Winter in Florida

The Simple Woman's Daybook

A Simple Woman's Daybook for today....December 29, 2008

Outside my window...it's a warm and sunny day.

I am thinking...that it was totally worth staying up until 2 am to finish scrapbooking and get it all put away.

I am thankful for...a week with my husband at home before getting back to reality.

From the learning rooms...Christmas vacation! I am hoping to spend some time playing some educational games though.

From the kitchen...who knows??? This will definitely be a hodgepodge week as we try to clean out the fridge a little.

I am wearing...jeans and a brown shirt.

I am creating...nothing now!

I am going...out to lunch at a local tea room. Great Aunt Clara is here for one more day so we'll be spending time with her.

I am reading...Fireproof--the novelization of the movie. I'm enjoying it. Who knows when I will get to see the movie so the book will have to do. I finished "Lovely Bones." Thank you to those who encouraged me to finish it. Those first few chapters are so disturbing as a parent but then it gets better. I really enjoyed the book. Who wants to borrow it?

I am hoping...for some good family time this week.

I am hearing...the kids playing.

Around the house...Christmas is still up and out and everywhere. For another day or two at least.

One of my favorite things...The Walt Disney Christmas parade that is on Christmas morning. And DVR which allowed me to watch it in peace once all the chaos settled down. David Cook and David Archuleta were on this year.

A few plans for the rest of the week...taking Hannah shopping, maybe going camping, playing lots of games, watching Monk with Ollie, dentist tomorrow, planning for school next week.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...

Busy, Busy, Busy

I am in major busy mode.  Much to do, much to do.  No time to rest because it all must be d0ne as soon as possible or the world will collapse or something.  I truly make myself nuts!!  My big project right now is scrapbooking.  I've decided that I'm done with scrapbooking for a while.  I have no time for it yet feel compelled to do it.  So, I end up just fretting over when I will have time to get caught up.  I have all my stuff out and I'm finishing up the pictures that have been printed and then that's it for the year.  I will now be making photo books through Snapfish.  They turn out so nice and I don't think the cost is that much more than printing the pictures and paying for the scrapbooking supplies.  My plan is to do one every three months or so.  I will limit how many pictures I put in to keep it reasonable.  I have to fight against the urge to document everything that happens in our life.  I always have my camera with me.  I am definitely going to work on relaxing in this area and experiencing things firsthand and not through the lens of a camera.  Grace got a camera for Christmas and Hannah and Ollie went in together on a video camera that also takes pictures--one of those really little ones.  So, they can make up for what I miss.  

I am really struggling with Christians who misrepresent Christ and His message of love.  I have had quite a few situations come up lately where someone who was supposedly a christian did something very unchristian.  Now, I know we are not perfect but why is it the most outspoken christians who fall the hardest and most publicly???  I believe God has placed me in some relationships with unbelievers to be an example of Him and His love and His integrity.  It is challenging to reach these people because they have been so badly burned by christians.  For now, I am quietly loving and serving and living out my life with integrity and building relationships.  God can take it from there.  

I went out to Red Lobster for lunch today and caved and got the fried platter--everything fried--clam strips, crab cakes, popcorn shrimp, fish, and french fries.  Boy did I feel "yuck" later.  I so wish I would have gotten something broiled or grilled and eaten less, that would be the smarter thing to do.  The problem with me is this--we almost never eat out so when we do I feel like I should get whatever I want and not try to deprive myself and be healthy.  Not a healthy way to think and I end up not feeling good as a result.  We'll see how if affects my inflammation tomorrow.  I predict a painful day.  Ugh!!!  When will I grow up and act like a responsible adult?  

I'm so excited for a new year!  I LOVE new beginnings.  I always feel so ambitious and excited about how things are going to change.  Of course reality sets in fairly quickly but because I'm not a perfectionist I just go with the flow and don't get too jazzed about it.  I do enjoy planning and dreaming though of how I am going to change my life in the new year, new month, new week, etc.  

I'm off to do a few more pages before I hit the hay!

A Trip to the Holy Land Experience

Aunt Harriet and I took Aunt Clara to the Holy Land Experience today. It was interesting. We didn't do a lot but we had a good day. I enjoyed the music, it was really beautiful.

Christmas Day in pictures

I love this picture--click on it to enlarge it and see Hannah posing in the background. Funny.

Hannah spent a lot of time doing this yesterday--texting. She got "texters" which are basically walkie-talkies that you text back and forth with instead of talking. She has been begging for these ever since she saw them. She was one happy little girl.

A Lego Batman game! Joe loves these Lego games. He already got Lego Indiana Jones as an early Christmas present. I may never get to use my computer again....

This is what Joe did for a good part of the day.

Hannah filling in her Littlest Pet Shop digital planner.

This nail art kit turned out to be a big hit--Hannah did everyone's nails, including Aunt Clara's. Hannah did hers pink with black stripes.

And Jane (Uncle Billy's sister) got snakes on her toes. I got bumblebees but don't have a picture.

I really, really wish I had had my video camera on when Grace opened this. It is her very own digital camera. She wanted one so bad but was sure she would not be getting one. The look of "shock and awe" on her face when she opened it was priceless. She spent the rest of the day taking pictures of EVERYTHING!!!! She is absolutely loving having her own camera.

Doing a little kitchen chemistry with Uncle Billy. This was some sort of acid test. She is our little scientist and got a chemistry kit and a microscope. She yanked a hair out of Joe's head to look at under the microscope. I'm not sure what else she investigated. She had Jane helping her out.

Here's Aunt Clara opening a gift. I think she enjoyed her Christmas!

Christmas Eve in pictures

I'm not sure what the weather was like in the rest of the country yesterday but it was hot here! Grace tried to be Christmasy but quickly changed into a t-shirt and shorts.

Grace gave Hannah some play make up in a cool shape--some sort of ipod or phone shape. Hannah was thrilled--she even gave her sister a side hug!

Patiently waiting their turn.

More Polly and Pet shop play.

Thank you Aunt Cici!

This cuddly blanket was Joe's gift to me. My aunt and uncle took him shopping and he was set on buying me a quilt. They talked him into this fuzzy blanket instead. He told me all about the other designs and why he chose this one. He even happily agreed to take a picture with me. I'm looking pretty rough but I LOVE this picture of Joe and I. He was being so sweet.

This is a remote control tarantula, ugh! Right before waking up I had had a nightmare about a giant spider. This toy one looked so real I couldn't even help Grace open it. I was getting too freaked out.

Where to Start???

I haven't blogged in days and truly don't know where to start.  I have about a dozen blog posts swirling around in my head and lots of pictures to post but for tonight we will go with a random thoughts post.  I'm not up for sorting through pictures right now.  Ollie and I have a date to watch "Monk" here shortly so I don't have a lot of time.  If he fizzles out on me then I'll post some pictures.  

How was your Christmas?  Ours was wonderful.  Busy, busy, busy!!!  With three kids and lots of gifts I have spent hours undoing twisty ties, clipping tiny rubber bands, cutting my way into packages that the toy people make nearly impossible to get through.  I've put together things, read lots of directions, listened to endless chatter, took lots of pictures, and even opened a few gifts myself.  We celebrate Christmas a little differently at our house.  We are just starting to have our own traditions.  Up until last year we have traveled at Christmas almost every year of our married life.  We went every year to Georgia and Chicago.  We have so many wonderful memories but have decided that we've reached a point where we want to be home for Christmas. We've done a pretty good job of melding our ideas of how Christmas should be and this is how we do it.  Because pretty much all of our family, with the exception of Aunt Harriet and Uncle Billy, live out of state we end up with lots of presents under our tree.  They come in packages from GA and Chicago in the weeks before Christmas.  We wake up on Christmas Eve and the kids get to pick a present to open.  After they open their presents they start right in playing with whatever they opened while I start breakfast.  We have a nice breakfast together and then they get to open another present and then play with that.  As the day goes on every hour or two Ollie will announce that it's time to open another present.  This goes on all day.  We didn't finish this year until about 9 o'clock.  I absolutely love this day, it's probably my favorite day of the year.  We have time to really look at, figure out, and play with each and every thing they get.  If it's a game, we open it up and play it.  If it's a CD, we open it and listen to it.  If it's Littlest Pet Shop (a major theme this year) or Polly dolls--the kids open them and head out into the yard to play some elaborately wonderful game.  We eat a nice dinner together and the girls and I go to church.  Our church doesn't do a Christmas eve service so we pick a local church to visit.  Last year was wonderful.  This year.... well, let's just say that is its own blog post.  Aunt Clara is visiting and she and Harriet and Billy joined us at church and then we all came back to our house for Peppermint Cake.  We closed the evening with "virtual Christmas" by way of the webcam with Ollie's family.  We got to watch them open our gifts to them.  We also visited a couple of times with them earlier in the day by way of webcam.  It was so weird and nice, it felt like we were sitting in their living room with them.  After a busy day the kids were off to bed.  We don't do Santa Claus but we do fill their stockings after they are in bed.  In the morning, they woke up and opened their stockings and played for a couple of hours before we all went to Aunt Harriet's and Uncle Billy's for the day.  We had a great day there.  We opened lots of presents--not as slowly as we did at our house but slow enough that I could keep up with what they were getting.  We ate off and on all day and tried out all the new toys and games.  We got LOTS of games, some really fun, educational games.  I will be doing a game review post here in the near future.  I think you guys should all know about some of these wonderful games.  We got home last night with enough time left to finish the day off by watching "Elf."  Julie--have you seen this yet????  

So, that's how we spent our Christmas.  It looks like "Monk" will be postponed until tomorrow so I will post some pictures of all the festivities.  

How Do You Count it Down?

This year we have 7 Advent calendars! We can't even keep up with them all every day and regularly have to have a catch up day.

Joe and Grace got these at church and I love it. You use stickers to make the manger scene and then the stars are numbered--one for every day.

This is an Usborne book, you pop out a new piece each day to add to the scene.

The one on the left is the favorite this year. A "Littlest Pet Shop" advent calendar. There have been three pets and various winter items like a hat, a scarf, a cookie, presents, etc. The one next to it has little openings with a piece to hang on yet another manger scene.

I made this one a few years ago, there is a reading and Bible verse that corresponds to each ornament. This is the one that we are behind on. It requires effort from mom so doesn't get taken care of every day.

This is a felt one where we once again add to a manger scene. I got this from MOPS many years ago. It's really cute.

A Simple Woman's Daybook

A Simple Woman's Daybook for today...December 22, 2008

Outside my window...it is dark and cool. I think a cold front is moving in. I am cheating and doing this the night before because I anticipate a busy morning. I will probably be in pain as well because I indulged in a ton of sugar today. I was at a cookie exchange and decided to just not worry about the consequences. I'll let you know tomorrow if it was worth it.

I am thinking...I can't believe Christmas is in just 4 days!!!

I am thankful for...a clean house and a husband who is so helpful in getting it clean and doesn't give me a hard time for letting it get so bad.

From the learning rooms...Christmas break!!! Hannah still has a few math lessons so maybe we will get those done but I doubt it. It will depend on how motivated she is.

From the kitchen...I'm thinking about starting a new Christmas tradition--having biscuits and chocolate gravy for Christmas morning breakfast. Ollie can't eat it because chocolate gives him migraines, that's my only hesitation. But--I think it would be fun for the kids. I could make him eggs or something to go with his biscuit.

I am wearing...t-shirt, shorts, Christmas socks, and crocs. I am looking fabulous let me tell you!

I am creating...not a thing!

I am going...to the nursing home in the morning and Christmas shopping after that.

I am reading...Reader's Digest and Lovely Bones--a very weird, somewhat disturbing book. I haven't really decided whether or not I'm going to finish it. I'm only about 1/4 of the way in.

I am hoping...for a blessed week with my family.

I am hearing...techno music blaring. This is the kind of music Ollie likes when he is cleaning.

Around the house...it's clean! Every room! Amazing, truly amazing.

One of my favorite things...chocolate charms--this is a cookie that Sue made for the cookie exchange. Hands down my most favorite cookie ever!!!

A few plans for the rest of the week...celebrating Christmas of course!

A picture thought I'm sharing...

Hannah playing beauty parlor and straightening Grace's and Madi's already straight hair.

If you want to participate in the daybook, see Peggy here.

Weekend Report

Remember how at the beginning of the week on my daybook I was very ambitious about all I was going to accomplish last week.  Here's what I said I would do:

• read a lot of books
• finish a puzzle
• bake
• art project
• school with Grace
• finish Hannah's math workbook

Here's what I actually accomplished:

• finished my puzzle
• made lemon bars for the cookie exchange and the easiest white chocolate popcorn in the world 

See, I told you Leisa--on Monday morning I have lofty ambitions for my week and all that will be accomplished.  It isn't long before reality sets in and most of it doesn't get done.  Tomorrow's a new week though, with a new list of ambitions.

Clean Up, Clean Up Everybody Everywhere

I am taking a short break from cleaning.  Our house has been really suffering while we've been out playing at every possible Christmas event.  Soooo, tonight we are all working together to clean this house.  It was actually Ollie's idea but it didn't take me long to get as motivated as he was.  Well, actually it took me two days.  He wanted to start Friday and we didn't have time and then he wanted to do it yesterday and I said, "no way!"  After returning from our church's cookie exchange where I totally indulged in lots of sugar and coffee I was ready to tackle this house.  I have cleaned the Florida room while he and the kids cleaned out the fridge and swept and mopped the kitchen floor.  As I speak, Grace and Joe are busily cleaning and organizing their room and Hannah and Ollie are working on her room.  After my break I'll be sweeping the foyer and dusting the living room.  I am so excited to have a clean house as we go into this week.  That means more time for us to relax!  Ollie is on vacation for the next two weeks and will help me maintain the house and keep the kids in line.  I really, really want to do better about keeping them involved in helping around the house.  So, with Ollie's help maybe we can finally get started with some good habits.  We'll see.  For now though I will fully enjoy having the whole house clean and neat.  

Christmas Event #8--The Annual Potato Party and Hayride

Tonight was our church's Christmas party. Three years ago we started the tradition of having a potato party and hayride. A couple in our church bakes a metric ton of potatoes and everyone brings toppings to put on the potatoes and that's our dinner. It's fun and easy and who doesn't like a loaded potato??? Of course we also have lots of desserts. After dinner the fun really begins when we go on a hayride through town singing Christmas carols. The town we live in gets all lit up for the holidays and draws tons of people on the weekends leading up to Christmas. So the town was full of people and we had a great time singing Christmas carols and wishing people Merry Christmas.

Here's me singing and trying to get a picture of Joe and I, I missed him completely.

Here's Joe singing his heart out (or is he making a goofy face because I'm trying to take his picture?) to "Angels We Have Heard on High."

Hannah posing with Ms. Amy in the background leading us off. She knows every word to every Christmas carol--even "Silent Night" in German. Impressive.

Lots of happy, singing little girls.

Christmas Event #7--Christmas Concert

Souper Saturday--Thai Vegetable Noodle Soup

Okay, so this is my new favorite soup.  I just made it for the first time this week and it was sooo good.  Not so much for kids though because it is a little on the spicy side.  The recipe came off the back of "College Inn Culinary Broth, Thai Coconut Curry."

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup broccoli florets

1/2 cup diced carrots

2 tsp. grated fresh ginger (I have this great ginger I use now.  You buy it in a squeeze tube in the produce department).  

1/2 tsp. curry powder

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (adjust to your taste)

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1/2 cup vermicelli or thin spaghetti, broken into 2 inch pieces

1 carton (32 oz.) College Inn Thai Coconut Curry Culinary Broth

1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (I used lemon)

1 cup light coconut milk

Cook onion, broccoli, carrots, ginger, curry, and red pepper flakes in oil in a large saucepan for 3 minutes.  Add noodles, broth, and lime juice.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat.  Simmer 7 minutes or until the noodles are tender.  Stir in coconut milk; heat through.   

Enjoy!

More Holiday Fun

We had a crafty kind of day yesterday. We started off at Aunt Harriet and Uncle Billy's house decorating gingerbread houses. I even got in on the fun and decorated my own house. We haven't done these in a few years and it was a lot of fun--a lot of work but fun. I like seeing the uniqueness of everyone's designs. Then we went to Chick-fil-a and Target in an effort to pass the time before we went to our next thing. I couldn't go home because Joe is obsessively playing this new video game he recently got and a trip home would only mean another fit about having to stop his game and leave again or a fit because I wouldn't let him play his game. I know, this would have been a great opportunity for training but I wasn't up for it at all. Not yesterday. Anyway, after our lunch and 15 minutes spent on the Littlest Pet Shop aisle we were on our way to a friend's house for some crafting. We will be visiting a nursing home on Monday so decided to get the kids together to crank out some ornaments to give as gifts at the nursing home.
Joe was not into crafting at all but instead had fun playing with weapons of all sorts. I thought he was cute sitting in this baby swing with his big gun.

Here's our drying table. Not bad for just letting the kids go at it. We had a very random assortment of crafting supplies and the kids took it from there.

This is my gingerbread house. I had grandiose ideas of making a spectacular wonderful house but it was a lot harder than I thought it would be.

This is Joe's. He was going for simple.