Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Beef Stroganoff
1lb ground beef
onion
garlic
1C sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2T ketchup
2t worchestershire sauce
Cook the ground beef in a skillet with the onion and garlic, I don't usually measure how much, drain the grease. Put meat back into skillet and the next 4 ingredients. cook until warm. Serve over rice
I love love love this recipe. It's been my favorite meal for a long time.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
A really great Christmas letter
I've been keeping up with MommyCoddle's blog for quite a while now (her link is to the right). Recently she posted Christmas wishes for all of her readers and added a Christmas letter written by her mother..and it just really touched me. It is so beautifully written. I wanted to share it with all of you..if I was to ever write a Christmas letter I would want it to be just like this one.
She became my project when she made her way, so many years ago, to the sheep pen in our barn in Leitersburg, Maryland. Along with two others, she traveled up I-81 from Virginia Tech to Hagerstown in the back seat of daughter Mary’s silver Ford Escort. Emily was an orphan, and even though I didn’t need a single (or triple) extra thing to do, her fuzzy head and sweet eyes captured my heart. What’s a mom to say? Drive those lambs right back to Blacksburg? Hardly.
Under my care and two bottles of milk replacer a day, Emily flourished. Soon grain and hay replaced the bottle, and come springtime she discovered green grass and warm sunshine. Emily and her barn mates, Hope and Nelson, were thriving.
One late Spring evening around the supper table, conversation turned to the fact that Miss Emily was the only lamb on our farm yet to be sheared. Since the weather was mild and daylight lingered a little longer, Mary and I headed out to the barn after the dishes were done, with halter, extension cord and clippers in hand.
Here was the thing about this situation: When we sheared a sheep, it stood on an elevated metal platform. Its head was immobilized by resting the chin in a U-shaped bracket with a soft rope corded around the neck. Emily had never been off the ground, all four hooves at once. She had never had her head stuck into something that held her fast. Sometimes this scenario is challenging if the sheep determines to buck, so to speak, the system…and most do. We didn’t know how this would go.
Together, Mary and I hoisted Emily onto the stand, placed her chin in the holder and threaded the rope across the back of her neck securing it under her chin. I stood on one side distracting Emily with a handful of grain. Mary, on the opposite side, plugged in the clippers and flipped the switch.
The first pass with the clippers from the base of her tail up the middle of her back brought no particular response from Emily. Mary continued—legs, chest, underbelly. Emily was incredible--standing there munching peacefully. Mary shut off the clippers in order to apply fresh oil and let them cool before attacking the last obstacle, Emily’s head. Loud, vibrating clippers around the face, eyes and ears of a sheep are hard to tolerate even for the most stoic of animals. So far, Emily had been a dream, but now it could all fall apart.
I dipped out a fresh scoop of grain and Mary started in along the jawbone and toward the ear. As long as I live, I’ll never forget what happened next. In her moment of fear, as the clippers approached her eye, Emily leaned against me. She simply shifted her weight and leaned on me. No panic or jerking. She just leaned in and we stood there together braced against one another until all was quiet again.
I haven’t forgotten the message Emily sent me that evening. Unexpected things come along—especially these days. Jobs disappear, portfolios shrink, houses don’t sell, accidents happen, health issues surface. But there is something anyone can do…lean in. The Good Shepherd, whose birth we celebrate this time of year, stands near with wisdom and provision. Every time.
We are blessed beyond measure and send our love and greetings to you and yours.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND PEACE IN THE NEW YEAR.
She became my project when she made her way, so many years ago, to the sheep pen in our barn in Leitersburg, Maryland. Along with two others, she traveled up I-81 from Virginia Tech to Hagerstown in the back seat of daughter Mary’s silver Ford Escort. Emily was an orphan, and even though I didn’t need a single (or triple) extra thing to do, her fuzzy head and sweet eyes captured my heart. What’s a mom to say? Drive those lambs right back to Blacksburg? Hardly.
Under my care and two bottles of milk replacer a day, Emily flourished. Soon grain and hay replaced the bottle, and come springtime she discovered green grass and warm sunshine. Emily and her barn mates, Hope and Nelson, were thriving.
One late Spring evening around the supper table, conversation turned to the fact that Miss Emily was the only lamb on our farm yet to be sheared. Since the weather was mild and daylight lingered a little longer, Mary and I headed out to the barn after the dishes were done, with halter, extension cord and clippers in hand.
Here was the thing about this situation: When we sheared a sheep, it stood on an elevated metal platform. Its head was immobilized by resting the chin in a U-shaped bracket with a soft rope corded around the neck. Emily had never been off the ground, all four hooves at once. She had never had her head stuck into something that held her fast. Sometimes this scenario is challenging if the sheep determines to buck, so to speak, the system…and most do. We didn’t know how this would go.
Together, Mary and I hoisted Emily onto the stand, placed her chin in the holder and threaded the rope across the back of her neck securing it under her chin. I stood on one side distracting Emily with a handful of grain. Mary, on the opposite side, plugged in the clippers and flipped the switch.
The first pass with the clippers from the base of her tail up the middle of her back brought no particular response from Emily. Mary continued—legs, chest, underbelly. Emily was incredible--standing there munching peacefully. Mary shut off the clippers in order to apply fresh oil and let them cool before attacking the last obstacle, Emily’s head. Loud, vibrating clippers around the face, eyes and ears of a sheep are hard to tolerate even for the most stoic of animals. So far, Emily had been a dream, but now it could all fall apart.
I dipped out a fresh scoop of grain and Mary started in along the jawbone and toward the ear. As long as I live, I’ll never forget what happened next. In her moment of fear, as the clippers approached her eye, Emily leaned against me. She simply shifted her weight and leaned on me. No panic or jerking. She just leaned in and we stood there together braced against one another until all was quiet again.
I haven’t forgotten the message Emily sent me that evening. Unexpected things come along—especially these days. Jobs disappear, portfolios shrink, houses don’t sell, accidents happen, health issues surface. But there is something anyone can do…lean in. The Good Shepherd, whose birth we celebrate this time of year, stands near with wisdom and provision. Every time.
We are blessed beyond measure and send our love and greetings to you and yours.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND PEACE IN THE NEW YEAR.
Ellie 16 months!
Well here's our precious at 16 month's! I can't believe all the months that keep slipping by so quickly and how fast she is growing. She's nearly half the height of Isabella! Just since turning a year old she has learned so much. Most of her words consist of "dadadada dadadada adada da!"but, she does know "mama, dada, mamaw, and ewe (my favorite :D )". Though she can't speak much more than that she understands a lot more. If she finds any trash anywhere you can tell her to put it in the trash and she will! Or ask her to find her shoes and she will. She will bring them to you, sit in your lap and stick her little feets in the air for you to put them on her. She has said 'no no' before but, it's not said often thankfully. I'm sure it's coming though! She can however, nod her head yes! She dances (by shaking her body back and forth), twirls and trys to run (in her pretty new gym shoes mamaw and papaw clark bought her).
Ellie on a normal day eats a ton. She loves bananas and pancakes for breakfast. Grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese, cheese slices, cheddar cheese fishies, this girl loves cheese! She will also eat breaded fish, chicken, ground beef (finally), broccoli, beans, hotdogs, and mashed potatoes. Her menu is quite large. Any pasta is her favorite...
She's sleeping better these days too..is it odd that finally at 16 months she sleeps like a normal child? But then again, I guess, what's normal? She goes to bed around 730 and gets up around 7. Naps anywhere between 1 and 3. Though this has been happening on a typical day..it's not always so..like yesterday. Of course I was planning on getting lots done during her 2 hour naps she's been taking.....she woke after 30 minutes! And was a crank for the rest of the afternoon! Needless to say, I didn't get much done!
While this little addition to our family continues to be an adjustment, she has been a complete joy. She is so entertaining and funny. So cuddly and loving. Isabella loves her more and more and can't wait for the day when they can play and understand one another. Isabella gets frustrated with her when she's trying to have a conversation and Ellie's attention span is at about 0. "Ellie Ellie watch me! This is how you tie your shoe!" And meanwhile Ellie is running out of the room! Or "Ellie Ellie watch! Watch me draw this!" And Ellie isn't looking at her at all...
It's so fun for us to watch then interact. Isabella is becoming so helpful with her. She tries feeding her, puts her in and takes her out of her booster seat. She loves for her to play in her room with her, sometimes I should say, not always. Sometimes Ellie gets into things she shouldn't. And I learned yesterday that Isabella pulled Ellie out of her crib when she woke up....sort of scares me :D, because when I got home from work I noticed a rickety little stool next to the crib.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
For those of you that didn't receive a Christmas card this year..I'm sorry!
It's nothing personal...
I just couldn't do it.
I sent out a few to close friends and family in far away places but, that's it.
We were just too busy..
Above is a picture from our vacation in October,
a time we really enjoyed being together.
A time of relaxation and fun away from everyday stresses.
A time to reconnect with eachother and God.
I hope this post finds you filled with peace and joy this season.
May the everyday stresses leave you
as you spend time with your family and loved ones.
I hope you had a great CHRISTmas and
may God bless you in the new year!
Amy
Saturday, December 19, 2009
2009 Christmas Party
One week ago today our small group at church had it's annual Christmas party. Katie, a close friend of mine, and the party planner, she and I decided to do a tacky Christmas sweater theme this year! And we made a contest out of it for best dressed..it was so fun! Even though there were only about 5 or 6 of us that took it seriously! A few days before the party Chris and I got started on our outfits. I think we were a bit overly excited about the challenge of finding the tackiest outfits. Infact when we arrived we felt a bit out of place, like the joke was on us! But fortunately Katie was a bit dressed up as were some new friends to the group. I was a bit surpised and instantly relieved that these new friends dressed up with us because this was their first time meeting everyone.. We had a great time eating dinner together and playing the white elephant gift exchange. We managed to rid of the motorized tie holder from last years exchange and came home with some cute Christmas decorations :D. Here are some pics of the night..
I borrowed my sweater from my mom, she used to wear it..and I don't think still does. And my lovely pleated skirt came from GoodWill, oh and the cute snowman socks? TJMaxx of course, love that store! And Chris' outfit...it was the best..the pretty red sweater and green cordourys came from GoodWill (we did pretty well there :D ) and his wooden clogs, did you notice those!? Borrowed from Great Gma-T. Chris and I won 1st place! $15 to Starbucks, my favorite...
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Peppermint Melt Aways
These cookies are beyond delicious! And they are so unbelievably easy to make. They are so light and fluffy....and oh so tasty.
42 Servings
Prep: 30 min. Bake: 10 min./batch + cooling
Prep: 30 min. Bake: 10 min./batch + cooling
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
FROSTING:
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 to 3 drops red food coloring, optional
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
FROSTING:
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 to 3 drops red food coloring, optional
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies
Directions
In a small bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in extract. Combine flour and cornstarch; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
Shape into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.
In a small bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, milk, extract and food coloring if desired; beat until smooth. Spread over cooled cookies; sprinkle with crushed candies. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 3-1/2 dozen.
Nutrition Facts: 1 cookie equals 90 calories, 5 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 13 mg cholesterol, 36 mg sodium, 11 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, trace protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1 fat, 1/2 starch.
In a small bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in extract. Combine flour and cornstarch; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
Shape into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.
In a small bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, milk, extract and food coloring if desired; beat until smooth. Spread over cooled cookies; sprinkle with crushed candies. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 3-1/2 dozen.
Nutrition Facts: 1 cookie equals 90 calories, 5 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 13 mg cholesterol, 36 mg sodium, 11 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, trace protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1 fat, 1/2 starch.
Recipe courtesy of www.tasteofhome.com
Friday, December 4, 2009
Updates
Christmas is nearing! 21 more days..I can't believe AGAIN, how quickly this year has flown by. Our children are growing so quickly..it's like you blink your eyes and time is just gone. I remember being young and wanting time to pass so quickly so I could experience all the things that come with growing up...college, falling in love, marriage..etc. Now I want time to stop!
The past few months have been busy. With Isabella starting school and adjusting to our new schedules. November and now into December has been off and on sickness. So far the girls between them have had 7 ear infections, bronchitis twice, and several falls on heads including one requiring a doctor visit (just yesterday!). Hopefully all that is out of their systems! Luckly Chris and I have remained healthy..
With Christmas looming around the corner we are busy this year....decorating and preparing. With Chris' sisters family we are doing a homemade Christmas this year. I may have already mentioned this so if I have, so sorry to repeat myself. I can't mention what it is that we are making for each of them but, we are pretty excited about it. If you know me you know I love arts and crafts so this has been right up my alley. It's just too bad I can't talk about it just yet. :D I'll fill you in after Christmas.
I rearranged our living room on Wednesday and set up our tree. My dad attached our tree base to a piece of plywood just in case little hands tried pulling on the tree..it's not going anywhere. Tonight Isabella and I are going to put on all the ornaments..and place all the decor throughout....from Thanksgiving on..it's my favorite time of year.
And now a delicious recipe for you...
The past few months have been busy. With Isabella starting school and adjusting to our new schedules. November and now into December has been off and on sickness. So far the girls between them have had 7 ear infections, bronchitis twice, and several falls on heads including one requiring a doctor visit (just yesterday!). Hopefully all that is out of their systems! Luckly Chris and I have remained healthy..
With Christmas looming around the corner we are busy this year....decorating and preparing. With Chris' sisters family we are doing a homemade Christmas this year. I may have already mentioned this so if I have, so sorry to repeat myself. I can't mention what it is that we are making for each of them but, we are pretty excited about it. If you know me you know I love arts and crafts so this has been right up my alley. It's just too bad I can't talk about it just yet. :D I'll fill you in after Christmas.
I rearranged our living room on Wednesday and set up our tree. My dad attached our tree base to a piece of plywood just in case little hands tried pulling on the tree..it's not going anywhere. Tonight Isabella and I are going to put on all the ornaments..and place all the decor throughout....from Thanksgiving on..it's my favorite time of year.
And now a delicious recipe for you...
Cheesy Mexican Chicken
6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/2 lb.), pounded to 1/4-inch-thickness
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
1-1/2 cups KRAFT Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese, divided
1/2 cup milk
1 pkg. (1-1/4 oz.) TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Taco Seasoning Mix
2 cups corn chips
4-1/2 cups cooked rice
PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Place chicken in 13x9-inch baking dish.
MIX soup, 1 cup of the cheese, milk and seasoning mix until well blended; spoon over chicken. Top with chips; cover.
BAKE 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake, uncovered, an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with rice.
-courtesy of Kraftfoods.com
Friday, November 27, 2009
Thanksgiving
"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; his love endures forever!" Psalm 107:1
I unexpectedly had a 3 day weekend this week which was great! I went in to work on Tuesday and wasn't needed so I stayed for an hour and went home! That afternoon we went Christmas shopping. That night we had some dear friends come over for dinner, katie and Jeremy, we ended up staying up until midnight playing speed scrabble! Such a fun game...if you've never played learn it...it's a lot of fun.
Wednesday, Isabella didn't have school so we drove to the new outlets off I75 and were able to complete about 1/2 of our shopping. One of the only reasons I like to drive all the way up to these outlets is the Columbia store..they really do have outlet prices and we just love their clothing! On the way home we stopped at Ikea for a couple of things including a swedish meatball meal for the family...AND if you've never had their meatballs before, DO! They're so good. For $4.99 a plate you get 16 meatballs, mashed potatoes and a spoonful of lingonberries. -Not so delish by themselves but if you spoon a little lingonberry with your mashed potatoes..yum.
Thursday we got up right away and started cooking. I made Pumpkin Dip (thanks for the recipe Amy!), everyone loved it, 2 pumpkin pies and a dish of green bean casserole. We headed over to mamaw Sue and papaw Steve's around 1130. Soon there after Sarah and Aaron got there as did Ben and Mollie. Our close family friends Shimshon and Heather also came to share the meal and day with us. It was just a great afternoon with friends and family. A great day for Thanksgiving, there's so much to be thankful for this year. Something that really stands out that we are Thankful for are our friends Shim and Heather. They came into our lives in February or March of this year, only a short time ago, but have been a blessing since. God called them to Cincinnati at the end of last year for many reasons, but one was to our family. My immediate family and my family as a whole..yesterday was a sad day though. They are being called to New Zealand to serve the Maori people there..which is a good thing don't get me wrong! But, we will miss them dearly as they have become like family. So yesterday became a send off for them..
"Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.
Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.
Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name."
1 Chronicles 29:11-13
Here are a few cute pictures from the day...
Monday, November 23, 2009
DIY Holiday Decor
I did not come up with this cute Christmas tree idea..I found it actually on a blog,All Things Heart and Home
to view the directions and materials list go here!
she was inspired by a similar tree seen at Target..
I'm always so inspired by other women's blogs..especially
crafty ones..there are so many great ideas out there..
I've a few questions for you..and please give me your thoughts if you will...
We're not quite sure what to do about a child not wanting to sleep in their bed. Isabella is 5, still semi young I know, but there hasn't been but maybe 2 nights in the last few months that she's slept in her bed all night. I'll give you a little bit of a background to see if that helps. Early on she slept with us and this lasted atleast 6 months...completely the wrong decision..it took forever to get her back into her bed...lots of long nights of crying from both of us! But at the time I was working early early mornings and she was still waking at night several times and it was the best way to nurse her and get her to sleep long stretches. I got better sleep as well. :D We learned from this mistake, it didn't happen with Elanoir. Eventually Isabella learned to sleep all night and that being in her bed wasn't such a bad thing. At age 3 we moved from our house and in with my in-laws. She had a new bedroom and we were right next to her in our room. She slept great and all night still...
When Ellie was born she slept in our room until she was too big for the cradle and then we gave her our room (it was too small for us..) and we got a new room. This left Isabella and Ellie on one side of the house and us on the other. She slept fine for a while. Then it changed. Now for the past 3 months or so she has been getting up between 2-6am to sleep on the couch. Which is closer to us..sometimes if we fight it in the middle of the night it's not worth it..risking waking Ellie..so we just give in and let her have the couch. Although I'd really like her in her bed so she can get some decent sleep. Threatening taking away toys doesn't seem to help..Last night Chris told her he was going to take her favorite toy, Tonya the lion, away if she got out of bed..so instead of getting out of bed she yelled for me. I'm glad she didn't wake Ellie but she could have. But, this was at 2am and instead of fighting again I let her have the couch so we could all go back to sleep easier.
I rise at 515 for work..so getting up a couple times a night doesn't sit well with me..I need my sleep. And so does she. She's exhausted by the end of the day..So what do you do?
Is it really that big of a deal? She sleeps fine there..so should we leave her? Assuming she will grow out of it eventually? I tell myself and Chris, that some day when I'm not working..we can fight it a bit more because I won't have to get up for work and if we're tired the next afternoon we can nap. Only under these circumstances, would I not mind getting up a couple times a night with her. Even still though, we're going to be tired.
Sleep deprivation always seems to be an issue at our house. Not sure if it's some for of warfare or if we're just not meant to sleep!? Ellie sleeps great at night but, isn't a good napper on average. Isabella is up atleast once if not twice a night. And is super cranky the next day after school, if she doesn't get a nap. I wake at every little sound. I wake each time Isabella is up. Every time I hear a cough out of anyone, everytime Chris snores, everytime I have an odd dream-which is fairly often, I'm just such a light sleeper. Chris is the opposite, he sleeps thru just about everything. I may not ever sleep well again now that we have kids! Which is fine..
It just seems to be a constant thing in our home. Not really a huge problem or issue, but it always exists.
So I am open to suggestions and advise..feel free to leave me a comment :)
We're not quite sure what to do about a child not wanting to sleep in their bed. Isabella is 5, still semi young I know, but there hasn't been but maybe 2 nights in the last few months that she's slept in her bed all night. I'll give you a little bit of a background to see if that helps. Early on she slept with us and this lasted atleast 6 months...completely the wrong decision..it took forever to get her back into her bed...lots of long nights of crying from both of us! But at the time I was working early early mornings and she was still waking at night several times and it was the best way to nurse her and get her to sleep long stretches. I got better sleep as well. :D We learned from this mistake, it didn't happen with Elanoir. Eventually Isabella learned to sleep all night and that being in her bed wasn't such a bad thing. At age 3 we moved from our house and in with my in-laws. She had a new bedroom and we were right next to her in our room. She slept great and all night still...
When Ellie was born she slept in our room until she was too big for the cradle and then we gave her our room (it was too small for us..) and we got a new room. This left Isabella and Ellie on one side of the house and us on the other. She slept fine for a while. Then it changed. Now for the past 3 months or so she has been getting up between 2-6am to sleep on the couch. Which is closer to us..sometimes if we fight it in the middle of the night it's not worth it..risking waking Ellie..so we just give in and let her have the couch. Although I'd really like her in her bed so she can get some decent sleep. Threatening taking away toys doesn't seem to help..Last night Chris told her he was going to take her favorite toy, Tonya the lion, away if she got out of bed..so instead of getting out of bed she yelled for me. I'm glad she didn't wake Ellie but she could have. But, this was at 2am and instead of fighting again I let her have the couch so we could all go back to sleep easier.
I rise at 515 for work..so getting up a couple times a night doesn't sit well with me..I need my sleep. And so does she. She's exhausted by the end of the day..So what do you do?
Is it really that big of a deal? She sleeps fine there..so should we leave her? Assuming she will grow out of it eventually? I tell myself and Chris, that some day when I'm not working..we can fight it a bit more because I won't have to get up for work and if we're tired the next afternoon we can nap. Only under these circumstances, would I not mind getting up a couple times a night with her. Even still though, we're going to be tired.
Sleep deprivation always seems to be an issue at our house. Not sure if it's some for of warfare or if we're just not meant to sleep!? Ellie sleeps great at night but, isn't a good napper on average. Isabella is up atleast once if not twice a night. And is super cranky the next day after school, if she doesn't get a nap. I wake at every little sound. I wake each time Isabella is up. Every time I hear a cough out of anyone, everytime Chris snores, everytime I have an odd dream-which is fairly often, I'm just such a light sleeper. Chris is the opposite, he sleeps thru just about everything. I may not ever sleep well again now that we have kids! Which is fine..
It just seems to be a constant thing in our home. Not really a huge problem or issue, but it always exists.
So I am open to suggestions and advise..feel free to leave me a comment :)
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Birthday
Tuesday night the girls and I went to my parents house for an early 'Thanksgiving' dinner with some, new, close friends of ours that will be soon moving out of the country :(. It was a delicious meal followed by a wonderful dessert of pumpkin cheese cake! Oh wow was that good. It was almost the best part of the meal. I was also surpised when they had a small party for my bday. It was great to celebrate with Shimshon, Heather and Aynai-El before they leave us. I was showered with gifts, sewing accessories and storage, a new movie and my favorite from AE, a small weathered picture of her at Chuckie Cheese. It was a great evening.
On Wednesday we celebrated a bit early, my actual birthdate was on Thursday but, mine and Chris's weekend consists of Wed/Thurs....so we celebrated a day early because he and Isabella couldn't wait to give me my gifts! That morning I met my sister at the Gap Outlet for a morning of shopping...we love to go there, especially together. I love sister time and we love bargain shopping. My brother Ben and his little girl Hailey also came and then we met his wife Mollie, and Chris downtown for some delicious lunch at Chick-Fil-Eh. I love going downtown..it's fun to me. I could never live in a big city but I do love visiting them. After lunch and some shopping, we went home where Sarah made me my favorite cake, German Chocolate. We then quickly opened presents, its nice to have a couple little fingers helping you rip off the paper. The big gift was an Elna sewing machine. It's beautiful. I love to sew and have never had a new machine..they've always been older and you've had to tinker with them to get them working. This one is great...and the awsome thing is you can take the thinest piece of material and sew easily right thru it...and then just keep on going thru thicker and thicker material. It will go thru 6 layers of denim! So exciting..because I like to reupholster, I guess that's how you spell it. It also has this presser foot for making button holes, so great! I have always tried to avoid doing button holes but, not now! So that's what Chris was so excited to get me! I also got a bigger camera bag, much needed. And I was stocked up on some much needed painting supplies. Sister Sarah got me gift card to Hobby Lobby one of my other favorite places to go.
That night my dear friend, Katie came over and hung out with us for a bit. It was a lovely way to end the day. I was completely showered with loving gifts and feel completely loved and blessed..
On Wednesday we celebrated a bit early, my actual birthdate was on Thursday but, mine and Chris's weekend consists of Wed/Thurs....so we celebrated a day early because he and Isabella couldn't wait to give me my gifts! That morning I met my sister at the Gap Outlet for a morning of shopping...we love to go there, especially together. I love sister time and we love bargain shopping. My brother Ben and his little girl Hailey also came and then we met his wife Mollie, and Chris downtown for some delicious lunch at Chick-Fil-Eh. I love going downtown..it's fun to me. I could never live in a big city but I do love visiting them. After lunch and some shopping, we went home where Sarah made me my favorite cake, German Chocolate. We then quickly opened presents, its nice to have a couple little fingers helping you rip off the paper. The big gift was an Elna sewing machine. It's beautiful. I love to sew and have never had a new machine..they've always been older and you've had to tinker with them to get them working. This one is great...and the awsome thing is you can take the thinest piece of material and sew easily right thru it...and then just keep on going thru thicker and thicker material. It will go thru 6 layers of denim! So exciting..because I like to reupholster, I guess that's how you spell it. It also has this presser foot for making button holes, so great! I have always tried to avoid doing button holes but, not now! So that's what Chris was so excited to get me! I also got a bigger camera bag, much needed. And I was stocked up on some much needed painting supplies. Sister Sarah got me gift card to Hobby Lobby one of my other favorite places to go.
That night my dear friend, Katie came over and hung out with us for a bit. It was a lovely way to end the day. I was completely showered with loving gifts and feel completely loved and blessed..
Akiane
Akiane is quite an acomplished artist at the young age of 13! By this age she had already been drawing since the age of 4 (the age at which she also brought her family to Christ) and she was a painter by 6. And I'm not talking chicken scratch and scribbles at the age of 4, I'm talking portraits. I'm guessing this is one of her most famous paintings and it's by far one of my favorites, so far, that she's done. It's called "Prince of Peace" She painted that at the age of 8! Just crazy to me. What she self taught herself by this age is extraordinary..maybe that's why she's already made international headlines!
But, it's her message that she wants to get across with each painting that is so special. Her love for Christ and her desire for all to know him is amazing. I thought the story behind this painting was really neat, here it is from her website:
How did you paint the portrait of Jesus?
It was God's timing; I had been looking for a Jesus model for two years, and I could not find the right face. Then one day I asked my family to pray with me all day. We petitioned God to send the model right through our front door. The next day a tall carpenter came in. He was so humble, and I was surprised that he agreed to model for me. But a week later he called back to say that he was unworthy to represent his master.
We all prayed together again, and a few days later he called back to tell us that God wanted him to do it, but he had to cut his hair and beard in three days. So we took a few pictures and I studied his face for a long time. After dozens of sketches, I started painting. It took me 40 hours to finish the first Jesus painting –The Prince of Peace-- and I still remember I lost four teeth in that time!
It was God's timing; I had been looking for a Jesus model for two years, and I could not find the right face. Then one day I asked my family to pray with me all day. We petitioned God to send the model right through our front door. The next day a tall carpenter came in. He was so humble, and I was surprised that he agreed to model for me. But a week later he called back to say that he was unworthy to represent his master.
We all prayed together again, and a few days later he called back to tell us that God wanted him to do it, but he had to cut his hair and beard in three days. So we took a few pictures and I studied his face for a long time. After dozens of sketches, I started painting. It took me 40 hours to finish the first Jesus painting –The Prince of Peace-- and I still remember I lost four teeth in that time!
If you want to read more about her and see more of her work from ages 4-13 you can go HERE.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Memories
November 17, 1938-May 16, 2009Today is my Grandma Clark's birthday. I've always remembered this day because it's 2 days before my birthday. And I didn't even think about it until I got to work today and glanced at the calendar...since then I've just felt this deepening sadness inside. I miss her. When I look at her picture above all I can think about is her warm hugs and grandma smell. I miss her voice and pretty smile. What better place than to be at Jesus' side today. I just long to hug her one last time..
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
I hate sneezing. It's just so gross! Some people, my husband included, have fairly wet sneezes. I can't even look when he sneezes. And not to gross you out..but they smell. I don't mean like bad breath smell but, just breathy smell. Oh so gross. I guess it's just a pet peeve. Isabella's inherited his style of sneezing..she's learned to sneeze into her arm though (not that he doesn't but, not every child does this), even then her whole arm will be wet afterwards!
I work in a fairly confined space, it's approximately 20 x 20 maybe, and there are atleast 9-10 people in this area at all times. Lots of germs growing constantly. SO needless to say when someone sneezes I cringe, it's become quite a problem for me. I get images like the one above in my head every time I see or hear someone. I sit there and think about where all that saliva is going..all the surfaces it's floating to. ALL of us, including me, that are breathing in all that germ fested saliva. So that image above is for you to soak in....and enjoy! And the next time you sneeze you will probably think twice :D. Your welcome.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Some neat things...
Not real sure who to give credit for the picture above..I thinkit is from mommycoddle's farmhouse. I just loved the sleeping nook.
Here are some more really cute inspiring ideas...I absolutely love the Williams Sonoma Acorn pan, it's a little costly at $36...so cute! The Inspired Room
And how fun would these be with the kids?! Also from William's Sonoma
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Amy Clark Moore
Isn't the bead work on this beautiful! What a lot of work that would take..it's so detailed. Certainly a lot more work that I'd be willing to ever do! :D I would rather paint this image than bead the whole thing. But, Amy Clark Moore did a beautiful job and you can view more of her work here.Saturday, November 7, 2009
Homeschooling
Before this school year started we contemplated homeschooling Isabella but, these thoughts wern't brought to us until a week before school started! Hardly enough time for it to sink in so I quickly sent off an email to a friend who homeschools all her kids. You may remember me mentioning her a while ago on my WordPress blog. Well she wrote back with a lot more information that I ever expected to get. It was awsome. The idea of homeschooling has been popping into my head a lot lately so today I decided to re-read her saved email and look up some of the links that she had sent me for curriculum, so please know Amy, I'm not taking credit for any of the information below! Here are the links she sent me:
Bob Jones University
My Father's World
Son Light
Cornerstone Curriculum
Free ebooks and magazines/articles on Homeschooling The Old Schoolhouse
more to come...
Bob Jones University
My Father's World
Son Light
Cornerstone Curriculum
Free ebooks and magazines/articles on Homeschooling The Old Schoolhouse
more to come...
The Sanibel Lighthouse
What you don't know was that we ran to the car right
after this picture because we were
getting eaten by no-see-ums and bother by millions of gnats!
Dinner at Mamaw and Papaw Mclean's Monday
night.
Top left to right: Me and Ellie, Chris, my uncle Bebo,
Mamaw, my sister Sarah, Papaw holding Gus, and
Isabella.
What you don't know was that we ran to the car rightafter this picture because we were
getting eaten by no-see-ums and bother by millions of gnats!
Dinner at Mamaw and Papaw Mclean's Monday
night.
Top left to right: Me and Ellie, Chris, my uncle Bebo,Mamaw, my sister Sarah, Papaw holding Gus, and
Isabella.
Friday, November 6, 2009
I never in a million years thought a week out of her bed would mess Ellie up like it did. When me and the girls went to Florida in August, she slept just fine in the pack in play. With Me and Isabella in the room. She just didn't like it this week. It didn't matter if she had her own room or if we were in the room. She wanted to be by my side. She didn't even nap that well either. It was almost as if she was overly tired and wouldn't just let go and sleep. She napped like usual, like we were at home, 1/2 hour in the morning maybe an hour in the afternoon. Only you'd think being in the sun would drain a child of 14 months! Being in the sun and being as active as we were. We've been home two nights and she still isn't back to normal. You know what she learned to say on vacation? "Mommie" and its so cute in her little voice. She also started saying it during the screaming fits at night..oh, talk about tugging on my heart strings. And no that's not why I got her out of bed each night, and gave up on her crying it out. We really didn't want to mess with Sarah and Isabella's sleep. Much less the neighbors! Yes, you could hear the crying outside. Each time I had to run outside quickly and she saw me leave, she cried at the top of her lungs..like I was leaving her for ever..and yes, you could hear her all the way to the parking lot. So sad :). Monday was another beautiful day..we woke early again and walked the beach for beautiful shells. Which we did find! Getting up at 6 to find shells is the best time to do it! Plus you see so many other interesting things that early. We saw dauphins swimming, multiple dead fish laying on the beach (mostly due to the slight red tide), live shells (animals living inside), etc. That afternoon after lunch the kids were exhausted so Chris laid down with Ellie and got her to sleep for quite a while, well he fell asleep as well! We made Isabella lay down also, swimming just wore her out. Sarah fell asleep on the lounge chair on the porch so I grabbed a blanket and took a nap as well! Oh and it felt good. The weather had been near perfect the whole week. In the 90's during the day and 65-75 at night. Still a little hot during the afternoon but nothing a quick swim in the pool or dip in the ocean wouldn't fix. Some days we just left the porch doors open and let the breeze sweep thru the condo.
Monday night we went to great mamaw and papaws house for dinner and had a great time. Papaw fixed chicken and dumplings and it was delicious. Isabella LOVES papaws cooking and talks about it every time we go see them.
Tuesday morning..it was still a little chilly so Sarah and I didn't feel much like swimming, oh but Isabella did. And it was her last full morning to swim, we really didn't want her to after about noon. Years ago Sarah and I went on a mission trip to Mexico and the night before we left we went swimming, well the water didn't drain completely out of our ears that night as we slept. SO the next morning when we were flying back home as the plane climbed in altitude our ears were killing us. Talk about pain..it was awful and something I don't want to ever feel again. So anyway, Chris and Iz swam all morning while Sarah and I went shopping. There is a cute little pet boutique that Sarah likes to go to off of Periwinkle and Tarpon Bay. So we went there and to some shops in the same strip, I can't remember the names of the shops but they were great. A lot of the little stores on Sanibel sell locally made items, arts and crafts. And they are wonderful. A lot of it is beach and ocean related but there are so many different varieties of things to look at. Paintings, glass works, ornaments, jewelry, embroidered items. I found a beautiful blown glass sea horse and fell in love with it but, did I buy it? No of course not, and now I regret it. I love items like that. There were two shops side by side selling wonderful things. One of my favorite stores there is called Pandora's Box, its located on Periwinkle and I love going there every year. Most of the items sold there are expensive and I've never bought anything there before (I'm quite a penny pincher). Some year I may. But, they sell beautiful ornaments and glass hangings..beautiful original works of art. A lot of glass works but, unique things you wouldn't find anywhere else. If you ever visit Sanibel you have to go there.
After lunch, since we wern't going to swim and the kids were a little tired and burnt out on the beach we decided to become adventurous and head back to the mainland, in search of something new to do. Just south of Ft. Myers are the Florida Everglades, so there are lots of air boat rides, crocs and other animals to see. After calling a few air boat ride places we opted out of that idea, too pricey (plan to spend at least 25-45 dollars per person for not very long of a ride). We learned pretty quickly that Naples (about 30m south of Ft Myers) has a zoo. It was still a bit pricy at $19 per adult, but I thought it was worth it. I love zoo's just love them. I love to see all kinds of animals and every zoo is different and has all different kinds. The Naples Zoo has a huge crocodile pond for your viewing, Zebras, Gazelle's, Lions and tigers, all kinds of reptiles, all kinds of monkeys, and lots of beautiful plants and trees and flowers to look at. Oh, what a fun photographic opportunity. I love taking pictures of wildlife anyway so this was perfect for me. One great thing about this zoo was it is very informational. Every hour or so they had live shows for you to see. At the reptile show they had 4 different kinds of snakes native to Florida and a water monitor. Pretty cool..and they walk most of the reptiles around the audience for you to see closer. We also saw the lion feedings. That was pretty cool. Another great thing about this zoo was the closeness you got to the animals. All the fences for the cages were with in 5-6 feet of our viewing area. And they wern't covered by a lot of foliage so that you couldn't see the animals, like The Cincinnati Zoo..you could see all of them really well. My favorite thing was the boat ride around the monkey islands. They have this huge man made lake with about 4 islands, on each island is a different species of monkey or ape. Monkeys don't like to swim at all and they don't like to mix amongst other species so they stay on their islands. The boat ride gets right up next to the island and within probably 5-10 feet of the monkeys.
The whole time we were there in the distance we could hear this lion roar..we assumed it was some recording in a children's play area..but, it was really loud. We headed that direction next and as we got closer the sound got louder. In this huge huge cage there was a lion by himself pacing the front of the cage, and he was probably 5-6 feet from us and he just growled and roared as he paced. Evidently he does this all day long, starting at 5 in the morning. Talk about amazing to hear..after he paced he climbed on top of this platform and just layed down there and growled even louder..it was so neat. I had never heard that up close...it was just so great. Being that close to such a powerful animal. Unfortunately we didn't get a picture of Elie's face as he paced and growled, she squished up her nose and mouth and just looked at him..almost like she was trying to make a face at him. It was beyond cute. She wasn't scared at all..
By the time we left the zoo it was 5 O'clock and we were exhausted from walking around in the heat. Sarah's pregnant feet were swelling and we were just ready to hit the bed. So we didn't really want to think about cooking dinner when we got home...then having to pack to leave. So we headed back to the island and ate at The Island Cow. Talk about a delicious restaurant. We waited for probably 20 minutes for a seat at about 6pm that night. It's not a large restaurant so seating was limited but it was a nice night to wait outside.
It was sad packing up to leave, knowing we were leaving the next morning. We had all had such a great visit together. My sister and I are pretty close and don't get to spend a lot of time together so a whole week together was pretty great. Yes, we were tired all week from Ellie not sleeping well, and from being in the sun so much. But it was so nice to be away and reconnect and just hang out. Chris and I didn't get a lot of time alone unfortunately but we had a lot of fun being with our kids. Watching them learn and enjoy being with us. Watching Isabella learn to swim and become less scared of the water, and Ellie learning to go underwater and jump off the side of the pool. Being a parent is so rewarding.
Our Wednesday morning went pretty quickly. We went for our last walk on the beach, saw some more fish, shells, and oh two sting rays! We visited with mamaw and papaw for a little while and then we were home before we knew it. Back to life and back to our normal routine.
Monday night we went to great mamaw and papaws house for dinner and had a great time. Papaw fixed chicken and dumplings and it was delicious. Isabella LOVES papaws cooking and talks about it every time we go see them.
Tuesday morning..it was still a little chilly so Sarah and I didn't feel much like swimming, oh but Isabella did. And it was her last full morning to swim, we really didn't want her to after about noon. Years ago Sarah and I went on a mission trip to Mexico and the night before we left we went swimming, well the water didn't drain completely out of our ears that night as we slept. SO the next morning when we were flying back home as the plane climbed in altitude our ears were killing us. Talk about pain..it was awful and something I don't want to ever feel again. So anyway, Chris and Iz swam all morning while Sarah and I went shopping. There is a cute little pet boutique that Sarah likes to go to off of Periwinkle and Tarpon Bay. So we went there and to some shops in the same strip, I can't remember the names of the shops but they were great. A lot of the little stores on Sanibel sell locally made items, arts and crafts. And they are wonderful. A lot of it is beach and ocean related but there are so many different varieties of things to look at. Paintings, glass works, ornaments, jewelry, embroidered items. I found a beautiful blown glass sea horse and fell in love with it but, did I buy it? No of course not, and now I regret it. I love items like that. There were two shops side by side selling wonderful things. One of my favorite stores there is called Pandora's Box, its located on Periwinkle and I love going there every year. Most of the items sold there are expensive and I've never bought anything there before (I'm quite a penny pincher). Some year I may. But, they sell beautiful ornaments and glass hangings..beautiful original works of art. A lot of glass works but, unique things you wouldn't find anywhere else. If you ever visit Sanibel you have to go there.
After lunch, since we wern't going to swim and the kids were a little tired and burnt out on the beach we decided to become adventurous and head back to the mainland, in search of something new to do. Just south of Ft. Myers are the Florida Everglades, so there are lots of air boat rides, crocs and other animals to see. After calling a few air boat ride places we opted out of that idea, too pricey (plan to spend at least 25-45 dollars per person for not very long of a ride). We learned pretty quickly that Naples (about 30m south of Ft Myers) has a zoo. It was still a bit pricy at $19 per adult, but I thought it was worth it. I love zoo's just love them. I love to see all kinds of animals and every zoo is different and has all different kinds. The Naples Zoo has a huge crocodile pond for your viewing, Zebras, Gazelle's, Lions and tigers, all kinds of reptiles, all kinds of monkeys, and lots of beautiful plants and trees and flowers to look at. Oh, what a fun photographic opportunity. I love taking pictures of wildlife anyway so this was perfect for me. One great thing about this zoo was it is very informational. Every hour or so they had live shows for you to see. At the reptile show they had 4 different kinds of snakes native to Florida and a water monitor. Pretty cool..and they walk most of the reptiles around the audience for you to see closer. We also saw the lion feedings. That was pretty cool. Another great thing about this zoo was the closeness you got to the animals. All the fences for the cages were with in 5-6 feet of our viewing area. And they wern't covered by a lot of foliage so that you couldn't see the animals, like The Cincinnati Zoo..you could see all of them really well. My favorite thing was the boat ride around the monkey islands. They have this huge man made lake with about 4 islands, on each island is a different species of monkey or ape. Monkeys don't like to swim at all and they don't like to mix amongst other species so they stay on their islands. The boat ride gets right up next to the island and within probably 5-10 feet of the monkeys.
The whole time we were there in the distance we could hear this lion roar..we assumed it was some recording in a children's play area..but, it was really loud. We headed that direction next and as we got closer the sound got louder. In this huge huge cage there was a lion by himself pacing the front of the cage, and he was probably 5-6 feet from us and he just growled and roared as he paced. Evidently he does this all day long, starting at 5 in the morning. Talk about amazing to hear..after he paced he climbed on top of this platform and just layed down there and growled even louder..it was so neat. I had never heard that up close...it was just so great. Being that close to such a powerful animal. Unfortunately we didn't get a picture of Elie's face as he paced and growled, she squished up her nose and mouth and just looked at him..almost like she was trying to make a face at him. It was beyond cute. She wasn't scared at all..
By the time we left the zoo it was 5 O'clock and we were exhausted from walking around in the heat. Sarah's pregnant feet were swelling and we were just ready to hit the bed. So we didn't really want to think about cooking dinner when we got home...then having to pack to leave. So we headed back to the island and ate at The Island Cow. Talk about a delicious restaurant. We waited for probably 20 minutes for a seat at about 6pm that night. It's not a large restaurant so seating was limited but it was a nice night to wait outside.
It was sad packing up to leave, knowing we were leaving the next morning. We had all had such a great visit together. My sister and I are pretty close and don't get to spend a lot of time together so a whole week together was pretty great. Yes, we were tired all week from Ellie not sleeping well, and from being in the sun so much. But it was so nice to be away and reconnect and just hang out. Chris and I didn't get a lot of time alone unfortunately but we had a lot of fun being with our kids. Watching them learn and enjoy being with us. Watching Isabella learn to swim and become less scared of the water, and Ellie learning to go underwater and jump off the side of the pool. Being a parent is so rewarding.
Our Wednesday morning went pretty quickly. We went for our last walk on the beach, saw some more fish, shells, and oh two sting rays! We visited with mamaw and papaw for a little while and then we were home before we knew it. Back to life and back to our normal routine.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
it's really taken a few days for me to adjust to vacation, to get used to being here, to settle in and relax. I have a hard time relaxing..I feel like I always need to be doing something. Plus with an active 2 kids its hard to relax anyway. So this hasn't really been the most relaxing vacation. Today was nice though. Ellie woke again last night at 2 am screaming..we have had enough so we decided to let her cry it out and not get her out of bed..she cried for 45 minutes and finally went to sleep. Thank goodness..then she didn't wake again until 630. My wake up call so to speak. My Father above has known I've wanted to wake early all week to get some pictures of the sunrise from the beach. So as soon as she woke up I grabbed my camera bag and ran out the door..leaving her with daddy. I'm glad I did too..it was an uplifting time. I've always liked taking pictures anyway..but, epecially of God's creation..and with a sunrise/sunset..I personally am just reminded of that and of his magnificance. The seagulls and pelicans were out feeding on the fish so they were swarming the water and I got some great shots of them in the sunrise. The tide was also way out this morning and it left some beautiful shells today..so I walked for a while enjoying the moments I had alone snapping some shots and picking up a few shells on the way.
More later..miss el needs my attention..
More later..miss el needs my attention..
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday
On Friday Sarah and I took Miss Ellie to the beach for a couple hours..she plays pretty well there. Hardly eats the sand at all :D, Chris and Isabella like the pool better and with her new skills she wants to be there all the time. She's getting better and better, swimming underwater for longer and longer distances. It's amazing what a few days can do. I came up to the condo around noon to fix lunch for everyone. It's nice being able to quietly yell outside for them to come eat. The pool is literally right off our porch. It's been a great location. After lunch Chris agreed to stay back with Ellie so she could take a nap. The rest of us headed back to the beach to build a castle. I ended up working on a 'scuplture' of a prego Sarah :D..she liked it. And the temperature change between that morning and lunch time was drastic. It was so hot yesterday afternoon. Papaw said these temperatures are abnormal for October..I think it's been nice. The odd thing has been that usually when we are her in the summer we head to the beach in the morning and then by early afternoon it is storming, everyday. So we head back inside for a break then go back out after the storm passes. This hasn't happened once so far! It's kinda thrown me, atleast, off. But October is a perfect month for vacationing here..cool mornings and nights..and warm afternoons. Sun all day.
Last night Mamaw and Papaw came over for dinner..it was a nice evening and end to the day. Papaw made us his famous ribs. If I haven't told you about my papaws cooking well forgive me! It's amazing..he is such a great cook. Isabella talks about his cooking all the time. So he brought us ribs, cole slaw, and baked beans. And to top it off...Key Lime Pie, home made. It was so good...after dinner, Isabella wanted to show off her swimming skills so we headed down to the pool. I think they liked that..
Ellie has definately been a challenge on this trip. Last night I was about at my wits end. She was up all night practically..and would not go back to sleep in her bed. So instead of letting everyone in the complex wake up with her screaming, I got up with her and sat on the couch. It was so frustrating. And I'm sure it has something to do with not being at home..not on the same schedule and not sleeping in her bed. But man, it's angering in the middle of the night. And to top it off she's a wild woman during the day. I already talked about the pool time with her. Constantly putting her face in the water and choking. Constantly wanting to jump off the side of the pool. It wears you out. And I have been thinking too maybe she's not sleeping too well at night because she's hungry. Because she also won't eat a decent meal at any time during the day. On one hand you don't want to fight her because it's vacation and you want her to sleep. Then on the other hand she thinks its a game..that its funny to spit every bit of her food out. This is beyond frustrating for me. I usually say 'fine! if you don't want to eat then you can be hungry, this is what we are eating'. I think today though, after a sleepless night, I'll give in and buy her some ravioli which I know she will eat. Or atleast normally she does.
Ok enough about this time to enjoy the day!
More pictures: FLICKR
Last night Mamaw and Papaw came over for dinner..it was a nice evening and end to the day. Papaw made us his famous ribs. If I haven't told you about my papaws cooking well forgive me! It's amazing..he is such a great cook. Isabella talks about his cooking all the time. So he brought us ribs, cole slaw, and baked beans. And to top it off...Key Lime Pie, home made. It was so good...after dinner, Isabella wanted to show off her swimming skills so we headed down to the pool. I think they liked that..
Ellie has definately been a challenge on this trip. Last night I was about at my wits end. She was up all night practically..and would not go back to sleep in her bed. So instead of letting everyone in the complex wake up with her screaming, I got up with her and sat on the couch. It was so frustrating. And I'm sure it has something to do with not being at home..not on the same schedule and not sleeping in her bed. But man, it's angering in the middle of the night. And to top it off she's a wild woman during the day. I already talked about the pool time with her. Constantly putting her face in the water and choking. Constantly wanting to jump off the side of the pool. It wears you out. And I have been thinking too maybe she's not sleeping too well at night because she's hungry. Because she also won't eat a decent meal at any time during the day. On one hand you don't want to fight her because it's vacation and you want her to sleep. Then on the other hand she thinks its a game..that its funny to spit every bit of her food out. This is beyond frustrating for me. I usually say 'fine! if you don't want to eat then you can be hungry, this is what we are eating'. I think today though, after a sleepless night, I'll give in and buy her some ravioli which I know she will eat. Or atleast normally she does.
Ok enough about this time to enjoy the day!
More pictures: FLICKR
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Vacation..updates, almost daily..maybe
Well we barely made it here on Wednesday morning. The flight to Atlanta was wide open, no problems..but, when we got there the flt to RSW was oversold by 7! Not good for the non-rev passengers. But, we said some prayers and they were answered. Several connections didn't show up and we all made it on. All 5 of us. We had to do some asking around to sit together. Adults with parents anyway.
Papaw picked us up at the airport and was quite happy to see us :) as we were him. We went right to his house for some yummy lunch that he had lovingly prepared for us. When we got there Sarah noticed how detailed the table was laid out. It was all set, plates, napkins, utensils, chips, chairs all in place..it was cute. And when we sat down he pulled out the pre-made and laid out plates of lunch meat and cheese. It was great. Isabella was dying to swim in his pool as she always is when we get there..so immediately we ran to the car and dug out her bathing suit. We all went outside and watched her swim for a bit..but it didn't take long for all our moods to go down hill. We were exhausted. Having been up since 4 am and on the go until that point.
So we didn't stay too long and visit. I felt awful..we don't see my grandparents but a couple times a year maybe..but Ellie was practically begging for a nap and Isabella needed one too, plus we needed to stop at the store before we headed out to the Island. So we said our good byes and planned on having dinner together on Friday night and packed up the car. All together we had 4 stuffed checked bags and 4 carry ons plus a stroller. We filled every inch of our borrowed cars trunk. Papaw had his doubts about it all fitting, he fully expected a visit the next morning with us to drop off bags! But we made it work. By the time we got to Walmart 1o minutes down the road both kids were sound asleep. So Sarah and I headed inside to do some shopping for the week. Oh, I failed to mention that Chris's checked bag was still in ATL at this point..and we probably wouldn't be getting it for a while. Or so the people in baggage claim said, since we were non-rev passengers. Well this wasn't good as a lot of important things were in that bag! Swim trunks, shorts, sandals, ....90 degree weather clothes!
Once we finally made it to Sanibel we made dinner and did some swimming, quickly visited the beach and were asleep by 930 that night. Not to awaken until 7am. It was a great night of rest. We tried and tried this morning (and some last night) to find Chris's bag..and just didn't understand why they couldn't put the bag on the next RSW flt since they knew where we were. But, as non-revs, we didn't have priority...this was aggrivating to me. That status shouldn't matter. Oh we...we prayed about it..and decided after a morning of the beach and pool swimming we would head back to the mainland during Ellie's nap to file a claim, (for lost luggage-something that evidently can't be done on the phone!), at the airport and to shop for some clothes for Chris. We called on the way to see if they had his bag..but they kept saying no its still in ATL. So we stopped at Target and found some things for him before heading to the airport. ANd guess what? When we dropped Chris off at the airport within 5 minutes he was back outside with his bag...answer to prayer #2. :D Such a relief. SO he now has his things..and yes we stopped at Target on they way back out to Sanibel to return all the things we got him!
Anyhoo...Isabella is loving the pool. We bought her some goggles and wow, what a difference that makes. She's going underwater like crazy! And swimming under water..going down to the bottom of the pool. Its amazing what one swim class will accomplish. And miss Ellie..she is addicted to the water. She is constantly sticking her face in the water..does it choke her? Of course, does she care?? Not at all..she just keeps doing it! Over and over. She's jumping off the side of the pool already, something Iz still won't do. And she can almost float on her back. Just crazy. We may have two swimmers by the end of the week.
What's in store tomorrow? THE BEACH! And more of the pool of course. But, that's all after breakfast, fresh baked goods from Jerry's :D. (pictures to come tomorrow)
www.flickr.com/photos/capics
Papaw picked us up at the airport and was quite happy to see us :) as we were him. We went right to his house for some yummy lunch that he had lovingly prepared for us. When we got there Sarah noticed how detailed the table was laid out. It was all set, plates, napkins, utensils, chips, chairs all in place..it was cute. And when we sat down he pulled out the pre-made and laid out plates of lunch meat and cheese. It was great. Isabella was dying to swim in his pool as she always is when we get there..so immediately we ran to the car and dug out her bathing suit. We all went outside and watched her swim for a bit..but it didn't take long for all our moods to go down hill. We were exhausted. Having been up since 4 am and on the go until that point.
So we didn't stay too long and visit. I felt awful..we don't see my grandparents but a couple times a year maybe..but Ellie was practically begging for a nap and Isabella needed one too, plus we needed to stop at the store before we headed out to the Island. So we said our good byes and planned on having dinner together on Friday night and packed up the car. All together we had 4 stuffed checked bags and 4 carry ons plus a stroller. We filled every inch of our borrowed cars trunk. Papaw had his doubts about it all fitting, he fully expected a visit the next morning with us to drop off bags! But we made it work. By the time we got to Walmart 1o minutes down the road both kids were sound asleep. So Sarah and I headed inside to do some shopping for the week. Oh, I failed to mention that Chris's checked bag was still in ATL at this point..and we probably wouldn't be getting it for a while. Or so the people in baggage claim said, since we were non-rev passengers. Well this wasn't good as a lot of important things were in that bag! Swim trunks, shorts, sandals, ....90 degree weather clothes!
Once we finally made it to Sanibel we made dinner and did some swimming, quickly visited the beach and were asleep by 930 that night. Not to awaken until 7am. It was a great night of rest. We tried and tried this morning (and some last night) to find Chris's bag..and just didn't understand why they couldn't put the bag on the next RSW flt since they knew where we were. But, as non-revs, we didn't have priority...this was aggrivating to me. That status shouldn't matter. Oh we...we prayed about it..and decided after a morning of the beach and pool swimming we would head back to the mainland during Ellie's nap to file a claim, (for lost luggage-something that evidently can't be done on the phone!), at the airport and to shop for some clothes for Chris. We called on the way to see if they had his bag..but they kept saying no its still in ATL. So we stopped at Target and found some things for him before heading to the airport. ANd guess what? When we dropped Chris off at the airport within 5 minutes he was back outside with his bag...answer to prayer #2. :D Such a relief. SO he now has his things..and yes we stopped at Target on they way back out to Sanibel to return all the things we got him!
Anyhoo...Isabella is loving the pool. We bought her some goggles and wow, what a difference that makes. She's going underwater like crazy! And swimming under water..going down to the bottom of the pool. Its amazing what one swim class will accomplish. And miss Ellie..she is addicted to the water. She is constantly sticking her face in the water..does it choke her? Of course, does she care?? Not at all..she just keeps doing it! Over and over. She's jumping off the side of the pool already, something Iz still won't do. And she can almost float on her back. Just crazy. We may have two swimmers by the end of the week.
What's in store tomorrow? THE BEACH! And more of the pool of course. But, that's all after breakfast, fresh baked goods from Jerry's :D. (pictures to come tomorrow)
www.flickr.com/photos/capics
Monday, October 26, 2009
RIce Bag warmer
I made one of these a while back and it was worth my time. I made one out of a sock, may sound odd I know..but, very useful! It looks similar to this ..Isabella uses it all the time. She wakes up at night with 
leg cramps and for a while we were giving her tylenol to help her sleep but, now we just warm this up in the microwave for about 30 seconds and it's all ready. It does the trick every time. The less medicine we have to take the better!
leg cramps and for a while we were giving her tylenol to help her sleep but, now we just warm this up in the microwave for about 30 seconds and it's all ready. It does the trick every time. The less medicine we have to take the better! All you need for a sock rice bag is:
1 clean sock
rice (I used Jasmine Rice gives off a nice aroma!)
Today though, I was reading on sew mama sew and saw the cutest rice bag (above)..and thought what a great gift. And how simple to make! Here is the tuitorial.
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