Enjoying down time before Christmas

My husband and children are now off work/school for Christmas. We are enjoying the laid back life. This morning my husband and I awoke to the sound of peace and quiet. We didn't get out of bed to nearly 8 AM. The children slept for a little while still after we awoke. Later in the AM I dabbled with a recipe called "Sweet Tortilla Snowflakes". I wasn't sure how good they would be, I was glad I could make them one at a time to find out. They were interesting, very messy though because of the powdered sugar. Basically you cut the tortilla like snowflakes, we had a lot of fun with this. You then bake them at 350 for 5 minutes on a slightly greased cookie sheet. Once they are done you place chocolate chips random all over and melt them for about a minute in the oven. Then you spread the chocolate and let them cool in the refrigerator for 5 minutes. Next you sprinkle with confectioners sugar. This led to a snowflake making party with paper. My children and I went to town making snowflakes. See the picture above to see what fun we had. My son who is only 5 did so awesome! You'd be surprised as to which ones he did. My daughter made the most beautiful one. She and I differ when it comes to the thought we put into things. She just cut away and came up with some truly beautiful snowflakes. I was trying to figure out how to make points, try to hard.... We had so much fun making snowflakes. We are so enjoying this time together. All the stresses of life has melted away and we are just enjoying hanging out not having any agenda to follow.

Yesterday we went to see the movie, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. It was actually a special showing put on by our Realtor at the movie theater. For the admission they were collecting canned food to benefit a cause and each of us brought non-perishable items to donate. We are trying to incorporate giving not just receiving this time of year as often as possible. I don't want my children to get caught up in only thinking of what they will gain and receive but what they can give and what a beautiful feeling they can get from giving to others. The movie was really cute. The meaning I got out of it was to not stop being a kid at heart because then we loose the core of who we are and what we're meant to be and do. It was a really sweet movie with Dustin Hoffman and Jason Bateman. Enjoy the season and take time out to relax and be at peace. Thank you so much Jesus for the gift of your life and love that you've given to us. All the Glory to you!

Jesus = The Reason for the Season

One of my favorite times of the year is Winter. My favorite Holiday is Christmas. So often though most of us fall into the trap of being consumed and preoccupied with finding just that right gift for someone, that can sometimes over shadow the real meaning of Christmas if we allow it. The stores are completely crazy this time of year. Side note, I have vowed to never buy toys and ship them! I'm marking it on my calender for next November DO NOT SHIP TOYS! It cost me just as much to send a package this year as the contents themselves! Next time I'll buy through Toysrus.com and get free shipping. I think about a Christmas Carol and wonder what the scrooges of our day must think of this time of year? There are those on the Christmas "list" we feel we must buy for and each year there are some on that list that the task gets more difficult to accomplish for whatever reason. I question why we do this to ourselves? I know also though that God puts into ALL of us something that can't help but love this time of year somehow, believers and non believers alike. So that's why we buy those presents! For some of us, like myself, I want to find what they might like or need. Yes, sometimes that may be a gift card depending on the circumstances. I know my daughter this year ONLY wants clothes, she's beyond toys now. Or at least that's what she thinks. A gift card for her is perfect from those that don't know her taste. At this age she wouldn't find any fault in that. I'm thinking do you want to wake up Christmas morning to an envelope? I personally don't think she's ready for that. From her Dad and I though, we will have some gifts under the tree for her. I know her taste and I've picked up a couple of things I know she'll like. Then we will treat her to some after Christmas sales for some clothes she can pick out herself, that's half the fun at this age. All the while though we can't forget the single reason we celebrate this time we call "Christmas" it has no other reason for this season. We celebrate a Savior that loved us more than we can comprehend, imagine or do ourselves. He chose to come and be born a birth not of the King he is but rather in a humble way. He lived a humble life and died a death so that we could have life! With that in mind I reflect on this song:

Newsboys - In Wonder Lyrics
(Previously I'd posted a video made of this song to the right. Search for it on the side bar, it's the first video bar you'll come to if you'd like to hear it)

So much wonder
Carved in your coral seas
So much wonder
Shaded by ancient trees
I consider all your hands have made
Every new born eyes, every new sunrise
No power can tame your presence
No light can match your radiance

Let all creation sing in wonder
Every sea, every creature, every star
You opened up my eyes to wonder
What a vision what a wonder what you are

Such a wonder
Ordering time and tide
Such a wonder
Bridging the great divide
I consider all that you had, all you gave
all that you endured
From this rebel world
What a wondrous cross you chose to bear
What a wonder you would even care

Chorus

Let all creation sing in wonder
Every sea, every creature, every star
You opened up my eyes to wonder
What a vision what a wonder what you are


Let every rock cry out
Let every knee bow down
You opened up my heart to wonder
What a love what a wonder you are

No power can tame your presence
No light can match your radiance
Such a wonder
Such a wonder

Chorus

Let all creation sing in wonder
Every sea, every creature, every star
You opened up my eyes to wonder
What a vision what a wonder what you are

Let all creation sing in wonder
Every sea, every creature, every star
You opened up my eyes to wonder
What a vision what a wonder what you are

Let every rock cry out ohhhh
Let every knee bow down
You opened up my heart to wonder
What love what a wonder you are

Getting Ready for Christmas

Since my last post, I can't believe it was in November we're into December! Where does the time go? My son's party was very cute. I'll have to post a couple of pictures from the party. The kids had a good time and just like the planning of a Wedding, it's over. Ever get that feeling? So my little boy is now 5. As soon as Thanksgiving past I could then start to think about Christmas. I love the Charlie Brown Christmas that comes on TV every year. This year it first came on in November and caught me off guard. I missed it :( then I missed it again. I'm sure it will be on again before Christmas. It is one of those favorites from childhood that I have to watch with my family. I love that they have the true meaning of Christmas, Christ in the story. You'd think we'd just buy it on DVD but then that would take the fun out of waiting for it, it would always be available. On the flip side I do like How the Grinch Stole Christmas too. As a little girl I watched the cartoon version, I'm not as fond of it as I am the movie version now. I also like the old black and whites of a Christmas Carol. This year it is my goal to watch "It's A Wonderful Life" in it's entirety, can you believe I never have?

We love to have a real Christmas tree. When we lived in Florida we'd make the pilgrimage out to the "Christmas tree farm". Yes they actually grow Christmas trees in central Florida. We'd get a group of friends together and meet for breakfast at the Cracker Barrell, a treat in itself :) I LOVE that place. We'd be given a saw and be sent on our way in search of that perfect tree. We did that for about 4 or 5 years I'm guessing before we moved. Now we choose to just go to a tree lot. This year it was Home Depot. We picked out our tree on Sunday late afternoon. It still sits undecorated in our living room because we have to have just the right moment to decorate as a family. There are so many fun things to do as a family at Christmas time. I want to take my daughter to see the Nutcracker again this year. We did that last year for the first time. I choose not to take my son yet, maybe in a couple of years he'll enjoy it more. For now it's Mother/daughter time. Then there is the light parades on land and on water. There is a great light display in Prescott Valley, AZ that we enjoy going to. It's a drive through type and it's really pretty. We try to make a day of it. I'm sure we'll do that at some point in time this month. My Christmas preparations are now under way and I am totally enjoying my favorite Holiday time of the year :) Blessings to you and yours. Take time out to enjoy the season

Is anybody ready for Christmas?

I don't know about anybody else, but I feel like Christmas is coming to quick. It's my favorite Holiday and I feel like I need more time to prepare for it. I shopped at Wal-mart last night to the tune of Christmas music, already. Granted I understand that there isn't Thanksgiving music, but can't we at least wait until one Holiday is past before getting started with the next one? My old neighborhood has at least 4 homes completely decorated outside already. Is it me or is it coming really fast? Where's fall? Did I miss fall? Has anybody seen Fall? :) I LOVE fall when the temperatures are perfect. OK I've said fall so many times here that it's starting to sound strange ;) How about "Autumn" then. It's in the low 80's here today. There is hope for tomorrow though, it's only going to be in the 70's. I am looking forward to Thanksgiving. Cooking is not my favorite thing to do, but I do it and to the best of my ability. It's just not my passion, but I will do a real nice Thanksgiving feast for my family. I have refused however to cook the turkey, only having done so about the number of times I can count on maybe 1 hand in all my years, so I bought a Butterball smoked pre-cooked 10 lb. turkey. I don't mind doing sides and baking. It will be awesome and they'll love it. So I'm going to enjoy Thanksgiving and I'm going to take the time to be thankful for friends and family and the roof over our heads, the health that we have, the provision for our lives. Then I will move on, after Thanksgiving, to celebrate the birth of a savior for which all that I'm thankful for has been made possible :)

The Floor is complete

The dining room flooring is done!!!!! I think my husband did an awesome job. It was a new experience for him but he did well. We have had meals in the room now and we have more room. Now all we need is a coat of paint, so it doesn't look like a giant white box (I'm not a fan of white walls, for me that lacks imagination) and a couple more pictures and some curtains or a valance. I haven't decided curtains or valance yet. I'd like to put something more up in the open window above too. Today we will take the light fixture down and paint it black, it's a perfectly good one, it's just the wrong color. We will change the cord and the chain to black also. I think it will make a dramatic difference. Surprise I don't like white fixtures either, I may have already mentioned that previously. I just had a thought, we just bought our daughter some shabby chic "white" furniture. For something white, it's actually very pretty, it has character. I love the victorian look to it. It has glass knobs, reminesant of Grandma's house and her glass door knobs. Maybe I'll take a picture of her new furniture. Her walls are light purple so the white furniture will look really pretty. See the painting I bought to add "color" to the dining room, I LOVE IT! Back to the flooring, we are enjoying our new room and it looks great. Any tips on the best way to clean laminate flooring are welcome :) In the photo that is natural light from the window above that you see between the flooring and the carpeting, just in case you're wondering :)

Beauty Tip

- Go through life feeling beautiful every second, no matter what you are wearing or how your hair or make-up looks. You are always beautiful!

- Be nice to others. The most beautiful person you may ever see who has a nasty attitude isn't beautiful at all.


-Beauty isn't just looks, it's personality that people want. Looks are just bonuses that can be an advantage. Never feel pressured to be like someone else; be yourself.

My Blog Theme Song

Over to the right is "Newsboys In Wonder" if you haven't already watched it from my previous post, please do now. Just click on the top image. It is totally my "theme song" to this Blog and there is beautiful photography also! I would have that song playing over and over if I could fiqure out how, but you all would probably have a hard time reading all my posts listening to it over and over, so just listen now or I'll have to fiqure out how to make it play over and over :) Then it will be in your head and you won't be able to get it out ;) I said please :)

My son's Birthday party preparations

I am having so much fun planning my son's 5th Birthday! He wanted a "Spy/Detective" party so I took that and I'm running with it. I must admit our dear friends Lisa & Steve have been an inspiration. They are both so creative in this way also. Our home will be decorated with the usual streamers and all, but we'll also have "crime scene tape" and chalk outlines and footprints :) I made up a Spy ID card, upon arrival to our house we will have a table set up by the front door and each child will come up with their "code name". They will then be fingerprinted and get their ID photo taken with their newly acquired Fedora hat. Unfortunately I couldn't find 12 trench coats cheep :) My daughter has volunteered to handle the check in table. My husband will be the photographer. Once all agents are welcomed and checked in, we'll begin their "Spy training". They will come into our home while all kinds of detective music is playing, such as spy kids, mission impossible, you get the idea. Each training session they complete (games) they will get a star on their ID card. We will be playing lots of games. We will seek out and defuse a bomb (aka kitchen timer) They will test their detective skills by trying to figure out, by questioning other "agents", what animal they are, which will be taped on their back. We will show them some items then take them away and see what they can remember of what they saw. We'll play eye witness and have someone run through the house and commit a crime and they will figure out what happened. My son really likes Pinatas but I don't want to spend $30 more for that. I may come up with a creative idea along those lines. I might make something that can work, I have an idea.....For the "cake" I actually bought a couple of boxes of ding dongs. They are round chocolate covered cakes for those that don't know. I'm going to put a black fork in each one which will be a magnifying glass handle and the ding dong is the magnifying glass. I'm going to decorate each one with blue icing to look like glass. I will lay them all out and on each it will spell out Happy Birthday and my son's name with candles. On that note, check out my daughter's cake I made above. Since my son has tree nut allergies, I make our Birthday cakes. I can't decorate a cake quite as good as Donetta over at "A Life Uncommon" but I can be creative :) My daughter doesn't like Chocolate, go figure? Hopefully just a faze :) So I did white icing and the decorations are fruit roll yogos and round yogos (found in the fruit snack area of the grocery store) Looks pretty good doesn't it ;) Back to the Detective party, at the end of the party our agents will need to seek out their "top secret" spy/detective kits, since they will have then completed all of their training. See the photo of the envelopes as well as the napkins & plates. Someone will have taken the envelopes and they must be found. That will be their "goody" bags, or in this "case" no pun intended ;), their goody envelopes. I am lettering each one myself with stencils. Which by the way were not easy to find! I had some about 20 years ago that would have been perfect. Each goodie envelope will have a disguise (glasses, nose & moustache) some crime scene tape gum, a magnifying glass, a rubber bracelet with detective says on it, a mini flashlight and of course they will take home their Fedora hats. I think it will be lots of fun. We have mostly boys invited with a few girls. My son is to funny, he has issues with girls if they wear nail polish or necklaces. It's ok for Mom and sister but not girls his age :) He is no longer going to marry 2 girls because of this, so he says. One is still on the Birthday list but the other is history, for now. I know this to shall pass, it's his way of dealing with girls growing up. I'll have to post more pictures after the fact. Looking forward, and 1 week and a day away :o better get busy, BYE for now (over and out)

"Elf Yourself" from Office Max

A friend's daughter had made one of these and she sent me their "Elf yourself" and I thought it was too cute. You have to see this. I had to make my own right away. It was so much fun doing this. Check out mine of my children.
Click on the title of this post "Elf Yourself" from Office Max above to view. LOL :)

Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus concert continued.....

Friday night I took my daughter to her first concert. I had previously posted the info. about this. It was really fun and Miley put on a great show. The Jonas Brothers were the opening group and they did a great job too. My daughter can scream like nobody! I must confess I put tissues in my ears to keep from having my ear drums damaged by her ear piercing screams :) I say this all with a smile. She had so much fun. It is my prayer that Miley will always remain the great role model and sweet girl that she is now.

Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus concert tonight!

My daughter is so excited, tonight is the night of her very first concert. She can't believe she will see Miley Cyrus here in Arizona as she put it. I'm excited for her and actually am looking forward to it also. I especially like some of the Miley songs that are from her own rather than the Disney made image. I'm not looking forward to the drive to Glendale during rush hour, pray for me! We are going with another Mom and daughter so we will at least have some company for the journey. Traveling back shouldn't be to bad other than we'll all be pretty tired. I'm sure this will be a great show. I'm glad that she can call this her first, I'm a little embarrassed by mine, KISS. I can't believe I liked them. I think I was 14 and I remember my Mom taking my friend and I to the Lakeland Civic center in Florida. It was about an hour or so from our house. She actually dropped us off and just hung around Lakeland. Now a days I'd never drop my 14 year old off at a KISS concert, back then though in the late 70's we survived. I will have to post what I think of the show in the next couple of days. It sounds like it will be really good. I just wish we could have sat a little closer, not happy with the scalpers that didn't make that possible. It's unbelievable to think that so many were able to access tickets and buy so many up, well just thankful to be going.

Laminate Flooring to go here

Last night we bought Laminate flooring! I'm so excited about getting it put into the dining room. I think it will look awesome. We hope to put it in tomorrow after our garage sale. Then we will move our table and chairs into that room. We have them in an eat in kitchen area but it's just a bit too crowded. We may replace that with a air hockey table since it's just beside the family room. The move will give us more space to walk around the table, especially when we have guests. I'm posting the "before" pic. and then of course I'll post the after. The window up above is so awesome, in the photo it's still dark early morning but the natural light that comes in is great. That fixture that is hanging will be painted black or replaced completely eventually. All white fixtures must be banished from my kingdom :) Anyways, it's taken us a couple of weeks to pick out just the right color and texture. We thought we'd made a decision the other day but changed our minds. Last night we ended up purchasing it at Lowe's. I told my husband we are anal :) we are just so darn picky. Does it have the right texture? Is it just the right color? Does it match or compliment the other wood in the room? How about the wood banister going upstairs, not that it's anywhere near it. Then the printing terms from both our past come in, are the colors "registered"? Meaning do they line up, because of course laminate flooring is just made to look like wood, did they do a good job making it. How thick is it, because we have a thicker padding under our carpet that will butt up to it. Can the dogs nails or my son's toys scratch it? Do the key test and try to scratch it. How about the warranty, is it for 10 years, that's not long enough, even though we may no longer be in our house 7 years from now. The floor has to out last us. So we bought flooring with a 25 year warranty. I'm sure the future owners of our home will be thankful :) I'll be 67 by then :) We are to funny, I told my husband we make quite a pair :) Our children were so patient with us last night, I couldn't believe it. We went from Home Depot to Lowe's with thoughts of going back to Home Depot. In that time we did run into some friends from our past, they actually live behind us but we only see them about once a year. Along the way our daughter thought an elderly man was stalking us, don't think so though but we appreciate her being on the look out. So we now have it "acclimating" to our room, see there it is in the picture, all 6 boxes of it. We wanted to have the room finished for Thanksgiving dinner, nice goal don't you think? We've been in our house for 6 months now. Our goal is to have our 1st floor completed, possibly with the exception of paint. The carpeting from the dining room actually went up into my daughter's room. Her carpet didn't match the rest of the upstairs. My husband and father-in-law did a meticulous job removing and installing. The upstairs is near completion also with the exception of paint and the "loft" which now looks like a twister went through it. My daughter's room, with the exception of her bed is out there now due to the carpet having been installed. Still waiting for a vision though on the loft. We want to keep cost down so my husband will custom make our Art/Craft work area up there. It's fun to see this all come together. It's funny to think I wrote all this about Laminate floors, LOL.

Meet Mayford & Dexter......

The other day my son and I were in Petsmart. He likes to go look at the "animals". I fell in love with the Winter White Hamsters. I had a Teddy Bear Hamster when I was my daughter's age. She was a female and shortly after we purchased her we had many more Teddy Bear Hamsters. Turns out she was a Mommy in waiting, SURPRISE! I'm sure my Mom loved that! Talk about getting more than you bargained for...... When we moved to Florida I gave her to a neighbor boy. We told my Husband and daughter about the Hamsters we'd seen at Petsmart, and thought about the idea of getting the kids their own Hamsters. Last night we went to Petsmart and picked out their new pets. They are both boys, Mayford is the one that is more of a solid gray. Dexter has a dark stripe down his back. Mayford is a maniac at night, last night being the first, he was running on his wheel like crazy. I'm glad they have improved on wheel design in the past 30 years! They aren't as squeaky. Mayford is a picky eater and a messy one at that. He digs for just his favorites. Dexter is happy to eat the corn or whatever. He likes to curl up in a corner with his food and nibble on it slowly. One of my son's favorite cartoons is Dexter's Laboratory (I know, not the best cartoon for a 4 year old) He and his Dad love to watch it every night. Which is worse, Sponge Bob or Dexter? Don't even ask about Mayford's name, it's a secret. I will say it's part of our last name and part of the last name of a boy Emily likes. Hopefully the boy will never decode "the name" ;0

Newsboys "In Wonder"

I just added Newsboys "In Wonder" to the right. Click on the You Tube and watch it if you'd like. We saw them in concert and it was awesome! If you haven't had a chance to see them, catch them if they come back around on tour. There was a part of the show where the lead singer and the drummer did kind of a dualing drum type thing. The drummers stage totally flipped on it's side and was spinning, he was playing like a maniac. The crowd loved it, it was one of the highlights of the show. In Wonder is one of my favorites from the GO CD. Enjoy!

My Daughter's Birthday

The night before my daughter's Birthday we went to get her and a friend's hair, makeup and nails done. My friends family owns a beauty shop. Her niece did the girls hair, makeup and nails and did an awesome job. The girls just loved the experience. A couple of years ago we went to Libby Lu's in Scotsdale and did something similar. After they were done, we went home and Dad had dinner for us, then we went to the Roller rink for skating. Can't be all dressed up with no place to go, that's no fun. The girls had a great night. It was so much fun watching each girl get pampered and to watch their "transformations". My daughter is the girl on the right.

Meat, Beans, and lots of spices oh my!

My husband, bless his heart, made chili last night for the Annual Boeing chili contest. Every year he does it. Never in all the previous years, did it burn my eyes before though. We live in a larger house now. There is more places for the "aroma" to go, who would think I'd feel like my eyes were on fire. I told him around 9:30 or so that I had to go upstairs and go to bed. I opened the windows and put on the fan and closed the door. I hope I didn't offend him and ruin my chances of ever getting him to share some of the cooking. I'm sure it will taste awesome though. It's so cute when he cooks his chili.

More about Art Masterpiece and me

One thing I didn't mention about the Art Masterpiece program is that this gives me an opportunity to reclaim something I let go of. I've grown and matured and learned from mistakes over the years. God has graciously been patient with me and revealed new things to me over time and helped me to heal from poor choices. He's given me other things in my life to help reclaim what was meant to be. Now I am 42 and can look back at all that has shaped my life and where I am now. When I was a teenager, I was told by an Art teacher, one whom didn't know me, I was just seeking advice from, that becoming an Art Teacher would be a very difficult field to get into. That day my young heart was totally discouraged from ever pursuing what I enjoyed most. I was told there were limited positions, usually each school only has 1 art teacher..... With just one word I gave it up. Back then I couldn't of imagined that there were Christian schools, public schools and charter schools and lots of them. God had placed that creativity within me, that desire and I didn't know what I know now that you aren't truly "alive" completely unless you are pursuing that passion, that gifting you've been given. Yes I have expressed my creativity in other ways. If it wasn't for Photography, my husband and I may never have met. I would never have changed being a stay at home Mom either. My daughter told me yesterday, when I once again shared this story with her, that she wished I could be her Art teacher at school. She says that her art teacher is mean. She's very excited that I'll be doing Art Masterpiece in her class! Sad maybe her Art teacher wasn't meant to be an art teacher after all if she isn't totally enjoying it. So in my e-mails today I received this "daily reading" it's from Ransomed Heart. This can further explain in a way what I've been talking about. Oh and by the way, if you are in a position where you can influence a young person, always encourage them to pursue their dreams to the fullest. It's taken me longer to get where I needed to be but God gives back what is lost. Read on.......

Over the years we’ve come to see that the only thing more tragic than the things that have happened to us is what we have done with them.

Words were said; painful words. Things were done; awful things. And it shaped us. Something inside of us shifted. We embraced the messages of our wounds. We accepted a view of ourselves. And from that we chose a way of relating to our world. We made a vow never to be in that place again. We adopted strategies to protect ourselves from being hurt again. A woman that is living out of a broken, wounded heart is a woman who is living a self-protective life. She may not be aware of it but it is true. It’s our way of trying to “save ourselves.”

And, we also developed ways of trying to get something of the love our hearts cried out for. The ache is there. Our desperate need for love and affirmation, our thirst for some taste of romance and adventure and something to be wanted for is there. So we turned to boys or to food or to romance novels, we lost ourselves in our work or at church or in some sort of service. All this adds up to the woman we are today. Much of what we call our “personalities” is actually the mosaic of our choices for self-protection plus our plan to get something of the love we were created for.

The problem is, our plan has nothing to do with God.

The wounds we received and the messages they brought form a sort of unholy alliance with our fallen nature as women. From Eve we received a deep mistrust in the heart of God towards us. Clearly, he’s holding out on us. We’ll just have to arrange for the life we want. We will control our world. But there is also an ache deep within, an ache for intimacy and for life. We’ll have to find a way to fill it.

(Taken from the book: Captivating, pages 74-75)
From The Ransomed Heart, by John Eldredge, reading 297

That been said, I'm off to another Art Masterpiece class this morning. Enjoy your day. Live life to the fullest :) Just as a reminder don't always believe the crap some others may tell you, because often they are speaking from their own wounded lives and experiences, (hurting people hurt people, Joyce Meyers once said) we've ALL had them one way or another, some have healed, some have not.

Art Masterpiece Program

I am going for training to be a Art Masterpiece guide. What that will enable me to do is go into my daughter's class every other week with a famous piece of artwork to present to the class for discussion. I remember being in Elementary school, 5th grade to be exact, and a volunteer Mom came in and talked with us through a program similar to this. That was my first exposure to famous paintings and I've never forgotten it. This has re-kindled a forgotten passion in me. I love art and I love learning more about the Artists that made them famous. I am having so much fun with this! I took Art History in College and really loved it. I still have my books and my children have looked through them numerous times. My daughter really likes "Van Gogh's Starry Night" which I have pictured above, pictured to the right is a photo of Vincent Van Gogh. Through my brushing up on my Van Gogh knowledge I learned he actually initially sketched Starry Night while in an asylum. I think the fact that he'd cut off his ear is pretty commonly known, however I'd thought he'd cut his entire ear off, it was only his lobe, FYI. He did this following a argument with his friend, fellow painter Gauguin. Going back to his youth he had been sent away to boarding school at about age 11 and was distressed by the separation from his family. Van Gogh aspired to be a Minister and also translated the Bible into English, French and German. He also did missionary work. Upon pursuing his studies to become a Minister, he failed and ventured down several different avenues. He lived a sorted life, had a lot of ups and downs to put it politely. As a side note, he was named Vincent after his grandfather but also following the stillborn death of a brother, a year prior also named Vincent. Some think that may have had an impact on him. He eventually attended the Royal Academy of Art, was rejected by a cousin whom he wanted to marry, lived with a prostitute whom eventually went back to her trade. He contracted some sexually transmitted diseases, and did quite a bit of painting the last decade of his life. I can see he put a lot of his feelings into his paintings. I feel he must have been a passionate painter. Starry Night is one example of that. He had been quoted as saying He wanted to be an artist while in God's service "to try to understand the real significance of what the great artists, the serious masters, tell us in their masterpieces, that leads to God; one man wrote or told it in a book; another in a picture." Sadly he took his own life but his works have lived on.

Pumpkin Drop Cookies

We are in the process of making these yummy cookies. I thought I'd share the recipe. We made a double batch, so we can share some and bring some to school for my daughter's Birthday on Tuesday. They are awesome and remind us of fall! Here is the recipe if you'd like to try it:


Pumpkin Drop Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter flavored shortening
3 cups sugar
1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
6 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

CINNAMON FROSTING:
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Beat in the pumpkin, eggs and milk. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, allspice and cloves; gradually add to creamed mixture. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-13 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the frosting ingredients; beat until smooth. Frost cookies. Store in the refrigerator.

A Night at the Mall

"> It is almost my daughter's Birthday, she'll be 12. She is at that place where toys no longer interest her for the most part. She enjoys playing with her brother though. They will jump on our trampoline or play games together. On her own she likes to listen to her music and she reads and draws pictures. She plans out her outfits with the utmost care and coordination. She enjoys fashion and the art of putting it all together. I have watched her grow and mature especially over the past 2 months as she is finishing out the elementary school years. For her birthday she wanted just one friend to come and have hair and makeup and nails done. This would be her "party". We did something similar a couple years back and it was a big hit. The girls loved being transformed, dressed up. She realizes the value of money and knows to have a group of girls would be quite costly. For this lesson learned I am thankful. All on her own she chose to bring only 1. For her present she asked if she could buy some clothes and earrings at the mall. Now her and I love the thrift store. She has learned the value of a dollar and knows you don't end up with nearly as much shopping at the Mall. None the less she wanted to do it. I told her I could understand, the mall is up to the minute fashion, brand new.... She asked for $50, I thought that sounded totally reasonable. Once again she knows the value of a dollar and she only shopped the sales! Didn't buy anything that wasn't on sale. Good things come to those who wait. She brought that same friend along that will come to have hair and makeup done. I thought that may be hard for the friend to come along not having any money to spend herself. I bought the girls dinner, they chose Panda Express. I stood back and watched in awe of this girl that is blossoming before my eyes. She is beautiful outside and in, she has a sweet heart and is a joy to be around. We have our moments as Mother and daughter but our trip to the Mall was such a cool experience. She truly felt sorry for her friend not having any money to buy anything herself. She struggled with her budget she had set up for herself. Later commenting how the experience was a "Math Lesson". She really wanted to buy her friend something. In the end, her friend found something, also on sale, and I bought it for her. Later I told my daughter it was because of her heart toward her friend that I did that. She later told me how much more she could have gotten at the thrift store. She was happy with her purchases though and I was so happy to watch her grown. I made this doll for her, it reminds me of what she may look like in a couple of years. I am very proud of the young woman my daughter is becoming.

The finished Egyptian Masks and The Egg Drop

Just thought I'd post a photo of the finished Egyptian Masks.

Yesterday at school the 6th graders had an Egg Drop contest. The adults sure had a lot of fun releasing the eggs from the top of the school. It was pretty funny to watch. The night before my husband and daughter worked on their experiment. They were so confident that they actually dropped it from my stair case! Unfortunately their confidence was challenged, the end result was not what they had hoped, but try, try again. Unfortunately my daughter's egg did not survive the fall from the top of the school. It was fun though none the less.

Mother Mantis

It seems our Praying Mantis is a female. It was hard to capture in a photo but if you look midway on the twig that little bulge is it. We actually went to release her today and low and behold and egg sack was on the twig in her jar. My daughter noticed first and I thought that was what it may be. Upon doing some research on the internet we saw images to confirm our suspecision. We also learned that there can be anywhere from 30 to 300 little mantis in that egg sack! They will probably not emerge until spring. This is God's pest control, how cool to have all of those Praying Mantis released into our yard!

Praying Mantis Update

Yesterday the Praying Mantis paid a visit to my son's and daughter's classes. He was well received by all. The 6th grade girls let him out and posed for some pictures with him. I thought "Ah ha a new photo venture posing with bugs!" kidding of course.... I actually let him crawl on my arm yesterday too. He is a friendly little critter.

We had gotten some baby crickets the day before for his dinner. I told the kids if he didn't eat, than we needed to set him free. He did eat yesterday, so he will stay on at least another day. I don't want to keep him if he isn't eating. He is great pest control for our yard.

My "Daily reading" today

The Evil Behind All Evil

In the mythic story of The Lion King, the lion cub Simba is separated in his youth from his father through a murder engineered by his uncle, Scar, the character symbolizing the evil one in our story. Scar arranges for the cub to be caught in a stampede of wildebeests, knowing that his father, Mufasa, will risk his life to save his son. He does, and Simba is saved, but Mufasa is killed. Scar then turns on Simba and accuses him, at such a vulnerable and desperate moment, of causing his father’s death. Brokenhearted, frightened, racked with guilt, Simba runs away from home.

This is the enemy’s one central purpose—to separate us from the Father. He uses neglect to whisper, You see—no one cares. You’re not worth caring about. He uses a sudden loss of innocence to whisper, This is a dangerous world, and you are alone. You’ve been abandoned. He uses assaults and abuses to scream at a boy, This is all you are good for. And in this way he makes it nearly impossible for us to know what Jesus knew, makes it so very, very hard to come home to the Father’s heart toward us. The details of each story are unique to the boy, but the effect is always a wound in the soul, and with it separation from and suspicion of the Father.

It’s been very effective.

But God is not willing to simply let that be the end of the story. Not in any man’s life. Remember what Jesus taught us about the Father’s heart in the parable of the lost son: “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20 NIV). Filled with compassion, our Father God will come like a loving Father, and take us close to his heart. He will also take us back to heal the wounds, finish things that didn’t get finished. He will come for the boy, no matter how old he might now be, and make him his Beloved Son.

**Taken from the book The Way of The Wild Heart by John Eldredge**

In almost every story you hear, there is good vs evil. I think this story is ingrained in each one of us believer or not. We all in some way can relate to a story like this in our own lives on one level or another. John Eldredge is one of my favorite authors and this is from a daily reading I receive from "Ransomed Heart". I thought I'd share this one today. Have an awesome day knowing you are beloved there is a warrior in heaven that thinks so! xoxoxoxo ~ God

The Praying Mantis

This afternoon my daughter found a Praying Mantis on our back porch. She was so excited to find it. My husband caught it for her so the kids could get a better look. It is one of the most facinating insects that I've seen. We all had to take pictures of the it. My husband took this shot of him. Later this afternoon we went to Petsmart to buy him (her) dinner, small crickets. We hoped to bring it to school tomorrow to share with the kids at school. Then we will deceide what would be best for it next.

Meet my walking Buddy

This is my walking buddy Liberty. Named Liberty for we added her to our family in July just over 3 years ago when she was 3 months old. She's now 3 1/2 years old and she was "supposed" to be an Australian Shepherd. The lady we had gotten her from as a puppy swears she is. Normally they are alot fluffier. They do have the spotted coat and sometimes will have blue eyes. As a puppy she could have fooled us. Well if she is or if she isn't she's a sweetie. She is such a good girl with the kids, she thinks she is one of them. I can't say the walk word without following through. I have tried to walk as often as I can to get exercise. In addition to going up and down my stairs all day and night. So Liberty and I will go for a walk this morning for 30 minutes around our neighborhood. I listen to my Ipod and she enjoys all the sights and sounds outside of our family compound.

Lego Skeleton Man

Last night my husband created "Skeleton Man". Our family enjoys playing with Lego's. My husband and son especially do. From the time I woke up this morning my son was showing me all that he thought was cool in the Lego magazine. He really likes Star Wars and Knights especially. There was a time when we allowed him to watch Sponge Bob. Our daughter liked Sponge Bob and we thought it was pretty harmless, she's moved on since then. Our son was younger then. As he's getting older, some of the comments Sponge Bob makes, he repeats. So his sister said, "No more Sponge Bob until you're 20". Maybe when he's a little older and knows what not to repeat we'll let him watch it again, if he wants to then. Skeleton Man's head is made from "Squidward's" house from the Sponge Bob show.

My Bubble Blowing Boy

I'm glad that my son, who likes to instruct all peers his age of how to play with a gameboy, still likes to blow bubbles! He is a smart little guy and it's so funny to watch him instruct his friends, he really does well, he's a good teacher. For that, he has lots of patience, it's very sweet to watch. I see in other areas he's not as patient. He even helps his big sister get to new levels with the gameboy. I occasional get a glimpse these days of the boy he is and the boy he will be.

The Egyptian Mask

Today I helped out in my daughter's 6th grade class. They made Egyptian masks for their Egypt study they are currently doing. It was a lot of fun to help and take pictures and watch all the students. Each child had a partner that applied the cast type material to their partners face. Then they tended to them by cleaning up any drips, reading to them while they waited to dry.... I went around and photographed them so they could see how they looked. They will decorate them on Monday. I look forward to seeing the final project. Afterwards they looked like pretty messy, I told one of the girls that it looked like a cake blew up in her face (really) They cleaned up very nicely though :)

Next week they will take a break from Egypt and study the brain. The teacher has a lot of interesting things she shared with me for that study. They will also disect a sheeps brain (you probably didn't want to know that) I will not be volunteering that day.

**See the "Bangles" Walk like an Egyptian video below. This song reminds me of the kids. I will probably do a CD slide show for them. When we show the Egyptian study photos I will have to include that song. On that note, last years Science camp the theme song was Queen's "We will rock you". It was done really well, but I told my daughter I remember that song from when I was in 7th grade! She now has it on her IPod.

Our School has been a blessing

My daughter and son have now been in school for just over a month. Both are loving school and doing well. I couldn't be blessed with a better teacher for my little guy. His teacher is a Christian and does so well with 21- 4 year olds! She has a full time aide that works with her as well. These ladies know how to handle a group of little ones so well. We are so blessed for this first school experience. My daughter's teacher is not your normal stereo typical teacher. She is very out of the ordinary, I'm sure her class will be too. She reminds me of the "Magic School Bus" teacher if you are familiar with those books. My daughter likes her teacher and for that I am grateful.
I am a part of a Moms in Touch International group which meets once a week, to pray for our particular school. Quite a few of the schools have a MITI group in place, it's just a matter of going to the web site to see if your child's school has on in place. Their web site is: www.MomsInTouch.org if anyone is interested in getting information. It brings me great peace knowing that I can meet with other Christian Moms that are also praying for their children and our school and it's staff. So many that have been involved with our school have noticed the difference. One teacher pointed out why, because Moms met to pray for our school. I am so thankful for God's hand on our school.
I have been praying about school for next year. My little guy is in a Early Learners K-4 1/2 a day now. Next year he will go to K-5. My daughter will go to Jr. High. I had thought I wanted my son to go to a Christian School. As much as I know a Christian School can benefit him, this school is also doing so in other ways. Our school is not your average public school. They do not do worksheet busy work, they do not follow the norm. They are a pioneer school that does things different. They also place strong emphasis on reading and writing. Each classroom has a couch and a comfy area where the kids go to have reading group. They probe deeply into books and into the thoughts of the author. I just can't say enough about the school. I am happy with it so my son may very well remain. Thankfully we have 1/2 and full day K-5 available next year. I have asked his teacher her opinion of the 1/2 verses full day. I wanted to only do 1/2 day, I thought surely from a teachers viewpoint she would have strongly encouraged full day. I was excited to hear that she feels a child has no business in school full day at that age. Obviously if it is possible, she herself has a K-5 child that must attend all day due to her schedule. She feels they should be running and playing and having a good time. I tend to agree with that, I just needed to know that he wouldn't be at a disadvantage academically to his peers. I am reassured of my choice. I pray for God's provision to make that possible!
My daughter is another story, she will be going from this wonderful school into the Lion's Den of Jr. High. No seriously, that's just my opinion as her Mom :) I have heard positive stories of the Jr. High that we are zoned for. They are begining to out weigh the negative. The more I put myself out there and find others in my similar situation, the more encouraged I am. My daughter wants to go to the school she is zoned for as well. I will have to check into it to see if there is a MITI group for that school. If not, I guess I will have to start one! I have to continue to remind myself that God loves these little ones even more than I do, which I can't comprehend. He has His hand on them and is paving the way. I continue to pray and he is keeping them in His care always. Whenever certain things happen that I don't think would be the way I'd like them, I think but God I prayed for this...... He doesn't always answer the way we want Him to. His ways are definately above ours. I have stories of how he has answered prayers already this school year in a much cooler way than I could come up with!

New Computer on Order

Our current computer is on it's way out. We have a new Dell on order and should be back up and running by the first of October. I haven't tried to check e-mails yet, but will put that on my to do list. I am looking forward to having a more updated system. I'm sure we haven't been aware of what we've been missing.

Children's Journal

I just read the "Motivation for Moms" on my Blog. They talk about doing a journal of what is around you. I have a journal for each of my children. I don't write in it on a daily basis, just when something extra important has happened in their life. I will give them their journals when they graduate High School. I'm guessing it will be more than one journal each by then. I write it in a form where I am talking to them about what had happened that day. So many times they do or say something that you just never want to forget. Also memories of trips and first days of school, parties etc...

Computer Down

In case some of you are wondering where I am, our computer has been down since the begining of September. We cannot get online with it at all. Right now I'm using our laptop, but I can't access e-mail with it yet. I believe I probably can, but I haven't done it in hopes of the main computer recovering. I don't think that that's going to happen, it may be time for an upgrade once again. Just wanted to update on my whereabouts. TTFN

Party Tips for Children with Food Allergies

Party Tips for Children with Food Allergies, So All Guests Feel Included

I am not promoting "Divvies" This is from an article at www.amazingmoms.com. I thought this may raise awareness of food allergies and children.
Recently, I was introduced to Mark and Lori Sandler, owners of Divvies
"Made to share!" and parents of a child with severe food allergies.
I've planned and/or hosted over one hundred kid's parties and until
our conversation, had never thought of accommodating food allergies,
nor, the ramifications of my over-sight. Shame on me! The thought that
there were children not being invited, or permitted to attend a party because of there allergies, broke my heart. You don't need to make the same mistake. I'm excited to be offering a safe and delicious alternative, as well as
providing tips so that children will no longer be excluded.

Over 12 million people in the United States have to choose their foods carefully because they have severe food allergies. One out of every
twenty five kids has food allergies. Strictly avoiding allergens is the
only way to stay safe. Food allergies should not hold anyone,
especially kids, back from having fun and feeling included!

Steps you can take for a safe and inclusive party:
Provided by Lori Sandler owner of Divvies "Made to Share"
Allergen Safe Treats! peanut free, tree nut free, egg free & dairy free.

Communicate with parents and guests directly in advance. Being prepared
as best you can, will eliminate a stressful situation during the party.

Maintain an appropriate sense of confidentiality. Show respect for
an individual's privacy as best you can in this very social situation.

Work together so everyone feels safe and included. Understand what
foods must be avoided, and which are safe so there are no surprises.

Being prepared by speaking directly with your guest or parent will make
you a better host. Ask for assistance if necessary, but do all you can to
make your guest feel "welcome, expected and included".

Many times, people with food allergies are served last because their meals
must be prepared separately. You will really touch someone's heart if you
go the extra mile to make sure this does not happen!

While planning your party, ask your guest's parents for delicious,
safe menu ideas.

Welcome your guests with food allergies to bring along their own food,
and encourage them to bring enough to be shared. This way your other
guests will learn than allergy-free foods can be delicious, too.

Designate an allergy-free area at the table. This will comfort your guest
with food allergies.

Make sure your guests do not trade food. When guests leave and return
to their seats, ask that they do just that -- return to their own seats!

If a child is food allergic, make sure a responsible adult is watching out
for that guests' safety during the party.

Consider including Divvies gourmet popcorn, cookies, candies along with
alternatives to food, in goodie bags. Divvies fun foods are made
without peanuts, tree nuts, eggs and milk.

Order individually wrapped cookies and rock candy for party favors and add the large box of sweet popcorn, which comes with individual bags and
a scoop for serving. This adds a fun and festive touch to any party theme!
Let them eat cake!
Now Divvies is shipping their delicious allergen-free cupcakes and frosting.

My comments on the above article:

I am not suggesting that someone go out of their way and spend extra money by shopping through "Divvies". We have, at times brought our own "special treat" to parties, either myself or my husband or both are usually present. My son is still a little guy. He knows about his allergy but can't read yet and still needs Mom and Dad to be his advocate. In fact my daughter's birthday this past year, my son had his own special cupcake. The rest of the guests had cake. Costco makes awesome cakes, I needed a huge one, so he was told to stay away from the cake. We watched him like a hawk. I can just appreciate taking into consideration, especially when children are under lets say 7, that they need to be in a safe environment. If able, discuss with guests beforehand if there are any food allergies that you may need to be aware of. Just a little FYI :)

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for clouds in the desert
I am thankful for the health of myself & family
I am thankful for dirty dishes, that means I have a family and we have food to eat
I am thankful for fingerprints on my sliding glass door because they come from my children, sometimes there is drool from the dog too :)
I am thankful for rest at the end of a event filled day
I am thankful for Thursday because it's followed by Friday and TGIF!
I'm thankful for the holiday weekend and 3 days with family
I'm thankful for the trust earned from my daughter that she can share most anything with me
I'm thankful for the overtime my husband is working, not for the money but rather because he's got a healthy body that can do the work
I'm thankful for all the love from family and friends!

Just received this from Michelle. Thank you Michelle, you were my original inspiration for beginning a blog! The Nice Matters Award is given for, “This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you’ve been awarded please pass it on to 7 others who you feel are deserving of this award.”
I haven't visited many Blogs yet other than Michelle's & Donetta's mostly. I would like to say right back at you ladies you both deserve the "Nice Matters Award"

Thankful for the tickets we have

My husband took a shot at the tickets on Saturday. There were NO 4 tickets available together at all. So now we are just thankful to have tickets. This girl, Miley Cyrus is one popular little lady!
We watched some of the "Teen Choice Awards" last night. Miley Cyrus received the "Favorite TV Comedy Actress" award. She was so genuinely excited to receive the award and thanked fans and praised God for putting her there and she said He has blessed her with such great family and friends. She left the stage saying God Bless. This young lady is so upbeat and happy and I'm so glad that young girls have her as a role model to look up to.

My Daughter's First Concert

My daughter LOVES the show "Hannah Montana". The star of the show is Miley Cyrus, along with her Dad, Billy Ray. This is a really cute show for her age group. For those of you unfamiliar with it, Hannah Montana is a Pop star by night and a normal 9th grader named Miley by day. She conceals her identity so that she will be treated like all the other kids. Only those closest to her, her best friend Lily and another friend Oliver know her true identity.
I have heard that Miley and Billy Ray are also Christians. Their family is close-nit and I pray they will keep Miley grounded as she is growing up and becoming so hugely popular.
She toured last year with the Cheetah Girls, another Disney made group as Hannah Montana. Miley Cyrus in her own right is also a singer/song writer. Her upcoming tour will now be Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus which will give her the opportunity to express her own style, not just the one Disney has created for her.
My daughter heard about the upcoming concert and wanted to go badly. Never having been to a concert before, she dreamed of front row seats. Now mind you most of the people in the audience will be 8-11 year old girls plus I'm guessing their Moms. She had already selected a friend to go along. Naturally myself and the other Mom, a friend of mine, will be in tow at all times. So on Tuesday when the presale tickets went on sale (to members of "Miley's World") I was online right at 10:00. I had already prepared my daughter by telling her it isn't easy to get tickets close up, it's more like winning a contest. I had high hopes though none the less. So I punched in the info. at ticketmaster.com and low and behold what was my return? Nothing on the floor, AAA, BBB, CCC were not even coming up. This was the first minute! How could this be? So what do I do, I try again, BIG MISTAKE! We went from lower level to upper level! This was now within the first 10 min. or less. Oh great, now you blew it I thought. I was so hard on myself thinking I have let my little girl down...... I went ahead and purchased the tickets. One way to look at it, they weren't behind the stage. They were almost directly in front, just as far back as you could get, row N I'm hoping there is still O-Z behind us. So after being upset with myself for most of Tuesday, my daughter got home from school and I gave her the news. She took it pretty well actually. I also promised that I would try again when the seats go on sale to the general public. This was my own suggestion. I know very well that I will have no problem passing on these tickets to someone else, at face value, if I do in fact succeed. Tomorrow is the day to try again. I just want this concert to be special, I know how much it means to her. I'd like her to at least be close enough not to have to use binoculars! My dear friend had a solution, she said why not buy a 12 person suite, it's only $1800 and you'll probably even be served food. All joking of course, right? :)
So this story is to be continued........

Profound moments at the Carousel

This morning I was meeting a friend at the Mall to walk before store hours. We said we'd meet at the Carousel in the Food Court. As I waited, I thought about the Carousel, the Mall wasn't buzzing with people yet. I thought about how beautiful each of the horses were. It gave me time to think about which one was I most like. I know that sounds crazy, I just walked around it to see hmmmmmm which one would I choose. I found one! The mane was flowing and the body of it had roses on it. It looked a little like it had a slightly untamed, wild side :) Then my thoughts drifted to my children. How many times had they rode that carousel? How young were they? What were my earliest memories of their ride. Then I thought how fast they are growing up! How their days of riding the carousel will come to an end someday. Then it will become "embarrassing" to be seen on it. You know how kids think as they get older. What if so and so sees me. How I wish they never worried about what so and so thought! Be a kid as long as you can. I thought about the times when we said we didn't have the time or I didn't have the change and that made me sad..... So I bought each of them a token for the carousel, no excuses! The next time we go to the mall we will make time to ride on the carousel before we miss the chance. Children are only little and want to ride the carousel for a season.

Flashlight Hide and Seek and other Saturday stuff....

Yesterday my daughter had her first Basketball game of the season. They won! Yeah :) Her coach this year seems great, they usually are. She's a southern gal that LOVES the game and gets very involved. We actually play through a local Christian Church. They have a sports ministry that offers lots of sports opportunities through the year. My son played Baseball recently, he wants to do Basketball but he'll have to wait til next year. It is a positive and encouraging environment for young kids to get involved with. They sure don't mind winning, but they aren't sore losers either. They begin each game with a prayer and end by congratulating the wining team. In fact their practice includes a small lesson from the Bible. This past week they talked about respect.

After the game my daughter and I went to have a manicure. It was a spur of the moment thing. She was so excited to get a french manicure for the first time this time. Her nails look marvelous and they are her own! I had had tips on my nails and they have finally gotten strong enough and to a decent length that I could have mine done as well. I love my cute flowers! See photo.

Later that night we played Flashlight Hide and Seek. It was a lot of fun. We stayed upstairs to make it easier. Then we took a short break and made insects and animals on the wall with our hands and a flashlight. These moments with the kids are so precious!

Please Leave your comments and let me know you visited

I believe I successfully changed my settings that anyone can comment on my Blog. It used to be that only "registered Blog users" could comment. Please leave me your comments if you come for a visit and have anything to say in response. Let me know if you are unable to comment. Thanks :)

High School Musical 2 Tonight

In case you are not the parent of a "Tween" I will fill you in that tonight is the premier of High School Musical 2. This has been long awaited by tweens everywhere. My daughter is so excited about the premier of this movie. She and a friend are getting together to watch it tonight. I must admit, I too am looking forward to it. The first one was awesome, I hope the 2nd will be just as good. I enjoy watching these movies with my daughter. We enjoy watching Hannah Montana together as well, Zack and Cody too. I cherish the time we are still able to share together where it's still cool for Mom to be around :)
This movie has been compared to Grease which was a big movie when I was about my daughters age. If you aren't familiar with High School Musical I encourage you to watch it if you have the opportunity then follow with HSM 2.
We have our High School Musical plates and napkins ready for tonight. We'll be serving pizza and eating popcorn!
I will also post a "You Tube" for High School Musical 2 if you'd like to see it.

Twinject Training

Yesterday I had an appointment with our school Nurse. It was suggested that I come in to train the staff how to use my son's "twinject pen". It is much like an "Epipen" but has two doses of Epinephrine rather than one. I had called our allergist's office the day prior. It was offered to me to have the "Twinject" Rep come and speak to our school staff. How cool that would be! Ok sure fine with me, how about tomorrow (meaning yesterday) at 2:30? No problem, well that was great. I was really going to raise awareness about life threatening food allergies now!
Our meeting yesterday went great. In fact my babysitter came along as well. My daughter was present as well as my son's teacher and the Nurse's office staff. Two gentleman came rather than one. They showed us a quick DVD, informed us of the difference between the Epipen and the Twinject, gave us coupons to get free Twinject pens, with a prescription of course..... gave everyone training using a demo pen. One of the people present made the comment to my son that "this is all for you!" Don't you feel special kind of thing. It was great and I'm feeling much more confident knowing that I have raised some awareness. I feel my son will be safe in his school. We all made the comment that we hope never to have to use the product. The reps said yes we hope our product will be one that you dispose of most, unused. Thankfully we've never had a situation that I have had to use it!
When my son was just under 2 years old he had his first taste of cashews. His lips look a little red, sadly I attributed it to the salt. I had no idea what a food allergy looked like. When his lip started blowing up to proportions I thought it was incapable I immediately called for help. We had paramedics at our home in a matter of minutes. He then developed hives. At that time his hair was very blond and his little body turned so red up against that blond hair it looked extreme. He was transported to the hospital and given epinephrine in transit. Once there we had a team of medical personnel surrounding him. His symptoms began to subside, but were still present. We were told he would need to be hospitalized over night so that they could keep watch over him. The hospital he'd been transported to could not accept children over night. The nearest hospital was full. The next option was to air lift him to the next major city. It was only 30 minutes away, but this was during rush hour. So we were airlifted and stayed overnight. I had quite a sleepless night that night keeping watch, I had never experienced anything quite like this before. My husband brought our daughter home and stayed with her that night. I watched my son's symptoms disappear overnight. We then became more educated about food allergies and went in for skin testing. He in fact was allergic to tree nuts. If he were to ingest them it could cause an anaphylaxis reaction which is exactly what he had. Now every year we go to the Allergist to be retested in hopes he'll out grown it. Each year the degree of sensitivity seems to change. We have done "food challenges" where a tiny amount of the allergen is given in a controlled situation. Usually this involves spending many hours in the Doctors office. I'm thankful that she is so attentive to our situation though. If you'd like more info. about "Twinject" you can click on the title of my post and you will be linked to the website.

My Husband the other great Photographer :)

This beautiful picture was taken by my husband. This is from our catamaran trip we took in San Francisco. This is one of my favorite photos he took from our trip.

Back to School..... and other thoughts

On Monday not only did my daughter go back to school, but my son went to school for the first time! This was a big change for me this year. For 2 hours and 45 minutes I am alone. What to do during that time? I am still trying to figure out the best way to budget my time wisely.

Both kids are enjoying school I am happy to report. The first day was a little bumpy for my little guy. He went into class without a hitch, all was well. At about 9:45 the nurse's office called to tell me he was there. He had thrown up! We have been having a heat advisory so I attribute it to a combo of the heat and maybe some first day jitters. They had gone outside to play for a little while, he plays pretty hard. He appeared calm and well on the outside when I dropped him off, but who knows how he felt on the inside. He may have been a little nervous. So we came home early on the first day. Yesterday was great, he went, he stayed, he had a good time!

My Time -Now back to me and what to do with my time. I have thought it is a good time to get those not so fun things done during this time. I want to have quality time with my son when he gets home. I also feel it's a good time for me to rejuvenate, great time to catch up with a friend on the phone. I have made plans with my dear friend from "A Life Uncommon" Blog to go walking at the mall on Monday. We both agree that some exercise would benefit us. I had been walking daily or doing water aerobics. The heat got to be too much and none the water aerobics classes are over. We've even gone on to make a date for Wednesday too! We are penciling in for the following week. I think that will be great to get out and walk in the nice cool mall with a dear friend. Our husbands will be happy to know we are going before the stores open and will leave, due to my need to pick up my son, just as the stores open :)

Food Allergy -I have been having some worries about my son's food allergy at school. I keep letting go and giving it to God, then I worry and I have to give it back to Him again. I know God wants to take care of my son when He's out of my sight, after all he's always watching over him. It has made me nervous to think all the people he will come in contact with, that may not know of his Tree Nut allergy, or what to avoid or how to handle an anaphylaxis reaction. He has to have a Epinephrine pen nearby always. Thank God we've never had to use it. I pray we never will, and that he out grows his allergy. I have been busy making up picture cards showing my son and his allergy, the possible symptoms....per the nurses request, so each place he may be will be informed. There's the library, gym class, art, music.....I cannot let worry get the best of me. My son is a smart little boy and has been educated about his allergy and it's severity. A friend told me this may be my journey to help others be more aware. I am noticing there is a lack of resources as for creating cards as I did. They have cards to bring to restaurants and over seas but I couldn't find any for school. I will educated myself as well as others on this journey to bring awareness of food allergies.

Thoughts for the day

~Ever notice that the people who are late
are often much jollier
than the people who have to wait for them?

~We could learn a lot from crayons:
some are sharp, some are pretty,
some are dull, some have weird names,
and all are different colors....but
they all exist very nicely in the same box.

These Sea Lions were at Fisherman's Wharf. They had taken over quite a few of the docks. I have photos where there were many to a dock but this area was less populated. It was pretty funny to watch them. Especially this group, each time one would climb up, the dominated one of that particular dock would bark at him and fight with him to get off! They were hilarious to watch. This was our entertainment as we waited for the 1:00 Catamaran.

San Francisco Photo

Here is my husband and I courtesy of one of our budding photographers, my daughter. My kids were constantly asking to borrow MY camera. What about Dad's? Even though they have cameras of their own, I guess Mom's is cooler. It was pretty foggy, cool and windy here. Not to be vain at all, but my hair was pretty unruly for the whole trip. The climate did not agree with it. I joked about how you could watch my hair change before your eyes from straight to curly and wild! Yet each day I'd straighten it out again in hopes of it remaining, no I didn't waste too much time on it. Pretty funny :)

We're Back!

We arrived home Saturday evening just after 5 PM. On Thursday we did spend more time in the San Francisco area. We went on a Catamaran out past Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a much better option than that of the ferry packed liked sardines. It was actually the same price as it's crowded competitor too! It was beautiful out on the water. We had an awesome view of everything. There was netting that the kids could sit on. My son particularly loved it. He occasionally got a little damp from the water just below. Afterwards we attempted to go for a ride on the cable cars but the line was way to long for our patience. I was a little disappointed, but the catamaran was a "new" experience as well as a "new" memory I could have. We went to the Alamo Square area where the most photographed Victorians in the area were. They were really beautifully preserved from the outer appearance. Then our final destination was the Golden Gate Bridge. We drove across then back again and headed back south. The next two days that would follow would mostly be driving with not a whole lot of activities. They were pleasant and we made an occasional stop to stretch our legs. We tried not to make each day to long for the kids. They did fairly well, they are good travelers and learned young.
Tomorrow is the first day of school! My daughter will be going into the 6Th grade. My son is going to an early learners program at her school. It will be the same hours as the half day kindergarten. They will have library, PE, music and art as their older counterparts as well as doing age appropriate learning. It is only for 2 hours and 45 minutes per day. I feel that my son will really enjoy this. He is looking forward to starting school. There is a little girl he's known since birth in the same class! I will miss him not being at home even for that short of time. He truly LOVES being around other children though, so for the most part, it would only be my selfishness and fear that would keep him at home. The school is awesome, they foster a love of reading and writing and story telling, he'll be fine, I on the other hand..... I'll be OK, give me time :)