Fransen Follies

Preschool Graduation

2010-05-26T20:22:00.002-05:00

Monday night was Carter's graduation from preschool. It was by far, the most comical preschool graduation I have ever attended. As much as I'd like to say my son did not contribute at all to the hilarious-ness of the night, we all know that would be a bold faced lie. However, I will say as I look back on the videos, they do not do justice to how much we were laughing all night. Anyway, here you go! I hope you enjoy!

After the Tooty Ta, I was laughing so hard I had tears running down my face. It was priceless! And something he'll never do again, I'm sure, since I can't even get him to do it at home for me!

Summer

2010-05-21T15:01:00.003-05:00

As I sit here this afternoon, wondering what to do with myself as half of my family is away with friends, I find myself longing for summer. Most schools in Georgia are getting out of school this week. My kids still have a week and a half left. Britney is in Florida where the weather is hot and humid - just the way I like it. I feel the beach calling my name. Yep, I'm ready for summer.

Snaggle Tooth

2010-05-16T15:58:00.003-05:00

Carter lost his first tooth a couple of weeks ago.

He's growing up way too fast.

Brilliant

2010-05-11T18:01:00.002-05:00

I can't think of a better word to describe my 8-year-old, Ashlyn. Her imagination is always running wild, and I am amazed at the games she thinks up and convinces Carter to play with her. She catches things in my conversations with Britney that I didn't even know she was listening to.

So, I just have to share the answer she wrote on her weekly reading assessment last week. Her teacher's comment on the front, "Your #6 answer is outstanding!" prompted me to immediately turn to #6 to see what was so outstanding. The question was based on a passage they had to read about a museum and was worded like this:
"Based on what you read in the passage, what would a trip to the art museum be like? Use details from the passage in your answer."

And here is Ashlyn's brilliantly outstanding answer.

"A trip to an art museum would be pleasant, cool and interesting because there are beautiful paintings, sculptures, and other beautiful objects. Some objects are very old. Some may be valuable. Others may have been presious to people that lived long ago."

I was beaming with pride over her answer. She is so much smarter than I realize, and I'm so thankful her teacher took the time to point out that outstanding answer.

But it does make me wonder what kind of comments we'll see on Carter's tests in a few years...

Still No Pictures...

2010-02-23T20:29:00.002-05:00

So, I still haven't taken the camera outside to take pictures of the snow - you know because it's just so FAR. And I've been way too busy starting on yet another house project.

Tonight I put a coat of paint on the 30th window that we've redone. That feels pretty good until I stop to think about how many more there are. And the fact that, even though it may not feel that way outside right now, spring is on the way. Which also means that all of the screens need to be painted before we put them on for the summer. Otherwise, we'll be back to 4 or 5 different colored windows on our newly painted house. Some days, it feels like the work never ends.

But, it's not all tedious, window-related work. I'm finally working on our bedroom. I never got it done in our last house and it makes such a difference (at least to me) to have a nice relaxing place to retreat at the end of the day. Even if it means I only see it for 5 seconds before my eyes fall shut.

So, the last few days have been full of patching cracks and holes, sanding, vacuuming, priming and more vacuuming. Oh and also finding time for more windows, cleaning the house and doing the laundry. It's no wonder I barely make it to the bed before I fall asleep at night! But, I do have to find some ways to pass the snow-filled days!

More Snow

2010-02-15T19:54:00.003-05:00

We had another 5 or so inches of snow over the weekend. Combined with the howling winds, it has not been pretty! At least it was sunny today, so I wasn't too grumpy - even with the kids out of school - AGAIN!

We're hoping to get some new pictures of all the snow tomorrow. Britney has been borrowing our neighbor's snow blower to clear the driveway, so I haven't really been out in the snow (except to get to the van in the garage!) for a couple of weeks. I think I'm oblivious to how tall the banks and drifts are now. They're just the same white stuff I see every day. Anyway, today he came in and said the piles at the end of the driveway are at least as tall as he is - if not taller!

On top of everything, our dumb dog has run away twice this week. If anyone wants a 9 year old miniature schnauzer and can convince our kids to let you have her, she is FREE! I'm only half kidding...

I'm coming up with some projects to make the winter go by faster. Hopefully I'll have some good befores-and-afters to show you soon!

Happy Birthday, Pop!

2010-02-11T12:02:00.001-05:00

Today is my dad's 65th birthday! Happy birthday, Dad! Wish we could be there to celebrate with you!!! We love you! Hey dad - just be glad it wasn't THE picture from Christmas! *wink* *wink*

Back in the Saddle Again...

2010-02-10T18:41:00.002-05:00

So, after some persuading from my dearest sister ;) I'm going to try to start blogging again. I think I hit a wall late last year and just couldn't seem to go around it. Or over it. Or through it. Then the holidays hit, blah, blah, blah. Anyway, let's give it a go again.

Christmas was a whirlwind trip to Georgia - oh yeah with a wedding and baby shower thrown in. Britney's brother got married on the 27th and then we threw a baby shower for his sister the next week. Most of the family from Minnesota was there - which was kind of weird. But not in a bad way. It was just another first - all of us visiting GA at the same time.

Anyway, we came home just after New Year's to over 2 1/2 feet of snow on top of what we already had. There are some crazy pictures here. Oh yeah and we've had more snow and more snow and more snow on top of that. The kids won't be done with school until the middle of June...

We also celebrated Carter's 5th birthday in January! We let him pick his party this year and he opted for a very tame one - two friends to go with him to Chuck E. Cheese's. Being the brilliant mom that I am (with help from my most supportive husband), we picked the 3 boys up from preschool on a Monday and headed over to the mouse's house. It wasn't busy since it was a weekday and the boys were all very well-behaved. Carter had a blast and that's really all that matters. (Pictures here)

Aside from that, it's just the same ol', same ol' around here. Volunteering at the school, taking care of the family, shoveling snow...OH! Except I am in the middle of my first staging job for a friend who is putting their house up for sale - and they need it to sell quickly! So, if you know of anyone who wants to buy a nice house in rural Minnesota for a reasonable price, send the my way!!!

Hopefully next time I'll have something a little more interesting to share. But for now, I'm actually happy to be back in the saddle again. Thanks, Pam!

Blizzard 2009

2009-12-09T15:46:00.002-05:00

Here is a link to some pictures from the blizzard. It was unreal to me! All of the windows except for the ones on the north side of our house had a sheet of ice on them. You literally could not see out. It was quite unsettling for me!

The temps have been hovering around a balmy 3 degrees all day, with 40 mph wind gusts. We all bundled up and went out in it a little while ago. Knowing we couldn't get out of the driveway if we had to was not a happy thought for me. School's out so the kids were playing while Britney and I were working.

Hopefully this is the last blizzard for awhile and we can get to Georgia next week with no problems!!

Another First

2009-12-08T20:08:00.002-05:00

Well, just when I thought I had experienced all of the firsts of life in Minnesota, wouldn't you know there was one more. A blizzard. I would take a picture for y'all Southerners, but you wouldn't even be able to tell what you're looking at because it would just be white. We're supposed to get anywhere between 4 and 8 inches of snow between today and tomorrow with winds gusting like you wouldn't believe.

Just to give you an idea of how bad it is, I wouldn't let Carter go with me to get Ashlyn this afternoon. And there are days in the middle of winter when I MAKE him go outside because he just gets wild cooped up in the house all day. The wind sounds like it's going to blow right through our house, and I even gave in and pulled all the drapes closed tonight because the cold radiating off the glass was just too much. I'm starting to feel a little claustrophobic!

The good news is that the windows that we have re-done definitely seem to be making a difference! I guess that's the silver lining of a blizzard :)

Check back in tomorrow. Maybe it'll settle down enough that I can take a picture of some good snowdrifts to give you an idea of what it's like! Until then, send warm thoughts our way!!!

A Sense of Accomplishment

2009-11-10T17:24:00.002-05:00

She did it! Ashlyn finally learned to ride her bike yesterday. It only took about 20 minutes of me really working with her for her to get it. And I didn't even lose my patience for the whole 20 minutes!! That was my accomplishment for the day :)

Anyway, here she is in all her glory! She is so proud of herself.

By the way - this is her awesome bike that someone was just going to throw away until I rescued it out of their junk pile!

Satan Hates Sprinkles

2009-11-08T08:59:00.002-05:00

This is my favorite blog post that I have read this week. If you've never visited the (In)Courage site, you really really should. Anyway, this is the post that was on their site this morning. I just love it and hope that I can start looking at defeat this way. Enjoy!

Satan Hates Sprinkles

My dad is famous for his optimism; as far as most people are concerned he is completely candy-coated. He lives out James 1:2 unlike anyone I have ever met. “Consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds.” That’s my dad, joy in the face of trial.

When I was growing up my siblings and I never had problems--we had opportunities. We didn’t have hardships--we learned lessons. We were always “better than we deserved”, “at an all time high” and super “f-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c”!

Even when joy didn’t make sense.

As a young girl I remember a time when my dad ran for School Board re-election. I felt nervous about the outcome of the race and I recall asking my dad what he would do if he lost. He smiled his usual smile and laughed his usual laugh then said, “If I lose, you and I will go out for hot-fudge sundaes.”

Before I was old enough to appreciate the spiritual application, I remembered how odd it was to celebrate losing.

After all, nothing screams defeat like confetti and balloons.

Or does it? Celebration in the midst of struggle is odd for our human nature because it can’t be attained without God. It can often be the only weapon we have that keeps us from falling.

Our common enemy has come to “kill, steal and destroy but Christ has come to give us abundant life” John 10:10. Praise and thankfulness throw a big chink in the chain Satan specially designed to keep us down and out.

My dad ended up losing the re-election that year, and he could have gotten angry. He could have demanded a recount. He could have scorned his opponent and vented his frustration. He could have wallowed, but he would have promptly chained himself in bitterness.

Instead he kept his word and we went out for ice cream. In this particular situation I watched my dad rejoice rather than rant, and thanks to my dad, the joy of the Lord tastes a lot like sundaes with sprinkles on top.

by Ginny Martyn

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

2009-11-07T18:40:00.002-05:00

Call me crazy, but I was totally in the Christmas mood today. It was a perfectly beautiful day here in Minnesota! The sun was shining and it was in the mid-60's! Perfect Christmas weather if you ask me! I even made snickerdoodles.

It was especially nice considering this was the date of the first snowfall last year. I don't know about you, but all I'm asking for for Christmas is more weather like this!

The Big Reveal

2009-11-05T16:56:00.002-05:00

Our home's exterior is finally painted! It's taken two years and countless hours of phone calls to contractors who never showed up to get it done, but it's done! Britney and I decided to tackle the repairs ourselves and thanks to the help of our good friends, they really weren't all that bad.

My job was the stucco. Britney's job was the OLD gutters :) We have what are called box gutters on our house. They're basically a wooden box lined with galvanized tin that are built into the rafter tails along the roof line. NO ONE that we called or had out to look at them had ever seen gutters like ours before. That was comforting. Anyway, Britney and Cameron did a super job on them. They're gorgeous and add so much to the character of our old girl.

So, just in case you forgot, here's a before picture. Our house was built in 1885, heavily remodeled in the 1920s and then owned by the same family for over 40 years from the late 1940s/early 1950s until the 1990s. We were very very nervous about changing the color because the house is kind of an icon in Adrian. Everyone knows it as Doc Neely's house and EVERYONE has an opinion about it. So, here you go -

Before

After MONTHS of agonizing over the right color to go along with our beautiful red scalloped roof, I of course ended up with the first color I picked out way back in April :) It's called Roycroft Bronze Green by Sherwin Williams. The trim is Navajo White by TruValue and the windows are (or will all eventually be) black.

We love it! It was funny when we were having it painted, so many people would stop and comment on how good it looked - after just the gray primer coat went on. Then once the color went on and the front was finished, we got even more compliments. In fact we still get compliments on it almost every day.

I think the porch is my favorite part of the whole house. I thought I wanted the trim around the front door to be cream and just the doors to be black, but the painter painted this part when I wasn't home and this is what he did. I LOVE it! When I got home and it was done, all I wanted to do was sit outside and enjoy the new "view." It was so much better than the school bus yellow one before.

I wanted the porch ceiling to resemble those of old Southern plantation homes, but a sky blue would have looked horrible next to the green. So, we went a little more gray and used TruValue Chicken Wire. It's perfect. And I will admit that the painter was not sure at all about my color choice for the ceiling until he got it all painted. Then he actually admitted that he liked it :) It's hard to tell from the pictures, but it's kind of a blue gray. This is my favorite view out the front door (minus all the kid equipment).

That's one big project that we can mark off our list. Of course three more smaller projects were added to the bottom after this big one was taken care of, but hey - at least we have something pretty to look at now!

Recipe Wednesday

2009-11-04T19:32:00.002-05:00

Hey - what d'ya know! Two days in a row. That must be some kind of streak, right?

Anyway, I made this soup for dinner last night. I wasn't sure how it would turn out since it had been one of those afternoons and I kept running out of ingredients. Britney went to the store for me the second time :) I think he would say the soup was worth the trip! Hope you enjoy it! It's great for a chilly fall evening.

Creamy Potato Soup

Ingredients:
3 cups diced potatoes, unpeeled
1 cup sliced carrots
4 tbsp. butter
1/2 of a large onion, diced
4 tbsp. flour
2 1/2 cups milk
4 cups chicken broth
8 oz. cream cheese, cut into pieces
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Put the potatoes, carrots, onions and chicken broth in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add pepper and salt to taste. Once boiling, reduce heat and continue to cook until vegetables are tender (about 15 minutes). In a small saute pan, melt butter. Stir in flour and cook about a minute. Slowly whisk in milk. Lower heat, add cream cheese and continue whisking until the cream cheese is incorporated. Add cream cheese mixture to the simmering vegetables. Continue to simmer on med-low heat until ready to serve.

We topped the soup off with some grated cheese and some bacon. Delicious!

I used red potatoes for this recipe, but the recipe says you can use either red or Yukon gold.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-03T19:39:00.002-05:00

So, I guess I'm back. At least for awhile. Things here were crazy busy this fall. They still are, but I'm finding myself with a little more "free" time so I figured I should jump back into blogging.

This year for halloween, the kids were the Cat in the Hat and a bat. Their costumes were pretty easy to make, and since it's something I like to do, I didn't mind :) Actually, making their costumes is something I plan to do until they want otherwise. Honestly, it's a bit of an ego boost when one of the neighborhood dads has to come out every year to see what my kids' costumes are. Ever since the combine, which he was still talking about at the neighborhood picnic this year.

Anyway, we only took a couple of pictures. Halloween was a whirlwind day with our friends moving to western South Dakota that day. Their kids were here playing most of the day while the parents loaded up their stuff to head out. At the last minute I decided that our porch needed to be a little festive. Ashlyn got in on the fun by making the cute spiders that we stuck in the webs.

Now I guess it's on to planning for Thanksgiving, Christmas and our trip to Georgia!

9/11

2009-09-11T08:01:00.004-05:00

I will never forget where I was 8 years ago today. I was sitting at work, pregnant with Ashlyn, when I got an email from my sister Jill saying a plane had just crashed into the World Trade Center. I went online looking for more information and then the guys that I worked with came pouring out of their offices and turned on the TV in the conference room. We all sat in stunned silence and watched the news coverage for the rest of the day.

The first thing I remember thinking was, "What are we doing bringing a child into the middle of WWIII?!"

Over the past year, Britney and I have watched several movies about that horrible day. And this summer, I finally read Lisa Beamer's book - Let's Roll - about her husband Todd's role in that day. Going through all of the emotions and thoughts of that day all over again gave me a renewed sense of gratitude for our military men and women who are still fighting for our freedom. And also how God protected some, but chose to use some so that His glory would be seen even on that dreadful day.

All of the events of the last few weeks - thinking of Sept. 11 and our "enemies", adopting a soldier to send care packages to, reading through the Psalms and remembering how David was surrounded by his enemies and crying out to the Lord to save him - got me thinking about how my life is different today than it was 8 years ago.

I now have two children to raise in a fallen world. I have friends with problems so great I don't even know how to begin to help them. I live in a podunk little town that would probably be one of the last places on earth to be bombed by a terrorist. I can let my kids walk down the block with no real worry that they will be taken by the child molester in the white van.

But the true enemy is still around us every day. All of those things COULD still happen here. I'm not naive enough to think that they couldn't.

But the Lord pressed upon me something very clearly this morning on my walk. As Christians, the battle has already been fought and won. No matter what earthly enemy we're fighting - it's done. We win.

So, as we remember this day, let's mourn those who lost their lives, pray for those who are still fighting for our freedom, but most importantly, let's go out and fight for the ones who don't have HOPE - who don't know Jesus.

First Day of Second Grade

2009-09-08T07:56:00.002-05:00

Today was Ashlyn's first day of second grade. She has grown up so much this summer. No more kisses at her locker when I drop her off. But, at least she did still need me to walk her to school this morning :) I thought I was ready for her to be independent, but now that she's actually starting to want some, I'm not sure I'm ready!

As for Carter...well, let's just say school for him starts next Monday and I think this may be the longest week of my life. He's been up since 6:45 and I don't think his mouth has stopped once. Well, maybe once to eat a couple of bites of breakfast. Did I mention he starts school Monday???

Details, Schmetails

2009-09-01T20:00:00.002-05:00

This past weekend we took an impromptu trip to Omaha to see the airshow and go to the zoo after our painter called and said he wouldn't be able to start working on our house until the 8th. We had a great weekend doing fun family stuff. And spent one afternoon in Lincoln, Nebraska, looking at minivans I had found on Auto Trader.

After looking at a few vans over the past few months, we just weren't finding one that was what we wanted at a price we were willing to pay. Until we got to Lincoln.

We found a van, equipped exactly the way we wanted, the color we wanted at the exact price we said we would be willing to pay. We weren't in a pinch financially by buying the van, so we figured we'd sell the Passat as soon as we could, but weren't in a rush to do so.

Imagine our surprise and delight when we sold it tonight - for the exact price we said we wanted for it. To the first person who came to look at it, without even advertising it. The guy who bought it works with a friend of ours right here in Adrian.

Now, you tell me. Do you think God is in the details?

Catchin' Up

2009-08-24T11:46:00.003-05:00

This summer has been a whirlwind. We had family visit, Ashlyn and I went to Disney, we took a little trip to Okoboji, Iowa (courtesy of Britney's Uncle Doug and Aunt Kris). We went to the Sioux Falls Airshow and did some major work on our house. I finally feel like I can breathe a little and thought it would be a good time to catch up on blogging!

Here are some random pictures of the things we did this summer. I hope you enjoy them!

I also hope to start recipe Wednesdays back up again. And will hopefully have some awesome "before and afters" to show of some projects from the summer!

I Hit The Mother Load!

2009-08-17T17:22:00.001-05:00

Today the kids and I went to Sioux Falls for some shopping. I decided to hit the thrift stores since it was National Thrift Store Shopping Day. Bet you didn't know that one, did you?

I love to shop at thrift stores. I'm not usually big on buying clothes or shoes there, but today was the exception. I found Carter 3 shirts and a pair of shorts, a pair of pants for Ashlyn, a brand new dress for me (still had the tags) and 2 pairs of boots for me. One pair I had been looking for for over 5 years!!! The other ones were just for good measure. The best part - my total! Only $22 for ALL of that! The dress alone was originally over $60 :)

The only bummer was the $4 pair of Steve Madden boots that my feet absolutely refused to fit into. I sadly left them behind...

Product Review

2009-08-13T20:24:00.003-05:00

Tonight we froze some sweet corn so that we can have that yummy summer taste in the dead of winter when it's 20 below outside.

The "product review" is for the new Kernel Cutter from Pampered Chef. Yes, I used to be a consultant, but that was a couple of years ago. I had a party in May and ordered this just to see if it was any good. Some of the other tools that have been tried failed miserably, and we all just went back to using good old knives.

Not anymore! This new tool is AWESOME! I could fly through the ears of corn, my hand didn't get tired, and there wasn't nearly the waste on the cob. It was well worth the $7.50! Fabulous!

Out of the Mouth of Babes

2009-07-27T20:30:00.002-05:00

So today Carter and I had a conversation that went something like this.

Carter: "Mom, when can I watch TV?"

Me: "When mommy's show is over, then you can watch."

Carter: "Well, how long will that be?"

Me: "Just a few minutes."

Carter: "Well, how many is that?"

Me: "You just need to learn to be patient"

Carter: "That will take too long."

I couldn't have said it better myself!

Adding Another Line to the Resume

2009-07-15T19:33:00.002-05:00

So, tomorrow I'm going to try my hand at stucco. Yep, stucco.

We've been trying for over a year to have our house painted. The kicker is that before we can have it painted, there are a few things that need to be repaired. The stucco is one of them. It's not too bad - just a couple of spots where the stucco has come loose from the lath, has cracked and is starting to come off. There are 3 spots that are probably 6 square feet each. Then a couple of other smaller areas.

Why am I doing it? Because the one thing I really really really really hate about living here is the construction industry. There's only a few months a year when it's even possible to do work on the outside of your house. So, I started back in April calling contractors, for the second year in a row. I finally found a reliable painter. But, finding someone to fix the other things has been next to impossible. I've had a few people come out and look at what we need done, but even after umpteen follow-up phone calls, no one gives me a price. We don't want to just say "come do it" and then get a bill for $10,000...

I worked for five years in the commercial construction industry. One of my "jobs" was soliciting bids for our projects. Of course there was always a few contractors who said they would get you a price, but then failed to. But overall, the response was good. I just don't get why they don't need the work - or at least won't tell me they won't do it. They just act like you don't exist.

OK - enough of my rant. If you think of me tomorrow, send up a couple of extra prayers - for wisdom to know what I'm doing and for patience!!!! I'll let you know how it goes. And if it goes really well, I'll even post pictures!

Home Again, Home Again...

2009-07-07T08:56:00.003-05:00

Have I really been home almost a week and haven't updated yet? I think I'm in denial that we're actually home and away from family once again. This was probably the most fun trip to Disney World I have had in a very long time. Thanks, Britney, for taking such good care of Carter and letting me go on this trip! I think my mom said it all better than I ever could... Ashlyn and I got back from our trip last Friday. We had such a great time and she was COMPLETELY SURPRISED! It was well worth all of the extra work to make it such a treat for her. We all laughed and cried when she saw my mom (Nana) for the first time. Ashlyn knew we were going to Disney World, but had no idea that anyone else was meeting us there.

Here is a link to all of the videos I took this week. Click on the "see all" link to the right of the first video - there are 6 of them!

Here are some of the pictures from the trip too.

Enjoy!

Leavin' On A Jet Plane

2009-06-28T13:24:00.003-05:00

Ashlyn and I are heading out in just a few minutes for Minneapolis. Bright and early tomorrow morning we get on an airplane and will meet up with my mom, sisters and niece in Orlando for a few days at Disney World - girls only! The best part is that Ashlyn has no idea!

She thinks we're just going to the Cities for the night to have a mommy/daughter getaway - and to shop at Build-A-Bear. She's going to be so surprised and I hope to capture it all on video!

Britney will be here with Carter until Friday night when we get home. When I asked him what his plans were for the week, he said go karts, fishing, playing - oh and if he gets bad, I'll just put him in here...

Breakfast on the Farm

2009-06-27T17:18:00.002-05:00

Today we went out for an event called Breakfast on the Farm. This year it was at our friends Joe and Rita Vander Kooi's farm. They have a dairy farm just south of Worthington.

There were pancakes to eat, tractors to climb on, animals to pet, and a dairy farm to tour. We learned a lot, had a great time together and enjoyed some good food and company!

Just a little info about the Ocheda Dairy...They currently have about 800 cows. Each cow is milked 3 times a day. Each cow also gives about 10 gallons of milk - every day. That sounds like a lot! We got to see some babies that were only about a day old. The milk that they produce is sold and eventually goes into making cheese for McDonald's and Subway.

Carter was in heaven with all of the equipment on display. I wish we had taken the video camera so that you could hear his running commentary on what machine was used for what. It was too cute!

Recipe Wednesday

2009-06-24T16:59:00.003-05:00

Finally! Another recipe Wednesday! We've had a busy couple of weeks since the kitchen was finished, and I could finally find my recipes again. Britney's family was here for a visit over the last 10 days or so. They left bright and early at 4:00 this morning - YUCK! No one should ever see that hour of the day (or is it night?)

Anyway, while they were here, we threw a baby shower for our cousin Elin. She's due with their miracle baby in late September. For the party favor, we did cake balls wrapped in cute little baggies with a baby sticker on them all tied up with some pretty ribbon. I'm sure I didn't get a picture...

The cake balls recipe is from Bakerella who I found one day browsing online for baby shower ideas! Perfect!

These little things are so good that Britney's mom and sister decided to rename them Yum Balls.

Cake Balls

1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix - cook as directed on box for 9x13 cake

1 can cream cheese frosting - 16 oz.

1 package chocolate bark (regular or white chocolate) - I used almond bark because our rinky-dink town doesn't have anything else...

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.

2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)

3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (I got between 40-45)

4. Chill for several hours. (You can speed this up by putting in the freezer.)

5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.

6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.)

We found that these are the best around the 2nd day after you make them. They almost melt in your mouth!! Enjoy!

Softball

2009-06-23T08:49:00.002-05:00

I love softball. I had forgotten how much until I started playing on a rec league recently.

Last night was only our second game. Britney, Monte, Christian and the kids came to the game to watch me play. Apparently we need to work on the strategy of the game with Carter. The second time I was up to bat, I was waiting for a good pitch, so I let the first two go by. I could hear that little boy yelling from the time I stepped into the batter's box. "Go Mama!" Then when the first pitch went by and I didn't swing, I heard, "Why didn't you hit that?" Then when the second pitch went by, I started getting pointers from my 4 year old. "You have to swing to hit the ball, Mom!" It was hilarious!

But I must admit that I love hearing him yell, "Hey Mama!" every time he sees me run out to the field. He stands in the bleachers with a huge smile on his face waving his heart out!

Riding a Bicycle

2009-06-22T10:23:00.002-05:00

For those of you with kids who already know how to ride a 2-wheeler, how in the world did you teach them to ride?

Ashlyn is 7 and got an awesome bike a couple of months ago. I found it for FREE when I was junking in the Cities with my friend Jackie. But that's a whole other post...

Most of Ashlyn's friends can ride without training wheels and she desperately wants to be able to also. We've been working at it for a couple of months, but we end up frustrated at each other and call it quits. We've always butted heads on everything. I can't wait until she's a teenager...

So, any tips, suggestions, strong drinks to try afterwards?

My Thrifty Wall

2009-06-16T13:35:00.003-05:00

I thought I would start with the most fun part of the kitchen for me. It was definitely NOT painting the cabinets. Especially the insides where the backs are beadboard and took three coats...

It's definitely this part of the kitchen!

The picture on the left - the one of the silverware - is something I've seen on several blogs in the last couple of months. I thought it would be so easy and cute to do. I thought I had struck gold when I found a whole shoebox of old silverware at a yard sale last month - for FIFTY CENTS! She even threw in the bottle of Tarn-X to go with it :) Then I found the frame at another yard sale for $1. It just needed a quick spray paint job, some hot glue, and scrapbook paper, and I had myself the first piece of "artwork" for the kitchen!

What I love most about this wall is that nothing (except for the trim - I don't remember how much that was) cost me over $18. I got the table and chairs the first summer after we moved at a flea market that happens here three times a year. I don't even remember what color it was when I got it, but I stripped the paint off of it, stained the top, and painted the legs and chairs to match. I think the chairs were $5 each. And I've definitely gotten my money's worth out of this little set. It's been in the kitchen, on the sunporch, on the front porch, in the living room for small group meals, and finally back in the kitchen.

The lamp is one I've had for years and years. It used to be gold with a champagne colored lampshade. I spent $1.50 on the new finial and the rick rack. I had the toile fabric from the kitchen curtains in our last house. A quick spray paint job, some hot glue and a whole new lamp! For $1.50 :)

My very favorite thing in the new kitchen is the monogram. My good friend Jackie made the vinyl initial and "Fransen" for us for Christmas. I kept it in the closet until I could figure out the perfect place for it. I didn't want to put it on the wall somewhere and then realize I had found a place that I would like it better. I looked for frames, old windows, anything that was big enough to hold the monogram. Then one day I was poking around in the basement and came across that frame. It was just the right size, so I grabbed my black spray paint of course! I had the scrapbook paper, so I just pieced it together inside the frame and finally mounted the monogram. I love it! And it literally cost me less than $1 for this beautiful piece!

So, how about you? What are some of your favorite and thrifty things in your kitchen?

Are You Ready?

2009-06-11T07:55:00.002-05:00

If there is anyone still reading this blog after my weeks of being MIA, I can promise you it was worth the wait :)

Are you ready for my new kitchen?

Just so you can see yet again how far we've come - the lovely before picture:

And now...Drumroll, please!

The after!

So, what do you think? I'm hoping there will be several posts over the next few days, breaking down how I did all of this for under $500! You can do it, too!

Kitchen Progress in Pictures!

2009-05-27T19:35:00.003-05:00

I finally cleaned up the kitchen enough that I'm not totally embarrassed about posting pictures of it. It still has a long way to go, but most of the prep work is finally done.

Just so you can all see how far we've come, here is a before picture.

And here's some with some progress!

It doesn't look like I've done too much for as long as I've been working on it, but the insides of the cabinets HAD to be painted too. They were this hideous orangey-peach color. Thanks to Kasey for the paint color - Cottage White :)

This is the trim we put in on the long wall in the kitchen. The plate rail came out of the Spittle's new old house. They turned their dining room into their school room and the bookshelves wouldn't work with the plate rail up. Lucky us!!!

And finally, a closeup of one of the lights that is going above the sink :)

Maybe in a couple of weeks I can post pictures of the final product!

Kitchen Progress

2009-05-24T23:26:00.002-05:00

I've been neck-deep in paint, caulk, trim, paint. Did I say paint???

We started the kitchen re-do about 2 weeks ago. It feels like it's taking forever! Mostly because all of the stuff that used to be in the kitchen is now in the dining room. And all of the stuff that usually lands on the dining room table is now spread all over the rest of the house. And apparently, in our family, when one room is a mess, it becomes OK for the rest of the house to be a mess too. I feel like I'm living in chaos!!!

Anyway, so far I've painted the insides of all my cabinets. They were a hideous peach/orange before. All of the drawers are done and back in, but for some reason, the stuff that goes in them is still piled in the dining room :) One side of all the cabinet doors are done and the other side has one coat of paint. Britney has run the wires for the lights that will go above the sink and installed the trim to hide said wires. We also put up some trim on the long wall in the kitchen that resembles wainscoting. Part of this came out of a house some friends of ours just bought. They took it down and it was just sitting in their basement. Score for us!!

Tonight I painted the thing I've been dying to paint. I think it's what will make the room. The island that has been the thorn in my side since we moved in is now...BLACK! I love it. Love, love, love it. True, the function of it didn't change at all, but at least now it's pretty :) I also painted our window sashes black. It was dark out by the time I started painting those and they seem to just disappear. It's really cool!

I know you're all wanting pictures to go along with this much overdue post, but I just can't bring myself to put some up tonight. The kitchen is a disaster because I was also making cupcakes today for the picnic we're going to tomorrow and couldn't find a place for everything. So, it's all over the counter. Maybe tomorrow you'll get a picture. For now, I'm going to sleep!

Recipe Wednesday

2009-05-13T14:29:00.003-05:00

As promised, two recipes today!!

Cheesy Nacho Bake
1 lb. ground beef
1 an (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, with juice
1 can refried beans
1/4 cup water
1 pkg. taco seasoning
3/4 cup sour cream
6 oz. tortilla chips (7 cups)
1 1/2 cups shredded Colby & Monterrey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Brown meat in large skillet; drain. Add tomatoes, beans, water and seasoning mix; cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in sour cream.

Place half of the chips in a 9x13 baking dish; cover with half each of the meat mixture and cheese. Repeat layers.

Bake 20 minutes or until heated through. Garnish with salsa if desired.

Quick and Easy Brownies

2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Melt the butter and mix all ingredients. Bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes in a 9x13 inch greased pan.

I'd love to hear from you if you try one of my recipes!!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T08:34:00.004-05:00

Imagine my surprise when my normally up with the sun son and daughter let me sleep in until 8:00!! I couldn't believe it when I finally woke up. I came down and gave them both giant hugs and told them thank you so much for letting me sleep! It was the best Mother's Day present ever :) The only thing that topped sleeping was the homemade cards that they had been working on all morning. I love Mother's Day!

So, to Bebe and Nana, Happy Mother's Day to you too! We wish we could be there with you today. We love you!

It's been a very busy week here. With school winding down, spring finally here and another remodeling project underway, I've just felt a tiny bit overwhelmed. Sorry for no recipe Wednesday...Maybe there will be two next week!

My first Mother's Day in 2002 with Britney's mom, sister and my mom.

Because I couldn't pick just one...

2009-04-30T12:52:00.000-05:00

Today is the Remodeling Roundup over at the Remodeling Guy. But, I have 2 projects...because I can't pick just one :)

One of the things Britney has dreamed about since we got married and bought our first home (and surround sound system) is having a true home theater - you know with the 110" screen and theater seating, preferably in the basement where there is little to no light. There are big plans for our basement here, but for now, it's full of the corn boiler and other projects that I never seem to get around to...

So, for now his Media Room is the old maid's room just off of the kitchen. The only before picture I have is from just after we moved in. Our old TV died just after our furniture arrived from Georgia, so in true redneck style, we just left it and put the smaller TV in front of it until we could haul it away..

We've since gotten new furniture and a new working TV. The ceiling is wallpaper that was painted to look like an old copper ceiling. It's OK, but drives me nuts! But for now, it will have to do until we can do it up right!

We added picture molding about one foot below the ceiling to help bring the height down a little. All of the ceilings on our first floor are over 10 feet. Not exactly comfy, cozy, home-theater-ish.

We painted, walls and trim. The walls are Ben Moore Phillipsburg Blue and the trim is Ace - Beautiful Brown Eyes. Both are in eggshell.

The windows are mistreated! My first ones ever and it took some creative thinking, but we got there. I still need some big lamps for the sofa table and a few more things to go on the wall AND to finish painting and hanging the doors on the closets, but we're almost there!

And just because this is the most involved remodeling project I've ever done...The windows - again :)

Recipe Wednesday and a Remodeling Roundup!

2009-04-29T12:15:00.003-05:00

It's a cool, rainy, dreary day here in MN. The kind of weather that makes me wish for a warm, yummy desert. So, today it's Apple Crumb Cake! This has to be one of the easiest recipes I've ever made, but it's always a hit where ever I take it. My friend Kathy gave this recipe to me probably 9 years ago and it's still a favorite! Now excuse me, I need to go run to the store...

Apple Crumb Cake

2 cans pie filling
1 box WHITE cake mix
1 stick of butter, softened
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Pour pie filling into 9x13 baking dish. In a separate bowl, combine cake mix with butter (will be crumbly when mixed). Add nuts and lemon juice. Pour over pie filling. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until top is golden brown.

I've also used blueberry, cherry, and strawberry pie filling. Every one of them is delicious, but apple is my favorite!

Now onto the remodeling roundup part...

The Remodeling Guy is hosting a remodeling roundup on Friday - May 1. I've been meaning to post about it for about a week, but I've been busy trying to get my projects finished!!!

Be sure to link up with RG on Friday and show off all of those awesome projects you've done - or even some that are in the process or that you're still just dreaming of. It's sure to be a great place for inspiration and you may even win a prize or two!!

Happy Hammering!

My Childhood Bedroom

2009-04-23T07:27:00.003-05:00

Today, Misti over at Studio M Designs is having her first Mr. Linky party where we get to show off our childhood bedrooms. I want her first party to be a huge success, so I decided to join in - even though I don't have any pictures. This is one of those times I wish I could run over to Mom and Dad's and grab those wonderful shots of our bedroom from 1984!

My sister Jill and I shared a room until I was 16. Our room went through several redecorating phases, but I think the room I remember most vividly was our "heart room." It had white walls with bright royal blue trim. Yes - royal blue. Our beds were white, but I don't really remember what style they were. I think they could've been bunked but we never had them that way. You know - because bunk beds are dangerous and all.

Our comforters were white with different colored hearts all over them and my mom had stenciled hearts around the top of the room - in all different colors to match the comforter. I remember many nights lying in bed and counting the hearts until I fell asleep.

We also had this awesome (at least I think so now) old vanity with a huge round mirror. I'm sure that when we got older, we were too cool for it and needed something much more fashionable. But now I wish we still had it. I could come up with some really great ideas for that piece!

The last thing I remember were these blue pieces of lattice or something similar that were mounted above our headboards and there were little hearts that were supposed to look like flowers peeking out around the "fences".

I'm sure if I found pictures of it now, I would think it was a pretty ugly room :) But there were lots of great memories made in that room - and lots of great sisterly fights too! Thanks, Mom, for making our room fun, and I'm sure for putting up with all of the "wants" that we had!

So, how about you? Go on over to Misti's and tell us about your childhood room. Or better yet - post pictures if you have them!!!

Recipe Wednesday

2009-04-22T08:15:00.002-05:00

At least you know there will be something new to read on Wednesdays! Hopefully I'll do better about posting with some projects finishing up in the next week or so...Here you go!

Tortellini with Tomato Basil Cream Sauce

1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
4 teaspoons dried leaf basil
2 teaspoons fresh minced parsley
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups heavy cream
4 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 pound cheese tortellini, cooked (I usually do at least 1 1/2 pounds and there is plenty of sauce!)

Blend bouillon granules with basil, 2 tablespoons parsley, and pepper into the crushed tomatoes. Saute the garlic in olive oil. Add tomato mixture and bring just to a simmer. Add cream and bring to a SLOW boil. Add the Parmesan cheese. Stir well and stir the tortellini into the sauce. Enjoy!

For some reason, I have a hard time finding cheese tortellini here, so I substitute cheese ravioli and it works just fine! Let me know if you make this recipe. I'd love to hear your reviews!

Recipe Wednesday

2009-04-15T07:53:00.004-05:00

It's Wednesday, and you know what that means! A new recipe :)

Minnesota Pork Chops

6 Pork Chops
Salt and pepper to taste
1 box Uncle Ben's Wild Rice
2 cups water
1 (8 oz.) can mushrooms (I omit this!!)
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules (I buy the cubes in bulk at Sam's and then crush 3 of them for this recipe)
1 (10.75 oz.) can condensed cream of chicken (or cream of mushroom) soup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a skillet with a small amount of oil, brown the chops seasoned with salt and pepper.
Spray a large 9x13 inch casserole dish with nonstick spray. Sprinkle the rice and seasoning packet evenly in the bottom of dish.
Add water and mushrooms. Sprinkle with chicken bouillon. Arrange the chops on top and spoon soup over chops and rice. Cover casserole with aluminum foil and seal tightly. Bake for 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours or until rice and chops are tender.

Let me know if you make this recipe and how you like it! It's one of our family's favorites!

Recipe Wednesday

2009-04-08T19:27:00.005-05:00

It seems I'm somewhat known now for my culinary expertise :) Don't let those fancy words fool you. They really just mean that I can follow a recipe really really well! So, here's the first of my recipe Wednesdays!

This is a recipe everyone in our house loves. We usually eat it for breakfast, but it makes a good snack too. The original recipe I got was for muffins, but whenever I tried it as muffins, they always caved in the middle. So now I just put it in a casserole dish and bake it that way. Then we cut it into squares and enjoy!

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Bread

1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda

Mix all together
Add to dry mix:
1 cup milk
1 egg
3/4 cup oil

Grease 9 x 13 pan. Pour batter into pan and bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes.

If you make it, let me know how it turns out!

Happy Anniversary!

2009-04-05T08:44:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was our 11th anniversary. Time feels like it has flown by and stood still all at the same time. I don't think of myself as being old enough to have been married for 11 years. But at the same time, I'm so glad we're in the groove we're in now. We're best friends. We love each other so much and have finally figured out how to show each other that. Dishes, laundry for me and cooking good food for him - that's how :)

We have a very unique situation. Britney works out of our house, so we are literally together all of the time. For me, this hasn't always been a good thing. But, like I said before, we're in our groove and things work really well for us. I am so thankful for the situation the Lord has put us in and even though it was really really really rough for me when Britney first started working from home, I truly believe that we went through that adjustment four years ago, when we lived in GA close to family and friends instead of now - when we're halfway across the country.

I am so thankful for that and for the wonderful husband that the Lord has blessed me with! I love you Britney and look forward to eleventy more anniversaries!!

Trying Something New

2009-03-24T17:14:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I get stuck in a rut with the kids and food. You know - buying the same prepackaged snacks at the store, making the same sandwiches for lunches, yada yada yada.

But today I bought the Magic Kitchen Cookbook at the book fair at the school and I have a plan...

Each week, each child gets to pick one thing to make with me out of the cookbook. That way, they have a say in what they want to make and I get to spend some quality time with them in the kitchen, teaching them all of those important kitcheny things! And we hopefully get out of the Goldfish Popcorn Puffs rut that we've been in forever!

My 10 Minute Curtain Fix

2009-03-21T10:00:00.000-05:00

I was having a hard time finding curtains for Carter's room before the tour of homes in December. So, I borrowed a trick from my sister Pam - use sheets! If I had found Nester before, I would've saved myself even more time and trouble. Oh well.

These "curtains" are flat sheets that I bought on clearance. I cut and added the red section to the bottom for some interest, but I still just wasn't happy with how they were hanging.

I had bought these wooden appliques on clearance at WalMart last year sometime. I knew I'd find something to do with them. I just wasn't sure when or what it would be. I had the ribbon upstairs in my ribbon stash and one day just couldn't take the sloppy curtains anymore!

So I pulled out my glue gun, glued the ribbon and applique on and Voila! They look so much better and let in so much more light! I love them!

Ashlyn is 7

2009-03-08T20:35:00.006-05:00

This is one of the many posts I started a couple of weeks ago and then got distracted and never got around to posting. I know it's VERY LATE, but I still need to celebrate my girl!

I can't believe Ashlyn is 7. We had a fun-filled weekend of celebrating her and I think she enjoyed every minute of it! Friday (her actual birthday), we went out to eat at the Brazilian steak house here - her new favorite place to eat. You would not believe how much that little girl ate! And topped it all off with a piece of chocolate cake!

Saturday, she had a few friends over for a small birthday party. Carter got to invite his best friend from preschool, Quentin. These boys are two peas in a pod. Ashlyn had a great time at her party and got to spend the afternoon playing with some great friends.

And just because we aim to please, her only unfulfilled request was to go ice skating. So, we headed over to the arena Sunday for open skate and played around on the ice for about an hour. After that we were all pooped and ready to get out of those uncomfortable skates!

Here's a little video...

And you can check more of the action out here.

And pictures of the rest of the weekend here.

Enjoy!

My Sweet Girl

2009-02-19T17:09:00.001-05:00

I just love it when Ashlyn brings books from her class home. Today it was one called "Friendship Letters." Most of the letters were things like How are you today? You are an awesome friend. I love your hair. You get the idea.

Here is Ashlyn's. I think it shows her sweet heart and how she always tries her best at everything she does. I hope you enjoy it!

"Dear Julia,
I hope you had a nice Christmas. How many presents did you get? I hope you got what you wanted from santa.
Your friend,
Ashlyn

A New Direction

2009-02-17T20:18:00.003-05:00

I've decided to take my blog in a new direction. Since we've been here almost two years now, there's not many of the "guess what we discovered today!" entries anymore. We're settled and really enjoying living here.

With that being said, I've decided that this blog will mostly now have posts about our house. The things we find, the things we do, the things I do that I wish I hadn't done :) I'm sure there will be the cute stories about the kids too, but mostly it will probably be about the house - hopefully with lots of pictures.

I caught the bug of owning an old house just after high school when I saw a house that was built in the early-mid 1800s literally transformed into a masterpiece. The first time I saw it, it had no indoor plumbing, the floors looked like sandpaper, and the old pot-bellied stove in the kitchen. When the owners were finished, it was gorgeous! That was all it took for me. I knew one day I wanted to own an old house and make her into a masterpiece.

We've gotten a pretty good start on transforming our house and making it ours. There has been a lot of "behind the scenes" work, like plumbing leaks fixed, upgrading the electrical so that we can actually plug more than 2 things in upstairs, fixing a leaky roof that had been disguised with wallpaper on the ceiling, etc.

Hopefully there will be lots of pictures of works in progress. Today I finished taking down the border in the TV room and sanded all of the woodwork so that I can start priming it tomorrow. Feels like the start of another big project...

Happy "Balemtime's" Day!

2009-02-13T08:44:00.002-05:00

That's how Ashlyn used to say Valentine's. I still think it's the cutest thing.

Britney and I have never really celebrated Valentine's Day. He always told me he didn't need a "certain day" to tell me how much he loved me. It bothered me at first, but he did a pretty good job of making sure I knew he loved me every day, so I got over it.

Our marriage has gotten so much stronger in the last 2 years. Being here, on our own, without our parents or other family members to run to when things get hard or we need to "escape," we've had to stick together and work things out. Ironically, I would say we've had fewer disagreements and arguments. Sometimes it's hard not to have that escape, but I wouldn't trade the way my marriage is now for anything.

Over the last year, we've seen couples go through various separations. Remember my posts about the Spittles? They were separated for weeks, but they were following God's plan for their family by adopting two more children. Watching them come back together at the airport was heart-wrenching! It was bittersweet to see the joy and the pain that that separation brought. And to witness the love that the whole family has for each other.

We've had other friends who also separated this year. Sometimes it was purely selfish motives, sometimes it was out of necessity. Some of them have gotten back together. Some of them we're still praying for that to happen.

As we've had conversations about all of these situations, the one thing that Britney and I always come back to is that we made a covenant before the Lord - for better or worse until death do us part. Neither of us takes that lightly. And because we've seen the struggles and successes of our friends this year, Britney decided it was time to celebrate Valentine's Day together. To reinforce that bond that holds us together.

So, whether your marriage is rock-solid or feels like it's on shifting sand, take tomorrow to make sure your partner knows that you are committed to that covenant that you also made before the Lord. Tell them you love them and then work on ways to show them that love that really speaks to them. The difference can be in the tiniest detail like making the bed or it can be in something huge like saying I'm sorry for a hurt that happened so many years ago. Whatever it is, take the time to figure out your spouse and then do it. Remember something my mother always told me: Actions speak louder than words!

Nothing Says "I Love You" Like...

2009-02-07T16:44:00.003-05:00

Ripping out that bump-thing that was bugging you!

I decided to strip wallpaper in 3 rooms last weekend and "take my time" re-doing them. Well, I'm not sure yet how that's going to work out since I don't really know how to take my time at anything.

Case in point. I had been asking all week what Britney thought about ripping that "thing" out. I keep calling it a thing because I don't know the technical term and I'm too lazy to go find out what it is.

Anyway, yesterday I asked AGAIN if I could poke just a small hole in it to make sure there was nothing running through it (like pipes or wires). Britney said yes, so made a LITTLE hole in it, but of course we couldn't really see anything. So, my wonderful husband whacked a HUGE hole in it and declared that it could in fact, come down!

HOORAY! What a difference taking that thing out made. Everyone may not notice it, but I love how much more open our kitchen seems.

OH! And I almost forgot the best part! When he was knocking it out, he found an envelope from the people who owned our house for almost 50 years, the Nealys. It states:
"On Dec. 9th, 1958, Mr. Joe Kramer built this drop in our home. Our family are David 20 - Timothy 18 - Sally 15 - Mark 15 and Peggy Ellen 9 years of age. At this time we also put new green tile in downstairs bathroom. Ellen Nealy."

How cool is that!!! And, want to guess what my next question to Britney was???

Yep! What else can we knock down to look for another cool note!

How To Make A Turkey

2009-01-22T09:13:00.002-05:00

Ashlyn brought home a book from her class library yesterday called How To Make A Turkey. It's a book that her teacher put together after having all of the kids in her class write out instructions for making a turkey. I'm sure it's one of those activities they did around Thanksgiving.

Anyway, I only saw it for a couple of minutes this morning, but I had to look through to find Ashlyn's. Here are her instructions:

1. Buy a 6 pound turkey.

2. Put it in the oven at 90 degrees.

3. Cook it in a pan for 45 minutes.

4. Take it out and put some hot sauce on it.

5. Then you eat it!

I'm thinking she may need to spend some more time with me in the kitchen! And I'm wondering where she went and had turkey with hot sauce on it???

For Deanna

2009-01-19T18:06:00.005-05:00

This post is dedicated to my friend Deanna who gave me a ridiculously hard time about using corn boiler in a sentence...

After four months of research, long travels, more research and daily phone calls to the plumber, my wonderful, brilliant husband has gotten our new corn boiler installed. It's amazing the amount of heat that puppy puts out and how much warmer the house is. Some days, it's almost too warm - as in if you start any kind of activity like cleaning (gasp!), you almost can't stand it. It's a wonderful feeling!!

He's still working on getting it perfect, but I'm so proud of the time and effort he's put into making it work. Knowing Britney and how he is when he has a new toy or project, it'll be many more weeks of "tweaking" to make it just right! He's so smart, he figured out how to move the corn from a big bin he and his uncle built through PVC pipe, using a vacuum cleaner. He also built a contraption that will clean the corn and get rid of most of the dust, so it all goes in the vacuum while the clean corn goes into the big blue barrel before being dumped into the hopper. From the hopper, it goes into the boiler where it gets burned and heats the water that will flow through our radiators and heat our house on bitterly cold days (like -20!).

Thank you Lord for a husband who cares enough about his family to take the time to keep us all warm and toasty!

Pictures are here.

Happy Birthday, Carter!

2009-01-07T18:17:00.003-05:00

I can't believe my baby is four. Well, he hasn't really been a baby for a long time, but he's still MY baby. He has to be one of the most active, smartest, stubbornest, sweetest little boys ever.

Happy birthday, Carter! I love you more than words can say and love how you make me laugh almost every day. Even though there are days you make me want to pull my hair out, you're my special little boy. I'm so thankful for the blessing of you and know that the Lord would not have given you to us if we were not equipped to handle you :) We pray that one day you will grow into a great man of God and I just know that all of your stubbornness and argumentativenss (is that even a word?) will allow you to do great things for Him!

Enjoy your Subway :)

I have to include on funny story from this morning. I asked Carter where he wanted to go eat tonight for his birthday. His choice out of any restaurant within driving distance - the Subway attached to the gas station here in Adrian. Of course! Ashlyn on the other hand, quickly reminded me that on HER birthday, she wants to go to Carnival of Brazil in Sioux Falls. It's a Brazilian steak house where they bring around all different kinds of meat on skewers. Oh, the difference between my kids is obvious right there in that small fact.

Back to the Grindstone

2009-01-06T21:39:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was our first day back to "real life." It was a wonderful 2 weeks in Georgia, and no one was ready to start back to our normal routine. But, we made the best of it and surprisingly, everyone had a good day.

I'm not one to normally make resolutions for the new year. There's always something I could do more or less of, weight to lose, friends to stay in contact with, etc., etc., etc. But this year, I thought I would make some, just for myself. But I need somewhere to write them down so in a year I can look back and see how I did. I figured this was as good a place as any - and maybe knowing YOU know will help me keep them.

First off is to do better at keeping up with this blog. Now that our move isn't so "new" anymore, I'm not really sure what to write here. But, I know that it's how a lot of people keep up with us, so I'm going to do better about writing something more often. It may not always be profound, but if that's the case, you're almost guaranteed a laugh from something funny that has happened around here.

My second resolution is to give more gifts. Gifts are my love language. I love giving them and getting them. Gifts is not so much Britney's love language, so he doesn't always understand why I feel the need to give so many :) But, he's never told me I couldn't give a gift. So, this year, whenever I feel that little nudge to do something special for someone, I'm going to - before satan can take away the joy I get from doing it by reminding me we may not have the money for it or I don't have the time for it. I think it may help me truly live out part of what God has for me this year.

That's it so far. I'm also going to try keeping a journal for my kids to have one day about the things I'm praying for them. But, I'm not good at or used to writing down my prayers. So, that one's a maybe. I did go buy myself a cute little journal at Target yesterday, hoping that will motivate me some. Now, if I can just keep the piles on my desk low enough to actually find it...

Now, for something not so profound :) This was an actual conversation between Carter and one of his friends when we got to preschool this morning:
Quentin - "Hey, Carter! What did you get for Christmas?"
Carter (frantically searching through his backpack for something amazing to show Quentin - "Hey! I got a new scarf!"
Quentin - "Cool! I got a poop spreader!"

I laughed out loud and thought - where else in the world would you buy a poop spreader for your 3 year old for Christmas and it be perfectly normal and all of the other 3 year olds (and 30 year olds) would know exactly what it was? :)

***For those of you city-folk who may not know what a poop spreader is, it's a manure spreader used in farming to fertilize the fields.***

Christmas Concert

2008-12-10T20:56:00.004-05:00

Monday night was Ashlyn's Christmas Concert at school. Yes, here they still call things Christmas - not holiday. I'm so thankful for that every time I hear it!

Anyway, the Christmas concert is every grade singing 3 songs. It's pretty painless and casual so you can leave after your child's grade is finished. It was however, the music teacher's 30th year conducting a Christmas concert at the Adrian school.

Ashlyn did so well and as you can see if you watch the video, is definitely a princess. When she walks - no struts - by Britney at the end, you can see she was born for life in the spotlight!

Click here for pictures. There are some good ones of Ashlyn, but I've also included some that are examples of what happens with a 3 year old gets the camera :)

Click here for the video. It's a little over 7 minutes long and the quality isn't that great because it was so dark in the gym. Ashlyn is on the front row, 3rd from the left.

Holiday Tour of Homes

2008-12-06T11:25:00.004-05:00

Well, today was the big day and it couldn't have gone any better! I heard someone say that they stopped counting at 175 people going through their house! That's incredible and means that the Adrian Women of Today raised over $1400 for charity! People were very generous with their comments on the house and most people loved what we have done here.

It was so neat to hear some of the stories from the older people who came through. There were some people in their 70s who had gone to the school across the street and lived in Adrian all their lives, but had never been inside our house. They said they had always wondered what it was like inside and were so thankful for the chance to see it. I was so glad to hear that.

There were also stories of people who grew up with the kids or grandkids of Dr. Neely who owned the house for about 40 years. They relived memories of eating at the dining room table with the Neelys, playing on the stairs, and just the good times they had here. Those stories warmed my heart and made me wish I could've known the Neelys. I hope our kids and their friends have the same kinds of memories here.

For me, hearing those stories was the best part of the day. Sure, I got an ego boost hearing all of the compliments on the work we've done here, but knowing that people had a chance to come in and feel at home here - to remember the fun days of their childhood. That was priceless! I think I learned more today about the history of our house than I ever could from a book.

Was it a lot of work? Sure. Will I do it again next year? I don't know. Depends on what's going on in our lives then. Am I glad I did it this year? Absolutely without a doubt.

I hope you enjoy the tour!

Life

2008-11-30T10:27:00.002-05:00

Life has been jam-packed for us lately. School, preschool, Girl Scouts, small group, friends, family, etc., etc., etc. It's that time of year when things just get so busy we sometimes forget to take time and smell the roses. I am more guilty of this than anyone, I think. I always have a to-do list running in my head (or on a thousand notes around the house, which is a habit I inherited from my mom) and they never seem to quite get finished.

I'm trying to at least make some new meaning out of our busyness. We're participating in the Holiday Tour of Homes here in Adrian next weekend. Getting ready for that has been a whirlwind. There were rooms to be painted (which led to more rooms getting painted), Christmas trees to put up, decorations to be found, shopping to be done. The list goes on and on. Now we're less than a week away from the big day and I actually feel like I have things under control. I've had some great times with the kids decorating the Christmas trees and baking gingerbread men. There's still a lot to do, but I'm hoping this week I won't be one big ball of stress. That I'll still be able to enjoy letting the kids help me or doing something fun with them.

Oh yeah, back to the meaning in the busyness. One of the things we decided to do this year was to put up a pink Christmas tree. Not something I would normally do because I LOVE the traditions of Christmas. But as most of you know, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago the week after Christmas. So, the tree is in honor of her and all of the women we know, or even don't know, who have fought or are now fighting the same disease. The kids call it Nana's Christmas tree. They don't quite understand the meaning behind it yet, but year after year as we put it up, I'm sure they'll come to understand it, and maybe appreciate their Nana even more. And thank their Jesus for healing her.

Decorating so early and doing it for so many weeks in a row has led to some good conversations with the kids too. I think they're starting to get that Christmas is not just about presents. Yes, presents are the most fun part for me, with my love language being gifts, but I work really hard for that to just be one part and not the most important part. Ashlyn and I have talked about things we could do for people who may not have any presents this Christmas or food on their table for that matter. We've talked about baby Jesus coming and dying on the cross for our sins. I know some of that is getting through to her.

So, as you go about your busyness this season, and especially this week, remember to try to put some meaning back into it. Make it fun for you and your family. And pray for me that I can do the same.

All is Well

2008-11-17T12:57:00.002-05:00

We're home and all went well this morning with Carter's tubes. He was such a brave little champ! Thanks for praying for us!

Tubes - Finally!

2008-11-16T19:39:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow morning I'll be leaving my house at 4:45 with a sleepy Carter in tow. Where are we going so early? To the hospital in Sioux Falls for tubes - FINALLY! He's been fighting a runny nose all week, so I'm praying that they will be able to do the surgery tomorrow. I'll update as soon as I can tomorrow to let you know how it goes. Thanks for praying for him (and me)!

Tractor Rides

2008-11-09T09:47:00.004-05:00

Carter finally rode in a tractor!!!

A few weeks ago, we went out to the farm with Britney one day when he was going to be helping with harvest. Last year Carter fell in love with anything tractor/combine/John Deere related, but would not ride in any of them because he was afraid of the noise. This year, he was much more brave.

As soon as we got to the farm on this particular day, he jumped out of the car, ran over to the tractor, climbed right in and rode with his daddy for a couple of hours. At one point, he and Ashlyn traded off so that she was riding and he was playing at the farm with me. Ashlyn decided she was done riding, so Britney called me to come get her. Carter then decided he wanted to ride again, but the only way I could get him out to the tractor was for him to ride on the 4 wheeler with me. He was a little apprehensive at first (again, he was afraid of the noise), but once I assured him I would go slow and that it wasn't even as loud as the tractor, he climbed on and had another great time.

Ashlyn has long been a fan of the 4 wheeler. We can't go to the farm for even 5 minutes without her asking for a ride. Her only complaint when riding with me is that I don't go as fast as daddy :)

First Snow

2008-11-07T09:16:00.002-05:00

We went from raking fall leaves and running around in capris and short sleeves to 3 inches of snow on the ground in the last 4 days. You would've thought it was Christmas this morning the way the kids jumped out of bed and ran downstairs. I don't think Ashlyn's gotten ready for school that quickly at all this year! They had a few minutes to go outside and play before school. Well, I should say Ashlyn had a few minutes. Carter has been outside since 6:30 this morning...In fact, he's outside right now shoveling the driveway :)

You know there some magic in the air when the principal of the elementary school comes around in the morning and lets you know he and his wife had a snowball fight this morning!

Back to the 21st Century!

2008-10-22T17:31:00.002-05:00

My computer's hard drive crashed last week. Monday morning I had used it to check email, the weather, etc. Then I took Ashlyn to school, came back home, tried to check something else and...NOTHING! When my in-house IT department (aka Britney) came downstairs, I asked him to look at it. He gave me the bad news, followed by the good news that it was covered by Apple Care and we would just have to send it off for them to fix it.

All in all, it took them less than a week to fix it and send it back. Pretty impressive and I am SO GLAD not to be using the antique laptop that we just happened to have lying around.

And of course I had like 3 posts that I wanted to do last week, but without access to pictures, I figured it was pointless. I'll try to remember what they were about and catch you all up on what's happened here in the last week!

Finally Coming Home!

2008-10-10T07:22:00.002-05:00

I just read Kristin's blog and God has been faithful! He worked a miracle for her today and I know her faith will be forever strengthened. She will be leaving Ghana tonight WITH her new children, Raymond and Delali. After countless holdups and run-arounds with her paperwork for visas for them, the visas were issued this morning. On a Friday. A day when they don't normally do exit interviews or issue visas. And they're also only open a half-day on Fridays.

Prayer really does work. Thank you to anyone who reads this blog that may have said a prayer for the Spittles. I know their hearts are full and overflowing and now the stress of the last 34 days perhaps was all worth it - for all NINE of them to be together again in a couple of days.

Kristin and the kids leave Ghana tonight!

16

2008-10-01T07:04:00.002-05:00

Today is my nephew Chad's sixteenth birthday. I can't believe he's 16. I know his mom can't.

I was 16 when he was born. I remember that day really well. My mom missed him being born because she was with me at the doctor. I remember her crying in the waiting room because it happened - the birth of her first grandchild - and she wasn't there for it.

My mom and sister describe Chad as a "difficult" baby. I don't really remember much about it except that if he was asleep, you were not allowed to talk - at all. I do remember him being at our house and playing with my mom. They would have coffee by the front door and watch for the cats. They would play Scooby Doo and Mom was "Haggy" - that was how Chad said Shaggy.

I never thought that red-haired little boy would grow up to be such a nice young man. He is such a great kid and I'm sorry I didn't spend more time with him when he was younger. We got to spend a day with them while we were at Disney World this summer and it was probably one of the most fun days we had on our whole trip.

Chad is playing football this year, but since we live so far away, we won't get to see any of his games. That really makes me sad. He's also in ROTC and hopes to go to West Point one day. I can't believe he's growing up.

Happy Birthday, Chad! We hope you have a wonderful day!

And if you're in South Carolina, watch out because he's on the road driving!!!!!!!! Chad - in the words of Nana, Watch out! This is a curvy road!!

Please pray, again!

2008-09-25T15:58:00.002-05:00

I've blogged before about my friends Scot and Kristin who have adopted the two children from Ghana. Kristin is there right now (and Scot was until last week) meeting the kids and getting the paperwork in order to bring the kids home. But, they've hit a snag.

I don't know a lot about bringing someone into the US, but apparently there are a lot of papers to fill out and of course they have to have a visa. There has been a hold up on the paperwork for Raymond and Delali's visa - on the part of the US Embassy.

Scot and Kristin are both frustrated. Kristin is in Ghana, alone, with their two new children, trying to find ways to pass the days without going crazy. Not because the new kids are bad, but life in a foreign country where you don't know anyone and don't know your way around much, can be chaos.

Please pray specifically for:
The paperwork situation to be resolved today
The visas to be issued quickly
No more hang-ups
Speedy and safe travel for Kristin, Raymond and Delali
Patience for Scot and the kids here in the US waiting for their wife and mom to return with their new siblings

Thanks for praying with me for them in the past, and I know that they would covet your prayers now. I'll keep you posted!

DONE...For now!

2008-09-24T20:46:00.002-05:00

Today I installed the last of the eight windows I've been working on since July. It felt SO GOOD to get that last window in. The amount of time it took me to get the last window in was maybe 1/4 of what it was for the first window. I guess practice does make perfect :)

Now, I wonder what my next project will be.....

Window #3!

2008-09-10T09:13:00.005-05:00

One of my favorite things to do is work on things around our house. I love that it's old, even though that means astronomical heating bills in the winter. And pipes that need to be worked on every couple of months. And doors that don't close right - or at all for that matter. And un-doing 100+ years of "re-decorating" that various owners have done. I waffle back and forth about making the house truly ours or restoring it to what it probably was in its prime. Paint the woodwork or strip it? Replace the windows or restore them?

I posted awhile ago about starting on the window restoration. It's a VERY involved process, but overall isn't hard. Just time consuming. When you have two little ones running around all summer, time is one of those luxuries you just don't get much of. Luckily, this summer, my kids played together better than they ever have before, and we developed a very healthy give and take relationship! I would take them to the playground or the lake for a couple of hours in the morning and then I would work on the windows for a couple of hours in the afternoon while they played on their own. I think it worked out pretty well!

Considering it takes about one month from start to finish to restore a window, I accomplished a huge amount in getting eight complete windows done while still enjoying summer with the kids. For all of you inquiring minds who are just dying to know - here's the process from start to finish:
Step 1 - removing the window. Sounds like a no-brainer, right? WRONG! When you have 123 years of paint on the window, trim and everything else around, sometimes removing the window was the hardest part! All that's involved is basically removing some of the interior trim around the window and the bottom one comes right out. The upper ones were a bit more of a hassle, but with a little (or a lot) persuasion and some taps with the hammer, out they came.

Step 2 - stripping the window of all paint and putty (otherwise known as glazing). If I hadn't stumbled upon a used Silent Paint Remover for sale, I would probably still be at this stage on the first window...The SPR is the BEST tool ever invented! It basically works like a heat gun, only using infrared heat. It softens the paint so that it can just be scraped right off. Usually one pass with the SPR and I was scraping right down to the bare wood! That was a wonderful sight considering I spent 4 months stripping the woodwork in the guest room. After the paint is all off, you have to chip away at the putty. Most of the time with the SPR, it would be soft enough to just scrape it out too, but sometimes it was pretty stubborn and took some real elbow grease - all with trying NOT to break the glass!

Step 3 - removing the glass. After all of the paint and putty has been scraped away, the trickiest part is finding the glazing points - little metal diamond shapes that actually hold the glass into the wood frames. Occasionally I missed on and cracked a piece or two of glass, but when you're removing 29 panes of glass, 2 or 3 broken ones isn't too bad :)

Step 4 - priming the frame. Enough said.

Step 5 - Reinstalling the glass. This is where some people reinstall the panes of glass, the glazing points and then apply new putty. But, after my first window (and a conversation with my dad!) I decided to check with the glass shop in town to see how much they would charge me just to reinstall the glass and the putty. Lucky me! The charge was only $2 per pane. Well worth the hours of work it saved me!

Step 6 - waiting. Yes, this is an actual step :) Once the new putty is in, it can't be painted until it has skinned over. This actually takes about 3 weeks in mild humidity. July in Minnesota is not typically mildly humid :) This summer I got lucky and didn't have to wait much past the 3 weeks to continue working.

Step 7 - prime and paint!

Step 8 - Reinstall the window! YAY! I was so excited when the time came to install the first restored window! It took me ALL DAY, but I finally got it in. Putting new rope through the pulleys so that the window weights actually work is the worst part of the job. It takes quite awhile and has to be done so the weights hang and balance the windows when they're opened or closed. It keeps us from having to have prop rods in EVERY SINGLE WINDOW! The most important part of this whole process is installing weatherstripping! That's right! We survived a cold Minnesota winter with no weatherstripping around our windows! We're anxious to see what a difference it makes - especially in Britney's office which was one of the draftiest rooms.

So, if you're still reading, congratulations! You now know how to restore any old or new wooden windows that are in need of a little TLC. Now, when are you coming to help me?? I only have 32 more windows to go! By the way - I chose the red for the windows to go with our red gingerbread roof that I HATE! But, at least the red windows make me think the house is now smiling a little :)

First Day of Preschool!

2008-09-09T08:52:00.003-05:00

Today was Carter's first day of preschool. Ever since Ashlyn started preschool in 2006, he's asked every day that she's gone to school if he could go too. Well, wouldn't ya know that the day finally comes for Carter to go and the first thing out of his mouth this morning was, "I don't want to go to school. I want to go play at Jacob's house." UGH! I could've screamed! But, I wouldn't expect anything less from the Little Tonado.

His excitement came back after breakfast and he was ready to go before his slow-poke sister. She was having a sub this morning and didn't want to go until her teacher came back. Anyway, we got to school, walked Ashlyn to her locker and then took Carter to his class. He walked right in, without a kiss, hug or goodbye.

It sure it quiet in our house right now, but so far this morning, I've gotten a walk in and am starting on installing another restored window. We'll see how much I get done without 100 interruptions. And maybe I'll even have time to post later about how Carter liked his first day!

Pictures here.

First Day of First Grade

2008-09-03T20:27:00.003-05:00

Summer is officially over. The weather suddenly turned cooler yesterday and school started today for Ashlyn. She was so much more confident this year than last year. We had to wait a little while for her class to come to the classroom - the kids wait in the lunchroom until 8:00, but since it was the first day, things were running a little behind. She didn't want to be the first one in her class, so we went to the lunchroom for her to get in line with her friend Ciarra. After that, she walked right into her class and didn't even need a hug or kiss or a big goodbye. Much different from last year when we had to do 3 or 4 kisses and hugs EVERY DAY! I'm so proud of her. She had a great day and can't wait to go back tomorrow!

1885

2008-08-28T11:44:00.003-05:00

One of the things that has plagued me since we moved was not being able to find out much on the history of our house. I've searched online, the newspaper articles at the library, asked around town, etc., but no one knew much about it before the 1940s.

I was at an auction on Monday here in town and one of the items up for bid was a centennial book. It is a pretty detailed account of the town's first 100 year history, almost from the day the first settlers arrived in Adrian.

I bid on the book and won it for $4. I immediately started scanning it for any mention of A. M. Becker, the man who built our house. I found him on page 5 and realized he was a pretty big deal in the settling of Adrian. He had a large mercantile and expanded it several times in the first few years. He was also known as one of the wealthiest men in Nobles County.

But then I hit the jackpot! While I was reading about another expansion he made on the store in 1885, there was one sentenced tucked in there that was the key I had been looking for for over a year!

"In 1885, he also built a beautiful home on Church Street (6th street used to be called Church) costing $6,500."

I almost fell out of my chair and now have an even deeper appreciation for the history of this house and a desire to restore it so that it will be around another 123 years! Now if only I could find a picture...

101st Post

2008-08-24T19:12:00.004-05:00

So, a friend told me that according to "blogdom" you're supposed to post 100 things about yourself on your 100th post. Well, my 100th post was about Carter building an outdoor bathroom with his friend and then peeing in it, so I guess the 101st post will have to do.

This may take awhile...

1. My middle name was Jeannette after my weird aunt. I HATED it!
2. I have 3 sisters.
3. I became a Christian at 5 on my big wheel in the driveway.
4. I don't think I realized the freedom we have in Christ until I was in my 20s.
5. I had a really long awkward phase from oh about 8 to 15.
6. My favorite color is red
7. I hate the color yellow
8. I love living in a small town
9. I still really want my own horse
10. I am scared to death of things that jump (frogs, crickets, spiders, etc.)
11. I also have an irrational fear of fire
12. My favorite tool is my silent paint remover
13. I love doing manual labor on my old house
14. I love that my husband doesn't get mad at my 1001 projects!
15. I love that my kids play so well together (most days!)
16. I even love that Carter is the tornado.
17. My favorite times were spent at Berry
18. My favorite place to be is by the water - either lake or ocean
19. I want to learn to water ski
20. I also want to learn to snow ski
21. I wish I could sing
22. I wish I could play the piano
23. I've also always wanted to learn how to play the banjo.
24. My favorite restaurant is a hole in the wall Mexican place in Okoboji, Iowa
25. I miss my family so much!
26. I think I was born about 70 years too late
27. I love to go to auctions! It's my new addiction
28. I also love to go to yard sales
29. I hate flies (there's one flying around me right now)
30. My very favorite song is Everlasting God (Lincoln Brewster's version)
31. I still like country music
32. I used to want to be a lawyer when I grew up
33. I have always wanted to live in Manhattan for a year
34. I love change
35. I love that my husband understands that I thrive on change :)
36. I think Facebook is one of the best creations for getting in touch with long lost friends!
37. I love to walk barefoot outside
38. I love romantic movies and hate watching ones that are too serious or sad
39. I still daydream
40. I hate to do laundry
41. I love to eat ice cream
42. I love buying gifts for other people
43. I love to travel
44. I still keep in touch with the President of the Girl Haters Club from 1st grade. He finally got married last year!
45. I love the ocean
46. I want to learn how to sail
47. I hate my dog
48. I love fresh sweet corn - the stuff in the stores doesn't compare anymore!
49. I love that I can look at a place I swore I would never visit again in the winter, much less live there, and see God's beauty in it in all seasons
50. I love that I can walk Ashlyn to school every morning
51. I love the smile on her face when I pick her up every afternoon
52. I am too impatient
53. I actually find myself wanting a minivan
54. I wonder when I got old enough to want a minivan
55. I still think of myself as being 24
56. I have some of the best friends in the world
57. I will never never never go caving again.
58. I have a fear of small places :)
59. My favorite place in the whole world is Coronado Island near San Diego
60. I've only been out of the US once - on a cruise to Jamaica and the Caymans
61. I will never go to Jamaica again
62. I love weddings
63. I love to read headstones in graveyards
64. I actually like long road trips
65. My favorite things to wear are jeans and t-shirts
66. I also like to get dressed up every once in awhile.
67. I love to dance
68. I hate being late
69. I love chocolate
70. I love to buy fun shoes!
71. I know how to drive a stick shift
72. I didn't learn to drive a stick shift until I was 21
73. I HATED high school - with a passion
74. I miss my dog Hunter so much
75. I love old photographs
76. I love that my sisters and I are all friends
77. I miss Chick-Fil-A and Waffle House more than any other restaurants
78. I want to learn how to drive a tractor
79. My favorite thing to ride on the playground is the see-saw
80. I love roller coasters. The best one is Everest at Animal Kingdom - hands down!
81. I wish I knew more about my grandparents and great grandparents.
82. I love Christmas
83. I don't like talking on the phone
84. I have only owned 2 cars
85. I love costume parties!
86. I want to have a garden
87. I am a morning person
88. I am addicted to Coca-Cola
89. I also love sweet tea and am so glad that somewhere here finally has it! (The ONLY good reason to go to McDonald's!)
90. My favorite flowers gardenias and gerbera daisies
91. I love to shop for bargains
92. I want to have my own shop or cafe one day
93. I have only ever lived in 2 states
94. I have never broken a bone
95. I love hearing my kids sing worship songs at the top of their lungs with the music blaring
96. I actually don't mind shoveling snow
97. I love bubble baths
98. I have never been camping, fishing or anything else too outdoors-y
99. I love re-connecting with old friends
100. I want to run a marathon one day

Whew - I'm glad that's done. I hope you didn't get too bored.

Another Carter Moment

2008-08-21T17:20:00.001-05:00

I know I've been posting about Carter a lot lately, but when my friend Jackie put this post up on her blog, I just had to share it too. The little boy in the "outdoor bathroom" story is...you guessed it - CARTER!

Lemonade Stand!!

2008-08-19T20:52:00.004-05:00

We really do live in a small town. The kids had a lemonade stand today that we did with a family down the street. It was so much fun! The kids literally worked for their sales. They went door-to-door to the neighbors on our block letting them know they were doing a lemonade stand. Carter yelled (imagine that!) LEMONADE!!!!!!! at every car that drove by. I think all in all they each earned between $3 and $4. Not too bad for 2 six year olds, a 4 year old, a 3 year old and a 2 year old. Oh yeah - and 2 great mommies!!!! Thanks, Megan!

Another Quote From Carter

2008-08-15T10:13:00.001-05:00

Here's the latest from Carter:

"Mom, I measured the ottoman and it's about 8 minutes to go."

He said this while using a tape measure to actually measure the ottoman. I've never seen a tape that measures in "minutes to go!"

He must use the "special" tape measure...

Memories

2008-08-09T17:27:00.002-05:00

As the kids and I were walking down to our little grocery store, I had a memory come flooding back that made me a little sad and a little nostalgic. Maine Avenue, the main street that runs through town, reminds me a lot of Berry this time of year. It's a wide street, lined with stately trees - a lot like the walk I took every day from my dorm at the Ford Buildings down to the main part of campus. It is beautiful! And every day that walk was a time I spent deep in thought - either going over my notes again right before a big test or just about life in general. It was also the location of lots of talks with friends, and time spent just looking at the cows in the pasture. The only difference is it's people looking back at you wondering what you're doing instead of a smelly old cow!

Parenting

2008-08-07T20:53:00.003-05:00

Right now, parenting sucks. Today was one of the hardest days I've had with the kids in a long time. I'm not sure what was so different except that Britney is gone to some sprint car races in Iowa for the next several days and his mom left yesterday after a long visit. I don't know if the kids were just overly tired or not sure how to handle all of the sudden changes. Here's a quick rundown of just a few of the arguments I faced today, and I'm ashamed to say that I didn't always act like the mature adult I am :)

Carter asked for Cheetos for breakfast. That should've been a sign of the day to come. I said no, which was not the answer he wanted. But, I stuck to my guns and he had a slightly more nutritious breakfast of cheese toast.

I was planning to paint some old school desks I got for the kids at the Spittles' yard sale. The kids wanted to help, so I thought I would give it a try. It was just a can of spray paint, after all. WRONG! Ashlyn liked to hold the can about 2" from her desk and spray a steady stream for a good 30 seconds. You can't even begin to imagine how much paint I had to wipe off that desk! After an argument with her, which I'm sure ended with her feeling like a total failure, we compromised and I did the desk and she did the seat. Unfortunately we ran out of paint before we got 2 coats on the seat...

Tonight was the first night of the Nobles County Fair, and in my eternal optimism, I figured that if I took the kids out of the house, maybe our day would improve. At first, it seemed that I was once again, a genius! Happy kids, nice kids, kids who were thinking of others first! Oh, but wait, I only spent $23 on tickets, which was enough for them to each ride 4 rides. All was going fine, until Ashlyn told Carter he wouldn't want to ride one of the rides she wanted to ride, even though he wanted to ride. Because she is the all-knowing big sister, he conceded that he didn't want to ride, which made her happy, until she found out that I couldn't leave him standing all by himself while I rode with her and she would have to ride by herself. Needless to say, she was not a happy camper with that information.

And finally, when I told Carter to pick his last ride, he picked a little motorcycle ride - for the second time. Ashlyn didn't want to ride, so he rode by himself. Then it was Ashlyn's turn to pick her last ride. She picked the swings. Carter didn't understand why we didn't have more tickets for him to ride in the blue swing. So, all of Ashlyn's ride, I was holding a screaming 3 year old, pitching the fit of his life.

Oh yeah and let's not forget Ashlyn and Carter fighting over who would carry the bottle of water and then screaming "I want to go home!" while I was trying to get some information from one of the vendors at the fair.

After the kids went to bed, I made a kindness chart for both of them with some Bible verses on it and character traits that we need to work on. I hope that it will remind me too so that we don't have many more days like today!

Awesome God

2008-08-03T22:03:00.004-05:00

Today was the adoption service at our church that we have been working on with the Spittles over the last few weeks. I know that the service was completely covered in prayer, and I know at least Britney and I went to church today with an expectation and excitement that we haven't had since we left Georgia. It was so neat how God used all of our gifts and the service came together beautifully. It wasn't work really for anyone. Sure, there were things that people were nervous about or having to step out of their comfort zone a little. But, we all trusted that He would give us the words and the heart to communicate what needed to be said.

Scot and Kristin were able to share their story, God's heart for orphans, our adoption by Him, and share their two new additions with everyone - Delali and Raymond. We were even able to include every single person there in the service by showing ways that they can support the Spittles, even when it feels like their part is so small. It's not the size of the part you play, but that you allow God to lead you in playing that part.

Two of the many amazing things that happened today have to do with the financial side of the adoption. Money has never been the focus of this adoption, but everyone knows that it IS expensive and Scot and Kristin were trusting that God would meet this huge need. God has already met the need for the first half of the $24,000 they need for the adoption and travel expenses. Today, Kristin shared the grand total for the yard sale over last weekend and Friday. Remember here, I asked you all to pray for $3,000? Well, the grand total was just over $3,300!!! That NEVER happens here. But it did for them! Amazing!

The second big WOW of the day came after the pie social we had after church. Our friend, Shelly, organized a social where people donated pies to be sold for $10 each. All of the money raised went to the Spittles for adoption expenses. There were between 35 and 40 pies total, but people paid way over their $10 for them :) The total for today was $2,047! When we left church, I had heard that the total was $947. I was floored by that. But when I got home and read Kristin's blog that the total was over $2,000, I just started laughing out loud. God is awesome! He truly can meet our every need - even through pie :)

By the way - I thought I would include a picture of most of the Spittles so that you can see this incredible family. Scot is missing only because these guys came over while he was at work :) This is Gabe, Levi, Sophia, Simon, Keegan and Kristin.

Sickness

2008-08-01T08:32:00.003-05:00

That pretty much sums up the last 2 weeks at our house, unfortunately. Carter was sick last week with an ear infection and then some kind of virus on top of it. He was better on Sunday. Now Ashlyn has had a fever since Monday afternoon. She has an appointment today. And Britney started feeling bad on Tuesday. I hope it ends soon!!!!!!

The Spittles!

2008-07-26T17:41:00.002-05:00

There was an article on our friends, the Spittles, in the paper this morning. It somewhat shares the story of their family and their pending adoptions. Hope you enjoy it!

The yard sale was a huge success! Scot and Kristin have decided to have a 1/2 price and bag sale next Friday to try to get rid of some of the stuff that's left. We sold A LOT of stuff over the last two days, and even though we don't have the official count yet - we know they made over $2000! YEAH!

Kristin promised she would post the final total on her blog.

Please Pray!!!

2008-07-24T21:39:00.003-05:00

Our good friends, Scot and Kristin, are in the process of adopting two children from Ghana. They are anxiously awaiting the final referral and hope to have it in the next couple of days. This will be the news where they find out the names of the children they are going to bring home to be part of their family.

I'm asking you all to pray for them over the next week, especially. Starting tomorrow, there will be a fundraiser yard sale at our church. I heard that another couple of friends of ours are praying specifically that the sale raises $3,000 for them. Would you pray that too?

Next Sunday, August 3rd, they will be doing a special adoption service at our church. The Lord has really made Himself known to them through this adoption. It's neat to see their faith grow and how their walk with Him has changed. He has led them every step of the way, even though this was not something even on their radar last summer. I love watching other people have the faith to step out even though they don't really know what's going on. Having lived through it, you gain a whole new perspective on what other people are going through and can (hopefully) be a new kind of encouragement to them!

Scot and Kristin are some really great friends. She made the extra effort last year after having a baby to come to Adrian when Britney was gone for a fun weekend and get to know me a little. She was part of the Bible study I joined right after we moved. Scot is part of a group of guys that Britney has gotten to know and they meet for lunch every week.

Their family is amazing. And I am so thankful that we have been able to make friends like these. I'll keep you posted on how the sale goes. Thanks for praying with us!!

Oh yeah! Be sure to check out her blog - They're Ghana Come Home!

What I Did On My Summer Vacation (Part 2)

2008-07-06T20:57:00.003-05:00

I know I'm a little late in getting this posted, and it probably won't be as detailed as part I, but better late than never :)

After a mini-vacation in St. Louis, we stayed the next week at Britney's parents'. it was a laid back, relaxing time and we spent time at the pool and playing and visiting with family.

At the end of the week, we left for south Georgia for a family reunion on my dad's side. My grandmother had only seen Carter once before and there were family members who had never met him. it had been way too long sine we had seen those family members! Aside from the heat and humidity (and gnats), it was a really nice visit.

We left from there to head down to Disney World!! We had a wonderful 3 days there with the kids, riding rides, waiting in line, eating, waiting in line, watching shows, waiting in line...You get the picture. Ashlyn rode the Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios and both kids were more adventurous than I thought they would be. Ashlyn's favorite ride was the Kali River Rapids, which thanks to a generous person who gave us their fastpasses, she got to ride twice! I was smart and stayed off the ride the second time with Carter while Ashlyn rode with Britney and her uncle Mark. They got SOAKED! But she loved it and had a great time. Click here and here for pics at some different parks.

After the kids left, Britney and I got to stay a couple of extra days with some of my sisters. We had a great time with Melinda, Chad and Rebekah, who we never get to see or really spend much time with since we're always together at mom's with so many other people. It was nice to spend time with such great teenagers and a fun sister :)

We spent a couple of days back at my parents' before heading back home. It was a long trip, but a great trip. I think the one thing we were all looking forward to about coming home was sleeping in our own beds with our own pillows. But we are looking forward to going back at Christmas for a few days!

Strawberries!

2008-07-01T21:19:00.004-05:00

The kids and I went strawberry picking with Britney's grandparents this morning. We went last year too, but only filled up two gallon-sized buckets, which totaled about 10 pounds. When I got home, I realized a good many of them were green because Carter picked anything that would come off of the stem. In reality, our 10 pounds were probably closer to 8 or 9 that we could actually eat, and they only lasted a few weeks.

So, this year we started out with conversations about what kind of strawberries Carter should pick - RED! I also gave each kid their own buckets, and I had 2 flat boxes that Britney's grandpa had given me. I was determined we were going to have a good time and I wasn't going to nag the kids too much about picking just the right berries. It was about the EXPERIENCE for them :)

The kids did great! Carter picked about 1/2 gallon bucket full and Ashlyn's was about 3/4 of the way full. Not too bad for kids picking on the hottest day of the year so far (a cool 88!). I was so proud of them!

I couldn't believe when I got to the check out and our berries weighed in at a whopping 30 pounds!!! So, I spent the afternoon washing, drying and hulling all those strawberries. It took me over 2 hours, but the strawberry shakes, pies, cakes, etc., will be oh so worth it!!!

Let the Renovations Begin!!

2008-06-26T20:20:00.004-05:00

Until today, the "renovations" we've done on our house have really been more on the redecorating side of things. Except for the electrical upgrade, the only things we've done have been painting or removing paint :)

Today I started restoring the windows! Well, I actually just started removing the windows so that they can be restored, but still, it's a step in the right direction. One of the things Britney and I agreed on was no vinyl replacement windows. We still have the original windows, complete with wavy glass. I love them. Restoring the windows should not be that difficult - just time consuming. And considering we found out this week that we have to have the stucco on our house replaced, we're back to pinching pennies and doing the windows ourselves is one way we can do that. Also, considering it could cost us a small fortune to heat our house this winter (we use diesel fuel), we figured getting the windows in tip top shape couldn't hurt.

When we got the first window out, we discovered that our windows are double hung, but the top windows have been painted shut for who knows how long. We also found the weights inside the jambs, just where they should be. It looked like I was pulling small bombs out when I grabbed the weights and pulled. Those suckers were heavy!

Projects are therapy for me. So is shopping. But with the upcoming expenses, I figured this project was probably the safer way to go, and I'll still get to go shopping for the tools that I'll need :)

I'll keep you updated on my progress, complete with pictures of before and after.

What I Did On My Summer Vacation (Part 1)

2008-06-24T20:34:00.002-05:00

Part one of our summer vacation is our stop in St. Louis, MO. We stayed with Britney's cousins, Tim & Tami, and had a great time. They have two kids - Brandon and Amber. I think Brandon is 14 and Amber is 12.

Despite Carter throwing up in their front yard as soon as we pulled into the driveway, they were great hosts. The kids took to Amber right away (Brandon was camping) and she showed them all of their pets. Ashlyn was doubly excited because they have a bunny. She has been asking for a bunny for over a year...

We got up on Saturday and went to the Gateway Arch. Ashlyn has asked to stop at the Arch every time we drive through St. Louis, which has been quite a few times over the last 3 years. We've never had time to do it before, but with all of the vacation Britney has this year, we decided to extend our trip a little and take the kids to see the Arch.

When we got there, Carter DID NOT want to go up to the top. I think the size of it was a little intimidating to him. But once we stopped talking about it and just took him inside to do it, he had a blast. So did Ashlyn. They were both enamored with how high up we were and how small the cars looked below. Even I have to admit it was amazing! It was a bit claustrophobic (especially the ride up) but I survived just fine :)

After the Arch, we headed over to the zoo. St. Louis has one of the most awesome zoos I've ever visited. I think the most exciting part to me was that it was FREE!!!! And since it was Saturday, it was crowded. And HOT! We walked through one section of the zoo and saw hyenas, fox, rhinos, hippos (they were the coolest!) and some other animals. After that, everyone was hot and tired so we headed back to the pool :)

Thanks, Tim, Tami, Brandon and Amber for opening your home to us and showing us a great time. You helped start our vacation out in a terrific way!

Sorry for the lack of pictures from the zoo and the pool. We mostly used the video camera for those and I'm too lazy right now to go get the camera and the cable to upload them :) Sorry - they'll come later, I'm sure!

Back To Normal

2008-06-21T23:19:00.002-05:00

Our new fridge was delivered yesterday, so I'm sure you'll all sleep better knowing that the fish smell is completely gone and we have a wonderful new WORKING fridge in our kitchen. No more trips up and down the basement stairs 100 times a day! YAY!

I really will post about our trip in the next couple of days. It's just been a crazy week!

Welcome Home...

2008-06-18T19:35:00.003-05:00

"Welcome home after being gone for 20 days!" said the rotten fish from inside our freezer that had stopped working who knows how many days ago.

I'll post more about our awesome trip later. Now I'm off to shop for a new fridge.

Last Day

2008-05-28T11:45:00.003-05:00

I posted on Ashlyn's first day of kindergarten, so I thought it was only fitting that I post on her last day as well. She was so excited to go to school today - almost as much as her first day of school. They were having a picnic at the park and thankfully the weather turned nice today for it!

I can't believe how much she has grown and changed this year. She's still timid and likes me to walk her to her classroom every day, but she loves going to school. I wonder how long it will be until I hear, "I'm ready for school to start."

Every time I'm over at the school, the Lord uses it to remind me that we made the right decision moving here. I've never met nicer teachers or administration and they truly truly care about the students. They all even know Carter and talk to him every day. I am so thankful that school is not a stressful thing in our lives. Everyone who knows me well knows how worried I was about school in Georgia and couldn't find what felt like the right decision. Now I know why! School in Minnesota was the right decision :)

I go this afternoon to register Carter for preschool next year. The preschool is at the elementary school, so he and Ashlyn will go to the same place on Tuesday and Thursday. I can't even imagine what I will do with six hours a week all to myself!!! Carter is so excited, he's already talking about when he starts school in September.

So, to Mrs. Erdmann and Mrs. Knips, thank you for teaching my daughter this year and loving her so much. You were patient with her when she needed it and worked with her to bring her out of her shell. We couldn't have asked for better teachers!

The Weekend

2008-05-13T09:07:00.003-05:00

Usually our weekends are full of errands, painting, cleaning, etc. They're not usually just fun because with Ashlyn in school all week, it's when we get stuff done that we need her for (like shopping for summer clothes!) Well, this weekend was just plain fun. Our friend Stuart came to visit for a few days. He and Britney started out the weekend fishing Thursday and Friday with Britney's cousins up in Alexandria, MN. They had some success and came home with a couple of bags of fish.

Saturday was a rainy, cold, yucky day. But, we took Stuart out to the farms anyway. Let me tell you, there's nothing like the wind changing on a hog farm and blowing a big gust of stinky air right in the car! I thought we were all going to throw up!

Jerry's farm was pretty quiet because with the rain, he couldn't be in the field. So they were up in Alexandria too, fishing...We showed Stuart all the fun tractors, combines, etc., and got some great pictures of the kids. Carter even decided he could sit in a tractor this time! He's always LOVED to look at them but has been afraid to sit in them. Since he knew we were not going to turn them on, he climbed in and had a good time "driving." Maybe he'll actually ride in one this year!

My Mother's Day dinner was Saturday night and we drove down to Okoboji, Iowa to eat supper at a hole in the wall Mexican place. But it's SOOOO good! It's my favorite place to go in the summer because it's right by the lake. Afterwards, we drove over to Arnold's Park, a small amusement park right on the lake with one of the best ice cream shops around. We didn't think anything would be open yet (it usually opens on Memorial Day), but we were ecstatic when we saw that the Nutty Bar Stand was open already. Everyone enjoyed ice creams, even though we were already cold from the rain.

Sunday after church and lunch, we drove up to Buffalo Ridge, which is just a little ways north of us. It's a heaven for windmills and we probably saw well over 300 of them. If you've never been to Minnesota and experienced this phenomenon, you probably won't grasp the hugeness of these things. We told Ashlyn to count how many windmills we saw, so she got out her notepad and made tallies for every one she could. She had over 144 tallies by the end of the day, so we figured it was probably safe to at least double that :)

I also found a great little town for shopping with lots of thrift stores and antiques shops. I can't wait to go back!

All in all, it was a great weekend for everyone and the best Mother's Day I could've asked for!

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T07:08:00.003-05:00

Happy Mother's Day! After a day of cold and rain yesterday, I woke up to a beautiful sunny morning today. It's not going to be all that warm today, but at least the rain is gone and we have some beautiful flowers about to bloom this morning. In fact, the kids are headed outside right now to pick some for me :)

A friend of mine sent this "new" version of Proverbs 31 to me a couple of months ago. I thought it was so cute and true! I hope you enjoy it and maybe this will encourage you to not be intimidated by the woman in Proverbs 31 but to realize that with God's help, you can be her! Have a wonderful day!

Proverbs 31 – Tribute to the Virtuous Mother
A mom of sane mind, who can find? She is worth far more than a clean bathroom

Her husband enjoys her presence He even tells his buddies how great his wife is

She is always thankful for her husband’s help Regardless if he puts the baby to bed without a diaper on

She picks out the clothes for the toddler to wear And pins him to the ground, while she puts them on

She is like the pizza delivery boy Food on the table in 30 minutes, or the kids cry free

She gets up while it is still dark (multiple times) To nurse the baby, administer Tylenol for teething, or locate that pacifier

She writes out the grocery list And even manages to return home with at least half of what was on it

She works hard; very, very hard Her arms are strong from carrying a baby all day

She sees that being a mom is a worthwhile job And is more than glad to leave the nightlight on

In one hand she holds the car keys While in the other hand the baby, bottle, diaper bag, purse, and groceries

She opens her arm to the crying child And never turns away a sniffling, snotty nosed baby

When it snows, she has no fear Her kids have their coats, gloves, hats, scarves, and boots on

She changes the sheets on the bed without even flinching at the ‘accident’

Her husband is respected and Takes his seat with the other dads at the play area in the mall

She gathers the old baby clothes and sells them at a garage sale With the money, she purchases ‘new’ clothes at someone else’s garage sale

She is clothed in spit up, yet holds her head high with dignity She can laugh at the days to come

She speaks wisdom in baby-talk The phrase ‘No –no!’ is always on her lips

She watches over the affairs of her household There is no option of idleness

Her children wake up and cry ‘mommy!’ Her husband does not wake up at all when the baby cries

Many women are moms, But only you are ‘mom’ to your kids

Sleep is over-rated, and showers are optional But, a mom who trusts the LORD is ESSENTIAL

Give her the reward she has earned Let her hard work bring her praise

Canadian Snowbirds

2008-04-30T20:54:00.002-05:00

I was reading the paper this morning and ran across a brief that announced the Canadian Snowbirds would be landing at Worthington Municipal Airport this afternoon for about an hour. The Canadian Snowbirds are the Canadian Air Force's equivalent of the Blue Angels.

So, being the good mom that I am, I called a friend to join us and buckled Carter in the car to head to Worthington. He was so excited to see the airplanes, but we had to wait a little while for them to come in. He got to play in the hangars and see some airplanes that our friend Cameron is working on. I think he almost enjoyed that part most!

But once the Snowbirds started arriving, he really got interested and stood outside for over an hour watching them refuel. He didn't even get upset when they were taxiing in and got really loud. For those of you who know Carter, this is a huge deal! He just calmly stood there on the edge of the runway covering his ears. I was so proud of him and we had such a great time!

You can enjoy pictures of our afternoon here.

Carter

2008-04-24T12:14:00.003-05:00

Here's a conversation that happened between Carter, Britney and me just a few minutes ago.

Maggie (the dog) - chomp, chomp, chomp
Me - "Carter, did you give Maggie a little bone?"
Carter - "Yeah."
Me - "Did you ask?"
Carter - "I asked Maggie. I asked her red, green or brown."
Me - "Did Maggie say green?"
Carter - "Yeah. She likes green the best." "Daddy, can I finish watching Fairytopia?"

That's our boy!

Yard Sales

2008-04-12T10:47:00.002-05:00

Today was my first experience with serious yard sale-ing in Adrian. It was the town-wide sale today and we hit probably 12-15 of them! Both kids started out with me this morning, but Carter got cold (yes, it was still snowing a little this morning) so he went home to stay with Britney and play with his new drum kit for $1. Yes, I bought him a drum kit. Crazy? Maybe. But yesterday I found him with screwdrivers banging on the bannister upstairs. Carter has now made his mark on our 100 year old railings.

Anyway, I thought I would share my successes with you! I spent $27 and got the following: a drum kit, sawhorse toy for Carter, 4 dresses for Ashlyn, jeans, a t-shirt, a purse, a pillow, a puzzle, a purse for Ashlyn, and a chair, which of course needs some TLC. All for $27!!! I couldn't believe it!

This is just the beginning and hopefully the next ones won't be so cold! Although on a brighter note - it is supposed to hit 70 here on Wednesday!!!!! Winter will end!

Five Minutes

2008-04-11T07:26:00.002-05:00

I'm curious when kids learn the concept of sleeping in. Mine haven't gotten it yet.

School is delayed 2 hours today because of the freakin' SNOW STORM that started yesterday. Yes, it's making me grumpy. No, I'm not seeing the beauty in this one because it's APRIL ELEVENTH for heaven's sake. Anyway, that's another post for another time - when I'm not so crabby.

School is delayed 2 hours today, so last night I stayed up a little later than I normally do and watched some extra TV with Britney, thinking I wouldn't set my alarm and could just get up when the kids did. Sleep in. No need to rush today. Guess what time the munchkins came in my room this morning??? Yep - EXACTLY five minutes after my alarm normally goes off. So much for sleeping in.

I'm just curious why on a normal school day it's like waking the dead and today they were up before the dead???

Happy Anniversary (A Little Late...)!

2008-04-07T20:42:00.002-05:00

Friday Britney and I celebrated 10 years of being married! Neither of us feels old enough to have been married that long, but when we look back, neither of us can really remember life before being married (or before kids for that matter).

Britney's aunt and uncle were nice enough to watch the kids overnight for us and we headed off to Minneapolis for a night away. Of course, my main objective for the weekend was a trip to Ikea :) Britney was a great sport and shopped with me for many hours. We also hit the Mall of America for some souvenirs for the kids and took a quick trip to the ghetto...to find a free ATM.

Once back to the safety of suburbia and a free ATM at Target, we headed back downtown to find our hotel. We stayed at an amazing place - probably the nicest hotel I've ever stayed in. The Minneapolis Grand is beautiful. It's an old hotel that's been re-done. But, the room had a beautiful bed, terry cloth bathrobes and the biggest hotel bathroom I've ever seen. There were even Godiva chocolates on our pillows after we got back from dinner. It was such a nice treat to have a real haven to go to and just celebrate being together.

Saturday we just walked around downtown for awhile and then headed home. It was a beautiful day - 65 in the Cities! - and we actually enjoyed riding with the sunroof open and no kids yelling that it was too windy or too cold :) What a perfect ending to a perfect weekend :) Britney - thanks for a great treat! I love you.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T19:00:00.002-05:00

Today was the last of our first major holidays in Minnesota. I can honestly say it was an Easter like I've never had before. First of all, it was SNOWING today. Nothing major - just flurries, but definitely the first time that's happened to me.

We don't have any pictures from today because we ran out the door for breakfast at church this morning and didn't think about the camera until we were halfway there. Oh well. Maybe I'll get the kids all dressed up again and we'll "pretend" it's Easter another day.

After church, we spent the afternoon at some friends' for lunch and an egg hunt for the kids. It was so fun and relaxing! Our friends here have really taken us under their wings and they're always making sure we have someone to be with on holidays or any other special times. We usually end up at the farm with Britney's aunt and uncle, but we went there yesterday for lunch. So, today we were with friends! And my friend Gretchen is the best! She made homemade cheese straws because Paula Deen says that they're truly southern. Gretchen wanted to give us a little taste of home. And they were VERY good! Thanks, Gretchen!

We hope all of you had a wonderful Easter and were able to stop in all of the busyness of the day to remember what Jesus did for us!

What a Difference a Day Makes!

2008-03-20T07:42:00.003-05:00

There's a saying in Minnesota that goes, "If you don't like the weather, just wait 5 minutes." There have been days when that really is true. I remember last summer is was damp, windy and cool. Within just a few minutes, the wind turned, the sun came out and it turned into a beautiful day.

Well, here are two pictures of the same tree in our front yard. One was taken Monday morning. The other was taken yesterday - when we had no snow and temps in the 40s. I guess this is spring in Minnesota!

I wonder what today will hold? Supposedly rain, but we'll see :)

Not Another Stinking Snowstorm

2008-03-17T08:12:00.002-05:00

Apparently my last post was a bit premature. Although last week we enjoyed temps in the 40s (a heat wave!), winter is not over here yet. After all, it's not officially spring until later this week...

Here is the forecast: Today - SNOW - 100% chance Tonight - MORE SNOW - 90% chance; total accumulation 4-8 inches

There is also a chance of snow for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

I knew when I woke up this morning that it was going to be a dreary day since everything was shrouded in white. But, as hard as I tried to be grumpy and as ready as I am for spring, the Lord wouldn't let me be and I found myself smiling as I walked by the window, again amazed at the beauty that waits for us outside. Even if it is COLD :)

Green

2008-03-13T20:43:00.003-05:00

That's what I saw when I looked out the window this morning - GREEN!!!!!! You have no idea how good that felt. The snow is melting pretty quickly, and the grass is peeking through. Actually by now, it's more than peeking. It's been in the 40s the last few days - a far cry from the below-zero temps we had for so long!

Spring is definitely in the air. We played outside today for probably 4 hours. It was warm enough to be out with just a sweatshirt, and I even walked down to the grocery store this afternoon - both things we haven't done for months.

The winter was long and cold, but actually not as bad as I was expecting. Yes, it's a lot different than winters in Georgia, but it's beautiful just the same. To look out over all the fields and see nothing but white is actually quite amazing to me. And there were days when it really looked like a winter wonderland when the dew had frozen on the trees and they were completely covered in ice, yet the sun was shining. To know that the same God who made the snow also made the beautiful green that they will be in just a few short weeks. This is truly some of the most beautiful land I've ever seen. You can see for miles and if you're out in the mornings just as the sun is coming up, it's absolutely breathtaking. It really makes me wonder how someone could deny that an awesome God created this. There is no way something this beautiful just happened.

Did I miss the winter in Georgia? Sure - parts of it. But I can honestly say now that having lived through (and survived!) a Minnesota winter means that I will appreciate spring and summer more and more. I can't wait to get outside and plant flowers and maybe even a vegetable garden. I can't wait to take the kids to the lake and watch them swim and play. And I know that when fall is here again and we're at football games and the pumpkin patch, winter will be just around the corner. But, now I know I can handle that too. I look forward to our second year here and enjoying God's beauty in all the seasons!

Six

2008-03-13T20:14:00.002-05:00

I think I've been in denial the last week which is why I haven't posted this yet. Ashlyn turned 6 - SIX - last Thursday. Wow. I can't believe I have a six year old.

She had a great day! She told me as she was going to bed that night that it was the best birthday she's ever had. I know her teacher, Mrs. Erdmann, does a wonderful job making the kids feel special when they have to go to school on their birthday. Ashlyn got to wear a birthday sticker and crown all day at school. She got to take cupcakes with sprinkles on them for snack, eat supper at Pizza Ranch (her favorite restaurant) and got some great gifts all on the same day!

Ashlyn had a small birthday party on Saturday with 4 of her friends. We made flower necklaces, played Kiss the Frog (a princess version of pin the tail on the donkey), have a tea party, decorated treat bags, ate cake and ice cream and played hide and seek. It was a great day and there were some very sweet little girls here. They even included Carter in the fun and games - with no complaints or coercion from mom!

Ashlyn - you are such a sweet little girl. You know what you want and aren't afraid to say it. I hope that confidence follows you all through your life. You're known in your class this year as the nicest girl. I hope that follows you too! I love you and thank God every day for blessing me with you. Happy Birthday (a little late...)!

Oh yeah - you can check out pictures from the big days here.

Cyberchase

2008-03-05T19:31:00.002-05:00

I don't know how many of you will even know what this show is, but it's one my kids like. It comes on PBS.

Anyway, for those of you not in the know, it's about 3 kids - Matt, Jackie and Inez - who get sucked into cyberspace to help Motherboard fight off Hacker. Why am I blogging about this? Because I'm sitting here at the table watching my kids play Cyberchase. Ashlyn is Inez, Carter is Matt and they're trying to work out problems with their tractors.

It's too funny!