hard day

Today was a hard day for me.
My baby had his last day of preschool.
I couldn't even get a picture of him with his teachers because I could not hold myself together enough to take one.
I had no idea I was going to feel this way.

Next year he will be going to all-day kindergarten.

How will I make it through the day without seeing this smile?

gone camping . . . wish me luck

I will not be blogging for the next few days.
I'm going to camp.
With a bunch of fifth graders.
Wish me luck . . .

source

I've been warned that the hardest part of the trip will be the bus ride.

source

I can't imagine that will be too bad . . .

the part I'm worried about is the sleeping arrangement.

I hope the girls like to sleep because I sure do.

Another thing I'm a little concerned about is the food.

I'm a little picky lately about what I eat.

I think I may stash some things away in my suitcase.

Like dark chocolate high protein/low carb foods.

I actually am pretty excited about going to camp and being one of the people "in charge".

That means I get to chew gum and drink coffee while all the other kids can't. :)

I'm sure I will have many pictures and interesting stories to share with you when I return.

meal for a new mother

When I had my babies, I was not really connected in any church or school groups so I didn't have many people making me dinners.

When I had my third baby, two people brought dinner to me and it meant the world to me.

I felt loved.
I felt cared for.
I will never forget those two dinners or the people who made them for me.

So now I try to take new moms dinners as often as I can. 
I hope they feel as blessed as I did.

Today, I took one to a friend who had a sweet baby girl.

This is what I made:

ValSoCal's Chicken Cordon Bleu Penne
(recipe here)**note: I added another half jar of alfredo sauce and decreased the bread crumbs to 1/4 cup (I used Italian bread crumbs mixed with melted butter)

Cut Up Fruit
(doesn't it look great?? It's all from Aldi and it was cheap!)

Toffee Bars for dessert
(recipe here)

I wanted to carry it over in something cute so I found this bag at the Dollar Tree.

I ironed the baby's sweet name on the bag.

(I will make a whole post about this ironing on process because it was a big fail, not only once, but twice.  I went back to the Dollar Tree two times!  Anyway . . . I have got it down to a science now.)


I added a hair accessory for sweet Mirabelle. (can you get over that name??)

It was a blessing to me to be able to serve my friend in this way.

oh, to be an American Girl doll

The other day, I walked into Caroline's room and noticed her American Girl dolls "sleeping" so sweetly.

It happened to be one of those days where I was just feeling so overloaded and overwhelmed with all my responsiblities.

laundry to do
bills to pay
appointments to make
messes to clean (lots of them)
people to call
dinners to plan
you know . . . the usual

I stopped and looked at how they were tucked in so carefully and wearing such cute jammies (way cuter than my jammies).
I couldn't help but sigh and wish I could be one of them just for one day . . . having a sweet girl named Caroline to take care of all my needs.
Just for one day.
Wouldn't that be nice?

~which American Girl doll would you choose to be??
I would be Kirsten because she is Swedish (and so am I).

***
Today was absolutely BEAUTIFUL outside.
We decided to open our pool.
I'll post some pics of our weekend tomorrow.
I have some cookies to bake and a house to clean (Bible Study is here tomorrow)
Thanks for stopping by!!

my love / hate relationship with baseball season

Baseball season has officially arrived.

I just love watching Jake play . . .
he got a triple in tonight's game!! 
Cloud nine is what he was walking on tonight . . .
I love that between huffs and puffs on third base, he asked John, "Do you think Mommy saw me??" 

I'm glad I wasn't accidentally looking the other way, not that I ever take my eyes off the game. :)

I love that John is coaching.
I love that he is there for Jake
and I love that he is doing something that he loves to do.

After tonight's game, he was all excited telling me about all of the different signs. 
Just like a little boy. :) 
I love that.

I love that Jake gets to hang out so much with his buddies.



Now . . . I want to tell you something I hate don't really like about the baseball season.

Packing suppers.

I have completely run out of ideas.

Sandwiches, sandwiches, sandwiches.

Please help me out and give me some fun ideas of how I can feed my family a few times a week at a baseball park without using the word "sandwich".

Thank you!!

Spring is in the Air

What a wonderful day it was!

It has been such a long winter, hasn't it??

Today's warm weather was so very needed.

We've been cooped up way too long.

I'm so excited that Spring is actually on its way.

I was beginning to wonder if it would ever come.

My outlook on life seems to be so much brighter when the weather is nice . . . is that how you are, too?

We are dogsitting for our neighbor's sweet dog, Josie.  Luke says he doesn't like dogs . . . do you think he means it?

Blessed

What has happened in Japan is devastating.
Beyond words.
It's hard to sit here and not know what to do to help.

Simple things we have are such blessings.
I almost started to complain about the cold this morning and then I stopped.
We have a warm home.
A bed to crawl into at night.
A cozy kitchen to bake in.
A piano to practice on.

Beki at The Rusted Chain is doing something to help the people in Japan.
She is selling these "Blessed" necklaces and for every one she sells, she is donating $10 to World Vision.

I'm going to order mine right now. 

It will be a good reminder to me of how blessed we really are.  Order yours today, too!!

(Go here to order!)

"Soul" Food

I have been feeling very "full" lately because of all the "soul food" I have been feasting on.

One thing that has been "filling" me up is listening to this CD.

I just love it. 
Amy Grant singing my favorite hymns . . .
Definitely a nourishment to my soul.
(The kids like it, too, and I am glad they are learning the words to hymns because of it.)

Another thing that has been "filling" me up is this Bible Study.

It is a study on contentment by Laurie Cole and it is titled There is a Season.

In this study, we are learning all about the different seasons of our lives and how we can learn to be content in all of them.  Right now, we are studying David's life and all of his different seasons and how God was using each season to prepare him for the next one. 

I have been getting so much out of this study.  It is well-written and I look forward to my time that I spend doing my "homework".

God has been really speaking to my heart about how true contentment/satisfaction can only come from Him.

I encourage you to get involved in a Bible Study.  What a great accountability system!  I had such a hard time making time to read my Bible before, but now that I am in a group study, I am so much more motivated. 

Accountability is key.

Another thing that has been "filling" me up is my time with Luke.

He goes to Pre-K in the mornings and I have the afternoons with him.

I savor my afternoons with him.

He's my little buddy.

My time with him definitely nourishes my soul. :)

What has been nourishing your soul??

Make Time For YOU

I told you all about my New Years Resolutions here.

I wanted to give you a little update.

Fortunately, I have been good. (yay!!)

I have been exercising regularly (skipping a day here and there) with my buddy Jillian Michaels.  Let me tell you something .. . she knows what she is doing.

I have never felt so great.
I feel like I have so much more energy.
I feel more toned.
I feel less hungry.
I feel good because I am doing something for ME.

I want to encourage you all to take time out of your busy days to exercise.
I used to make excuses like, "my shoulder hurts", "I have too much laundry to do", "I'm too tired", blah, blah, blah. . .

It is not easy at times to put those clothes on and turn on that DVD.
I did it tonight at 10:00.
Laundry was waiting for me all over the couch.
I was tired.
And I wanted to eat chocolate.
But I did it.
And I'm so glad I did.

One major thing that has been helping me is accountability.
I have a few friends who are holding me accountable.  There have been many days when I would not have mustered up the energy to do my workout if I didn't have anyone checking up on me. 

So . . . go grab your weights, call a friend or two and get going!!
You will be glad you did!

Philippians 4:13

"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."

Some Flowers to Brighten Your Day

During the winter, I always like to have some real flowers blooming in my house. They make me happy.


We planted this amaryllis about 5 weeks ago.
It has been fun watching it grow. and grow. and grow.

These sweet little primroses were only 99 cents at Aldi.
I love that they were selling them in the midst of a giant blizzard.

Aren't they happy??

I Spy with My Little Eye . . .

Yesterday at lunch, I was playing "I Spy With My Little Eye" with the kids. 

It was Luke's turn.

He looked straight at me and said, "I spy with my little eye something that I love."

I (hopefully) said, "Me???"

"Yup. You guessed it."

Swoon.

My Word for 2011

The other day on K-LOVE (my favorite Christian radio station ~ "positive and encouraging") they were urging everyone to find a key word or phrase for the year 2011.

I decided right away that I needed to find MY WORD!

I have been really thinking about what word I should focus on in 2011.

I asked for suggestions on facebook (I will have to say that I love facebook for times such as these). . . here are some of the suggestions:

"gratitude"
"contentment"
"be there"
"courage"
"intentional" (because so often we just randomly go through the day or go through it on auto-pilot.....It applies to how we treat each other, how we do our work/homework, what we say, what we eat....)
"clear" (as in transparent, free, pure, defined, without distraction)
"simplify"
"declutter"
"trust"
"perspective"
"peace"
"recover"(...not in the sense of RECOVERY..like with an addiction, but rather like the idea that Grace for our mistakes and shortcomings gives us the ability to RECOVER quickly.. acknowledge the mistake, learn and MOVE FORWARD... no wallowing allowed (that is prideful and self-absorbed).. as to RESET, and to shake perfectionistic thinking out of the mind...that is a trap.)

Wow . . . some really good ideas, right??  I really like all of them, but I think the one I will probably choose is "intentional".  This word means "characterized by conscious design or purpose".  I want to really put a lot of thought into everything I do.  (no more flying by the seat of my pants!!)

I want to be intentional in:

• the words I say
• the time I spend with my kids and my husband
• what I read
• how I (we) raise our children 
• the work I do at home and when I'm tutoring
• my friendships  
• my thoughts
• my relationship with my husband
• what I eat
• how I decorate and organize our home
• the time I spend with the Lord
• my plans 
• the money I spend
• how I use my time
• what I cook for my family
• what I sign my kids up for (sports, music, etc)
• everything I do!

I have also chosen a word for our FAMILY for the year 2011, but that will have to wait for another post.  I am intentionally ending this post now so I can go get some much needed sleep. :)


By the way . . . what is YOUR word for 2011??

Meet my Family

I post a ton of pictures of my kids on this blog . . . but I want to introduce you to the rest of my family . . .
My mom, my dad, my sister, Diane, and my brother, Steve.

They are my number one support system.  They are my friends. They are who I call first when I have a problem.  They are the ones who have made me who I am today.  They are my prayer warriors. They are my advice-givers.  They know me, truly know me, but love me anyway.  They are my family . . . and I love them and appreciate them so very much.

 We all got together this New Years and we had a great time.  Steve's wife, Rebecca, and Diane's husband, Colin, and of course, John, are a great addition to our family and also love and appreciate them so very much!

“The love of a family is life's greatest blessing”

Muffin Tops and Clementines

Well . . . I just got finished doing the Shred and I feel great!! Day 7 complete! 23 to go?!

I've just got to get rid of my muffin tops . . .

 . . . and my saddle bags! ;)

I will!!

Now, to totally change the subject . . .

I wanted to tell you about a book series that Caroline and I have been reading. 

They are the Clementine books written by Sara Pennypacker.

We LOVE them!

Clementine is an imaginative, creative, observant, and playful 3rd grader. She pays attention to every detail of daily life. Her teachers keep telling her to "pay attention" in class! (She keeps thinking "I am paying attention.") She's  a challenge for her parents (she refers to herself as "the hard one" as opposed to her "easy" brother). She doesn't always make the right decisions, but her lessons are great ones and they are funny!!
Clementine is a great friend.  In the chapter that we read tonight, her friend, Margaret, got glue stuck in her hair and was trying to cut it out with scissors.  Her hair looked awful after she was finished with it.  Clementine decided to try to help and even it out, which meant cutting ALL of Margaret's hair off (with plastic art scissors).  Margaret's parents were furious at Clementine. She felt bad for Margaret, so that night she cut off all of her own hair to make Margaret feel like she was not alone.  Yikes!   

We love Clementine!!