Quick Takes Friday

A golden oldie :)
AL and Zak with their slurpees.
Jed and Manny clones.

1. It was sufficiently far enough above freezing this week to go to the park....twice!

2. Lesson learned this week; if you have a medical problem that you are pretty sure only a specialist can handle, see a specialist. Don't let your family dr. try to persuade you otherwise. :)
Dyl had a terrible ingrown toenail and we went to the family dr to see about it. My guess was he was going to refer us to a podiatrist, but apparently he thought he could handle it himself. And I believed him.
The result was horrifying. Nothing worse than watching your 18 yo son shaking with pain.
He asked us to come back in a week so he could finish the job, but we decided to find a podiatrist on our own.
The result; very little pain and problem solved in a 10 minute procedure. Ack!


3. I went to see "SlumDog Millionaire" this week. I don't often go see movies in the theater, but Al thought I would like it and suggested we go together. Believe you me, I don't ever turn down an offer for a date with one of my handsome boys. :) And I hit the jackpot! All three big boys went. But I digress.
It was a very well made movie. The ending was lovely, but you had to go through so much jarring reality to get to it, I'll admit I was a bit shellshocked by the time it was over.
Well, it truly was a movie that made you think, or more importantly reflect upon the lives of the great multitudes who live in third world countries ( I don't know that India can be *pristinely* considered a third world country anymore, although a lot of it's population does live in extreme poverty). We are often so sheltered from knowing about how they live and what they deal with on a regular basis. I certainly don't begrudge it's "Best Movie of the Year" award, no siree! I'm in agreement with that.....but maybe I could have dealt with it better by waiting to see it on Netflix. ;)

4. Lent. Not doing well, but better than the norm. I guess that is progress.

5. I somewhat bemoan the fact that there are too many pictures of Jed, Manny and Gabriella on this blog. Not because I don't think they are adorable subject matter ( what kind of mother would I be if I did not? ;) but because I DO HAVE OTHER children.
I can only blame it on Naomi. I don't take pictures. I get ridiculed if I do :).
So whatever she comes up with is what I use. Funny, Jackson and George don't make it to her" A" list very often. HA ha HA.

6. Under the list of things I can't do very well ( besides take pictures) no matter how hard I try:

1. See above.
2. make a pie crust. which is strange because my father is the master at pie crust ( and pie) making. So are my mother and grandmother. You'd think some of those genes might have rubbed off.
3. I can't cut hair worth a darn. I ALWAYS make a mess of it.
4. I don't sew very well, although I like to do it and try and try. It's especially bitter since I have two sil's who are experts here. ;)
5. figure out anything technical. my eyes just glaze over. I am lazy, but my children contribute to it since they are good at it and it's just easier to let them do it.

7. Thought for the week:

"All God wants is our heart. And he is more pleased when we value our uselessness and weakness out of love and reverence for his holy will, than when we do violence to ourselves and perform great works of penance. Now, you know that the peak of perfection lies in our wanting to be what God wishes us to be: so, having given you a delicate constitution, he expects you to take care of it and not demand of it what he himself, in his gentleness, does not ask for."

- (Letters of Spiritual Direction)

St Frances Jane Chantal

7.

Daybook Feb. 22, 2009

Simple Woman’s Daybook ~ February 22, 2009

Outside my window . . .Still dark, still cold. Lots more snow.

I am thinking . . .is it really fair, when you have waited 12 years for another little girl, that she insists on picking out her own clothes at age 2? Couldn't she have waited until she was 16??? ( or 30, for that matter? ; ) Doesn't she know her mother lives to dress her up in cute little outfits???

I am thankful for. . .Value Center Market, who gave Noah his first job :) and I really like to shop there, anyway. My new headquarters for good deals.

From the schoolroom. . . preparing for Lent....which is somehow starting this week! ACK!

From the kitchen . . . nothing too unusual here. The big kids have been out and about so much this week and everyone has had a stomach bug so I almost haven't had to cook. I did get really energetic Friday night and made two meals for the weekend, but we haven't even eaten the stew yet. ;0) What to have for our Mardi Gras celebration?

I am wearing . . .khaki sweats. brown t-shirt, cream hoodie

I am creating . . .more curtains. always curtains. :)

I am going . . .hoping to go see "Slum Dog Millionaire" with Al today. I wonder if it will be a madhouse due to the awards won? :)

I am reading and watching . . . Things I Have Kept Silent About. (Azar Nafisi) Almost done. I'm not completely sure I agree with her worldview, but a very compelling book on a number of levels. Excellent writer.

I watched "Fanny and Alexander" for the first time this weekend. I know it is a critically acclaimed movie. I do see why in some respects- in others-- I guess I am just not artsy enough to appreciate good filmwork ( cough, cough)

Here are some of the *themes* I get irritated with in so many movies ( this one included)

1. The religious person is always the bad guy.

2. Artsy, creative people are the heroines.

3. God cannot be trusted. He's capricious and the cause for all that is bad in the world, but the beauty and glory of life is due to nature, I guess ( never Him).

4. Men cannot possibly be faithful and monogamous, so why not embrace them giving into their lower natures?

It was lovely to revisit Scandinavia, always interested in that from our days in Sweden....

and I LOVED the decor. I like the modern- IKEA- Swedish look, too, but I like what I dub the "Carl Larsson" genre even better. Great use of colors and eclectic elements. Very busy. Just me. ;)

Naomi and I are working on the BBC series of "Pride and Prejudice" Colin Firth is a much better Mr. D'Arcy. ;)

I am hoping . . .Al gets his promotion. Interview today @ 10 am!

I am praying . . Ditto and Cassie's recovery this week. Coiling procedure went well, thanks be to God! Noah to do well at his new position.

I am hearing . . . just the furnace running.

Around the house. . . new kitchen curtains, that's about it.

One of my favorite things. . . Gabriella just started saying "I love you" on her own completely unprodded. Bliss. :)

A few plans for the rest of the week. . . Ash Wednesday this week. How to explain lent to Jed? The kids at St Cyril are putting on "The Lion,Witch, Wardrobe" Saturday. Cotillion/Fat Tuesday on Tuesday :) Have to run to the highschool this morning to get Noah a work permit. Dyl has a dr appt. Thursday.

Here’s a picture I am sharing. .

————————

As always, don’t forget to pop by Peggy’s and see the other entries for this week’s Simple Woman’s Daybook.

7 Quick Takes Friday

1. There is a silver lining to every cloud. If you want to lose some weight, having a stomach bug go through the house is one fine way to do it. :) Even if you are blessed not to have gotten a full blown case of it, you won't feel much like eating after cleaning up the messes and you won't have to cook much but the odd bowl of oatmeal. Not much temptation there.

2. For some reason, I didn't get any hormonal headaches this month. I've been plagued with them for about the past 6 months or so. The frustrating thing is I have no idea why?

3. Dyl's team lost yet another heartbreaking game to their arch rivals HAACH. They lost by one point after the ref didn't let them have a basket on a technicality. Once again they came from behind to close the gap ( and even go ahead) during the second half. OUCH! Maybe they can school them at the tournament. :)

4. Funny thing I saw this week on the web." www.oh crap my parents have a facebook" LOL!
(I don't, but Tim does, but even that doesn't stop some of my face-booking offspring from letting it all hang out. You know who you are.

5. Hmmm. Last Saturday I happened upon a strangely morbid show while I was ironing. It was one of those reality deals where they follow a medical examiner. What caught my interest was that it was the medical examiner for OUR county. I just couldn't get over our little burb ( where the office is located) being featured on a national tv network!
Of course, there were several shots of him practicing his trade. Gulp. One of his *patients* was a woman my age who had passed on from an undiagnosed heart problem. Double gulp. Good thing I've gotten on this healthy eating program. Sort of. (see #6) Gulp, gulp, gulp and more gulps. All I could focus on were her fabulously manicured and painted toenails ( for some reason they kept showing them, but thankfully NOT the rest of her during the procedure) and how mine are, well, in not so great shape.
I guess when your mom told you to wear- clean- underwear- in- case- you- get- in- an- accident kind of works here, too. If you want to look your best during an autopsy, keep those feet pretty .......even in the winter. Just in case.

6. Today at lunch Dylan told me he was getting full. ( He, Al, Tim and I went out :) I told him I was full about 10 minutes ago but kept on eating. Therein lies the problem. Why can't I just taste a few bites of good stuff and then stop? What possesses me ( and I know I'm not alone) to keep on eating it even when I KNOW and FEEL I've had enough?
Well, I suppose half the battle is identifying the problem. Onward and upward!

7. Under 5 products we couldn't live without
1. Most definitely Advil for all the headache sufferers.
2. Oxyclean
3. Spray and Wash
4. Eggs. One of the very few proteins J/M love.
5. This winter; Aquapor.

The natives are getting restless........

It seems about the end of February or so the kids progress from a "once a week" asking where their beloved Meemaw and Papa are to several times a day. I guess they start to realize they haven't seen them in awhile and where the heck are they, doggone it?

Manny "Can we go over meemaw and papa's?"
Me "Well, they're not home, they're down in Florida with Nanny."
Manny "Oh."

10 minutes later.

Manny " Can we go over meemaw and papa's?"

And on and on it goes. Thankfully, once we hit April the countdown can begin. :)

Today Jed added " Mom, can we borrow meemaw and papa's house?"

Me "Why would we need to do that?"

Jed "Well..........there's a lot of good stuff there. " :)

Timely words from Father Perrone

Why do we do the bad things we do?
The hard lessons of trial and error
sometimes lead one to reform his ways,
but not always. It can be frustrating to
the sinner to find himself prey to his own
seeming incapability to stop his sinful
conduct. From the standpoint of the
onlooker, it can be mighty tempting to
disdain a sinner. One can take a haughty
attitude towards and scold him or at least
revile him for his lapses and relapses.
There are some persons who have a duty
to reprimand: parents, for example,
judges, and priests, but even they must
remember to be compassionate. If even
only lately, I have come to have a more
sympathetic attitude towards sinners, not
in condoning sin, but in being more
disposed to be considerate of the
weaknesses and the felt helplessness that
sinners experience in the face of their
temptations. Making a mess out of one’s
life through sin weighs heavy on the soul
and they suffer greatly for it. All too
many fail to get the help needed to
rebuild their spiritual lives and fortify
themselves against future sins. God gets
the whole picture, of course, knowing
the sinner’s freedom to refuse, but also
the strength of temptation that lures him.
This is why God will judge with absolute
fairness in consideration of His
comprehensive knowledge.

ouch.
but thank you.

Father Eduard Perrone
Assumption Grotto Church, Detroit

Daybook Feb. 16, 2009

Simple Woman’s Daybook ~ February 16th, 2009

Outside my window . . .Still dark, but mild.

I am thinking . . .why do we have two different viruses going on here simultaneously? ;)

I am thankful for. . .my washing machine. :) And Jed is being such a sweetie this morning helping with the sick ones. Getting ice chips and pedialyte popcicles for them while I clean up messes and throw loads of laundry in.

From the schoolroom. . . focusing on President's this week in honor of President's day. Got the Ken Burn's Civil War video series for Noah to watch. He has to write a paper on some component of the civil war. I think this will give him lots of food for thought.

From the kitchen . . . moving right along with a healthier menu. A bit of a bump in the road with Valentine's Day, but you've got to have a little celebrating now and then. :)

I am wearing . . .khaki sweats. black t-shirt

I am creating . . .sort of finished the curtains. I don't know why, I am just not happy with how they are turning out but I don't seem to have the time to attend to them properly ( well- that "free-brain-space" kind of time I need :)

I am going . . .we WERE going to go to the Henry Ford Museum today,but that will have to be canceled.

I am reading . . . Things I Have Kept Silent About. (A. Nafisi) This is probably written by a very famous Iranian woman, but I've never heard of her. Her father was the mayor of Tehran at one point ( in the 60's?). Still, it is a fascinating view into a culture I know little to nothing about.

I am hoping . . . everyone gets better soon.

I am praying . . . Cassie's surgery this week.

I am hearing . . . the littles quietly chattering in their weakened state. :)

Around the house. . . I dusted behind my display plates in the dining room. Gee- a lot of spider web activity back there. :) You don't notice them until you stand on a step ladder and get a full view up there. I remember when I first put them up a comment from my step mil was "It's going to take a lot of work to dust all that! " :) Not if you only do it once a year! LOL! ;) Other than that, just the usual .

One of my favorite things. . . well, my mom called Saturday to say Zak and Mary made a suprise visit to them. It was good to hear and made me smile even though I wasn't there. :)

A few plans for the rest of the week. . . I have a class for Church on Wed. I know Dyl has at least one game this week ( maybe two at home). I'd love to go to his HAATCH game, maybe we can make the trip out to Howell. Dyl has a dr appt. Naomi has a bottle drive, there is a Swing Dance at church,...but the kids are off catechism this week.

Here’s a picture I am sharing. . .me, looking like a big green bean, riding my bike ( you know, it gets a little chilly when you're riding your bike, even if it is 50 + degrees. ;)

————————

As always, don’t forget to pop by Peggy’s and see the other entries for this week’s Simple Woman’s Daybook.

It's February!

Time for an annual visit from our oldest ( but not dearest) friend.....

the stomach flu.

3 down. 8 to go.


Another reason why I don't like warm days in February. They always seem to resurrect frozen germs.

Quick takes Friday

1. I'm not sure I am always happy about warm, spring- like days in February. That probably says a lot about my character. :) I anticipate them. I enjoy them while they are here. I feel like it is a cruel joke once they are gone.

You know, you get in a winter's groove. You get used to wearing a warm coat, hat, gloves, scarf when you step outside. Your boots are right by the door. You know which sweaters fit and which don't. Then you get one of these glorious days that remind you. There WERE days when you didn't have to wear three pairs of socks, and you could open the windows ( instead of taping them shut and covering them with plastic, plywood and a blanket to keep out the draft) and the kids could simply go outside without taking 2 hours to get them bundled up. :) And they will come again, but never soon enough at this time of year.

But I'm not complaining. No, I'm not. :)

2. Another thing that isn't always pleasant except when it means that spring is REALLY here is melting snow. What really appalls me are the mounds of debris that is left once it is gone, especially around here. It looks like someone took a 39 gallon garbage bag and dumped it on the lawn RIGHT before the snow hit. :)

3. Sign I saw posted at Church.

"All unattended children will be given an espresso and a free puppy." LOL!

4. Thought to ponder:

Dorothy Sayers: "In the world it is called Tolerance, but in hell it is called Despair, the sin that believes in nothing, cares for nothing, seeks to know nothing, interferes with nothing, enjoys nothing, hates nothing, finds purpose in nothing, lives for nothing, and remains alive because there is nothing for which it will die."



5. Aren't little girls cute? ( see above photo)

6. Have mothers ever been featured on "Dirty Jobs" ? ( Having a 2 yo who likes to take off her diaper after a certain bodily function and then tries to sit on the toilet and other places before we can catch her brings this to mind...as well as a barfing 6 yo....., certain ghosts who spill things in the refrigerator waaay in the back and forget to clean it up, have you ever cleaned a bathroom that 8 boys use on a regular basis?!?!.....and on and on it goes. I never watch the show, so maybe they have. But if they haven't, they should.

7. Oh dear- much too many grumbles in this one. I think I should go back to my Sonic obsessing.

Getting ready for Valentine's Day

Pretty soon the pile will engulf me!

Dollar store booty for Valentine's crafts.
First load done
Writing your name on 64 Valentine's is good handwriting practice. ( and a certain someone needs it! ;)





Jed and I spent a delicious, early morning getting our Valentine's together for the big party on Friday. I love those quiet times when my brain is free and clear and so much can be accomplished in a relaxed manner. :)
Manny joined us later and we got the bulk of it done. I ran out of little baggies so we had to finish up later in the day after another Dollar Store run.

Regret

Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments. She said: “The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less”(Loud and Clear [2004], 10–11).



Yes, looking at family videos of when the older kids were small brings agreement to those profound thoughts. After seeing them, I wish I could back for just an hour and drink in those times. I love my teens, and love this time in their life as well, but there is just something about that *little* yummi-ness. :) Hopefully, I have learned a few things since then and won't feel the same way in the future when looking at videos of the current littles. Hopefully. :(

Will these days be repeated?

Jed and I trying our hand at sledding. ;)
Jay's cute, too!
Our adorable niece, Gwen!
Neana so kindly trying to help the novice.
Noah, your head was a bit mis-shapen at birth because of your quick descent, but we thought it had resolved itself. ;)
Can you text and skate at the same time, Noah? ( and Jay)
Neana and Gwen, gracefully sailing along
Sissy, the pomegranate terrorist
Jed, Jax and I
Here's the evidence! Me actually in a standing position on skates!
We went on a little skating outing on Friday before the heat wave hit. I was itching to try out my new skates. I'm pleased to say I didn't fall on my rear, but I didn't look very graceful to say the least.
I'm sure the skating rink is just a puddle now, but it was fun while it lasted!

Daybook February 09, 2009

For today: Dyl has a home game. Think I might cook a turkey. For someone else. Ooo- I am cruel. ;) Need to drop by Wal mart.

Outside my window. . . Dark but the sky is clear and the weatherman promises temps near 50. Huzzah!

I am thinking. . . about self denial.

I am thankful for. . . evidences that God cares. A walk in the woods on a bright, sunny, winter day.

From the schoolroom. . . organized school stuff yesterday. Made preparations, got books in order, found new ones to use, cleaned out the 500 crates and baskets of stuff I had in the dining room. A satisfied feeling. :)

From the kitchen. . . Deep breath. I've had a measure of success with healthier cooking this week already. I have a good cookbook I've been studying "American Heart Association Healthy Family Eating". The recipes in it are not too way out or impossible to afford, or if they are... easily modified.

The ironic thing is that Friday I thought I made the ultimate in lowfat meal. Baked salmon, wild rice, steamed vegetables, lowfat hashbrowns. Instead of complaining, everyone raved!

Here's my plan for the rest of the week or so: (not necessarily in any sort of order:)

Black bean soup

Potato Leek soup w/ lowfat chicken salad

Lettuce wraps

Chicken pasta primivera

roast pork loin w/ mashed sweet potatoes ( made that yesterday, purty good)

turkey/hamburgers baked fries

roast chicken steamed veggies

chicken with new potatoes

bean/cheese quesidillas

I am wearing. . .gray yoga pants, blue and white striped knit top with white undershirt

I am going. . . Dyl's game ( twice this week) Valentine Party, trip to nursing home to deliver Valentines with homeschool group.

When my grandmother was in the Assisted Living apartment, she often made reference to how much she enjoyed when different groups came in. We were'nt able to visit her much when she was there ( she was 1200 miles away :) so I'd like the kids to have opportunities to do this for other *nan's* and *grampa's*. Kudo's to Michelle for organizing it!

I am reading. . . forgot the official title. About Queen Victoria's youngest daughter, Beatrice.

I am hoping. . . I can hang tough and stick with healthier eating and cooking.

I am hearing. .Jed mucking about.

Around the house. . . my excuse for not finishing the curtains this week was that it was too cold ( when it gets extra chilly outside the basement really is frigid) Of course it has now warmed up so I won't have that excuse. :) I did get my laundry room pantry spiffied up. Noah cleaned the garage ( sort of :) and George/Jax and Tim cleaned the Burb. Halfway cleaned the van, but there is always today to finish up!

One of my favorite things. . .a bike ride. I found a new bike for 1/2 off at the thrift store on Saturday in very nice condition. I guess most people aren't thinking bike riding just yet ;) That didn't stop me from trying it out that afternoon. Thankfully, the sidewalks were mostly clear of snow.

Here is picture thought I am sharing. . . well, I WAS going to post a picture of Al since he made the Dean's list this semester. :) But the photo situation is on the fritz again for some reason.

Provided for.

Picture for my new space. Half off at the SA
Plate for kitchen SA
Funky vintage curtains CT 1/2 off
Naomi would be sooooooo depressed if there wasn't a constant influx of new white and blue dishes coming in. ;) Myott Finlandia Staffordshire, England.



I read this a few days ago over at "Large Family Mothering". http://ladyofvirtue.blogspot.com/

"Without God's favor, my $10 at the store is practically worthless, but with God's favor, I can arrive at the store just in time for a sale, or some discontinued items marked down to fit into my budget."

Shaking my head up and down in agreement. This happens on an almost weekly basis to me.
I don't know why I am surprised or astounded, God is faithful. Even when we aren't. And I can't say I always am. ;) Phew!

These are just some of the *fun* bargains I've found recently. I could go on and on about food bargains I've gotten lately ( like bags of Nestle Chocolate Chips for $1.00 ea ;) but they're pretty much too numerous to list.

From the peanut gallery.

Jed and Manny playing Transformers. Jed "Manny, you just don't have good Transforming SKILLS!" ( Anyone surprised that Napoleon Dynamite was on the netflix queue this week?)

Poor confused Gabriella has given up trying to figure out what her real name is. There is a war around here between two camps.....the *Ella* camp led by me and the *Gabby* camp led by everyone else. :) ( with a few Ella-belle's, Bean's and Gab's thrown in). She's decided to call herself *Gabba* :)

I'll tell you that girl is smart. She has found the ultimate way to have her cake ( wearing undies) and eating it, too ( avoid pottytraining). She requires that we put her little panties on OVER her diaper.

7 Quick takes Friday

1. I never win anything.
I was pleasantly surprised and overly excited when I found a $5 gift card in a Fruit by the Foot box yesterday. Sweet!

2. I really should write a book called the "Sonic Chronicles". I seem to be endlessly fascinated by the goings on there. We were shocked when we rode by the other night and there were only two people in the drive thru line! The next day we took Jed there for his birthday lunch and got right in. Perhaps the furor has died down and Sonic will be, like any number of other fast food restaurants around here, somewhere you just stop in when you want to, not a visit that takes careful thought and serious planning. ;)

3. In other Sonic news we just found out they are building an Aldi in the same strip mall. Meijer, Sonic and an Aldi (Jimmy John's, too....although I never really get there). If they built an IKEA ( and maybe a Target) I would start referring to that area as the *miracle mile* ;) I probably still will. Ah the exciting life of an American hausfrau! ;)

4. My husband has an extreme amount of chutpah. That's what I love about him ( sometimes ;)
He bought me a pair of skates, oh.....maybe just after Jed? Manny? was born for my birthday. (Yes, I asked for them). I never opened them. Until last week. And found out there were two left foot skates ( actually it was Naomi who was borrowing them!)
What did my darling hubby do? Took them back, of course!
Suprisingly at first ( HA HA) the establishment was not going to comply. Somehow, someway, the man convinced them to exchange them for another pair, and paid the $10 difference.
Whadda guy!
Now, will it be another 4-6 years before I give this pair a try? ;) (I did try them on at least!)

5. I've been trying to make a conscientious effort not to complain about the weather this winter.
I don't know why I'm focusing on that area when I complain with random abandon about most everything else. I'm sure I've failed here, too. It just struck me how illogical it is to choose an area to live in and then complain about what kind of issues that area has ( if you call winter an issue :). I'll have to say that overall I like winter. Yes, it does get to be a little redundant say about March, but in general I prefer cold weather to hot. Still, I really seem to struggle when the temps get into the single digits. Maybe even below 20. :) I guess I better hope a move to Antarctica ( or maybe South Dakota) is not in my future.

6. I like text-messaging even though I have never done it myself. Really.
My kids like to, and it seems to be the preferred method of communication these days, so it works for me. Case in point, the other day when we were at Sonic I was unsure what the protocol was concerning tipping the people who bring your food out to you. Noah whipped out his phone and texted his cousin down in Texas ( where there are Sonic's on every street corner ( not really :) She got right back to him with the answer ( only if you want to!). Isn't today's technology wonderful? *wink*

7. I have three blurbs in the post concerning Sonic. Frankly, I find that disturbing.

Happy Birthday Jed!

Everybody having a good time with JED'S gifts ;)



Since everyone was going to be out and about yesterday evening we decided to have a birthday breakfast for Jed. I think that suited him well. He really likes only about 5 foods; 1. chicken wings
2. ramen noodle soup 3. eggs 4. breakfast sausage 5. popcorn. We just had chicken wings for Super Sunday, so......that entree for a birthday dinner was out. We had homemade waffles and sausage, hot chocolate with whipped cream.

He made a little invitation for his birthday party the night before. I thought it was so cute that he figured out how to spell his siblings names without my help! * J-A-X-I-N* *D-I-L* *E-L-A*
(George and Naomi he punted on and just wrote *G* and *N* :) of course Al, mom and dad were easy ;) ;)

I think he had a good day. Al took him out to lunch at Sonic ( oops, I forgot chicken nuggets as a favorite. I guess he has six ;)
He got gifts he liked. And his siblings liked LOL! At one point about 6 of them were over next to him playing with the Star Wars Figures and legoes. He got to go to Toys R Us and spend his birthday money from Nan ( on a Transformer, what else? :)
His Texas cousins called and sang Happy Birthday to him. ( awwwww-what sweeties!)
Dyl had a basketball game which he enjoys going to. He likes to show off his dribbling skills, which he is quite proud of. He picked out a Power Ranger cake from Kroger.
A funny about that. The cake decorator put "Happy Birthday Ted" on it. LOL!
I didn't realize it until we were out of the store.
I guess you can get away with mistakes like that when you have a six year old who really only cares about the Power Ranger figures on the cake. Now if THEY were missing..........


Happy, happy 6th birthday Jed!

I think we will all be going through Birthday withdrawl as there isn't another until the end of April!

Daybook February 2, 2008

.

For today: Recovering from Super Sunday. Dyl had a home game but George was sick, so I am home. Naomi, Jed and I took a lovely walk at George George. Rounded out the trip with a stop at Kroger to order a birthday cake for Jed and a visit to the SA. Put in the cap/gown order for our graduation group!

Outside my window. . . Pleasantly chilly and sunny today. Now it is dark.

I am thinking. . . when I am ever going to revamp my bad eating habits with all these parties and birthdays? No excuse! ;)

I am thankful for. . . a friend who is going through a rough time but has extremely good spirits ( on the phone anyway). She encouraged me!

From the schoolroom. . . found tons of great books at the library on subjects we are studying. I guess I can put I am thankful that we live near some awesome libraries as well!

From the kitchen. . . I had the most difficult time getting things cooked properly yesterday. To top it off the pizza was cold! Oh well, none of our guests complained. Remember what I said about boys? ;)

Today I am making Neana's chili for Mr Mc Alpine's lunch. Butter chicken for dinner ( an abbreviated amount ;) we had a few leftovers from yesterday.

I am wearing. . . khaki pants, green t-shirt, black hooded sweater, ball cap and tennis shoes.

I am going. . . I certainly hope I can go to Dyl's game on Wed. Tomorrow I might just be dumb enough to try and get a free breakfast from Denny's ( they are, really, giving away Grand Slam's).

My little kids never go out to breakfast. Because---

A- we never go out to eat in general other than the odd drive thru Mc Donald's lunch.

B- breakfast is not my favorite meal to eat at a restaurant. But free is free! ;)

I am reading. . . In the Presence of My Enemies by Gracia Burnham. Gripping, but pretty sad. I've always got to really think about these stories of tremendous suffering. I do all sorts of mental gymnastics trying to think how I would get through it, when in reality, as Elisabeth Elliot always says, God gives grace when needed, not when you are forecasting future woes.

I am hoping. . . I can find a cabinet so I can put things like games, toys with little pieces, etc, in AND LOCK IT. I've had it with Manny and Ella dumping stuff out! :) Although, yesterday as we were picking up yet another mess, I thought actually this is a good opportunity for them to learn to clean up. Just one of those things I dislike taking time out to do, but probably should be thankful for.

I am hearing. . Manny munching on chips. :)

Around the house. . . I really should try harder to get the curtains done for the little kids room but I am sort of burned out on sewing at the moment. Laundry room pantry needs a lot of help. Cars and garage....ugh! Whenever it warms up I always forget!

One of my favorite things. . .Gabriella and Manny when they are so excited to see me after I come home from somewhere.

A few plans for the rest of the week. . . another birthday celebration. Jed turns 6 on Wednesday!

Here is picture thought I am sharing. . .Tim moved all Naomi's pictures to her computer so I am really in a bind. I told her I'd have to come up and blog in her room. She wasn't amused. ;)

Does it get any better?

A *girl's night out* with my darling sister in law. A white relish dish and other fun treats ( including my favorite candy bar- Heath)

Taken out to lunch at P.F Chang's by Al.

The house cleaned by Naomi.

The traditional "Happy Birthday to you!" call from the dynamic trio, Mom. Dad and Nan!

A surprise call from the one who is far away. (he remembered!!!)

A dinner date with my favorite husband. ;)

A tasty and artfully prepared breakfast made for me and waiting for me (!?!) when I got home from shopping by Jackson.

A yummy dinner ( chicken alfredo and steak ceasar) from Dyl, a decadent chocolate cake with homemade frosting from Naomi. Sweet cards. Happy perfume.
Jed induced Tim to take him to the thrift store ( knowing I LOVE thrift stores) to get a gift. A funny pink t-shirt he said I could wear as a night shirt.

I think I might consider turning 44 next year, too! ;)