Sing-a-Longs

It was something akin to a car seat commercial or Volvo commercial… because that is what we drive. Both kids strapped in and ready to go and the 3 year old asks, “Can we listen to Curious George?” “Sure!” The familiar song starts and and he starts to sing –mostly the last word of each line because that’s all he has learned yet. We are both singing – I know a few more of the words than he. His sweet voice fills the back seat and makes me look in the mirror to see it happen. The boy who had no interest in clapping so that he was like the last baby to clap now sings along with Jack Johnson, Daniel Tiger, Boz the Green Bear and Thomas the Tank Car it really is the cutest thing! All this running through my mind cue the appropriate line of a song:

“Upside down
Who's to say what's impossible and 

can't be found
I don't want this feeling to go away”

Don’t let this sweet feeling go away, the one where we are in harmony and enjoying this sing-a-long.
At the very least remember it mom. 

Remember it.

Dinnertime, Bedtime and Time

So I think I either need to find a different routine or just resign myself to the idea that we are just one of those families who eats dinner late and don't go to bed at a decent hour.

It is driving me crazy that the clock says 6pm and I still haven't started dinner. I am trying to cram finishing up my new part-time work, dealing with a boy who doesn't wake up happy (usually) from naps, baby needs to nurse, baby needs solids, I keep hearing "play with me", dinner is defrosting, kids need baths or want to go outside, I am hungry and resorting to cookies or oatmeal. I just feel like from 5-8:10pm the house spins into utter chaos. Wet pants lead to quick bathes, which leads to crying baby not interested in Cheerios or being contained so she won't get into the toilet, dinner is burning and there is the constant struggle to get the kitchen table cleaned off and not trip on a toys strewn all over the floor.

I am not exactly sure how to change things. Maybe I just need to accept that this is our routine and change how I feel in the midst of this routine. I feel flustered, frustrated and -well- hungry. What I want is for someone to take the kids outside and give me 20 minutes to get dinner done and assembled while still hot but before being singed.

I feel like this is the toughest time of day. When I want to yell, "send reinforcements because I am failing." I need back up. I need 6 hands and another set of eyes.

Update: Since I drafted this a week or so ago, I have actually been working on not accepting this as our routine. It is a matter of discipline and I guess I just decided that dinner is at 6pm which means I need to start cooking beforehand. Which means other things need to be set aside to make dinner start happening. It is mostly working. It is helping my frenzied head and hungry belly. I hope I can keep it up.

Why I Need the Electronic Babysitter

So in my feeble attempts to control my boy, I decided that he couldn't "watch a show" unless he tried some new food. This was about as successful as digging a hole in the tundra with a plastic spoon. The only person more stubborn that me is him. Seriously, that little honey badger has me beat though. He doesn't care about shows. He just played or followed me around like a little shadow. He just didn't care. He had no interest in trying something new and no interest in trying again something he formally liked.

About 10 days into this experiment I felt like the Lord said, "Give it 40 days" - seemed appropriate since I know He has a thing for 40 days. So 40 days with time served so I only had to go another 28-30 days. In all that time, the only thing he tried was popcorn and grilled cheese. Not exactly what I was hoping for but I took it because I need the break. Frankly, I missed The Wonder Pets!

It was a test in my ability to stick to my word and be consistent. It also was an exercise in futility because I can't control what he puts in his mouth anymore than I can make him say, "I have to use the toilet" but that's a story for another day. So maybe I get points for consistency, but I was still disappointed when some kind of breakthrough didn't happen.

The biggest result of this exercise was the uprising of my mean-spiritedness. There was just no peace and quiet. There was no break. There was just no "Wonder Pets on the way." I was worn down. I have to have the electronic babysitter once in a while - if not everyday- because by bedtime I felt mean and snarly and angry.

I'll admit I feel mean and snarly by bedtime most days but I have definitely been more acutely aware of it while going without kids shows. So for me and my house to help keep my mean-spiritedness at bay we have to have a couple shows during the day because I need the break to help keep me sane, and get food on the table - even if it is just another PB&J.

One thing is for sure, I do not want my mean-spiritedness to get the better of me or get the urge to "pinch" my children because I can't control them. They are after all sinners like me with similar tendencies to try and overcome.

Believe me when I say I was so happy to reach day 40 and will never pull anything like that again!

Mean-Spirited

There was this boy who lived on my street who ate green peppers like they were apples. I always thought that was weird and I kind of held that against him. He had a sister a little younger that me. One day a bunch of kids from the neighborhood were playing and for whatever reason, I pinched Green Pepper Boy's sister on the arm really hard. I probably couldn't get her to play what I wanted to play or do what I wanted her to do. Those details I don't recall but I remember the mean-spirit rising up out of me and flowing through my fingertips like a wave I had little control over. Pinching harder didn't change her stance.

I often think about that event and am astounded by just how much meanness there is inside me.

There was another time when I was much younger -probably 4 or 5- and I hit my best friend on the head with the Fisher Price house boat. It was done in the same mean spirited way probably because she wouldn't do what I wanted. Fortunately, she forgave me and as a joke bought my son a new and improved Fisher Price houseboat for his first Christmas. This one is of lighter construction. Green Pepper Boy and his sister didn't live on our street very long so I can't say what  happened as far as forgiveness goes. I do know that the 2 sisters who were there with us that day never really liked me or played with me after that day.

The thing that irked me - that led to the pinch and as I recall increased pinch intensity was "sister's" unwillingness to back down. My pinch didn't change her. My pinch didn't convince her. It failed. I failed. Thank God too because you can't go through life pinching people to get what you want.

After a particularly hard break up a good friend came to me and said I was being "mean" and I needed to snap out of it and find some new outlet and stop taking out my hurt on other people. I didn't realize I was being mean and in that case it wasn't my intention. I guess because I couldn't get what I wanted meanness flowed.

So it would seem meanness has always been a part of me which is ironic I think because I don't think I come across as mean. I guess its when you get a little closer to the heart you can see it. Or if I can't get you to do what I want you too. It starts to fester and boil over and I feel like pinching someone.

All this resurfaced this spring while attending a Bible study. Bible study actually had me thinking about stuff and we just went 40 days without any electronic babysitter-aka videos for the boy.

The results.... of that brilliant idea to be posted separately.

Green pepper's sister fresh in mind and my still mean-spiritedness reared its ugly head again. Frankly, I got busted again and realized I have to turn over a new leaf. Even if that leaf weighs more than a dentist's lead blanket, I have had no choice but to stop the flow of meanness, for a very important reason - I have an audience always watching.

Why I Love Being Your Mother

I saw this idea on Pinterest - to write a letter to my kids on Mother's Day to tell them why I love being their mother. I even put a reminder to myself to do this on my Outlook calendar! I think it will serve as a good reminder on those days when I feel like I am failing them or they are driving me a little crazy. (Kind of like today.) For the time being, I will plan to print it out and stick it their baby books - you know those mythical books we are supposed to fill with all the minutia of their lives, but we are too tired to get to most days. Sort of like this blog - I have a ton of drafts in the pipeline and ideas in my head but quiet time is rare anymore.
Anyway, I did do it on Mother's Eve night.

Dear Walter,
Why I love being your momma... I love when you smile. I love that this year you learned to say, "I love you." back. You can see the same train, truck or railroad tracks everyday, and everyday your are so excited to see it. It is like you are seeing it for the first time all over again. I love this enthusiasm. It makes me smile to see how somethings never grow old to you. I love how you lay on the floor with your head on your arm as you make you cars go all around. I love that you love reading and that you can sit for hours and study books. I love how you make connections of "same" things and then say, "I show you" as you show me the connections. You seem to have a photogenic memory.

It cracks me up when you say, "mmm that's good!" to the same old PB&J that you eat everyday sometimes twice a day. I love the way you say, "That's so nice." and "No thank you" when you are offered something you don't want to eat. Your laugh is infectious and sometimes really loud! It touches my heart the way you say, "Baby Jee" for Jesus and I love that you have a growing connection to Him already.
You give great hugs and have a nice hand to hold. You keep me on my toes and some days on my knees. You are all boy but I am glad that you are my boy.

Dear Rosie, Why I love being your momma... I have been hoping for you all my life. I always wanted a little girl so I could name her Rose. I also always wanted a red-head. That makes you are a dream come true. You have been alert from the beginning. You have such strong legs and I am so proud when I see you stand so tall and strong.  I love the way your nose wrinkles when you smile. I think you are beautiful and when you smile you remind me of the pictures I have seen of me when I was a baby. What a neat feeling to see some of yourself on someone else's face. I love to watch you move from one thing to another exploring and entertaining yourself. You are a little dynamo. I love that I can leave you in the nursery at church and you are content to crawl around and do your thing when all the other kids are crying. You just want to go go go. I love watching you see something new, the way you investigate things, like the first time you sat in grass. Although, I may be spoiling you I love that we snuggle in the very early hours of the morning. I love the way you babble it sounds kind of squirrelly and maybe a little like Milton in Office Space (a movie you can't see until you are much older.)

Both of you are the reason I want to be a better person and rise above my own weaknesses so I can show you the right way in life. Being a mom is sanctifying and sacrificing but you are both worth it. I will continue to become a better person, follow Jesus a little more intently each day so I can lead you to him. These are just a few reasons why I love being your mother.

God of Angel Armies

The song we sang was about the God of angel armies. Wow! did that really resonate with me because sometimes I really feel like I am battling an enemy. A little enemy who is disobedient and stubborn and funny and beautiful and the love of my life. He is a little sinner who whose path in life I am pretty responsible for.

Who know you would need the God of angel armies to help parent a 3 year old?! But I do, too much is at stake to do this alone. I need the back up because the "enemy" is so dear and needs a tender and wise hand to lead him on the right path. I sure don't want to fight this battle on my own. I need the God of angel armies by my side to help me crush his sin nature (and mine as well) as I try to lead him on the path to Jesus. Or "Baby Jee" as he calls him. The truly comforting thing is this God of angel armies loves my little "enemy" too and is always by our side.

Return from Exile

I haven't attended a Bible Study since shortly after Walter was born. It just hasn't worked out that I have been able to go to any. I have missed it. For most of my adult life, I have gone to some kind of Bible study and always found that digging a little deeper and being challenged by what the Bible has to say to be really good for me.

I guess I have been in a form of exile by not being able to go to a Bible study. Sometimes you don't realize how much you need something until you wake up for the umpteenth time and wonder,"why do I feel so spiritual dry?" "Why does the Bible seem so dull to me?" "Why is God so quiet?" So the path cleared for me to attend a Bible study again that includes free childcare! I really feel like my exile has ended.

Why do I say that?

For one, I realized I was in exile. I guess you don't always know it when you are there.
For two, I have actually been reading the Bible with the express reason of answering a question and therefore reading with some purpose.
For three, while reading and preparing for a lesson. I really felt like God spoke to me and challenged me. I even sat and mulled over what I had a read and what it acutally meant for me - for several minutes. I even underlined something. I haven't done that in a long time.

What God was hoping to communicate to me wasn't nessecarily what I wanted to hear but what I needed to hear. It was really helpful as well as challenging. If I can really take ahold of what was communicated to me, those times of exile that just have to happen might be more managable if I look at the big picture. 

For now I am going to enjoy the time of fellowship and learning and hope this refreshing will keep my dry soul hydrated for awhile.

Seamless

Don't you love those seamless zippers? They just seem to disappear and do their job.

I have been thinking about the word seamless lately, as it relates to zippers but mostly to everyday child-rearing.

You see once upon a time before I had children I imagined myself seamlessly going from one thing to another with grace and ease. As if effortlessly gliding along, dishing out applesauce, changing a diaper, washing dishes, teaching Bible stories with a song in my heart and making a call to some utility company whilst my children played quietly and looked at books on weather patterns. (Whilst and Seamless are 2 words that should go together. Right?!) You know like Mary Poppins.

 Maybe working with school aged kids I got the wrong idea. Sure things moved fast, you had to keep going at their speed or they would walk all over you and leave you in the chalk dust. However, most of them were potty trained, not peeing on your rug or waking you up in the middle of the night for milk or refusing to eat fruit. The reality is teaching didn't really prepare me for how unseamless mothering would be for me. Others may have it down, I haven't gotten it yet. This is still surprising me because I thought for sure I could do it seamlessly.

The reality is I am putting out fires all day long and barely catching a breath before the next tantrum, feeding, burned something because we are running to the potty catastrophe. Anything but seamless. Its gaping, tiring, inconsistent, convicting... My baby is eating crumbs off the floor faster than I can sweep the floor but that's partly because I keep running the boy to the bathroom every time the timer goes off. Actually, kicking and screaming would more aptly describe what's happening. Instead of it being seamless its a continuous series of stitches going in all directions sometimes at the same time. Its all very obvious and all over the floor - the kitchen floor.

At the end of the day, where I feel like I have yelled more than loved on I want to be reminded that no one else does motherhood seamlessly either. Everyone else is tired with tousled hair, peanut butter still lingering on their kid's face and probably a little bit of pee on their shirt from helping their kid put on his pants after using the toilet - but not yet washed his hands.

Maybe someday I will recover from the shock that I can't do this seamlessly. Meanwhile I stumble through trying to figure out how to get everyone fed when they are all clamoring for something to eat. Or trying to convince them how nice a nap would be - for mom. Or how to change a 7 month old "ocotpus" who thinks she can fly off the changing table.

Hopefully stumbling and bumbling and unseamlessly going along won't screw them up too much. After all, they are just kids they need to see the zipper to learn how to zip it up right?

LOVE

Love those hands and feet. This was our Happy Valetine's Day Daddy project. Little boy hand and little girl feet. I don't come up with cute ideas like this on my own and so I am forever grateful for the wealth of ideas on Pinterest.

I just wish I had more wall space!

Downton Abbey Dinners 4-7

Carrying on with the fancy Downton Abbey dinners, we had some more fancy than others and one that we had to wait until Wednesday to watch... 

Classic beef stew - probably a meal more for the staff than the family but we did use china. Probably the first time I ever had stew on china.

This bad boy beef was a little too salty for me.  I slow cooked the steak for a couple hours in red wine, soy sauce and I think Worcestershire sauce. Then, served it up with some gooey potatoes and veggies. I think it had been one of those days where I just wanted to eat and get the kids to bed so I skipped the china. 

This was a chicken salad served on a Wednesday because hubby had to work Monday and Tuesday night. I had to stay away from Pinterest and the Daily UK news because I didn't want to see anything that would tip me off as to what happened Sunday night.

Finale: I had been cranky and had a migraine but ended up quite pleased with the Salmon cakes, rice pilaf and brandied carrots. Typically, I would never cook carrots as a side dish. I only throw them in roasts because they give a nice flavor but I don't like them cooked. However, I was craving fresh veggies like grilled zucchini and fresh from the garden roasted tomatoes and well we don't have that right now. So the freshest aka not frozen on canned vegetable I had were carrots. Turns out that were really good. I would definitely do it again and they tasted quite different than carrots roasted with chicken or beef. However, liking cooked carrots turned out to be less of a surprise than the season finale. Did not see that coming.

That is until we saw the truck...

That concludes our Downton Abbey Dinners. Maybe I will find another reason to break out the china before next January when the new season starts. Until then let's hope Netflix gets Mad Men Season 5 on and maybe we can break out the cigarettes and Scotch. ;-)

Downton Abbey Dinners 1-3

I heard fighting over what to watch on TV is 2nd on a list of 10 things couples fight about.

I am happy to say: not so for us! The fact that we no longer have a working TV helps. Neither of can flip channels instead of going to bed. I no longer get sucked into The Mentalist, Law & Order or Criminal Minds. Though I do really miss the Mentalist I guess not enough to watch him on my own while Walter is at work.  We have our short list of shows that we enjoy together and are always on the look out for a new series. Only once did I just say no I can't stomach it: Reno 911. I just can't do it!

We love Netflix, Hulu and the fact that networks put full episodes on their websites. We love 30 Rock, How I Met Your Mother, Rules of Engagement, Foyle's War and Downton Abbey.

When Downton Abbey season 2 ended it seemed like a 1000 years before January 2013 would bring us season 3 but in the mean time we watch Mad Men seasons 1-4.

So here we are enjoying Downton Abbey on Monday nights instead of Sunday like the rest of the nation because we have to wait for the show to be posted online. In honor of Downton Abbey Night, I have been trying to put together a special dinner to give me a reason to pull out the china and just to bring a little civility to potty training, time outs, and motor grease.

Season Premier: Discounted ground lamb. Recipe inspired by an Easter dinner. Lamb cakes in a garlic, rosemary, and red wine reduction, baked potato, broccoli with a cherry tomato garnish. Very yummy.

Episode 2: I actually used the Crawley Family Chicken Breasts with Caper Cream Sauce Recipe with rice pilaf and brussel sprouts in lemon pepper . Hubby said, "Best sauce ever!" I did modify it.

Episode 2 Dessert:  Sour Cherry Almond Cake. Delectable.

Episode 3 went a little like this. We had all been sick. The laundry pile was swallowing me up so we went to my parents on Monday and did laundry for 2 days. Consequently, Downton Abbey night was moved to Tuesday. We had Arby's Classic Roast Beef sandwiches and curly fries. I thought about serving it on the china and taking a picture but we were so hungry and anxious to get the kids to bed and the show started, we just woofed them down.

Not sure what Episode 4's dinner will consist of. Do you think Mrs. Patimore served spaghetti and meatballs? Because I got a huge pot of that on the stove.

Baby's Breath

Some of our best memories can be captured in a photo. Some of our best memories are a photo. However, the senses must savor -and remember- what a camera can't capture. Those priceless movements, sensations and fragrances that can only impact the brain and cause regret if we don't make an effort to recall each detail.

My newest obsession to preserve is the smell of my baby's breath. I don't think I ever noticed it with Walter. Though I did note he didn't have morning breath until he was about 2 years old. I can't seem to get enough of Rosie's sweet breath. Rose's cousins have sweet breath too, so I have heard from their mommies. They are who made me take notice. One thought it was the sweetness of mother's milk. Maybe its the lack of teeth. Whatever it is my baby has the sweetest breath and I can't get enough. I wish I could bottle it in a pretty jar. Instead, I revel in her squeals of delight that let out that sweet fragrance. I now understand why the flower "Baby's Breath" got its name. It is a delicate sweet with a little spice. Just like my Rosie and her baby's breath.

4:42 am the time Rosie was born. Dad greeted her with a rose for a Rose along with some Baby's Breath.

Stillness

My great Aunt passed away last week and I attended her funeral and missed my grandpop all over again.

During the service, Fr. Dave used the term "stillness" to describe my aunt's body. The stillness is so different from the life she led. She was smart, stylish, patriotic and beautiful. Her smile brightened a room. She helped her fellowman. Now her body is still, which is so far removed from who she was.

A couple years ago, she told me about a letter she received from a 95 year old cousin in Italy, whose final line translated "until we meet again in Paradise."

I was comforted by the reunions that took place when my aunt passed peacefully into the awaiting arms of Jesus. No doubt she met up with her noble and hardworking parents, my grandpop her loving brother, her husband and many others who went before her - including the cousin in Italy. When you pass away at 88 you have buried a lot of good friends and family. All the more to welcome you home though.

"Until we meet again in Paradise," and so she has, though her body is forever still on earth this devoted Catholic woman is now enjoying the reward of a life well lived. I am pretty confident that her feet are anything but still as she strides over to her loved ones in her pump shoes and greets those who have been waiting for her in Paradise - where things are probably anything but "still".

A Rosy Christmas on Pinterest

It was a rosy Christmas thanks to Pinterest where I found or pinned a tutorial for making felt flowers. I made felt ornaments and wreaths. I was a felt flower making fool. I even burned my finger on the glue gun. It was fun -not the burn part- the festive flowers in honor of my little Rose.

I am crazy about the way this wreath turned out. My husband even admired it.  I think I will keep it up in the kitchen for the rest of the winter. So I saw a pin on Pinterest with 4-5 different wreaths on a big double window and that was the what I was going for in the picture below. I wasn't entirely happy with the over all effect. The wreaths look like they are floating instead of hanging but using ribbon to hang the wreaths didn't look right either. So maybe next year I will devise something else. The yarn ball wreath which was inspired by a pin didn't garner much enthusiasm as it was given the name the "Meatball wreath". The other 2 wreaths were simple I put beaded garland on one and the other has a yo-yo garland I made a couple years

 ago wrapped around it.



New Years Resolutions

My New Years Resolutions... not only am I on top of this but I am even working on the blog post in 2012.

Resolution #1: Reduce my butter intake. For most of my life I have been addicted to pancakes. I have had to fry them in butter because they stick to my old pan and plus that makes them more delicious. I got a new griddle for Christmas that doesn't require butter. So the resolution is happening by default but I could use a little help keeping a resolution!

Resolution #2 Clean up pancake mix drips after they happen rather than at dinner time when it is caked on to the counter.

Crystal Paine of Moneysavingmom.com had a fresh idea on resolutions and yearly goals so I am stealing her idea and going to focus on one word to help me make 2013 and my resolutions be a little more productive and practicable and make me a little less sluggish and behind the 8 ball.

Consistency

I didn't have to think at all on this one word goal for the year. Its already been rattling around in my life for quite some time now. Consistency is the only way I can get my son potty trained done. (Consistency with setting a timer is helping to make it happen.) Consistency is the only way I can remember to drink water, take my vitamins, lose the saddlebags and the baby fat. Consistency will help me plan meals and take stuff out of the freezer before 1:20pm in the afternoon for preparation at couple hours later.

Consistency is the only way I will pray - consistently - for stuff like consistency and wisdom for parenting issues. Because I need help with things like how to get my boy to eat fruit and veggies.

Maybe then I won't be spending so much in diapers, my back won't hurt and I can try on a dress and not feel like a frump. Otherwise I guess I am going to have to invest in a full lenght mirror to guilt me into action or go to Kohls and try on dresses to give me a boost of consistency.


So that's what my goal is to be more consistent in all the things I don't do consistently but have to, want to and should do. 

Christmas Hands and Feet

This inspired pin was not as easy you'd think. However, I was dealing with the feet of of a 3 month and 5 month so they are a little free-spirited. I think the grandparents will cherish this one even with its straying toes. Three little cousins imprinted together for life... Priceless.

My Birthday Candles

It was my birthday last week and this is my birthday pecan tart.  I put 3 candles on it and went to change the baby. I came back and Walter had increased the number of candles. Evidently, he doesn't get the notion of repeating 38 for a few more years. So the carefully placed crooked candles were lit if only to remind me that you can pretend all you want about being 38 again in the end the candles get piled on there anyhow.

Lost their Lease

When I was pregnant with Walter, a quilt shop opened up near my husband's shop. This really was a dream come true for me. To be so close to such a shop was pure, colorful bliss.

I loved the little community of ladies (and a few men) who love color, fabrics, patterns and putting them all together into something amazing. I would lug my fat baby boy in his carseat and linger over the fabrics. Then, I would lug my ornery boy in a stroller with some goldfish and shop quicker! I imagined taking little Rose and letting her in on the art of combining fabric to make something fabulous while only having to drive 2 miles!

Alas, the email went out that the store lost their lease and so my quilt shop around the corner is closing up. I am so heartbroken. I have a lost my little escape. Escape into mingling with the people there and dreaming up new projects on my limited discretionary funds.

I felt a little guilty in light of the news of recent weeks, that I cried about this shop closing. I cried about the news too though. This one just touches me personally because I feel as though I am losing something really important to my creativity and sanity. There were days when, I just needed to get out of the house and look at pretty stuff and talk to someone who is taller than me and I would go to the quilt shop! I nearly burst into tears when I was there yesterday for their big sale.

One can only hope that gas prices will do down so I can go to quilt shops further away or I will make do with what I have in my material stash - though neither are likely.

Its been a good run quilt shop - I will miss you.

Countdown to Christmas

One of the nesting projects from this summer was getting this Christmas Tree quilt done. I love how it turned out. I love that it is done. I love that I have a place to hang it! To the right of the quilt you will see our Christmas Countdown chain. You will also see links strewn across my bedroom. (not pictured)

On each link, I wrote down one of God's "nicknames" - 25 of them- Hope, Rock, Savior, Wonderful Counselor etc. I attempted to explain why we call God each of those names to my son hoping something will stick. Then, it was my plan to read the scripture verse that goes with the name. I wrote it on there for easy looking up. Oh.... the best laid plans of men... It just seems to me that December barrelled out of control so fast I hardly heard enough Christmas songs. I didn't even get to listen to any Harry Connick Jr.  Why is it when the baby is in the belly the time creeps along but now that she is out I keep losing my hat time is flying by so fast? Needless to say "with time's winged chariot hurrying by", most days I forgot to get Walter to take a link off and more than most days I feel asleep before I could look up any corresponding scripture verse....

Also, each day we were trying to do something in preparation for Christmas. Buy a tree, make cookies, do a craft. I made a lengthy list of ideas. We did a little better on that than actually taking the links off.

The goal of it all was to help Walter understood that the reason for Christmas and giving gifts is to celebrate Jesus' birthday. Something must have stuck because on Christmas morning, he rushed to the nativity to see Jesus before he ever really noticed the gifts around the tree. Does a Momma's heart proud. Got a little misty.

We will try again next year with our countdown - maybe he will be better at reminding me then. I have no doubt though as with most Decembers it will fly by faster than we can imagine and I'll need to hold on to my hat again and hunt down my Harry Connick Jr CD sooner. I intend to do something with the links in my room... before I put them in the trash can. It just may be Valentine's Day before that happens!

The Wisdom of No TV

We haven't had a working TV in over 2 years now. Remember when President Bush sent out stimulus money to help jump start the economy? I did my part and bought a flat screen TV and it crapped out on us 2 months after the warranty was up. Typical.

My husband made several attempts to try and fix it by replacing different components but no luck. So the broken TV sits in our beautiful TV cabinet the one that could have killed us.

So why is it a wise to not have a TV? I know I would be watching it all the time, never having the restraint to turn it off. Whenever I am over my parents I watch it incessantly, like I am making up for lost time. I know though that I would do the same thing here if ours worked.

I also know how much healthier it is for me to not have a TV, because I was at my parent's this weekend and was glued to the TV watching news of the school shooting in Connecticut. I like everyone else was - am- sickened by it. Sickened because I am a mother. Sickened because for many years I worked in schools where the students become your little loves and you want only the best for them. I am brokenhearted.

It is so easy to get sucked into the sorrow when all you watch is sorrowful news. I know that because I am struggling to get images out of my mind of what happened or how it might have played out. The truth comes home to me once again the wisdom of not having a TV is I am unable to dwell on news to the point of obsession. One can still be moved to empathy and prayer without hearing things repeated over and over again. I know that is what is best for me. There is a wisdom in that knowledge that really makes me want to turn our TV cabinet into extra blanket or toy storage. Even after 2 years of no TV, having one would undo years of going without in a matter of hours.

School Projects.

Look what we did in school. Thanks in part to Pinterest.

A Walter Name Train

A painted traffic light

A muddy pig

Now I must admit I do feel like I like school way more than my son, which is a little frustrating because I love doing this stuff. He needs to be coaxed a little. I just have to think outside the box more to figure out his learning style and preferences.

I do feel like I scored big when I found this street and printed it out.... He has been lining us his cars and having them drive all over it for days now. If we weren't so low on toner I would print out his whole name!

http://www.makinglearningfun.com/themepages/RacecarABCcards.htm

5 Roasted Pumpkins...

 5 Roasted Pumpkins... sitting on the stove...

Easiest way to roast pumpkins ever.

Rub olive oil on them.

Stick in the oven.

Put a tray on the lowest rack to catch drips.

I think I set the oven for 400 degrees

Roast for 60-90 minutes

Poke with a knife take out if it feels soft.

Cut away the stem.

Start scooping.

You do have to be careful about not getting the seeds mixed in with the good stuff.

I got 16 cups of pumpkin out of my 5 little pumpkins.

Very pleased.

Totally sneaking the pumpkin into pancakes. 

Haven't been discovered yet!

Volvo Dreams

Once upon a time, I found out that Volvo's were top rated for being very safe cars. So I decided that when I had kids I wanted to have a Volvo...

As neither of us are mini-van people a stationwagon was a good family car for our growing family.

First, I kind of had to talk him out of getting me a 1996 Buick Roadmaster Estate Stationwagon ...
We then, decided to look for a Volvo stationwagon.

We sold my Honda Civic that I had for one week shy of 10 years! We sold it the day after I got out of the hospital. So many changes in such a short time... Then, the Volvo we had our eyes on sold. So I was left to drive my husbands Lincoln towncar -big boat that it is. He assures me its no bigger than the cars I drove in high school and college. Alas, I did get use to it.

Finally, after 2 and half months what we were looking for came up. This lovely 2004 white wagon. Its not in mint condition and I can only assume that most people looked at the great mileage and the few dings and decided it was worth it to them. But when you have a hubby who knows how to fix stuff -it makes for a great deal! Even if he didn't - its still an awesome car!

This car is not only the answer to prayer for a very present need, but is also the fruition of a very old dream which was to drive my kids in a Volvo.

A Rose

I had a Rose, the end of August. She's a beauty with red hair. So amazing to think a part of her (& Walter too) have always been with me.

I have always wanted a Rose and there were definitely days when I didn't think there would ever be a Rose or any children at all. God has graciously answered my prayers and then some.

I got to admit that one of the most shocking, wonderful and amazing things I ever heard was, "Its a girl."

Thank You Jesus for late summer Rose.

Pink Wonderland

 Seriously, does it get any cooler than this?

Longwood Gardens you just keeping doing new things.

I just got the feeling like I was caught 

in a little bit of a fabulous pink wonderland.

Cows in a Hurricane

As hurricane Sandy ravaged the East Coast - we waited to see if Chester County, PA would be hit too. We were prepared. I had food cooked and ready to be warmed on a propane cook stove or a grill. I had water in buckets, mason jars and jugs. I had a cooler. I had numerous containers -prepared days in advance- frozen solid to help keep the freezer chest cold. I was ready.

We waited and checked the news to see how Sandy was tracking.

The lights only flickered once or twice.

We woke up and realized nothing awful happened to us.

The floodgates in my hometown did what they were supposed to - probably because Sandy didn't come up the Delaware River like it could have. My hometown was spared.

God was very merciful to us.

As the rain came down,  the cows came out to graze as they do everyday. It just struck me as kind of funny as we looked out the window watching the rain and the cows and wondering what was going to happen. Weather is not as predictable as these cows.

Fall Creations

So fall has come and gone - and my drafted posts have sat because who knew two kids under 3 would be work. Somehow I did manage to accomplish a few crafty things.

Crafty things really do keep me sane. Except for when I have to decide, "crafts or bleach the shower curtain?"

To my right is an applique quilt I started at least 8 years ago and finally finished during my period of nesting. Thanks to my drillmaster, I have a place to hang up wall hangings!


 I saw this pumpkin on a magazine while checking out at the grocery store. Totally loved that. Totally did it in now time. Bonus: I was able to keep the rick-rack for next year.

Then, Walter and I decorated two more. I used the puffy paint and dotted out "Walter" & "Rose." Then,  in a moment of not thinking clearly enough let him use the puffy paint - which is not washable. Not gonna do that again. Ruined a shirt, stained the highchair tray. He seemed pleased with his pumpkin though.

Pinterest Creations

Wow, words fail me when it comes to Pinterest. I LOVE it. I have been wishing something like this existed for ages I just didn't know it!

No more cutting, pasting and printing out quilt ideas and filing them in a cabinet. No more printing out recipes until I am actually ready to try it. I am saving toner, paper and time not having to go through mile long list of bookmarks.

Now that I am homeschooling there are so many great ideas out there for lessons and projects. I can't imagine homeschooling without Pinterest! Just 3 weeks of homeschooling and I am already reaping the benefits of using Pinterest to keep track of ideas for school.

In the spirit of my love for Pinterest and my new camera, after being camera-less most of the summer I am posting pictures of projects I found on Pinterest or did while I was "nesting".

 This Pinterest idea involved a circle made of masking tape and bean bags. I couldn't figure out how to make masking tape become a circle so I improvised. I didn't have any bean bags but we are learning, A, B, C, D, E, F so now we have the "Letter Toss" game - Objective: review letters & toss them in the box. I hide the square under the nursery throw rug when not playing. We can continue this through out the alphabet.







We are using this curriculum. I don't do it all because my boy isn't much for singing at this point or memorizing poems. I use this as my skeleton and add or take away based on what he needs to learn. He has already mastered many of the skills they plan for like using "Please" and "Thank You."








We are working our way through the Creation story. The Sun and Stars were my idea to go along with the lessons. It is amazing to me to see his world beginning to take in the Creator of the world and we have actually been praying more together and asking God to help him make good choices / decisions. A couple times he has even asked to "Pray." It does a mother's heat good!

I have found lots of quilt ideas on Pinteret or just found ideas and pinned them. These pillow cases were my own creation. I had wanted to use the transportation fabric and I also thought doing this project would of course put me into labor... Ha! But I was happy to get it done during nap time. I pieced together pieces until it fit the pillow. It was very haphazard but I frequently work that way! To make the most of the fabric I did 2 different sides.

I did find this last project on Pinterest. I knew I had to do it because I am just not into cutting faces into pumpkins!

It looked so simple. I considered getting a fake pumpkin but I have storage issues so I went with a real one. I still have 2 more pumpkins to do and will probably put the kids names on them. This was fun for me. My son thought the dots were "chocolate chips" but I have corrected him on that point and replaced the missing dots.



I am going to create a board of completed projects because there is little point of pinning ideas if you don't actually do anything. It will be nice to have a record of Pinterest creations!

Good Old George

Between PB&Js and no naptimes anymore, its hard to believe that only a few years ago I was a working woman. A single one at that!

I had the honor to work for a church and two pastors who were both different and inspiring. One put me in the middle of something that continues to have a far reaching impact - that I only see glimpses of from time to time. It was just a matter of typing, occasional proofreading and also an element of keeping the ball rolling. Sometimes it hits me profoundly what it means to have been part of a bestseller. Sure someone else could have done it, but God chose me.  I got to help keep the spirit and character and morals of George Washington alive in an age when the country and the world are desperate for men like him or even just one man like him.

And because not everyone has the time to read the 3 inch thick book - George Washington's Sacred Fire - there is now this song... be moved. Be moved to action.

Call this a Post Script. I watched the video again this time with my son. I got all emotional thinking about... How do you teach or instill into a 2 1/2 year old who George Washington was? Where do you even start to help him understand the magnitude of what George Washington did for us? What a responsibility, duty and honor it is to teach -begin to teach- a 2 1/2 year old who George Washington is. Oh to raise a son who will not only admire but emulate such a man.

And then I thought of Jesus - and the responsibility, duty and honor magnifies as I think about how I will teach my son to love and emulate Him. The end results are more eternal.

Then, he said, "Again" so we watched it again and I thought, "well I guess we are on the right road."

The Death of the Nap

In many ways, I feel like I am mourning a very good friend. This dear friend brought peace and quiet into my home- if only for an hour or two each day. This dear friend helped me get things done like switch the laundry, make a phone call to some utility company and even helped me put my feet up and rest my eyes. Sometimes I even got a full fledged nap. This dear friend helped me do a blog post or check things out online or balance the checkbook.

We are talking about a really special friend. We are talking about naptime.

I should have known this friend wasn't doing well all summer, as I fought with a 2 year old lay down and rest. Then, one day I knew the war was over. I had to give in and admit defeat. I knew this day would come - someday. I had just hoped it wouldn't be for another year. I also hoped that it wouldn't happen the week I brought home a new baby.

The death of a nap is a life changing event. It is something you just won't ever get back. I wasn't prepared for how losing naptime would make me feel. I would be lying if I didn't admit that it is overwhelming to have a new baby and no napping 2 year old. The high energy and noise level of this particular 2 year old can be deafening.  I feel a little like I am caught in a whirlwind with the Tasmanian Devil - ALL DAY LONG.

Sure, bedtime comes earlier now. Even when he is fast asleep my work isn't done. I know I am not the only one dealing with this. Still, I can't help but say its all relative. I have lost a good friend, naptime, I loved you and I miss you. Hopefully, someday -soon- I will be able to find some time in the day to rest my frazzled nerves or my son will master the fine art of an inside voice. Until then utility customer service reps will have to hear me "shhh" and change diapers in between our conversation. 

Crayons & Paints

Walter and I are on Week 2 of preschool for 2 year olds. I feel quite exhilarated as I plan out themes, projects, print out papers to color and pin ideas on Pinterest. I find myself reinforcing the key elements of the weeks lessons through out the day. I know its common sense to reinforce counting and colors etc but I like having the lesson plans as my catalyst and accountability. I haven't been this excited about teaching in a very long time and it feels good. Afterall, its been probably 10 years now since I have been apart of the new crayon crowds headed back to school.

To me, there is something so exquisite about a box of new crayons - especially a 64 pack. It seems almost a sacrilege to tamper with their points. That might be why I inwardly have cringed and winced every time Walter has broken, eaten or torn the paper off his crayons. His 3 boxes of toddler sized crayons are in shambles. Evidently, he doesn't understand what sacrilege is yet.

So yesterday I introduced him to the world of watercolor paints. I have done this with caution and not so much because of the mess he could create on almost any flat surface but because the very idea that he might get the colors all mixed up & "dirty" looking is just - unsettling. Clearly, brand new watercolor paint sets are exquisite to me as well.

I might have to get over this so the boy can actually paint without me hovering or I need to get my own paint set!

Read-a-Thon (July & August)

Well I finished one heck of a long book this week. There still may be time to read something else in August,   something a little smaller than 540 pages! It has taken me over a month to get through this book. It may well be the longest book I have ever read. I kind of wished it was my own copy and not a library book because so many times I wanted to underline something in:


Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas

Again, I am astounded by how little I know about history. I knew nothing of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I knew nothing about the role of the church in Germany before and during World War 2. I knew nothing of the suffering of Christians pastors who dared resist Hitler.

I was struck by how the church in general always seems to be trying to stay true to the gospel.  You see it today. It was a problem in the 1920s. It was probably a problem all the way back to the day Jesus walked the earth. There is always some liberal agenda trying to weaken the gospel, some wolf in sheep's clothing trying to deceive the people into something cheap and untrue. There is always someone seeing the problem and trying to ring the warning bell that you must come back to the gospel. You must stay the course. You must pursue God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. That was Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Bonhoeffer was the voice calling out in the wilderness when the German church and people seemed to be floundering, first as the Third Reich was just a backdrop to the ebb and flow of church stability. Then, as the Third Reich sought to make the German church and people into something entirely different from what the church has been from the beginning. They sought to create some new kind of christian. People fell for it partly because they were so crushed and humiliated after World War 1 and probably because their faith was just not as interwoven into their lives as it should have been. Then, it probably had a lot to do with fear.

What was a little scary to me as I was reading this book was just how duped the German people were by Hitler and by how clever and intuitive Hitler was that he could worm his way into the German's heart and mind. Convincing them all along that he was a Christian like them but all the while didn't give a hoot and was actually surrounded by people who wanted to go back to the pagan religion of ancient Germany with all its mysticism etc. The whole seduction of the people kind of reminded me of current affairs and our 2008 election where the Barack Obama talked a good talk and wooed people into hope and change. He has ultimately not brought hope and the change he has brought has only undermined the rule of law already established and sought to take away American's individual liberties. The parallels are there and are quite alarming.

Bonhoeffer and his highly intelligent and influential family saw through the facade very early on and worked to see the mad man ousted. Many of them lost their lives, including Dietrich who almost made it. He had nearly slipped through the fingers of the SS and just 2 weeks before the end of the war and Hitler's suicide he was hanged. 

Bonhoeffer's contributions to Germany, the church, theologians, to his students, to his fellow prisoners and to all the people who continue to read the books he had written can not be quantified.

Definitely well worth the time to read this book and see the stark contrast between a man of God and a mad man.

Why Bother?

After (and while) reading Love Wins so many things were running through my head about just how off base this book and this bit of "theology" is. I will delve into my thoughts in this post.

In my eyes, Universal Reconciliation basically says to the Christian "why bother?" Why bother to follow Jesus' command in Mark 16:15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
Why bother to follow commandments, live a pure life, share the gospel with your friends and family?
Why bother to rejoice when someone decides to follow Jesus?
Why bother to repent and change your life?
Why bother to read the Bible?
Why bother to teach your kids about Jesus and how he died for their sins?

Why bother when Universal Reconciliation says everyone will be given a chance to follow Christ once they reach eternity.  It could take them 100s of years but in the end because the Bible implies in a couple places including Philippians 2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,"

How do we that everyone is happy about it! Or that "every" isn't just a generic term for a lot of people.

If everyone ends up saved in the end and no one who has rejected Jesus in life is separated from him in death then....
There is no need for personal responsibility for your actions and choices - now.
There is no need to being open to the Holy Spirit to lead you into a lifetime and eternity with Christ.
I can live it up now and not have to worry about a Judgement Day.
There is no real free will to choose God or not.
No need to hope for 11th hour commitments to Christ.
Really why bother praying that people's hearts would turn to Jesus.
Why spend the money to send missionaries into all the world.

However, the Judgment Day is mentioned quite a bit and Jesus was pretty serious about people choosing to follow him - he died to prove his point. He also told us we need to follow him to reach God the Father.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. ⁴ And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
⁵ Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14

In actuality, now when I am reading the Bible I am reading it with the fresh perspective of just how off kilter the idea is that God who hates sin would suddenly disregard his own laws and give people a free pass after their time was up. Just because it doesn't sit well with some of us.

The best way I can liken it to real life is with the issue of immigration. We have people that go through a lengthy frustrating process to become U.S. Citizen, but they do it because it is important to them to do it the right way. Then, you have people who break the law and come into the U.S. illegally and soak up benefits with no regard for the rule of law. Universal Reconciliation says to those illegally entered people. "That's ok you didn't follow the rules but you can be a citizen anyway." What a slap in the face of all the people that made a choice to do it the right way, the lawful way.

If God is not a god of his own Word - which is the rule of law- what's the use in following him because he becomes a hypocrite and a farce. I want a God that sticks to his Word, who gives people a choice and lets them abide by that choice.

These are just some of the things that just don't make logical or Biblical sense to me in regards to universal reconciliation / salvation.
I am sticking to what I have always known and what is strongly supported in the Bible. We have one life to live we need to make good choices - chose Jesus and live forever with him. I don't know what that will look like but I am guessing it will be pretty good. As for the rest of the people, like those who never heard the gospel of Jesus, God knows their hearts I trust Him to judge wisely when the Day comes.

Read A Thon (June)

I heard about this book and knew there was some controversy  surrounding it and thought I wanted to see what all the hubbub was about. So I checked it out from my trusty library.

Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived  by Rob Bell

Does Love Win?

Rob Bell's style is winsome and the white space is easy on the eye, but as I expected when I started reading the book I did not agree with his theology, although there is a part of me that wants to.

Most of us have grown up with the knowledge that if you reject Jesus in this life you will not be spending eternity with Him. In a nutshell, Rob Bell suggests that is not true. It just can't be true because Love Wins. This is also called Universal Reconciliation, a term many Christians have probably never heard.  It is contrary to what the what the church has taught for 2000 years.

I can't go into his assertions and his weak arguments.  I read a book review that went through point after point that proved him wrong or weak in his points. The reviewer did an extensive job and I came away from reading it knowing that most of the points he made I was thinking while I read Love Wins. Another article I read by Carl Trueman, who I knew through my job at the church, pointed out the misuse of a quote by Martin Luther. The misquote takes away from Rob Bells credibility to use a quote accurately. It actually makes me pretty mad because I have never read anything Martin Luther ever wrote except the 95 Theses he nailed to a church door. Had I not read Carl's article I could have gone on to believe that Martin Luther believed one way when in fact all the things he ever wrote does not support Bell's point.

We rely on pastors/authors to use quotes in context and accurately and I feel Bell failed the Christian community and Martin Luther for that matter with just this one out of context quote.
Most of his use of Scripture was poorly documented as well. I had to keep looking things up to find exactly where he was getting his Bible stories or paraphrases from. It seemed more like he wants to make scripture say something its doesn't to make himself feel better about the way things are. Life isn't fair, people make choices that will effect their eternity, the results won't be pretty. We all have free will though.

I am sticking to what I have always known and what is strongly supported in the Bible. We have one life to live we need to make good choices - chose Jesus and live forever with him. I don't know what that will look like but I am guessing it will be pretty good. As for the rest of the people, like those who never heard the gospel of Jesus, God knows their hearts I trust Him to judge wisely when the Day comes.

Look for a follow up post that goes into Universal Reconciliation a little more....

It take a Village to Make a Quilt

There is nothing quite like the thrill of putting together fabrics for a new quilt. Selecting the perfect colors and patterns - it is a natural high for me- made all the better when the fabric I find is on sale or already in my stash.

I made this one for my mystery niece or nephew.... (The baby turned out to be a nephew!) It was a completely different direction from what I was originally going to do but when I saw the chosen crib bedding, all my plans changed. The bedding has bumblebees and remembered seeing fabric with honeybees. I decided this was quite appropriate since we come from a long line of beekeepers.

My great-grandfather was a beekeeper in Italy. When a swarm of honeybees became available at his new home in America he picked up the hobby again. Instructing my grandpop, who was just a young boy at the time, in the art of beekeeping. They in turn taught my dad. My dad continues the family tradition and has been getting help from my brother. So who know who will be the next trainee, I hope it will be one of the 3 grandchildren.

I chose this pattern because -well it looks like honeycomb and a flower too. I did need some council on how to attach it to the backing so I brought it to a quilting club one Saturday and got so many great ideas. The best idea was the green background. I was originally going to use white. They advised me against that, one reason being white and babies are not always a good mix. I was so pleased to find a green that worked so well and was on sale! My friend the quilt shop owner says, "sometimes it takes a village to make a quilt!  (or pick colors)" I have found this to be true time and again.