One Little Word - 2011

I can't believe this will be the fourth year that I've joined Ali Edwards in choosing a word for the year.  I love what Ali says in the blog post I just linked:  "You live with it. You invite it into your life."

In 2008, my word was FOCUS. 
In 2009, my word was GENTLE.
In 2010, my word was KINDNESS.

In 2011, my word will be JOYFUL.  A word you've seen multiple times in this space.  Joyful as in "He makes the barren woman the joyful mother of children..." (Psalm 113:9).  I want my life to be defined by JOY this year.  As the old mother of four young children, I often "survive" each day, fall into bed exhausted and have totally missed the little joys of the day with my children.  I don't want that to be true any more and the change starts now.

I plan on starting a Joyful Journal.  Ideally, I'd like it to be some sort of altered book - but we'll see.  I plan on recording whatever small, simple thing or big, amazing thing brought me joy that day.  I'm going to keep it on my desk since I'm here at various points in the day, that's a perfect place for it.  My phone has a great little camera in it and I'll use it to take photos of things - so there will be some photos in the book. And I'd like to blog about these joyful things, too, to be able to transfer info to the book once I have photos developed.

There you have it.  I hope to be more joyful in 2011.  Purposefully joyful.  Praying that God will make that happen in my life. 

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

{so, if you're now hearing Johnny Mathis in your head like I am, I apologize)

Of course, it is December. It's crazy busy around here between basketball and Christmas "doings" but we're having fun and I'm not as whiney as I was last year (and aren't you glad?!).  I had an epiphany during the "round table" discussion time for our ladies' Bible study when the two ladies on the panel were talking about maintaining a relationship with your husband, and between your husband and children, when your husband is gone.  Since one was the wife of a man currently studying in Afghanistan and the other is the wife of a man who is an OB (and previously served in Iraq), I was set to tune them out with an "oh, this doesn't apply to me so I don't need to listen."  And Amber said, "You know, you remember that when your husband is away from the family, he often doesn't have a choice because his work requires it."  Whoa. Back up the train, time to engage the brain and listen because now she's talking to you, Gina!  Brad views what he does with the basketball teams as *work* (and he does get paid for it...not a lot, but still he gets paid) so in his mind, he doesn't really have a choice.  That has helped me frame my thoughts about him being away this season and helped me stop being so whiney.

We recently had the joy of attending the wedding of a precious couple.  We have known them for 20 years - since he was a toddler and she was a newborn.  Their parents have both been dear friends of ours - and as they've grown up, this couple has become more than just the children of our friends, they have become friends themselves.  Pretty cool.  It was a wonderful day, glorifying to God - I laughed and I cried.  It was definitely a day that bore the stamp of the bride and groom...just as it should.  The bride saw Elizabeth as we were leaving the chapel and called out to her, "Elizabeth Jane! Thank you for coming to my wedding! Come give me a hug!!"  Elizabeth was overjoyed, to say the least.  I mean, a bride is a big deal to a seven-year-old girl and especially this bride.  It would've been easy for the couple to have been so absorbed with one another that they didn't see us - but they reached out to a little girl and absolutely made her day!  Beautiful day, a lot of fun.

I thought I'd also share a couple of blog posts that I've liked recently.  One helped me tremendously in taking photos with Christmas lights and the other was thought-provoking about The Light of Christmas.  :) From The Daily Digi, How to Photograph the Lights of Christmas.  From Amanda, A Real Mess.  Amanda hits on how people have so glamorized the stable that they think their own life is entirely too messy for Christ to love them. It's only been in the past twenty years that I've realized just how filthy the stable was and become more amazed that Christ left the glory of Heaven (hello, streets made of gold?) to come to the filth of a stall.  No wonder angels stand in Heaven amazed at this, the Father's grandest display of love.*

*a line from All for Love's Sake written by J. Todd Murray

The "Christmas Letter" That Wasn't

I elected to not do a family Christmas letter this year.  Usually I make notes through the year about "big" events, activities, etc.  But this year, I just didn't do it.  Then I found a Facebook app that would compile my status updates for a year.  I decided to pull from it and do a silly "Christmas letter" for my blog.  Here it is:

2010 brought to you via my Facebook Status Updates (if we aren’t friends,  you need to look me up – I’m sooooo entertaining! {eyeroll})  For whatever reason, this Facebook app only goes back to February so I’m sure the most interesting stuff happened in January because, well, that’s just how I roll. So, I give you – 2010 in The Shoe, via 420-character-or-less status updates…the good, the bad, the ugly and the “Gina, you are totally losing your ever-loving-mind”.   

February:
If you tried to call my house sometime after 4:01p.m. and before 9:16p.m. and didn’t get an answer (or the machine)…well, that would be because my son unplugged the phone line from the wall.      Why, good morning, snow! Thought this winter weather was supposed to be “no big deal” to Central Arkansas.         Yeah – a foam brush, cardboard tube and votive candle will usually keep the toilet from flushing        Two years ago today we welcomed this precious baby guy into our family and what joy he brings us! Happy birthday, baby boy!!       When one hears a thud in the laundry room, one should immediately go to investigate…otherwise one will walk into the laundry room only to find about 100 oz of a BRAND NEW 125oz bottle of liquid laundry detergent all over the floor.  Just sayin’     3 hours and 45 minutes later…the laundry room floor is clean and smells like Spring Rain ALL.  Top of the washer and dryer are clean. Behind the washer and dryer…clean. UNDER the washer and dryer…clean. AND, I’ve got some clean towels!!          Y’know what? I love friends I’ve known forever.

March:
Thinks she and Brad should play Super Mario Bros Wii in celebration of our engagement 21 years ago tonight. We were playing Super Mario Brothers when he proposed!!     Walked into the family room this morning to find a dozen white roses in a vase on the table – and a very sweet card. A happy anniversary, indeed! 20 years ago today!     If you’d stop throwing dirt and sand at one another, you might get to stay outside longer. Just a thought.      Harrison sleeps better when he is covered by my Grandma’s quilt. I find that so interesting…and sweet!     A freshly-mopped kitchen floor is a guaranteed magnet for a homemade Cherry-Limeade.     Annie got dressed. I told her she looked adorable. She ran to her room and said to  her sisters, “Guys! Look at me! I’m adorable!”      Has no status today.     Now has a status: “ Mom, you are the master cooker of the burritos!” Does it get any better than being the master of burrito cooking? I think not!        Little darlin’ it’s been a long, cold, lonely winter…here comes the sun, and I say, it’s all right.

April:
Just found yesterday’s lunch in the microwave. Guess that’s why I was so hungry when Brad brought pizza home last night, huh?     {sniff} it’s a proud moment in The Shoe. I just taught Elizabeth Jane how to IRON!     Just as an FYI…name-brand Crocs shrink if they get dried in the dryer.     Licorice jelly beans remind me of my Grandpa Harrison. He always ate them. My Annie *loves* them. She had to have gotten that from him because she didn’t get it from me!     Going to pick up 166 pounds of beef!     Sheets and mattress pad in the wash. Pillow and pillow covers next. Then the comforter and blanket. Then the bathroom rug and a whole bunch of towels. Dontcha just love that unexpected kind of sick? Yeah. Me, neither.     Elizabeth just had her Daddy take the training wheels off her bike. Then she jumped on and took off!      So thankful for friends who walk the path with us…just when we need them…just how we need them. God is good to orchestrate things like that.

May:
“Mommy, I want a turkey sandwich for lunch!” “Bitsy, we don’t have any turkey.”  “I know, Mommy. It’s okay if you make me a turkey sandwich with ba-yonee.” So, Bitsy had a turkey sandwich made with bologna.      So, this morning my son proved he’s ALL boy. He pulled out the almost-empty gallon jug of milk and DRANK FROM IT! I was on the phone with my sister and said to her, “There’s something on the Y chromosome that makes them do this, isn’t there?”       Six years ago today we welcomed our 2nd Miracle into our lives. She is our little entertainer and drama queen. She loves God and His Word (for which I am eternally thankful), her family and piggies. She is the one who is guaranteed to make us laugh. We love her like crazy. Happy 6th birthday, Katherine Martin!!!       Elizabeth Jane leaves for Grammie’s today. She’ll be gone for TWO WEEKS!!!      Elizabeth Jane lost a tooth while at Grammie’s. It fell out during the night…and the tooth fairy left her money before she even knew the tooth was gone!      Listening to my sweet boy play with his Matchbox cars.      Harrison, to Brad when Brad changed the TV from hockey to basketball, “HEY! I like hockey!”       Freedom has a price and often it is a dear one.

June:
Is almost certain she didn’t raise her children to think they live in a barn       Harrison sitting with me on the sofa singing La-La-Lullabye (Pajanimals). So sweet! Love the song, too…it reminds me of when I was pregnant with him.     Trying to convince my two oldest children that sleep is a good thing when I was told, “I’m afraid you’re going to have fun while I’m asleep!”  “Yeah! We both are!”  Apparently I have parties while my children sleep. Yeah. Riiiiiiight.     Is so thankful for my BFF coming to the rescue by keeping me from appearing on “The People of WalMart” website. I walked out of my house to go to WalMart and had on my slippers!!!!!!!!!!! Granted, they were Vera Bradley, but they were slippers none the less. Panicked call to Kim solved the problem and I ended up in stylish flip flops.     Getting ready for the first slumber party of my parenting life. Let the slumbering commence!     Sweetness overheard from last night’s slumber party, “Katherine, I’m about to go to sleep. I’d like to hold your hand.”      They took all the trees and put ‘em in a tree museum.      Harrison’s preschool and college tuition savings will be used to pay for the heat pump repair.

July:
Pillowcases drying on the line. Hope it doesn’t rain while they’re out there.   Horrible, no-good, very bad mood.      Annie is officially registered (deposits paid) for preschool!      I just spent an hour obsessing over a “missing” Netflix DVD.  Went through the trash. Went through the recycle bin. Went through the house with a flashlight looking in, on, behind and under everything. Checked my Netflix account. They shipped the DVD YESTERDAY.  I wasn’t remembering the DVD arriving. I was remembering getting the email that said the thing had been shipped.  {sigh} Seriously?     Is making laundry detergent       I think the top of my head just flew off!       Katherine lost her first tooth!     Is listening to Brad as he explains the intricacies of open-wheel racing to a 2-year-old.  He also loves watching the Tour de France…the original open-wheel racing!       Paid off Brad’s truck!       Katherine lost another tooth!!       Pineapple KoolAid slushies apparently turn one into “the best mom, EVER!”     
August:
Performing emergency surgery on Elizabeth’s BehBear. He has a flesh wound near his left subclavian artery. I don’t think it’s deep enough that he’s going to bleed to death (how does a bear bleed stuffing, anyway?) And it’s certainly not as significant as his arm wound from last week. But to a certain 7-year-old, it is tragedy.        History, grammar and handwriting start tomorrow!       Just in case you were wondering: it’s really, really, REALLY uncool to discover your  a/c unit is backed up and draining INTO your house at 1:30 in the morning when you happen to step upon super soggy carpet!  Yikes!!!       Televised flag football.  Why?      The Big Girls and Brad are off to Chattanooga for the weekend.  Brad and Nin will be home Sunday. Elizabeth will be home in two weeks!       Fresh sheets on everyone’s beds. Line-dried in today’s wonderful sunshine!       Has a little boy who is upset that he doesn’t have a handwriting book of his own. Uh-oh! Looks like I’ll be heading to Mardel this weekend to buy him one!       When Annie talked to my mom today she said, “Boop, today was my first day of preschool and I didn’t get kicked out!”       Harrison was asleep when Elizabeth and Brad got home. He was so surprised when he woke up.  “Girl!!!! You’re HOME!!!!” and threw himself at her to give her huge hugs and kisses. So, so sweet!       {in case you don’t know, Harrison calls Elizabeth “Girl” most of the time}


September:
Three words: Pumpkin Spice Latte. It’s a GREAT birthday!       (to the tune of The 12 Days of Christmas) “from the first full week of preschool my Bitsy gave to me: a cough and a nose that’s runny…”  Mmmm. Lovely.       Listening to Katherine read LITTLE BEAR.  Yay! She finally feels confident enough to read a real book. Hooray!!       Katherine just lost yet ANOTHER tooth!       Tomorrow is preschool Pajama Day and as is his tradition, Brad is going with Annie…and yes, he’s wearing his PJs. Then he’s taking her to lunch.  So, if you happen to be in Purple Cow and see some man and his little girl in their PJs…well, they belong to me.      (I had three children with bronchitis and two who had it bad enough that it moved into pneumonia during September…it was a slow month for status updates)

October:
Came into the office where my mom informs me I have paint all over the back of my pants. Um. How long has it been there?  (it was dry so I’m going to assume it had been there a while)  YIKES!          The dried paint? It was actually melted crayon.  Lovely       is snuggled under my Grandma’s quilt with my baby boy watching the weather – he loves yelling out the numbers when he sees them.       I’m ironing (I know you’re shocked) and Annie is sitting on the sofa singing Black-Eyed Peas       Harrison has my phone, “I call somebody” so if you get a phone call from my cell phone – it’s really him.       Wasn’t it Nolan Richardson who used to call Razorback basketball “60 minutes of hell”?  Well, he’s never been at my house with 4 kids while I was on a conference call.  Just sayin’.         Is thankful for my fix-it-dude husband. He watched a video online to learn how to fix what was ailin’ the dishwasher!       Loves, loves, loves that Annie is singing “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. It is one of her favorites and she learned it in music at preschool. Thank you, Mrs. Laurie!!!       Okay! It can get cold now!! Thanks to some wonderful friends, we have our new heat pump installed!

November:
7:30a.m. and the kids are already asking, “at 10 or 10:30 can we have some candy?”      dividing your 20 item WalMart purchase into two 10-item orders does not qualify you for the 10-item-or-less check-out. Just sayin’       Bittersweet time laying my Great Aunt Kate to rest, hearing stories about her love for Uncle Wendell, about her and my grandmother (and my uncle who was rotten to the core!)        left debit card in the ATM at the bank, on the phone with poison control since my son drank 2oz of Dimetapp Cold and Allergy, left the van with the mechanic, cluster migraine, met with the Speech Path for Annie (she’ll start therapy in the next two weeks)…just a taste of the past 24 hours in The Shoe. You wish you had my life, don’t you?       Why must I suffer through fishing shows on TV?  The things I do for this man….       so very thankful that it’s going to cost HALF of what we budgeted to fix all the stuff on the van! (Kittle’s Garage in NLR, my heroes!)         some days there’s just not enough red wine       “Get inside with your sisters, you Turkey!” to which he replied, “I not a turkey! I a BOY!”  That you are, son!       “Wash my armpits!” all four of my kids say this in the shower. They’re so funny. Glad to know I’ve instilled in them a desire to not stink up the joint.          Those of you who know my husband very well know that he is NOT the world’s biggest Razorback fan…at all.  Well, today, I witnessed, for the first time EVER, him actually rooting and cheering for the Hogs!   WPS!!!        I don’t care if it says “I love Happy Days” you are NOT hanging a Post-It Note on my Christmas tree!              

December:
My redneck son: I take him to Fresh Market, he looks at me and says, “Mommy, we need to go to WalMart”  Oh. My. Gracious. Nooooooooooo!!!    Dontcha love it when you’re walking into Target and your kids say, “Mommy, there’s blood all over the back of your shirt. And you have a rip in your pants.”  Yeah. Me, too.     Too bad there’s not a Facebook app to compile status updates for a selected date range, export them (so they are editable) and let that become the family Christmas letter. App writers, get on it.       Wishing you a very Merry Christmas from The Shoe!!!

What Will Happen to Your Facebook When You're Gone?

What will happen to your Facebook when you're gone?  If I should drop over dead from a MI tomorrow (that's myocardial infarction for the uninitiated...and myocardial infarction is medical-ese for "heart attack") who would let my 748 friends know?  (okay, granted about 10 of them would already know as they are my family and first team)  Enter Otrib.  Or...maybe not.  I'm not sure.  I was asked by BzzAgent to review and blog about Otrib and their Facebook application "Final Wishes."

I have had two Facebook friends - both young - die unexpectedly.  Like it or not, Facebook is the way to disseminate information these days. If I were to die, how would my 748 friends be notified?  My husband doesn't know my Facebook password - and if my cookies have expired along with me, he's hosed!    So, Otrib says they have a Facebook app that allows you to name an "heir" to your FB page.  Actually, I think that's an excellent idea.  Facebook, Twitter, Linkdin (or whatever it is) -- social media seems to be here to stay - it's a good idea to have someone be able to access them after my/your passing to eternity.

I wish I could give you a full review of Otrib beyond "what a great idea!!"  But, it seems there are some kinks to work out.  When I went to their Facebook app website, I got nothing.  When I clicked on their link outside Facebook, I got the following:

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Page Could Not Be Loaded

We're very sorry, but the page could not be loaded properly. This should be fixed very soon, and we apologize for any inconvenience.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hmm, bummer. I'll assume the owner is going through some growing pains and will (hopefully) get it worked out.  A link to the FB app is on the Otrib site and I'll let you find it yourself -- also gives you a chance to poke around the site if you're interested.

Twitter won't care at all that I've kicked the bucket.  However, there are 748 people who wait with baited breath to see what we're having for lunch in The Shoe every day, help me find the remote for the family room or read about what we're learning in The Shoe Academy...my FB "public" will need to know I've expired!!!  If Otrib gets their stuff together, I'll be loading their app!!

Black Friday Shopping

As is our tradition, my sister and I were up and at 'em this morning.  Only, this year I started a little early - on Thursday night.  I know a lot of people have a fit about the Thanksgiving Night "door busters".  They don't bother me.  Our family gathers for lunch, not supper, and so by Thanksgiving night, we're ready to go!

Elizabeth Jane and I went to Michael's. Scored some great deals...and I looked at the Cricut...tempting!  I brought Elizabeth home, did some ironing (I know, you're shocked) and I was going to go to Toys R Us.  Insanity!  No way.  People lined up around the parking lot?! Um. No.

So, I went to the insanity that was WalMart. After Elizabeth and I got home from Michael's she reminded me that we'd not stopped at Kroger to get the stuff for green bean bundles.  I'd told her we'd have them Friday for lunch...so I needed to go get the stuff.  So, there I was. In WalMart. If you thought Toys R Us was madness it didn't hold a candle to WalMart (who really needs to be more organized if they're going to do that in the future).  I figured while I was there I might as well join the madness and try to grab a couple of Christmas gifts (what was I thinking?).  I wasn't stupid enough to try to buy the bicycle, though!  That can wait for another day.  So, there I was...waiting in the checkout line for over an hour...to buy six things.  Six.  A one-pound package of bacon and two cans of green beans included.  My daughter just doesn't know how much I love her.

Two and a half hours after I got home and got in bed, my alarm went off to meet my sister.  She howled as I recounted the green beans and bacon story ("You are stooo-pid!!!"  Feel the sisterly love...hahahaha).  We knocked out a few things on our lists - though much of our shopping has been done online.  There weren't many door busters that we "had" to have.  We did go back to Toys R Us, which was much more calm at 6:00 this morning as compared to 11:30 last night - walked in, got what I wanted (two door busters - another one was already gone and that's okay), walked out. Groovy, baby! 

Was home by 11:30a.m.  Still need to buy the bicycle.  And need to find the "kid Snuggies" - yes, two of my kids want Snuggies for Christmas.  I found them on Amazon but refuse to pay $16+ for shipping. (order not fulfilled by Amazon, therefore I have to pay shipping).  Crack smokers.  So, if you're in the area and you know where I can get kid Snuggies, Facebook me or send me an email. 

Smellin' Up the Shoe

I am a candle fiend.  I am also a candle snob.  A total candle snob.

Well, I am over my candle snobbiness.  While I love Yankee Candles and Taylor Candles and Colonial Candles - and always will - for the day-to-day yummy smells in my house, I reach for Glade candles.  Yes. Glade candles.  As in "sold in the home fragrance aisle at WalMart and Target and Kroger" Glade candles (and not the hokey "Glah-day" commercial...ugh, hate that commercial).

So, anyway, last year I discovered the Apple & Cinnamon fragrance right around the holidays and I really liked it - so much so that I asked for scented oil candle refills for my stocking (and got some).  I have continued to buy them through the year.  This year, BzzAgent sent me an Apple & Cinnamon candle from the Glade Winter Collection to try, "bzz" about and a few coupons to pass along (let me know if you want one!).  This candle gets lit every single day.  I like the fragrance, my kids like it...it's a wonderful fragrance. The Sugarplum Fantasies fragrance is on my shopping list, too (I've only seen it at Target) - (a) it's PURPLE, people!  (b) it smells spicy and a little fruity.

If you're looking for nicely-scented candles on a budget, I'm here to tell you, Glade's Winter Collection is a great way to go! I stocked up on several with Target's sale and will be including them with teacher gifts this year at Christmas!

Disclaimer:  I received a free decorative jar candle in Glade's Apple & Cinnamon fragrance from bzzagent.com (linked above).  I was asked to try the candle and share my thoughts with friends and family.  The opinion above is my own and not influenced by receiving the free candle.  I happened to have liked the candle before I got a free one to try. 

A Little Different Look

Despite being in the thick of winter - and closing in quickly on Christmas (too quickly!!) - I decided to go with a flowery blog design with colors that are more reminiscent of spring than winter.  Of course it is from Shabby Miss Jenn.

Here is Love

We sang this Sunday during worship at church.  Well, I sobbed through it and people around me sang.  After a Sunday School lesson on the discipline of the Lord (from Hebrews 13, I'll link you to it as soon as it is posted...it was awesome...in my head I'm sing-songing that word like Annie does) anyway, after Todd's lesson on how we should react to the discipline of the Lord, singing during the worship service was almost more than I could bear.

Here Is Love - ©2002 Sovereign Grace Music.  Music and extra lyrics by Steve and Vikki Cook
Lyrics by William Rees

Here is love wide as the ocean
Loving kindness as a flood
When the Prince of Life, our ransom
Shed for us His precious blood
Who His love will not remember?
Who can cease to sing His praise?
He can never be forgotten
Throughout Heaven’s eternal days

On the mount of crucifixion
Fountains opened deep and wide
Through the floodgates of God’s mercy
Flowed a vast and gracious tide
Grace and love like mighty rivers
Poured incessant from above
And Heaven’s peace and perfect justice
Kissed a guilty world in love   (And I say, "Thank you, Lord!!!!")

Oh how marvelous, oh how glorious
Is my Savior’s love for me!
Oh how marvelous, oh how glorious
Is my Savior’s love for me!

Of Your fullness You are pouring
Your great love on me anew
Without measure, full and boundless
Drawing out my heart to You
You alone will be my glory
Nothing in the world I see
You have cleansed and sanctified me
You Yourself have set me free

Amazing.  Absolutely, quite simply a.mazing.  Humbling. Awe-inspiring. 

Christmas Cards

So, you know I love working on our Christmas cards every year (which reminds me...if you want a card from us this year, you need to email me your address...do not post it here...because I lost my Christmas card database in one of my hard drive crashes).  Anyway, I love working on our Christmas cards each year.  I loved it before we had kids, I love it even more now.

This year, Shutterfly is doing an incredible special deal with bloggers:  Bloggers can get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly:  http://bit.ly/sfly2010

Can you hear me squealing from where you are?  Yeah, that's me you hear. I really like Shutterfly's design options and like free even more. {smile}  I've used them for post-Christmas thank you notes in the past (it was a fold-over note card of all three girls in front of the tree), and Annie's thank you notes from her 2nd birthday (flat note card with a photo of her looking precious). Our family Thanksgiving invitations were from Shutterfly this year and one of my sister's stocking stuffers is, too.  I've been pleased with them - both from the note card standpoint and the photobooks, too (a wonderful grandparent gift if you're stumped).  One year, a friend of mine lived in Europe, and she had Shutterfly include personal notes in her cards and mail them for her - they did a great job of that. I was impressed that my card had my note - rather than my card having cousin Jenny's note.  :)

I'm trying to decide if I want to go with a multi-photo card or a single photo -- I mean, we are talking about trying to get four children to all look at the camera at the same time, smiling or at least having pleasant looks on their faces. And then, do I want a flat card or a fold-over card?  They literally have hundreds from which to choose!

If I go with a flat 4x8 single photo card (the "traditional" photo card), I like this one:

(I'm seeing a lot of brown in cards this year, by the way)

I really like the bold, graphic look of this "Holly Chocolate" card (though this looks more like mistletoe to me? Am I crazy?)

 Trying to get four or six people posed for a photo to fit this card would be our challenge.  But I do love it...a lot! Our grouping from our "Jingle Jammies" photo last year on Christmas Eve would probably work. 

Oooh, but as I kept looking, I found this one and I love it. I love that I can choose a passage of Scripture to go on it.  It's not particularly "Christmasy" though...

And I really like the folksy, hand-drawn look of this one...not sure how I'd work 3 photos, though...

And then there was this one...simple, one huge photo, the word "Joy" (which is a particular fondness for me at the holidays since "Joy to the World" is my favorite carol), "glitter" (even if it is digital)...Yeah, I think I've found it...

If you've ever received a Christmas card from us, you know I love this quote - I use it every year, and this year will be no different:
And when we give each other Christmas gifts in His name, let us remember that He has given us the sun and the moon and the stars, and the earth with its forests and mountains and oceans – and all that lives and moves upon them. He has given us all green things and everything that blossoms and bears fruit, and all that we quarrel about and all that we have misused – and to save us from our own foolishness, from all our sins, He came down to earth and gave us Himself.

~~Sigrid Undset

Our Thankful Tree

We've finally gotten our Thankful Tree on the wall and have started adorning it with leaves.  My kids are so funny, and sweet, and somewhat predictable, when putting things on their leaves. 

I asked Harrison, "Buddy, what are you thankful for?"  His response (written by Elizabeth):

Rick and Teresa serve (oh, do they serve) in the two-year-old Sunday School.  They are precious.  Harrison has hated the church nursery since he was an infant.  He screamed bloody murder for about two weeks when he moved into that class and then...boom..."Mr Rick Mrs Teresa" (all one word, really) were the best thing ever.  He adores them.  He wakes on Sunday morning and we'll say, "Who do we see today?"  "Mr Rick Mrs. Teresa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  He's so excited.  When we get to church he runs to greet them, giggling and grinning.  It's the cutest thing to watch.  Knowing how much Harrison loves them, I was not in the slightest bit surprised that Harrison's first thing on the Thankful Tree was for them. 

Brad's first response (written by me, of course) cracked me up:

All I can say is "Amen!" to that one!   I'll share more photos as we fill the tree. 

Blowing it as a mom and the forgiveness of children

For three days this week, we had typical Arkansas November weather.  Chilly, overcast, drizzly days that seem colder than they really are because they're so damp. 

So, yesterday morning we're in the van and about to pull out of the neighborhood - taking Annie to preschool.  I flip on my wipers and one of them goes flying across the street.  Huh?! Why did that happen? Has someone been climbing on my van? (because they have a tendency to do just that)  Thankfully the wiper snaps back on and it's a very easy fix.  But, I'm fuming silently.

Then one of my children says, "Mommy, I climbed on your van. I know I was wrong to do that." 
"You did? Why? You know you're not supposed to do that. You're old enough to know better. You know Harrison gets in trouble for that.  You snapped off one wiper and bent the other one! Why did you climb on my van?"  I would not shut up. And my tone of voice was not kind.  Yes, it was an issue that needed to be addressed, but I did not handle it the right way at all.

Thankfully, when we hit the four-way stop about a half mile down the road, the Lord convicted me of how harsh and unkind I was.  She had admitted she knew it was wrong.  Yet, I chewed her up over it.  I wasn't abusive, but I was harsh in my tone of voice and rather than address it in private, I was unkind in front of her siblings.

The look on her face said plenty. I had hurt her.  I pulled into a parking lot, parked the van and turned to face her.  To her I said, "{child}, I was horribly unkind to you.  I was harsh in my speech. I spoke that way to you in front of your siblings, too.  Will you forgive me for being unkind?"  She nodded. Then to each of my other children, I spoke one by one, "{Child's name} will you forgive me for being harsh and unkind to {sister that I was unkind to}."  Each child said, "Yes, Mommy, I forgive you."  And then, the child I was unkind to said again, in the sweetest voice, "I forgive you, Mommy. I love you!!"  I burst into tears. I am so thankful that the Lord was kind to prompt me when I was way out of line.  I'm thankful that my sweet girl was quick to forgive (oh, may I always be that quick to forgive). And may I always remember when I am asked to forgive someone that I should remind them that I love them, too. 

Top Ten {Tuesday}: Boy, oh Boy!

So, I've covered our three girls with Top Ten {Tuesdays} posts.  Now, it's The Boy's turn. Thomas Harrison is our only boy, our last baby.  Oh, for the record, he'd have been our last baby even if he'd been Mary Juliet - we didn't decide to stop just because we "finally got a boy" (grrrrr!)  But I digress.

Some of my favorite thing about having a boy...in no particular order:

1. Ball caps

Seriously, who could resist this sweet little guy?!

2. Blue...and Brown...and Green

Sure, I could have these colors with the girls' stuff - but there's something that is just so "boy" about it! By the way, you know Egg kids have mountain goat in their gene pool - we long ago converted Harrison's crib to the toddler bed.  But I love this photo of his bed...from almost three years ago!

3.  Miles the Moose

Miles came to live with us from New Hampshire. He was a gift for Harrison back when I was about 8 weeks pregnant - my aunt bought him - she couldn't resist.  Harrison had his photo made with Miles every month for the first year of his life.  Miles also inspired my aunt to buy Harrison a lot of moose themed clothes, pjs and other toys. 

4.  Blackmail Photos

Oh will he hate me when he gets older? He'll have lots to blame on me when he's in therapy.

5.  Fun Toys

Ozlo was a Christmas gift from my sister. Harrison still loves this thing! The dog, his pillow and all his toys are magnetic.  He's loads of fun. And he's very cool!

6.  Tonka Stuff!

(photo from Tonka's website)

Yeah, Tonka isn't just your yellow, metal dump truck any more (though we have two of those!)  These little Wheel Pals are some of Harrison's favorites - and mine, too.  Typical of me - when I fall in love with a toy for my kids, I make sure we have them ALL. 

7. More Cool Little People Stuff!!!

(not my kid in the photo - it's from the Fisher-Price website)

Whoo-hooo! I get to buy even MORE Little People stuff!  (I love Little People) And this stuff moves, makes noise and crashes.  Totally cool. 

8.  Did I mention Blackmail Photos?

He wanted to wear a green headband.  This was the only one we had.  And then he put on the cat-eye Tinkerbell sunglasses.  I couldn't resist.

9. Older sisters

Harrison has had a special bond with Elizabeth since he was a teeny infant - as you can see here from early 2009 when they both had on their "cool" sunglasses. He loves "Girl" (which is what he calls her)

Katherine always tries so hard to help Harrison - and he is so often resistant to her "help"

Harrison and Annie feed off one another...moods, energy, you name it.  They have a lot of fun together and it's often monkey-see-monkey-do with these two!!

10. Having a boy who loves his Mommy...

He loves me.  "I love you, moon and back, Mommy."  His quote from one of our favorite books. I love you to the moon and back, too, Son.

For more Top Ten Tuesdays, see Amanda's blog:  OhAmanda!

 

More Miscellany from The Shoe

"The Shoe" - in case I've not blogged about it in the past - is what a childhood friend of mine calls my home/family.  I am "the old lady" and I "have so many children" (there are days when "she doesn't know what to do" is true of me, too).   John laughingly referred to us as The Shoe and it stuck - with other friends from our school days, with family and with some of my friends from church.  I guess we'll chalk it up to the "power" of Facebook.  Anyway, so here's various stuff from us since I've been pretty much a hit and miss blogger the past month.

Elizabeth is turning into a voracious reader.  She was so excited about reading a "chapter book" that she's already started The Boxcar Children.  She'll read part of it and whatever book is on her lesson plan for the day.  A few of the books on her list we are having to wait on, as they've already been checked out.  She still loves math. She likes history. She's okay with grammar but she hates the vocabulary words and writing in her journal. She has a few more weeks of manuscript handwriting before we begin the transition to cursive.

Katherine continues to improve in reading.  She has a great grasp for sounding out words - thanks in part to her reading curriculum but also The Electric Company. I remember when we first started watching the "new, updated" Electric Company, I did *not* like it.  Now?  Love it!  We've learned the idea of "bossy R" and it helped r-controlled vowels click with her.  She, too, loves math and history. She's not terribly fond of the repetition of handwriting, though.  If she could get through school without doing handwriting, she would. I remember feeling the same way when I was in first grade. 

Annie loves preschool.  We have had initial testing and evaluations performed for speech therapy.  Annie is a  thumb-sucker - and has been since she was in-utero.  As a result, she's a tongue-thruster and struggles being understood with certain sounds.  We have a meeting in a couple of weeks to get their recommendations.  They said her vocabulary is excellent for her age, but has issues with annunciation.  She has a "boyfriend" - something we've never dealt with before. When she gets dressed, "I have to look cute for Drew."  When we fix her hair, "I want Drew to see my hair look like..." {gives hair instructions}  "Drew is my favorite man, but I don't kiss him."  (good girl!!)  Drew is a little pistol - absolutely adorable - and personality-wise is a perfect little friend for Annie.  She's having fun and learning a lot.

Harrison is blowing me away with all he's learning these days.  He recognizes almost all the letters in his name - whether in upper or lower case.  The only letter that causes him to pause is the "a" - he frequently calls it an "e" and then will stop..."No. What letter this is?"   Last year in math, I had to make one of Elizabeth's manipulatives because the masters didn't come with the kit.  This year, Katherine's kit had them.  So, Harrison has taken over the old set. He'll hold up two of the same shape "How these matchy is?"  {how do these match?}  "How different is?" {how are these different?}  While I'm doing school with the big girls, he often wants his "reading book" - which is his folder with the Letter of the Week coloring pages. I am having a blast with him and trying to really enjoy these days while he is still little.  He will now tell me, "I love you moon and back, Mommy."  In the mornings when we wake up (he usually gets in bed with us at about 3a.m.), he stretches, looks at me and smiles a huge smile, throws his arms around me, "I love you, Mommy!" Talk about making me melt!

We've been busy doing school and going to birthday parties and having loads of fun...and sometimes, not so much.  Next weekend is filled with more parties...and a new heat pump for our house (speaking of the "not so much fun" stuff). 

Top Ten {Tuesday}: You Have to Kiss a Lot of Frogs

Today's Top Ten {Tuesday} is in honor of my daughter, Annie. She is our third-born, my fourth pregnancy. She is the baby I really wasn't expecting to expect!!  She is our most social child, very friendly yet not willing to let people push her around. She's the sweetest thing! And she's a petite little girl, too.  We call her Bitsy Bug.  Bits loves the color green - and frogs.  Oh, this girlie loves "fwogs!" So, today, I bring you all sorts of frogs from Etsy...

1.  This crocheted hat on Etsy is too stinkin' cute!  I seriously might have to buy one of these for her. 

She would sooooo love this!

 2.  Annie loves to wear stuff in her hair so she'd be all over this little sculpted hair clip - cute! 

3. Oh. My. Gracious.  To quote Rachel Zoe - shut. the. front. door!  I love this!

 4.  And the shoes...oh the shoes!

 5.  Or the sneakers...these are adorable, too.

 6.  This coloring wallet would be perfect for church (love the vibrant colors)

 7.  Adorable birthday banner - and what a treasure! 

 8.  And speaking of birthday parties - a cute goodie bag!

9.  Annie has a travel pillow that could use such a pillowcase.  My mom made her a pillowcase for her "big" pillow out of some fun bright pink fabric with fairy frogs on it...she loves it.  :)

And last but certainly not least...and not from Etsy...

 

10.  The cake I will be decorating for Annie's 5th birthday party in December.  I've made it once before - for Harrison's 1st birthday (froggy theme) and Annie told me then that she wanted it for her 5th birthday.  

So, that's what we'll do!

For more Top Ten {Tuesdays} see Amanda's blog. Write one of your own and link it up!

Elizabeth's Reading List - October 2010

Okay, so we've covered all the stuff E has read in September (including the four books that are on her reading schedule for this week).  Here's what is on my calendar for her to read in October:

October 4-8:

1. Miss Nelson is Missing! by Harry Allard
2. The Biggest Bear by Lynd Ward
3. A New Coat for Anna by Harriet Ziefert
4. Stone Soup as retold by Marcia Brown (this was the Caldecott winner in 1947)

October 11 - 15:

1. Mr. Putter and Tabby Pour the Tea by Cynthia Rylant
2. Henry and Mudge by Cynthia Rylant
3. Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
4. The Emperor's New Clothes - we'll probably use this one (Veritas Press has their own version but I'm not buying it)

October 18-22:

1. The Complete Tales of Peter Rabbit and Other Favorite Stories  by Beatrix Potter
2. The Rooster Crows:A Book of American Rhymes and Jingles - she'll start this one if she finishes Peter Rabbit.  

October 25-29:

1. The Rooster Crows: A Book of American Rhymes and Jingles
2. Ox Cart Man by Donald Hall
3. Bats at the Library by Brian Lies
4. The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack and Kurt Wiese

If she blows through the list above more quickly than I have planned, then she'll work on these:

• Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff
• Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective by Donald Sobol
• The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
• Mouse Soup by Arnold Lobel
• My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
• Now We Are Six by A.A. Milne
• Owls in the Family by Robert Frankenberg
• Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

There are several that I'm looking foward to introducing to her this year. Should be a great year for her!!!  And for me.  :) 

Reading - Katherine

Katherine doesn't have a reading list for September.  We've been busy finishing up Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.  Bless her - she has wanted nothing more than to learn to read since she was three years old.  Finally. She can do it.  She is a little afraid of "real" words and "real" books.  I have heard her sitting in the hall, all alone, reading Little Bear. And she's attempted some of her Fancy Nancy I Can Read books - and done well.  I'm trying to encourage her at every turn. 

Now that we are finished with learning to read, it's time to work on reading comprehension.  We'll use the First Favorites Guide from Veritas Press.  First up, she'll read Curious George by Margaret and H.A. Rey on Monday.  I have scheduled one week for the book and all the comprehension activities (this is the case for each book we'll do from the guide).  We have The Complete Adventures of Curious George and she'll read the story from there. She saw the book in her school crate earlier this week and squealed. 

October 4-8 she'll work on Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina.  October 11 - 15 is Corduroy by Don Freeman.  The following week, October 18 - 22 is If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff; followed by Blueberries for Sal (Robert McCloskey) to close the month of October. 

Elizabeth's Reading List - September 2010

Elizabeth has been reading some books on her own and some she's been reading to her younger sister and brother.  My goal for her is to read 16 books a month (4 a week) Here's what she's read this month - links are not affiliate.

1. The Zoo I Drew - Todd Doodler
2. Clifford & the Halloween Parade - Norman Bridwell
3. Clifford's Valentines - Norman Bridwell
4. Fancy Nancy: Pajama Day - Jane O'Connor
5. Biscuit's Day at the Farm - Alyssa Satin Capucilli
6. The Big Leaf Pile - Norman Bridwell
7. Lewis the Librarian - Charnan Simon
8. Froggy's First Kiss - Johnathan London
9. If You Give a Cat a Cupcake - Laura Numeroff
10. A Tisket A Tasket - Ella Fitzgerald
11. Dooby Dooby Moo - Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin
12. Goodnight Goodnight Sleepyhead - Ruth Krauss and Jane Dyer
13. Trucks - Anne Rockwell
14. Madeline - Ludwig Bemelmans
15. Little Bear - Else Holmelund Minarik
16. Little Bear's Friend - Else Holmelund Minarik

Books she will read next week for school -

1. Bread and Jam for Frances - Russell Hoban (only E's isn't an "I Can Read" book - she has the library-bound edition)
2. Doctor DeSoto - William Steig
3. Nate the Great - Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
4. Nate the Great and the Lost List- Marjorie Weinman Sharmat

It's that time of year

My last blog post was the day before preschool started.  That should tell you what things have been like around here since then. 

Annie is loving preschool.  There are only 10 children in the class; but, the break-down required a co-teacher.  Six boys, four girls. Apparently there was some significant wildness in the class.  That's not to say "boys are wild, girls are not" because I know from personal experience that's not true.  The teacher said it is the combination of boys - they feed off one another.  When we ask Annie, "Who did you play with today?" The answer is always, "Penelope and all my girls."  Penelope is one of the girls in the class. She and Bitsy have become fast friends.  Danielle and Happy are the other girls.  Drew is the one boy Annie will play with.  It's a cute group of kids. 

School is going well for the big girls. They are loving history (Story of the World, Part One).  We read the story of making mummies last week and I think we'll be there for another week. The girls are fascinated by all things mummy-related now.  We'll be checking-out some books at the library to do some more reading on the pyramids and mummies.  That'll be fun.  Katherine is becoming more confident in her ability to read.  The sweet girl has wanted to learn to read since she was three...and now that she knows how, she's scared to do it! I'm trying to encourage her as much as possible.  Elizabeth is blowing through library books, so we'll be starting chapter books this year.  I'm going to start with the original Boxcar Children and will use the comprehension guide from Veritas Press. 

I'm also hoping that we'll get to the All-of-a-Kind Family series by Sydney Taylor, which were some of my favorite books when I was a little girl.  I found a discussion/activity guide for the first book in the series.  I'm afraid many publishing houses would consider them too "old-fashioned" for today's children.  That is precisely why I love them, though.

Top Ten {Tuesday}: Oooh la-la!!!

Today's Top Ten {Tuesday} is in honor of my daughter, Katherine. My second-born. My "I'm what!? How?!" baby. My drama queen. My funny girl.

Katherine likes pigs. She likes bunnies. But that pales in comparison to her love for Fancy Nancy. If you have a little girl between the ages of 4 and 10, I'm sure you know who she is.  If not, you can check her out here.  (Amazon, not an affiliate link).  Nin's 5th birthday (last year) was a Fancy Nancy Fete put on in style by my mom, aunt and sister - it was so much fun!  And this year, she had a sleep over - the guests favors were travel pillows with Fancy Nancy satin pillow cases (pillows by my aunt, cases by my mom...the women are over. the. top!!!)  Facts are, I love Fancy Nancy Clancy, too.

So, here are our 10 of our favorite fancy things. Our list is inspired by Fancy Nancy:

1. The original. The one that started it all.  Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor, illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser.  I love how Nancy Clancy gives "how to be fancy" lessons to her family.  I love how they get all fancied up to go to the local pizzeria.  It is such a precious story about loving your family.  
2. I think I squealed a little when I saw this Fancy Nancy inspired hair clip on Etsy. How stinkin' cute is this?! And she's made out of ribbon!!!
3. The Eiffel Tower.  Nancy loves all things French because everything sounds fancier in French, you know!
4. Petits Fours. Dainty little cakes covered in fabulous icing.  And an added bonus? Their name is French!  Check out these from Dragonfly Cakes. Oh. Yum!!
5. Fancy Nancy doll.  Available at Target stores.  Katherine's Christmas gift to herself (using her Christmas money) a couple of years ago.
6. The jaw-dropping incredibleness that is this Fancy Nancy birthday cake. Oh. My. Gracious! I love, love, love! (only the orange and white iced layers are real cake, the rest are cake dummies)
7. Boas. Because boas make everything more fancy!
8. Fuschia. Anything fuschia.  Fuschia is a fancy word for pinkish purple - and is also Fancy Nancy's favorite color.
9. Accessories.  That's a fancy word for "extra stuff" - and you can never have too many accessories, according to Nancy.
10. Tea parties.  "Nancy" has even written a book on tea parties! One of Katherine's favorites!!

Check out more Top Ten {Tuesday} posts on Amanda's blog.