Five Things To Do This Weekend

1. Enjoy a festival or carnival.
2. Cut a magnolia blossom and float it in a bowl of water.
3. Catch lightning bugs.
4. Cook lunch on the grill and eat outside together.
5. Order Father's Day gifts before it's too late to get them shipped and you have to shop at WalMart. Again. Make plans for a magical day, while your at it.

Silly Questions

I did this by e-mail for a friend and thought I'd share here. Play along, if you like. :^)

1. What is your occupation right now? Wife, Mother, Home educator, Piano teacher

2.What color are your socks right now? barefoot

3. What are you listening to right now? my husband kissing my baby

4. What was the last thing that you ate? grilled key west chicken, cantaloupe, spinach artichoke dip, and tortilla chips

5. Can you drive a stick shift? no

6. Last person you talked on phone with? my mother-in-law

7.Do you like the person who sent this to you? of course! I've liked her forever

8. How old are you today? 33

9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? pro football, unless ice skating is on

10. What is your favorite drink? really chocolaty hot chocolate

11. Have you ever dyed your hair? yep, and it's about that time

12. Favorite food? cake?

13. What is the last movie you watched? 13 Going on 30

14. Favorite day of the year? a day at the beach, or maybe Thanksgiving Sunday (our church's anniversary service) or Easter or Christmas Eve

15. How do you vent anger? well, I try not to yell or bite someone's head off and call a friend instead

16. What was your favorite toy as a child? barbies

17. What is your favorite season? fall

18. Cherries or Blueberries? blueberries

19. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back? N/A, but let me know if you post this

20. Who is the most likely to respond? don't know - Hannah?

21. Who is least likely to respond? no idea

22. Living arrangements? ranch house

23. When was the last time you cried? no idea - last time I watched the end of Emma?

24. What is on the floor of your closet? boxes of scrap booking supplies, boxes of candles, my sewing box

25. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending? My cousin Jess if she's reading, or Terri and Lisa if she's not

26. What did you do last night? hung out with my husband and Bella, had a Six Dollar Burger, watched a movie, and finished the ice cream pie

27. What are you most afraid of? of my kids growing up in a country that is hostile to people of faith - things can change so quickly

28. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? cheese

29. Favorite dog breed? my mom's Jack Russell is pretty cute, but his breath stinks

30. Favorite day of the week? Thursday (date night)

31. How many states have you lived in? 2

32. Diamonds or pearls? pearls - not a big fan of diamonds

33. What is your favorite flower? Roses!

Free Summer Movies

If you have a Regal Cinemas near you, you should check out their Free Family Film Festival. It's air-conditioned fun and a rainy day life-saver,not to mention a really fun way to catch the family movies you missed. I often avoid renting kids movies in hopes that they will play them during the summer movies and we can see it for the first time on the big screen.

Love Stories

Okay, girls. Are you still out there? I want to start blogging more - sometimes it seems like almost everyone that reads my blog is on Facebook, so it gets hard to be motivated...



I need some good romance novels - nothing trashy, but it doesn't have to be Christian fiction either. I spent last summer loving the Twilight books, but I'm sick of rereading them - there's got to be other great love stories that I haven't already read. What are your favorites? I usually get my books at the library, but I'm almost desperate enough for a fantastic (note I didn't just say "good") love story that I could be persuaded to pay good money for it. :^)



Some favorites of mine:



The Savannah Quartet by Euguenia Price

The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer

The English Garden Series and The Princess by Lori Wick

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson

The Wedding Dress and With This Ring by Marian Wells

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

The Stonewycke Trilogy my Michael Phillipis and Judith Pella



I'm looking for the kind of book that you can't put down, have to cry over, can't stop thinking about when you've finished it, and are inclined to reread it frequently. Help!

Bella Grace

less than 24 hours old

Bella Grace was born on May 11 after bein strongly persuaded by my doctor :^). I had a very smooth and easy delivery despite her reluctance to make an appearance. When she did get here, though, she was so alert and wanted to take everything in. The kids are thrilled with her.

*

My parents, grandma, and some of my siblings arrived on the 16th for a couple of weeks and they overhauled my house and yard. Everything is very clean - it's so nice.

*

We were planning on choosing between Maria Grace and Grace Isabel (which I was leaning toward and had even started calling her "Gracie" a little to try it out - that and Brian stunned me with a fantastic performance of "Miss Grace", and you know that I'm a sucker for names that have songs), but told people to not be surprised by a curveball name.

*

It turns out that my best friend delivered her fourth baby four weeks early the Saturday before Bella was born on Monday, so she was at the hospital with us. Dara, Brian, and I talked baby names Sunday night and she kept telling me that I should name her whatever I really loved. I have a big complusion to avoid overly popular names, especially any name in the top ten baby names list. I've had Isabella on name lists for years, but had pretty much just deleted it from serious consideration because it is around #1 on some name lists and because the popularity of the Twilight books (which it's no secret that I love) would probably keep it there for a while. But I really liked the name Bella, so did Dara, and Brian did too - and we haven't agreed on much. We like a lot of the same names, but weren't loving the same ones this time around. So Bella was suddenly in the running, and we decided that if we went with it it would be just Bella, not Isabella.

*

When she was born, everyone in the delivery room just kept saying that she was so beautiful, and that seemed to be the sign I'd been asking for. So Bella, which means "beautiful", became her name after all.

Due Date

Well, this is technically supposed to be D-Day.

It's also our church picnic. I really hate missing the church picnic- it's usually scheduled Memorial Day weekend and we're usually out of town. I was happy to know we'd be in town this year.

We have a big open-air service - our church usually has to have three identical services, so this is the only time that everyone actually gets to worship together.

Then I saw the first announcement for it - scheduled on my due date. So I kept thinking, Hurry up baby and we can go to the picnic - you'll be two weeks old...one week old...five days old???

Never mind, I'll apparently (unless something happens in the next several hours) still be pregnant.

But she could always come tonight, right?

Oh, and did I mention there's a 50% chance of rain? I think the rain date is in two weeks...good grief. Please be sunny.

I love this kid!

Ethan said to Brian this morning, "Dad, you know, I don't think it's really love that makes the babies. I'm thinking it might be that DNA stuff." :^)

Then at dinner he shared, " I think I know why God gave me all sisters - He wants me to be content with what I have."

Isn't he sweet?

All the colors of the world

Rosie loves to cook and Rosie loves to sing. She recently got a new-to-her play kitchen that came with a new play phone.

So she was walking around chatting on the phone the other day. To her husband. On his birthday. So she was singing him his favorite song.

Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Yellow, green, and black, and white
They are precious in his sight...

And she sang on, adding all sorts of colors, "all the colors of the world."

Did I mention she likes to improvise new lyrics when she sings?

Tax Day Tea Party

Find one near you! http://taxdayteaparty.com/ Tomorrow!

Happy Easter!

Can you see Anna's toothless smile?

She lost her second front tooth on Saturday. :^)

A Rainbow Birthday Party

Anna Kate spied a rainbow cupcake cake at Walmart

a couple of months ago, and decided that she wanted

a rainbow party.

After watching Noah's Ark the kids came up to eat cupcakes

and tie-dye ice cream

" Pin the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow"

The boys high-tailed it to Ethan's bedroom while the

girls headed to the playroom to enjoy Anna Kate's new

I Want to be a Hula Dancer and Wear a Flower Lei! DVD

Painting watercolor rainbows - they then added foam

flower and animal stickers, several painted arks as well

After opening presents, they all got a pack of glow

necklaces in rainbow colors.

Some friends slept over and the Lucky Charms and

simple version virgin Tequila Sunrise (make your own

by adding some grenadine to your glass of orange juice)
completed the rainbow theme.

Dinner tonight

was yummy. Brian's been watching food network shows and clips on hulu lately and Paula Dean hooked him with this recipe. The red onion mayo was so much better (and milder) than I anticipated.

Anna Kate's Birthday Letter

I've been not getting these done, so it's fifteen minutes to midnight on her birthday, and here it goes:

April 1, 2009

Little Anna bird,

I really can't believe that you're already six! (I bet I say that every year, just with a different number). As usual there have been so many new things and great events and accomplishments. Most recently, you've just finished kindergarten and lost your first tooth, and the second one is loose! So now you're a reader. And you've become a pretty good independent learner too, thanks to my being sick the whole school year.

You had your first meal at KFC and probably your first taste of real fried chicken this year (courtesy of growing up in a gluten-free home), and were spastic about the whole thing. Said it was the best food ever and that you could never get too full there, and that you wished there was no such thing as money so that you could eat there every day. Your a real foodie, and your enthusiasm and brightness infuses our lives with so much joy.

You're still a grits girl, from your love for the actual thing, to your cute Southern pronunciations. You think you're a tomboy, but I think you're just a Southern belle - all girly on the outside and steel on the inside.

You and Ethan and Rose love each other so much. Of course, sometimes you try to kill each other, but usually it's just so fun watching you all troop around together. And I get a kick out of you girls taking turns being Ethan's wife or daughter to play a family. And that you always want to sleep in the same room so that none of you has to be alone.

Barbies have been a staple toy again this year, and your dolls and animals are frequent company, but as usual, your interests are the hardest to peg, because you remain the social butterfly flitting from person to person and eager to just join in on whatever is happening.

The exception to that would be dancing - you love it. You may not always want to be a Miss Louise's, but your theme song could definitely be, "Gotta Dance" because any strain of music sets you in motion. You love hula, tap, ballet, waltzing with Ethan, doing contra dancing at a festival, calypsoeing on a boat at Chingoteague, and just plain jammin'.

And both of you girls love Paula Dean. This cracks me up too, but you are just as thrilled to watch an episode of her show as you are to watch a princess movie (probably more). The lady is funny, though, and you're right, she loves butter. You like Jon and Kate Plus 8 too - you watch it with Gran, but I have to say that here we diverge. Kate really irritates me.

You are kind and stubborn, sassy and sweet, beautiful and bold.

You love to do Bible studies with Daddy, and he loves having you snuggled up next to him. You have such a quick mind and retain information so very well. You are a joy to teach.

Board games have been a hit this year too. Trouble and Monopoly Jr. are at the top of the list right now. Daddy and I have so much fun playing games with you guys, and you're never a sore loser.

And all three of you are artists like your dad. You're a creative soul, and I was so impressed with your school drawings this year.

You're on the brink of more great events. You've been itching to be baptized for at least a couple of years now, and finally it's happening in just a few weeks. The tooth fairy is going to be handing out lots of new charms for that bracelet she gave you. The pink princess room is almost a reality. And I believe that I'm going to watch an independent reader emerge. Just don't grow up too fast.

I bet I'll think of lots more to add, and so will Daddy, but if this is truly the end of the letter, know sweet girl that we love you so much, and more and more every year. You are the spark plug of my life, crazy baby.

Love,

Mommy

Happy Birthday, Anna Kate!

She had her requested cherry poptarts for breakfast, spent the morning playing, then picked out her birthday cake. She's having cupcakes at her Friday night party, so she chose a cheesecake assortment. On to KFC to pick up lunch, then her first visit to Monkey Joe's. They had a blast, but those inflatable play places are SO LOUD! Back at home we had a baked ziti supper with Gran and Pa, gift opening, and the cheesecake finale. Not a bad birthday.

making a wish

Maternity clothes

I have been very blessed in my maternity clothes shopping. Most of the pieces I'm wearing this time around are new for this pregnancy. My maternity clothes from Anna and Ethan were mostly too small :^( and I borrowed most of my clothes for Rose's pregnancy from two friends. One has since gotten rid of all of her maternity clothes and the other is due a month after me.

So I needed to by some new stuff. I found some really nice dresses at a consignment sale for a fraction of their original prices. Most of the rest I found at my favorite thrift store and other consignment stores, usually for $1-5 a piece.

I prefer the underbelly waistlines - so much more comfortable and fewer lines showing - plus they fit sooner and can be worn postpartum, provided one can find long enough tops, however right now fashion is working in my favor. I actually found a number of cute spring skirts and dresses, as well as lots of capri/flood pants.

Also I've tried a new thing - the maternity belly band. I should have bought a stack - it's so handy, especially right now, when my belly keeps wanting to show. But at $20 a pop they rattle by budget sensibilities. I have a black one right now, though, and I'm really considering ordering a lighter color fast because I really think they're going to be very handy for nursing too - that and to hide the fact that I'll probably be wearing maternity pants way longer postpartum than is respectable. :^)

See I've entered the problem weeks. You know, the last several weeks where the tops that were previously unwearable tents are suddenly the only tops that cover your waistband. And all of those really cute tops are way too short. Half the pants no longer go over the belly at all (even the little bit they're supposed too). Then compound that by the fact that all of this much needed rain is making the temperatures much too cool to wear the capris and dresses that were bought to be larger.

So lately I've been frequently begging the dryer to hurry and dry the one pair of pants that are clean and fit so that I can get to my appointments on time.

Hurry warm weather - I want to wear all of those cute spring clothes a few times - but then, if that doesn't work out, maybe no one will notice that they're pregnancy clothes when I'm still wearing them in July!

Weekend Getaway

We've been planning this trip for a while (it was our Christmas/my birthday gift). We'd planned to go in January, but then my grandmother died and we went to PA again, and I was still feeling so lousy that we postponed it. This weekend we finally got away while the getting was good. At nearly 34 weeks I was running out of time. The predicted weather in the area was cooler than ideal and we finally decided on Gatlinburg, TN and made reservations the morning of the day we left. So it was a little crazy.

I don't sleep at night anymore. Reflux/heartburn pretty much makes that a fruitless endeavor until about 4 AM. By then, I've either attempted sleep and thrown up enough to sleep, or my dinner has completely digested. So Friday was a typical day, in that I was exhausted and unintentionally fell back to sleep for a couple of hours around lunch, which puts all the homeschooling behind... Brian was so sweet. He got home by 4PM and was just so happy to be going that he didn't mind that I'd finally gotten the kids packed and off to their Gran's and cheerfully helped me pack. So we left after six, much later than I'd planned.

But the whole drive there is lovely. We stopped about an hour away from our destination at a local seafood place and enjoyed our meal (even if mine did have an incredibly short life span), then wound through the last wooded leg in the dark behind a slow SUV, undoubtedly driven by a woman, as she was very hesitant and spent most of the time straddling the yellow line as she rounded mountain curves. It was only on the trip back that we partially forgave her after seeing the 200 foot drops on the sides of some of those curves that had no guardrails. :^)

We finally arrived at our perfect and lovely motel. We checked in, built a fire in the fireplace, and relaxed.

the buildings to the right are our motel,

our building is the one hidden in the trees

wish I'd gotten a real fire shot - we really enjoyed it -

except the night that it got wayyyy too hot, and we had

to turn on the air conditioner and open the balcony door and

wait an hour until I could stand to be in the room again. :^)

Each morning they delivered delicious homemade donuts to

our door. Breakfast in bed - heaven!


View from the aerial tram we rode up, then back down the mountain
Yep, we're suspended on those cables




balcony view

and view from the balcony

We spent the next day wandering the strip, napping (well, I napped, as my nights were unfortunately following their usual pattern), and generally enjoying each other's company. The weather, felt much warmer than it should have and was really quite perfect for this overheated mama. And we were both so happy to return to our nice crackling fire.

The ride home was beautiful! We followed this stream through

national park for the first leg.

When we left the stream behind, the mountain views were gorgeous.

Scripture and Education

I just got back from a lovely weekend away with my Brian. But I've had a serious shake-up in my world this past week. I've tried to be open-minded concerning educational choices that I consider to be less than ideal, but after hearing a family's testimony that really struck me as wholly wrong, I have been contemplating and researching his even more and I'm just not feeling as open minded. I have no desire to be judgmental, but I am becoming very concerned with what seems to be a lack of biblical dialogue on what Scripture truly does have to say about educational choices. And if those choices are really so open to private opinion. I have a lot that I have sorted through, and I'm not sure how much I want to throw out here, but I'm just going to start with some scripture. I'd love to hear your opinions on how they do or do not apply to the type of education Christian parents can consider for their children. At the very least, they are food for serious thought.

Deuteronomy 11:18 “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 19 You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up (NKJV)

What is the best way to do this?
I recommend this article for some interesting insights and statistics. There are lots of rather consistent statistics out there on varying educational results, but verifying original sources has proven to be obnoxiously difficult.

Luke 6:39 He also told them a parable: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.

Can a parent reasonably expect to have more influence than another teacher the child listens to for the majority of his day?


2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.

I've most often heard this applied to marriage, and then to business partnerships. Only this past week did I see someone apply this to education. Do you think that this is valid? Can you work together with an unbelieving, Christ-denying teacher/institution/system to educate you children? When is this unbiblical?

I have lots of questions, and not as many answers.

Give me some feedback.

St. Patrick's Day Food

Today we're having:

for breakfast: Lucky Charms with the milk the leprechauns turned green

for lunch; something with honeydew

for dinner: corned beef and cabbage - might have to throw it in the slow cooker and lime kool-aid mixed with ginger ale

for dessert: mint chocolate chip ice cream sundaes with St. Patrick's Day sprinkles

I'm keepin' it simple this year.

Here are some good Irish recipes from Betty Crocker:

Peanutty Good Luck Snack

Reuben Casserole

Slow Cooker Old-World Corned Beef and Vegetables

Saint Patrick's Day Activites

1. Draw a face on the leprechaun at Crayola.
2. Try the mazes from beginner to complex at Kid's Domain.
3. Cute printable preschool workbook from Giggly Games.
4. Read about who Patrick really was as well as his actual writings at A Joyful Heart.
5. Make some pot of gold jello and clover cupcakes from Family Fun.
6. Make and hang the shamrock shimmers at Nestle's Very Best Baking.
7. Find a dancing fairy and other lovely paper crafts at the Toymaker.
8. Choose a celtic cross coloring page at Apples4theTeacher.
9. Try pepper painting shamrocks.
10. Print sweet bookmarks at Jen Brett's website.
11. Do your copywork on St. Patty's handwriting paper from BillyBear4Kids.
12. Make a leprechaun friend at Making Friends.
13. Complete the wordsearch from The Family Corner.

Originally published March 11, 2007

John Stossel on the Bailout

ht to Jim Demint