It has been one busy month!

Florida. England. Paris. And most recently having Eric's mom for a quick visit in celebration of Dean's first birthday. She did the same stops as last year when he was born: first to Dallas to celebrate Ethan and Olivia's birthdays and then here to Nashville to celebrate Dean's birthday. Having babies 22 hours apart was certainly not my idea!

Donna flew in at 2:10pm on Saturday, and we had Dean's birthday party at 4:30pm. What a lovely gathering of friends. If we hadn't been so tired from jet lag, it could have been a long night of chatting and laughing. It really is amazing to me that my little guy is one, but I've been too busy and tired to get overly emotional about the milestone and how quickly the time has flown by. What an amazing year it has been. So- watch out! I'm certain to break down in tears in the coming months!

It was wonderful to see Eric's mom, and the boys created some great memories. Grant cried for about a half hour after waving goodbye to her at the security check.

As far as our overseas trip is concerned, we had an amazing time and I don't think I can find the time to adequately outline all that we accomplished/ saw/ experienced/ felt/ or did. All of the bits and pieces will probably seep out into conversation and my postings over time. For now, however, I will operate in bullet point fashion showcasing some of the big snipets and fond memories:

-having a birthday party with Grandma celebrating my 25th and her 80th at Aunt Jaquie's home with all of my family. Grandma's traditional marzipan/ fondant cake is always a treat!

-going to church with Jacquie and Steve, where my Uncle Steve serves as head pastor of this sweet little congregation in Sunningdale. Jaquie made this great cake made with Jersey cream in honor of the mayor visiting. Apparently, politically speaking, mayors are pretty far up on the food chain and this was quite an honor. The mayor wore an adornment over his chest that was unusaul to me, yet I'm sure was related to his office: a swag of goldtoned chain and medallions.

- My grandfather rented a car for us to get around in now that our family can no longer fit inside one car with my grandparents. Eric was adorable driving around on the left side of the road in his sporty red Peugeot. He did so well- I wasn't nervous a bit. And the car allowed us the freedom and ability to go to and from the empty house we were staying at in Ewell, as well as various outside-of-London excursions without bothering anyone else's schedule. We went to Hever Castle, Eastbourne, Sunningdale/ Windsor area and Horton Children's Farm by car. The rest of the time, we were able to go by train or walk.

-heading out for quick dinner with Eric without the kids in front of Windsor Castle and picking up some lychee and ginger ice cream from Haagen Daz (apparently a limited edition flavor only offered at the Windsor and Leicester Square locations). Yum!

-Meeting a couple from Long Beach while in Paris that had also come from London for a day trip, and had also found the bus tour to be less fabulous than expected. They were booked for the earlier Eurostar back to London and were cutting it quite close on getting back to Gare du Nord (thanks to the bus), so we gave them some euros toward a taxi cab. Americans stick together, epecially Californians.

-Climbing to the second platform of the Eiffel Tower with my husband while snow flutters down from the freezing cold sky. Tempurature: 33 degrees.

-Walking along the Champs d'Elyse as the sun burst through the clouds a bit.

-eating a baguette and brie sandwich as we shivered and walked around Paris, thinking how we were still blessed to be there

-Walking back to Gare du Nord in the dark of night and grabbing another baguette sandwich and some amazing pastries while reflecting upon the day. One pastry had that carmelized sugar on the top like creme brulee and the other was like a tiramisu in that it had a mocha liquer like flavor. Ah, if only I'd been able to read the labels....

-Back in London, taking a day trip into the city and snapping shots in front of the lions in Trafalgar Square. Grant was too scared to climb on top of them, so for the first time in the history of this tradition, we simply stood on the ground and posed near them. He better grow out of that.

-watching Dean shovel Great grandma's food into his mouth while also noting the look of glee on my Grandma's face

-The view of Eastbourne from a hill on the way to Beachy Head- breathtaking!

-Lemonade, crisps, Ginger Beer, Cadbury vending machines, licorice all sorts, flavored steamed milk in Waterloo station

-at the train station, hearing the automated voice warn, "mind the gap"

-joining Grandma for coffee at her favorite coffee shop in Stoneleigh

-watching all of the strange street people in Covent Garden and near the Jubilee Bridges. Apparently, there is no lack of metallic statue people in the whole of London. Copper, gold, silver....you name it. We did catch a group on video that still makes me laugh out loud. It was a Regae band with two or three disco dancers with wigs and great outfits doing John Travolta-like moves to the beat, all the while taking themselves extremely seriously.

-witnessing the great play between my cousin, Katheryn, and Grant and realizing that kids are just kids regardless of where they are from or what language they speak. I remember one summer when my family flew back East for a conference and to visit with family friends; I met this girl from Turkey and she didn't know English and I didn't know her language, but we had a blast running and playing and we even tried to write letters to each other for awhile. Grant has come away saying "lift" for elevator, "naught" for zero, and the phrase "jolly good". It just warms my heart.

Eric came home from work with dozens of free pens this week. Apparently, it was "Pen Day" where all of the pen manufacturers ( BiC, Pentel...) come to show off their latest product in hopes that employees will become devoted to a particular grip, or ink flow, or weight in the hand- and pressure the office supply buyer into stocking those. I remember the days of working in an office and having a "favorite pen". All of us did- the nurses and doctors, included. I was in charge of office supply orders most of the time and everyone had their individual requests. And you always thought twice about loaning out a special pen to the patients for fear they might run off with them!

I don't write as often these days. A bit in my daily Bible journal, a shopping list here, a note there. But nothing like the constant writing that goes with a medical office. Yet, I still noticed two samples from the lot that I liked: this new mechanical pencil, and this pen from Staedtler.

Considering the topic, I thought this was funny.

P.S. Still trying to find time to chronical all of the wonderfulness of our recent holiday.

We're home safely from England and France as of 9:45pm last night.

Details to follow once I've had some rest!

Happy Birthday to my Grandma! 80 today! Looking forward to arriving so that I can giver her lots of birthday hugs and kisses in person. We'll be having a joint birthday party on my birthday, Sunday.

We're outta here.

Jessica Simpson

Guilty! We TiVo The Newlyweds and watch it while brushing teeth before bed.

Even guiltier: I find myself having "Jessica Simpson moments". Eric enjoys pointing them out to me. I think it's funny that I have personality similarities with someone deemed "dumb" or "airheaded" since I thought I was of decent intelligence. Eric even thought she acted like me when she made the "Tisra noise" on one of the last episodes.

I think I am going to start recording these moments. Truly, they are funny.

Sadly, I used the word 'rhinocesaurous' during our journey home on Saturday. Blame the fatigue. But even sadder, I repeated myself when Eric asked me, "what did you just say?".

"Rhinocesaurous".

Duh.

So where did I leave off regarding Florida?

Wednsday, I think we stayed inside the hotel room nearly the entire day since it was raining rather hard. I take that back, we did make it out: we headed back to the mall to pick up more tea from Teavana. (I seriously could become addicted to that place!) And I also found some new jeans for myself and a cute knee length dark denim skirt from Gap (skirt: $10- yay!).Then we went out to dinner when Eric got done with work.

Thursday, the boys and I spent the morning in the room waiting for the weather to get better. They needed the down time anyway, I think. A little bit of fussiness was creeping into their demeanor. After naps, though, we departed for a Party City store in search of birthday invitations for Dean. With the short amount of time between trips, I figured I had better complete this errand while I had some time. Grant picked some adorable invitations for his little brother. I can't believe we'll be having his first birthday when we return. *sniff* Time passes all too quickly.

The conference ended at 1:00pm on Thursday and it didn't take Eric as long as anticipated to tear down and organize all of the equipment. So, with time on our hands (or at least more than we thought we'd have), we called some friends for an impromptu dinner in Lakeland. It was a really pleasant evening, considering we don't know them very well. Shane and Angie are brother and sister-in-law to a Nashville friend of ours, Travis, and Shane is also a dear friend of Kris Kelso, another Nashville friend of ours. Shane and Eric play an online game together with a some other guys occasionally, and we've met up in person when they are here in town to see Kris or Travis. So, these friends-of-friends are becoming friends of ours. Conversation was easy and their little boy, Landon, enjoyed stealing Dean's french fries while Dean consumed nearly all of Landon's toddler crackers. Good times. Another highlight was saying that we have finally been to Lakeland, Florida where Travis and Kris both hail from. Although we have really just seen the chili's restaurant there, we have been.

Friday was Magic Kingdom day and we left on the hotel shuttle at 8:45am. Big mistake. We should have just taken our car. Little did we know it would be the coldest day of our stay and that we would want to leave early. Lots of fun, but also lots of shivering. The 6:30 pm bus couldn't come soon enough! Grant had a blast on the teacups, the barnstorming roller coaster, and all of the "flying" rides like Dumbo and the Magic Carpet ride. He still wasn't too fond of the indoor, in the dark rides like Peter Pan or Winnie the Pooh (no Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at Disney World....sad isn't it?). I don't know whether it was our bias toward the familiar or not, but Eric and I came away still liking Disneyland better than Magic Kingdom. Now, if we had the time to do a week in Orlando with a Park Hopper pass, our opinion might be different. Still, lots of fun!

Saturday, we did the full and complete 12 hour drive home. The boys were amazing- hardly a peep out of them! Eric and I were very tired, but a few Mad Libs books and the trusty "alphabet game" kept us occupied. We also nearly wore out Jeff Deyo's new CD, Light (recommended).

So that is it in a small nutshell.

We're home and soon will be off again. Tomorrow is filled with packing and last minute errands. Today, I had my hair redone and finished up some lino-cut gifts I want to take "across the pond" with us for everyone.

Very much looking forward to showing off Dean to my family in England and can't wait for Paris!

We are home safely from Florida, as of 6:30 last night. More to post later about that trip. Currently, we are busy preparing for our next trip that we fly away to on Wednsday.

The Passion of the Christ

Today is the opening day for this highly controversial movie.

Having not seen it, and having no relationship with Mel Gibson, I can't comment on the film or the personal beliefs of its director . However, the issue I feel I have to remark on is that of anti-Semitism, in general, as it relates to the 'who killed Jesus?' question.

As a Christian, I believe in Jesus Christ. I believe not only in His existence, but in His virgin birth, His sinless life, His sacrificial death, and His resurrection. He is the King of Kings, the Lamb, the Son of God, my Healer, my Friend, my Savior, my Shepherd....


Looking in the Old Testament, it is clear that a great deal of blood was shed in sacrifices to God. There were burnt offerings for worship, unintentional sin, expression of devotion and commitment to God. There were grain offerings given in worship, and as an acknowledgement of God's goodness and provision. There were fellowship offerings given in worship, to serve as thanksgiving, and as a means of fellowship. There were sin offerings that were required for forgiveness of sin and cleansing from defilement. There were guilt offerings mandatory for restitution and cleansing from defilement.*

A lot of blood was shed. A lot of blood was shed routinely because the "fix" was always temporary. Jesus changed all that.

He died as the Ultimate sacrifice. Once and for all. And, because of His death and resurrection I am able to enter the presence of God; I am free; I live by grace and not by works; I am a citizen of heaven.

Does it matter who killed Jesus that day? Whoever it was that drove in the nails, or sentenced him, or chanted excitedly as he suffered ...does...not ...matter. Jew. Roman. It doesn't matter! It could have been any person, race or nationality. Jesus needed to die so that I might live. His blood was required. And because of this, there is no ill feeling. How can I hate a people, or even "blame" them for something that is priceless to me above all things?

How could any Christian?


*info from NIV Study Bible notes.

Still in the Sunshine State...But where is the Sunshine?

Today is rainy. In fact, we missed being caught in a downpour by seconds as we quickly got in the car- it felt like being in a drive-through car wash!

Yesterday after the boys woke up from their nap, we did make our way to Downtown Disney. There were a few cute shops, but mostly restaurants and things that weren't worth trying on my own (like DisneyQuest), or offerings that are better suited to adults at night (Pleasure Island and Cirque du Soleil). We enjoyed the Lego Store and it's outdoor slide as well as browsing in a store called Basin (okay, I was the only one that enjoyed that), but the half dozen Disney related stores were overkill for me since I'm not a "shopper" and I don't absolutely love Disney stuff to the point of plastering Mickey Mouse on all that I wear and own. Eric was, at first, a little sad that I trekked out to Downtown Disney without him while he was working but I really don't think he'd be bothered if he actually knew that there was little to do during the day with two young children. Definitely a "big kid" play zone.

After dinner, Grant and I hit the pool again while Eric stayed in the room with the absolutley wiped out Dean. Truth be told, Eric was a bit wiped out too. He has spent so much time on his feet these past few days, working terribly hard on this conference- and it is all going well, he says. Yay!

Grant went underwater purposfully for the first time last night. He pinched his nose, held his breath and closed his eyes and WENT UNDER! I was in the process of trying to convince him that it would be neat when he saw two older girls swim past him dipping under the water and bobbing up effortlessly. That was all it took- a little healthy peer pressure!

Once the boys were in bed, Eric and I crawled under our covers and began flipping channels on the TV only to realize that there isn't much on. We have become quite addicted to having TiVo, and being able to watch only the shows we like without commercials whenever we desire; I had almost forgotten what trash lurks out there: little people dating shows, other horrific dating/wedding shows, just a horrific show, and plenty of less-than-fabulous shows. There is one Disney propaganda channel with a female host counting down the "top 7 things to do at Disney World"- it simply repeats as soon as it finishes. We've not watched it all but have successfully caught enough to know that there are at least 7 things to do here.

Today, because of the rain, has been spent mostly indoors. We went to the Florida Mall this morning, which is supposed to be Florida's biggest mall. It was decent size, though I have seen larger, boasting five department stores. As I've said before- I am not a shopper, but this had some good stores in it: Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Ave., Williams-Sonoma, and this great little tea place that I really wish were near us.

I came away with a bag of Mate Vana which has chocolate undertones. Yum. Basically, the shop is like a coffee bar for tea. They sell tea accesories and have tons and tons of tins containing loose leaf tea of all flavors and origins. The tea pots they have are gorgeous, but pricey. I plan on using my tea strainer that I have at home or the french press I use for coffee. Can't wait to be home and try it out! (Hey, in making the link to bodum's coffee presses, I notice they also make tea presses! I guess my idea of using the coffee press wasn't all too original.)

Still no sun. Hopefully tomorrow.

Tonight, not much on the agenda beyond taking some laundry up to the coin laundry. I've never done coin laundry before- this will be new.

The boys and I are doing a great deal of relaxing. Actually, we are functioning somewhat like we do when I stay home with them, just without me needing to do errands or clean the house.

The hotel we are in is two rooms with a kitchenette, so it has the feel of a small little apartment. Without a lot of stuff, we could seriously live like this. I am, of course, grateful for the larger house that we own but realize that so much of it is about housing our stuff(some of which we probably don't need): kids rooms to keep all the toys, office to keep all of the papers, plenty of storage for all of my crafts/ art/ sewing supplies.... the list goes on. The funny thing is that I have felt on occasion that our house just isn't big enough (it would be nice to have an extra bedroom or a larger laundry room and a basement and a bigger master suite with a larger closet and....) Mary and I were talking about this weeks ago and we decided that part of the problem is streamlining and organizing the space you do have. She has a friend who lives in a smallish Manhattan apartment with her two kids and husband and they seem to be handling it quite well. And while organizing is part of it, attitude is another big part. Seeing what we have and knowing that it comes from my Provider who knows everything, and who takes care of my every need produces an attitude of thankfulness which in turn produces a contentment that does not depend on lavish meals, perfectly manicured landscapes, or meticulously decorated spaces.

Yesterday, after Dean's nap, we headed to a nearby shopping complex that was more like a ghost town. It contained restaraunts that only open for dinner, and numerous For Rent storefronts. There was an independent toy store that we went into for browsing directly across from an English Pub called "The Cricketers Arms". I thought this was funny because that is the exact name of a pub that we always go to in England by the same name only that one boasts extremely low ceilings, a castle-sized fireplace and a centuries-old history. Wondering if the owner had ever been to my Cricketers Arms, I wanted to step inside and strike up a conversation but this pub appeared more bar-like and I figured I shouldn't venture inside with my double stroller- highly out of place! I doubt you'd be able to order a Ploughman's there! (Oops- I just pulled up the web site to make the link and found that they do, indeed, offer English foods. Mmmm- I can't wait for next week....all the Branston Pickle I want!) In the same center, we found gallery/studio of a local artist who was extremely lovely to talk to. We ended up staying in her shop for about a half hour since she enjoyed talking with Grant and showing him the paints, and I enjoyed soaking in the inspiration. Originally from Scotland, she had a sweet accent that was very welcoming. If I only had the budget for it, I saw a huge painting on canvas for $350.00 (which actually isn't bad, nevertheless out of my price range) that would look stunning in our house- it was a tropical floral with deep red tones and dark shadowing.

After returning for lunch, the boys took a nap and gathered the energy to head to the pool. A little dip, and then Eric returned from the convention center and we left in search of dinner and some power cords Eric needed for the booth.

Today, Eric didn't need to leave so early so we were able to enjoy breakfast with him before dropping him off at the Orange County Convention Center. That place is huge! I think it is the second largest convention center in the U.S. Pretty architecture, as well. I'd love to see the inside where all the action is taking place, but the people who come to these things pay thousands to get in- CEOs of hospitals etc. So, unless Eric can get me clearance, I won't be able to see what they've been working so hard on. Apparently, his company's booth has two stories and is rather large. Silly me; I was thinking along the scale of craft/art fairs I've been to or college/career fairs from high school days, or even the Home/ Women's shows they have anually at the Nashville Convention center. This sounds extremely well done and according to Eric, the set-up yesterday went smoothly so I hope today (the first actual conference day) proves to be seamless as well.

After the boys are done napping (which is why I'm even able to type right now) we will head out again and check out a bit more of the area. Maybe Downtown Disney or the nearby mall. Doesn't really matter as long as we're out enjoying this glorious weather!

Florida

We're here in Orlando!

Friday evening after Eric got off work, we departed Nashville in our Mazda MPV packed full of stuff. Eric had two large boxes/cases for the conference that he was responsible for bringing, so we were even more full to the brim.

Atlanta was our resting place for the night. Some time we should head back there for a weekend trip- it's really not that far (about 4 hours by car) and looks like it has a lot to offer. The night view of the city left us with a nice impression. We stayed in a hotel on the far side of the city so that we wouldn't have to travel through Atlanta in the morning when we left, hopefully avoiding any major traffic (although unlikely since it was a Saturday). The county we stayed in was the same county of Gone With the Wind fame, so many business embraced the name Tara....Tara Tow Company, Tara Dry Cleaning, Tara Shoe Mart etc.

We had about eight hours ahead of us when we hit the road Saturday. The boys did very well in the car (having the DVD player in the van can be credited for most of this!) and we arrived in the afternoon here in Orlando. Our hotel is right on Independence Drive in the heart of touristy Orlando, so I'm sure that there will be plenty for us to do while Eric is working this week.

After dropping everything off in the room, we went out for dinner, hit Old Navy to buy the boys some swim shorts, and went to Extortions-R-Us Supermarket ("open 24 hours! to rob you of your every penny for a half gallon of milk"). I guess the clue that we weren't in a normal grocery store was that HALF of the square footage was consumed by tourist trinkets and Florida T-shirts. Oh well.

The Mecca of the Publix grocery chain isn't far from here, so I guess if we really need something beyond our immediate offerings, we can head to Lakeland. (Are the Publix stores in Lakeland really tiled with marble? Do the Publix stores in Lakeland really pump extra oxygen into their air? If you eat produce from a Lakeland Publix, will you really extend your life by a full two years?) Kidding- I love Publix.

Well, today is our first full day here, and Dean is taking a nap so we haven't set foot outside the hotel yet. Looking forward to getting into the warm air to thaw out this winter body.

Free wireless here, so I plan to update periodically.

Oh! And big news for all who care....DEAN FINALLY HAS A TOOTH! We discovered it yesterday, but it probably broke through on Friday at eleven months old. Yay!

I just read an article about The Merge in San Diego and came away with an interesting fact: A major bottleneck is defined as a location that caused drivers at least 700,000 hours of delay every year. The thing I find so interesting, is that people had to sit down and decide on a quantifiable definition for a term like that. And was there someone sitting around the conference table that spoke in opposition saying, "No. I won't have it! A major bottleneck should be defined as 725,000- and I'll have nothing less!"

Today, I paid a long overdue visit to the Department of Safety Driver's License station for a renewed license. My little piece of plastic no longer bears a red warning stripe shouting, "UNDER 21"- which obviously hasn't been accurate for years now. Better picture. Updated information. All for just $19.50 and an hour of my time. What a steal.

Regarding comments on the previous post, since I have way to much to say in that tiny little box:

Matt, that is exactly what I was thinking about the Louvre! I hate the thought of not even stepping foot inside the place, but- really- is it worth it to say that you've "seen the Mona Lisa" and yet didn't get to truly drool over all the other pieces? From what I gather, it can sometimes take hours to gain entrance to the museum alone. And being (I think) the biggest museum in the world, it would take months to see everything.

When I was in San Diego this last time, my dad and I did a trolley tour of downtown where you have the ability to hop on and off. I lived my whole life there and never crammed as much information in as we did that day. It was definately a good orientation for tourists, but I found myself viewing the place with new eyes even as a California native since it was so thorough. There are similar tours of Paris that would allow us transportation (via open top bus) to the main interests, but would provide us with the freedom to explore on our own since buses come every 15-30 minutes at each stop. Similar to a regular bus route with the advantage of historical information in English. There are also boat, bike and Segway tours. Plenty of options, the real limitations are budget and time!

Nathan, thank you for the input. Especially about Westminster Abbey- that helps bring it into perspective. Any suggestions on places to eat. It would be nice to have lunch at an authentic place rather than one that caters to tourists. Is this even possible in the city of Paris without going a long distance off the beaten path?

Regardless, we plan on having a splendid time with the hours at our disposal even if that means sitting on the grass beneath le Tour Eiffel talking and people watching. (Actually, that sounds pretty good!)

It's official. My amazing husband has purchased tickets to Paris, France as my birthday present. We will be in the city for eight hours, as we are travelling from London via the Chunnel and will be returning the same day. A day trip in Paris! How incredibly wonderful! I feel so overwhelmed because there are months worth of things to do and we only have eight hours. Eight hours. What does one choose?!!

We bought the Eurostar passes last week and I have just started thinking about what I'd like to see and what is practical. Most likely, Eric and I will have the day child-free, as my wonderful grandmother and aunt have offered to keep the kids while we venture out. Great city for an unforgettable date with my husband!

I also cannot believe that I took a few years of French in high school. I am trying so hard to remember phrases and words, but I am only coming up with pathetic bits and pieces of the language. (Madame Shannon would be so dissapointed with me!) I think I had better pick up a few books from the library and make sure to bring my French dictionary with us. From what I understand, the French people know a bit of English, but are willing to speak it only if you first attempt to speak in French. I have heard this given as a reason why the French are often called "rude". However, I feel similarly about people who come here..."won't they at least try to speak English". It is only courteous. If nothing else, at least memorize "I cannot speak English". Similarly, it is a blessing that I know "je ne parlais pas francais"- it might come in handy.

Ashley

Little Ashley, who I posted about a few weeks ago, died yesterday. Please be in prayer for the whole family. Losing anyone special to you is difficult, but as a parent, I cannot imagine holding my child as she dies in my arms.

Out of my reading this morning came this verse which I posted on Ashley's web page as an encouragement. Truly, God's Word and his Holy Spirit can heal all wounds.

A little lesson called "Being A Mother is Hard"

After recently having a conversation with a friend about how three year olds are tough and that, as parents, we can not let them win with tantrums or whinning or misbehaviour because it will then set them up for a lifetime of disobiedience, I had to line up my actions with my words today and leave the grocery store to go home and put Grant to bed for acting up.

I had my big list of groceries and all of my meals planned out. Today was set aside in Outlook as grocery shopping day. Every selfish desire I had, to ignore his antics or grab him a cookie and keep shopping, was set aside as I checked out with my measily 5 items and left for home. I don't know when I'll get out to finish, but at least we have things in the pantry for tonight's meal.

Our sweet Girl Scouting neighbor, Carlie, brought over our order of extremely dangerous cookies tonight. Am I the only one who could eat an entire roll of Thin Mints in 5 minutes flat?!

Tonight was memorable moment with Grant. With Dean already tucked into bed, and Eric playing some computer games, Grant and I had some time to hang out and chose to work on some pages in his Leap Pad. There are a few books that he will need to "work up to" and others that are strengthening the skills and knowledege I am teaching him. But, boy was I amazed when I went out on a limb and tried explaining basic math to him... AND HE GOT IT! We did plus and "take away" tonight with pictures and instructions from the Leap Pad pages, but ended up turning the actual unit off to help him concentrate better. I am thrilled when I see his brain making connections and even more thrilled to see him enjoying the process of learning; he didn't want to put away the books to go to bed!

It's worth a try....and I don't know if it will work....but I'm going to try to take a NAP while both boys are asleep. Can you believe it?! They are asleep at the same time! You have no idea how monumental this is!!!!

Brrrr..... it's 27 degrees right now outside! No wonder I feel like I need a cup of tea or coffee. The downstairs, here, is always colder because of the crawl space, and the inefficient HVAC system (Aaron, where are you?), and that whole law of nature about how "heat rises". The top floors are great and toasty- sometimes to a fault. And I guess it doesn't help that my hair is damp. This morning I tried hopping into the shower before making breakfast and reading my Bible since Grant seemed content playing in his room with Dean and I knew we weren't going to the gym today. (Why is accomplishing a shower one of a mother's most difficult tasks?!)

Today, we don't have much on the agenda, and certainly nothing pressing. Maybe some crafts with Grant in preparation for Valentine's Day. I am also in the middle of more lino-cut pieces that I'd like to complete and a few gift projects I am making to bring as goodies on our trip to England for my family.

States I've been in...very fun. Discovered via Loosetooth.com

(Florida is a cheat, as I won't have been until the end of the month...forgive me)



create your own visited states map
or write about it on the open travel guide

Super Bowl

If you, like me, found the half Time show with Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake to be inappropriate for family television like a footbal game you can have your voice heard. Click here to go to Focus on The Family's web site that will give you contact information for the people behind the companies responsible.

And why is this important? Because it sends the wrong message- certainly contrary to the respect we should be giving our bodies. Read this too. So, obviously, as a parent trying to teach my children "the way they should go", this is not the right example. But still, as an adult who already knows right from wrong, this type of programming is trash and I am above feeding my mind trash! Essentially, what comes in will also come out: Matthew 12:35 "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him."

Experimentation with Breakfast Foods

I have recently discovered that plain oatmeal tastes great with shredded sweetened coconut sprinkled over the top instead of brown sugar. Just sweet enough and with a bit of added texture.

And waffles are even yummier with a spread of something new instead of butter: natural peanut butter or cream cheese. I still lightly drizzle with maple syrup afterward and the cream cheese version reminds of cheese danish. Not exactly healthy, but wonderful all the same.

Mish Mash/ Ramble/ Update/ Potpurri

I have been told that the company I use for my comments does not work well or consistently. It is a free service, so I feel like I can't complain. However, since there are other free services out there, I will be looking to change. Any suggestions?

I forgot to mention that we purchased our England tickets through Hotwire. Eric and I were a bit nervous, but our desire to save money won out and we went for it. What a pleasant surprise! The way the ticketing site works is: you do a search by date and departure/arrival cities, a price is returned to you and you either pay or you don't. It isn't until after you pay, that the carrier or specific flight times are revealed. So, we were concerned that we might be stuck on Afganistan Air with 6 connections and 10 hour layovers. Quite relieved- we are flying on Continental and actually will be on the same flights that we were last time we went to London. And we saved money.

So much to do before we go on our trips! This is our first international travel with two children and I am very concerned about streamlining our luggage to make everything easier. Our friends Shane and Erika backpacked around Europe this past summer for a few months. When I saw them in November, I had a chance to quickly look through their photo albums but I really forgot to ask all the questions I had about logistics. I am sure I could learn a few tips from them, as I seem to have trouble travelling lightly even though the "kid factor" certainly doesn't help my situation- burp cloths, diapers, strollers, portable cribs, sippy cups, toys, car seats. Whew! I put a call in to my aunt today (she wasn't home) to find out if they still have a lot of the baby items from Katheryn (now 7 yrs. old) or if they knew someone we could borrow from so that we wouldn't have to haul so much with us. We'll see.

Today, I met up with my friend Kim who I haven't seen in a month or two. Good girl chatting and the kids played. Doesn't wonderful company just warm your heart?

And I have a good rest of the week planned. Tomorrow night is sewing, which we haven't had in weeks. Friday, I am driving to the north side of town to see LaDonna and go with her to a function at her church. Saturday morning, there is a Women's Gathering at church with home related classes (basic home finance, beauty, fitness, basic sewing, cooking from your pantry, home organization, and floral/tabletop arranging), a continental breakfast and -yay!- childcare. I expect to come away inspired! Sunday, of course, is the Super Bowl and since the Titans aren't competing, I really don't know who I'm supposed to be rooting for.

Good Word of the day

Where did the weekend go?!

We were ill this weekend. Friday night, I was the one to kick off the tag-team stomach virus fun. Just as I started to feel better, it was Eric and Grant's turn. Thankfully, Dean has not been dragged into it all- I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Eric stayed home today and hopefully will return to work tomorrow without any trace of this horrible stuff.

Apart from lying around, watching all too much television, and complaining about various aches, we have been non-stop thinking about our upcoming trips (or at least I have).

We booked flights to England for a 12 day vacation in March and also have a journey to Florida in February scheduled. The Florida trip is truly a business matter for Eric, but we are tagging along and plan to go a bit early to enjoy some tourist attractions. I've never been to Florida and am looking forward finally going.

Our England trip is simply another visit with family. Now that we have a new little family member, it is time to show him off to Great Grandma, Great Grandpa, his Great Aunts and Uncle, and cousin Katheryn. It has been 2 years, so it is even like reintroducing Grant...he's practically a whole new kid. Before, at 20 months old, he was hardly speaking. And now, you can't keep him quiet!

Although I've been travelling to England my whole life, we rarely ventured outside of London. Last time, we made a wonderful day trip to Bath and it was well worth it. This time, we would like to squeeze in another new journey. Thinking about all of the possibilities is half the fun!

Addictive time waster game sent to me by my uncle Steve. Enjoy.

Wishing a glorious second birthday to our nephew, Jackson!

Happy Month-aversary to Dean! Ten months old and still toothless!

Erica,
I have noticed your reference to 'craft swaps' and was interested in the concept. So, I began researching groups on the internet since I'd never heard of it before and didn't know where to begin. The trouble, I'm finding, is determining what the quality or style of a particular swap may be. I like clean lines stuff, Martha Stewart-esque simplicity, and functional items. I am afraid I'd be disappointed if I received a cutesy country-like piece of shelf clutter. Any suggestions on quality craft swaps?
Thank you

And she replied:

Hello Tisra,
Well, I am sorry to say that I cannot be any more help. I was asked to join this particular swap by a reader I got to know, not ever participating in one before. I have to be honest and say almost everything I received was total crap. I was seriously thinking of not doing it again, but it's a good exercise for me, to actually have a deadline, but I think that this one I am doing now will be it.
Have you seen 20 things? It may be more of what you are looking for;
http://www.20things.org/
I think the problem with craft swaps is that if you don't know the capabilities of the people you are swapping with, then you really have no idea what you are going to get.
Good luck and thanks for writing!
Erica

So, my question is: has anyone else done one of these with satisfactory results? I had heard of 20 things before and re-visited their site but realized that it was more artsy than I'd probably be happy with. I would even be interested in organizing a swap if a few other people would like to participate with the same enthusiasm as me. My goal in doing it would be to exercise some of my creativity on a project with a deadline, create a quality piece while honing skills, and receive a quality piece in return. I would consider implementing cost-to-make guidlines and rules for what types of stuff could be made. As I said in my letter to Erica, "I like clean lines stuff, Martha Stewart-esque simplicity, and functional items" so I'm thinking things like decorated journals, pillows, handbags, table linens, stationery, scarves, handmade candles, homemade soaps, handthrown ceramic mugs or bowls, hats, jewelry....anything else? (click here for inspiration)I really wouldn't want something that is decorative without purpose- functional things or consumable things are great because they don't clutter a house...you use them.

Really it is only a brainstorm. I get fueled by the creativity of others and I think that is the same for most people. God gave me this incredible fervor for creating and art. Practicing and playing with all sorts of mediums is part of the journey for me in finding out how I can use these gifts and passions. I guess that's why I am constantly picking up new things (knitting, sewing, watercolor, lino-cut...)- I am still searching for what fits me best and what can glorify Him the most.

The past few days have been busy, as life around here usually is, but they haven't felt hurried or chaotic. In fact, I haven't left the house much, I have just had things to do around here. I'm a mother- so things on my "to do" list are sometimes as simple as "make a tent in the living room with the boys" or "play chutes and Ladders with Grant". And, yet, these seemingly basic activities are truely more important than many of the others I could fill my day with.

Thursday, I enjoyed the company of some wonderful women. Two of my neighbors, Barbara and Christi joined me for some mid morning tea. Grant played with Luke, Dean slept, and the "girls" just chatted. I made two new recipes that I will definately repeat some time: scones, and baked stuffed apples. Scones are really quite easy unless you begin chatting while making them, and then they can take forever. The variation I made was like a biscuit, but also contained sugar, cream and egg. The basic recipe can also be altered with a number of different mix-ins of which I chose two: Craisins and chocolate chip with orange zest. The favorite was certainly the chocolate chip. And who really cares about the food when there is great conversation? Chat. Chat. Chat.

Amy had hoped to join us, but was delayed by a job interview. So, that afternoon she stopped by with the good news of her new position at our old church. Today is her first day. Congrats Amy!

Friday, Eric came home early which is always nice (although it meant some work on the weekend). He ran off and played racqetball with Kris and then brought him back to join us for dinner since his wife was out of town.

Saturday, we spent the good part of the day at church in a seminar.

Sunday, Eric gave me the wonderful gift of an empty house- taking the kids with him on four hours worth of errands. The first two hours, I was just getting used to the silence. My ears kept perking up, straining for a baby's peep or the noises of a meddling three year old before I remembered that no such creatures were present. With as much love as I possess for those kids, I still find the value and joy that comes from a moment away. I made a few phone calls without interruption, read my novel and sipped some tea, and then wrote a bit in some journals. Cozy on the couch, wearing my new slippers (thank you, Eric) and my hubby's comfy N.Y. Fire Department sweatshirt. The silence and relaxation were joyous, but they couldn't top the hug I got from Grant and the smile I received from Dean when they returned! You'd think they had been away for a month. Eric greeted me with a package; he bouht me a new outfit while they were out at Opry Mills. A really cute purple turtleneck sweater and some black slacks. He has such good taste and, I don't know why, I love it when he picks clothes out for me.

Excite - News

Excite - News

Honesty, personality and humor are all things that work on me as a consumer. Being a company that is successful doesn't have to mean taking everything so seriously. And not every part of your propaganda has to refer to the "awesome product" that you make...relate to me as a human so that I warm up to you and don't feel taken advantage of. This article reminds me of another pamphlet issued for possible buyers of the Mini. It listed all sorts of reasons to "go motoring" and gave sweet tidbits of nice advice like paying for cars behind you in the toll line. The recent Hardee's campaign also impressed Eric and I- it admits how horrible their food was before but how they have transformed their menu and that you should take it for a test drive. Impressive honesty.

...And Broke His Crown

Grant is very completely obsessed with Rescue Heroes. He carries them around all the time and is forever creating stories and "missions" and helping people from volcanoes, earthquakes, and floods. They are cute action figures and I am in love with the silly names they have: Billy Blazes, Arial Flyer, Roger Houston, Matt Medic, Wendy Waters, Sandy Beach...

I had to laugh out loud when Jack Hammer dropped from the table just now and Grant burst out with, "Jack fell down!". If only he were familiar with the nursery rhyme, he'd understand why I thought this was funny.

Laughter

Today, some of my morning Bible reading included the account of Abraham and Sarah and their promise from God to be parents. So many times, I have thought of these faithful, patient people who waited upon the Lord and were eventually rewarded. For the first time though, I visualized them as a real life couple like Eric and I. Because, if you look closely, don't they have the reaction that you would? I mean, if I was Abram and nearly 100 years old and God told me that I was going to be a father of many nations, I'd laugh just like he did (Genesis 17:15-19). And if you were Sarah, wouldn't you laugh at the idea of having children into your ninties (Genesis 18:1-15)? What I love the most is verse 18:15 where Abraham has to point out that Sarah laughed. Cute old couple.

In the end, God proved faithful and that is, of course, the main point. But I just like the image of this sweet husband and wife team that reacted with laughter. Its just such a human response, which illustrates God's ability to use normal men and women.

Speaking of laughter, Eric and I enjoyed a good bout of it this evening. Somehow, we ended up in a water fight this evening while he was giving the boys a bath. I walked into the bathroom dry and left drenched. We're talking full cup-fulls of bathwater tossed in my direction! Eric's shirt bore only the marks of a turtle sneeze compared to me; I was laughing too hard to put up a good fight. And it felt good- it was the kind of laughing that burns your abdominal muscles and leaves you gasping for air.

Tonight, I made the baked shells with winter squash out of the October 2003 Everyday Food Magazine. Yum. Great way to sneak in some veggies for those who might not otherwise enjoy squash.

Regarding the previous post, baby Ashley is still breathing on her own and is beginning to suprise doctors. Big thanks to all of you who have been talking to God about her- He deserves all the credit!

Eric's off playing raquetball tonight, so I guess I better get off the computer and keep watch over the two rascals I call sons.

Praise God! Another good update on Ashley:

January 06, 2004 at 09:14 AM CST
It's around 9:00 A.M. and Ashley continues to hold on and fight. We were lucky enough to have her temp break around 5 this morning and it is back up to 101.0. we continue to hope and pray this is the start of a miracle. Thank all of you for your support.

Little Ashley

I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner, but I am posting a prayer request. Please Pray!

A woman in our Life Group at church has an 18 month old sister (Ashley) who has had health problems, a number of which I don't know the details of. Her history is unimportant, though, as she is faced with simply surviving at this very hour. We have been praying about a month for her and her dad who, thankfully, has come to know Christ through this tough time. Here is the latest entry on their Patient Website (you must register to view):

January 06, 2004 at 01:37 AM CST
Ashley is a fighter. She has been off of the ventilator since 2:oo p.m. Jan 5th and she is presently doing well. She has battled a fever and she has, at least for a few hours, been doing a lot of short rapid breaths. But her temp has come down and her sats are really good. The last temp update was around 99.8 She is a amazingly strong child and we are proud of her. Please keep praying. It was a blessing being able to see Ashley in the arms of her mother and father. Thanks to all who are thinking of Ashley. God Bless

Highlights From the Last Few Weeks

-Grant coming downstairs on Christmas morning and asking why Santa left a bite of cookie and the reindeers didn't eat the green stump of the carrot

-Dean eating charcoal and ash out of fireplace and not stopping to think it might taste less than pleasant

-Lime Sponge Pie, a nice update on my mother-in-law's classic...proving that sometimes you can mess with a thing that "ain't broke"

-having portraits done of two 9-month old babies and wondering, "what were we thinking?!"...being relieved when the whole ordeal was over...then being frustrated that only one pose came out because of a film snafoo...being relieved, once again, that the one pose wasn't that bad and Picture People was willing to give us a few sheets free...yay!

-my grandma's recipe for bread pudding with a dollop of Orange Mascarpone filling on the side

-seeing the glow of candlelight on my family's faces while we sing His praise on Christmas Eve

-enjoying Eric's quickly-becoming-famous buttermilk pancakes on my new electric family-sized griddle

-discovering how wonderfully easy it is to make a Melting Pot worthy 3 course meal at home with my new fondue accesories. On New Year's Eve, the kids went to bed and Tim, Angie, Eric and I stayed up as late as we could devouring swiss ementhal fondue, cheddar fondue, broth fondue, oil fondue, and dark chocolate amaretto fondue. We went all out and had way too much food...steak, shrimp, scallops, chicken, apple pieces, french bread, tempura batter, pound cake, cheese cake, banana pieces, marshmallow, veggies, various dipping sauces and sparkling juice.

-watching my little Dean scarf down banana slices as though he had teeth

-taking down Christmas decorations and feeling like the house is no longer cluttered

-70 degree winter weather (followed, sadly, by 35 degree weather the next day)

-new Daily Life Journal from church with tons of blank pages to fill!

-Gingerbread Latte from Starbucks

-cool peppermint spiral glass pitcher on after-Christmas sale at Target...$3.25!

-being thankful for staggered bouts of the flu so that I can take care of Dean and Eric, and then Eric can take care of me (such a good hubby)

-driving around Nashville with former Nashvillians and watching their faces as they think about possibly returning to this fine city some day ("you never know your luck", as my dad says)

-Grant and Ethan disappearing for nearly three days to play Rescue Heroes tirelessly

-fondue leftovers!

Happy New Year everyone!

We've had company in town again- Tim, Angela, Ethan and Olivia from Dallas. We are also currently battling the flu or parainfluenza. Needless to say, I haven't had a spare moment to update.

Christmas was wonderful. We had a great candlelight service on Christmas Eve at church and enjoyed Christmas day as a family of four. Eric was pleased that I made all of the menu items that he missed at Thanksgiving.

I had very little sleep last night, so I'll continue this update later. In the meantime, get one last glimpse at the website before I take down the Christmas and New Year's-themed pages.

Toast Soldiers

Eric and I going to see the new (and final) Lord of the Rings movie this evening.

A few years ago I read the Lord of the Rings trilogy for the first time. Eric had bought the book and I decided to read it after him. This was one of few books I had read for pleasure in years. In high school, I was doing a lot of reading for assignments and found little leftover time for enjoyment reading. Slowly, I got out of the habit although I had once been a lover of reading. The point is, I felt alive with thoughts and truly felt richer by transporting myself into J.R.R. Tolkein's world of hobbits and elves and the ring.

So, after finishing the book, there was a bit of a let down. I realized that I missed reading and vowed to get into a better routine of reading literature. Not just my Bible or magazines at the gym while I workout or the news- but real works of art. Although I was in honors classes in high school, I never read many of the classics that are normally considered "required". We had a few "required" books but mostly we worked off of a "reccommended" reading list that we could choose from. I tended to steer away from the known classics. I guess I wanted to be different because it seemed that everyone was reading Kurt Vonnegut or Catcher in the Rye or some other well-known book. The obscure titles drew me in and as a result I missed out on a lot of great novels. Some classics are classics because they should be and I am now going back and trying to take in a few of these a year and regain my intelligence that sometimes gets lost in among time-outs, Play-Doh, and changing diapers. I guess, truly, it is there but just needs to be dusted off!

While out in California, I mentioned this to my dear girlfriend, Candie, (who was our class valedictorian by the way) and she expressed similar sentiment. Certainly not because of a stay-at-home-mother lifestyle, but because people get busy and her more recent class loads focused on anatomy and physiology rather than rich prose. So we talked of books and reccommended a few to each other. Once back, we e-mailed a bit more about reading the same book together and talking about it. So, I'm extremely excited and went to the library yesterday for a few selections. Catch 22. Farewell to Arms. As I Lay Dying. I am leaning toward Catch 22 and have read a few pages.

Being that I was born in the 70's, I have always been familiar with the phrase "catch 22" and was interested in which came first- the book, or the phrase? I came across this site that had an explaination (the book came first, so the phrase has only been in common usage since the '60s). Anyway, good site. And the current issue has a question about toast soldiers. My family, being that my dad is British, always used this term (and we cut our toast with Marmite into them)- so it was never weird to me. (Although, I often wondered whether this was just my family or if it was an "English thing"...but now I know.) Long ramble, but try it sometime....toast really does taste better if you can pretend that it is marching!

I have every good intention of updating our web site with new and current photos but I rarely get a moment to tend to this task. When I do, I usually find that I have to ask Eric so many questions about the process that I feel frustrated. By the time I finally have all my computer components the way I need, the boys wake up from their nap and I have lost my opportunity.

Too bad good intentions don't get the job done. Stating good intentions, however, make it look as though you're at least trying rather than simply "lazing around"!

I am thankful to God today for a good night's rest last night. I feel like a new woman! While we were in California, Grant and I shared my dad's guest bed. Ever since our return, Grant has been up at night crying for me. Very unlike him. But, we prayed specifically about this in our bedtime prayers last night and all was well.

On a crafty note, my friend Kim sent us a Christmas package this week (very sweet). Enclosed were some "Spiced Apple Pie Mug Mats" from Harry and David. Think fabric pillowy coasters with spices inside that release a fragrance when a hot mug is placed on top. Looking at them, they might be a good do-it-yourself gift project idea- just a few quick stitches. Used one this morning and the kitchen smelled yummy.

Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.
- Elizabeth Stone

Quote of the Day via excite

Wow. Is it December already? It has been way too long since my last post. I guess I hit that point where posting a blog suddenly felt overwhelming- as though there was too much to comment on, and update regarding. Life has been busy.

We had another guest visit in November. My friend Heather turned her business trip to Arkansas into a business slash pleasure trip to Nashville by renting a car here to continue on to the job site. It was a speedy weekend, but enjoyable as always. Went to the Frist, went to church, went to Hobby Lobby for some crafty stuff, went to the gym. I hardly saw Eric since we spent a great deal of time having chatty girl talk.

A week after that, I was off to California for a ten day visit with just the boys. Let it be known that I will never go for that long alone again. Eric and I survived, but a week is our limit from this point forward. We missed each other so much and our children were forgetting what Daddy looked like. The airport greeting upon return will forever be tucked in my memory; Grant ran so fast and gave a huge "squeeze hug"!

We did have a good time, though. The Grandparents were excited to see the kids and I was happy to spend Thanksgiving at Eric's parent's house and hang out with my dad and brother a lot. I even was able to cram in a few quick visits with friends. Congratulations to friends Shane and Erika on the purchase of their first house. In some ways, ten days wasn't enough.

Eric was a busy bee while we were gone. Finally all of the vague and hurried conversations on the phone made sense. He re-did the boy's room while were away. Repainted. Bought and assembled a bunk bed. It looks great and is now awaiting a few decorative touches from moi. I'm thinking along the lines of a surfer theme. For two years now, it has been a bright green that was supposed to be more mild. Kim helped me paint it and I was nervous about it from day one with an immediate transition to hating the "biohazard green". Eric picked a beautiful Ralph Lauren shade that is a medium dusty blue. He has such good taste.

So, we are happy to be back and are now in the full swing of Christmas preparation. Tree is up. Christmas cards are made and sent. I have some wrapping and a bit more gift making to accomplish, but I am stress free. Why stress about Christmas?- we are supposed to be celebrating!

Currently drinking lemon tea. It's alright, but it doesn't beat the Mint Medley that I had earlier today (twice). I have been on quite the tea kick lately. First off, I have been trying to refrain from consuming sugar and dessert-y types of foods so a cup of tea (or a few throughout the day) make me feel as though I'm getting a bit of a treat. Secondly, the weather is proceeding to "brisk" now that its November and I just *have to* drink warm drinks once the weather feels like winter...the two go hand in hand.

Currently working on the skirt for Becky out of the spiffy striped fabric we picked out together the other week when she was visiting. It looks good so far. Here is the pattern, skirt #5914.

Currently brainstorming ideas for Christmas cards. I am thinking of making them with my new lino-cutting art supplies. We'll see. Oh, and speaking of art supplies, a new Dick Blick catalog came in the mail the other day and this item was in there. I love it and think it would be great in place of a sewing basket. Plain and versatile.

Currently hoping that Eric and I can go see this movie sometime soon. I've put a call in to see about a babysitter, but I haven't heard back from her yet.

Currently... a million other things!

Eric's father visited this past weekend. Everything went as expected and we had a nice simple Halloween- Grant dressed up as Superman (Eric even slicked his hair back in classic Superman style). Dean was dressed as a 7 month old baby this year but hopefully next year we can get the boys coordinating outfits (ex. Batman and Robin, Peter Pan and Captain Hook, Police man and Robber...).

Today, we went to Cool Springs Galleria for a little shopping. Mary and Owen came along for company and a little window shopping. Went to Williams-Sonoma and they had a basket of catalogs out front. I didn't even know that they had a catalog! And it has plenty of tempting kitchen stuff in it too! Well, not too tempting, since much of it is out of my price range...KitchenAid makes a beautiful line of "Pro" appliances. Who needs jewelry. We also found Grant some new shoes at Stride Rite. Unfortunately, his feet are still wide which just means that there is less to choose from and I usually have to pay more. But, he did get a lot of wear out of his last pair and the ones we found today were on sale. I guess the nice thing is that if he doesn't completely wear them out we can let Dean use them later.

No sewing tonight, so I'm going to head off and hang out with my sweetie.

Our TiVo suggested this show for us and I really enjoy it. The scientist in me would love to have their jobs!

Guests

I am working toward creating an inviting guest room. The other week when Becky and Aaron visited I made my first attempt at creating a guest basket with some thought-out goodies that would look welcoming. And now that Eric's dad is driving in from Pennslyvania tomorrow for a weekend visit, I am preparing the spare bedroom again. My friend Mary, who used to travel a great deal, gave me some ideas by telling me the things she always liked in a guest room when she would stay with people. Here are the things in my guest basket right now:

-towels
-washcloths
-body wash "poof"
-toothbrush(es)
-mini toothpaste
-small lotion bottle
-travel size mouthwash
-cotton swabs
-disposable razor(s)
-selection of stamped postcards

The "sample isle" at Target is great for mini-sized toiletries. Some of my other eventual adds might be: ear plugs, eye mask, mini bottle of Advil or aspirin, mini deodorant, and individually packaged snacks (chips, cookies or anything that wouldn't need refrigeration).

There are obviously fresh linens on the bed, a clock and lamp in the room. I have left out a spare blanket along with a pitcher and glass for water. I have thought of running to the library for local books on Nashville that might provide some interesting browsing. Any other ideas?

There is a great deal I have forgotten about this baby stage that Dean is in. Some of those things being the super vision and vaccuum hands. The first being the ability to see the tiniest speck of something/nothing on a floor you thought was clean and the second being the action of grasping said speck faster than Mommy can intercept. Yes. Of course. I forgot to mention the need to put all things in the mouth. This, friends, is how he ended up with a crumb of Grant's Play Doh in his mouth last night. Eewww.

Kid Update

Grant loves these. So, I guess it's no surprise that when we had "school" this week and recited the Pledge of Allegiance, he said..."one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and Jake Justice for all."

Big Seven-Month-Old that he is, Dean is crawling everywhere, pulling up on furniture (as of Oct. 16th), and starting to "cruise" along the side of things. Yay little guy! And, he now makes the noise, "ma ma ma ma". So, if I wanted to, I could be quite flattered.

I know, it has been a long time since my last update. But, each time I think about sitting here to write, I come up with something else I should be doing. And since my last post was Oct. 11th, I guess its evident what has won out.

Have you been listening to the news about the fires in Southern California? I lived there for 19 years growing up and never once saw fires that out of control. Our families still live there as well as many friends. Thankfully, they are all safe as far as we know but even for the people out of immediate danger, the blazes are causing horrible air conditions. I spoke to Eric's mom yesterday who lives in Fallbrook and she said that the pool has ash floating in it and that if you didn't know any better you'd think that a bonfire was burning out back because of the smoky smell you can't escape. I haven't spoken with my dad or brother, who live in Vista, but we have left messages for each other in a ridiculous game of "phone-tag" and I know they're alright. The map of San Diego county I found off the San Diego Union-Tribune website was haunting and I know that fires are burning in various other sections of the state as well. Most of the people who have been killed were escaping the rushing fire, two people were even in a car trying to outrun it and died. They all thought they had more time but the flames move too quickly and they should have evacuated when they were first told to do so.

I was thinking about it and all I would want to escape with would be my family and our photos and home videos. Certainly, I can think of all sorts of other things, but when you only have a few minutes.... *Sigh* It makes me almost ill thinking about losing some of that stuff. I don't really consider myself to be materialistic but there are tangible things that I love and would be sad to lose, mostly things that can't be replaced: journals that I've kept for the boys, my mother's wedding ring and a few other bits of jewelry, my wedding dress, the quilt I'm working on, Grant's baby blankets and some of his first pieces of "artwork", my mass of recipes of which a portion are hand-written from my mom, some of the hand-knit items from my grandmother, the porcelain mixing bowls my mother made for us. And that is just a quick list. None of those things are close together, easy to gather or in storage that isn't difficult to access. If I only had minutes I guess I'd just be out the door with my kids and husband...and I'd be praising God for that!

On a different note, we had a great time with the Sherlocks. The one week visit flew by since we packed a good deal in: a trip to Build-A-Bear Workshop for the kids, church on Sunday followed by watching the Titans game, Picture People for some cousin shots of Grant and Riley (I'll post them on the site soon), daytrip to Huntsville Alabama to the Space Center where they have Space Camp, a bit of shopping, dinner at the Melting Pot (without the kids!), a jaunt to the park near the library, the men played golf, a trip to JoAnn Fabric where Becky and I bought some beautiful striped corduroy to make some skirts, and probably a few other things I don't remember. Then scatter that with laundry, dishes and fussy children and you've got a full week. We were sad to see them go, but hopefully they'll be back some day.

Becky, Aaron, Riley and Jackson fly in this evening. I love having company! (One of the greatest things is that Eric should have the entire week off. yay!)

Before then, we have a full day of last minute tidying, cooking, a trip to the Pumpkin Patch with some friends, a visit to Kris and Mary's house to bring the new parents dinner, and then off to the airport.

Peter said to him, "We have left all we had to follow you!"

"I tell you the truth," Jesus said to them, "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake fo the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life."

Luke 18: 28 & 29

"Jesus said to his disciples: 'Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. So watch yourselves.'"

Luke 17:1-3

Aaron, Becky, Riley and Jackson will be flying in on Saturday for a week long visit and we can't wait Riley and Grant are just so adorable when they get together since they are only four days apart and know how to play really well with each other. Jackson was only one the last time we saw him, so Auntie Tisra and Uncle Eric are looking forward to knowing the little guy a bit better and seeing how different he looks. Eskpecially since he'll be arriving with a "fashion accesory":

Hey there everyone,

Well our little monkey took a hard fall today, which ended up in a trip to
the doctor's office. He had to get six stiches in his forehead, above his
right eye. Not a fun thing for Mom or Dad to have to hold down your little
one when they are screaming there heads off. Dr. Naudin did a great job,
hopefully there won't be a big scar. Please keep him in your prays, can't
imagine the pain, (I never have had stiches).

Talk to your all later,

Becky

Happy Birthday Owen Kristopher Kelso!!!

We thank God that he finally decided to come out.

October 6, 2003
12:36 a.m.
9 pounds, 6 ounces
22 inches long

Mommy and Daddy are doing amazingly after a marathon of 36 hours in labor. Thank you everyone for your prayers. I am sure Kris and Mary would appreciate continued prayers for a quick recovery.

View the website for pictures (there is at least one up even now!). Congratulations!

Happy birthday to my brother, Colin. 20 years old today!

Eric stayed home from the office yesterday to work a bit from home and then have the remainder of the day as "time off". This never seems to work as planned since he usually receives calls from work on his cell phone or has some non-relaxing neccessity to take care of like an oil change or errands to run. The pattern held true- work calls came in and a day-long struggle with the satellite system due to Big Company Doesn't Seem to Care syndrome.

Direct TV is our satellite provider and whether an employee should have or not, they assured Eric over the phone that their free install of our new TiVo unit would include everything necessary. Satellite guy comes. Tells Eric that the charge should be $75 and Eric responds with, "Thanks. No.". I suppose if he didn't have the knowledge to do it himself, we'd have paid the fee, but what about the whole sticking-to-your-word concept? Big Company Doesn't Seem to Care.

Without surprise, Eric crawled around in the attic, drilled the appropriate holes and accomplished all the wiring. I'm sure the "professional" could have done it faster with all his job-specific tools, but we (Eric) did just fine, thank you.

All that said, Direct TV does have a good deal going. They are offering TiVo units for $99 so we bought one for each television and are hoping to sell our old Ultimate TV unit on ebay. Foolishly, I was telling Eric that I felt bad for switching to the more popular TiVo because I like supporting the "little guy". To which he laughed and said, "TiVo is the 'little guy'- Ultimate TV is a Microsoft product!". Oh.

While all of this was going on, I: played with the kids, ran on the treadmill, buzzed to Walgreens for some Claritin (my sniffing and sneezing has still not ceased!), accompanied Grant next door to the Linville's so he could play with Jake (they played "football" and Jake was amazing at slo-mo replays of each tackle!), fed Dean some cereal, did the comic book activities with Grant in his new Bob the Builder comic sent from Great Grandma in England, bathed the children, read a bedtime story, put kids to bed, painted my toenails a really fun copper color while watching JAG and then collapsed into bed with Eric who was exhausted, as well!

Today, I hope to take it a bit more easy. The Claritin I took last night rid me of the allergy symptoms but has left nausea and drymouth as side effects. Each time I take it, I weigh out which yuckiness is the lesser evil and yesterday I was just desperate for my nose to stop running! But, I plan on working on some art projects (no details!- they're gifts!) and maybe taking the boys out for a walk. Or, maybe Mary could have this baby already and we could meet Owen today! (forgive me, Mary, I know you'd like that too!)

"..."What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.""

Luke 13:20

Hannah Ruth Rollins

Congratulations to my friends Kim and Michael Rollins who gave birth to their second daughter this evening around 5:54pm (I think the message said 7lbs.3oz. and 18 inches long...but don't quote me). I can't wait to see her. Big smiles for older sister Abbie, as well, who will be celebrating her second birthday on the fourth!

Punk

For the past few years, Eric has had the habit of calling Grant a "punk". I suppose it is meant purely in love and as a form of teasing that says "you're special" without getting ewwy-gooey (they are, afterall, guys). At least, that's my outside observation and I don't know as Eric even put that much thought into it until tonight when Grant began returning the favor:

Goodnight Punk Daddy.

Goodnight Punk Mommy.

Goodnight Punk Tiger. (he says to his stuffed animal)

Goodnight Punk Dean.

Goodnight Punk Daddy. (again)

Goodnight Punk Je-jus.

*Daddy looks up apologetically to the Lord Almighty*

I think Jesus was laughing so hard He was crying. I know we were.

Babies. Babies. Babies.

Congratulations to Mark and Keri Kornelsen and Chip and Christi Linville! Yesterday, I received the happy news that both couples are expecting! Baby Kornelsen should arrive sometime in April and baby Linville should follow shortly thereafter in May or June. This will be Mark and Keri's first (and long prayed for) child; they live in Indianapolis now, but hopefully we'll see photos and receive updates by e-mail (and who knows, maybe they'll even make a trip down here at some point so we can meet him/her in person). This pregnancy makes the third child for our neighbors, Chip and Christi (the "owners" of Grant's little buddies, Jake and Luke). I am so excited at this special news! God has blessed you all and I give Him the credit and praise!

Stepping up in the World

Dean tried his first bites of rice cereal tonight. It's considered a "first food" and I'm sure it tastes awful, but he gobbled it up. I guess he doesn't know any better- his only previous meals have been milk, milk, and more milk. He will be 6 month old on Saturday, so I figured it was time to begin "real stuff". I think it's good timing.

With Grant, we began the rice cereal at 4 months. While it seemed to help him sleep through the night, he wasn't very good about swallowing. He still had a tongue-thrusting reflex that made it hard to get the food in his mouth.

Dean, on the other hand, has had two months of extra observation. He has been looking at us longingly for some time now in hopes that we might share some of our menu items with him. (Especially jealous of things like ice cream!) Soon enough Dean, soon enough!

Speaking of food, I tried two new things today. Green Tea and a dish called Mousakka. The green tea was great (I bought Bigelow...I wonder if there are brands that are better than others?). I have previously had Green Tea Ice Cream at Japanese restaurants (Red Bean, Ginger, and Plum are also Japanese restaurant flavors- yum!) but had never made myself a cup of hot green tea. Recently read an article extolling its health benifits and figured it needed to be tried. The mousakka recipe came out of one of my Everyday Food magazines. Essentially a caserole with Egyptian or Greek influence, it has: ground meat, onion, tomato, oregano and cinnamon layered over roasted (and cubed) eggplant then topped with a creamy ricotta and feta cheese blend. Certainly repeatable but with alterations. Eric doesn't like the eggplant- maybe next time we'll substitute chunks of Portabella mushroom.

Three days in a row

My dad and brother flew in for the weekend to visit. They each have rather uncompromising schedules. Daddy has work. Colin has both work and school. Not only did this mean a short visit- but two separate arrivals. Friday my dad flew in at 2:35p. Colin flew in on the same 2:35p flight on Saturday. They both left at the same time on Sunday at 7:15p on the same flight. It is quite a blessing that we live only 10 minutes from the airport...three days in a row would have been crazy under any other circumstances.

It was a great visit. Friday, we took my dad out to the Rainforest Cafe. To my surprise, Grant ended up being a bit frightened at first by all of the animals and the large fish tanks. Grandad was able to make him feel more secure by taking him to the gift shop and buying him an over-priced trinket.

Saturday morning I made blueberry muffins from scratch. We all agreed that there were too many berries (I know, I also thought how can that be?- but, sadly, it's true). They sank to the bottom and exploded with so much juice that the bread-y part of the muffin fell apart too easily. We ran some errands and then went to the airport to retrieve my brother. It was his first time meeting Dean, so that was especially exciting. I see him so rarely, that it still startles me when I see him. He is so tall and manly. Part of me has trouble visualizing him as anything other than my kid brother. And it is all even stranger being the mother to two sons. Someday, they will morph into similar bodies and aquire that rough edge. How weird that will be? Someday they will be taller than me. And maybe even taller than Eric.

We caught up for a little while at the house and then went out for dinner at Chili's since it was rather close and we were hoping to have a fun night of game-playing after a quick dinner. Monopoly was the game of choice. Once we hit that "I'm getting sleepy" stage in the evening, we called it quits and agreed that Colin was winning.

Sunday, we hung out for a bit. Ordered pizza. Got pizza for free (yea!). And watched the Titans-Colts game. We jumped on the trampoline for awhile, took some pictures out in the backyard, and then got ready to say goodbye. I was sad to see them go, but it was even sader to watch my three-year-old say goodbye to Grandad and Uncle Colin and wonder why they can just come over any old time.

"Dick Blick Ships Quick". That's what they say, and it certainly held true! I purchased the ground shipping and expected my package 5-7 days after the warehouse sent it. To my surprise, it came on Saturday...ONE day after being sent off! Yay! Double Yay! I can't wait to get going on the projects in my head...but I have a few other things to do first. That said, I did pull out everything and play a little. Colin even had a go at carving with the lino-cutters. I learned a great tip: microwave your linoleum for a few seconds and it makes it easier to cut. It really works!

method home

method home

I am doing some "touch-up" cleaning in anticipation of my dad and brother flying in for the weekend. I found this product line at Target and am really enjoying it. We now own mint scented glass cleaner. Fun. Or as fun as cleaning can be.

For two years now, I have had a Dick Blick catalog. Thick in size, it is more of a book. I've kept it as a source of inspiration. I want to try everything in it. You could purchase pratically anything in that catalog for me and it would be received with shrieks of joy. Art supplies are like candy to me (although, I also like real candy...I possess an absolutely horrible sweet tooth!). So far, I have dabbled in quite a bit due to my very creative mother who was known for doing the same. I have beaded, sewn, thrown pottery, knitted, painted, used pastels, molded polymer clay, tie-dyed, water-colored, tried calligraphy, and took a few classes in Black and White Photography. Jack of all Trades, Master of None.

So, I have finally placed an order and I can't stop thinking about it! Yea! In 5-7 days I will have all the necessary starter products for doing linoleum block printing (lino-cut). I purchased some Golden-Cut linoleum, a set of Speedball cutters with two handles, a brayer, an inking plate, and a honing stone for the blades. This artform has caught my attention for quite some time. My mom actually used this method for hand printing my baby announcements. (Technically, she did it first for my cousin and then added hearts and used the block again for when she had me...as I remember). In concept, since I've never actually done it, I like the fact that you can create one piece of art and reproduce it in various ways (different ink colors, printing on different paper...). And the carving seems as though it might be rather soothing, especially since it is silent- no machinery involved. (I enjoy sewing, but all the racket irritates me at times). So, we shall see!

Eric reminds me occasionally that I have a few unfinished projects. True. Luckily, I can only think of two. I am nearly done with a quilt that my mom started for Grant when she found out we were pregnant. I could have been done ages ago if I'd simply tied the quilt rather than hand-quilting it. But, since it is the only thing I'll have from her to any of my children, I wanted to do it "the right way". (what was I thinking?!) Tomorrow is sewing, I should probably take it with me. I also have a sweater that I began knitting after Grant was born- had a horrible mistake- had to unravel quite a bit of it- haven't picked it up since. On the bright side, it looks like my track record has been rather good ever since these two projects. And, someday, these will both be done...I just don't know when!

O-o-O-k-k-k-Kay.....

Remind me never to do this again. I have known for a long time that I am sensitive to caffiene and that it keeps me from sleeping well. Tonight, I had some sewing projects and things around the house that I wanted to accomplish without interruption. So, I drank two cups of yummy coffee with wonderful intentions of gettting a lot done while everyone else was in bed. I don't feel the teensy-ist bit tired right now and was doing pretty well until I started shaking about 10 minutes ago. Bad shaking. I feel so silly because I am now having trouble sewing (and typing for that matter). And I can't just go to sleep, either. It seems like wasted time...and there's not even any good TV on!

Earlier this week, I received a call from Barbara across the street. Her daughter, Caity, is in the first few weeks of Freshman Year. Having signed up for Band, she has uniforms to wear that need a bit of alteration. They are kept and used each year on countless students and nothing can be permanently tailored so, I was asked if I could take up the pant legs that have probably been at all of the various lengths before. Up. Down. Up again. Couldn't the generations of McGavock High students coordinate their height so that parents wouldn't have to go to such trouble? Or how about height requirements to participate. "Sorry you play a mean tuba, but you are far too tall." Ha. So, I went over for a fitting and had such flashbacks. Mom was struggling to get daughter to try on pants. "Go put some shoes on with them". Struggle again. "Not those shoes." Struggle. Struggle. You can be the best and smartest kid...but what is it about that age that makes you give your parents such a difficult time?! Oh, if only my mom were still alive so that I could ask for forgiveness. For all of the struggling. All of the rolling of eyes. All of the typical teenage weirdness. (has anyone ever read Zits? They always hit the nail on the head! My mom loved that comic.)

But, in standard adolescent This Is So Uncool tone, Caity nearly apologized for the polyester slacks… as though they were a less-than-fashionable cousin that insisted on showing up uninvited to the popular kids birthday party- embarrassment by association. I didn't think they were bad, but I'm not 13 and I don't have to wear them. I told her that she was lucky her school at least had good colors (blue, red and white). A neighboring school when I was growing up, El Camino, had brown and yellow. My friend Heather went there and she handled it with dignity. Honestly, though, even I remember being less than proud of my high school track warm-ups.

My junior year, I joined track partly due to High School Boyfriend. We had multi-generational warm-ups much like Caity's band uniform. They were gray sweats with read silk screened print that had been worn year after year by numerous students. Other schools had sporty nylon suits with zippers. My sweatshirt even had a different player number than my pants, everything was mismatched by the time it got to me, I guess. The next year they began introducing some new jackets and pants in the highly sought after, previously mentioned nylon. Not enough to go around, though, so only the better runners/jumpers/throwers were given the cream of the crop. The rest of us were able to keep the reliable gray sweats. (Yes, crazy as it may seem to you, I was a terrible hurdler. But just wait ‘til tennis season came around! Much better at tennis.)At the end of the season, and the end of my high school career, I was told there was no need to return the sweats- they were being completely phased out. Finally. So, I kept my #25 gray sweats.

I don't know what happened to the jacket. Maybe I left it in the locker room. But, I still have the pants. They have elastic, but there are holes in the waistband where a drawstring must have been...maybe for the Class of '79. Without it, they are loose and seem to fit better with the top folded down a bit. They are extemely soft and I find myself wearing them around the house because they are more comfortable than the majority of my wardrobe. I was even able to wear them during both of my pregnancies due to the pathetic fit. There is even footage of me on the phone with my dad the day went went to the hospital for Grant's birth ("yes...this is it") and I was wearing those pants! And I was BIG. Whew, I was big. There is something so sweet to me about that; would I ever have believed it when I was issued them ("you can wear them now, but you'll really enjoy them when you are married and pregnant with your babies”)? Ha.

And they are even “stylish” now as places like Abercrombie & Fitch are doing athletic-type T-shirts in that retro-esque print. I guess things have a tendancy to come full circle:

What was once in style, is hip again if you wait long enough.

And the hard time you gave your parents as a teenager comes to haunt you when you, yourself, become a parent to an adolescent.

I can't wait.