A Little "Do it Yourself" Project

The other day I was at HomeGoods and saw a lamp that I loved. BUT . . . it was $50 . . . so I decided to walk next door to JoAnn Fabrics and buy the materials to make a cheap lamp look just like it.

:)

Here is the before picture. And here is the after picture.

All it took was a little burlap, some ribbon, and fabric glue. Total cost to improve this lamp?? Less than $5.00 ! Doesn't it make such a huge difference? I think it adds a lot of texture and warmth to the space. I'm very pleased with my little "do it yourself" project.

What project is next?? ;)

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

Favorite Thing to Hide From My Kids and Nibble on When They are not Looking: Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Mint UFOs

Oh yum . . . I just discovered these next to the chocolate chips at Trader Joe's. They are soooo good . . . they have natural peppermint oil in them, just the right amount. I can't wait to start experimenting with using them in cookie recipes. But for now, I will just keep on nibbling on them when no one is looking. :)

(I actually have been sharing them because I can't hide the chocolate peppermint smell on my breath. . . nuts!)

Dark chocolate IS a blessing to me . . . small blessings are good, too!

Rosalie

Yesterday I wrote about my former student, Rosalie. Today, another former student of mine informed me that Rosalie was going to be staying at a homeless shelter with her baby. I am thankful for that.

If anyone has any baby girl clothes that they are getting rid of, please let me know. I am going to try to get a package sent to her. Thank you!!

Please Pray for Rosalie

Yesterday , one of my former students (Rosalie) gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. My heart has been heavy for my dear Rosalie. She has no mother, no husband, and no real support system. She has two jobs to support herself and her baby - braiding hair and helping at a nursing home. Please pray that I will know how to help Rosalie. My goodness . . . raising a baby is hard work! I wish that I lived closer (she lives in Virginia) so I could help her out a little.

Rosalie came to live with John and me for a week during the summer after I had her in the fourth grade. She lived with us so she could attend the Vacation Bible School at our church. She is very special to me. Please pray for her. Thank you!!

Snowy Day

Last night we got about 5 inches of snow, which I was really happy about since all of the snow in our front yard had melted. It was THE PERFECT snowman-building-kind-of-snow . . . finally!! It is usually way to cold for snowmen . . . the snow usually just falls apart. The kids and I had soooo much fun building this guy today.Caroline built a little snowcat for the snowman.
Luke had so much fun just playing in the snow. I built huge snowballs for him to demolish.

Our snowy day snack was fondue. (or "fundue" as the kids like to call it)

Snowy days are blessings!! We had so much fun!! (now if Jake and Daddy would only have a snow day!!)

Luke's Valentine Party

Click here to view these pictures larger

Great Grandma Race

This weekend, John's Grandma Race passed away. We will miss her.

We are glad that we got to spend a little time with her at Christmas and John was able to go see her a few days ago to say "good bye" before she passed away.

One thing that I will remember about her was that she took each one of her grandchildren on an overseas trip when they graduated from high school. What a special gift. She said she wanted to give them the gift of her time. John went to Italy with her when he graduated and he has very fond memories of their time together.

We will be headed for Michigan on Friday for the services.

Upward Basketball

Lately, our Saturdays have been very full. John is leading a basketball league called ALOOO (A League Of Our Own) at the school in the mornings and then he coaches Jake's and Caroline's basketball teams in the afternoon. They are part of a program called Upward Basketball. It is a Christian basketball league that is so much fun. It has been so good for the kids. They are learning a lot about the sport in a Christian environment.

Caroline is getting better every week. Today she made TWO baskets!!! How fun! We were sooo proud of her!

Luke is good about being patient and sitting through all of the games and practices. He is actually starting to cheer and pay attention, but Jake's Nintendo DS sure comes in handy every once in a while. ;)

John is so good with the kids.
I just love that Caroline has such a good time playing.Jake's games get pretty intense. He averages about 5 baskets per game. His height is definitely an advantage!!

This is one of Jake's friends, Grayson . . . he can jump!!

We are blessed to be a part of such a great organization.

Comforting Casserole

I made this casserole today and thought I would share it with you. My Nonny (my Mom's mom) used to make it all the time, so it is very much a "comfort food" for me. :) It is very simple and delicious. (I think)

One 16 oz. bag of frozen broccoli florets

(I always use florets, otherwise there are so many stems) Run the broccoli under warm water for a minute and let the water drain off completely. Place in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

One pound of cooked chicken, cut into cubes

(I boil chicken breasts in water with cut up onions, carrots, and celery leaves, with a dash of pepper and salt . . . for a little extra flavor). Cut up and place over broccoli layer. (you can cook the chicken the night before to make the prep time a lot less the next day)

2 cans of cream of chicken soup, 1 cup of mayo (I use light Miracle Whip), and 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Mix together in a bowl and spread mixture over chicken layer.

One cup shredded Cheddar cheese

(I don't measure this. . . I just use as much as it takes to cover the soup mixture)

3 1/4 cup Pepperidge Farm Herb Stuffing (cannot be the cubed kind) and 3/4 stick of butter

(I told you it was a comfort food!!) Melt the butter in a pan and mix with stuffing. Sprinkle over cheese mixture.
And while you're at it . . . make two!! The recipe is a cinch to double and
I'm sure you can think of someone to give it to . . . I did!! ;)

Super Bowl Champ

"Who Dat?" with the big old smile?? That's my former fourth grade student, Jermon Bushrod, and he has plenty to smile about. :)

AP Photo

We had so much fun rooting for him on Sunday. I have never been so emotionally involved in a football game before.

I found some old photos of him in he fourth grade that I will be posting as soon as I can figure out how to make them digital. (I'm a little behind the times in that area.)

Marshmallow is Sick :(

I was going to post a Favorites on Fridays post, but I am just not in the mood. The kids' hamster, Marshmallow, is sick and I don't think it will be long until she is no longer with us. We took her to the vet today. Her body temperature is very low and one of her eyes is shut and I'll spare you the rest of the details. It is all just so sad. I contemplated whether or not to take her to the vet because I could have bought four new hamsters for the same cost as a vet visit, but I wanted the kids to know that I cared enough to try everything. :(

Loving the "Grouchy Lady"

Yesterday, Caroline, Luke, and I were mailing some letters at a mailbox in a parking lot. It was one of those mailboxes where you just drive up, roll your window down, and put the letters in. The kids wanted to come up to the front seat and put the letters in for me, so I divvied the letters up and they started to put them in the mailbox. Well . . . this lady was behind us and she started yelling at the top of her lungs, "C'mon . . . we don't have all day!!!" She was yelling so loudly that people in the parking lot actually stopped walking and looked our way. Of course the kids quickly scrambled to their seats and buckled up faster than they have ever buckled before. My immediate reaction was to get out of the van and sarcastically say, "Does somebody need a hug?"

But I didn't want this to happen. . .

So instead, I waved apologetically and explained to Luke and Caroline that some people are just not happy so they take it out on people like us. We decided that she needs Jesus to be in her heart. :)

I take everything personally (a BIG flaw of mine) so, of course, I let this grouchy lady ruin the rest of my day. For some reason, I keep thinking about her and I am going to start praying for her with the kids. I want them to know that even though she was mean to us, we should love her and pray for her and maybe someday she will not be grouchy. I know that there MUST be something in her life that is taking away her happiness. There must be. We'll never know, but hopefully one day her heart will soften and she will start counting her blessings. ;)

p.s. and if you have never watched the movie ELF . . . watch it!! (don't wait until Christmas)