Christmas

A barn - because the town was crowded.
A young woman - because she obeyed.
A loving man - because he listened.
Lowly shepherds - because they understood sacrificial lambs.
A heavenly host - because they worshipped.
A baby - because He would be one of us.

The First Christmas Gift - because God loved us so much!

Timmmberrrrr!

There once was a tree. The one on the right end of the line.

It was a tall tree.

A very tall tree.

Unfortunately, it was a sick tree and had to come down before it fell on the neighbors house.

So we threw a rope through the V in the trunk.

It was a long rope.

The chain saw came out.

And we got ready.

A notch was cut in the trunk to guide the fall of the three.

After a mighty tug on the rope (or two or three)...

TIMBER!

Success!  No Houses were harmed in the felling of this tree.

Then the chain saw started up again and the cleaning crew started to work.

 After a short time, the yard was cleaned up and the football/baseball/soccer field was safe once again.

39 and holding

     I woke on Monday a little later than normal.  Because Veteran's Day fell on Sunday, my wonderful husband got to have the day off.  School started a little slower after my oldest little M made me scrambled eggs for breakfast.  Two homemade cards were handed to me and another card waited for me to break the seal on the envelope.
     If you haven't guessed yet, Monday was my birthday.  After my wonderful breakfast, we had a quick couple of lessons for school then headed out the door.  I got to go to karate class with my husband and the the four of us went to lunch at Smokey Bones.  The delicious meal ended with a free giant piece of chocolate cake with two scoops of ice cream.
     After gathering our leftovers (no cooking supper!), we ran a few errands and my wonderful hubby spoiled me rotten. He wanted and succeeded in making my day fabulous!

     I know I am blessed. I am married to a man who surpassed my girlhood dreams.  We have two boys who are great buddies and growing into fine young men.  I live in a home that is warm and filled with love and laughter.  I have a car that gets me from errand to errand and activity to activity.  I am a child saved by God who loves me unconditionally.

Yes, I have been blessed to have spent 39 years living the life I have. Monday was such a good day, I think next year, I'll turn 39 again.

Balloon Animals

Each year our church Awana program hosts a Carnival for the Clubbers and their guests.  There is face painting, carnival games, a bounce house, and balloon animals.

I was asked to help with the balloon animals.  Have you ever worked with balloons?  It is crazy!  There were 100 kids there and 2 of us tying balloons into dogs, giraffes, bunnies, swords, and hats.  It was non-stop for 2 hours.  Kids filled the room about 30-40 at a time.  Face-painting was going on across the room while our fingers flew twisting and tying air-filled plastic tubes.  There was an added bonus of a balloon POPPING right in front of a small child every now and again.  They really enjoyed that! NOT.

About half way thru the activities, a little girl, who had waited patiently in line, stepped up.  I asked her what animal she wanted.

"A Koala." What?

"I would like a koala." This girl about 5 years old.

"Honey," I replied, "I can only make a dog, a giraffe, or a bunny.  I can also make you a hat if you like."

"Oh, okay.  I'll take a bunny." she resigned.

"What color would you like?"

"Red, green, and yellow." She state with total confidence.

"Sweetie, I can only do one color."

"Oh." I was such an amateur. "Red."

The red bunny was made.  As I handed my lowly work of art to this little girl, she looked it over.

"Shouldn't there be a twist right here to separate the ears?"

I see I have lots of work to do before next year!

Moving Thoughts

Since marrying the love of my life 14+ years ago, we have moved three times.  Each time we moved it was to a new state.  From West Virginia to Ohio; from Ohio to Maryland; from Maryland to Pennsylvania.  Blessedly, for each of these moves Mike's company hired movers to come in and pack up all our belongings, load the truck drive to the new house and unload the truck!  All I had to do was unload the boxes!  It was fabulous.

But now, we are house hunting once again.  This time we are planning on staying in Pennsylvania, the same general vicinity no less.  We would like a little more elbow room to play in the yard and maybe get a pool.  Don't get excited.  We have been casually looking for three years and haven't found THE place yet.  I am starting to look around our house and figure out just how much stuff we have and what it's going to take to pack it all up.

I think a couple of serious garage sales and huge trash bins might be in order.  I found a box from our move from Ohio that has not been unpacked yet! We have furniture we don't use, clothes we have outgrown and toys that are missing so many pieces you can't play with them anymore.  

Now that I think about it, having your own pool is over-rated.  A garden to grow your own vegetables is A LOT of work.  There are bugs and dirt outside, not to mention all of the pollens and dust mites that cause allergies to flair up (not that we have that problem).  

Maybe we should just forget about the whole being able to play baseball or football or have a little fire pit in your own yard thing.  I really do like the house we are in.  

On the other hand, we do want a pool, and a fire pit, and be able to have friends over with out our lawn chairs continually tipping over on the sloping yard.  I am tired of chasing baseballs and basketball two blocks down the hill.

So if anybody has some spare boxes, hang on to them for us, please.  We are going to need them soon, either for moving, for sorting, for the garage sale or for containing the trash.  

I'm off to start sorting out the spare room.  Who knows what I'll find in there, maybe even Narnia!

Last Week

I love teaching my kids at home.  It gave us the freedom to have a crazy busy, wildly fun, fabulous week.

Being the Pittsburgh Pirate fans that we are, we had to go to the last game of the season on Wednesday.  The game was at noon.  So we got up, had breakfast and headed out to the ball field hoping to snag some autographs before the game while the players were warming up.

Mikey's patience was awarded! After standing at the rail for what seemed to be an hour, Garret Jones, the right fielder, signed his glove.  Matt had waited just as long but missed the players' eyes.

Our seats were good, but crowded.  After a few innings we decided to move to a less populated section and found a spot with a few rows all to ourselves.  At one point the guys were up waling around and the Pirate Parrot came close to our seats.  He was signing autographs, something I had never seen him do this season.  I guess it WAS the last game and all.  I texted Mike to send Matt down.  Matt had asked earlier in the game if he could get the Parrots signature.  Matt came down immediately, and with sharpie in hand, very politely asked the Parrot to sign his baseball.  The Parrot happily obliged.

Matt was thrilled!

It was a great day at the ball park.

The next day, Thursday, we met up with Mike's sister and her kids and had a multi-school field trip to Fort Legonier.  Mike was able to take the day off and with guide book in hand, led the group tour.

All students listened intently and we spent about three hours at the fort.  The weather was perfect. We climbed and explored and then returned to my wonderful in-law's house for supper.  A truly fun day, and the guys did learn a thing or two!

Friday morning found the boys and I in the car just after the break of day.  I had bribed given them the incentive of Chick-Fil-A for breakfast if they would be up, dressed, totally packed and in the car by 7:30 AM(!) for the trip to Grandma and Poppy's house.  Never realizing how much the promise of food can make a man (no matter how young) put it in gear, the boys were in the car, drowsy and with a stuffed animal under each arm, but in the car at 7:29.  After grabbing the promised bribe reward, we headed down the road .  The boys would be staying with my parents for 3 nights while Mike and I attended a Marriage Encounter (more on this later).  We arrived shortly before 10.  The boys jumped out of the car, unloaded their bags and I hit the road once again for the return trip.

I made it home by 2 o'clock.  I packed my bags, loaded the car, and took a nap.  I had gotten up at the crack of dawn that morning, after all.  When my wonderful husband got home, he packed and we were rolling down the pavement yet again.  This time to the Antiochian Village for the Alliance Marriage Encounter.

This is the view from our room.

I wish I could tell you all the details about Friday night, all day Saturday and Sunday, but I don't want to ruin it for anyone else who may attend.  Let me just say it was an amazing weekend learning about Mike, myself, our marriage, and how to communicate better.  If you ever get the chance to attend one of these weekends, please, please, PLEASE go.  While Mike and I had a good marriage before, we now know how much better our marriage could and will be.

Monday brought another road trip to WV to pick up my young men.  It was a slower turn around this time and Grandma and Great-Grandma were reluctant to see the boys go.  Everyone had a great time.

Last week was a whirlwind.  But that is what life is all about.  Enjoying the events as they come. Strengthening family ties and learning about those you care deeply about.

Going to the Beach with the Family

What does it take to go to the beach with 18 people from 3 different states?

Lots of planning, 

and baking

And caffeine to drink

(Without this last one, I couldn't even think ;)

Packing

 And stacking

Loading the car.

Don't forget lunch, before we get very far!

Driving

Diving

A much needed break

Than another day driving, for goodness sake.

Unpack

Re-stack

Get organized

Head to the pool with the girls and guys.

Happy Vacation Everyone!

Homemade Peanut and Almond Butter

I am trying to eat, cook, be healthier.  So on recommendations by my cookbook researcher extroidinaire sister and a gift from my mom, I found a couple of cookbooks that help you make convenience foods at home.  Think breakfast bars, peanut butter, granola, etc.

Several of these recipes called for the use of a food processor.  Since I "loaned" my now 14 year old food processor to my sister several years ago, I figured it was a good enough reason to go shopping for a new and improved model.

Fabulous! Step one complete.  I decided to dive head first into the wonderful looking nut butter recipe.  Once ingredients were gathered, I set my team to work.

We needed to shell the peanuts so we would have about 3 cups.

It was a lot of work but we persevered.  We ended up using two full bags.  Then the peanuts and almonds (that I added) had to roast in the oven for a little bit and then put into the processor.

Then the fun began. Grinding and pulsing the nuts broke down and became butter.

It was really neat to watch the nuts become powder and then become a paste.

We added a splash of oil,  and honey. Then, voila!

Peanut/almond nut butter!

The verdict was a little mixed.  The almonds left a drying taste and I didn't puree enough so end result was a little gritty.  We have decided it is great for baking!  I will attempt this recipe again with a few modifications.  Worth it!

People Watching

Have you ever sat alone by yourself and just watched people walk by?  You really ought to try it at least once. There are several locations that work well for this hobby:  a busy park on a sunny day; a mall around any major holiday (including back-to-school shopping); and a convention hall.

Find a place that is close to the stream of foot-traffic, but not in the way.  You want to attract as little attention as possible. Now don't start reading or texting.  Just sit and watch.

You will see people of all ages: from babies in strollers to elderly couples walking hand in hand, and all ages in between.  The teen set usually has some electronic gadget in use while barely avoiding bumping into things and people around them.

The young moms are pushing full strollers.  The stroller is not fill with a child but the things that have been shoved at mom for her to carry.  I silently cheer if she has some sort of beverage attached in some manner to the stroller for herself.  The one who should be in the stroller is usually being carried by the equally tired mom.

I have seen more experienced moms.  She is walking way behind the kids, who range in ages from 8 to 15, on her phone while subtly supervising her flock in front of her.  Every once in awhile, the mom is in the midst of the pack of kids, enjoying the chatter and camaraderie.

The empty nesters are usually single walkers.  They have a goal and they are not strolling, they are on a mission.  Get the errands done so they can get back home and prepare the house for which ever child will be visiting next.  A list is visible, either in hand being checked or tucked into the top of a purse or pocket for easy access.

The grandparents are easy to spot.  They are doing their best to keep up with the toddler running from candy store to toy store to the rides in the middle of the mall.  The grandparent (who has lost all ability to say "No") is toting 59 packages, boxes, fast food meals, and drinks.  She is tired, but loving every minute.  After all in a few more minutes or hours, she can send the little one home and sleep in a peacefully quiet house for the next two days.

While watching these people and making up background stories for them in your head, where do you fall?  What are the people who are watching you thinking?

Girls get Black Belts Too

While I was watching this little guy...

become this young man,

I learned a thing or two myself!

There are now 3 Black Belts in the house.  The fourth will be added next August.

Octopus for Lunch

"Hey Mom! What's for lunch?"

Sometimes when this question comes flying at me I make up really weird answers that the guys know is a joke.

"Deep Fried Worms with a side of Boogers"
"Mom"  Please picture the eye roll.

"Crisco and Toe-Jam Sandwiches"
Giggles "No Really"

"Grilled Skunk"
"Gross! MOM!!"

So the day I calmly and seriously answered, "Octopus" they really didn't believe me.  When another answer did not follow they went about their business until I called them to come eat.  This is what they found waiting for them on their plates.

I broke pieces of spaghetti in half and cut hotdogs into bite sized pieces.  I then took four pieces of the uncooked spaghetti and poked it through the hotdog pieces.  This gives each hot dog bite eight "arms".

Now boil them as you would normal hot dogs until the spaghetti is al dente.

The guys actually loved it!  It was fun to watch them figure out the fact that they were eating hot dogs with spaghetti stuck through it!  I called it Octopus from the get go and they almost made their own PB&J sandwiches!  It was a lot of fun to eat "octopus" for lunch.