Mini Post Monday

• Quote from Ethan, "What if mommy was pregnant with 35 babies?  She'd be as fat as the whole house." Um....yeah.  Heaven forbid.
• Quote from Aaron, "Know what my three favorite things are? 1. dessert 2. football 3. legos." Yep, Aaron and every other male in the world.

Isn't my Drew-Drew adorable?
• Remember when we all went through our "Fly Lady" kick? I got so frustrated with it because it listed all kinds of senseless chores, while leaving necessary ones forgotten.  I found another resource that I actually like much, much better!  It is called Motivated Moms.  This mom has listed out daily chores that are actually useful (and she doesn't have a fixation with her kitchen sink as far as we know)! You don't get 4,682 e-mails from her each day either.  You simply buy the style you like for $8 and print out a years worth of chore lists.  I love it! I bought the half-page planner with daily Bible readings included for 2011.  This way I only print out 28 pages and have an entire year of chore lists at my finger tips! (And no excuse to not know what to be reading in my Bible each day to go through it in a year...) I plan to make a notebook with weekly menu planner pages and shopping lists pages tucked between the weekly chore lists.  A one-stop-shop for organization!
• I have found a new addiction (as if I needed a new one!) - the game Angry Birds on my phone!  Even my boys love playing it.

• Be sure to check out my homemade hand cream recipe that I posted on the other blog! 

• My computer is falling apart.  I had to replace the battery because it quit charging.  Now my new battery isn't charging either...I told you all how I stepped on the screen and had to replace that.  Now my "L" key fell off.  Sigh. I guess I do use the computer A LOT so it will have a lot of wear and tear.

• Andrew is really into hiding right now!  He hides toys in my hair, hides himself under pillows or blankets, or really hides anything!  It's so cute because when he says, "Andrew's hiding," it actaully sounds like, "Doo-Doo (for Drew-Drew) hiney!"  The other day when I was sweeping the kitchen, I noticed this:

I guess the cars are hiding behind the refrigerator, too!

The Most Comfy PJ's

I declared today a pj day at my house.  The main reason I felt this was necessary is that I found THE MOST COMFORTABLE thing ever in the pj category! I never used to wear pajamas.  I used to just wear a t-shirt and some kind of knit shorts or men's lounging pants. But then I found the joy of pajamas and there has been no turning back.  Recently, I have felt the need for either a thicker top or some sort of robe/cover-up since I have three boys who aren't getting any younger or less aware! I'm not a huge fan of robes, though.  To me, they seem kinda grandma-ish, and they are usually so bulky and hot, or flimsy and worthless.  But then I found this beauty: (cue angelic voices singing "Aaahhhh" and bright backlight...)

This, my friends is a knit sweater wrap.  It's not a robe with the belt thing, but it is warm and covers the parts that need to be covered without being fussy! And Oh.My.Goodness.  It is so comfortable! Of course, a new wrap like this deserves new pajamas to go with it (right??), so I also got some super adorable (and comfortable) grey pj's to match!  I cannot find the exact pants I got on the Target website, but they are similar to these ones, only the snowflake design on mine is more intricate and a bit more abstract/decorative (and no cutesy bow...that's not my style).

And I got a grey thermal top to go with it:

I may never get dressed again!

Because I Clearly Don't Read Enough...

I signed up to do book reviews on my blog with Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group! I am so excited, because they are going to send me free books, I get to choose which free books I want them to send me, then all I have to do is post a review here and on their site after I read the book!  I cannot wait to receive my first book.  I chose Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski. 

I should receive it in 10-14 days, then I can read it and begin my review! Once I review each book, I can request another one. How cool is that?  Now I will have to put that legal disclaimer I am seeing all over the web at the end of some of my posts, too, stating that in exchange for a review I received a copy of the book for free and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah... Oh, and at the end of each of my reviews, I'll post a button like this one:

If you guys love me lots and lots, you can click on it to go to my review on the publishers site (it will be the same as the one here, so you won't need to re-read anything) and rank it.  If I get good rankings, I get "feel good" status in my head! :) Oh, and the publisher has awards, too.

If you want to review books for WaterBrook Multnomah, too, just click on the icon in the side bar to see if you qualify!

Mini Post Monday

• I cannot believe that there's only 19 days until Christmas.  Time flies.

• This week, my parents celebrate their birthday.  Both born on December 8!  How cool is that?  I won't tell you how old they are, though...after all, occasionally my mom reads this blog! 

Dad, playing a game with Aaron and Jerry.

Mom, helping me with the dishes after our big November birthday celebration!
• I restarted the 100 push-up and 200 sit-up programs I tried to start a while back.  Um...I'm weak.  And sore.  Enough said.
• Jerry started tiling the shower in our bathroom remodel! It looks amazing.  I married an amazing man.

I love the offset design with the glass tiles!

Detail shot.
• I've been getting a lot of headaches lately.  I woke up with a headache yesterday, and it was all I could do to get up to serve my turn in nursery duty.  Needless to say, we came home as soon as our duty was over, and I spent the rest of the day in bed.  The headache went away around 9:00 pm, but this morning it is back.  ::sigh::
• School the next two weeks is all about Christmas!  We are making Christmas crafts, reading books about how people celebrate Christmas around the world, and making Christmas treats in the kitchen.  Man, I love homeschool!

• Ethan has already outgrown all the pants I bought him for this winter.  Good thing he has a little brother, because I would hate getting rid of pants that have only been worn a few times.  He now weighs 5 pounds more than his big brother, who is almost 2 years older than him.  I told the boys that pretty soon Ethan would be passing his clothes down to Aaron...I think Aaron is not liking that idea very much!

Two closer brothers are hard to find. I am truly blessed!

Silly shot.  This is actually a lot more normal for our house than the last one...
• I'm enjoying the fact that it is soup and stew weather again!  I've missed soup.  I don't know how people who live in climates that never really get cold ever enjoy soup. 
• I did the majority of my Christmas shopping online this year, taking advantage of Cyber Monday deals. It is so wonderful to get a package of stuff delivered to my door each day!  It is also nice that I don't have to find a time to go out without the boys so I can keep their gifts a secret. Plus, it is driving the boys NUTS to know gifts are in those big brown boxes at the door and then not be able to open them up right away! :) Amazon.com, I think I love you.

• I want one of these for Christmas: Eureka Enviro Steam Mop. I think that officially makes me a dorky grown up.

Thursday's Thoughts. AH HA! That's IT!!!

Let’s see. What can I say that is worth wasting your time over.

We had Thanksgiving at my house last Wednesday evening. I brined (is that a real word?) the turkey, made dressing instead of stuffing, and completed the feast with cranberry jalapeno sauce, pecan pie, cherry pie and lemon meringue pie. Mom made mashed potatoes and Grandma made a pumpkin pie. I know it was a success because I just at some leftovers last night for dinner and the turkey is still juicy. Also, my dad said that is possibly the best Thanksgiving meal he’s ever had. Now that there is quite a compliment.

Thanksgiving dinner...with half of us not there yet.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I am reminded every year about this time how incredibly blessed I am…we are. Our fridge and pantry are brimming with food, we have enough money to pay our mortgage and buy electricity and clothe the kids and still there is some left over to waste frivolously. I am trying to become more frugal and mindful of the gifts that God has given me.

We took a family photo. From top to bottom, left to right that's me, Del, Isaac, Mom, Dad, my mom's dad (Gramps), Anna, my dad's mom (GG), Lily, Rachel, Sarah and Ella.

I’m sewing like a banshee. I am making purses and wallets and shopping bags and balls and crayon rolls and stockings and…am I ever grateful that we’ve taken a break from school for six weeks. During this time of holiday excitement, I am happy to have the freedom to work in the sewing room as I need and not have to worry that I’m getting behind in school.

The state of my sewing room; it must look like a guest room again by Saturday .

 This is a picture of the messenger bags I'm making for the girls for Christmas. I'm making one for the neighbor's daughter, too. I made them from men's cargo pants. This particular one is for Sarah, since blue is her favorite color.

I am considering changing my writing curriculum to Classical Writing. Granny has been recommending it for many months and I can see the kids getting really bored with the writing we are doing. I wish there was a way I could try it out on the kids to see how they like it. It seems to combine grammar and writing and includes a lot of creative stuff which the girls really would enjoy. They spend most of their free time reading, playing outside or drawing and this curriculum includes a lot of that…as far as I can tell.

I wish you could see the laughs and smiles and giggles I get from Isaac. Are all boys this sweet-tempered? My mom says my brother was the type of baby to make a mother never want any more kids. I think he had a colic problem. But Isaac, even with a bit of a sour stomach sometimes is the sweetest baby I ever did see. Always happy and never cries without a purpose. What a blessing he is to me after such a hard and miserable pregnancy. He is definitely worth every second of moaning and groaning I did about what a sorry state I was in.

I have a better picture of his sunny disposition but Blogger keeps distorting the picture so I'll have to post it later. Look at his lovely chubby cheeks!!!

Alright, stop distracting me. I have to go sew.

 Isn't Lily cute? She's got that mischievous look in her eye.

Mini Post Monday

• One of the things I really like about homeschooling is that I can tailor our curriculum to our needs - even if I need to change courses mid-year.  Last year I used Peace Hill Press for our language arts.  Although I LOVE their reading curriculum, their beginning grammar was just not for us.  Aaron hated doing it, I wasn't thrilled with what he was learning, and we began avoiding it.  So a couple months ago, I ordered the Rod and Staff 2nd grade English program and it is great!  Aaron likes doing it, I like that it gets him writing more, and I like the way the information is organized and presented. I also love the way biblical material is woven into every lesson. It's great to not have to suffer through a year with a mismatched program just because it is what the school uses!
• Did you make any amazing Thanksgiving recipes?  I made the Bobby Flay Pumpkin Bread Pudding from his Throwdown with Pioneer Woman, and Oh. My. Goodness.  That is one good (though super involved) recipe.  I think I gained 3 pounds just from making it though...
• I saw the most humorous sight in the parking garage at our library the other day.  It was so funny to me that I had to whip out my cell phone and take some pictures.  I appologize for the quality of these, but phone pictures taken in a dark parking garage are not the best.  Anyway...I understand the value of good stewardship and taking care of what you have, which is why a lot of people get a steering wheel lock for their car. 

          However, I usually see these types of locks on nice, expensive cars that someone

          might want to steal. Can you imagine anyone wanting to steal this car?

I personally think the owner of this truck could leave it unlocked with the windows down and still return to find it undisturbed!
• I have requested a Kindle for Christmas.  I have struggled with whether or not I wanted one because I love the actual, physical page, but I gave in.  What's on your list?
• The Christmas decorations are up and the house feels quite festive! We got some new ornaments this year too, because I was tired of having the rag-tag decorations collected since the beginning of time.  I love my new ornaments!

The first ornament to go on the tree this year!

• The kids were actually a help with decorating this year.  They remembered where a lot of the decorations were last year and got them out of boxes and put them in the right places.  It was really nice.  They also decorated their room with two 1 foot trees and a lighted garland.

Aaron putting ornaments (ones I banned from our main tree this year) on the garland we put in their room!

Thanksgiving Thursday

I am thankful for so many thing, but today I think I will just say that I am thankful for a son and the Son.

Mini Post

Didn't I used to do these regularly? :)

Jerry has been working like a maniac on the second bathroom we are remodeling.  I love this bathroom.  It is so peaceful and beautiful that I just want to go in there with a good book, shut the door and hang out for a while.

Jerry hard at work.  We bought this table at Pier 1 and he drilled a hole into it and added the plumbing himself!

The beautiful sink and vanity combo! 

Jerry raised the pipes in the wall to put the faucet right into the wall.  And check out that seashell frame - it is so lovely!

We added blue, brown, and yellow accents.



 Last week, Jerry's parents came for a visit.  We don't get to see them too often, so it was great to have them come.  While they were here, we had a huge birthday celebration for the four people who had birthdays in November!

Jerry's dad turned 75!

Jerry's mom turned 73.

Jerry hit the big 3-6!

And baby Andrew turned 2.  How is that even possible??

 In totally unrelated news, check out this potato!  It is truly a Texas potato.  Doesn't it look like a pair of cowboy boots?

 Andrew is suddenly VERY attached to his blankets.  He sleeps with them, carries them around the house, takes them with him when he plays, says goodbye to them when he leaves to go somewhere...  As you can tell by this picture, he isn't happy with just one blanket, he wants every blanket he owns at once!

 This year, we actually got some amazing fall color!   We don't normally get fall color.  The leaves here tend to go from green to brown, but we got a lot of rain this fall, and this is the result!  Now, if it wasn't 82 degrees out as I type this, it might actually feel like fall out there!

Hope everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Another Photo Thursday

Don't have that much to say. We've all been sick except for Isaac. I love nursing!

Cowboys

I am always amazed that when people come to the Dallas area, they expect to see real, live Cowboys. Let me fill you in on a secret: just because Dallas is in Texas does not mean we have handsome men in chaps, spurs, and a cowboy hat walking down every street.  In fact, you'd be hard pressed to find a person like that in Dallas proper.  Now, go outside the city limits, past the suburbs just a bit, and yeah.  You'll find lots of those real, live cowboys.

Aaron, circa 2006, proud of his Texas heritage!

However, those are not the cowboys this post is about.  This post is about the only true "Cowboy" in Dallas, er, Arlington now, but what's the dif? ;)

Okay, so there's a big difference, but that's not what this post is about either. The Dallas Cowboys have gotten so bad, that now when people gather around the water cooler to talk about "America's Favorite Team" it is to share jokes like these:

• The Texas State Police are cracking down on speeders heading into Dallas. For the first offense, they give you 2 Dallas Cowboy tickets. If you get stopped a second time, they make you use them.

• What do you call 47 millionaires around a TV watching the Super Bowl?  The Dallas Cowboys

• How do you keep a Dallas Cowboy out of your yard?   Put up a goal post.

• What do you call a Dallas Cowboy with a Super Bowl ring?   Old

• What's the difference between the Dallas Cowboys and a dollar bill?   You can still get four quarters out of a dollar bill.

• What do the Cowboys and a possum have in common?   Both play dead at home and get killed on the road!

Thursday

1. Everyone should read this article about the Bush tax cuts. Very interesting.

2. What is it about feed sacks that make racing so much fun for kids? And grandpas.

3. Is it Christmas break yet? I am so in the sewing mood. I want to sew and try to make lip gloss/chapstick and paint the ugly green bathroom.