In Which Holly Gets a Car

In 23 days, Holly turns 16. I am excited for her. I am excited for me. I am scared.

We needed for her to have a vehicle big enough to take Thing 1 and Thing 2 with her.



It was a surprise. She had been having a hard day. She was happy and cried.



She quickly recovered. Here you see her with her very best friend, Charlie. Annie is in the back. We love you, Holly!

Jumpin' Into Christmas

I didn't go bargain shopping on Black Friday for two reasons: The first is that I really don't know what I need to buy, and the second is that I would have bought anyway. We had a TV that crashed so we did get a replacement for that in an online sale. After placing the order online, we just ran by the store and picked it up. Easy!

So, we spent our Friday at Hubby's grandmother's house, raking and burning leaves, and helping her prepare for winter. Although I wanted to spend the day at home cleaning and preparing for Christmas, how much better I felt about helping such a wonderful lady. Of course, I would have helped even if she wasn't wonderful....

Today, we spent almost all day just decorating our front porch. In retrospect, that is crazy.

These are dark (I'll try to get some in the daylight) but here is the result:



I really love these lights




I know you can't tell anything on the pics, but Holly, Annie, and I had a ball, even down to the smallest detail, putting red berries in the wreath and tree.

We have hauled all the decorations out of storage and right now my living room looks like someone set a bomb off in it. Hubby is bringing pizza home so I've gotta get at it. We're jumping into Christmas!

Thanksgiving

Philippians 4:6-7 (English Standard Version)
Do not be anxious about anything,but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
(Emphasis added)

These verses tell me that thanksgiving is vital to peaceful hearts and minds. This is a great day to remember thanksgiving isn't just thanking God for our blessings, but a step in the path to the peace of our Lord. Thanksgiving isn't just in the times we like, but in all our circumstances good and fun, or dark and painful.

Thessalonians 5:18 (English Standard Version)
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
(Emphasis added)

I confess, I have found this to be a difficult thing for awhile now. God is working in my heart, though, and someday I will be able to be thankful in everything. I have a lot of growing to do. I know that as I trust Him more, I will thank Him more, and He will give me peace about things I could never begin to understand or accept without Him.

For a better, more thorough exploration of this thankfulness with which some of us wrestle, I would love to direct you to the thoughts of Greg Sponberg.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The. Best. Makeup. Ever

I have been around the block when it comes to makeup. Let's just say, I need the help. I've tried several discount store and department store makeups, plus some. Last Christmas, my niece and another sweet young lady I know turned me on to Bare Minerals.
They said I would never use anything else. After almost a year using it, I can honestly say it is The. Best. Makeup. Ever. I don't use it exclusively. I use other products to cleanse and supplement the eye colors, blush, etc. I tried their mascara and didn't like it. But I love everything else I have tried from Bare Minerals.

Once I started using it, when I would try my old makeup, you know, to use it all up and not waste any, my husband and kids said, "Waste it. The new makeup looks so much better." I have friends who have had the same reaction.

If you haven't tried it, find a local retailer and have them make you up. Give it a whirl for a day.

Although friends say I should sell it because I get so excited about it, please understand this is my opinion only. I am in no way affiliated with the company. I am in the chainsaw industry.

But that's a blog for another day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Senioritis

Having a senior in high school in the house is a new experience for our family. Had I known what it was like, I would have "circled the wagons" to prepare. That is to say, I would have shut down life to the greatest degree possible.

Entering the senior year, we had our college choices narrowed down to University of Missouri-Columbia and Duke. Considering that Duke enrolls less than 1700 out of the 20,000 plus that apply, I felt confident we were settled on Mizzou, but giving God room to work "just in case".

Now, the picture is entirely different. He comes home with a new idea about where to apply almost weekly. Before, I was willing to go "anywhere" to check out colleges. Now, I'm not. We have been on four college visits, one of which required a 20-hour day to fly to the east coast and back. Unless we are on the final horizon of choice, I'm staying put.

The list today includes: Mizzou, Duke, Washington University, Vanderbilt, and Princeton. Thankfully, most of them take the Common Application, so we only had to fill out extra supplements.

Okay, so why the time issue? It takes a lot of time to educate oneself on the merits of various colleges to make a "short list" to which we will apply. Then there are senior parent meetings. We have to meet to discuss fundraisers to raise $14,000 (yes, you read that correctly) for the senior all night party and breakfast. Oh, but that is a whole other blog. Do you have any idea how much time is consumed in throwing away the dozen college brochures that arrive in the mail daily? The biggest time consumer is just the talking. Giving feedback on essays, discussing schools, test scores, making sure the applications are filled out on time and the letters of recommendation have been requested.

I'll be glad when this decision is made.

The Homeschool Song

This is good entertainment today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obUHm1RxVJ8

Hat tip to Amy for the link. Check out her story about getting along with her neighbors for another belly laugh.

Recipe for Jambalaya

This recipe came from my niece and her husband via my sister. It is an amazing and easy recipe for a cool night.

Jambalaya

1 pkg italian or smoked sausage, cut in bite-sized pieces
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in bite-sized pieces
1 whole green pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
28 oz stewed tomatoes
1 lb fully cooked shrimp (I use the frozen jumbo shrimp from Walmart)

In large pot, brown the sausage in 1 tbsp. oil just until slightly crispy. Remove sausage and add chicken. Cook until just barely done, and remove. Add pepper, onion, and celery and cook until crisp-tender. Add sausage, chicken, tomatoes and shrimp. Season with cajun seasoning or hot sauce to taste. Serve with rice.

Serves +/-6

My Munchkins

I am proud to be a mom of four children. Each of them are so different and wonderful. I'd like for you to meet them.

My oldest, Travis, is 18, a senior at our local public school, and is applying to colleges to become a premed student. I will give you fair warning: As a childhood challenge, Trav is now a source of great pride for his mom. (You may expect too much bragging.) He is also the one person who sets me off quicker than any other. (You probably won't hear about those times. )
He works at a local bbq place, sings, plays some great baseball, and volunteers at the hospital and as a peer tutor. Who couldn't love a guy like him? He is pictured here with his sister, Holly.

Holly is frightenly near 16 and a sophomore at our local public school. She is beautiful in every way, inside and out. She is one of the too good to be true girls. Although one wouldn't consider her in the "popular" crowd at school, she loves and is loved by a lot of folks, from very teeny people up to senior adults. She is active in our church in several programs, especially the youth program. Her grades are proof of her hard work in school, and I think I might cry without her hard work at home.


Next, you must meet Thing 1, a.k.a., Nathan. Nathan is sharp, his mind always racing, figuring things out, thinking up stories and jokes, and .... figuring out the best way to play video games without Mom knowing. His partner in crime, Thing 2, a.k.a., Annie does her best to be the boss because she is bigger, but Andy has a mind of his own. Annie loves puppies and everything pink, and she is a big help at home, especially in the kitchen.

Nathan and Annie are homeschooled in 5th and 4th grades, respectively. They love being homeschooled and are, for the most part, fun to teach. It is the other 20 hours a day that they make me nuts. They are both high energy and stay busy participating in a homeschool jumprope program, piano, guitar, soccer, and church activities. Andy also does baseball and basketball.
These four are blessings greater than anything I could ever have imagined and I am thankful beyond measure for them.

Mom Doesn't Sew....Really

This tale actually goes back many years to when my own mother was alive. She made a stocking for every member of our family, all the sons and daughters-in-law, and all the grandchildren. Then cancer claimed her life before the last two grandchildren were born. So, Grandma never did get to meet the two we call "Thing 1 and Thing 2". When Thing 1's first Christmas came, I dug through Mom's bags and baskets of knitting, crochet, and needlepoint and found an "extra" stocking she had made. Yes! Then, Thing 2 arrived. Bless her, she is nine now and has never had a stocking to speak of. Let's just say we made do.

Fast forward nine years. Thing 2, also known as Annie, needs a stocking. Now, I love to knit, but since I've been knitting the same sock (just one, not the pair...yet) for over a year, I have no false hopes that I can get one knitted in time. I balk at purchasing a "store bought" stocking, wanting her to have one with similar sentimental value that the rest of us share. So, we were on a decoration shopping spree last week and we decided it was TIME. She picked out the materials. We got excited. After we got home, it seemed those materials in the bag mocked me every time I walked by. They knew I have a history of getting the materials and never doing the project. They knew I was really really busy and didn't feel it was a good day to sew. They knew I hadn't sewn in years; indeed, I hadn't retrieved my sewing machine from the piles in our shop of items moved two years ago that still had not found a place inside the house. So, on Friday, I decided I was not going to put those materials in a corner. No, this time would be different. Several hours later (it wasn't pretty) we have this:

It still needs a lot of work. I need to attach the rather pathetic loop. Of course, her name will be added to the top. Can you guess what color the letters will be? I need to hand sew the edges of the toe and heel trim down, and I need to give an attempt to repair a botched spot on the trim where it is all lopsided. I am, again, NOT a seamstress. But this was fun. Did you notice the pretty beads that dangle down from the white trim? You sure won't find anything like this at your local discount store! I hope my sweet Annie can remember the day Mom made her stocking. It is very far from perfect, but it is already filled with a lot of love.