Since this is "snow 'n stuff" - let's do the "stuff" part first...
Rebecca and Jessica had their school Christmas concert last week. Of course they were cute as buttons and it was fun watching all the kids. Here they are in their pretty dresses:
Mackenzie and I went to get hair cuts and they also styled hers straight and I thought it was super cute! We took off several inches, so maybe we'll have less frustration. Oh and her bangs are now officially grown out.
Alright, now for the "snow" part...
We got a few inches of snow. Don't ask me how many, I don't know. So we went sledding and then last night we got a few more inches of snow! And it's a dry snow so there will be no snowmen hanging out in the yard, but it's great for sledding (and skiing).
In the back yard we have this dug-out place and the kids like to sled down into it and...
...then it shoots them up the bank, and then back down again. (That's Mackenzie above and that's Jessica sledding in the picture below.)
Jake just liked hanging out and eating the snow.
Here's Rebecca heading down.
It's also good for snow angels! Here's Mackenzie...
and Jessica...
Rebecca was a good big sister and took the whiney 2 year old back in the house while the rest of us trekked down to the mail box. So I'll have to get Rebecca's angel pic next time we're out.
But for now I'm staying in by the cozy fire and having a cup of decaf!
Well I thought I'd update you on our latest and greatest happenings over here in the Estrogen Ocean. (I wrote this a few days ago, but am just now posting it...)
~ It's cold. Single digits, or less. I was really enjoying the mild weather we'd been having but I guess it's time for snap back to reality. At least we got our first snow. Finally. (update: we're back in the 20s again!! wooo hoooo!!!)
~ Jake learned how his hands feel when they get really cold and start stinging. He didn't like it. At all. Actually it made him quite mad.
~ The electricity went out (remember, single digits) and when it came back on, our TV wouldn't. And no, I promise that doesn't mean there will be any additions to our family. (Since by the 4th pregnancy people were asking us if we knew how those things happen. Yes. We do. Thankyouverymuch.)
~ I'm the worst mom ever. I saw the letter that Rebecca wrote to Santa at school. Other than the $80 stuffed animal that she won't be getting, she also asked for a new coat since hers is dirty. Doesn't that make a momma proud? I'll never be able to get a job at that school!
~ Jessica learned what happens when she sticks her tongue to a metal pole in single digit weather. She didn't like it. At all. The rest of us laughed because we're sympathetic like that. I'm pretty sure she freaked out, but by the time we headed out there she had unstuck herself and came in with her blood-tinged tongue hanging out.
~ I'm pretty sure Mackenzie planted that tongue-to-the-pole seed, but I can't prove it. Not that Jessica has ever needed prompting for anything, though.
~ In better news, our tree is still standing. (Maybe I should wait until after Christmas to report that?) And the dog hasn't peed on it. (Our dog is a girl, so I'm not too worried about that one. It just sounded so hopeful.)
Well, I ran out of colors so I'll stop there. I'm opting out of sending Christmas cards this year. That just sounds better than the previous years where I just didn't get around to it.
Sounds more proactive this way.
Not that I don't love all of you and wish you a Merry Christmas. I think you'll understand.
Jessica wouldn't be in the mood for licking envelopes anyway.
So, I'll keep you posted on any other wild and exciting times going on around here. In the meantime...
MerryChristmas!!
And that's "Christmas" -- with "Christ." Just in case you didn't know.
It's time again for BooMama's Christmas Tour of Homes! At first I wasn't going to participate because I thought it'd look just like last year. But, I couldn't resist...and there have been some minor changes/additions. I'll try not to talk too much since I know you're here for the pictures!
Now, since I haven't posted about actually getting the tree, we'll start there. Grab your cup of coffee/cocoa while we go outside.
Stan and the kids always go get our tree and bring it back as a surprise to me. Jake didn't make the trip this year because his nap was much more important. Trust me.
Here we have it all inside and set up, complete with towels under it to catch any melting ice. It's so hard to wait for it to dry out before stringing the lights!
Now we will stay inside for the rest of the tour because, baby it's cold outside! It was -3 degrees when I took the kids to the bus (wind chill -20). When I went out to crank the Excursion it said to me, "Are you stinking kidding?!" So lets cozy up to the fire for a bit.
Ok, so here it is all decorated. I give each of the kids a bowl full of the non-fragile ornaments to hang wherever they can reach then I hang the rest up high. In case you're wondering, the tree is roughly 13 feet tall. And yes I need a 10-foot ladder to decorate it. And yes I'm afraid of heights.
But isn't it worth it?! ;o)
Now we'll go around the room and check out the rest of the Christmas sights.
I was a little bummed that I didn't put up my little cowboy tree with the chili pepper lights this year, but having a 2 year old in the house calls for some modifications. He likes whacking the bell tree (pictured above) and making it ring. And I resist the urge to stop him, since what's the use of having a bell tree if it doesn't ever ring?
These little trees are new this year. Not the greatest picture, but at least I don't think you can see any cobwebs.
This year Stan came up with the idea of the 12 scents of Christmas and I gladly took that challenge. I found this cute little...um...what's it called? Anyway, you put the scented wafer in the bowl and light a tea light under it. Lots of fun! (Now if only the tea lights lasted longer...)
Confession: this is last year's picture, but it looks the same. I promise. Mom made this fun quilt wall hanging a couple years ago.
And she made this fun wintery/tree quilt wall hanging this year!! Isn't it beautiful?!
This is also last year's picture, but again...it still looks the same. This was new last year and I absolutely love it! I'd love, love, love the Willow Tree nativity set figurines. Maybe someday...but for now I'm happy with this!
(We do have our fun Little People nativity set...somewhere...I still need to go digging for sheep and baby Jesus. They couldn't have gone too far. Surely.)
So there you have it! Thanks for stopping by, we really enjoyed the visit! If you come back next week we'll have some homemade nativity cut-out sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles. That is, if you trust them. The girls always help make them...and sample them during the process.
Jessica seems to have mellowed somewhat in her ripe old age of 6. I wonder if she's starting to pass the torch to little brother, but I'm not letting my guard down for a minute!
So, on to the birthday girl...
She asked for a brown bear cake, inside and out. So we had a chocolate-filled day! Note she is wearing her favorite color - purple. Also see that her bangs have grown out nicely. You can barely see the remains of her self-haircut in her school pictures. And her teacher loved the story and her pack of 24 scissors.
Don't be shy, Jessica. Go ahead and get up there and blow those candles out.
Thank goodness she is still easily pleased with her presents!
Now if she can just keep it away from Jake long enough so that he doesn't think it's his.
Jessica is still quite the free spirit. She loves to sing and will make up words and tunes if she can't think of any. She still loves to dance but some of her dance moves have gotten to be a little scary. But then again, while we were singing in church last Sunday she broke into a full body swirl and sway with the arms and legs and all. At least she stayed seated. She also has a vivid imagination and will recruit anything that isn't tied down into her little world of make-believe, giving them voices. And attitudes.
Who needs parades and football games when you have this?!
Oh the joys of having sisters! Are there no blue, black or red goggles in this house?! Poor little guy. Tell me he won't grow up all warped!
(I haven't taken a picture of him wearing the big floppy yellow straw hat with a big yellow flower on it yet, but knowing how ornery this boy is already I'm thinking I may need some bribery pictures for later on in life.)
So anyway, moving right along....
Somehow I don't think washing Jake's mouth out with soap is going to do any good (that is, whenever he starts talking where we can understand him).
Why?
Because I caught him with this...
Yep, that would be the soap bar from our shower. I know... EEEEEWWWWWWW!!!
At least this time he didn't also rub body wash all over his face and hair. Like last time.
Hope you're having a wonderful Thanksgiving!! And that your turkey dinner tastes better than soap!
We will be (future tense...I'm writing this on Wednesday but setting it to post on Thursday) celebrating Jessica's 6th birthday, cooking turkey, dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, broccoli, rolls, and pumpkin pie, eating birthday cake, and possibly taking that whole turkey dinner over to someone else's house where our church will be having Thanksgiving all together. (Most people up here have family far away so our church has Thanksgiving together.)
And if you're going to brave Black Friday, good luck to ya. I'll be home snug as a bug!
Do I need to reintroduce myself? It's been a while since I posted so I have some catching up to do. We've got two birthdays in November and it's one down and one to go. Mackenzie turned 10 this month (Jessica has a Thanksgiving birthday this year and I'll post about it later on.)
I can't believe we're in the double digits now. That "estrogen ocean" thing is getting scarier by the minute!
Mackenzie asked for a chocolate two-layer cake with pink icing. She did the sprinkles on top herself.
And yes, it really is November here in MONTANA. You know, where it does get cold in the wintertime. You wouldn't think it since Mackenzie is wearing short sleeves and Rebecca is wearing a tank top. At least the other two have good sense (either that or they couldn't find their summer shirts that I hid).
We invited the girls in her class (all 5 of them) over for a little birthday party. Oh my head!
Actually, it went pretty well and wasn't too torturous. We don't do parties every year but we try to do them every now and then. Winter birthdays are hard because you can't really have the party outside and let the wide open spaces filter out the madness.
Remember the Love Starts With Elle tour a few weeks ago? You might have won a copy of the book afterall!!
Check it out! Here's what Rachel said on her blog:
Thanks so much to all the bloggers of the "Love Starts With Elle" blog tour. Applause, applause.
And a big thanks to all who signed up to win a free copy here at rachelhauck.com.
With so many entering, I just couldn't pick two so I went to Thomas Nelson with an idea and they heartily agreed.
EVERYONE IS A WINNER AT RACHELHAUCK.COM!
They are graciously supplying the needed books for the 63 who sighed up for the drawing!
Please send your name and address with "LSWE Winner" in the subject line to rachelhauck@gmail.com and I'll get those books mailed out to you in the next few weeks.
Congratulations everyone!
How 'bout that?! So if you were one of those who had left a commenton Rachel's tour post, go claim your copy!!
Why is it you can never get one decent picture of a group of kids?
Because they're kids. And kids wiggle, and giggle, and jiggle...and cry.
This year for Halloween the girls all wanted to dress up as princesses. (Rebecca is a "fairy princess," thankyouverymuch! Do NOT call her just a princess. She will correct you. Oh and don't tell her that's actually a "bride" costume I'd found at a consignment store.) Of course Jake is Spiderman.
He's protesting here because the girls got him in the car too soon and I had to get him out for pictures. He was ready to GO already!
I took several pictures trying to get him to laugh...or something. And when he does...
...Jessica looks away.
*sigh*
So anyway, the kids got home from school and all their school parties and hallway parades. Then after dinner we gathered up and paraded to the neighbors (well, not loud-car neighbor). We have an elderly couple across from us and each year they have a bowl of candy to give out. So when we showed up they were thrilled. We were their first trick-or-treaters in 15 years! (The kids were sick the past two Halloweens so we didn't go out then.) We live out of town, can you tell?
After that we went to town and trick-or-treated up and down a block where a couple of teachers live, then we went to a community party full of games and goodies.
They had this little set-up for picture taking:
It was so DARK in there I wasn't sure what kind of picture I'd have when we got home. Hmmm, not bad!
Stan missed out on all the hoopla because he's out hunting this week for opening elk season. I'm sure he's completely broken hearted! *grin* Actually, I know he misses seeing the kids all dressed up and excited, but I doubt he misses the craziness part.
Maybe I'll be able to post a picture of a dead elk when he gets back!
Oh, I also have to tell you that we went to trick-or-treat some friends of ours who the husband works with Stan. And while Stan is gone this week our friend is using his work truck. So when we pulled up to their house and the girls saw daddy's truck in the driveway they all said, "Hey!! Daddy's here!!!"
Why, neighbor, must you play your loud music at 8:00AM while you get ready for work? From your car! Do you not have a radio or CD player in the house? I mean, I like Magic Carpet Ride as much as the next person, but not when it comes in muffled through my house all the way from your driveway.
It's almost as annoying as when your husband cranks up his 70's Bronco at 6:43AM and let's it idle all REVVED UP for 20 minutes before he finally gets in it and taps the gas so that it can finally settle down into a more moderate blub blub blub.
And aren't you too old for loud music anyway? I mean, you have a teenage son who doesn't even play his music loud when he comes and goes.
While I'm at it, don't you realize that both houses on either side of you in this little cul-de-sac have babies in them? You remember babies, right? They like to sleep. Rather, their mommies like them to sleep. But when your very loud car jamming floods through their windows in an otherwise quiet house, it tends to wake them up.
I know you see my girls leaving for the bus in the morning but even they were able to get ready for school without waking up little brother.
And I realize that our other neighbor is an elderly couple who didn't hear the Life-Flight helicopter land in the front yard next door to them a few months ago. But I can hear just fine. And so can Jake.
Well, ok then. Good-bye neighbor. Go ahead and drive away in your very old, very loud, music-blaring car. See you at 4:46PM.
I've been booed! Jenni over at Conversations With My Hairdryer has booed me. Normally I would take offense to being booed, but with the great English language this is a different kind of boo (could we really not think of a new word for things? we just recycle words and give them various meanings? don't get me started on words that are spelled differently but pronounced the same...they're, there, their...or words that look the same but pronounced differently...read, read. ok, I'm done.).
Halloween and all.
So, what's a boo?
I'll quote Jenni who quoted Drama Mama who quoted...who knows!
Now, this is how the Blogging Boo will work. Go to as many friends as you want and tell them they've been "Boo-ed". Have them link back to your blog to pick up their Halloween Treat (picture) and tell them to "Boo" their friends. Then, put the picture in your side bar so everyone knows that you've already been "Boo-ed" and to send the pic to someone else. So, are you scared yet!!?? BOO!!
Okay? one more time......
1. Take picture, put on sidebar 2. Tell people they have been booed 3. Link back to who booed you
I know most of my recent posts have seemed a bit..."commercial." Sorry about that! So now it's time to add the personal touch to this "personal" blog!
Stan went hunting on Saturday, so true to form the kids and I stayed in our pj's most of the day. (Well...the girls stayed in them all day and didn't even have to change into jammies at bedtime because they were already in them! They thought that was cool. I hoped they wouldn't tell anybody!)
Mackenzie still likes her braces and now has alternating pink and purple bands (hmmm...sounds familiar...her momma did the same thing when she was in braces, but the colors had just come out then).
Rebecca is just one of those kids who flies under the radar. She will take all the hugs you will spare, but when she's mad her fists start flying. But you wouldn't think it because she's usually so sweet.
Jessica hasn't provided too many "Jessica stories" lately. I think she's focused on not getting her name on the board at school. And the rabies shots. We have 2 more rounds to go. Yay!
Jake is broadening his vocabulary. Most things are still "puppy" but now he can ask for "cocky" (cookie) and a "cocker" (cracker). When he wants a drink he makes the "gung" sound like he's drinking. He also can sort of call his sisters by name, but what he actually says is hard to spell, so I'll leave that off. He says "ball!" (always with an exclamation mark) and "bear" (that's a new one), "out" (more like "oooouuuuuut", when he wants out of his chair), "go," "eat" (and when he wants you to eat he says "eat!" with his eyebrows down and shoves his finger at you).
The other evening we were watching TV while Jake alternated between jumping on our laps and smashing his nose in our faces to roaming the house doing whatever it is toddlers do. It was near bedtime.
We had the girls get ready for bed and got them in it. Then I searched for Jake.
Couldn't find him. Anywhere!
I searched the whole house three times and was starting to get freaked out. My mommy brain started thinking he got into something and...well...I thought the worst.
After making everyone (Every. One.) get up and help me find him, I hear a faint, muffled voice say "Ma!" (Jake either calls me Ma! or Momma).
We all stopped to listen.
"Ma!"
Where's that coming from?
We follow the little giggles to find him in mine and Stan's room behind my full length mirror sucking on a cough drop he found from who knows where, thinking he was being pretty sneaky.
Well, he was.
Little stinker! He thought he was pretty funny. I didn't think so.
(By the way, the ice cream pics were from the first day of school. I realized I hadn't shared them yet.)
Christa Parrish graduated high school at 16, with every intention of becoming a surgeon. After college, however, her love of all things creative led her in another direction, and she worked in both theatre and journalism.
A winner of Associated Press awards for her reporting, Christa gave up her career after the birth of her son, Jacob. She continued to write from home, doing pro bono work for the New York Family Policy Council, where her articles appeared in Focus on the Family’s Citizen magazine. She was also a finalist in World magazine’s WORLDview short story contest, sponsored by WestBow press. She now teaches literature and writing to high school students, is a homeschool mom, and lives with her family in upstate New York, where she is at work on her second novel.
ABOUT THE BOOK
After her mother’s death and her father’s abandonment, tiny infant Sarah Graham was left to be raised by her emotionally distant grandmother. As a child she turned to music for solace and even gained entrance to Juilliard. But her potentially brilliant music career ended with an unplanned pregnancy and the stillborn birth of her child.
In an attempt to escape the past, Sarah, now twenty-seven, is living life hard and fast–and she is flat broke. When her estranged father dies, she travels to the tiny mountain hamlet of Jonah, New York to claim her inheritance. Once there, she learns her father’s will stipulates a six-month stay before she can recieve the money. Fueled by hate and desperation, Sarah settles in for the bitter mountain winter, and as the weeks pass, she finds her life intertwining with the lives of the simple, gracious townsfolk. Can these strangers teach Sarah how to forgive and find peace?
A story of grace, of God’s never-ceasing love and the sometimes flawed, faithful people He uses to bring His purpose to pass.
My Review: This is Christa's debut novel and she started with a bang! It's fairly short, which makes for an enjoyable quick read. This is not typical Christian fiction. She takes us along side a very disturbed young woman who is bitter and resentful about her family's history. Sarah wasn't raised in a loving home and eventually started going down the wrong roads, making bad choices.
When her father dies and leaves her an inheritance she wants to quickly grab it and go. But there's a catch. She has to stay in that small, mountain town for six months first. Of course the tiny town does not have the night life and other amenities she is used to, but she's desperately broke and has no where else to go. The whole story is set during this six month time frame.
Christa does an excellent job of capturing Sarah's crude character without using crude language. Sarah is cold-hearted and doesn't apologize for who she is; doesn't care how she treats other people. She resists the townspeople and does not want to open herself up to them, but then she gradually finds herself starting to care. Not knowing how to handle this new emotion, Sarah does what she knows best. Lash out.
I enjoyed reading about Sarah and the truths she discovers about her father's past, but I also could relate to the townspeople who were trying to get to know her. When I'm faced with a calloused, hateful, mean person my first reaction is not to reach out to them. But this book shows that beneath the cactus thorns is a soft, tender side that bruises easily.
Welcome to the blog tour (and giveaway!) for Love Starts With Elle by Rachel Hauck! I just have to say that I absolutely adored this book and it's predecessor, Sweet Caroline. I highly recommend both of them!
I know this post is long, but it's worth it! And stick around for the giveaway at the end.
First...about the book: Elle's living the dream-but is it her dream or his?
Elle loves life in Beaufort, South Carolina-lazy summer days on the sand bar, coastal bonfires, and dinners with friends sharing a lifetime of memories. And she's found her niche as the owner of a successful art gallery too. Life is good.
Then the dynamic pastor of her small town church sweeps her off her feet. She's never known a man like Jeremiah-one who breathes in confidence and exhales all doubt. When he proposes in the setting sunlight, Elle hands him her heart on a silver platter.
But Jeremiah's just accepted a large pastorate in a different state. If she's serious about their relationship, Elle will take "the call," too, leaving behind the people and place she loves so dearly. Elle's friendship with her new tenant, widower Heath McCord, and his young daughter make things even more complicated.
Is love transferrable across the miles? And can you take it with you when you go?
Check out this trailer!!!
And of course...about Rachel:
Rachel Hauck is the author of ten, going on eleven novels, and has recently become an "acclaimed" author. (Yeah, funny how that happened. Some dude found her lottery stub stuck to the bottom of his shoe and tried to "acclaim" her. But her husband refused to pay out.)
Since then, she's gone on to become a best selling author of Sweet Caroline.
Living in central Florida with her husband of sixteen and a half years, one sweet little dog and one ornery cat, Rachel is a graduate of Ohio State University and a huge Buckeye football fan. One day she hopes to stand on the sidelines next to Coach Tressel as a famed, acclaimed best selling OSU alumni, beloved for her work in literature and letters. (She's written at least a couple hundred letters in her life time.)
Her current release, Love Starts With Elle (July 2008, Thomas Nelson) is set in the South Carolina lowcountry, and earned 4.5 Stars and Top Pick from Romantic Times Book Club.
Look for her next release next spring, The Sweet By and By, the first book in the Born To Fly series with award winning country artist, Sara Evans. (SJ here: Oh my gosh! Your kidding! I cant WAIT for this one!! Ok...sorry for my outburst...back to the tour...)
Of the writing journey, Rachel says, "I'm humbled by the amazing things God is doing in my life. I love what I do, and am so privileged to work with Thomas Nelson fiction and am excited to see what God has in store for all of His authors and writers. Just keep praying and writing!" Visit her blog and website.
My thoughts:
Elle is the quirky, artistic, yet capable and down-to-earth girl next door...in small town, America. The kind of girl who can never find her other flip-flop but knows to what to check on her boat before leaving the dock. We met her in Sweet Caroline and I couldn't wait to hear more of her story. Elle doesn't realize how captivating she is, but she draws you in as a reader as much as she draws in the other characters in the story.
I liked how Love Starts With Elle had so many different facets to it. We're drawn into not just Elle's life but also the people around her. The lady who helps her build a relationship with God. Jeremiah. Heath and his daughter. Elle's sister, Julianne. With all that variety I feel that many people could read this book and each bring something completely different away from it.
I could relate with Elle in that she seemed confident on the outside but on the inside was full of a variety of doubts. Elle is also willing to do what it takes to make things work, while noting that the same thought keeps popping up. "Little doubts crept in at the oddest times." Just jitters? Should she ignore it?
There was so much I loved about this book, but I think the thing I loved most was the message that says by all means, fall in love, but don't fall in love blindly; things aren't always what they seem. Being single is hard but deciding to get married can be even harder if you're not careful. Rachel shows us how easy it is to get caught up in what we think or feel is right.
Rachel also does a wonderful job of showing how if we would just trust God with every aspect of our lives that he will work it out (a lesson I still need to learn). His plans are way better than our own. Elle nearly missed a beautiful, artistic moment because she was trying to protect her pride instead of letting herself be vulnerable and see where God takes her.
Want to win a copy? There are two ways!
1) I have an extra, brand spanking new copy of Love Starts With Elle that I'm giving away. Just leave a comment on this post and I'll enter you in the drawing. Be sure to leave an email address or some way to contact you if you win. The drawing will be Monday, October 20th.
2)Leave a comment over on Rachel's blog tour post for another chance to win!! And while you're there, be sure to check out the other fabulous blogs on this tour!
If you don't win...definitely go out and get a copy for yourself!
I know I've been flooding you with book posts (and there's another one coming Friday, but it's also a giveaway). But there's been a bit of a saga going on here in our little school.
I've gone back and forth on whether or not to post about it. I haven't really wanted to talk about it, but I guess I will.
Alright...last week a mom brought her child to school and also brought a dead bat (that their cat had killed the night before) so the kids could see it.
Saw it, they did. And touched it.
The bat got to meet mostly Kindergartners and 4th graders and some soccer players. Quite the traveling (dead) bat. Then...
...someone had the brain fart to think "hey...this bat might have rabies...hmmm."
It did.
The solution?
Call in the state health department, interview all the kids to find out who touched it and where, take height and weight measurements, schedule a meeting for the parents, then proceed with giving all potentially affected kids the opportunity to get the 6 rounds of rabies shots.
You'll never guess which ONE of our kids touched it. Jessica. You're shocked, I can tell.
I asked the other two if they touched it...Rebecca said "what bat?" and Mackenzie jumped backward and said "no way!" Jake just sucked his pacifier, thinking we're all crazy.
The highlights of the school/parent meeting? Ridiculous questions. Some good (yet somewhat vague) information. And one dad asking how the school was going to compensate for the kids' emotional distress. Basically...what you'd expect.
Now, they said that since the kids touched it on its fur/wings that the risk was extremely low. But then they talk about how it's a fatal disease and that the symptoms may not show up for 3 weeks to 7 years. Yes, 7 years. And once they show up there's nothing you can do about it. Fatal.
Not a risk we're willing to take, no matter how small of a risk it is.
So Tuesday was the first round of shots. The good news is they don't give them in the stomach any more...it's the arm or rump.
They were giving the shots from 3PM-7PM. We showed up at 3:00, foolishly thinking we'd be early and get out around the time the other girls got out of school and then could make it to Awana. Well, 2 1/2 hours later we're done. We were #24 in line. There were around 90 kids total and we left at 5:30, so I wonder what time #90 got to leave.
While we were waiting our turn, Jessica doesn't quite make it to the bathroom on time and her pants are completely wet. I frantically check the vehicle...I had no spare. I found a long lost shirt, but no pants. And we live too far out of town to go home. So I run to the local consignment store and grab her a pair of pants and get back. They were on #22. Whew!
(Oh, and while I was gone I had to take a detour because we had some high winds...really high, for here or anywhere...and it knocked down a HUGE pine tree...on Pine Street --how's that for ironic--and the top of it fell on the house across the street.)
Anyway...
Jake did amazingly well while we were there (thank you, God!), but was in meltdown mode by 6:30. So was Mackenzie, who had gone on an all day hiking/field trip. I'm exhausted and in no mood for whining, tattling, or any loud noise of any kind. Stan is working out of town. I put the kids to bed 30 minutes early, built a fire in the wood stove, ignored the presidential debate (remember...I was in no mood for whining, tattling or any loud noise of any kind), and read a book. My solace.
Now, you're probably thinking the same things we were: What idiot would bring a dead bat to school and let kids touch it? And what teacher would allow that? And what school would let them in the door with it? I have no answers for that.
But when I picked up Jessica today, my heart wrenched for her teacher. She's a veteran teacher and she was a mess. I could tell she'd been crying (probably off and on all day) and as we walked over to get Jessica from PE she cried again, saying this has been the hardest thing she's ever gone through since her parents divorce. I could see the hurt in her face and she was just in pieces, but trying to be strong for the kids. She was in pain about what her kids were having to go through and it was all I could do not to start bawling right there, as we walked up to my smiling, laughing little girl who had no idea what the next few weeks would hold. Six rounds of shots spread out over nearly a month.
You could see (and hear) the bitterness in many parents faces while we waited for the shots (the waiting room was the gym/cafeteria and then they...the state health department...took each child to a different building for the shots so all the others wouldn't have to hear the screams).
And yes, it made me literally sick to my stomach for my baby to have to go through this. But I couldn't help but think about how I knew no one would have done this on purpose and if I were in their shoes...the lady who brought the bat, the teacher, the principal...how completely horrible I'd feel. How responsible I'd feel. How my big screw-up affected so many people. I'm not sure I'd get over it for a really long time.
There are so many bad things that happen in life that we wish hadn't happened and we just have to go forward...and not live in bitterness (easier said than done). But show compassion and forgiveness. Because I've had plenty of screw-ups in my time and will do more in the future. And I hope others would forgive me when I do.
And if you're exhausted after reading all of this, you have my sympathy. I am too!
Well the weather has cooled off (at least here it has), so it's time for those cool weather recipes!! This one was new to me last year and it's made the cut for my recipe book.
My recipe book was a wedding gift and it's a small (8 inches or so) 3-ring binder and inside are different sections with lined pages where you can write in recipes. So for me to make the effort of putting a recipe in there, it has to be good (although lately I've been known to just cut around a recipe and tape it to one of my pages...letting go of perfectionism one baby step at a time).
I got this recipe from a friend and it came from a cookbook but I have no idea which one. I'll type it just like the recipe says and you can adapt it as you see fit. (I'm making this for supper tonight!)
Creamy White Chili
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cans (15 1/2 oz each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth
2 cans (4 oz each) chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream
In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Serve immediately. Yield: 7 servings.
And now here are pictures of Rebecca's soccer game. She's in the U8 (under 8 years old) group and her team is the Blue Supersonics.
Here's Miss Rebecca...the one in the middle. (That guy is their coach.)
She did great getting in there and playing hard!
Get it, Rebecca!!
She took a fall earlier in the game and spent the second quarter walking around and pouting. But at half-time momma had a talk with her and she started playing again. Come to find out we weren't the only ones...some kids were busy making butterflies with their hands instead of playing the game. And some kids just walked around, following the pack.
I don't know who won. They dont keep score, but of course all the parents know. I missed some of the game to take Mackenzie to the other park to get her team soccer pictures made.
Looks like this week is the last of our nice weather. I guess it's actually going to turn fall afterall. I was enjoying the 70/80 degree weather, though.
Oh...gotta go see if the girls have sweats they can wear under their uniforms now. Sorry I'm not more Chatty Cathy...it's a migraine day.
