Lefty ate a lightbulb

2012-02-07T11:23:00.001-08:00

My husband rocks! I am one lucky girl.

That is all.

2012-01-29T07:47:00.000-08:00

In case you missed it, Charlie's second article as part of the Faith Walk series came out in the KC Star yesterday. You can read it here.

I am so proud of him. His gift of words amazes me. He so eloquently puts down on paper the thoughts that jumble through other's heads (especially mine).

2012-01-27T10:54:00.000-08:00

Eli loves to build. For his birthday and Christmas he got multiple Trio sets. We have Batman, Robin, Joker and Superman. And each superhero came with a set of blocks to make either a plane, hideout or something along those lines. That means lots of Trio pieces. (Thanks Mom, for the giant storage bucket!) He builds planes, horses, light sabers and more. Only occasionally do we build the design featured on the box. Which is a good thing considering how long it takes to build the Bat Cave. (I'm getting faster) And, they are big enough that Finn can't choke on them!

It seems as though the Thomas (the Tank Engine) phase has passed, which makes me a little sad. But I am holding on to all of it for Finn.

2012-01-26T12:42:00.000-08:00

I really enjoy reading. And I am finding a lot more time for it since we cut cable. Here are my latest reads:

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah is a girl friendship book. Almost a chick flick in word form. I liked the book, I even teared up in parts, but some of it was predictable. I prefer Hannah's Winter Garden over this book.

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt was a sweet story. It is about a little girl who is taken from her life in Ohio to live with relatives in Savannah. It was heartwarming. I would recommend this book.

I am only about halfway into The Art of Racing in the Rain. This book is told from the dog's point of view and is pretty entertaining. The dog thinks he will be reincarnated as a human and is taking in all around him so he be ready. Although I am not done yet, I will recommend this book at this point.

I am reading Brain Rules after I read a recommendation for it on an instructional design blog. Since I am trying to get back into training, I thought this book might be useful. It presents the 12 essential principles for learning and thriving. And basically says the corporate world and public schools have it all wrong. I am only on principle 3. I will try to update when I finish.

2012-01-23T12:21:00.000-08:00

Charis' 7th birthday party arrived, even though Charlie and I were both sick. Thanks goodness for adrenaline and coffee (possibly the same thing). The fairy party was a success. I am so grateful the folks at Halo Heaven got all the fairy goodies to our house in time. Their huge sale led to huge orders and a much longer than anticipated wait time.

Here are some of the pictures. I am sure more will be posted soon.

2012-01-12T13:38:00.000-08:00

Fireplace before and after!

2012-01-10T20:37:00.000-08:00

I finished the entry/hall way, finally. It all started with Pinterest, which I posted about here. And this oh-so-simple-why-didn't-I-think-of-that coat rack. I built the rack itself in one day. It was the ensuing painting that killed me. But finally, the trim is now white and the walls are now a beautiful gray. I don't have any of the cute frames I want to hang yet. Soon, maybe. But this paint color is so much better and makes us happy.

I don't if I had a "before" picture. If I did, it is hiding on the camera I can't find. (Seriously, this is getting ridiculous).

Next up, fireplace! (Actually it is DONE as of today. But I haven't taken the "after" photo yet.)

2012-01-09T07:28:00.000-08:00

We made a commitment to celebrating Advent this year. Usually, we make it through the first 2 or 3 weeks and then forget. Our pink and white candles had never been lit previously. But this year our church gave us a great start to Advent and we were able to establish the tradition. We had readings, music and coloring pages for each week. Then we would have a special treat and sparkling juice.

But I bet you didn't know what Advent involves DANCING! (At least at our house) See video below. (It also involved bloody lips and singed hair, but not in the video...)

2012-01-06T13:48:00.000-08:00

Grandma and Grandpa got Charis the American Girl doll she wanted for Christmas. It was the ONLY thing she asked Santa for. Props to Grandma and Grandpa for making it happen. Watch her reaction. It is priceless.

2012-01-06T12:43:00.000-08:00

Ugh. I have got to find my camera. The video camera just isn't cutting it. But for now it will have to do.

Here are some pictures from Christmas. We had lots of fun with cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles.

All our other Christmas memories are videos. Maybe I will edit some down and share them. (And first edit out me in my pjs).

2011-12-27T19:57:00.000-08:00

I know I am skipping past lots of important activities right now, but I had to share this great site I found. (Christmas and other fun days will be posted soon. Maybe.) I found a link to Halo Heaven on Pinterest. (Another reason to LOVE that site. I finished my entryway. Pictures soon!) Halo Heaven has fairy wands for $1! So I started looking around the site. And the choices and colors and options! Oh my, Charis picked a great year to have a fairy birthday party. (Rainbow Magic fairies to be exact. Book series by Daisy Meadows. Yea, I don't think that's her real name either)

Here are some of the things I bought for the 11 little girls:

Fairy wings for the birthday girl

Wings for her friends. All 10 a different color, shades of the rainbow!

tutu in orange for the birthday girl (to match her yellow and orange wings)

Flower wands for all 11 girls

I also bought each girl a crochet headband to match her wings, a flower barrette, and a candy necklace and candy bracelet. I am so excited to see all the girls running around in their fairy wings!

Added bonus - if you use the promo code 2012, you get 50% your entire order thru Dec 31st! I spent $23 TOTAL! Amazing!

2011-12-19T08:37:00.000-08:00

I have been reading a lot lately. Maybe that's because our antenna keeps getting thrown off (than you Finn) and it is too annoying to try and get the signal to come in. Here is what I have finished recently:

This book was recommended by the library. It is about a woman that has memory loss and forgets everything when she goes to bed at night. So she starts writing things down to try and build a history for herself. It's kind of a thriller. I liked it and would recommend it. Four stars.

This book was also recommended by the library. It is translated from Korean to English. It took a few chapters to get used to the style of storytelling. When the husband was "speaking" his internal thoughts he would say "your wife" instead of "my wife" or the wife's name (which I don't remember). I liked it and would recommend it. Four stars.

This book was recommended on Pinterest. I read it in one weekend. I don't know if that speaks for how fast it reads or how little tv we watched. It is the story of some high school kids at a boarding school, but it is much deeper than that. And it is written by an NPR guy. Four stars.

2011-12-18T20:10:00.000-08:00

The kids got video messages from Santa! You can see them at the links below.
Charis' video
Eli's video
Finn's video

2011-12-08T08:45:00.001-08:00

2011-12-08T06:59:00.001-08:00

This picture is a few months old, and a little grainy, but my goodness this kid is adorable. He is snuggling with one of his three favorite stuffed animals, the retro style Piglet that plays the Winnie the Pooh song. It was actually given to Charis at a baby shower (or something), but Finn really took a liking to it.

2011-12-01T07:49:00.001-08:00

We tried to take some family photos the other day. It was not the most successful event. One, we used our camera. Which is a good camera, but not a nice professional camera. Two, my eye was being all wonky and it was really hard to open my eyes in the sunlight. Three, there are small children. I should have know better than to try a posed picture. (But we looked so cute in our KState shirts!)

2011-11-30T19:54:00.001-08:00

My sweet Eli turned 5 this month. The cuddliest, funniest, sweetest 5 year old I know.

Some of the things he loves right now: Transformers (so much so that it was the birthday party theme), Star Wars, Disney Cars, Batman Lego Wii (he beat the game in a few days. Probably less if we wouldn't have turned off the tv occasionally.), Shaun the Sheep, building with his Trio blocks, making things into rockets and guns.

Eli and Mommy, right before I accidentally dropped the camera on his head

Eli post camera drop. Note the red area around his left eye. And still ready to laugh!

We are so blessed to have such a wonderful little boy in our family. Happy 5th birthday, Eli!

2011-11-28T08:24:00.001-08:00

Charlie won't brag about himself, so I will. He has been selected as one of the Kansas City Star's Faith Writers for the next year. That means he will write an article to be published every couple of weeks on any aspect of faith. His first one came out last weekend. You can read it here.

Yea, he is awesome (and gifted).

2011-11-22T08:30:00.001-08:00

How did she get so grown up?

Prepping for a Halloween party. C wanted wavy hair. In her words, it turned out "too elegant." She is posing with her wand, made from a black sock and scotch tape.

2011-11-15T08:48:00.001-08:00

Charis ran a low-grade fever a couple weeks ago and was home for three days. (Is that the happiest sick child you have ever seen, or what?) She spent much of her time reading. She is a world-class bookworm. All the first graders have been challenged to read 300 books (or chapters) by the end of the year. She passed that mark last week.

At one point, another first grader had read more books/chapters than her. I think Charlie and I got more competitive about it than she did. We assumed the other child was reading the Level 2 or 3 reader books, which at about 50 pages, have 5 or more chapters in them. Meanwhile, Charis is reading A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snickett (It's a Jim Carey movie, that is all I know. And there is a talking baby with sharp teeth.) that only have 13 chapters but are over an inch thick. Don't worry, she regained the lead the next week. (I'm horrible, I know)

2011-11-15T08:35:00.001-08:00

Someone is climbing and getting a bit too brave for my taste.

He moved my sewing box from the living room, shoving it all the way to the kitchen.

Eli did something similar to this, but instead he fell into the dog food. If I find that picture, I will post it. Sometimes it pays to be the light-weight.

2011-11-08T20:55:00.000-08:00

I bought the boys matching pajamas last spring. Eli has been (im)patiently waiting for the day that they would fit Finn. Well, that day has finally arrived and I had a camera ready. The boys put on quite the photo shoot. (And Eli provided the bunny ears)

2011-11-02T19:26:00.000-07:00

Halloween 2011

complete with a wand made of a peeled blue crayon and nametag

I had to mend this costume 3 times before Halloween. Well loved or cheap?

We borrowed Finn's costume from our friend Marta.

2011-10-30T21:04:00.000-07:00

Eli was part of the Blue Springs South Homecoming parade again this year. Go Jaguars!

2011-10-29T21:06:00.000-07:00

I love these boys. Even though they are almost four years apart, they play together so well. They are quite the team. Hopefully they never use this team mentality against me, but that is probably inevitable.

PS - The ugly harvest gold tile - it is next on the project list. I even have the new tile, thanks to my neighbor that lays tile for a living. He gave me left over tile for FREE!

2011-10-29T20:44:00.000-07:00

Taking a breather this weekend. Two big interviews last week, and one little one. But they are over and I am still alive. I have a phone interview Tuesday. (That's your job search update)

Unfortunately, I have been ignoring many other things since I have been spending waaaaay too much brain power on job hunting. I apologize to those of you who have been visiting, waiting for new pictures of my adorable children. Today's photo will not disappoint. (And more to come in separate posts)

2011-10-11T12:43:00.000-07:00

The job search continues. One telephone interview done, another (different) one tomorrow. Hopefully more will follow.

Meanwhile, I am spending lots of time on Lynda.com. I am taking courses on Captivate, HTML, Dreamweaver and Flash. Sometimes my eyes cross. Sometimes I am amazed. Mostly I just want to be well prepared and competitive in interviews.

I will update more later. But right now I need to get back to my HTML course. Any prayers you want to send my way are really appreciated!

2011-10-02T19:51:00.000-07:00

I'm going back to work (I think). And while this decision brings a huge whirlpool of emotions, I am looking forward to getting dressed in my "nice" (meaning not stained) clothes. And Pinterest has been providing lots of ideas on clothing, accessories and how to wear things. (Remember - I have been wearing sweatpants for five years)

Some of the outfits I am loving:

And there is so much more.... Now I just need a job. If you know of something in training and development, give me a shout.

2011-09-19T10:20:00.000-07:00

Ah! I can't believe I forgot to document the first day of school!

Charis' first day of 1st grade

2011-09-16T07:55:00.000-07:00

Our sweet friends were so kind to invite us on a trip to the KC Zoo. (They have one of those awesome season passes, so everything was FREE!) Finn missed his nap time, but was completely in awe of the animals, especially the lions and elephants.

2011-09-13T10:58:00.001-07:00

(Walking Charis to school yesterday)

E:(running) Come on, Sissy! Run!

No response/running

E: (still running) Come on, Charis! Run!

C: (now running) Okay, but only because I love you.

2011-09-12T08:34:00.000-07:00

The circus came to town. I bought tickets months ago. It was going to be a fun surprise for C & E. Then the birthday invitation arrived. Charis wasn't even torn. She was set on going to the party and not the circus. (To be fair, it was a craft party. That is one of her favorite things to do) So she went to the birthday party for a bit and then we FORCED her to go to the circus. I know. Crazy. What kind of parent am I, forcing my kid to go to the circus.

They seemed to like it. They were quiet with eyes wide in amazement. Except Charis did note several times "I could do that." I think they were overwhelmed by it all. Charlie and I oohhed and ahhed more than they did. But seriously, they put 7 motorcycles in that little steel globe cage thing! Seven!

2011-09-09T08:02:00.000-07:00

Every time you feel hurt, offended, or rejected, you have to dare to say to yourself: "These feelings, strong as they may be, are not telling me the truth about myself. The truth, even though I cannot feel it right now, is that I am the chosen child of God, precious in God's eyes, called the Beloved from all eternity, and held safe in an everlasting embrace."

- Henri Nouwen

Loving this Henri Nouwen book.

2011-09-08T14:08:00.000-07:00

My husband thinks I am obsessed with Pinterest. That's all I am going to say about that.

I happened upon this picture on a certain site that I am no way obsessed with.

This photo inspired me to make the cute little coat rack thing above. However, once I got it painted and mounted, the walls didn't look very nice against it. So then we (me and a certain non Pinterest lover) decided we should paint the walls (read that to say I should paint the walls. I don't let Charlie paint.) So we went and found some paint (returned, so it was 50% off!). Then, I realized that if I was going to paint the walls, I should really paint the trim first (because 1970s brown is ugly against any paint color). And this includes the walls and trim in the entry, hall and laundry area. Oy.

So, stay tuned for the BIG reveal! (Pray that it is soon. This cannot turn into another kitchen remodel)

And did I mention that this paint discussion is also the reason I will soon be painting the fireplace. Double oy.

2011-09-07T10:59:00.001-07:00

I didn't quite finish Reshaping it All by Candace Cameron Bure. It is a good book, just not one you get completely lost in. But, it is a "self-help" book, so I don't think it would really fall into that category anyway.

Some of the book had really good takeaways. Then there were other parts. Let's start with the things I didn't really care for.
1. The recipes - although they were nutritious and easy to prepare, they seemed very basic. There wasn't a lot of spice or anything with a wow factor. I didn't try any of them because I already make most of them, but I put seasoning in them. So I didn't really want a watered down version of a food I make normally.
2. Sometimes the tie in to the Biblical references seemed forced. Not most, just occasionally. I don't have an example because I already took the book back to the library.
3. I didn't care for the fan mail section at the end of each chapter. Each letter was filled with compliments fawning over Candace. However, I am not a celebrity, so maybe that is what fan mail is like. It was just weird to read. And they were letters about weight loss and being healthy, so at least they were relevant.

Things I did like:
1. Most of the inspirational quotes and Bible verses. It was neat to see them applied to weight loss and nutrition. I looked at them in ways I never had before.
2. Most of the content. The book not only talks about nutrition, losing weight, and being healthy. It also brings in being a mom, wife, and having a career. As well as how to balance them all. I really enjoyed the chapter about living an intentional woman of God. It had lots of references to Proverbs 31 and it has really stuck with me.
UPDATED (I thought of more)
3. Food is not entertainment, it is fuel for your body. Treat it as such.
4. Eat until you are satisfied. Not stuffed.

Although I list more things I didn't like as opposed to like, I did enjoy the book. I think it used an interesting perspective and the advice was sound and doable.

Next up, Life of the Beloved - Spiritual Living in a Secular World by Henri Nouwen. This is the book that our couple's small group will be studying this fall.

2011-09-02T20:04:00.000-07:00

There is a HUGE, 7'x8' space above my fireplace. It used to be all brick. And not pretty brick. Ugly, 1970s, bottom-of-the-quarry brick. Then my awesome brother-in-law, Stuart (also known on this blog for his superb plumbing skills), drywalled over it. Thankfully, I wasn't looking at brick anymore. But the space was still empty and HUGE.

Charlie and I had lots of ideas. They just all cost more money than we wanted to spend (say more than $10). I even asked for help. (By the way, I loved the idea that Meghan shared to add blue to the wall. I just didn't have the guts to paint the whole thing. So I added just a touch.)

Enter Pinterest, the Holy Grail site of DIY ideas. Move over Facebook, Pinterest has taken your place in my brain.

First, I found a "pin" about painted wallpaper. Basically stenciling over and over on a wall. I can do that. I also found an article that suggested just putting a frame on the wall, and pretending you had framed art, when it was really just the wall. So the idea evolves....

I was able to do the tracing/painting in just a few hours. I only did a space that is roughly 4' by 2'. But where do I get a frame that big that is cheap? Solution: I make it. I am not saying it is well built. It may fall apart any minute (thank you wood glue and staple gun). But it works and it was free.

Any why didn't anyone tell me about Command Strips earlier?!

Total cost - $0. (Woo hoo!)

2011-08-31T12:42:00.000-07:00

Charlie took C and E to Manhattan for Fan Day again this year. It was a huge hit (as should be expected).

Coach Snyder autographing stuff for the kids

Sprawled out on the Powercat mid-field

2011-08-30T11:22:00.000-07:00

This is my new vacuum. And I LOVE it. We have had our old vacuum for about 6 years. I don't think that is a long time. But, we have a dog (Lefty, as in the title of this blog) who sheds A LOT. And the old one wasn't getting all the fur off the carpet. And Finn crawls army style as well as spending lots of time on the floor. We wanted a Dyson, but couldn't afford it. Then I saw this one on tv, with no suction loss (like the Dyson). And it was way cheaper. Still it wasn't in our budget. Then Woot came in. About a week after we had started looking, Woot had this vacuum (refurbished) for about half the price. Can you say "meant to be?"! The first one arrived broken, but Woot quickly replaced it. I vacuumed 5 times the first week. And of course the first time we used it we were amazed and grossed out by what it picked up.

If you want to come over and try it out, I am willing to share.

P.S. It is a Shark Navigator Life-Away

2011-08-25T20:57:00.000-07:00

In my quest to finish the kitchen remodel before we pay the mortgage off, I plowed ahead with the cabinet debacle I created.

The cabinet that is supposed to stand directly to the left of our stove is in our garage. It has been since we bought the house. It looks like the old owners kept bacon in it and their dog went bonkers. The cabinet is SHREDDED. So, bringing it back into the kitchen is not an option.

I had the idea to buy a stock cabinet at Lowes. And I wanted one without a drawer so I could hide our trash can in it. So we bought it, primed it and painted it to match the others. Then I realized I had bought a wall cabinet. This means it is 12 inches deep, not 24. And that means it won't hold up the counter top (also found in the garage). It took some brainstorming, some courage and lots of sketching - but I finally built this bookshelf to put behind the cabinet. It is not perfect and I still need to put the trim on, but it is so nice to have more storage and counter space!

One we have this securely in place we can finish the back splash!

DIY bookshelf/cabinet

wall cabinet, without its door right now

2011-08-23T08:20:00.000-07:00

Charis spent two weeks or so constructing an "apartment" out of her bed. She took blankets and sheets and made walls and curtains. There was a reading area and a sleeping area. She even used yarn to tie single beads onto some of the blankets as decorations. She used un-bent paperclips to hook panels together (not the safest thing with their sharp points sticking out).

The white specks on the purple blanket are actually single beads tied on.

Looking in to the reading room, complete with curtains and hanging kitty

Sleeping area

It was actually quite impressive, but it needed to come down to be washed.

2011-08-22T08:20:00.000-07:00

The same day I had jury duty, Charlie flew to El Paso. (Perfect timing, right? He hardly ever travels. And it just happened to fall on that day. And it was Finn's birthday. Craziness I tell you.) He went with 3 others from our church and another woman from a church in downtown KC. They went to meet our friends from Anapra, Mexico at the fence.

For the past year, a group of families from Lakeland (our church), has been partnering with people in Anapra to provide rice and beans for 30 families each week. But our group wanted to actually go and encourage these friends in person. Anapra is just outside Juarez, the most dangerous city in the world. And because of the violence in Juarez, we chose not to cross the border. So, the Americans notified Border Patrol about the meeting. And when they arrived they were joined by 3 Border Patrol trucks and a helicopter fly by. Still, it sounds like it was an encouraging time for everyone.

You can read more about it here at my friend Katie's blog and here and here at my friend Jen's blog.

2011-08-20T18:51:00.000-07:00

I should have known that it would eventually happen. I should probably be thankful that it took as long as it did. But last month my world was crushed when I was summoned for jury duty. I sent back the little card, trying to get out of it. No, they didn't care that I am nursing my (at the time) 10 month old. My request for dismissal was denied. So I got up bright and early (for me) and headed out to navigate my way through rush hour downtown. Yuck.
The summons says that you should dress in attire appropriate for the courtroom. Apparently there is a wide interpretation of appropriate for the courtroom, or people just don't read their summons. I think it is probably some of both. I wore a dress much like this one, but in khaki.

Unfortunately, it was 90 degrees so I couldn't wear my boots. Wedges would have to work instead. So there I sat, with 200 of my closest friends, waiting. Reading. Waiting. I got called in the first group of 55. Awesome, I think to myself, I am going to be one of the first ones done. NOPE. WRONG. The kept my group and let EVERYONE ELSE go home. Boo. (I have apparently dressed much too cute for court and they want to keep me around. At least that is what I am telling myself).

No problem. I will just tell them I am 1) nursing, 2) a stay at home mom with 3 small kids and 3) my husband is out of town (a post about that soon). I should be out of here in no time. WRONG AGAIN. We were led into the courtroom and questioned by the plaintiff's attorney for what seemed like forever. We break for lunch and I tell the Law Clerk the above mentioned three reasons I can't serve. He does not appear to care either. I am told they take breaks so I can pump then. Grrr. After lunch we come back to the courtroom for more questions. Four hours total in fact - 3 hours from the plaintiff's side and 1 from the defense. Then they sent us out of the room so they could select jurors. So I, and my 54 best friends, stand in the hall, for over an hour. My only joy is Twitter hashtag games. And in the end I did not get picked (thank you Lord!). At 5:30 I finally get to my car to drive home.

I did learn something about the justice system. And it may have been more interesting if I hadn't been annoyed with no getting dismissed immediately because of nursing. And it was a civil suit over a car wreck, which did not interest me at all. But I went, I served, I got my certificate and a check for $8.22. And next time I won't dress so cute.

2011-08-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

As promised, because we were all losing sleep at night over it, here is my new skirt. Minus the rip and Old Navy's poor excuse of stitching.The side seams are now more like front thigh seams, but you can't really see them.

Eli took the photo for me. I think that is more impressive/interesting than me fixing the skirt.

2011-08-17T12:22:00.000-07:00

Our ten year anniversary came and went and I didn't even post anything. That was mostly because we were on vacation at the Ozarks with no wi-fi. But now, I can give proper attention to the amazing man I married. I have been so blessed. I am thankful for him each day.

We spent almost the entire day together, ALONE! (No children!) We had lunch at Panera (yum!), did lots of shopping at the outlet malls in Osage Beach, dinner at Outback (everything was good but the steaks. weird), and custard at Culvers. It may sound low-key, but it was fabulous.

3 houses
2 apartments
3 kids
2 dogs
6 cars
3 states
= 10 years of memories

Thank you for 10 years, Charlie! Love you!

2011-08-11T21:35:00.000-07:00

Guess what little dream boat just turned 1?

I can't begin to explain what a joy this baby is. I was blessed to get another snuggly, laid-back, sweet, funny, and quick to smile kid. This year has flown by. I tried to make it slow down (once he started sleeping through the night) but time did not cooperate. We are so blessed to have him in our life.

Happy 1st Birthday, Finn!

2011-08-11T21:08:00.000-07:00

There is a lot to catch up on! Naturally I will start with something not as important or as cute as my children.

Here is the skirt I bought at Old Navy a few weeks ago. Three hours into ownership I managed to get a hole right in the middle of the fabric.

The skirt apparently underestimated my frugality because I ripped that sucker apart. I wasn't about to waste my $5 (it was 75% off, woo!)

Step one - find my seam ripper and tear the thing apart.

Step two - hold breath and cut off four inches of fabric and some elastic. Yikes!

Step 3 - try to restitch as much as possible before any more threads pull out.

Step 4 - tie up loose ends and try to make it look as presentable as possible, at least from far away.

I would show you the finished (and in my opinion, cuter) skirt but the blasted thing fell apart in the washing machine. But no, it wasn't my elementary sewing skills. It was the part of the skirt that I didn't even touch - it was Old Navy's stitching! I attempted to fix that as well (the casing came off around the waist band) but was unable to maneuver it correctly. Thankfully my mom is super seamstress. Picture to come soon.

2011-08-03T13:25:00.000-07:00

Bath time and chompers!

Booger, not beauty mark

All 6 teeth!

2011-08-02T12:11:00.000-07:00

I am getting older, so I would like to assume I am getting wiser. But the truth may be that I am just realizing how much more I have to learn. This is leading to some changes (hopefully for the better) in my life.

1 - Sit up straight. I have began noticing how often I am slumping and that is a habit that needs to change.

2 - Embrace my body. I will never look like a model. As long as I am healthy, I need to love myself even if I don't like the image in the mirror. I am also doing this for my daughter. I want her to love herself so I am trying to model that behavior for her. Which means when I am wearing a swimsuit in public I act like it's no big deal, but I am cringing inside. The cringing needs to stop too.

3 - Read more. Because why wouldn't you?

4 - Not hiding from the camera. This probably goes with gaining a positive body image. I often hide from the camera because I don't feel ready (showered) for a photo. My goal is to smile wide for someone next time they want to take a photo. I also want to take more funny photos with my kids.

And when I read this list I become incredibly troubled by how vain it is. Life isn't about me, it is about what I can do for others. Life seems to be getting more complicated, and what I want is simplicity. Ugh.

2011-07-28T12:53:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I started measuring my kids in the hall closet years ago. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Of course now Charis is about to hit her head on the bottom shelf. I may have to do some rearranging.

I measure the kids twice a year. Ideally on January 10th and July 10th. I forgot about it until February this year. But look how much they grew from February to July! Charis probably grew 2 inches and Eli grew 3! And we measured Finn too since he can stand now. His mark is much lower so it's not in the photo.

2011-07-26T08:10:00.000-07:00

We spent last week at Lake of the Ozarks with Charlie's family. It was our first vacation in five years, if you don't count our road trip to Little Rock last year. It was a much needed break from "normal." Charlie's parents rented a lake house and all 12 of us settled in. It wasn't nearly as crowded as you would think. We had our own dock, floats and a paddle boat. And really what else do you need? Oh, and an outlet mall. I love outlet malls.

Charlie caught a few fish. Charis discovered a cove of pretty rocks. Eli was out in the paddle boat almost daily. Finn learned to crawl up stairs and was a trooper through it all. There was also lots of swimming/floating and a nightly movie thanks to Uncle Mason.

All six grandkids got lots of Grandma and Grandpa time. Stories were read. There were cousins to play superheros with. Grandma had a pillowcase filled with "treats" for well-behaved children. We even had a boat ride with lots of water splashing that almost spelled the end for Charlie's phone and our digital video camera. (I had to buy a bag of rice on the way home to dry them out.) And there was an outlet mall close by for Charlie and I to explore. Thankfully Charlie likes to shop as much as I do.

A great vacation all around.

2011-07-26T07:37:00.000-07:00

I finished Still Alice last week while we were on vacation (more on that in another post). It is the story of a woman who finds out she has early on-set Alzheimer's. The book is told from her point of view thus allowing the reader to experience her world as it closes in on her. However, it also gives insight into how the disease effects her family as well. The story is heartbreaking and eye-opening at the same time. I would definitely recommend it.

My next read is Reshaping It All: Motivation for Physical and Spiritual Fitness by Candace Cameron Bure. It may seem like an odd choice. But 1) I love Full House and 2) I struggle with the whole body image thing (as I like to tell myself, most everyone does). So we shall see how it goes.

2011-07-14T22:16:00.000-07:00

Another season of t-ball has drawn to a close. This year C and E were on the green team. Thank goodness we didn't have those ugly yellow shirts again! Fun was had by all of course. Half the fun was playing ball, half getting a snack afterwards. The kids both got to play every position. And unlike last year, the didn't play like they were conjoined twins.

Lainey and Charis with their trophies

Eli, Lainey, Charis and Jack at the awards dinner

PS - I have video, but they are really long so I won't post them. If you really want to see them you can come over to the house. If I find some short ones or other photos I will post them. You will just have to trust me that the season was filled with hilarity as usual.

2011-07-12T13:34:00.000-07:00

This is the book I am currently reading. It was recommended (or raved about) by Jen Lancaster, a wonderful writer in her own right. Jen tweeted (or posted on Facebook, I don't remember) that she wanted to run up to everyone on the street and ask them if they had heard this story. When I told Charlie about the premise of the book he thought it was fiction. It's not.

Henrietta Lacks is not well known. However, her cells are - HeLa cells. Her cells were taken from a malignant tumor that was biopsied a year or so before her death (around 1951). At that time, no cells lived any substantial length of time outside the body, no matter how hard science tried. Her malignant cells not only survived, they grew and multiplied. And these cells led to some incredible medical research. However, they were taken without her permission or knowledge. And then her family found out 25 years later.

There is still more to the story. The author is both a scientist and a writer, so her book is easy to read and compelling. Pick this up (at the library of course) and then tell me what you think.

Next up on my reading list: Still Alice by Lisa Genova and Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard.

2011-07-12T11:00:00.000-07:00

This video is several weeks old. He is moving, however snake-like it may be, and adorable!

2011-07-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

Photography by children

Eli's new obsession - Nascar

2011-06-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

New rules for Royals games:
1. Children must wear a neon shirt and it can't be blue.
2. Children will have dad's phone number written in permanent marker on their forehead.
3. Children must wear those furry animal backpacks with harness that are actually giant leashes.

We took C and E to the Royals game and I lost one of them. I will let you guess which one, but his name rhymes with Eli. And I am hoping no one thinks I am a horrible mother, because I'm not.

All the elements came together, like a perfect storm.

it was a Family Fun Day at the K
they were giving away a kid's pillowcase
there was a fun run after the game
C and E were wearing their Blue Crew shirts
It was crazy hot so Charlie and I were taking turns standing in the gift shop so we had one adult for 2 kids

So you can guess how many children were at the ballpark, not to mention wearing light blue. Thankfully, E had just wandered to a different part of the play area and an usher found him walking around. Since there are so many kids there, they have workers stationed just looking for children who look lost. Charlie came upon the usher and Eli within a minute or two.

The rest of the game was a lot of fun, even with the heat. Eli has really gotten into baseball lately. As we toured the Hall of Fame he saw a bobblehead of Paul Splitorff. He told Charlie, "Hey, that's the player that died." (Splitt had passed away the week before) Even the Hall of Fame worker was impressed.

That's the 85 World Series trophy

rounding 3rd

crossing home plate

2011-06-10T19:43:00.000-07:00

Another school year has passed. It is amazing to see the physical changes in the kids. (Since I can't see the emotional or psychological - other than using larger words during tantrums.)

First day of kindergarten

Last day of Kindergarten

First day of Charis' kindergarten year

Last day - Eli didn't want his picture taken.

First day of Charis' kindergarten year - 1 week old

Last day of kindergarten - almost 10 mos old!

2011-06-09T21:26:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it. Kindergarten is over. She is a first grader now! The year ended with a Kindergarten celebration. Complete with poems, songs and a sweet rendition of "What a Wonderful World" with sign language. There was cake and punch and pictures with friends. It went WAY too fast. (And yes, her shirt says Class of 2023)

Waiting for the big enterance

Second row from the bottom, all the way to the right

Showing Grandma her Kindergarten portfolio.

2011-06-06T08:26:00.000-07:00

Eli isn't actually graduating from preschool. Has has one more year to go. But he participated in the program since his class is made of 4 and 5 year olds. (Sorry for the fuzzy photos) The lights were too dim for a lot of the program so I don't have many pictures.

Eli getting the Mr. Sweetheart award

2011-06-03T11:42:00.000-07:00

It's baseball season. That means Charlie will find any excuse he can to get to the ballpark. So early May presented a great father-son day for a game.

2011-06-01T12:25:00.000-07:00

Our friends were kind enough to invite us to the zoo and we jumped at the chance. We saw a polar bear, kangaroos, a tiger, monkeys and more. There were plenty of carousel rides and a picnic in the shade. It was a good day.

I think Barak is giving the rock on sign. And that is some random kid doing bunny ears.

2011-05-26T20:18:00.000-07:00

There hasn't been a recent photo of Finn on here, I apologize. Here he is looking quite dapper. This boy was born to wear a tux.

2011-05-26T20:11:00.000-07:00

So since my computer died, or shall I say it came down with irreversible amnesia, I lost some of March/April/May pictures. I really need to back up my hard drive more often. I am thankful that I did copy my files in March to an external hard drive.

That being said, I am missing photos, some of which I am lucky enough to be able to view on this blog. Here are some new old ones. These obviously aren't very recent since 1) The kids are dressed in warm clothes and 2) there are no tornadoes in the pictures.

Oh look! Their little dead man outlines are holding hands!

Time to start practicing for t-ball!

I can only imagined what happened here....

2011-05-12T07:51:00.000-07:00

Posting has taken a backseat lately. Can you tell? I'm thinking about quitting my money saving blog. It seems like it is just one of millions out there. And it is getting harder to find the time. Thoughts? I would love input.

I am also doing some exploratory work into helping a company get into the ebook business. If it works out, I would get to do the work from home. Any and all prayers would be much appreciated!

There is a lot to catch up on. I went to a Mother/Daughter tea with Charis a few weeks ago. Another girl scout troop hosted the event to raise money for a trip they are taking. It was quite sweet. Our hostesses all wore spring dresses and dainty white gloves. They served finger foods and desserts. And they had lots of crafts to make. We had a good time. I love that I got to spend some one on one time with Charis. She is precious.

2011-04-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

They are growing up too fast.

2011-04-19T08:49:00.000-07:00

The Girl Scouts from Charis' elementary school sponsored a Daddy-Daughter dance last week. It was a Hawaiian theme. Daddy already had his shirt but the last Hawaiian dress Charis had was 3 years ago (a little too small now). So in I fly with the bright idea to make her a dress! Oh, dear.

I started with this tutorial that I had seen long ago. Then I dug up this shirt that I bought years ago for Hawaiian shirt Day at work. (Thank you Danny Whalen) It is a boy's XL.

And with a little cutting, some sewing, a trip Joann's, and the miracle that is Liquid-Stitch.....voila!

2011-03-28T10:56:00.000-07:00

This is the sign that appeared near the end of the KU vs VCU game yesterday. Allow me to interpret if you can't read what Charis wrote.

Let's go Rambs (just like lambs)

Basketball team

Colors: black and gold

We cheer for what Dad wants

After making this sign Charis ran up to the TV and held it up for the teams to see.

2011-03-05T17:07:00.000-08:00

For anyone who missed it, this is what happens when you combine a 4 yr old, a 6 yr old, a closed bedroom door, refusal to go to sleep, and markers.

2011-03-03T13:00:00.000-08:00

Daddy was brave enough to "camp out" with the kids (minus Finn) on the living room floor. There were plenty of blankets, pillows and stuffed animals. Even Lefty joined in.

2011-03-03T12:30:00.000-08:00

GO CATS!

2011-02-25T19:05:00.000-08:00

NFL Training Camp for Wii has arrived at our house. It has become a family affair. The kids love to do the workouts with us. They especially enjoy running laps around Charlie when he does reverse lunges.

Eli doing a reverse crunch

2011-02-07T21:28:00.000-08:00

Eli is so excited to have a little brother. He can't wait to share a room and bunkbeds with him. Lately he has been spending lots of time with Finn on his play gym. He begs me to lay Finn on the baby gym so he can lay next to him and play. More adorableness to follow....

2011-01-23T21:17:00.000-08:00

Mr. Finn discovered his voice several weeks ago and has been pretty vocal. He really likes to sing along with the radio in the car. This week he discovered that he can scream/squeal. And it can be hard to decipher, sometimes a happy squeal turns into an unhappy one in an instant.

Forgive the sideways video. I always forget how it turns out when I use our camera.

2011-01-21T09:36:00.000-08:00

The birthday party was a success! Pink and green food, crafts and clothing...pink and green everywhere!

Cupcakes, jellybeans and yogurt covered raisins

Craft kit exchange

Eli and Jacob playing in the tunnels

2011-01-11T19:15:00.000-08:00

Yes, he is impossibly cute.

2011-01-10T19:16:00.000-08:00

Day 1

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Hello year 6!!!

What a beautiful, funny, sweet, smart little girl God has given us. She will forever keep us on our toes and amaze us. Happy Birthday Charis!

2011-01-07T19:52:00.000-08:00

I am cupcake obsessed lately. Probably because a certain little girl is about to turn 6. Six!!!! I can't hardly believe it.

I searched and searched and here is the buttercream icing recipe I used. (And it was gooood)

I also found a ton of videos on YouTube on how to make a swirl on top of a cupcake. (Who knew?) And it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. Or I just need more practice....

Note: this is not the cupcake I made. I haven't taken photos of the festivities, cupcakes included, yet. Stay tuned.

2011-01-02T20:05:00.000-08:00

My aunt needed a photo of Charlie and I for the family calendar asap. Of course I couldn't think of one taken in the last year or so.... isn't that horrible? So first I tried to take our photo, then Charlie tried, then Charis tried. Of course we want back and forth disliking how we looked in the photo.

This is the one we finally settled on, even though my nose is smooshed. It's hard to keep a straight face when Charlie is trying to ruin every picture (for example see second photo above).

2010-12-20T15:17:00.000-08:00

I did most of my Christmas shopping online this year (thank you Amazon). Which means lots of boxes at our house. The kids then decided to make horses with their new-found toys.

Then they used their horses as a reading nook. Eli could hardly keep his eyes open.

2010-12-16T14:36:00.000-08:00

It is time for letters to Santa! Charis wrote hers, which was amazingly short. And Eli cut out pictures and glued them to paper - 2 pages, front and back! Then we took the letters to Macy's to mail them. (Props to Macy's - what a cool idea!)

And a few days later, Santa sent his video message to the kids via email. (If you have never seen this before, click on the links below. It is AWESOME!)

Eli's video

Charis' video

9 days to go!!!!

2010-12-04T19:09:00.000-08:00

Being a little boy is hard work.

(I told you he can sleep anywhere)

2010-12-01T19:32:00.000-08:00

American Royal Part 2 (a gajillion years later)

Popcorn is required to watch a rodeo.

Still taking notes (and enjoying popcorn).

2010-11-17T08:30:00.000-08:00

Four years ago today was the last time I got dressed for Corporate America. However, I didn't make it to work. My early morning doctor's appointment ended with me going across the street and checking in to the hospital. It was time for a baby!

20 month old Charis and a yellow, jaundiced Eli. All nice and toasty from the bili light suitcase.

One year old

Two years old

Three!

A four year old big boy!

What a sweet, snuggly boy we have been blessed with. He is so funny. And active. And a bit of a ham. He loves trains, superheros, Lightning McQueen and Buzz Lightyear, and comfy pants. He is such a joy and growing up way too fast. Happy Birthday Eli!

(Did you notice how the kitchen wall changed in the pictures? No? Just me.)

2010-11-05T13:10:00.000-07:00

Fun at the American Royal!!!! (part 1)

The petting zoo and the pigs (or hogs, whatever)

This is a zebu, I think, for all you Veggietales lovers out there. (Boohoo moo moo, boohoo moo moo, boohoo)

C taking meticulous notes. It says "American Royal" across the top and then lists each animal she has seen.

15. zebra

Eli trying to feed the goats a piece of trash from the ground. And a VERY hungry goat with bad aim.

One of the pigs that was there to be judged, not petted.

These things were massive!

2010-11-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

Eli and I were lucky enough to find not only a frog but a catepillar as well on our front porch a few days ago. He repeatedly put the catepillar on the frog, which I am sure was traumatizing for both of them. Eventually the frog made an escape and we let the catepillar be.

2010-11-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

In case you missed the Halloween pictures on Facebook the kids dressed up as Strawberry Shortcake, Ironman and Frankenstein this year. The candy poured in, between trick or treating and Halloween parties.I didn't even buy candy to hand out. We had so much from parties I just gave that away, and I still have a full bucket. I don't know how I will make it through November without growing at least two sizes.

And although I put makeup on Charis the first two times she wore her costume, she felt the need to do it herself on Halloween. Except she did it at 9 o'clock in the morning, with markers. And not too bad considering she didn't look in a mirror.

2010-10-28T08:01:00.000-07:00

Flag football is over. It seemed to be a successful 6 weeks with C and E both enjoying it and scoring touchdowns.

2010-10-25T13:04:00.000-07:00

Charlie took the kids to Manhattan again. This time for Madness in Manhattan - the open practice for men's and women's basketball to kick off the season. They went early to see some sites, including the McDonalds with the outdoor playground per Charis' request. They also went to Pillsbury Crossing - the spot where Deep Creek is so shallow you can walk (or drive) across it. And it is quite popular in the spring, summer and fall.

This is where Charlie proposed to me over 10 years ago. There was a campfire, champagne and I was wearing my flag football uniform.

My kids are on the up and up. Pillsbury is quite the party spot.

2010-10-24T20:11:00.000-07:00

Inching closer and closer to the finish line of the kitchen (mini) re-do.

Uncle Stuart the super plumber! Seriously, there is no way we could have done this ourselves.

Bye bye 1973 harvest gold ugliness

New (to us) sink! New faucet that I found on clearance at Lowes. New garbage disposal. Convenient that the old disposal broke a few weeks ago. And there is a peek at the backsplash - still not complete.

2010-10-15T08:07:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures of each kid as a baby. Hmmm, who does Finn look like?

Eli's bald head still cracks me up.

2010-10-14T08:27:00.000-07:00

Look who's a Daisy now! (And she will start taking cookie orders on October 30th)

2010-10-12T06:35:00.000-07:00

Lefty is kind of pathetic. I mean that in the nicest way. His ever-present tongue doesn't help the cause either. But this dog will lay on anything he can find on the floor: shoes, blankets, Buzz Lightyear. I keep telling the kids to pick up their toys...

In Lefty's voice.. "I love you Buzz Lightyear!"

2010-10-11T08:10:00.000-07:00

Here is the project I started shortly after Griffin was born. It is pretty much complete, I haven't hung them on the wall yet. Thanks to my friend Katie (who finds the coolest stuff online) for the idea. You can find the directions here. (Ignore the stuff on the piano. I am in the middle of one of those purges that hits me a couple of times a year. I am sure others have the same compulsion.)

2010-10-08T11:52:00.000-07:00

The sleeping monster hit Eli again. This boy can fall asleep anytime, anywhere. This time under his bed. A few weeks ago it was at the kitchen table coloring with a marker in hand. Half his face was green by the end of that nap.

2010-10-04T13:48:00.000-07:00

Eli got to be part of the Blue Springs South High School Homecoming parade thanks to Jaguar preschool. And I got to watch it with a fairy. Which is better? I say it's a tie.

He's in the front of the wooden wagon.

2010-10-03T06:55:00.000-07:00

Love the hair.

Love the smile.

LOVE HIM!

2010-10-02T08:23:00.000-07:00

Story time!

2010-09-11T09:53:00.000-07:00

Here is the sad, sad doll that I made. This is a black apple doll and you can find the instructions here.

A few things I learned from making this doll:

1. Follow the directions. I didn't blow up the pattern 150% like it said to. That made the pieces very hard to work with.

2. I didn't ask my friend Katie for advice. She has made oodles of them.

3. Don't use muslin. It falls apart. (see doll's apparent biceps above. Really they are just ripped seams)

4. Don't let it near a three year old boy. They like to rip the stuffing out of the muslin (see #3).

2010-09-10T12:19:00.000-07:00

This is kind of what yesterday morning looked like and the reason Eli missed school.

Can you imagine what this will look like when he is 15?

2010-09-04T19:49:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen a gas bubble make something so cute?!

And look! He is starting to chunk up a little too! Take that, lady at Hobby Lobby that told me I needed to take him back to the doctor because he wasn't growing enough.