And the rain...

We had big plans to head to the drive-in movie theatre on July 4th. It had been raining all week, and Thursday looked to be our best chance for a clear evening. After a day of off-and-on showers with sun in between, the sky really started to look dark in the afternoon. The drive-in is an hour away, so we really didn't want to risk getting there and then have the movies (always a double feature!) cancelled due to weather. So, we passed on our plans for the drive-in, hopeful for another family-friendly double feature (maybe in the fall?).

The kids were looking forward to popping a big bowl of popcorn (we recently tried and succeeded at popping it on the stove), so we did that anyway and had an indoor picnic and a movie at home (I got the movies from the Redbox just before our big evening shower began). We made three flavors of popcorn and everyone was happy.

{Hmmm, this sounds a lot like our rained-out plans two years ago!}

It's been rainy for several days now - the same on-and-off showers. It's not so bad, I guess, except there's never enough time for the grass to dry out and time to mow. It's starting to get tall!  And it's humid, but thankfully the temps are not too, too warm. 

Today, it was sunny and dry enough for the kids to go to tennis lessons. Big J and I played on a nearby set of courts. Well, "played" might make it sound like we could volley more than about 4 hits in a row - but we still enjoyed the time outside!

As we settled back in at home this evening following a search for a new microwave, the rain started again.  It's really a nice, gentle rain for the most part, but its completely unpredictable. I'm ready for all-day sun again!

{Aside from books, movies, video games, and complete stir-craziness from being indoors, here's something I did with Miss this week. It was fun, and we've even gotten a couple of compliments! M picked my colors - I'd have never chosen these myself, but I really like them!}

Merry Christmas!

 As this year comes to a close,

 may you celebrate the joys of the season

surrounded by family and friends.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

How Dave Ramsey Ruined Christmas for Me

Four years ago come January, we began attending Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University through our church.  Just a few weeks into the 13 weeks of lessons, I became pretty well convicted listening to Dave discuss all of the "stuff" we have and how it really owns us.  I realized that I had (and still do have) waaaaay more than I need.  So there's not a lot that I want.  I mean, sure, I want stuff.  But when I get to thinking about whether or not I really need it, the want just seems to disappear.  So it's kind of hard for me to give my family ideas when they ask me what I want for Christmas.  I mean really hard.  Let me give you a couple of examples....

Things on my Want List (and justification of why I don't need them):

• KitchenAid Stand Mixer (no room on the kitchen counter, my hand mixer does just fine, I prefer to mix many things by hand, and my bread machine tackles the toughest mixing job I can think of)
• Hammocks for camping trips (we have camp chairs that work just fine, we could bike/hike instead of hanging from trees all day, I can be lazy on my own couch)
• A 50mm lens for my camera (um, can't think of any reason except the price - so I guess you could say it's the thing I really do want!)
• Some new hair clips/barrettes (but the ones I have still work, so what if they are a little scratched, who is paying that much attention to my hair clips?)  Well, scratch that.  Another side effect of working the envelope system - there's actually money to accommodate some of the 'wants' even when it's not a holiday or birthday.  So I bought them.
• iTunes gift card - I love getting new apps for my phone, and maybe a little music, too.  (But I would really be just fine with what I already have.  I usually get education apps for the kids anyway.)
• Gift cards for Chick-Fil-A, Jimmy John's, or a couple of our local coffee shops.  (This is totally a luxury - I love to eat out!  In fact, a part of my blow money goes towards an almost-every-week lunch with a friend.)

Also, when I think about what I really want, it's most often things for our family or just more time spent together.  We have a tent so we can go camping.  We have bicycles so we can go for rides together.  We go to local events not because we are required to be there, but because it can be a fun way to spend time together.  We hang out with friends - other families - when we can.  And we eat out with friends on Sunday after church - because they are our "local" family.

So what's on my real wish list?  Well, I'm an Acts of Service person, so I value time over stuff.  For example, I love it when the trash gets emptied - and gets a new liner - without having to ask someone to do it.  Laundry folded and put away?  Woo-ee!  My least-favorite task, emptying the dishwasher, done for me?  Oh, my, that is a treat like no other!  (For real!)

For many people, "time" doesn't really count as a gift.  I know this.  But imagine sound of me laughing heartily, if you can - because I'm surprised by the realization that we are, truly, weird.  But that's ok, because we are happier than ever.

And Dave, if you are reading this, you didn't really ruin Christmas for me.  It's better.  I'm much more thoughtful about the gifts we give, and we are also doing more giving to those that need it (Operation Christmas Child, Salvation Army Stockings, and we even look for other ways that we can bless those around us).  So thank you - for making our family happy, our marriage stronger, and helping me step away from the madness that can surround the holidays.  I'm looking forward to a calm and peaceful holiday.

Merry Christmas!

ETA:  I thought of a few more things... (yes, I'm finding it a little funny...)
REI Kingdom 6 Garage (it's on clearance!)
And to use it to its full potential, you need a set of adjustable tent/trekking poles... (I have no idea how to choose one set of these over another, but these seem about mid-priced with a great review, and on clearance!)
Camp towels! And maybe some smaller cloths to use as washcloths?  Probably need something that dries quickly for our camping vacation next year.
The camping version of this game looks like fun!
I love Words With Friends on the iPhone, so a non-electric travel version of Scrabble would be fun!

And, yes - these are all things that our family would share.  And some folks would say towels are "too practical" - but if it's Christmas, don't you get to choose what you want?  I know that doesn't always mean you get it, though, as Miss M has asked for a zebra.

Merry Christmas!

Hoping that you are enjoying some time with your friends and family, celebrating in the way that is perfect for you.

• Whether a large gathering or an intimate group
• Whether loud and boisterous or calm and quiet
• Whether fancy or simple
• Whether at home or away

Enjoy, my friends, and

Merry Christmas!

Stocking Stuffers

I wasn't quite on-the-ball enough this year for us to participate in Operation Christmas Child, but we did choose another giving opportunity to benefit children.  Our local Chick-Fil-As also collect Salvation Army stockings, so we chose to stuff two for children close in age to Mister J and Miss M.

Armed with our lists, I let the kids select most of the items on their own.  When we still had money left over (I'd estimated what it would cost as I planned out budget for the week), I picked up a few more items and surprised the kids with them when it was time to stuff the stockings.  Here's what we ended up with:

Miss M's items for a 3- to 5-year-old girl

Socks, mittens, hat, headbands and ponytail holders, toothpaste, a toothbrush, a book, a puzzle, some lacing cards, flashcards, and a travel-size m@gna-doodle

It's nearly as big as she is!

Mister J's items for a 7ish-year-old boy

Socks, mittens, hat, toothpaste, a toothbrush, a book, three Hot Wh33ls cars, flashcards, hair brush, slinky, juggling beanbags, and bend@roos (truly fun for nearly any age)

That stocking is pretty heavy!

I was so proud of my kiddos for shopping their way down the lists to fill the stockings!  We had to be mindful of finding things that would fit into the stockings, and the kids also thought about some details that they felt would be important to the kids receiving these items: they selected the characters on the toothpaste, toothbrush, books, etc., and chose between different options for the toys, socks, at other items.  Oh, how much fun we had paying for the first round of items and finding we could bless the children with even more goodies!  And then, it was time to drop them off!

The bittersweet part of all of this is teaching our children that not everyone has as much as we have - tangible or intangible.  That there are people out there with few possessions - like warm clothing.  There were tears when we had a real-life example of people without enough food to eat.  We've talked about people who can't afford medical care or who are far from home because their child is very sick.  Thankfully, we are in a position to be able to do something to help - and I hope it's a lesson that lasts a lifetime.

Thanksgiving Prayer

For the second year in a row, Miss M has volunteered to say the blessing at our family Thanksgiving meal (11 adults, 5 children, 4 generations).  Even her prayers are sweet, sweet scene-stealers....

"Thank God for our food, so we can grow up big and go to college, and have Thanksgiving with God."

Can I have an "AMEN!" ?

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Overheard #39

As Miss M was sitting down to write her Christmas List last evening:

"Mom, can you help me write my Christmas options?"

Love her!  It was a joy to help her spell out the things on her list, which were:
Box of Princess Dress Up - a box of dress-up clothes from Costco.  Unfortunately, I think they are sized too small for her.
Moving Chair with Flashing Lights - a massage chair, also at Costco.  This short description really doesn't do justice to the detail with which she originally described it, but we had to fit it all on one page!
Toy Story 3 - self-explanatory

October Fun!

Here are just a few of the photos from our trip to the pumpkin patch and a photo of my favorite trick-or-treaters.  I love fall!!!  Enjoy!

 A trip to the pumpkin patch isn't just a chance to pick a pumpkin - there are wagons, a cornstalk 'house' and a place that's set up specifically for taking pictures (which we never end up using). 

 The kids do a lot of running around before we ever start looking at pumpkins.

 See what I mean?  Miss M, in particular, doesn't stop for the camera - at all.

I loved these bumpy pumpkins!   And the regular ones, too.  Fall is my favorite season (but can you call it fall when you wear short sleeves to pick out your pumpkins?).

For Halloween,  the kids dressed up as Optimus Prime and Cinderella.  I have to admit I was a little sad that their costumes were completely store-bought.  I have had so much fun making costumes these past few years - mostly Mister J's, since Miss M has worn some lovely second-hand costumes (until last year when I made her into Angelina Ballerina).  Whether I made it or found it second-hand, there was always some work - and some love - put into each costume.  But - when I realized just how much they loved their costumes and saw them having such a great time getting 'recognized' at each house, I got over my pity party pretty quickly. 

We opted to trick-or-treat in our neighborhood this year (rather than travel around a bit to festivals and family members' homes like last year), and spent about two hours walking around with our neighbors and their two children.  The kids had so much fun together - and the adults had a good time, too!

All He Wants for Christmas?

For about a year and a half now, Mister J has been asking for something a bit unusual.  And honestly, he would be pretty excited if Santa brought one.  So, what does a seven-years-old-by-the-time-Santa-arrives little boy want?

One of these....

Do you recognize this?  It's a compost bin.  Yes, my little boy thinks having one of these would be awesome!  And, I have to admit, I think so, too.  I've noticed that we produce one to three cups of compostable food scraps at each meal time.  If I'm prepping fruits or vegetables in advance - like celery or carrot sticks, sliced cucumber, apple wedges, cubed melon, etc. - I have even more scraps that end up going down the disposal.  I'd sure rather be composting it all.  And after two summers of gardening, including prepping the beds, Mister J knows how much compost it takes! 

It used to be a bit of a challenge to walk through Costco in the spring.  Last summer they had a compost tumbler on display, and we had to go 'try it out' every time we were there.  I can't tell you the begging that went on - for a compost tumbler!  I thought we were off the hook a bit this year - they didn't have them in Costco, but we came across the one above at our local Whole Foods.  And then, just last week, he spotted this one ... at Costco. 

from here

It sits on a wheeled base, and the top of the sphere opens to add more compostable scraps and yard trash.  It's 'spinnable' in the store, so you know we had to give it a whirl!

I'll be interested to see what Santa has in mind, since Mister J has already told me that "Santa can't bring one, because he only knows how to make toys!"

Easter 2010

The kids were on Spring Break Tuesday-Friday, so we decided to do a little traveling. While the first day of break was filled with laundry, dentist appointments, and an oil change for the mommy-van, we spent the end of Spring Break with Grandma and Grandpa R. While we were there, we went to a great children's museum, visited with friends we hadn't seen in quite a while, celebrated Big J's birthday, and celebrated Easter!

I took lots of photos, and am pleased with how many of them turned out good enough to print for the kids' scrapbooks. I am really enjoying my new camera! Here are just a few snapshots from our weekend.

I found this cute photo spot on the grounds outside of the children's museum. Did you notice that boo-boo on Mister J's knee? Miss M also scored one a little later in the weekend.

Speaking of Miss M, I think I've mentioned that she doesn't pose for the camera. This was the best I could get - looking at the family off to my left, one shoe off and one on - but I still think it's really cute, and really does capture Miss M.

Ready for the Sunday morning Easter Egg Hunt! Grandma and Grandpa R have such a great yard for hiding eggs - lots of bushes, flowers, and trees!

They also have much more color in their yard than we do in ours, so it was lots of fun for me to be able to camouflage the eggs! One of my fondest Easter memories is hunting eggs in my parents' yard when I was a little girl - finding an orange one hidden under a leaf on the ground, finding green ones camouflaged in the stems of daffodils, and other very creative ways to hide them.

Miss M found her first egg! There were three hidden in this flower bed - all pink! And these were especially for Miss M. One contained a dollar bill, one a dollar coin, and one a quarter. Mister J had a matching set. We sent the kids off in different directions at the start of the hunt, towards their 'special' eggs.

Yes, there was a yellow egg hidden in there! Grandpa R and I hid about 4 dozen plastic eggs in the backyard, all filled with Easter treats!

And here are the kids, checking out their eggs! They were surprised to find the money - and Miss M was very excited to find some chocolate (something we often have to skip due to her food allergies).

I especially love this photo of Miss M. She's usually all go, no quit, so it's nice to catch a relatively quiet moment.

The weather was lovely, and we all enjoyed being outside (though we all manged to get sunburnt!). We also enjoyed the time we had to visit with friends and family. It was a reminder to me that I need to leave space on my calendar to get away from the hustle and bustle of our day-to-day 'stuff' and perhaps even step away from our technology gadgets every now and then. It's easy to forget what that peacefulness feels like - and friends, it is wonderful.

Hope you had a lovely Easter Weekend!

Christmas Round Up 2009

These first few photos have already shown up on the blog header or Facebook, but I just wanted to showcase them again as part of an actual post.

Sunday before Christmas - the sanctuary was decorated with poinsettias in front of the altar, in the windows... it was beautiful. There was still snow on the ground (from the Friday before) so I bundled up Mister J and Miss M in layers before we headed off to church.






The same day, in front of the Chrismon tree. For photos made with my cell phone, they turned out pretty good!












Christmas Eve after two back-to-back church services (in front of the Chrismon tree again). We went to the Children's Service, and then stayed to hear Big J sing with the choirs for the Lessons and Carols Candlelight service. Beautiful (the service and my kids!)







Picking out our Christmas Tree. Mister J loves this part of the holidays - he's always super-excited to go walk (um, run) among the trees, darting in and out, looking for the right one.










Miss M fell asleep on the way to the tree 'farm' this year. It had been quite a long day for her, and with no nap. She stayed asleep as I got her out of the mommy-van, walked around in the cold, and picked out the tree. She woke up when we were getting loaded up and ready to leave.





Our Christmas tree, after all of the lights and decorations were up, most of the gifts were wrapped, and before Santa came to visit. nb - Yes, that's a broken slat on the blinds. I've decided not to fix any more until a) the kids are old enough to stop breaking them or b) we decide it's time to buy new blinds.




The kids' Christmas tree, with Big J's favorite - blue lights. They enjoyed having a smaller tree this year. I'd originally planned to put small trees in each of their rooms, but decided this wasn't the year to put up my ceramic tree, so I didn't have a tree for each bedroom. Instead, we hung a strand of lights in each of their bedroom windows. They are the perfect amount of light for bedtime, and I love them so much that we may just leave them up!

My maternal grandmother on the day after Christmas during the big family celebration at my aunt's house. Out of respect, I won't publish her age, but I will tell you she is mother to six children. She sent her husband off to war when she had one small child and was pregnant with twins (children number two and three). Oh, and she mothered them all without the aid of all of the time-saving gadgets we have today. She was also a teacher, artist, and taxi-driver to two grandchildren. After that, she traveled the US with my grandfather - they drove to Alaska and many other far-flung (at least from our home state) parts of the country. She's really had a very rich and full life. And on this day, she got to sit back and relax in what she called "the Queen's chair" - there was only one better seat in the house, and it was mine. Right across from her.

Best job of giftwrapping a truly hard-to-wrap item. EV.ER. Big J said it looked like andupside down flower. I considered turning it over and camouflaging it among a big bunch of balloons. At least the gobs of colorful tissue paper distract you from the golf club handle sticking out of the top. (And I must say, "Thank You, Bargain-Shopping Husband!!!"


We went to visit Grandma and Grandpa R for a few days, and took some of Mister J's science experiments along (he'd received them as birthday gifts). This is the Mentos/diet soda geyser - and it was FUN!

Setting it up.... Secure geyser tube to diet soda, count our seven Mentos, pull the string/stopper to drop the Mentos into the drink and.... RUN!

We all bundled up to go outside and watch this, and even did it twice! So glad we planned ahead and picked up two bottles of soda from the grocery store. This one was so much fun that we'll definitely be buying more soda and Mentos!

Happy New Year!

We're hanging out at home this evening, and enjoying every minute of pizza-making, Wii-playing, and crazy glasses-wearing! Hope where ever you are, and what ever you are doing, you are surrounded by those you love and filled with joy. Best Wishes for a fantastic 2010!

Optimus Prime...

Hey, Uncle J, we got it transformed! (With thanks to the guy who showed me how to do it on YouTube)

Wii wish you...

...a day full of fun with family and friends!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Can you tell what Wii got for Christmas?!? (And how do I get that photo to rotate before I upload it?!?)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, family and friends!

It's Christmas Eve, and I am so happy to be relaxing, waiting for my sister to arrive, and writing a holiday post.

The tree is decorated - I love the soft glow of Christmas tree lights!
The gifts are wrapped - I love seeing all of the different colors and patterns arranged under the tree!
All of the cards we have received are displayed in our 'gallery' - it's so nice to get cards and photos from all of our distant and not-so-distant family and friends.

My Mom has been here for several days already, and has been a great help with the gift-wrapping, cooking, child-wrangling, laundry, mailing, shopping.... That's a gift in itself! Big J has also been off this week, helping out with the kids, the cars (oil changes, new tires) and other tasks around the house, and was in charge of snowman construction over the weekend. Merry Christmas to me!
Now, though, it's time to sit back and enjoy all of these preparations in the peace of the evening before we go to bed and await Santa's arrival. The children have been in bed for a few hours now, though I know that they didn't go to sleep right away.
We attended two Christmas Eve services today, beginning with the Children's Christmas Eve Service. Any child that wants to participate in this service can, which is wonderful! Miss M was an angel and Mister J preferred to stay in the congregation and sing. After a quick dinner (Thank You and Merry Christmas to all who were on duty at McDonald's this evening!), we were back at church to hear Big J singing with the choir during the Service of Lessons and Carols. It's a much longer service, including candlelight and Communion, and the kids hung in there! After getting the wiggles out, they were very excited about the 'fire!' at the end ;)

We looked at Christmas lights on the way home, had some Christmas goodies for an evening snack, and let the kids watch a little TV while we wrapped the last couple of (hard-to-wrap!) gifts. Then, it was off to bed in their new Christmas jammies!

While much of what I am enjoying would be considered the 'stuff' of Christmas - the food, the lights, the giftwrap and ribbons - I was struck this evening by the simple beauty of some of the things around me. We had snow last Friday. As I sat in the balcony during the Service of Lessons and Carols, I could see the last of the day's light reflecting off of the snow and through the translucent glass of the sanctuary windows. Then there were all of the different sounds and styles of music from our choirs and special musicians. The Christmas story. Taking Communion with my little boy. The soft glow of the candlelight as it spread through the congregation. Tonight, it really feels like Christmas to me.

Merry Christmas to you and yours. May you have a blessed holiday, wonderful moments with family and friends, and the simple beauty that means 'Christmas" to you.

How Will Santa Come?

Oh, boy, do kids get clever as they get older. They start paying attention to the details.

We have gas logs instead of a traditional fireplace. And our gas logs are not open like a traditional fireplace, there's a glass panel in front. And Mister J is concerned that Santa will not be able to deliver gifts because the glass will keep him from getting into our house.

Rest assured, I have explained to the children (Miss M, upon hearing Mister J's concerns, also became quite worried) that Santa is magical, and will indeed be able to deliver gifts for Christmas morning.

One of the best gifts I'll get - seeing their minds at work. It might make my job a bit harder (they ask lots of questions), but I sure am proud of them!

October Fun

Well, October wasn't all fun and games... Miss M got the flu and missed 6 days of school. She also missed a birthday party for another PA (peanut allergy) kid, which was a bit disappointing for mommy (one of the few times she can attend a party without me worrying about the party food). For 3 of those days, Mister J was also home sick. Not to be left out, Big J and I have had our own days of feeling puny. Thankfully, the kiddos were feeling better just in time for some Fall and Halloween fun!

Miss M attended a ballerina birthday party for her friend, H. Here she is in the 'dressing room' getting ready to dance with a real ballerina who came to perform for the girls and then teach them a few ballet moves.

I didn't take many photos at our church's Fall Festival, and here's the only one the kiddos together. They were in line for the pony rides, so they didn't want to sit still. Mister J seemed to have the most fun playing Bingo, and Miss M had the most fun getting snacks - sno cones, popcorn, and cotton candy!

It's been a rainy month, so we just picked out our pumpkins last week. I managed to get only a few snapshots of the kids - they are so glad to be feeling better that it's tough to get them to hold still! The pumpkin patch we go to always has lots of neat places set up for photo ops.

Mister J is in the back of a big wagon that's decorated and filled with hay bales. Miss M is in the background, refusing to join the photo :)

Before we knew it, Halloween was here! Mister J wanted to be a fireman - how do you think his costume turned out? I found the coat at a local consignment shop (on sale for 50% off - yeah!). The helmet was a gift at his fire truck birthday party last year. Those boots are the ones I got for him when the kids were both asking for rain boots early in the year (they still fit!). Pants - regular cargos from Wal-Mart. The badge is a sticker from out local fire department, and those (removable) stripes are made of duct tape. I'm pretty proud of how this came together!

And here's the costume Miss M selected. I bet you aren't even surprised that it's dance related :)
Trick or Treat! I'm Angelina Ballerina! Yes, I'm a mouse - see my tail?
The pink dance costume was borrowed from a friend. I attached felt ears to a headband I already had, and edged them with some fuzzy, feathery stuff I found at AC Moore. That same thing was used for the tail. The (new!) pair of white tights didn't make it through the evening - oh, well! I bought some black and white makeup to mix into grey for her whiskers. The long-sleeved shirt was straight from her closet. All totaled, I spent less than $35 on new items for both costumes - and the pants and coat can be worn again! Too bad about the tights....

Instead of the normal house-to-house trick-or-treating, we attended Halloween Festival/Trunk or Treat at two churches. The kids had a great time, and I thought it was nice to have Halloween fun without dealing with traffic in the dark (half of our neighborhood has sidewalks, the other half does not).

Mister J was very patient, and won a cupcake after several rounds of the cake walk.
Mister J and Miss M also enjoyed several other games before decided it was time to move on to our next stop. On the way to Great-Grandma's house, we passed a fire station that was also holding a small Halloween festival. Since Mister J was dressed as a fireman, we had to stop. Guess who got to cross the caution tape and have his picture made in the fire truck? He felt like a super star!
Remind you of anything?

It was hard to get the kids away from the games at the fire station. There was no waiting, so they wanted to play over and over and over again. Miss M was getting extra help with basketball - that's the only way my 3-year old could have dunked on the 6-foot-high goal!

Although Halloween is a particularly worrisome time for PA families, Mister J and Miss M understand our "No Candy until Mom or Dad check it out" rule. I'd considered Trick-or-Treat for Unicef this year, but since we went to the festivals instead of door-to-door, we opted to take a pumpkin to collect a few treats. It's also tough (on my heart) to take the candy out of a holiday when I know it just takes a little effort on my part to sort out the safe from the unsafe. We were also very clear about what was ok (or not) when given the choice of treats - which happened more often than not at the church festivals.

It's November now, so we will take down our Halloween decorations. The pumpkins (which we didn't carve) become our Thanksgiving decorations. Planning for Mister J's birthday begins now - I've got just over a month!