake it right back atcha, but she won't touch the scissors if you tell her 'no'. She can successfully take her socks and her diaper off. She can climb pretty much any chair or end table. She will throw things away if told to do so. We started potty training a little. I started by giving her a chocolate chip every time she sat on the chair because she was afraid of it. She now sits when asked to and eats her chip, stands up and pees on the floor. I am still ironing out a few wrinkles in that lesson. She loves to pick up things and put them away, especially if they go in baskets or containers. Right now she is at my feet putting the pens in and out of the can I use to store them. I am pretty proud of her accomplishments. She is starting to initiate dressing herself so today when I was folding the laundry, which she loves to put in and out of the baskets, she promptly took out an item and put it over her head. Upon closer inspection I noticed it was a pair of my underwear. At least we laugh a lot around here. It's good for you. Go out and get yourself a toddler, they're good for your soul.

Hey good lookin...

Whatcha got cookin?

Today was BEAUTIFUL! In the direct sunshine my thermometer reached almost to 60! The kids played outside while dad was working on the garage. They kept borrowing my kitchen utensils to make a 'secret' recipe. I think Addi was the taste tester:)

Dad got it in his head that he was going to insulate the garage this week. Thanks for the help uncle Steve! Get those annoying birds outta the rafters, would ya?

Ditto

It's only Wednesday and already this week I have managed to;

• get myself behind in the 17 pages of homework from Bible study,
• volunteer to write a grant that is due on Feb. 17
• promise the firstborn and second born to make homemade valentines
• get really far behind on laundry
• severely under cook and severely overcook dinners
• buy formula only to find my shipment in the mailbox AFTER I caved and bought some
• forgot to send money to the school with daughter every day this week

Hope your week is stress free...

In way over my head

It took me four hours to get Addi down for a nap today. Nora has been going through a growth spurt and is not sleeping but for about an hour or so at a time. I am so exhausted. You should hear the things that come out of my mouth. I can't even understand it. My husband says it's 'mommy is too tired' language. I asked Gavin to 'take out the laundry' yesterday, and 'make sure it gets all the way to the garage this time,' I said. He just looked at me. Maleah gives him a look that says something to the effect of, 'she never really gets it right, Gavin, just try not to listen to her'...

My sister in law has a detached retina. WHAT!?? I can't believe it either. After some research she and her doctors concur that it is due to aspartame, you know, the sugarless stuff in soda and gum. YIKES. My sister told me years ago that it causes cancer. I promised my sil never to let my kids chew another sugarless stick.

She is scheduled for surgery sometime this week. I could use a couple of prayer warriors because she has two kids 5 and 3 and her husband, my brother, will be in charge of the household for the next few weeks while she recovers. That in and of itself is a frightening thing. She is supposed to regain her vision (the blurriness is why she went to the physician in the first place) but there is the chance that she could be blind in her left eye. They have no health insurance. She is still recovering from a broken rib which she cracked while she was coughing. I know, I think of poor Job every time I pray for them...I pray that these trials will bring them both closer to the Lord. I know He is waiting for them to ask for Him. I can't help but to hope and pray that they do.