May Jesus be real to you and may he be at the center of the hustle and bustle.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Wednesday, December 24
Monday, December 22
pink watched 2.5 hours of dora, but...
look at all I accomplished! Well, ok, you can't actually look at it. That would require a working digital camera and we have none. However, I did bake up a double batch of ginger snaps, a double batch of my secret recipe chocolate peppermint squares, homemade caramels, and Russian tea cakes. The dough for gingerbread men is in the fridge (we are in a ginger mood this year).
I should hire this Dora girl more often! Seems when she keeps an eye on Pink, the whole world is before me.
I should hire this Dora girl more often! Seems when she keeps an eye on Pink, the whole world is before me.
Friday, December 19
5 years, 4 graduations, 3 big moves, 1 baby, 1 wedding, and 1 miscarriage later...
we still miss you. We still wish you were here. It still hurts. Our breath still escapes us, tears still sometimes fall, and we still find ourselves wondering how so much life has passed without the one man we thought would somehow never leave. We still look around and say "I wish dad could (see/hear/experience) this." Only now the sweet mixes with, and usually overpowers, the bitter. Joy did come in the morning. And in a way you never did leave us.
We still love you, dad.
I gave this card to my dad for his birthday the year before he died. A few months later he gave it back to me for mine.
We still love you, dad.
I gave this card to my dad for his birthday the year before he died. A few months later he gave it back to me for mine.
Thursday, December 18
what i've learned in 25 months of parenting
Thank you, J, for the tag. In no particular order:
1. Humble yourself.
2. DO NOT COMPARE. Yourself or your child. We are unique individuals (how's that for redundancy?)
3. It's fun when you do compare your kid and she/he is ahead of the curve.
4. Don't smile about #3 for too long or you'll look like a fool rather than a proud mama
5. My child is not my own and giving her over to God is the hardest thing I have to do as a mother
6. When in doubt about how to handle a tantrum, kneel down, offer kind words, and give a big hug and kiss. This works with teenagers, too (at least with my students).
*disclaimer: #6 assumes that you do, in fact, dole out consequences for tantrums on a regular basis
7. Making cookies makes everything better
8. Mom really was right.
9. I hate being the bad guy.
10. Never send a child to day care in nice clothes, white clothes, or anything that you'd like to have her/him wear again.
11. It's true: the dog moves from child status to pet status the moment the carrier, filled with an extra 7.5 pounds, glides through the door
12. Read, read, read.
13. Turn to more than one person for advice.
14. When offered advice, smile and say, "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."
15. Let your child DO things: brush teeth, help with dinner, fold laundry, put things away, etc. Build in experiences.
16. Teach cleaning up as a way of life from the moment she/he crawls.
17. Stare at her/him in the middle of the night whenever possible.
18. Spend time with other moms, with and without the kids.
19. Schedule date nights.
20. Stop discussing business with husband in front of her/him long before she/he can talk.
21. A night at home, with baby sleeping at a friend's house, can be the most romantic getaway in the world (and cheep, too).
22. Teach Bible memory verses early (I had no idea Pink would have one memorized by now)
23. Humble yourself. Again. A little more. Lit-tle more. There.
24. This should probably be first, but follow Matt. 6:33.
25. Enjoy!
1. Humble yourself.
2. DO NOT COMPARE. Yourself or your child. We are unique individuals (how's that for redundancy?)
3. It's fun when you do compare your kid and she/he is ahead of the curve.
4. Don't smile about #3 for too long or you'll look like a fool rather than a proud mama
5. My child is not my own and giving her over to God is the hardest thing I have to do as a mother
6. When in doubt about how to handle a tantrum, kneel down, offer kind words, and give a big hug and kiss. This works with teenagers, too (at least with my students).
*disclaimer: #6 assumes that you do, in fact, dole out consequences for tantrums on a regular basis
7. Making cookies makes everything better
8. Mom really was right.
9. I hate being the bad guy.
10. Never send a child to day care in nice clothes, white clothes, or anything that you'd like to have her/him wear again.
11. It's true: the dog moves from child status to pet status the moment the carrier, filled with an extra 7.5 pounds, glides through the door
12. Read, read, read.
13. Turn to more than one person for advice.
14. When offered advice, smile and say, "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."
15. Let your child DO things: brush teeth, help with dinner, fold laundry, put things away, etc. Build in experiences.
16. Teach cleaning up as a way of life from the moment she/he crawls.
17. Stare at her/him in the middle of the night whenever possible.
18. Spend time with other moms, with and without the kids.
19. Schedule date nights.
20. Stop discussing business with husband in front of her/him long before she/he can talk.
21. A night at home, with baby sleeping at a friend's house, can be the most romantic getaway in the world (and cheep, too).
22. Teach Bible memory verses early (I had no idea Pink would have one memorized by now)
23. Humble yourself. Again. A little more. Lit-tle more. There.
24. This should probably be first, but follow Matt. 6:33.
25. Enjoy!
Friday, December 12
Wednesday, December 10
what i do that drives my husband crazy
I've been inspired by girlymama to write a post of my own just like hers. Here goes:
1. tuck in the sheets on his side of the bed
2. make him get out of bed so i can straighten the sheets before i get in
3. i'm a pile person. he is, too, but he can't take the sheer volume of two people's piles
4. when i turn the dimmer up - on the car dashboard, in the bedroom, in the bathroom. God forbid he encounter a normally-bright light bulb (say, all of 60 watts)
5. when i teach pink how to pout (in my defense, it's unintentional)
6. when he gets something out to eat or drink and i sneak the first bite as if i'm entitled to it
7. when i take the almost-empty bottles in the shower that he has already turned up-side-down, and put them back right-side-up so he has to shake the heck out of them
8. i can't finish anything. i move from project to project (see #3)
9. when i take the trash out (yes, you read that correctly. it's called a quirk and it works in my favor; I'm not going to argue it)
10. i can't for the life of me remember to save gas receipts or reset the odometer when I get gas
Now I have one thing to say about all of this: when do I get to write a list of what drives me crazy?
Wait, never mind on that forthcoming list. What he does to drive me crazy would comprise a much shorter list than the one he could come up with if I gave him even five more minutes for this one. Let's just say I'm blessed he puts up with me and and call it a day.
What do you do that drives your husband crazy? Enquiring minds want to know!
1. tuck in the sheets on his side of the bed
2. make him get out of bed so i can straighten the sheets before i get in
3. i'm a pile person. he is, too, but he can't take the sheer volume of two people's piles
4. when i turn the dimmer up - on the car dashboard, in the bedroom, in the bathroom. God forbid he encounter a normally-bright light bulb (say, all of 60 watts)
5. when i teach pink how to pout (in my defense, it's unintentional)
6. when he gets something out to eat or drink and i sneak the first bite as if i'm entitled to it
7. when i take the almost-empty bottles in the shower that he has already turned up-side-down, and put them back right-side-up so he has to shake the heck out of them
8. i can't finish anything. i move from project to project (see #3)
9. when i take the trash out (yes, you read that correctly. it's called a quirk and it works in my favor; I'm not going to argue it)
10. i can't for the life of me remember to save gas receipts or reset the odometer when I get gas
Now I have one thing to say about all of this: when do I get to write a list of what drives me crazy?
Wait, never mind on that forthcoming list. What he does to drive me crazy would comprise a much shorter list than the one he could come up with if I gave him even five more minutes for this one. Let's just say I'm blessed he puts up with me and and call it a day.
What do you do that drives your husband crazy? Enquiring minds want to know!
Tuesday, December 9
3 ingredient cookies
OK, not quite. You'll need the three listed ingredients, plus whatever it takes to make the sugar cookies (mine took oil and water).
Soooo-good-you-can't-stop-eating-them-cranberry-towers
1 package of sugar cookie dough, prepared but not baked (safety first! get the kind that does not require egg)
2 cups cranberry sauce leftover from Thanksgiving (or prepared fresh or, gasp!, from a can)
2 cups fresh whipped cream
Scoop sugar cookie dough by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 for 6-7 minutes until set around the edges (the center should be good and gooey)
Allow to cool slightly and remove to a flat surface to cool completely (they will fall through a cookie rack)
Stack, from bottom to top: cookie, tablespoon of cranberry, tablespoon of whipped cream, cookie, tablespoon of cranberry, tablespoon of whipped cream.
For more great tips, check out Works For Me Wednesdays
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