Making my summer happy, in no particular order...
What's making you happy?
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I always tell the children in the nursery that please and thank you are my favorite words to hear. It's true! There's no better way to show appreciation than by saying a heartfelt thank you. Here are a few things I'm thankful for...
a husband who loves and cares for me
two wonderful sons who are a joy to be around
good times with both our families
the weather turning cold
a cup of cocoa and a fire
tree roots and sun shining on the water
non-stop Christmas music
that I didn't have to go into the shopping madness of Black Friday
another piece of pumpkin pie
two days of crafting
the Christmas tree is up
new flowers in the front yard
a yummy pair of socks on my feet - thanks, Melissa!
both boys were better for Thanksgiving (we came home to two sick boys)
Noah and I are FINALLY going to play together in church
the time spent reading the sale papers on the floor with my nephew wallowing in the middle of them all - he had a great time
making a treasure map with my niece
watching TWO episodes of Iron Chef - a treat since usually when we're around a TV it's all soccer
another helping of Dad's corn dip
I hope you all had a wonderful but most of all THANKFULThanksgiving!
P.S. I added the link to the pumpkin chocolate tiramisu!
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In celebration of finishing our school year TODAY (Can you hear the cheering in the background?), I'm going to do a purely selfish post featuring me as the topic...
hoping: I, not you, win this giveaway - See, I told you it'd be selfish! You can sign up until 5/3.
finding: a double mushroom - Is that like finding a four leaf clover? If so maybe I'll win that giveaway!
eating: Spinach and Cheddar Strata for dinner - The boys will hate it, but I will love it!
listening: to Noah play Jurassic Park - Beautiful!
learning: about Solomon
reading: the new Stitch
playing: hopefully a flute solo on Mother's Day with Noah as my accompanist - He's gonna let me know in a few days if he's up to it. I think it would be so special if we could play together on that holiday.
watching: Showboat - I'm revisiting some of the musicals I enjoyed watching when I was young. Some of them I can't bear, but others are just as good.
dreaming about: making a duvet cover for Noah with this as my inspiration.
stitching: my bloomers skirt - Ya, STILL!
planning: a baby shower present for a friend having her first girl after two boys. It's gotta be ruffly!
baking: raspberry scones for breakfast in the morning
seeing: my lily of the Nile bloom in the front yard
scheduling: a nap for tomorrow afternoon
buying: coconut M&M's
deciding on: what to give Mom for Mother's Day
looking forward to: craft day with the girls
figuring out: which recipe I want to make for end of the year special treats for AWANA teachers
munching on: baby carrots dipped in Ranch
drinking: orange water
reinventing: my troll bracelet for spring/summer
discovering: a few new-to-me blogs - Film in the Fridge (you'll notice the fabric from the giveaway above being used in this post), No Big Dill, A Room Somewhere (love the bedspread in this post)
experimenting with: embellishing a t-shirt
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Noah was the first one up this morning and made this for me. Thanksgiving is his favorite holiday. When I asked him why, he said that he likes the mix of food, spending time with family, and relaxing. I guess it's more low key and not as on-the-go as Christmas.
Here is what I'm thankful for:
Wishing you and your families a blessed Thanksgiving!
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This morning I woke up to beautiful cool weather, "Happy Birthday"s from my family, and emails from friends. Noah made these for me. He prefaced the hours locked away in his room with... "Mom don't come in my room. I don't want to be bossy, but please just don't come in." That was last week and he spent three or four whole evenings making all this for me. I just love it! My favorite is the hamster wheel. We just watched Bolt. I know! Where have we been? The little hamster, Rhino, is my favorite character. He's just so chubby and funny. I think I'll put this one on my desk at church, cause sometimes I feel like I'm running around in circles in the nursery.
Decorating my room, lunch plans with Mom and Tracy, chocolate chip pumpkin bread instead of cake...
It's gonna be a good day.
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A few little things that have been making me happy the past few days...
I tried the jeans under the dress thing for the first time and like it!
"We're there for you, Mom!" That statement from my boys meant so much. I started teaching a new Bible study on Tuesday. They know how nervous and sick I get before the first one, and Noah even woke up early (shock!) with his alarm clock (even more shocking!) and made breakfast for himself and Landon so that I would have one less thing to do before Bible study started. They also helped watch the kids. Have I told you how great my kids are? Well, they are!
A new crock pot. Let me tell you, these new-fangled (to me) crock pots are great! My old one was one of those built in kind where you have to wrestle with keeping the cord and heating system dry while washing the inside. Yea, OLD! So now I can just remove the stoneware and pop it in the dishwasher. I know! I need to get out more! Speaking of crock pots, which I only use every now and then, here are some of my favorite recipes: Garlic Lime Chicken and Rice; Barley, Black Bean, and Corn Burritos; and Tortilla Soup.
Playing with kittens. Not mine, a friend's.
Black olive pizza, no sauce.
A cool, fresh autumn morning with windows open.
Reading to my boys. They're never too old to be read to!!!!!
Christmas music in the fall. Not too much, just enough to tide me over. I didn't get to do Christmas in my own home last year because we were still living with my in-laws, so I'm really looking forward to Christmas at my house.
Muffins from the library.
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It is so quiet around here this morning. What with all the VBS fanfare of last week, not to mention the 4th of July and all the dry ice bombs my guys made, I forgot just how good it is to hear NOTHING!
We spent the morning of the fourth making a mad dash to buy socks and athletic pants for Landon to take to camp. The afternoon was spent at my in-laws. The adults (except me because "I'm exhausted of it") played cards, the kids played Twister all afternoon, and I held the baby and took a few turns being the spinner. Micah is an angel I tell you! The dry ice bombs were and always are a hit. It must be a guy thing - the urge to destroy and make noise.
Sunday was a blur of activity: church, packing for camp, church again, and more church, and more church. Those of you that were there will know what I'm talking about here. I had to pull out a VeggieTales video for the nursery kids to watch, and I NEVER do that. Then after the marathon church service Landon went off to camp for the week, and Noah went to a friend's for the night. Joel and I went to dinner at one of our favorite places before kids and enjoyed each other's company.
This morning, I'm all alone making lists of fun stuff I want to do this week. My first real week of summer break!
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A rare moment to put my feet up. About the only thing I've sewn for myself in the last several months has been the hem on my jeans. I'm short and jean length is always something of a challenge.
There hasn't been enough me time around here. You know, I would like to make things for myself once and a while. Like this Heather Ross sundress (been wanting to try the elastic thread and this one's claim to be flattering on every body shape is a lure for sure), this market bag, one of these library totes. Am I sounding selfish?
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I went toe to toe with the girls this weekend. While my guys were tentless (the friend who invited them to stay with him in his tent didn't show up) and fighting rain at their campout this weekend, Mom, Tracy, Magdis, and I took time out to pamper our feet with home pedicures. What a difference a little pampering can do! It was such a great weekend. Good food, great dessert, and fun company! Thanks for keeping me company this weekend, girls!
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I'm trying again.
I love bamboo. There's something so aesthetic about it. It makes me want to take a deep breath when I look at it. I like it's simpleness. And it's supposed to be pretty easy to grow.
Our church secretary has one that thrives. My sister's is going gung ho. So what's my problem? Why can't I keep it alive? I killed my first one. Tried right away again with another and killed that one too. Then I decided that I am just not an indoor plant person and gave up.
Until last week, when I walked by this one at IKEA. It was so pretty and peaceful just standing there looking at me. I had to try again. I asked Tracy how she gets hers to do so well. She said, "I leave it alone." Bingo! That's my problem! I fuss over it too much. Too much water I'm sure because my other ones turned yellow.
I brought it home gave it an inch of water and put it on the dresser. I haven't touched it since. Well, maybe I have, but I'm not fussing. I promise! So, those of you who are green thumbs (or are talented with bamboo if nothing else) pass on your wisdom to someone who is plant challenged - me!
P.S. I recently read that bamboo takes toxins out of the air. I hope I can keep it alive long enough to make the move back into my house. The walls/ceilings are up, textured, and primed. The ceiling is painted and we bought our first gallon of paint for the kitchen. We begin painting today and I'll need that bamboo to get all the paint smell out of the house.
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