Good Reminder

Last Friday, Luke, Caroline, and I were involved in an accident. We were sitting still on a relatively busy street waiting to turn left into a friend's driveway. A young girl was playing with her radio and didn't see that we were stopped and she smashed into the back of our van. Luckily, no one was hurt. She was driving a little Lexus and I can't imagine that it can ever be fixed. The front end was so smashed in. (I wish I took some pictures, but I was a little too shaken to do that.) I am feeling so blessed that there were no injuries. Our van is very much dented in the rear, but we can get that fixed.


It really is a good reminder to me to always be on the defense when driving. Even when we are doing what we should be on the road, there might be someone else who is not. Very scary. It is also a good reminder to me that God is in control. For a few days after the accident, I found myself afraid to drive anywhere, as if someone was going to come out of nowhere and crash into us (that is what it felt like the other day!) I found myself actually being too cautious. A good friend came to our door on Monday and wanted to tell me to not be afraid. . .that God knew that was going to happen to us and that He is in control. We do not have to be afraid? How wonderful and freeing!! (we still need to be careful, though)

Phillipians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Favorites on Fridays . . . Like Oprah's "O" List, But Not Really

Favorite Lipstick : Bare Minerals (ripe fig color)

Once again, you probably think I'm silly getting all excited about something like lipstick. During the "there might be lead in your lipstick" scare all over the media I decided to switch to a safer brand and I am so glad I did. I love this lipstick. It stays on all day and feels like I'm not wearing any. One tube has lasted me about a half of a year!

Luke's Haircut

Well . . . thank you for keeping your fingers crossed for me! Luke got a haircut!! This is him on the way to get his hair cut. . . sound asleep.
After weeks of trying to get him to cooperate, his hair looks great!! For some reason he was so afraid of getting it cut this time. I decided to take Caroline to get her hair cut after school so she could be a good example. (she begs me to get haircuts!!) I told Luke we were going to get Caroline's hair cut and he could get his cut if he wanted to. Of course, he said, "no", but as Caroline was getting her hair cut, Luke got more comfortable with the idea and he got his cut with no problem. Yay!!! Look at how handsome he is!! :) Caroline was so proud of him! (They got balloons and suckers after to celebrate.)

Our Wet Wednesday

This week John is at a Christian camp in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin with his eighth graders for their class trip. They usually go to Timber Lee, so this is something new for him. He said it is going well. It didn't rain too much. Looks pretty, right??

Here is where Lake Geneva is . . . not too far from the Chicagoland area.

Luke and I stayed home all day. We got a lot accomplished, including cleaning out this front hall closet.

What a blessing it is to have all of those big bulky coats out of there and into storage!! (be thankful for the simple things, right??)

Bring on summer!!!


Caroline had a Tinkerbell birthday party to attend, but I didn't get any pictures because one of my friends took her there after Kindergarten. It was at a ballet studio and the girls all dressed up as fairies.

Jake had a baseball game (in the drizzling rain). He was excited because he pitched another "no hit" inning. He got to slide twice! (he loves sliding)
Oh. . . and they won. 8-1

It was a good rainy day. . . What's in store for tomorrow??. . . carpool, dentist, mulch, bills, birthday party, John's arrival :), tutoring, and my main goal is to cut Luke's hair. We are having a little issue about that. I like it rather long, but there is a point when it is just too long!! Keep your fingers crossed for me!!

Fun Playdate

Today, Caroline had her buddy Alix come over for a playdate. They made chocolate chip cookies with Luke, played the Wii, and had a picnic. They also sat by the pool just wishing I would let them swim. brrrr! Friends are such a blessing!! (Luke thought he was having a playdate with Alix . . . when I asked the girls if they were having a fun playdate, Luke answered right away and said, "Yes! This is fun!")

Kindergarten Mother's Tea

Last Friday, Caroline's Kindergarten class had a Mother's Tea, which was just too cute for words. They put on a little play for us called "The Garden". It was about a little flower who was not as big and beautiful as all the other flowers in the garden, but the farmer ended up picking her and taking her to a sick little girl to brighten up her day. This made the little flower feel a sense of purpose. "God has a purpose for all of us." How true!!

Caroline was a little bunny in the garden.

The kids served us heart-shaped cookies and other little treats.
They made us special keepsake plates.

Here is Caroline with two of her very best Kindergarten buddies, Alix and Emma.And here is Caroline with the best teacher in the world. . . Mrs. Kremers. We love her!!!

This time with Caroline was truly a blessing to me!!!

Visitors

This weekend we had some fun visitors! Grandpa and Grandma Eckstrom were passing through with Aunt Joni (my Mom's sister who lives in Pennsylvania). They had been visiting Uncle Larry and Aunt Lynne (my Mom's other sister who lives in Indiana). The kids had fun playing baseball and Mexican Train (a dominoes game) with them. We also put them to work cleaning our garage and mowing the lawn!! (they wanted to!!) We love them very much and it was a blessing to see them. :)

True Friend

We are so thankful for this true friend, Eric Kainer. He has been so helpful to us in the past (moving furniture, painting, watching our kids with Lisa, and much more) and now that John is "down" he has proven to be one of those true friends that will really "be there" when you need him.

Doesn't this picture say it all???
Last night he came over to help John open up our pool. P-U!!!! It was so stinky and gross under that pool cover. I can't believe that he is sticking his arm in there! Last week he came and mowed our grass . . . in the rain!! He truly is a good friend and we consider him a blessing.

Jake's Pioneer Day

Last Friday, Jake's class had a Pioneer Day to end their unit on the pioneers. It rained, but we had so much fun!

We started by having a picnic lunch (indoors because of the rain) on blankets. The kids brought their pioneer lunches in pails and baskets. Jake had sausage, a hunk of cheese, and some fruit. (no chips today!!)

I was one of the people in charge of the pioneer games. . . one game we played was blind man's bluff.

Jake thought this person was a girl because he felt the bonnet. He was surprised to see it was his friend, Zak!
We also did spoon races. . .we used marshmallows instead of eggs, though.
Jake enjoyed making homemade bread, "churning" real butter, and making caramel apples. My friend, Heather, and her daughter Haleigh enjoyed all of the activities as well.
All of the pioneer moms.
Jake even did a little calligraphy writing with a feather (quill) pen. Of course, he wrote "White Sox".

Some bread making . . .
. . . a little candle dipping. . .
. . . and rope making . . . (the boys' favorite part). It was funny how much the boys liked their ropes. One boy even came up to me and said, "I can't wait to get home so I can play with my rope!" Simple things. . .much better than expensive toys!

It was such a fun day!! (Thanks, Mom, for watching Luke so I could be a part of Jake's day . . . that was a "blessing" .)

Favorites on Fridays . . . Like Oprah's "O" List, But Not Really

Favorite Sandwich : Panera's Frontega Chicken

Are you drooling?? :) You should be!!! This sandwich has been my FAVORITE ever since I was pregnant with Caroline. I CRAVED it and only it would hit "the spot".

Smoked & pulled white meat chicken, mozzarella, tomatoes, red onions, chopped basil & chipotle mayonnaise, grilled hot on their Focaccia. . . yummm. Don't look at the ingredients or calorie count because then you won't enjoy it as much. :) It is a "once in a while" sandwich for me and I really can't find anything I like better.

Mother's Day

I had a great Mother's Day . . . we went to church and then returned home for a delicious lunch made by the kids (little pizzas served with fruit, veggies, and a salad). Auntie Diane, Uncle Colin, and Caleb joined us. :)

Here are the little chefs.

Here is what they made . . .pretty yummy!!

We spent most of the afternoon playing "Olympics" in the backyard and then I got to do a little more planting. (I'll take pics of all my planting when I'm finished)

Here is who helps me be a good mom. :)
John's getting pretty used to those crutches!
Auntie Diane and Caleb enjoyed a Mother's Day moment. :)

The kids sure love Caleb!
This Mother's Day was really special, but it would have been even more special if I could have seen this lady . . . my Mom!! She has always been my cheerleader in life . . . encouraging me to be my best. Love you, Mom!!

Favorites on Fridays . . . Like Oprah's "O" List, But Not Really

Favorite Bar of Soap: Trader Joe's Oatmeal and Honey Soap

It may seem strange that I would get excited about a silly bar of soap, but I am excited about this one!! I have very sensitive skin, so I have to choose my soaps carefully . . . I can't have anything with fragrance in it. This soap is pure vegetable soap so it is very mild and it has real oatmeal flakes and sweet smelling honey in it. . .smells sooo good (just don't eat it!!) Our whole family uses it. Love it!!