Denitra's Den

Christmas Greetings 2011

2011-12-20T17:06:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas Everyone!

We have had a full year here in the Mooney household. Never a dull moment with two teens and a tot!
Hope you enjoy our highlights of 2011:

Kids decorating Christmas tree this year

Phil and Denise

PHIL
Phil started his own business this year by becoming an LLC. His company of one is Embedded Innovations and he contracts himself out to different companies doing embedded software development. Currently he is enjoying working on digital cable set-top boxes with Comcast Cable. He has a long commute and takes advantage of his driving time to catch up on his "reading"...audio books! Phil is an Elder at our church, teaches our young adult Sunday school, and helps out with the sound system as well as the church website.

We enjoyed a couple of trips to Ohio to visit Phil's folks. Over the summer for Father's Day and most recently for Thanksgiving. On our latest visit we were able to join friends in Ohio to celebrate with Phil's college buddy, Hans, as he became a Colonel in the United States Air Force! This whirlwind Thanksgiving tour culminated in returning to PA just in time for Denise's 25th high school reunion.

Thanksgiving Day at Cracker Barrel

DENISE
I now introduce myself as a non-stay-at-home-mom, because I am never home! I enjoy volunteering at Plumstead Christian School whenever I can. Last year I was one of the lunch ladies and got a real kick out of all the high school boys who enjoyed flirting with Clara who sat in her stroller, smiling and waving at all the students!

This year I haven't been able to be at PCS on a regular basis because of all the other responsibilities that have filled my schedule. I continue to enjoy co-teaching the Ladies' Bible Study and Senior High Girls' Bible Study. Clara and I started attending a Kindermusik class at the piano studio and she absolutely loves it! Our church started a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) program and much of my time as Coordinator has been working with several of the young moms in our congregation to get that up and running in a matter of months! It has been a blessing to see God's hand at work opening the doors to allow this ministry and I'm so thankful that Clara and I can continue to be active in MOPS.

Phil and I also work with the young adults at our church, which involves Sunday school, dinners at our house, movie nights, game nights, sports nights and 1/2 price appetizers at Applebee's after 9 p.m. Let's just say they keep us feelin' young!

In addition to all this, I play Mom too. This means, driving, driving and more driving - to school, to church, to play practice, to piano lessons, to music class, to basketball practice, etc. The games, cheers, recitals, performances, applause, awards, hugs and kisses (these are usually from Clara!) are worth every mile in the car!

Target portrait for Mother's Day

When I get the chance to sit and relax I try to work on my blogs, My Mid Life Motherhood (www.MyMidLifeMotherhood.com) and Denitra's Den (www.denitrasden.blogspot.com). I have had a lot of fun opportunities and trips as a result of my blogging and am looking forward to doing more in the future. You can keep up to date with our family throughout the year at each of those websites.

THE KIDS

DARLA

Winter Ball 2011

Darla will be 16 in a few weeks! She is anxiously anticipating her Sweet Sixteen and is already looking forward to learning how to drive. Darla is a very active young lady in school, church and community. She continues to grow musically playing piano, saxophone and hand bells. Last Spring she was awarded "Most Improved Musician" in the high school band. After only playing for a few weeks, she found herself performing with the band last November for Sarah Palin!

Darla enjoys being part of the youth group at church. This summer the group went to West Virginia on a missions trip where they did construction work for needy families. Currently the youth are working on some service projects for this Spring and Darla is very excited about the opportunity to help organize a fundraiser.

TEEN WATCH

Darla & Micah in a friend's Quinceanera

This was quite an eventful summer for Darla and Micah. MomMom and PopPop McNulty took all their grand kids, minus Clara, to Florida! They visited family, Universal Studios with the new Harry Potter amusement park, and of course, Disney World - it was truly a trip of a lifetime for them all!

Disney World with the cousins

Darla and Micah also participated with Theatre and Kids Summer Camps, Micah as a camper and Darla as an apprentice. Darla had great opportunities to learn, perform and tour NYC. Micah had a lot of fun, especially enjoying learning to juggle - which he has not stopped doing every day since - it's his goal - juggle something every day! This fall both of them were involved in the T & K performance of Jane Eyre. Darla landed the role of Jane and performed beautifully!

Jane Eyre and St. John

MICAH

Micah is 13 and has been having a great year in 8th grade. This fall he was elected as President of Junior High! He has been enjoying this new role in addition to his academics, band, choir, hand bells, and basketball. Micah continues to grow musically as well, continuing piano and playing percussion. He too was awarded the "Most Improved Musician" for the Junior High Band last Spring and was thrilled to perform for Sarah Palin.

As Court Juggler for Madrigals

Micah started playing basketball and tennis at school last year. He is looking forward to continuing in those athletic endeavors. He had fun doing a juggling act at school as a jester in their annual Madrigal dinner. He has a new love for debate (could be the teen years kicking in?!) and is interested in joining the debate club when he gets to high school.

CLARA

Clara wearing one of Darla's ballet recital costumes

Clara turned 2 in August and we celebrated with a big birthday bash for her and PopPop who celebrated his 70th that same month. It is hard to believe that last summer she was just beginning to walk and say a few words, because now it's hard to get her to stop running or talking! She is a typical active toddler who loves to dance, climb, chase the cats, and play peek-a-boo. Clara loves to read and watch Mickey Mouse Club House, which Mommy appreciates for much needed breaks to do laundry or dishes! Clara especially loves going to music class weekly and cries when Darla and Micah go for their lessons, because it's not her turn! Her favorite thing is dressing up as a princess. Everyday she asks to put on her "pincess dess!"- of which we have many. Clara fills our day with lots of hugs, kisses and cuddles which is the perfect antidote to any teenage drama that may occur!

Well, those are just a few of the highlights of our year (like I said, we are a busy family!) We hope that each of you have a wonderful Christmas and, despite the hustle and bustle of the season, can rest in the joy of salvation we celebrate through the birth of Jesus Christ!

Love,

Phil, Denise, Darla, Micah and Clara Mooney

Dusting Off Denitra's Den

2011-12-20T11:57:00.000-05:00

It has been so long since I posted over here at Denitra's Den that I felt it was necessary to dust it off and keep you all up to date on our life (especially since my Christmas Card post never made it to cyber space...until today!)

I've been very busy trying to focus on My Mid-Life Motherhood, so unfortunately have neglected this blog, the laundry, dishes, and various sundry housework. As I attempt to get things a little more balanced, I hope to touch base here a bit more often, otherwise Cupcake will go from tot to teen in a matter of posts.

I had started updating this blog, but didn't quite finish. I thought I would at least post what I did, so you could see a glimpse of Clara before she started running and speaking in sentences. Check back this week for the update on the rest of us over the past year. Yes, there is more to our life than our cute little Cupcake...although she's the sweetest part! Enjoy!

Looking at the previous post from Clara's birthday, I can't believe how little she looks! Check her out this past Spring:

My Little Bunny at her first Easter Egg Hunt!

Me & My Mini Me on Easter Sunday!

At this point, she was 20 1/2 months (or 1 1/2 years for those of us who have stopped counting our age in months and have moved on to decades instead!) She is quite tall, although not as tall as Darla & Micah were, so she's actually the shortest one of the three. Measuring 33" at 18 months, if doubled that puts her at 5'6" when she's grown! Possible with Daddy's height, although we can't forget that my lack of height might hinder our kids just a bit. I'm not sure Darla's headed for the predicted 5'8" either (at least she's surpassed me by about a 1/4 of an inch, currently standing ~~tall~~ shortly at 5' 2 1/4"!). When we doubled Micah's height at 2 years old it came to 6' 4"... so we'll see if he lives up to that and passes Dad's 6' 2" stature (he should be passing me soon!)

Clara is just on the verge of the toddler talking explosion as she jibber jabbers away and attempts to mimic what you say. I imagine she'll be speaking in sentences shortly! Some of her favorite words that are quite clear are hi, by, and no (of course!). Below are some of her other favorites that require a bit of translation:

boooon: translation - baloon
baaaal: translation - ball (must be squealed with delight for accurate pronunciation!)
boo pee: translation - peek a boo
eetta: translation - eat
mmmm: translation - monkey (gestures with angry fists when she says this one!)
mow: translation for- meow (used to just say "ow" but has since added the m.)
dyeee: translation - Daddy (Finally started saying "MaMa" just the other week. When I would say, "Mama", she would say, "DaDa", with an impish grin...I think I have a little comedian on my hands!)
I...u: translation - I love you! (This is my favorite, followed by a big kiss!)

Clara is quite an active toddler! She is very friendly and sociable, which was quite obvious when her first word was "Hi!", accompanied with a very enthusiastic wave that has since morphed into a cute princess wave. She loves toting her baby doll around, giving her hugs and kisses (when she gives kisses she makes a ma sound.) She is an avid "reader" - she just loves to sit and look at books. Her stubborn streak comes out when we actually try to read the books to her, she likes to be in control of the pages!

Overall, Clara has really been an easygoing baby. She is content in her crib, highchair, carseat, and play yard and, if not, she calms down easily with the magic CD (Sounds Like Fun from Discovery Toys...worked for all the kids!). She goes down easily for naps and bedtime and usually doesn't mind being dropped off at the nursery for church or MOPS. I'm enjoying immensely reliving toddlerhood with Clara and reminding Darla & Micah that they used to be just as cute. As you'll see below, they are growing up!

Christmas "Card" 2010

2011-12-20T11:44:00.000-05:00

(Hmmmm, never posted this last Christmas, but thought it was worth doing, before I finish this year's update! Sorry, went ahead with only a couple pictures, just to get it posted!)

It's official. I've decided to go digital with our Christmas card and send out a Christmas post instead. It seems that once again, Christmas is around the corner and there are no more white spaces left on the calendar for me to find the time to get a Christmas picture done & printed, or to sit, write, address, stamp, stuff and lick the envelopes. So my procrastinatingly, hectic life, basketball mom, chauffeur, toddler time apologies to all of you who will be receiving my cyber space Christmas post. The boxes of Christmas cards sit on the table nearby, (they were nice too) and perhaps I'll get to send them out next year! (Ha! Who am I kidding?! It's only gonna get busier...but the busier the better because it is full of blessings!)

Family at GCC!

Here's what we've been up to in 2010:

PHIL & DENISE

We have been thoroughly enjoying life with baby! It has been fun to watch her accomplish all her "firsts" and reminisce about Darla and Micah when they were her age. They have both been wonderful siblings to Clara and it is a joy to see them interact with and care for her!

We took a few family trips over the year. Two to Virginia. The first, sadly, to attend the funeral of Dave, our Best Man. It was a blessing that we could go, catch up with old friends and be reminded of the impact others have in our lives. It was amazing to see and hear about the testimony Dave had and the lives he touched. We are glad to have had the privilege of knowing him and praise the Lord that he is now in glory!

Our second trip to Virginia, was our annual vacation with Phil's folks at his brother Steve's house in Virginia Beach. We enjoyed the yearly trek to the water park down the street, the beach, and even a sunset cruise on a tall ship! It was a great time relaxing with family and enjoying watching as Clara learned to push her little walker around. On our return trip home we made several stops to visit some old friends from college and seminary before a brief stay in N. Wildwood for July 4th!

The rest of the summer was put on hold when I fell with Clara and ended up in the hospital for 10 days and 3 casts for 4-6 weeks! That was a rough time. Thanks to my Mom, who basically lived with us for 5 weeks (and Dad who let her!), and our amazing church family who provided meals and more, we all ~~came through unscathed~~ survived! I've got a nice huge scar to show for it and a couple "football" injuries that now ache when it rains, but that is all much better than living in the dining room with a hospital bed in place of the table! It is hard to believe that it all happened, but I've got pictures to prove it:) Clara and I had a race to see who would walk first without assistance...she won...what an overachiever!

My fall has been busy with weeks and weeks of physical therapy while juggling naptime and the kid's schedules. In addition, I've continued to co-teach our Ladies' Bible Study and started helping out with the Senior High Girl's Bible study too. Phil and I have also started to work with the young adults in our church. We've been attending the Sunday school where we've been viewing Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace videos, which have been a timely study for us as well. In the evenings we've been organizing meals and activities with the group which has been a lot of fun!

The Kids

DARLA

Darla will be 15 in less than a month! Wow?! It seems like yesterday when she looked like Clara...sniff...sniff...sniff.... This past year she graduated from 8th grade with high honors and an impressive amount of awards! We are so proud of her accomplishments, but even more so of the Christian character she has demonstrated in school, church and at home. Over the summer she was awarded for memorizing the Westminster Shorter Catechism and she went on her first mission trip on her own with the senior high youth group to Georgia. There she was challenged in many areas of construction as their team helped restore several homes for needy families.

This past year Darla said good-bye to braces (round two!) and hello to contacts before starting high school! She is the type of person who looks quite different in glasses, so much so, that several people have not recognized her! She is growing up to become quite a beautiful young lady and enjoyed her first semi-formal dance at school just this week. She continues to play piano and was approached to play saxophone for the school band, which she has been enjoying. It has been a busy year for her with her involvement in community theater, school activities, church events, academics and athletics. We enjoyed a trip to Grove City College for my 20th reunion over homecoming and Darla expressed interest in attending - with her resume thus far, she should be good to go!

MICAH

Micah has been having a great year of transition too as he started at a new school. He graduated from Grace Christian school, which he loved immensely, and is now attending Plumstead too, which he seems to like just as much! He has made immediate friends, helped start a ping-pong club, plays percussion in the band, and is looking forward to playing basketball and tennis - all in all a great 7th grade year! He has been excelling academically, as well, which is good for him since he's having to follow in his sister's footsteps!

A highlight of Micah's year was performing as Edmund in the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe with Theater & Kids. What a thrill to land a lead right out of the gate and he did a great job with the part, we are so proud of him! He's been bitten by the acting bug and is now rehearsing for his role as the professor in Little Women at PCS.

CLARA

At 16 months, Clara is quite an active toddler! She is very friendly and sociable, which was quite obvious when her first word was "Hi!", accompanied with a very enthusiastic wave that has since morphed into a cute princess wave. Her other favorite words are uh-oh, baby, ow (for meow), bye, baaallll, dada and when she gives kisses she makes a ma sound. She loves toting her baby doll around, giving her hugs and kisses. She is an avid "reader" - she just loves to sit and look at books. Her stubborn streak comes out when we actually try to read the books to her, she likes to be in control of the pages!

Overall, Clara has really been an easygoing baby. She is content in her crib, highchair, carseat, and play yard and she calms down easily with the magic CD (Sounds Like Fun from Discovery Toys...worked for all the kids!). She goes down easily for naps and bedtime and usually doesn't mind being dropped off at the nursery for church or MOPS.

Happy Birthday Cupcake!

2010-08-13T17:53:00.010-04:00

It has been an amazing year watching Clara grow and develop into this little person on the verge of walking! She is pretty much in full control of her walker as she zooms around the house, making course corrections as needed to turn corners and avoid furniture. Her favorite activity is taking laps pushing her walker or holding tightly to one finger as someone strolls with her. When confined to her play yard, she holds on with her left hand as she walks the perimeter, climbing over the toys she has strewn on the floor like a little obstacle course.

Her personality is so sweet and adorable too! She's gone from those accidental smiles that amuse us to belly laughs of delight when we amuse her. She is gaining in confidence as she tries out new things with this body of hers: attempting to stand up without pulling up on anything, shaking her head to make her self dizzy, or trying to look through her legs without tumbling over! She is curious about herself and the world around her: discovering her belly button and then watching her belly move in and out, picking up my shirt to see what's underneath (as well as any unsuspecting person with a loose T-shirt that sits her on their lap!), or pulling at her ears and wondering why there isn't anything in them when she looks at her hands!

Naturally, Clara seemed to thoroughly enjoy her birthday. She just loved the attention throughout the day. She even got to go swimming in her birthday suit...how appropriate! It was her first time in our pool and, though she seemed a bit hesitant at first, after donning her cute swimsuit and sitting in her ladybug raft with a sun canopy, she seemed to enjoy the water.

Tradition in our family is to go out to dinner on one's birthday, so we took Clara to Applebee's on our way down to the shore. Clara is a real meat and potatoes kinda girl, so she really enjoyed some of my grilled chicken and veggies. At present time, she delighted in peeking in the gift bags, tearing up the tissue paper and pulling out her toys! She was not sure why all the strangers gathered around her to sing, but she gave them a little smile when they were done. We let her try a few tastes of dessert for her birthday. After she got a fist full of whip cream, she examined it before giving her fingers a lick and delicately putting her pointer finger back in the sundae for more. She was a bit shocked at first when she got a taste of the cold ice cream, but she must have enjoyed all the new tastes and sensations since she cried when it was all done!

Our little cupcake is no longer a baby, but a toddler full of personality, adventure, independence and curiosity. We look forward to another year of growth and development as she learns and discovers new things each day!

**********UPDATE**********

On Saturday, the day after her birthday, while playing with all the cousins, she decided it was time to officially start walking. Within minutes, she went from taking a couple of steps to toddling clear across the room! Her siblings and cousins enjoyed tiring her out by seeing who she would walk to, how many steps she would take and having her toddle to each of them to give a cuddle! Later, she enjoyed her first taste of fish (yum!) and birthday cake (double yum!) This time 'round she throughly enjoyed our rendition of Happy Birthday!

Clara's One Year Portrait

2010-08-12T21:34:00.013-04:00

Today we went to Target to have Clara's one year portrait done. For each child's 1st birthday we have gotten a special picture of them sitting in my Grandmother's antique rocker. My Great-Great-Grandfather made the rocker when he worked at Van Sciver's Furniture Co. in Camden, NJ in the late 1800's. In the mid 1900's Grandmom re-covered it with her needlepoint. Below are some of our favoites from todays sitting. Enjoy!

Star Wars Movie Party

2010-03-10T13:04:00.036-05:00

This past Saturday our family got decked out in our Star Wars regalia to attend Micah's 12th birthday party! We had rented an old, 1924, beautifully refurbished theater about 20 minutes away. The Grand Theater was the perfect spot to have a gathering of many Jedi, Sith, Padme, Clones, Darth Vader, Captain Rex, Han Solo, Princess Leahs and even an ear muff coiffed MomMom!
With light saber in hand Micah greeted his guests dressed in his tan Snuggie, which should of won an Oscar for its portrayal of a Jedi robe. I must say he looked the part and lived up to his Star Wars Jedi name, Moomi. One of the other mothers thought her son had spelled Mooney wrong when he corrected her by informing his mom that Moomi was Micah's Jedi name!

Goes to show ya that this was the perfect year to pull off a party like this. I was skeptical that 11, 12 and 13 year old boys would be interested in coming in costume, but they proved me wrong as they paraded around the theater, some in full costume and face paint!

The theater was quite accommodating to a party of nutty Star Wars fans, a frazzled mom and baby Clara who refused to nap because she was so intent on watching the movie! If you live in the area I would highly recommend such an event. We hardly filled a few rows, so it would be a great venue for a fundraiser or bigger showing. Check out The Grand Theater for your next party! The prices are so much nicer than the huge complexes. When's the last time you paid $2.75 for a reasonably sized bucket of popcorn?! Their regular showings, which are usually a bit behind the complexes, run $3 for matinees and $5 for the evening shows! I do believe we will be returning in the future:)

As many of you may know, every year I attempt some sort of themed birthday cake. Last year we had a Star Wars: The Clone Wars game party, so I combined two of Micah's loves for the cake: Star Wars & Monopoly. I made a cake that looked like a pair of dice and set it in the middle of our Star Wars Monopoly game board.

This year, Micah requested the Millennium Falcon. Uh, I don't think so! I knew that, with the baby, my fingers and back would not hold up to that task. When I mentioned that the Millennium Falcon might be out of my league this year, Micah readily offered his next idea: crossed light sabers. Now we're talkin' - that I could do! Apparently, so could he as you can see Micah's handiwork on the birthday cupcakes below.

Naturally, things couldn't go that easily! When big sis heard that I was only making cupcakes, she was shocked that I wasn't making a cake for her brother's 12th birthday. Feeling slightly guilty for not living up to traditional birthday expectations, I attempted to determine where Micah stood on the issue. He tried to make me feel okay with the cupcake decision (what a sweet boy!), but I could tell he would have rather had a more special dessert.

Having purchased everything I needed to do the cupcakes and running out of time before the event to come up with a replacement cake, I decided to be a little adventurous with what I had. Micah helped create the light sabers, while I worked on R2-D2!

This little guy was worth the effort when Micah gave me a huge hug and exclaimed how cool R2 looked. He was so excited about the outcome, that I was thrilled I had taken a little more time to make something for which he was so proud and thankful. Hey, I'm no Cake Boss, and given more time and the correct supplies, I could have done a much better job, but I sure felt like I had created the ultimate masterpiece for Micah!

Micah was so excited about R2 that he wanted to save him for a special treat after the party. He was quite downhearted when I had to break the news to him that R2-D2 had survived many battles in Star Wars, but he had not survived the trek home from the party.

Poor R2

Micah was a good sport and enjoyed eating R2 just the same!

(What a good actor - he really looks sad!)

Although the loss of R2-D2 was hard to . . . swallow, this ranks as one of our family's favorite birthday events!

Micah's 12th Birthday

2010-03-03T23:09:00.012-05:00

Today was Micah's 12th birthday! It is hard to believe that he is almost a teenager. Each year we let the kids pick where they want to go to dinner on their birthday. Every year Micah has chosen Chuck E. Cheeses. This is a truly monumental birthday as we celebrated the event at Olive Garden this evening. He really is growing up . . . sniff . . . sniff.

Micah enjoying his birthday shake.

Cuddling with Clara:)

She's not getting big bro's instructions for Mario Cart!

Sportin' a bib plus a silly grin for Micah.

So proud of each other!

Clara's Baptism

2010-02-23T11:05:00.009-05:00

Clara Faye Mooney was baptized on Sunday, November 29, 2009

She did very well during the service. She was looking around at everyone wondering what was going on. No tears, just smiles:) She also behaved very nicely at her luncheon...she slept the whole time while the rest of us enjoyed the Chinese buffet! We had her baptized the Sunday after Thanksgiving so all of her Grandparents could be present for the sacrament and festivities!

Enjoying her post Baptism photo shoot sans bonnet.

Awwwww!

The Girls

The McNulty Clan

The Mooney Clan

2010-02-17T16:18:00.000-05:00

Life Between Nursing has been busy. Clara is now 6 months old and if I can figure out how to use my camera with the new laptop, then I'll be able to post some current pictures. Oh well, such is life. I'll have to wait to Mr. Computer-Geek-Hubby is home to show me how:) Clara is calling for me...

A New Addition To The Den

2009-08-15T17:44:00.029-04:00

[This is Denitra's Hubby filling in for this post]

Denitra has had another cub, born on Thursday in the wee hours of the morning. Here are some pictures she wanted to share with friends and family.

Denitra announces she's in labor on Facebook at around 2:30 on Wednesday afternoon.

Many hours go by while Denitra does not care about posting anything to Facebook.

Denitra poses with new cub Clara in the Operating Room after a C-Section.

Clara isn't sure about all that light, the extra room and breathing the cool air and is overheard crying, "Put me back! Put me BACK!"

At birth, she weighed in at 8 lbs, 4 oz at a length of 21 inches.

Later on that day, she practices sleeping. It turns out she's good at it. Who'd a thought.

Darla visits her new little sister.

Micah is now officially a big brother (the good kind, not the evil dystopian government kind).

Mommom gets to meet grandchild number 6.

Clara missed having the same birthday as Poppop by only a few days.

Being a little jaundiced means she gets to sleep in the Bilibed. She's our little glow worm.

Daddy feels he doesn't have enough pictures yet so he sets out to photograph her waking up before being fed.

A big yawn leads to...

... a bigger scream.

Then daddy finally gets her settled down.

So Mommy's recovering pretty well from the C-Section so far. Clara's biliruben levels are stable (but still need to drop some) so all in all,

we've decided to keep her.

[This is Denitra, and I approve this message.]

The Triumph of Chocolate Chip Ice Cream!

2009-08-05T14:56:00.004-04:00

Since the end of June I have had to restrict my caffeine intake dramatically. I know, I know I'm not supposed to have any during pregnancy at all, but that is more difficult than you can imagine.

One of the first questions on my mind at my first ob visit was, "How much caffeine can I have a day?" Pathetic, I know. It isn't like I drink a pot of regular coffee everyday. In fact, I might only have one cup in the morning (and hubby makes half-calf anyway) and if I need a pick me up sometime during the day I might stop by Starbucks for my favorite, "grande, non-fat latte please!"

The midwives told me that I could have 1 cup of regular coffee a day if I desired. Whohoo! So for most of the pregnancy I either had a cup of hubby's half-calf in the morning followed by a decaf Starbucks later in the day or splurged with a tall latte as my one treat for the day. This seemed to keep my desire for coffee satisfied and I apparently forgot to consider the caffeine I was ingesting in the form of iced tea and the occasional chocolate treat.

At the end of June I headed to the gym to work out one day. When I arrived I felt my heart just racing and I hadn't even worked out yet! It was running at about 130 beats per minute. They immediately sent me home and told me to call the doctor. After several weeks of visits to the midwife, primary and even a cardiologist for a monitor and echo cardiogram - I was diagnosed with pregnancy tachycardia. All it means is that my heart likes to race occasionally and add a few beats just to make things interesting!

What it meant for me was that I needed to stop exercising for the remainder of the pregnancy, rest when my heart raced and, you guessed it, stay away from caffeine even more. Naturally, that last one was the hardest! It's pretty difficult to give up coffee, iced tea and chocolate when you're headed to Virginia Beach for vacation. Nevertheless, I managed.

Eventually, after several chiropractic visits, my heart rate decided to calm down. (Apparently my twisted rib cage was aggravating the symptoms and the chiropractor was able to help reduce them with a few simple adjustments!) As a result, I have found that I do not have to rest as much these days since my heart does not usually go up beyond 120 bpm anymore. Also, the doctors said that I could have some decaf and small bits of chocolate too...how wonderful!

So in an effort to satisfy my cravings for coffee and chocolate I have been on the hunt for some chocolate chip ice cream to go along with my "grande, decaf, non-fat, light ice latte, please!" To my dismay, however, it seemed that good old chocolate chip ice cream has become obsolete in the shadows of such superstars as Moose Tracks, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Cookies and Cream, and it's more preferred cousin, Mint Chocolate Chip.

I was beginning to become convinced of the demise of Chocolate Chip ice cream after checking out what seemed to be every frozen food isle and ice cream parlor from here to the Jersey Shore. In fact, I had just given in to mourning that old comfort food, when I spotted a sale on Breyer's ice cream today at the grocery store. There it was in all it's simplistic glory: Old Fashioned Chocolate Chip Ice Cream!

What a yummy triumph!

My Mid-Life Motherhood

2009-08-03T16:22:00.003-04:00

Check out my new blog over at My Mid-Life Motherhood. I'm just getting started over there and hope to have the opportunity to share with other moms the adventure of having another baby at 40!

Tribute to Grandmom

2009-08-03T15:26:00.007-04:00

Back in May I traveled by overnight train to Florida to attend my Grandmother's funeral. Before the baby arrives (in a matter of days!), I wanted to be sure to post the tribute I wrote to baby on the way to the funeral.

During the family memories part of the ceremony my Dad read my journal entry, my Mom read a poem she had written for Grandmom years earlier, and I read a poem about Great Grandma's teddy bears that my daughter had written six years earlier at Grandmom's 90th. I broke down at the end, so it's a good thing my Dad read the journal entry - I wouldn't have been able to do it at all (even writing this post brings me to tears again.)

So before time passes by any further here is what I had chosen to pass on to my unborn baby about the Great Grandmother she missed meeting.

Wednesday, April 27, 2009

Dear Little One,

Right now you and I are headed down to Florida via the train. I haven't felt you kicking too much, so I think all this motion is rocking you to sleep.

At 24 weeks you weigh about a pound and a half and measure roughly 8 1/2 inches from "crown to rump." Basically the size of a small baby doll...and that you are - a doll baby!!

The reason we are headed to Florida is to attend my Grandmom's funeral. It is sad that you will never have the opportunity to meet Great Grandmom McNulty, but I'm sure her legacy will live on so that you will come to know who she was.

Mabel Emily Seifert McNulty went to be with the Lord on Monday, April 27, 2009 around 2 p.m. She had just turned 96 years old the previous Sunday, April 19th!

Here's a few things about her:

Marvelous Mother
Amazingly Artistic
Beautiful Bears
Entertaining Storyteller
Loved the Lord

Another way to read MABEL is: Mother's Always Bring Extra Love!

Grandmom always made me feel so loved - even though she lived so far away and I only got to see her every few years. She was very caring and motherly to me. I learned most of my crafting ability from her. She was truly an artist with her sewing and crocheting skills. Our Christmas tree is full of ornaments that Grandmom made over the years. Her most favorite craft was making teddy bears. I used to get one almost every year! I think I have a doll or bear to mark every milestone in my life!! Before Grandmom died she set aside one of her bears especially for you. So you already have your very first teddy bear from Great Grandmom!

Grandmom was always eager to tell a good story from our family tree. I enjoyed immensely the fascinating tales of our ancestors and stories of Grandmom's childhood. Your name - Clara - is in honor of Grandmom's family tree. Somewhere, somehow she was - and so are you - related to Clara Barton, Founder of the American Red Cross. Naming you Clara is our way of honoring Grandmom and her enthusiasm for passing on all she learned of our family tree.

Lastly, Grandmom loved the Lord! From my earliest recollections I can recall Grandmom talking to me about Jesus. The stories of her life and the way she lived were a testament to her faith in Christ. I can only hope to have been such a testimony to others as she was to me and those around her.

From Grandmom, as well as those before her, to my father's generation to mine and now to you, Darla and Micah - a living legacy of faith has been passed.

May you too come to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and join us in Grandmom's legacy!!

Love,
Mom

Ode to a Nut

2009-06-11T20:52:00.049-04:00

A year ago this week we lost our favorite nut: Peanut, our cat. He was the best cat EVER and I still miss him dearly. I figured it was high time to write a proper tribute about my favorite pumpkin sized feline, recording some of the antics and highlights of his years with our family.

Prior to bringing Peanut into our home, we had already had two kitties. A brother-sister duo named, ironically, Peanut and Parfait (in honor of the peanut buster parfait at DQ!) While I was very pregnant with my son, Peanut got sick and died suddenly. Naturally, I didn't handle that well. Cried for days. Original Peanut was an adorable fluffy peanut colored kitty. He was very smart and could even speak and fetch with his favorite toy: a rolled up napkin ball!

Nearly a year after Peanut passed away, friends of ours were looking for a home for their kitty, named - you guessed it - Peanut! My immediate response was to fill that Peanut shaped hole in my heart, so we took in the little nut. He adjusted fairly well, considering the strange environment with another feline in the house. He and Parfait pretty much kept their distance from each other and he attempted to escape on a daily basis. I have never seen a cat so intent on getting outside. If you put your foot in the doorway to stop him, he'd just wrestle it down, flip over and make a run for it. Despite living on a very busy street, I finally gave up and let him become an indoor/outdoor cat. He was extremely well suited to the task and seemed to really enjoy the freedom.

About a year after we adopted Peanut we moved to a more country suburban home with a big yard backing up to some woods. This was heaven for Peanut! He roamed the neighborhood, hung out in the woods, kept many wild animals away from our house and everytime I would look out the window when the kids were on the playground - there he would be standing guard. Anytime we headed out back to play we could just call his name and he would come bounding out of the bushes to greet us. Considering he had grown immensely over the years, to a whopping 22 pounds at one point, his "bounding" was quite humorous! Peanut was the quintessential fat cat. He was basically Garfield in real life. When I saw those movies I couldn't help but laugh extra loudly at the fat cat maneuvers and falls which was art imitating the life of my cat!

Peanut became a household name in our neighborhood - everybody knew and loved him. For awhile there he would come home in the summers smelling like perfume! We never did figure out with whom he was having a regular rendezvous. One time I opened the front door to let him out, I heard laughter coming from our neighbor's yard and then "Hey Peanut, come on over!" Yup, our cat had just been invited to the party!

The neighbors on our other side loved Peanut like their own cat. They had a little bed for him in their garage and sometimes he'd have sleepovers at their house. They would even let him inside their house to hang out. When Peanut passed away they came over to the grave to pay their respects and we all shared our favorite stories about our shared pet!Some of Peanut's favorite things were:

FOOD

BEGGING FOR FOODLOUNGING NEAR HIS FOODPAPER BAGS

BOXES

LOUNGING IN GENERAL

Over a year later and I still pull into the driveway missing how the big nut would run to greet me as I got out of the car. I miss his addiction to feet - he had quite a foot fetish and loved to rub his face all over anyone's feet if they'd let him. If you didn't allow him to do so, you risked getting nipped in the ankle! In general we all greatly miss the cool cat whom we lovingly remember as being a "really good dog!"

Check Your Heart

2009-04-24T14:05:00.003-04:00

The other day I heard a little blurb on our local Christian radio station encouraging listeners to take a look in their checkbooks to see what is important to them. You know, where your treasure is, so is your heart. As I am the one who carries the checkbook, I thought this sounded like a great way to check my heart and see where it lies. OK, deep breath, here goes!

Gift for baby shower
Chiropractic appointment
School Tuition
Cash for lunches
School T-Shirt
Piano registration
Doctor's office for supplements
Cash for groceries
Compassion child
Cleaning help
Hospital bill
Musical DVD from school
Taxes
Taxes
Taxes
Dentist
Cleaning help
Church lunch
Church tithe
Macy's maternity clothes
Motherhood maternity clothes
Giant groceries
PT gym use
Cash for groceries
Church tithe

So to sum it up, since the beginning of April, the checks were written for:

friend
me
kids
family
me
kids
me
family
charity
me
me
family
government
government
government
kids
me
church
church
me
me
family
me
family
church

Yup, pretty much me! 3 checks for the gov't, 5 checks for church, charity or others, 8 for our kids or family and 9 for, well, me. Hmmm, my heart sure seems to be focused on me, me, me! I think I need to do this more often to check my self spending.

Well, that was a bit of an eye opener and hopefully, it will help me curb my spending where needed. I know hubby, and our checkbook, will appreciate that:)

Pondering Easter

2009-04-14T21:32:00.002-04:00

My daughter has been doing an online devotional with some of her friends. They take turns creating a weekly email devotion and I thought that I would pass on to you some of her insights on Christ's death and resurrection. A great reminder to us all as we celebrate Easter.

Christ's death and crucifixion. Luke 23:26-49

In this passage it talks about Christ's death and the pain he went through for us. If you can imagine all he went through for his sinful people that he was faithful to for so many years, well it's unbelievable!! Jesus was God (and He still was on earth) and He came down to this sinful wicked world to walk and talk with His people. He loved the people so much he died on a cross for their sins. He was sinless and yet he took on all of our sins on that cross so we can live forever with him in heaven. Imagine having everything and coming to sacrifice yourself for these people who rejected you and some who hate you. Even God the Father rejected His son when he was on the cross because he contained all the sins of His people. He sacrificed so much for us!

Here are some questions you can answer in an e-mail and in your journal:

Can you think of anything you would die for like Jesus died for us?
When you think of the pain Christ went through for you how do you feel?
Do you feel free to give Christ all your burdens of sin to hang on that cross?
Christ died for you, are you willing to die for him?

Luke 24:1-12.

One word describes this passage perfectly!!!! AMAZING!!!!! He is risen guys!!!! The Lord Jesus Christ was under the curse of death for only a few days before He was alive again!!! This story is so amazing. I just read the passage and do you know what I just realized? Before Christ died He told His disciples He would die and then raise from the dead. But those disciples didn't believe Him!!!!! After He was raised from the dead the woman told them what the angel said but Christ's best friends didn't believe it!!! They didn't remember what their teacher said!!! They forgot about how He mentioned rising from the dead!!!! But Jesus still loved them. Even if His chosen ones give up on Him, there is no way He'll give up on us. We might doubt Him, but every word of the Bible is the truth!!!! No matter what we do, if we're a Christian we'll never be taken out of His hands! His love is so amazing!!!

Happy Easter

Knowing

2009-04-07T11:06:00.011-04:00

If you're up for an edge-of-your-seat thought provoking thrill ride then this latest Nicolas Cage blockbuster is for you. Knowing is an intriguing suspense thriller that had me hiding under my coat for much of the movie. In fact, had not an old friend of mine been one of the writers, I highly doubt I would have dared to set foot in the theater after viewing the trailer. To be honest, I was a bit concerned about what I had gotten myself into after several previews for slasher/horror flicks that preceded the movie, but I braved my fears for the sake of helping contribute to the movie's eventual #1 box office slot for opening weekend. I must say, that despite jumping out of my seat with a yelp to the amusement of movie goers around me, I was quite impressed with the film.

Instead of just another spooky doomsday flick, this one wrestles with philosophical questions of the meaning of life while providing an action packed adrenaline rush. Nicolas Cage's character is a professor of astrophysics who, in an odd turn of events, finds himself deciphering a 50 year old list of numbers to determine when and where great catastrophes will occur. He begins his journey believing that everything is random and by then end of the film is realizing that everything had been determined beforehand. The philosophical aspect of the movie falls short there, without giving meaning or purpose to such determinism - something we can find in reality if we hold to a biblical world view. But hey, it was much more thought provoking then I ever imagined a suspense thriller to be! Many will note the obvious eschatological and apocalyptic themes throughout the movie. I, however, saw more of a modern day Noahic parable with recurring themes of destruction/judgment, pre-destination, election, redemption and salvation.

In my estimation, Knowing, was like The Sixth Sense meets Close Encounters of the Third Kind, with action sequences reminiscent of Independence Day. All great films, to which I think Knowing aspires. The destruction scenes in the movie were disturbingly intense, with amazing special effects. In the words of my screenwriter friend, Stuart Hazeldine, "I wouldn't have your grandma see it. It's pretty dark and scary in places, especially the disaster sequences." I would also recommend keeping the kids home too, otherwise you may be in for a few weeks of nightmares. I still peer out in the woods at night half expecting to see creepy men lurking on the edge...yikes! You know a suspense thriller has done it's job when it gets into your psyche for just a bit.

Well done, Stu! I give it:

Parent's Day Faux Pas

2009-03-18T13:42:00.006-04:00

This morning was Parent's Day at my son's school, Grace Christian. I arrived around 10:30 and we had a lot of fun together - even took him out for a treat during lunch! I would be remiss, however, if I did not share my story and provide you with a good laugh for the day. The thought still brings me to tears...

To start the special day, the whole school gathered in the sanctuary for worship songs. After that several of us parents were "volunteered" by our children to participate in some skits focused on serving others. Lil' Buddy and I eagerly joined in on the skit (because, if you don't already know, I secretly long to be an actress:) I must admit that I threw myself into the character of a-stressed-out-pregnant-mom-who-breaks-down-crying-over-the-messy-house...yeah, I know, it wasn't much of a stretch for me! Apparently, my on cue crying impressed, laughter ensued and I felt that we had achieved our goal: get the most laughs while getting the lesson across!

After all the skits each grade returned to their respective classrooms. I followed my son upstairs to his 5th grade room where we settled down to play hangman before moving on to the next event. Bud was up and after a few guesses I thought I had the answer, so in true Horshack form from Welcome Back Kotter, I raised my hand and piped up, "Ooooh!Oooooh! Ooooh!" When I went to answer, I realized that I must be wrong because I thought the answer was "storm troopers", but he had written so_ _ _ t_oop_ _ _. Oops, he had written it wrong, so my guess was right and it was my turn to come up with the next word.

I was completely at a loss for anything fun to write and felt that I just couldn't live up to the Star Wars terms that had come before. So I wrote my blanks on the board and declared that it wasn't much of a fun word before I took their guesses. I had chosen the word "CLASSROOM".

One of the first guesses was the letter "S", so I eagerly filled in the appropriate blanks. A few more letters called resulting in the formation of the poor dangling stick figure. Next was called, "A!", so I naturally wrote that on the board. Immediately, I chuckled and turned bright red since, to my astonishment, I had just written a bad word on the board of my son's 5th grade class! Quickly I turned to the giggling kids and smiling parents and begged them to hurry up and pick some more letters. It took several tries, but finally my son yelled out "R!" Whew! After a few more letters I filled in the blanks and we were on our way to the cafeteria chuckling the whole time. One of the other moms just looked at me, laughing and commented, "Nice one!"

Next time I'll be much more careful with the words I choose or else my _ _ _ might be grass - oh, look, another word I should never choose for hangman!

I don't believe I'll be living this one down for quite awhile.

The Feeling of Goldfish

2009-03-05T20:10:00.003-05:00

Well, it's sure been a long time since the last post announcing my pregnancy. Things are going very well! I am nearing the end of 16 weeks, have completely replaced my wardrobe and have said good-bye to the queasiness and fatigue that plagued me during the first tri-mester.

I was never one for morning sickness, so it was quite different for me to be even queasy every day. Although, the benefit of feeling so off meant nearly no weight gain in the first tri-mester! Compared to my previous children where I gained 40 & 38 pounds respectively, I am off to a great start with only 2-3 pounds gained thus far! Starting overweight this time 'round is limiting the weight gain to 10-15 pounds and absolutely no more than 20...yikes. With my previous record, I'm a little concerned, but I do feel I'm getting a better start with this one!

I thought I started feeling the baby a couple of weeks ago, but wasn't sure. Now that there is a consistent feeling of goldfish wriggling around in my belly it is sure confirmation to me that there is life within. Having had two previous miscarriages, I can't tell you how reassuring that little goldfish sensation is - it will get me through til I can hear the heart beat again next week.

Keep on the look out in April when I hope to reveal the gender - as long as baby cooperates with the "cameras" at this months ultrasound! Naturally, Darlin' is hoping for a baby sister and Lil' Buddy is hoping for a baby brother. In addition to a healthy baby, I'm hoping for a redhead!

Hopefully, I'll be able to check in again soon to recap on the many birthday extravaganzas that we've had the past few months. This week is Buddy's birthday and I hope to create a dice cake mounted on a game board for his birthday party. I'll let you know how that turns out!

Mommy Math

2009-01-28T17:06:00.007-05:00

Following is a mini math quiz to see how many of my friends and family check in at Denitra's Den, even when I do so quite sporadically! If you do, I promise a sneak peak at the bottom of this post, but you have to do your math first!

Solve the following word problem:

After 16 1/2 years of marriage, Mom has had 5 pregnancies. Sadly there have been 2 miscarriages. Happily she has 1 daughter who is 13 and 1 son who will be 11. How does that add up?

You do the math!

See answer key below:)

Back to the Bible

2009-01-05T09:00:00.003-05:00

The new year is here which means a time for new resolutions and goals, or perhaps reviving a few of the old ones from last year!

Both of my lil' cubs declared to me the other day that their new year's resolution was to have devotions more often, maybe even reading through the Bible in the year. So we discussed how they might accomplish such a task.

I told them that I too had resolved to be more diligent with my daily devotions, already beginning to work through a one year book given to me for my birthday. They were surprised, and responded, "But you already do devotions with Daddy every night." I reminded them that it is still important to read the Bible and pray on my own as well and that was something I felt I needed to get back to doing more regularly.

The whole conversation was a really good reminder to me about how much our little cubs notice without us telling them - like our daily evening devotions. And that through church, school and our guiding they have a personal desire to read the Scriptures on their own. What a delight to our ears!

All this was to preface the fact that it was high time I revived our Monday Morning Memory Verse! Since reading the Bible and committing God's word to memory is a vital tool in our spiritual belt then we best get back to it. To see what the Proverbs 31 wife has been up to check out some of the previous posts here.

The next verse is:

Proverbs 31:20 - She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.

This one is pretty self explanatory, but a good reminder nonetheless. What we have seen with the Proverbs 31 wife is that she is pretty selfless, isn't she? Everything she does seems to have a distinct purpose of serving others whether it be her husband, her family, her household and now those residing outside the realm of her home.

Up to this point we have seen what she has done and the tasks to which she has striven in order to provide for her household. Now we see her outward focus toward the poor and needy. With "open arms" she embraces her calling to serve others. The phrase "extending her hands" continues to give us a picture of a woman who is welcoming, caring and loving toward those in need. The implication to me seems to be that she is down at the proverbial soup kitchen getting her hands dirty. What'd ya think?

This brings to mind several women in our church who can always be found in our church kitchen. No matter what the event, from our monthly Food From The Heart lunches (which feed the poor and needy of our local community) to the banquets or church functions (which serve the members of our congregation) these women are always on hand to do the job. Serving others through the culinary arts is a particular talent, gift and calling to which they readily respond. It is a good example to me of some real Proverbs 31 women that serve their families, their church family and open their arms and extend their hands to the poor and needy in our community.

100th Post

2009-01-02T16:17:00.005-05:00

Here it is, my 100th post! I figured that would be the most apropro time to come up with my list of 100 things about myself. So here goes...

1. 5 ' 2"
2. eyes of blue
3. to my hubby I am the little curly redheaded girl
4. married June 13, 1992 to a guy named Phil
5. I am exactly one foot shorter than him
6. until I left for college I had lived on the same street all my life and yet had moved once...across the street
7. in our first 8 years of marriage we moved 8 times
8. have lived in our current home since 2000
9. graduated from Springfield High School in 1986
10. was active in our church youth group and community Young Life – even worked at Saranac Lake one summer
11. graduated from Grove City College in 1990 with a triple degree in Christian Ministries, Sociology and Religion
12. graduated from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 1994 with a Masters of Religion with a concentration in Biblical Studies
13. prefer Hebrew over Greek any day
14. absolutely loved archaeology with Dr. Pratico
15. have only lived in Commonwealths
16. born and raised in Pennsylvania
17. lived 4 years in Massachusetts on the North Shore
18. lived 15 months in Charlottesville, Virginia
19. returned to Pennsylvania when I was 9 months pregnant
20. we were plowed out of the Blizzard of '96 so we could get to the hospital 13 days after the baby was due
21. my daughter, Darla, was born on Jan. 13, 1996 - weighing in at 7 lbs. 13 oz. after 14 1/2 hours of labor.
22. I will officially be a parent of a teenage daughter very soon. . .yikes!
23. my son, Micah, was born March 3, 1998 exactly 81 years after my Grandmom Busza
24. he was my 10 pounder, weighing in at 9 lbs. 16 oz. - delivered in 1 hour 20 minutes . . . ouch!
25. I expect that either my son or daughter will pass me in height within the next year or two
26. I was born on Dec. 22, 1968 – Yup, I'm officially 40
27. weighing in at only 5 lbs. 4 oz. yet I came home on Christmas Eve. . . quite a Christmas present, eh?
28. I said my first word, "light" the next Christmas
29. I love having my birthday at Christmastime - everything is all decorated:)
30. snowmen are my favorite wintertime decoration
31. winter has always been my favorite season
32. nickname - "the ice princess" because I freeze people out of my car with the AC
33. I am usually very hot and prefer cool weather
34. Fall is beginning to be one of my favorite seasons because of its beauty
35. Rockport, MA was my favorite place to live
36. New England winters are AMAZING - I love a good Nor' Easter
37. taught 3rd & 4th grade at Covenant School in Beverly, MA
38. created and taught the Bible curriculum for my master's thesis
39. worked at Christian Book Distributors in Peabody, MA in customer service where it was proven that missionaries are indeed the most patient and kind people to ever register a complaint.
40. was a hostess at Schooner's in Gloucester, MA
41. also painted and cleaned houses while in school - but you certainly can't tell by the current state of my home that I ever did that professionally!
42. McD's was my favorite summer job down the shore
43. spent my summers in North Wildwood, NJ
44. waitressed a summer at the Triangle - best garlic bread ever, but concluded that waitressing was not for me and have never turned back...
45. enjoyed 2 summers on staff at Baptist Camp Lebanon in NJ
46. love campfires, mostly because of the s'mores
47. unfortunately hate being outside in the summer since I seem to be a prime bug feast
48. love kitty cats
49. have owned 6 cats: Topaz, Peanut and Parfait, Peanut, Swiffer and Shadow
50. had a dog growing up named Buffy
51. love movies
52. Elf is probably my favorite Christmas movie
53. Chronicles of Narnia, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of The Rings, James Bond, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Batman, and Spiderman are some favorite movie series
54. actually own a life size cardboard cutout of Data
55. prefer to watch a movie before reading the book, so as not to ruin my movie going experience
56. also love reading the Harry Potter series or listening to the book on tape
57. have watched all six Star Wars movies one after the other
58. invented glow ball
59. the previous two items are results of years of working with teenagers at our church
60. volunteered with the youth 7 years and was Director of Senior High Youth Ministries for another 3 years
61. enjoyed flamingoing teens' homes when the had great accomplishments
62. between 3 different churches I have invested 13 years in youth ministry
63. had to quit youth work when I came down with chronic vertigo and officially became a dizzy dame
64. have suffered with fibromyalgia for more than 11 years
65. have been able to get off of all my medicines for fibro with healthy eating and vitamin C therapy
66. have lost 12.2 pounds with Weight Watchers since March 2008
67. am extremely nearsighted with astigmatism, so I actually prefer to wear lightweight glasses with my contacts
68. consider myself a procrastinating perfectionist
69. have made a special decorated cake for each one of my kid's birthdays
70. used to have a craft business, Denise's Delights, with homemade candies and decorations
71. always forget what I came to buy whenever I walk into a craft store
72. Cinderella is my favorite princess
73. been to Disney 3 times with our kids and maybe half a dozen times before and would go every year if I could!
74. our family may have been the first to be kicked out of Disney World the year it opened when we were escorted to the gate because my brother was diagnosed with chicken pox
75. I got the chicken pox soon afterward at the age of 4 – even under my eyelids. . .yuck!
76. have made teddy bears out of old quilts - a lesson learned from my Grandmom McNulty
77. finished a quilt hanging for each of my Grandmothers and have many quilt squares still waiting to be put together after 14 years
78. enjoy the idea of scrap booking:)
79. was co-editor in chief of both my high school and college yearbooks
80. twirled rifle in marching band for 7 years
81. sold Discovery Toys and was able to get loads of great stuff for the kids
82. love to play games with our family
83. enjoy having a pool in the back yard, because I am not a pool person and dread the idea of dragging the kids to the local pool day in and day out for hours and hours in the scorching sun - this way I can lifeguard from the comfort of my air conditioned home or wonderfully shady deck:)
84. I don't have freckles, I've got teeny tiny tans!
85. was excited about sun block 75 spf hitting the market this past summer
86. chocolate peanut butter cup may have surpassed mocha chip ice cream as my favorite flavor
87. venti non-fat decaf iced latte - light on the ice please
88. chocolate is my favorite food group
89. prefer gold jewelry
90. 1/2 Polish, 1/4 Irish, 1/8 English and 1/8 German
91. Clara Barton may just be a great, great, great, great Aunt of mine
92. always wanted to be an actress. . .still secretly do. . . shhhhh!
93. the frizzy red hair must have played a role in my being type cast as the evil stepsister or wicked stepmother in children’s theater
94. when joining Netflix they assessed my movie interests as War Movies or Musicals. . . they nailed it on the head
95. love a good war movie at the shore with my Dad, especially We Were Soldiers about his college buddy Jack Geoghegan
96. at the end of the day enjoy a good episode of Psych with hubby or perhaps 24, The Unit, NCIS, The Bachelor or Dancing with the Stars if hubby's working late
97. absolutely hate country music
98. however, must admit to childhood crush on Glen Cambell, c'mon after all he is the Rhinestone Cowboy!
99. favorite music is Contemporary Christian Rock: Relient K, Jars of Clay and Switchfoot top my list
100. As a Christian I am indeed a Princess, daughter of the King of Kings!

Christmas Nuggets

2008-12-26T16:46:00.003-05:00

There is soooo much I need to catch up on here at Denitra's Den, however the Christmas rush has been just that. Therefore, a brief moment from our Christmas day will have to suffice. It's one of those little nuggets of truth that kids say that, as a Mom, ya just want to remember forever. So I'll take a few minutes to record it here for posterity's sake. Hopefully, after all the parties are over and the company has gone I will be able to properly blog once more:)

Last night, after a very busy Christmas day full of wonderful presents given and received, bedtime arrived and I went to tuck my little tired and sick cubs in bed. After praying with them and kissing them good night, I asked them, "So was this the best Christmas ever?!"

Lil' Buddy perked right up and replied, "It was second best!" while thrusting two eager fingers up into the air.

Surprised by his answer I asked, "Oh, what was the best one?"

Excitedly he responded, "Jesus' birthday, of course!"

Thanks Bud, for reminding me what Christmas is all about! The birth of Christ our Savior! Merry Christmas everyone!

Fasting on Stuffed Animals

2008-12-02T20:11:00.004-05:00

Seems I completely missed November here in blogsville! Been quite busy and unfortunately haven't got the time to do a complete overview. But before I forget, I want to pass on a conversation I had with my son this morning.

While we were getting things together for school Lil' Buddy informed me that for the next three days he would be "fasting on stuffed animals." He said that every time he thinks about playing with them he just prays because, "sometimes stuffed animals get in the way of God."

Be still my heart! How precious is that?! Guess it's time to see what "stuffed animals" might be in my way too.

Go Phillies!

2008-10-15T11:21:00.005-04:00

My latest creation for a friend - for her son's 9th birthday!

Thought it was apropos with the Phillies in the playoffs!

Just A Couple O' Eggheads!

2008-10-10T11:11:00.002-04:00

Like father, like son!

Talkin' Pennsylvanian

2008-10-03T12:58:00.005-04:00

A friend of mine just sent me the following e-mail. As I haven't had time to do a real post, I thought I would put it up to honor my PA friends and family! Having lived in both suburban Philly and Western, PA, I was quite familiar with all of these. I inserted some of my own comments in italics.

Once a Pennsylvanian, ALWAYS a Pennsylvanian!

- We never refer to Philadelphia as anything but 'Philly' and New Jersey has always been ' Jersey.'

- We don't go to the beach, we go "down the shore." (To be precise, that's the Jersey shore.)

- We refer to Pennsylvania as "PA" (pronounced Pee-Ay). (Hmmmm, how else would you pronounce, PA? )

-" You guys" (or even "youze guys", in some places (yeah, only if you're from Philly!)) is a perfectly acceptable reference to a group of men and women.

- We know how to respond to the question 'Djeetyet?' (Did you eat yet?)

- We learned to pronounce Bryn Mawr, Wilkes-Barre, Schuylkill, the Pocono's, Bala Cynwyd, Duquesne and Monongahela.

- We know it's pronounced Lank-ister and not Lan-kaster. (Drives me carrrazzzy when it is pronounced incorrectly, too!)

- We know what a 'Mummer' is, and are disappointed if we can't catch at least highlights of the parade. (And may be known to be the only one doing the Mummer Strut to 'Oh Those Golden Slippers' at midnight on New Year's Eve with your friends staring at you in dismay! This is really a local Philly tradition)

- We know who 'Punxsutawney Phil' is, and what it means if he sees his shadow. (As well as anyone who has seen Ground Hog's Day!)

- The first day of buck and the first day of doe seasons are school holidays. (Usually limited to more rural locations. I never experienced that until I went to school out in Western PA.)

- At least five people on your block have electric 'candles' in all or most of their windows all year long. (2 or 3)

- We know what a 'State Store' is, and our out-of-state friends find it incredulous that we can't purchase liquor at the mini-mart.

- Words like 'hoagie,' 'crick,' 'chipped ham,' 'dippy eggs', 'sticky buns,' 'shoo-fly pie,' 'lemon sponge pie', 'pierogies' and 'pocketbook' actually mean something to you. (By the way, that last one's PA slang for a purse!) (Seriously, do people not call it a pocketbook elsewhere? I use both terms.)

- We can eat cold pizza (even for breakfast!) and know others who do the same. Those from NY find this 'barbaric.' (I find it quite barbaric myself. Hubby, however, took advantage of my absence one weekend recently to introduce our son to the fine dining experience of cold pizza for breakfast. He was proud of it,too!)

- We not only have heard of Birch Beer, but know it comes in several colors.

- We know the difference between a cheese steak and a pizza steak sandwich , and know that it is impossible to get a really good one anywhere outside of the Philly area. (Amen!)

- We live for summer, when street and county fairs signal the beginning of funnel cake season. (Personally, I associate it with the Wildwood Boardwalk and Fall craft shows.)

- We know that Blue Bell, Intercourse, Paradise, Climax, Bird-in-Hand, Beaver, Moon, Virginville, Mars, Bethlehem, Hershey, Indiana, Sinking Spring, Jersey Shore, State College, Washington Crossing, Jim Thorpe, King of Prussia, Wind Gap, and Slippery Rock are all PA towns ... and the first three were consecutive stops on the old Reading RR! (PS - That's pronounced Redd-ing.)

- We know what a township, borough, and commonwealth are.

- We can identify drivers from other states by their unique and irritating driving habits.

- A traffic jam is 10 cars waiting to pass a horse-drawn carriage on the highway in Lancaster . (And remember ... that's Lank-ister!) (Traffic jams always occurs on the PA Turnpike and Rt 80 for mile stretches, only due to continuous decades of construction (which is not nearly as adorable as a horse and buggy!)

- We know several people who have hit deer more than once. (And a bear, but I'll save that story for another day!)

- We carry jumper cables in our cars and female passengers know how to use them. (Doesn't everyone?!)

- Driving is always better in winter because the potholes are filled with snow. (Still LOL over this one!)

- As a kid we built snow forts and leaf piles that were taller than we were. (That's the good old days - not now.) (Awww, I remember doing that!)

- We know beer doesn't grow in a garden, but know where to find a beer garden.

- We also know someone who lives 'down the lane'.

- We suffer through sports seasons and valiantly come back for more every year. (Philly fans are quite unique!)

YEAH! THAT'S GOOD O L' 'PA' AND WE LOVE IT!

Back to Proverbs 31

2008-09-29T10:28:00.007-04:00

It's been awhile since we've looked at Proverbs 31, so I thought it was time to get back to it. Here's a summary:

v. 1-10: King Lemuel's mom is busy teaching him how to be a ruler. Basically, be wary of women, use wisdom in choosing your friends and advisors, and avoid drunkenness. Speak up to defend the rights of the poor, the needy, and those who cannot speak for themselves. Judge fairly.

v.1-18: Mom now tells Lemuel what to look for in a wife. A woman who loves him, works with eager hands, provides for her family, has a mind for business and delegation, and is creative.

Proverbs 31:19 - In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

I suppose it's time for me to pull out my sewing machine, eh? Well, not sure the text is telling us we have to be expert seamstresses, but in context of the previous verses it is telling us to get to work. We should be actually "working" to take care of our families.

Uggh, why'd I have to write that? I really dislike working around the home (so glad I don't have a web-cam or you could see what an obvious statement that is!) It can be pretty boring to do dishes, laundry, and cleaning all day. Yet, this is a good reminder to have a good attitude while accomplishing these mundane tasks that we are called to do in order to care for our family.

We've seen this Proverbs 31 woman selecting wool and flax, working vigorously with eager hands, shopping in the markets for imported foods, getting up before the family to prepare for the day, delegating tasks, and building a home-based business! Who knew you could find all that in just a few verses from the Bible?!

Now we see her spinning yarn and later we will see her making items for her family, to give to the needy and to sell at the market. She's quite an amazing woman, isn't she?

Sometimes it is hard for us as women to compare ourselves to the Proverbs 31 woman. It can be a little overwhelming to see what this ancient woman was able to accomplish in comparison to what we may do as modern women. I think the general gist that we are to take away from this, is to be creative in how we care for our family.

Do what you can do. Look at the talents God has blessed you with and consider how you can use them to bless your family. It may just be planting a few tomatoes in your backyard, selling some items on e-bay, cleaning out the closet to donate items or listening to Hubby when he tells you to actually spend the grocery money on groceries this time. (I'm still trying to figure out why he keeps telling me that every week...!)

So, keep your hands to the distaff and start spinning, ladies!

Random Things

2008-09-25T17:19:00.005-04:00

I was tagged by my friend over at Genesis Moments.

Here are six random things about myself:

1. I am "5 foot 2 - eyes of blue!"

2. With red hair I look quite Irish, but I am actually 1/2 Polish, 1/4 Irish, 1/8 German and 1/8 English.

3. In an unplanned act of irony (or perhaps stupidity) I wore my "Polish/Irish: Pierogis/Potatoes" shirt to my Weight Watcher's meeting the other day. Fortunately, after the lady commented on the not so healthy foods emblazoned on my chest in their respective country's colors, it was a good weigh in:)

4. When we were kids, my brother and I used to make bouncy balls out of scotch tape and water.

5. My family claims that we are related to Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross.

6. I just called my Senators and House Representative for the first time ever regarding the bail out bill they are debating.

I am tagging:

The Hand Clan
Drinking From My Saucer
God's Grace In Practice

RULES:
1. Link to the person who tagged you. 2. Post the rules on the blog. 3. Write six random things about yourself. 4. Tag a few people at the end of your post. 5. Let each person know he or she has been tagged.

Waking Up Is Hard To Do updated

2008-09-24T09:17:00.008-04:00

"Waking up is hard to do, la, la, la, la, la!" That's pretty much our theme song 'round the den these days.

Yesterday morning when Hubby tried to get Lil' Buddy up he said, "Time to get up, Bud. I thought you wanted to get up at 7 a.m." "Yup" he replied. "Well, it's 10 after." His response, "I was rounding."

This morning our son was still asleep and Hubby called up the stairs. "C'mon Bud, it's time to get up." A groggy answer from the dark hallway, "But it's not seven yet." Hubby retorted, "I was rounding!"

The cubs seem to be spending way too much time on homework so consequently their bedtime ends up being closer to 9:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. instead of 8:30 p.m.! This makes for some rather groggy mornings!

Yesterday, both of them went a bit overboard on their homework assignments. I think I got myself a couple of overachievers here.

Pulling in to our driveway from the bus stop, Buddy burst into tears at the realization that he had forgotten his history book. After quite a few attempts at consoling him, I finally convinced him to call a friend to see if he could borrow the book for the evening if his friend had finished the assignment. The alternative was to get to school early when he would have about a half hour to do the work. This suggestion only brought wails of, "But that won't be enough time and I'll get an "F"."

Fortunately, we were able to avoid more tears by borrowing the book and he happily worked on it the rest of the evening. Since I was busy with my own study and he was contentedly working as usual, it didn't occur to me that he was still doing the same assignment at 9 p.m. My question to him was, "Why was your friend done at 4:30 p.m. and you're taking so long?" His response, "I think I'm doing too much notes." Yaaaah, I think so! That'll be a doozy of a 5th grade history test to study for tomorrow.

Darlin' who loves to write had an assignment to write a memoir of a specific event in her life. She has thrown herself into that assignment with much enthusiasm over the past week or so. Being in 7th grade, she's been pretty independent with her homework, bringing home the usual straight A's. All this to explain why I was quite surprised when asked to proofread a 10 page paper! I probably would have curbed her enthusiasm a bit if I had been more aware prior to late last night that she was writing a small novel. Despite all our efforts, Hubby and I could not find any information on guidelines for this particular paper (ie how long was it really supposed to be? I'm guessing a couple pages!) In fact, Darlin' was shocked at the suggestion that some of her classmate may only be writing a page. Oh, well, live and learn. At least it was a good read!

Well, I can't complain about having two exceptional students who take their elementary and junior high studies very seriously, but I suppose I can have a good chuckle every now and then!

*updated below*
Thought I'd let ya'll know that the kids fared very well the next day at school. Buddy's teacher told me what a wonderful job he did on taking notes. He was so proud of the +8 he received - note that it's out of 5 points:) Darlin' was also quite proud of herself when I picked her up from school. Apparently, she seemed to be the "talk of the town" that day with her 10 page memoir. The teacher indicated that there was no limit and she enjoyed the paper:)

Showers & Stools!

2008-09-08T10:08:00.028-04:00

When I was little, I was a flower girl in my Aunt's wedding (who had been one in my mother's wedding) and in turn her daughter was a junior bridesmaid in mine. So naturally my cousin, Jill, promised my daughter years ago that she would be in her wedding. That day is approaching in October and, as Darlin' has been waiting a long time for this, she is quite excited!

I do believe she is actually more excited to be a junior bridesmaid than a flower girl, because she gets to wear a more grown up gown and heels! Since she can't drive yet, (fortunately that's four years away! yikes!) I have been able to enjoy some perks that go along with her being in the bridal party.

We got to enjoy a day of dress shopping with my Aunt, cousin and the rest of the bridesmaids. In one day we hit two bridal shops and 3 malls! Considering that Darlin' tried on the dress we eventually bought her in the first shop, she really just enjoyed the day for the shear fun of hanging out with family, watching the bridesmaids try on dresses and even trying on a few more of her own. We left at about 9 a.m. that morning to travel to Jersey, returned about 11:30 p.m. and had a blast!

We are also both looking forward to getting our nails done together before the wedding. I keep reminding Darlin' that she's already had her nails done at a salon way more then me ... only once for my wedding! (Pretty sad, huh?!)

Since she is in the wedding party, we have to stay overnight after the rehearsal dinner at the hotel (yeah!) , which by the name of it sounds fancy. . .the Wyndham. On the wedding day, I also get to tag along to get my hair and make-up done too! Gosh, I don't think I had such pampering for my own wedding!

Over the weekend Darlin' and I helped the bridesmaids throw a shower for my cousin. Despite Tropical Storm Hanna forcing the party indoors, everything went splendidly.

If you don't know already, I love to throw a party, so it was a lot of fun for me to be a part of the bridal shower. Darlin' and I put together little heart tins full of autumn colored, dark chocolate M&M's for the party favors. They worked perfectly with the fall theme for the October wedding. Aren't they cute?

The bride-to-be wearing an original Denitra's Designer Bonnet!

My cousin and her fiance have a huge height difference between them. Almost a foot and a half! So I thought that it was a perfect time for another kissing stool in the family....

At my bridal shower, my parents gave me a kissing stool. As there is a full foot difference in height between myself and Hubby, this was quite needed. I remember bringing it to the rehearsal and we pulled it out for our practice kiss for a good laugh. Now it resides in my kitchen, where I use it almost daily. Although, kicking it around to the various cupboards to retrieve dishes off the top shelf isn't nearly as satisfying as kissing! Perhaps I'll retouch it for our next anniversary, so we can be reminded of it's true purpose!

For Jill's kissing stool I bought an unfinished stool at the local craft store and stained it with October Brown: Milk Chocolate spray. How appropriate for the October wedding?! Not to mention that it has the word chocolate in the name!

It also perfectly matched the ribbon and trim on the wedding invitation that I decoupaged on top!

When it was time for her to open the gift, I presented it to her by first reading this poem.

Soon you’ll be married to Too Tall Tim,
It’s about time you married him!
Darla’s been waiting patiently,
To be a part of your bridal party.

To watch you walking down the aisle,
While Aunt Vicki cries, only with a smile.
After years of dating it’s come to this,
A promise you seal with a wedding kiss.

But at 6 foot 7 Tim’s just too tall.
How will you be able to reach him at all?
Standing about 5 foot 3,
It’s plain to see you’re challenged vertically.

In order to bridge the 16 inch difference,
We though you might be in need of assistance.
So here we come to your rescue.
To provide some aid when you say “I do.”

Just step right up and take a stand,
Go ahead, pucker up and kiss your man!
You will look so cool, just a lovin’ fool
When you step upon this Kissing Stool!

Here's the groom and bride (standing upon the stool!)

Sidebar Surprise

2008-09-05T09:16:00.002-04:00

Hey check out my sidebar. It used to show a countdown to the movie Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. I was surprised to see that it changed automatically to show Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader!

How exciting! Only 639 days to go!

Can you tell I've been on an extended hiatus from blogging? I'm finding new things on my own site!

History in the Making

2008-09-04T18:41:00.007-04:00

So anybody out there excited about Sarah Palin?! The last week has just been a swirl of excitement and anticipation surrounding the first Republican woman VP nominee!

Hubby and I watched the RNC speeches over the past two nights and have enjoyed them immensely. Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani were my favorites leading up to her acceptance speech. How about you?

Of course, my all time favorite was Governor Palin. She is extraordinarily gifted and did an exceptional job in delivery and content. I am excited to have a conservative on the ticket!

I hadn't been as thrilled about John McCain, but I must say I am getting more excited about him too. The more I learn about him, the more impressed I become about his service, character and integrity. I truly believe he would make the best Commander in Chief and that is a primary reason that he will have my support.

I am quite impressed with his running mate, Sarah Palin. She strikes me as a person who lives what she believes and is not ashamed to do so. Someone who is willing to fight for what is right, no matter what the cost. Someone who shares my values regarding life, family, taxes, drilling, the war on terror and other conservative issues.

She will have my support because of what she believes and what she has done, not just because she is a woman. In fact, I must admit, that is the only thing that keeps me from jumping up and down, waving my arms excitedly and signing up to campaign.

Are there any other proud-to-be-a-stay-at-home-moms that feel the same way I do? I have worked some since having children, but only part time and in flexible jobs that have enabled the kids to join me at times. My kids are now in school and I would definitely consider working while they're at school or if I needed to support our family. I do believe that there are times when a stay-at-home-dad may be the best option for a family. Whatever our circumstances, I believe we need to seek the Lord's guidance and not blindly follow society's mantra that we as women should be able to "have and do it all."

To sum up, I believe God has given women the unique honor, responsibility and ability to be mothers. When He so blesses a family with children, that family should be a woman's priority.

The question for me isn't, "Can a woman do the job?" I have no doubt she would do an excellent job as VP and most likely President in future years. The question for me is, "But should a mother with pre-school children seek such a job?"

Now, don't get me wrong. I have a HUGE problem with the liberal media and the Democrats questioning why she would consider running for office with an infant at home. As they have long knocked the importance and privilege of being "just" a mother, I feel that they have forfeited the right to denigrate or criticize any woman who has chosen to have a career and a family. In fact isn't that what they've been trying to get us to do all along? You'd think they would give Sarah Palin a nod of awed respect at how she has accomplished this duality so successfully. (Of course not. . .she's a Republican!)

I, on the other hand, would be questioning a mother-of-young-children's decision to accept such a demanding job no matter which party she represented. I long to support her 100%, but I think I need to keep it at about 95% to be consistent with my beliefs.

Somehow, I think Sarah Palin, would respect that consistency!

I will be praying for her and her family as she seeks this office and perhaps becomes the first woman Vice President of the United States. And I will jump up and down excitedly on election night . . . because she is a conservative, a Republican and a woman! It's history in the making and I'm proud to be a part of it!

Early to Bed, Early to Rise

2008-09-03T11:59:00.005-04:00

So how does that saying go? Early to bed, early to rise, makes a gal healthy, wealthy and ... TIRED!

Yup, day two of back to school and I AM EXHAUSTED!

Being a life long night owl, it is shocking to find myself yawning at 10:30 p.m. and hardly able to stay awake for the last of the RNC speeches at 11:30 p.m. last night. You early birds may think that's staying up late, but considering my typical bedtime of 12:30 - 1:00 a.m., weariness is hitting me a couple hours earlier than usual.

The anticipation and excitement of the first day of school enabled our whole family to jump out of bed with eagerness yesterday morning. Today, however, was a different story....

The wave of momentum from yesterday failed to elevate me out of the water bed this morning as I dragged my feet from the bed and they thudded to the floor like lead weights. I was sooooo tired that I couldn't even bear to think about turning the lights on til I found myself attempting to make lunches in the dark! Fortunately, the kitchen has a dimmer switch, so I could ease my eyes into waking up.

Eventually, things got moving, but it was back to reality this morning. No bright eyed, bushy tailed kids or adults (just cats - Swiffer's tail is always quite bushy!) - the four of us were dragin' our wagons. We managed to have a quick breakfast of cereal together and pray as a family before leaving for the day. Both kids arrived at school early, so our get-them-to-school-on-time-or-else attitude is working - we're 2 for 2!

Hubby called me after we dropped off our respective charges at their particular institutions of learning. As you may suspect, both of us were heading to WAWA to get our much needed dose of caffeine that had unfortunately been left out of the breakfast equation earlier.

As I continue to struggle with wakefulness, despite 12 oz of WAWA coffee followed by an iced latte from Starbucks a few hours later, I must remember to heed Hubby's advise - "Whatever you do don't take a nap!"

Oh, but that is all I want to do! It will be especially hard this afternoon during the 1 and 1/2 hours of piano lessons. The wonderful music would lull me to sleep if I let it.

Hopefully, after a few days of avoiding naps my body will eventually ease itself into this early to bed, early to rise pattern and I'll be able to write a more coherent post! In the meantime ... coffee is my friend!

Back to School, Back to Blogging!

2008-09-02T10:22:00.007-04:00

September is here and that means the kids are back at school and I am back to blogging! Didya miss me?

It was a pretty calm morning for the first day of school with the kids going to different schools for the first time. Buddy will continue at Grace Christian and is excited to begin 5th grade with a new teacher and a couple of new kids in the class. Darlin' begins 7th grade today at Plumstead Christian and was nervously excited when I drove her to school for the first time this morning. She looked so pretty in her khaki pants, pink PCS shirt (our first time with school uniforms!), cute plaid flats and a new hair-do!

Hard to believe she's in middle school ... sniff ... sniff. Over the weekend we watched a few home videos of when she was turning two. How adorable! Instead of "cookie" she would say "tootie", so I've been lovingly referring to her as my "tootie" girl. They grow up too fast ... but I digress ....

Unlike our usually hurried mornings of the past, today ran quite smoothly. All up by 6:15 a.m. (quite a feat after getting up between 8 a.m. - 9 a.m. for the past few months!), lunches packed, piano played, a sit down breakfast at 6:50 a.m. with the WHOLE family (wow! I don't think that's ever happened on a school day - usually I eat after everyone is gone!), obligatory pictures taken on the way out the door to commemorate the first day of school, on the road at 7:22 a.m. to arrive at school at 7:46 a.m. with 20 minutes to spare! Yahoo! Considering we usually arrive with only a few minutes to go, this is something to celebrate. Now we just have to keep the momentum going for the rest of the school year ... yikes!

Well, I'm glad to get back to the blogging world again and have a little outlet for myself. It's been a very busy summer for me. It was sandwiched with sorrow, but was filled with joy in between. Kinda like an Oreo "tootie", only I love the chocolate and don't care for the filling, so maybe I should come up with a better metaphor!

This summer was full of celebrations: both our children becoming communicant members, Darlin' graduating from 6th grade, a wedding each month (from May to November!), bridal showers, baby showers, birthdays and a new baby cousin! In addition we were able to travel to Pittsburgh for one of the weddings (and as a result buy a new van which we are enjoying immensely!), take many trips to the Jersey shore, go to some water parks, spend lots of time in the pool, camp in the back yard and enjoy the campfire and s'mores, finally figure out how to cook on the grill successfully, host pool parties, attend a local Polish-American festival and create lots of great family memories!

Hope you all had a wonderful summer too and I look forward to getting back into a blogging routine and catching up with everyone!

WHEW!

2008-06-19T09:20:00.002-04:00

I have just been spinning in a whirlwind over the past few weeks, especially the last one! Now that I've finally got a few minutes to breath I thought I'd get back on the blog, just to let you know I'm still here! Did ya miss me?!

I thought I'd just sum up some of the events that have taken place since Friday, June 6th and hopefully the next couple days I can expound on some of the more memorable happenings. (considering I started writing this post on Sat. and it is now Thurs., my "expoundings" may need to take place after vacation next week!)

Friday: Darlin' graduated from 6th grade! It was a beautiful night with the spring concert and a special program for the Sixth grade class. MomMom & PopPop joined us for the celebration. Look for pictures soon!

Friday night: We headed out of town about 11 p.m. for Pittsburgh. I drove 2 hours while Hubby tried to locate a hotel - apparently a car show in Carlisle had things booked for a 30 mile radius. . .yikes!

Saturday Morning: We drove the remaining hours to Pittsburgh for a wedding. About an hour out, our car started making very loud noises. We arrived at the church, turning heads with our obnoxiously loud vehicle.

Saturday Afternoon: A glorious time witnessing the marriage of Beth and John! Beth was one of the girls in our youth group and is very special to our family. She was a most stunning bride!

Saturday Evening: The reception was at the groom's family farm and it was beautiful! Despite the heat, everyone had a blast til we sent off the happy couple through a canopy of sparklers (the highlight for my kids!)

Saturday Night: We had a 1/2 hour drive back to our hotel from the reception, so we had another car follow us so we wouldn't be stranded on the side of the highway with the cubs late at night. The car knocked loudly the whole way and a few yards from the hotel stopped making all the noise. I remarked, "Oh, you fixed it!" Five seconds later, billows of white smoke came from the car and we barely made it into the parking lot into the first parking space (that was providentially free!) The people behind us said that all they could see was smoke and that they were just praying we'd make it to the hotel and by God's grace we did.

Sunday Morning: Hubby left early to head down to the Pittsburgh airport to rent a van. Being Sunday, that was the only place to go. The kids and I got to enjoy breakfast and swim, before packing up and unloading all the stuff from our now junked van.

Sunday Afternoon: The tow truck finally arrived and we said good bye to our faithful van, Harvey. The rental had a GPS with a female voice, so we named her Beth in honor of the bride and enjoyed toying with the technology for the trip home!

Sunday Evening: We arrived in town about 5:30 pm and hit one graduation party. At 6:15 we visited the second graduation party, where most were shocked to see us and wondered how we had gotten home without our van! We pulled in to the third party around 7 pm to celebrate Darlin's graduation with her classmates. The cubs and I finally got to relax a bit til 9:30 p.m. while Hubby ran home to lovingly put in the air conditioner! Once we got home, unpacked and showered we all collapsed from the weekend.

Monday Morning: The kids and I had to leave early because Darlin' and I were headed to Dorney Park amusement park for a final hoorah with her class. Hubby pulled me aside to tell me that Peanut, our once wonderfully 20 plus pounder fat cat - now a mere 13lbs, was not looking good. He'd been sick the past few months, loosing weight and over the weekend had been out in the extreme heat. We all went out on the porch to say our good byes and pet him for the last time. He was laying in the shade of a tree right off the deck near our back door. He lifted his head and meowed at me for the last time that morning when I came out to say good bye. After about 15 min. all he could muster was a flick of his handsome tail every time I called his name. I'm teary eyed just recalling our good bye. Hubby set some water in front of him, Darlin' gave him a flower and when we left he had his paw in the water bowl and gave one more flick of his tail when I said, "Good bye Peanut, you are a great cat and we love you!"

Monday: Darlin' and I had a blast at Dorney Park. Despite the extreme heat that zapped one's energy, we all managed to enjoy ourselves. In the morning the girls did as many roller coasters as they could manage and I called them all crazy people for doing so, while I held the bags (uh, just like high school - I watched my friends do the crazy stunts then. I always said I would have to be gagged and tied to get on one of those contraptions. Thankfully, although threatened by some Handyguys, that was never followed through!) After lunch, we enjoyed the water park. That was so much more delightful than carrying bags around in the heat! We stayed for hours in the wave pool before adventuring off to the slides, which I did go on!

Monday Evening: We arrived home to find that Daddy had been digging a grave for Peanut, on the hottest day of the year. (He's also been suffering from a bad bout of poison ivy ever since!) Our neighbors came over to join us as we all said a little something about how much we adored Peanut. They loved him like their own cat - they had a little bed for him and he would have sleep overs! It was a sad time, but it was kinda nice to be able to bury one of our pets and let the kids say good bye. In the past we've spent so much money on a cat and it would die at the vet. So thanks Peanut, for being the cheapest dead cat we ever had, (aside from the possible callousness of that sentence this fact was greatly appreciated. He was the easiest cat to care for in life and in death.) I hope to do a little tribute to Peanut when I have the chance, because his life was just full of crazy antics that are worth remembering and bringing a smile to my day and hopefully yours. So look for that in the next couple weeks!

Monday Night: I had to run to the grocery store, since I hadn't been home since our return and would be without a car the next day. I cried the whole way home over Peanut and sobbed in the driveway when he wasn't there to greet me at the car!

Tuesday: The kids and I chilled at home in the air. It's a complete blur. I believe we napped and watched movies.

Wednesday: Darlin', her friend, Rachel, MomMom and I headed to NYC for the day to celebrate the girl's graduation in a special way. . .at the American Girl Doll Place! Pictures and stories to come. This little blurb cannot do it justice!

Thursday: The kids played and I recovered from my battle with the yellow cars in NYC the previous day! How does anyone stand to drive in that city for more than a few hours in a lifetime, I'll never understand!

Thursday Evening: Hubby and I went out car shopping. After looking at a few vehicles and finding myself quite depressed over the options in our price range, we headed out for another place. I mean, c'mon, a 2002 Ford Wind Star with no vents in the back, no cruise control, and NO CD PLAYER - that's a deal breaker for me! On our way to the other place the dealer gave us a call with a couple more things to look at, down the road at a different center. We headed there and were blessed to find a 2004 Ford Free Star, fully loaded and in our price range. . .what a blessing! Not only did it include cruise control, backseat vents with rear control and a CD player, but also, automatic pedals to adjust for the 1 foot height difference between hubby and I, automatic on/off passenger air bag, power seats, split third bench that folds into the floor, automatic dimmer on the rear view mirror and the piece de resistance. . .a fold down ceiling DVD Player! Wahooo! We never imagined we'd be able to get all that - what a blessing!(Naturally, we named this van BJ in honor of Beth & John - plus it's also a silvery blue jay color!)

Friday, Saturday and Sunday: We celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary with dinner out and a movie On Demand! Hubby opened the pool, so we all went swimming! Celebrated Father's Day at church followed by our annual Father's Day hike. Pictures and stories to come!

WHEW! I'm exhausted just writing about everything that's been going on and that didn't even include everything from this weekend and the past few days (let alone the last few weeks of school filled with parties and field trips!) I've got many errands to run now for the next few days before we head to Virginia Beach for vacation. I do hope I'll be able to post some updates from there or at least fill you in on some more details of the special events above. Keep an eye out for pictures and posts over the next couple weeks!

Rainy days and Mondays. . .

2008-05-19T11:53:00.006-04:00

I knew I was in for an emotionally unstable kinda day when I woke on the verge of tears lamenting the fact that my kids don't take bubble baths anymore. C'mon, what's that all about?!

It seems I'm having one of those "rainy days and Mondays always gets me down" kind of days, only it's not raining...yet. It's been raining off and on for the past few days and it seems that it may continue for a few more. This morning seemed to be promising sunshine, but now it's a bit cold and cloudy and the forecast is calling for scattered showers.

For some odd reason, I just can't stop breaking into tears today. Nothing's wrong. The kids are healthy, Hubby's great, I'm feeling healthy, but I guess I'm just feeling old. When I found myself crying in my coffee this morning because my kids are growing up and no longer playing with all their bath toys, I decided to attempt to escape my doldrums with my usual Monday routine at the gym. I mean, come on, what did I expect? The cubs are 10 & 12! I don't think they've played with bath toys for years - at least not Darlin', Buddy just graduated to showers this year.

As the conversations surrounding me at the gym revolved over discussions of children, babies to sweet sixteen, I naturally found myself crying in my please-pick-me-up-Starbucks-non-fat-decaf-cappuccino on the ride home. Being that it is lacking the all important pick-me-up ingredients ... it didn't do the trick.

Recently someone was telling me how they went through a period of grieving when they realized they weren't going to be having any more children. She said she kept crying over all the old baby and toddler pictures, because she would no longer be that kind of Mommy any more. I suppose that's how I'm feeling today, as I choke back the tears yet again this morning. It's tough to accept not being that kind of Mommy anymore sometimes. I just need to focus on being a new kind of Mommy, where we play basketball instead of swing at the park, or Risk instead of Monopoly Jr., or be amazed at their classical pieces instead of twinkle twinkle variations, or women's size 6 1/2 hot pink heels instead of Disney Princess sandals.

Home alone, my mind is flooding with all the cute little memories of the cubs growing up. Dance recitals and pink tutus for Darlin' at 2, jumping up and down on stage and clapping for herself when she finished performing for the first time! Little Buddy at 2 crying in the parking lot because he bit his tongue. Me standing there laughing, because he stuck it out and asked me to kiss it to make it better! Piano performances at the mall where passersby would stop to stare at the adorable little boy (4) who would continue to play as he turned and smiled at the audience every few seconds. Darlin' (4) who pulled out all her toys and stuck them by the front door when I told her we were going to look for a new house. When we pulled up to the first place to look at she asked, "Is this the house store?"

Ahh, now I finally have a smile on my face this morning.

Philippians 1:3 - I thank my God every time I remember you.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

2008-05-16T23:07:00.004-04:00

Prince Caspian has finally arrived and he did not disappoint! The movie started out with a bang and kept me on the edge of my seat from the start (and that's sayin' something since we just finished reading the book a few days ago!)

Obviously, some tweeking was done to the story to adapt it to the silver screen. As the novel is much more narrative, the film needed to deliver the same info and impact only more so visually. I do believe that the movie delivered an action packed adventure that kept the essence C.S. Lewis' novel alive. In fact, I quite enjoyed some of the additions in the battle sequences and relationship nuances that added to the intrique of the story.

My favorite character in Prince Caspian is the mouse, Reepicheep! He had the best one liners and stole the scenes quite a bit. I must say, he was awfully adorable for a talking rodent! Keep an eye out for how he deals with the cat - quite memorable.

My only complaint is that Bulgy Bear needed more screen time! He was just a giant teddy bear in the book and we only got a few glimpses of him in the film. I do hope he'll be back with a bit bigger bulgy role in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

The creatures of Narnia were so real it was unbelievable. I truly felt transported to a different world. The special effects were so incredible, that I almost believed there could be talking mice, centaurs, Badger and Bulgy Bear. Likewise, the battle scenes and action sequences were quite realistic and could be a bit scary for the 10 and under crowd. The wolf and hag were enough to keep Buddy and I huddled together for a few minutes til the White Witch was defeated once and for all!

As we drove home tonight, I enjoyed listening to Darlin' discuss with her friend and me the many lessons to be learned from the movie. Here's just some of the insights my 12 year old and I gleaned from this blockbuster.

As Christian we sometimes feel out of place in this world, just like the Pevensie children did back in England after living as Kings and Queens in Narnia. Our true home is heaven.
Peter realized he needed to be seeking Aslan and not relying on his own sense of direction or strength.
Sometimes we need to trust Christ and follow Him, like Lucy, even when no one else around us can or wants to see Him.
When we try to do things our own way and not His way, it usually doens't work out too well.
All of us, even the High King Peter, can be tempted by the "dark side" (oops, wrong movie!)
Sometimes we long for proof of Christ in our life, just as Peter and Susan wish they had seen Aslan too when he appeared to Lucy.
God uses the meakest to be the strongest, just like Reepicheep!

In honor of all the dear Narnians I give Prince Caspian top paw ratings!

(2 hrs. 20 min) Rated PG

Making Mother's Day Memories

2008-05-12T11:06:00.007-04:00

Hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day! Mine was a weekend extravaganza, so I thought I would take some time to recap for posterity's sake.

Friday we had a nice family movie night. We watched A Kid in King Arthur's Court. It's a cute movie and is a perfect renter for a family night. The most well known actors in it are Kate Winslet and Daniel Craig, before they had mastered the art of acting. Despite it's predictability, it was a fun film to watch with the cubs. It was quite humorous to realize that it was not at all predictable for them! Precisely why it is a kids movie.

Saturday we enjoyed a breakfast out for McD's hotcakes - a family favorite. Then we headed to Home Depot for my Mother's Day gift: flowers. We ended up with way more than flowers! Hubby decided that it was a good time to yank the dying shrubbery lining our front walk. So we picked up 4 beautiful pink azalea bushes for the front of the house, a pretty pink hydrangea bush for me that was planted under our blossoming cherry tree and a striped hosta that we put near the front stoop.

After dragging the cubs around the outdoor nursery in the chilly air for a couple hours, we took them out for pizza. This was a nice reward for their patience while we were debating over various forms of foliage.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent weeding and planting. Everyone chipped in and the place looks much better now. I can't believe that I forgot to get a before and after shot! I'll have to check the photo archives to see if I can find something to show you all for Wordless Wednesday.

The kids even got to get ice cream from the ice cream truck when it made its way through our neighborhood. Usually the answer is a big N O. They certainly deserved every little treat they got this weekend and they both put in hours of hard work. Of course, Daddy deserves the biggest thanks of all for purchasing everything, pulling up stubborn shrubs, digging holes and planting bushes til after dark! He apparently kept going after Darlin' and I headed out around 5:30 p.m. for a Junior High Youth event at our church.

Saturday evening Darlin' and I had a blast at the Fast Food Frenzy with the youth group. I drove a van full of ladies (3 adults and 3 pre-teens) through this fast food relay race. Despite our best efforts at downing particular fast food items as fast as possible, we still came in last. It was a lot of fun, though, and we look forward to doing it again in the future.

Mother's Day arrived on Sunday morning with a beautiful breakfast in bed! Eggs, toast, juice, tea and strawberries were served on a tray adorned with Buddy's homemade Mother's Day flower pot from school. I received adorable cards, my very own Webkin Himalayan kitty (which I named Hugs) and a picture compendium to the new Prince Caspian movie which premieres this week!

Our church service was wonderful with a sermon based on passages in 2 Timothy. It was a great reminder of the honor of being a mother and the importance of godly mothers in the lives of our covenant children. At one point our pastor was prompting the mothers in the congregation to ask ourselves if we are praying for our kids, teaching our kids and passing on to them the truths of Scripture. Sitting next to me, Little Buddy, having failed to catch that it was a rhetorical question, looked up at me with puppy dog eyes and whispered, "Are you?" He then broke in to a big smile and gave me a hug, which I can only assume meant that he felt that he would've answered yes. (Sniff, sniff. He was listening to the sermon and he thinks I'm a great mom! Sniff, sniff.)

I thought that it would be nice to choose one of the verses from Sunday for the memory verse for this week.

2 Timothy 3:14-15 - But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

After church we headed to Outback Steakhouse for an extraordinarily delicious meal. My mouth is watering just thinking about it right now! Once we had indulged ourselves to our satisfaction, we returned home. Daddy took a well deserved nap while the cubs and I continued to work outside. I supervised and cleaned up while the kids planted the impatiens that we received at church earlier that morning (each Mother's Day they give out little plants to all the women in the church.) The benefit of attending the later service is that there is always a huge amount of flowers leftover, so the past two years we've been able to plant a pretty little Mother's Day garden. It's amazing how many impatiens grow from just a few little plants!

For those of you who know how athletic I am NOT, this next event may come as quite a shock. Are you ready? The four of us played basketball the rest of the afternoon. Shockingly, it was pretty funny! Instead of playing PIG we played MOM and, appropriately, I won. Then we played 2 on 2 and whichever team had Dad, who stands at 6'2", easily won.

In the evening we enjoyed relaxing as a family with C.S. Lewis. First we finished reading Prince Caspian. We wanted to get that done before opening night on Friday. Check out my sidebar for an official countdown! In preparation for the new movie, I thought that the perfect way to close Mother's Day would be for us to watch the first Chronicles of Narnia movie, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. We had a blast seeing it again and it got us all psyched for the premiere of Prince Caspian this week.

All in all, it was a great day. To quote Hubby, "I think that was the funnest Mother's Day we've ever had!" I think I quite agree.

The Ol' Bartering System is Back

2008-05-05T09:19:00.006-04:00

This week we'll return to our study of Proverbs 31. In verse 18 we see a description of a business woman.

Proverbs 31:18 - She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.

Now, I don't have much of a business mind, but I've dabbled in a few projects since we've been married. For the first few years I ran a little craft business. Going to craft shows, baking goodies and making fun things occupied a lot of my time while we were living in VA, far away from family and friends. After we had our daughter, I sold Discovery Toys for a few years. Both of these ventures were quite fun and helped our family's needs at the time (occupying my time in VA and providing AWESOME toys for our new child), but they were certainly not profitable! Oh, well.

Eventually, I was able to help out in the home finance department, as well as actually use some of my degrees (imagine that!), by serving as Director of Senior High Youth Ministries at our church.

Of course, looking at the text, it isn't necessarily referring to earning money. It just states that her "trading was profitable." This makes me think of the bartering system. For many of us, this may be how we help our family the most. Do you swap babysitting duties with neighbors or friends? Saves on paying a babysitter. Do you exchange coupons with someone else? Do you have a skill that your neighbor doesn't or vice versa?

My hubby is a computer geek, as I've mentioned before. Our neighbor is not. However, he is skilled in all the plumbing, yard and handy man things you can imagine. When one of our appliances brakes, we call John. It never seems to fail that he is excited about our plight as he responds eagerly, "Great! I've got a computer problem I need fixed!" And thus our friendly neighborhood bartering system continues to this day!

A few years back I babysat my Physical Therapist's newborn. And each week I'd get some great massages and continued PT. Another time I taught Biblical Hebrew to one of the homeschoolers in our church in exchange for babysitting. The opportunities are endless if you just allow yourself to be a little imaginative.

So maybe you're like me - lacking in the business mind department. Be creative with the skills, talents and gifts with which God has blessed you and your family. Could be your neighbor has something to offer you too!

Fightin' the Frump

2008-05-02T09:48:00.004-04:00

This morning I made a yummy shake that I thought I would share with you. This has been one of the ways that I've been fighting the frump lately. It must be working since I lost 2.2 lbs this past week. Slow and steady, steady and slow that is the way to go!

Cucumber Melon Misty:
(Can you tell I was inspired by the popular Cucumber Melon scented powders, lotions and perfumes?)

1 large cucumber pealed and quartered
2 large slices of honeydew
1 c. green seedless grapes
1/2 c. apple juice
1/2 tsp. Vitamin C powder
1/2 tsp. flax seed
1 Tbsp. Agave

Pulverize in a juicer or Vita-Mix. Enjoy!

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

2008-05-01T21:49:00.008-04:00

Today I finally had the opportunity to see Expelled and I gotta tell ya - it is a MUST SEE! Ben Stein does an excellent job of avoiding what could have been just-another-documentary by interspersing humor throughout the film. He does so, not only with his own dry wit, but by making creative use of old film clips to drive the points home.

I definitely appreciated the moments of levity, which helped me calm down between interviews of the many Darwinist scientists and their consistent insults toward anyone who considers the existence of God to be a plausible idea. I was amazed at how unabashedly these scientists referred to anyone who believes in Intelligent Design as "stupid and ignorant." Now, I could see them lumping me into that category as I have absolutely no scientific background, but I was appalled that they would do so quite vehemently in regard to their own peers - other scientists who are extremely intelligent! Basically, this movie revealed how much the freedom of ideas is being held hostage in numerous universities and institutions around the globe.

It was shocking to see some of the "logical" outcomes of Darwinism. Are you ready? Evolution, aliens, atheism, the Holocaust, abortion, euthanasia, Planned Parenthood, academic elitism, the suppression of freedom of inquiry, loss of free will and no hope. Just to name a few.

To see the teachers, scientists, journalists and others standing up, not necessarily for their own personal views but for the opportunity to allow debate, at the expense of their careers and reputations, was inspirational. Each of us needs to fight our own battle to have our questions asked and considered, even if they can't be answered by way of the scientific method.

I thoroughly enjoyed the explanations of the intricacies of DNA and a single cell. It was just enough to tweak my interest and remind me of how wonderfully created we are, as well as the universe in which live.

I give it:

(90 minutes; rated PG)

Babycakes!

2008-04-29T08:56:00.006-04:00

Mary recently asked me how to make the diaper cake above, so I thought I'd pass on my crafty know-how to all my bloggy friends.

BABYCAKES SUPPLIES:

- floral wire

- card board circle 12"-14" diameter (depending on size of your base tier)

- a couple 12" doilies

- hot glue gun & glue

- ribbons & decorative items

- 2-3 small baby bottles with flat tops. (Soap, powder, sippy cup, etc. will do. Anything round that will be about the same size as the width of the diaper. The following directions use 2 small bottles. Adjust as needed.)
-45 - 50 diapers. I used size 3. Try to find plain white. It's hard to do, but I found one that had a decoration only on the front waist. To hide this I just folded the front down to make a triangle and put the solid white to the outside of the cake. (I don't recall the brand name, but it was in a large yellow box at Wal-Mart and it only cost about $18 for a box of about 95. This made two babycakes.)

BABYCAKES DIRECTIONS:

Step 1: Cut out cardboard circle (about 12"-14" in diameter.) Cover with doilies, with lace overlapping edge of cardboard, so the lace can peek out from under the cake.

Step 2 - Separate your bottles from the lids. I found it easier to stack two 4-6 oz bottles one on top of the other, rims together, and then the lids on top of that, rims together as well.

Step 3 - Wrap a long piece of floral wire (about a couple feet) around the bottom bottle (you will eventually use it to tie the center pole together so the cake doesn't topple over). Set aside the other bottles for now. (The only thing I didn't figure out is how to secure the Babycake to the cardboard base. Now that I think about it, I would probably poke a hole in the middle and knot the wire through before securing it to the first bottle.)

Step 4 - Wrap the bottle with diapers (on their sides). I overlapped them about half way. It takes 3 or 4 for the first layer. When you've covered the bottle, and like how it looks, secure it with a piece of wire. Continue to wrap with diapers until it forms a good size base for your cake. Securing each circle with wire (not too tight, though, so you don't rip the diapers!)

Step 5 - Take your next bottle and place it on top of the center of the base layer. Rim to rim works best. Wrap the wire connected to the first bottle around the second bottle, leaving plenty to secure to the third tier and to the top ribbon.

Step 6 - Repeat steps 4 & 5 for as many times as it takes to complete the size cake you want. I did 3 layers and found that was plenty. Leave wire ends poking through on top to secure to the ribbon.

Step 7 - After you have your layers completed, secure the wire on top to a bow. (It takes about 4 -5 yards of ribbon to make a big bow to go on top of the cake. Ribbon with wire edges stand up the best.)

Step 8 - Decorate the cake. I used little rattles I found at Wal-Mart. Just tucked them in the diapers. I also used 2 coordinated colors of ribbon to tie around each tier (Michael's has cute ribbons that have baby sayings on them like "It's a Girl!" or "Baby Booties!") I secured the ends to each other with a dot of hot glue to hold them in place (just don't get the glue on the diapers!)

Makes a great baby shower gift and centerpiece!

How shall I serve the Lord?

2008-04-28T08:11:00.003-04:00

Last weekend I attended a women's retreat with the ladies in our church. I really enjoyed the speaker who was inspirational, knowledgeable, understandable, humorous, witty and personable.

By the end of the weekend I kept getting this nudge in my heart and head, "I think I'd like to do that." It's been a couple years out of ministry due to health reasons and now I'm beginning to consider how I can serve God in a way that works with my own limitations.

Of course, after awhile of actually considering being a women's conference speaker, I stopped myself short. WHAT AM I THINKING? Every single women's speaker I've heard seems to have a life full of tragedy. Not your everyday-broke-a-nail kind of "tragedy", but pretty much catastrophic-change-your-life tragedy. Apparently, that is what makes these women so interesting to listen to. We sit amazed, in awe of how they rely on the Lord through each devastation. Why in the world would I want a job with such a prerequisite?!

I doubt my minor trials, although they always seem devastating to me each time, would qualify me to teach hundreds of women how to grow closer to the Lord. I think I'll leave that to the experts and plan on going back to teaching our women's Bible study. The Lord opened the door for me to get back in to that in the fall and that seems to be the perfect fit for the gifts He has granted to me.

Psalm 136:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His love endures forever!

During the retreat we were asked to write a prayer based on scripture. Here is mine in a pattern of Psalm 136.

Give thanks to the LORD.
His love endures forever.

The Creator of the universe.
His love endures forever.

The Giver of all life.
His love endures forever.

Who promised a Savior in the garden
His love endures forever.

Who rescued Noah from the flood.
His love endures forever.

Who blessed Abraham with His Seed.
His love endures forever.

The Son of David who delivered me.
His love endures forever.

The Holy Spirit who called me.
His love endures forever.

The Father who continues to love me.
His love endures forever.

All praise to the great I AM.
His love endures forever.

To Christ the Word.
His love endures forever.

To the Spirit who comforts.
His love endures forever.

To the LORD who heals.
His love endures forever.

Who sustains me through each trial.
His love endures forever.

Who calms the storm within my spirit.
His love endures forever.

And quiets the raging waters all around me.
His love endures forever.

LORD grant me peace.
His love endures forever.

Fightin' the Frump

2008-04-25T09:48:00.004-04:00

Well, I thought I would join the ranks over at
Mrs. Fussypants where she is working hard to help us all fight the frump.

So, you may ask, what have I been doin' about that lately? A few things actually. I joined Weight Watchers and have just started my eighth week. I wish I could say I have been doing well at that, but as I'm only down 4 pounds I do believe I've got to work a bit harder. Somehow I did manage to avoid gaining any weight this past weekend, which was a small miracle considering the resort food we ate on our retreat! In fact I lost 1.8 pounds! I do believe I've turned a corner on the weight loss, as my own scale is continuing to decrease. Curious how much I might be down by next Wednesday? Hoping to get in to that 2 lb per week decline to be ready for summer!

In addition to writing down everything I put in my mouth, I have increased my activity. I'll be heading over to the gym to try out the Elliptical machine again. I tried that for the first time on Wednesday. . .what a work out! I definitely have to keep that in my routine as I felt much better after that than I do on the tread mill (not nearly as dizzy and my back didn't hurt - go figure!)

The last thing I want to mention is what I've been eating for lunch the past couple of days. I've been listening to the book Doctor Yourself by Andrew Saul (info here), and he is continually praising the benefits of vegetable juicing. Unfortunately, I'm not a big veggie fan, except of course about Larry and Bob! Despite this, I decided to give it a try. Since he talked about fruit juicing too, I combined the two to make a more palatable drink for myself. Gotta tell you, it was quite yummy and satisfying.

I tossed in my Vita Mix blender (this is an awesome blender, it can pulverize and juice pretty much anything) the following items:

1/2 c. pure blueberry juice
1 whole cucumber (peeled and halved)
1 1/2 c. strawberries (tops and all, just rinsed them)
3 stalks of celery (washed and chopped in medium size pieces)
1 c. frozen raspberries
1/4 c. frozen blueberries
1 Tbsp Agave
1 Tbsp Flax Seed
1/2 tsp Vitamin C

Blend til pulverized into a beautiful smoothie! It was delicious. Next week I'll experiment with some other veggies, but the cucumber and celery was as brave as I got for the first time 'round.

The only drawback to this type of smoothie, was that it didn't last. It was very filling at the time and I felt no need to eat anything else, but I was quite hungry and craving protein a few hours later. Hmmm, any suggestions?

Have fun fighting the frump today! I'm off to the gym.

Led by the Spirit

2008-04-21T13:20:00.006-04:00

I'm back and refreshed from our church ladies retreat! The weekend focused on prayer and already I've begun to implement some of what was discussed. For instance, praying continually by having a constant conversation with God throughout the day. This, combined with last night's small group lesson in which we talked about glorifying God in everything we do, enabled me to avoid Dunkin' Donuts this morning.

Here's how it went down inside my depraved little mind. Mmmm, I could really go for a donut and a cup of coffee for breakfast. Considering that I didn't gain any weight over the weekend with all the scrumptious food I ate, I do believe I can justify said donut as my reward. Besides, I'll be working it off at the gym this morning and afterward, I'll be reaaalllly strict for my Weight Watchers weigh in on Wednesday morning.

About half way to Dunkin' Donuts a little question pops into my head. Would I be glorifying God by eating that donut? Sing a song, hum a little tune, try to distract myself from the answer that keeps nagging me. I finally submitted to the Lord's leading and decided against that tempting donut. In my circumstances, with all the health issues linked to an unhealthy diet and the fact that I'm paying good money to attend Weight Watchers, eating a donut would certainly not glorify God. So I pulled over and ate a Weight Watchers granola bar that I happened to have in my purse.

One little victory for the Holy Spirit in my life today!

1 Thessalonians 5: 17 - Pray continually!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

2008-04-16T08:20:00.002-04:00

R-E-S-P-E-C-T!

Everyone's a Comedian!

2008-04-15T10:44:00.003-04:00

Ya know how kids are always telling jokes and attempting to make up their own? I recall the phase of knock-knock jokes that I do believe lasted for several years straight!

Yesterday, Darlin' came up with one that was pretty clever, so I thought I'd pass it on:

What happened to the short football team? They had to "fourfeet!"

If you're interested in further laughs, a little more on the intellectual side, then check out this movie from Ben Stein. He always cracks me up! Expelled debuts in theaters this Friday. It is a documentary on the battle of Darwinism vs Creationism. Based on the trailer, I doubt it will be a boring one. Ben Stein is sure to sandwich the information between his dry wit and intellectual humor like a good Oreo!

I'm hoping I get to see it at some point, but I'll be away on a Ladies' retreat with our church this weekend. I'll let you know what I think as soon as I see it!

With Vigor!

2008-04-14T09:36:00.005-04:00

I've got my workout clothes on and I'm heading to the gym. Today I was planning to focus on my arms, before I even looked at this next verse in Proverbs 31.

Proverbs 31:17 She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.

How appropriate is that? I was already planning to make my arms stronger. Now I've got to work on the "vigorously" part. I'm not one to do anything with much vigor, except perhaps getting up in front of people and embarrassing myself (and my daughter) for entertainment's sake. Anything for a good laugh right?

Last month I attended a school retreat with Darlin'. Each of the parents had to participate in a skit. Ours happened to be the only one with a song: R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Well, the other mothers and I attacked that with much vigor, to the chagrin of our kids, who I might add were all smiles amidst their red cheeks! One of the dads even called me the Redheaded Aretha!

So maybe if I put on some mo-town and sweep my hair up into an explosive beehive of curls I may just be able to attack my household chores with as much gusto. Here's to working vigorously!

Ah! The Life!

2008-04-09T14:18:00.000-04:00

More Melodrama

2008-04-08T17:08:00.002-04:00

Welcome to medical melodrama month sponsored by Denitra's Den. Glad to be of service to you (please note the sarcasm!)

So the saga continues. Wish I could say it was an April Fool's joke, but no.

Now for the weekly update.

I saw the surgeon and scheduled belly button surgery for April 24th. Yup. You read that right: belly button. Apparently I've got an umbilical hernia. Hmmmm, wonder if a tummy tuck will be a part of the procedure?

Despite the obvious belly button issue, the surgeon is not convinced that it is the source of my problems, namely abdominal discomfort and pain. So he wants to pursue gallstones. (This is where Hubby laughed. It just doesn't seem to stop!)

So to recap: Last month I went to the doc with the flu and discovered I had kidney stones. The other week I went back with kidney stones and he told me I'm pre-diabetic (haven't even mentioned this one yet!) but that will have to wait til we sort out the kidney thing. So he sent me to a surgeon who, mocking my puny kidney stone, declared it must be the bladder and I'd better get surgery on that hernia (which I didn't even know I had!) On to the surgeon who said. Yup, that hernia's gotta go, but I think your real problem is the gall bladder and you oughta get the intestines checked out while your at it, too . . . just in case!

ENOUGH ALREADY - I sound like a hypochondriac! (Hmmm, that might be nice - then it would all just be in my head.)

Tune in for next week's continuing saga of medical melodrama when Denitra declares, "What?! You have got to be kidding me!"

A Business Savvy Wife

2008-04-07T09:01:00.005-04:00

Lookin' at Proverbs 31:16 we see a description of a business savvy wife. Check it out:

She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

Not only is this woman accomplishing the tasks of wife, mother, and homemaker (which I've got to add - was much more rigorous in Old Testament times. I mean, c'mon, when have I ever had to spin yarn or kill our animals for food?!), but now she has started her very own home-based business.

Now, I've tried several times to have my own little business going. I sold crafts, candies and baked goods for a year or so and later moved on to selling Discovery Toys for a couple of years. Unfortunately, I'm not as business savvy as the Proverbs 31 woman seems to be. As my husband put it, I ran a very nice charity!

Perhaps, we can look at this another way. Are we helping or hindering our home finances? Those times where I attempted my own business, may have been questionable if I was helping at all, but that was my intent. Working as the Senior High Youth Director for a few years, was probably my biggest contribution during our marriage.

The current season of life in which I find myself is not at all conducive to contributing to the household funds. So how can I be "business savvy" without really being involved in any kind of business?

I was reading a book called The Coupon Mom and she helped me understand how. By viewing my home as my business I can contribute to helping our financial situation by focusing on saving money. I've definitely been doing better at this: making hubby lunch most days, trying not to eat out myself as often as I did before, and trying to implement a coupon system when I do grocery shopping. In essence I'm attempting to be more business savvy and in so doing, emulating the Proverbs 31 woman to a small degree. As a firm believer in being a stay at home Mom, I find this most encouraging!

Back on Spin Cycle

2008-04-01T19:03:00.004-04:00

Once again it is that time of year when it seems to rain more often, the flowers start poking through the ground, the sun brings outdoor coat-free time, and I stand swaying in the breeze. Literally.

I might as well just mark my calendar every year for this particular week in the Spring, when the vertigo rears its ugly head, just a little bit higher than before. So far, so good. Just seems to be set on a gentle spin cycle. Haven't made the annual trek to the emergency room. . .yet. However, a feeling of foreboding is upon me.

The past week I have felt more as if I am walking a ship at sea, than standing flatfooted in the kitchen attempting to pull some semblance of dinner together. Right now the seas are getting choppier, the longer I take to finish this post! Like I said before - so far, so good. I've been worse, so I need to just back off from the computer a bit and rest a little more. (Just a little warning if I'm not posting over the next few days.)

Today, the hurricane arrived. Fighting the sea legs I've seemed to acquire, I headed to an appointment at the urologist regarding a small kidney stone. Despite the fact that the walls of the examining room began to billow in the non existent sea air, I managed to not fall over and kept clear enough to be blown over by the diagnosis.

Naturally, I need to follow up on the kidney stone with an ultrasound. If that doesn't answer the question, then I believe the words he used were "we'll use the scope to see the bladder". . .YIKES! I'm reaaallly hoping it doesn't come to that. Still, this was all somewhat manageable until the poking.

After a few minutes of poking and prodding in particular places and me practically jumping off the table, the doctor looks back at my records. Oh, well perhaps it's your hernia.

WHAT?! What hernia? I don't have a hernia! Well, apparently I do and it was just discovered 2 months ago in the midst of all the kidney testing. Hmmm, you'd think that would've warranted a mention to me. . . .

This doc felt it merited much more than a mention and has sent me to see a surgeon ASAP. That appointment is tomorrow. So it looks like my traditional ER visit will be an actual OR visit.

I don't even want to think how I'm going to top this for next year!

Are you a morning Mom?

2008-03-31T11:07:00.003-04:00

This week, I'm back to memorizing Proverbs 31 and today's verse is a doozy for me.

Proverbs 31: 14 - She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.

Hmmm. I'm definitely not a morning person. Gotta work on that one. Do ya think getting the kids their breakfast and packing lunches in the morning counts? I think I'm gonna go with that one here. Seems like the context is focused on buying groceries (v.14), getting up when needed and providing for the family. I definitely need to work on the "getting up when needed" part!

Well, my "servant girls", Gen E. and May Tag, are waiting for me to give them their daily assignments of laundry and dishes.

May you have a productive Proverbs 31 Woman day!

Eggstravaganza!

2008-03-25T13:13:00.007-04:00

(Sorry for the delay - this was meant to be posted on Tuesday, but our computer wasn't cooperating. Finally, the TCG (the computer geek, aka Hubby) was able to fix it! I love him!! So here it is.)

Easter Sunday was quite the eggstravaganza for our family. We spent the morning at church, enjoying the early service, a yummy brunch and then lounging in the library while Hubby counted during the late service.

We drove 45 min. to visit Mom Mom and Pop Pop in my hometown. After more yummy snacks, we headed to the nursing home to visit Babci (my grandmother.) Her sister, Aunt Charlotte, and Bob also stopped by, so we had quite a crowd. We sang some songs, played with a stuffed chickie from my Aunt Vicki, looked at old photos and even attempted to learn how to say Happy Easter in Polish!

After visiting Babci, everyone came back to my folk's house for Easter dinner. Or should I say "Thanksgiving dinner?!" - Turkey, stuffing, veggies, mashed potatoes. . .yummy! Being that Easter is a celebration of Christ's resurrection and the gift of salvation, it definitely was a thanksgiving meal!

My mother's birthday was last Saturday, March 15th. I picked up a Happy St. Patty's Day Birthday card for her - which I think is pretty funny as she is 100% Polish and only IBM - Irish By Marriage!

Hubby commented that there just wasn't a market available for Happy St. Patty's Easter Birthdays. Mom informed us that this was the earliest Easter had been since 1913! It will not be that early again for another 220 years! Wow! She should write a letter or something to pass down to my kid's great, great, (however many "greats" that would be) grandchildren to open on Easter, March 23, 2228 - pretty wild, eh?!

In celebration of Mom's birthday and Easter I decorated a cake. This one was a simple chocolate bunny. Mom has been the director of Rabbit Hill Nursery school for years, so the bunny is her personal mascot and of course she loves chocolate (although, ya can't tell by lookin' at her - wish I'd inherited her metabolism. . .thanks alot Dad!) So in honor of the traditional chocolate Easter bunny here is my eggstra-special bunny cake:

Happy Easter!

2008-03-24T12:00:00.004-04:00

We interrupt the regularly scheduled Proverbs 31 memory verse to bring you 1 Corinthians 15: 3-4:

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

Hope you all had a wonderful resurrection day celebrating the new life we have in Christ!

Cub Quotes

2008-03-20T14:30:00.001-04:00

My 10 year old son:

"I just break out into song all the time. My life is a musical!"

The Sweet Life

2008-03-19T17:46:00.003-04:00

This week's healthy habit tip is: avoiding refined sugar. We've all heard this one, right? I myself have tried many times to give it up with little success. So let me correct myself here, the tip for the day is reducing refined sugar. That's better. I think I can handle that one, how about you?

Failure to avoid or reduce refined sugar in our diets is usually predicated upon that fact that there are not too many great replacements out there and, let's face it, we do need to keep a little sweetness in our lives!

Cheer up, though, there is hope. Sugar substitutes are being more widely marketed. Just check out your local health food store or the organic aisle in your neighborhood grocery chain (they seem to be expanding continually!) No longer are we limited to the heavyweights of NutraSweet and Equal.

In fact I highly recommend staying away from those heavyweights as they have been known to cause cravings and much worse. If you are not aware of the controversies surrounding aspartame, then I suggest checking out Wikipedia. I found this to be the most objective, informative and helpful resource. My conclusion: consider aspartame (NutraSweet & Equal) dangerous to your health.

I no longer allow my children to drink or eat anything sweetened with aspartame (that includes gum!) A bit of pure sugar is better for them then processed chemical sweeteners.

In our household we have tried different types of sugar substitutes. Below is a list from least to favorite:

Stevia: I have this on hand for use in drinks, but I have found this the most difficult sweetener to incorporate. It tends to have a prominent after taste in beverages which makes it an acquired taste. I never quite figured out how to bake with it successfully.

Sucralose: When it comes to candy or gum I will allow the kids to have items sweetened with Splenda. As it is still a chemically altered sweetener, I do limit exposure and no longer use it for baking or sweetening. In addition to my concern with long term use, our family's constitutions seem to be quite sensitive to the product.

Xylitol: This is one of the many sugar alcohols you may see listed in ingredients (pretty much anything that ends with "ol".) Xylitol is also sold separately for use in baking, cooking and sweetening. I find this to be the best replacement for baking, but because the sugar alcohols have a laxative effect similar to Splenda, I advise using it in moderation. Typically, I will replace only part of the sugar called for in a recipe with Xylitol and use either date or maple sugars for the remaining part. I find that our family is able to digest Xylitol in baked goods with no adverse effects. The only problem seems to be when I make lemonade. So now I make the real thing as a treat, instead of the forced colon cleansing. (Please note that some people do not have any negative reaction to Xylitol in beverages. My friend's children drink their sweetened lemonade all summer with no problem!)

Xylitol also has great health benefits. It is low in calories and does not contribute to high blood sugar. Those suffering with diabetes, hypoglycemia or candida are most likely able to incorporate this sweetener into their diets safely. (Remember to check with your doctor first!) Additional benefits include increased health in teeth, ears and bone density. I've replaced our household chewing gum with only xylitol based products (available at local stores) because it is supposed to be very beneficial for protecting children's teeth.

The final three sweeteners are great for combined use in baked goods, but be warned they do contain calories!
Date Sugar: Works great as a substitute for brown sugar in baking recipes. I use it in combination with maple sugar for the topping in my apple crisp.

Pure Maple Sugar: Oooh! This one is especially yummy mixed in oatmeal or apple pie. My son has to avoid refined sugar due to candida, so I mix this with cinnamon for his cinnamon toast!

Agave: This is my ultimate favorite sweetener! Use it just like you would honey. The best thing about agave, is that it does not affect glucose levels, so it is typically safe for diabetics. (Remember to check with your doc first!) I use this in lots of stuff. It is great for sweetening beverages: iced tea (but for some reason, not lemonade), hot tea/coffee or homemade cocoa. It works well in baked goods, breads, and pies. For a tasty salad dressing just mix it with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper.

I hope these tips will help give you some motivation to experiment with some of those less marketed sweeteners as well as provide you with informative links to guide you in making the best choices for you and your family! So, go! Enjoy the sweet life!

The Life of a Housewife

2008-03-17T09:42:00.004-04:00

Monday. Time to go grocery shopping. . .again. It seems as if all I do is shop, wash dishes, and do laundry. It's just an endless cycle in the life of a housewife. Ho - hum.

Last night I pushed through the dreary routine to complete loading the dishes and shining my sink before I crashed with Hubby to enjoy an old episode of Seinfeld. (Ahh, nothing like a good laugh at the expense of poppy seed muffins!)

Of course this morning I'm struck with the words of Proverbs 31: 13&14:

She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.

Eager hands. I need to work on that one, as I usually just feel like I'm going through the motions. Eager is definitely not the word I would use to describe my homemaking. I need to replace the idea of drudgery with eagerness. God's the only one that can do that in my life, so that is what I'll be praying for this week.

Look at what else is keeping the Proverbs 31 woman busy: grocery shopping! Pretty apropos for me today when it's time to clip those coupons and hit the nearest Giant. I feel encouraged as I plan to get the best deals I can sailing around in Hubby's Hyundai (my boat's in the shop), picking up fruits and veggies from far off lands like California and Florida!

I feel a little better now about my goals for the day: shopping, dishes and laundry. It helps to put them in a better context - a Biblical perspective!

Have a great homemaking day!

Identity Crisis

2008-03-14T17:15:00.004-04:00

As long as I can remember, I have been identified as the "curly red headed" girl. Granted, when I was little it was much brighter, so there was no denyin' it was red. Mom could always spot me on the beach - the pale kid with the carrot top!

In recent years it has darkened to a calmer shade of amber or perhaps bronze. Although, now many people seem to be confused by its color and don't quite know how to categorize it.

When I was young it was sometimes considered strawberry blonde (one guy even called me blondie, but I think he needed to have his eyes checked) and more recently I'm guessing that people must place it in the brunette category.

Considering that my hair is the one part of my body that I do like, I find myself feeling quite disconcerted when someone no longer considers me to have "red hair."

Just the other week I was meeting a friend for lunch. She gave the waitress the description of "curly red hair", so she could direct me to the proper table. After I arrived my friend let the waitress know. The waitress indicated that she thought she was supposed to be looking for someone with red curly hair. Ouch!

At least my friend still thought it looked red! She seemed shocked that anyone would think otherwise. I relayed to her some of my stories of people telling me, "Oh, in this light you do have reddish hair!" or when someone else referred to me as the redhead in the room and the other person replied, "What redhead? There's no redhead in here."

I'm beginning to wonder if I'm holding on to some delusion here about having red hair. So let me know what you think. How should I describe myself these days? The lady previously known to have red hair but now its a shade of auburn or brown. What should I put on my driver's license?

Go ahead. Tell me what you think and I'll try not to cry about it!

Kitty IQ Test: Round Peg, Square Hole. What A Smart Cat!

2008-03-12T14:03:00.002-04:00

Welcome to the Blog Party!

2008-03-11T08:33:00.011-04:00

Welcome to my little corner of blogville. Grab a cup o' coffee (or tea if you prefer!), sit a spell and enjoy exploring the den!

My first post will give you a good idea of what to expect here at the den. I've only been blogging since the New Year and am enjoying keeping in touch with friends and family, as well as, meeting new friends!

Now that I'm a bit more proficient at blogging, I am starting to incorporate some regular features. Each Monday I post a Monday Morning Memory verse that is displayed on the sidebar for the week. Currently, I am working on memorizing Proverbs 31 and applying it to my life, marriage and family.

On Wednesday I enjoy posting a picture and linking to Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom. Healthy Habit Tips will also become a bit more regular as I continue to delve into the world of healthy eating and exercise.

At the Popcorn Diaries I review movies that we've watched over the weekend. On the side bar I keep a list of family favorites, including a count down for the next film in a favorite series, The Chronicles of Narnia!

I am married to a wonderful computer geek (term of affection here at the den!) and often post about our cubs, Darlin' (12) and Buddy Bear (10).

I am an extrovert. I enjoy hosting or attending parties and events with friends and family (and then posting about them!) I especially love decorating cakes for my cub's birthday parties and planning theme parties!

That about sums it up for me. I hope you enjoy your time at the den!

Don't forget to join the party and check out all the cool prizes:

#72 A Webcam. . .cool! (from Liz)
#112 & #130 I love Starbucks!
Tons more stuff . . . so go check it out!

The Good Wife

2008-03-10T09:11:00.004-04:00

This week my Monday Morning Memory verse is Proverbs 31:12 - She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.

I just added this one one to verse 11 on the side bar because it is easier to remember the two together. Just makes more sense.

The reason the husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value, is because his wife is good to him and does not harm him. The rest of the passage goes into detail on what that looks like.

To sum it up, the Proverbs 31 woman looks out for her man and treats him well.

Hmmm, so the focus for this week is. . . be nice!

Tooth Dismay

2008-03-06T08:54:00.004-05:00

When Darlin' got glasses in first grade I was amazed how much she looked just like my cousin, Jill, when she was that age. In second grade Darlin' had to get braces due to the horizontal shark teeth she seemed to have sprouting from her gums! With the braces and the glasses she was the smitten image of my cousin. Pretty wild how those family resemblances work, eh? Darlin' is now in 6th grade and eagerly anticipating her participation in Jill's fall wedding!

This week we had the obligatory follow up at the orthodontist. It had been several months since Darlin' was told to sleep with out her bottom retainer in an attempt to allow the teeth to move out a bit for a proper bite. Hmmmmm, would have thought that the braces she wore for 18 months would have helped, but who am I?

Darlin' and I were both dismayed when the orthodontist proclaimed that she would need "phase two." Yup, you guessed it - she has to get another round of braces for 14 months! Poor thing!

After loudly lamenting future deprivation of gum, candy and popcorn, again, she accepted the inevitable and grumbled, "Thanks a lot, Jill."

Maybe I need to back off on those family comparisons, eh?

Happy B-Day To My Lil' Buddy!

2008-03-03T22:13:00.012-05:00

Today is a milestone day for me and my littlest cub: his 10th birthday (sniff. . . sniff. . .when did my baby boy get to be so big?!) He is very excited to have entered into double digits whilst I, on the other hand, continue to be traumatized!

True to form, we had a celebratory weekend culminating with a special birthday dinner today. Buddy's birthday party was held at Chuck E. Cheese's. The kids had a blast! The only draw back to throwing a party there for older kids, is that they run through their tokens in the first ten minutes with all the arcade games. (Gone are the days of climbing and sliding contentment!) We managed to keep them active by rationing out our stash of extra tokens.

Lil' Buddy (who's not so little anymore. . .sniff. . .sniff. . .) wanted to do a race car theme for his birthday this year. (Yes, you are correct, this implies that every year the cubs have themed birthdays. It's a bit of an obsession on my part, but I do love planning parties. Remember Darlin's?!)

To round out the race car theme we provided Disney/Pixar's CARS plates, napkins and candle. The party favors were CARS stadium cups filled with candy, a Hot Wheels car and a CARS pencil. The pièce de résistance was the race car cake!

Top View

Side/Back View

Side/Front View

Pretty cool, huh? Buddy Bear loved it and so did all his buddies. Of course, the birthday boy had to have the piece with his name on it, which was basically the whole side of the car - still cute!

Despite the difficulty I had in getting a decent yellow and red color that would suit a race car, it was one of the easier cakes to decorate. The pan is a 3-D car pan from Wilton, so I didn't have to brave sculpting some semblance of a vehicle.

All in all it was one of the smoothest parties we've thrown. The most work I had was baking and decorating - which took some planning and foresight on my part as it was quite a busy week aside from party prep. The favors were soooo easy and once at Chuck E. Cheese's everything was a breeze.

Wonder how to top this for his 11th?! Sniff. . .sniff. . .sniff. . .

A Fortunate Man

2008-03-03T08:27:00.005-05:00

I had the honor this weekend to do a short devotional at a friend's bridal shower (one of "my girls" from youth group, all grown up and getting married. . .sniff, sniff. . . I'm getting old!)

If you haven't guessed by now, I decided to speak on Proverbs 31. I was amazed while reading this chapter how many characteristics of the Proverbs 31 woman Amber already possessed. (I only wish I had such a head start entering my marriage 15 plus years ago!)

She is:

a gem
organized
hard-working
business savvy
physically fit & strong
a keen shopper
optimistic (no whining allowed!)
instructive
able to manage and delegate
not lazy or idle
fears the Lord
even knows how to farm!

Pretty impressive, huh?

My hope at the shower was to encourage Amber to continue to cultivate those Proverbs 31 qualities that are already evident in her. What a great way to enter marriage.

It was also a great reminder to me, and hopefully the other women present, to examine ourselves to see what Proverbs 31 qualities we already possess. Too often we view the Proverbs 31 woman as an unattainable woman that is beyond our grasp. This list of qualities should encourage, and at times, challenge and convict us to strive for excellence in our life, marriage and family.

What I love about Proverbs 31 is that it is a list of character traits for a young prince (v.1) given by his mother in alphabetical (Hebrew) order to help him find a wife. Here God provides the guys with a list of qualities to look for as they search for a marriage partner.

This reminds me of the many girl retreats I have led over the years (Amber was at the very first one!) At some point the girls take the time to think and pray about a list of qualities they want to have in their future husband. When I hear about them dating seriously, one of the first questions I ask them is, "Does he fit your list?" They proudly state, "Yes, he does!" (Come to think of it, I don't believe anyone has ever answered "no.")

What a privilege, we as mothers (or even mentors!), have to prepare our sons and daughters for marriage. Helping them to develop Biblically based lists of qualities and characteristics that the Lord finds pleasing for their future mate.

Amber is on her way to fulfilling the list God has given in Proverbs 31. Her husband will be a fortunate man, because he has found a Proverbs 31 wife!

Proverbs 31:11 - Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.

Winter Wonderings

2008-02-29T10:56:00.003-05:00

Yesterday the cubs and I headed out in the winter cold for a field trip. As we were driving to school, Darlin' asked why it wasn't snowing, because it was certainly cold enough.

Looking out the window at the clear blue skies and white fluffy clouds (the kind that always form the coolest shapes), I responded that there wasn't any precipitation.

At that point the cubs gazed imploringly at the sky and pleaded for a little "participation!"

Go Ahead, Bragg A Little Bit!

2008-02-27T23:50:00.006-05:00

As I peruse various blogs, it seems that many of you are interested in eating more healthfully. Now, I'm no authority on health food, but I am an expert on dieting. I certainly have attained the know how, I just need to work on the follow through!

To sum up, over the past 15 years I have tried the following diet fads: The Cabbage Soup Diet, Slim Fast, Weight Watchers, an elimination diet, Marilu Henner, Atkin's, Suzanne Somer's, South Beach, E-Diets, Medifast, The Pericone Prescription, and the Rotation Game.

Pathetic, huh?

The only successes I had was with Weight Watchers and the elimination diet. The first I found to be a bit tedious. The second was done to determine food allergies. As you can gather from the name, you pretty much eliminate everything from your diet and add foods back in slowly one at a time. You can't help but loose weight during the process, but you can only live like that for so long.

My point here, is that I have tried many programs that have worked well for others, but not for me. Perhaps some of you may find yourself in the same boat?

As I forge ahead on our family's current meal plan, The Rotation Game (doctor ordered for food allergies, not weight loss), I find myself utilizing helpful bits and pieces from those past diets. As I have wasted time, money, sweat and tears trying things that either didn't work, were too complicated to follow or just plain tasted horrible, I thought I would share some of the gems I have gleaned and possibly help others avoid similar grief and frustration.

See, I'm here for ya. All those years of yo-yo dieting were not for naught!

So my healthy habit tip for the day: Bragg's Liquid Aminos. (Thanks, Marilu!)

This stuff is great. It's chock full of protein and nutrition, not to mention that it is very tasty! If you need to avoid gluten, this is a perfect replacement for tamari or soy sauce.

Give it a try! I use this for much more than Chinese stir-fry. Try it in place of Worcestershire sauce to give meat loaf, steak, roast, chops, soup, etc. a healthy boost and a little zip. It also tastes yummy on baked fish or drizzled over steamed veggies. Spritz it on salad to replace a high calorie dressing.

Below is a yummy dish I created for dinner this week. I'm not one for recipes. I never seem to follow them, as I'm always substituting things or adding stuff to suit my tastes. So bear in mind that I am estimating the amounts that I used and I advise the taste-as-you-cook method.

Chicken Primavera

extra virgin olive oil
Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1/4 of a green pepper, diced
1/4 of a red pepper, diced
1/4 of a large Vidalia onion, diced
1 small zucchini, diced
1 small yellow squash, diced
1 cup green cabbage, sliced & diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 bag of Perdue Italian style grilled chicken short cuts (or 1 16 oz can chicken or whatever grilled chicken you may have. If it is not seasoned already then make sure to add your preferred seasoning to the dish.)

Here's how I cooked it. I chopped up all the veggies and dumped them in the electric frying pan. I poured the EVOO over it - I'm guessing at least a 1/4 cup. Then I turned on the pan and sauteed everything all at once. Next, I added the Bragg's until I liked the taste. Last, I added the grilled chicken and kept it cookin' til the veggies were tender.

Serve over pasta or rice. I recommend Bionaturae's gluten free pasta made with rice, potato and soy. It has a good flavor and holds together well, as long as you don't overcook it. That and white Vita Spelt pastas are the only wheat substitute pastas our family likes (and have even served to unsuspecting guests in soups and pasta dishes!)

Enjoy!

F.Y.I.: Marilu Henner has a good program if you are organized and determined. She has lots of good recipes and tips. Just be prepared to spend more money at the grocery store on the healthier fare and extra time preparing meals. As I recall, hubby's response to this program was, "I can do with a little less fish!"

Chewy's My Favorite! Who Is Your Favorite Star Wars Character?

2008-02-27T13:51:00.002-05:00

Half Way There

2008-02-26T09:11:00.002-05:00

I noticed that I've posted 52 times so far in my short blogging career. Wow! I have lots more ideas too, just need time to get them to ya.

For my 100th post I plan to list the "100 things about me!" Now that I'm half way there, I better get started on that.

I'm in a bit of a rush this morning, so this is just a quickie. Hopefully, I'll be back today to post something somewhat relevant to my life and yours, but it's party week so I'm off to shop for gifts.

Fun! Fun! Fun!

From the Mouths of Babes

2008-02-25T08:04:00.004-05:00

This morning my dear cub was dressed a bit like a character out of Oliver. Tattered sweatshirt that was 2 inches too small in the arms, sweat pants that were two sizes too short and sticky-uppy hair in all directions (drat! I neglected to fix that one - hopefully the spiked hair will be cool today!)

I asked Buddy to change and handed him a pile of clean clothes from which to choose (and hopefully also put away!) He just looked at me, smiled and sighed, "Thank you, dearest Mother."

This remark brightened my groggy-still-waking-up-mood and warmed me heart. Yes, he said this sincerely and without a hint of sarcasm. . .imagine that. Of course, this sincerity probably stems from the fact that most of the family is usually searching for clean clothes nearly every morning, because the gazillion loads of laundry that I seem to do constantly are always the wrong piles and he was just glad to have some clean clothes that actually fit him! It's a never ending saga - laundry is my nemesis. Deep breath. Right now, however, I will choose to put that negativity behind me while I throw another load of laundry in and enjoy the appreciative comment from my adorable cub!

That moment with my son made me think of Proverbs 31:28, where it states: "Her children arise and call her blessed...." It's nice to see a glimpse of the Proverbs 31 woman in my life as I feel that I am daily failing miserably at achieving the character described in that pericope. Also, I am reminded of the fact that I want to commit Proverbs 31 to memory this year. So, as I've previously done verses 1-9, I'll start with verse 10:

A wife of noble character, who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.

Mmmm, wonder how much I'm worth?

Let It Snow!

2008-02-22T14:35:00.004-05:00

Finally, a snow day! Ahhh, snow makes me smile!

View from a front window (above) and the back (below.)

Not much snow compared to other places, or even other years, here in PA. This is the only snow day the kids have had all winter! I actually enjoyed brushing the mounds of snow off the car, shoveling the white fluffy stuff, helping Buddy sled and our brief snowball fight!

Oh Baby!

2008-02-21T22:59:00.007-05:00

I made it! I finally got to visit with my friend and her new baby. It was such a nice afternoon of catching up and touring the new place. The highlight, of course, was having plenty of baby time with the new little snuggle bug! She is a cutie and I enjoyed the baby cuddles immensely!

The remainder of the afternoon was spent at Wal-Mart. Buddy bumped heads with someone at recess, so we had to traipse over to W.M. to have his glasses bent back into the correct shape. I've lost count on how many times he's had to have his glasses "unbent"! It must be a boy thing.

While his glasses were being fixed I noticed a welt developing on his eyebrow, so we went next door to get a, usually forbidden, Icee. I let him have the treat after he held it to his forehead long enough to help the swelling go down. I think he was a bit disappointed that he wouldn't be getting a black eye!

Next, we had some birthday party shopping to do. Darlin' picked out a cute purse for a friend's party. Naturally, I felt inspired (or perhaps compelled by the torn handles of my own purse) to buy myself a new bag. What do ya think?

I hope it's not bordering on a bit-too-much-like-Tina Turner for me (it's not nearly as reflective in real life!) Besides, it matches my coat. . .not to mention my hair. . .and that's about the extent of my fashion coordination!

Lastly, we loaded up on CARS party supplies and Hot Wheels for Buddy's birthday party next week. Somewhere along the line I promised to make a race car birthday cake (yikes!), so keep a look out next weekend to see if I succeed.

Quick stop on the way home to pick up London Broil on sale at Giant - buy one get one free - SCORE! Sale ends Saturday, so if you're local stock up on some steak!

Well, they are forecasting a substantial snow storm for tomorrow. I'll let you know if we finally get a snow day around here!

Will I or Won't I? That is the Question.

2008-02-20T23:26:00.003-05:00

OK, I'm healthy, the cubs are healthy and Hubby's healthy. What's wrong with this picture? Oh . . . nothing! It just seems that since the New Year this may be the first week where everyone is healthy at the same time!

What a concept.

For the past month I have tried, to no avail, to visit one of my dearest friends who just had a baby. Well, not just, almost 5 weeks ago! Also, in that time they packed up and moved into a new home. So to recap: I've missed being able to help as much as I had hoped with packing, unpacking, bringing meals, and of course, oohing and aahing over the new little girl (and the new house too!)

It has been almost comical (and I say almost because I think I may cry if it happens again!) that every time I have scheduled to bring a meal over, help carpool one of the boys or stop by to see the new baby - something comes up. Inevitably someone in our family starts sniffling and the next thing you know we're battling strep or the flu!

Well, (I almost hate to mention it for fear that it won't come true) I am supposed to stop by for a visit tomorrow after Bible study! Will I or won't I? That is the question that may just keep me up all night wondering if the noise down the hall is the start of the next round of runny noses or hacking coughs.

All is quiet. So far so good. Think I may be ready for tomorrow: Meat loaf - check. Mashed potatoes - check. Green beans - check. Cupcakes - check. Baby blanket - check.

Time to head to bed - but first I'll take a precautionary Vitamin C!

3-D Bonus: Cool Shades!

2008-02-20T08:12:00.005-05:00

Hannah Montana

2008-02-19T21:03:00.014-05:00

This weekend we surprised our cubs by taking them to see the Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour in Disney Digital 3-D!

I must say that it was a pretty fun experience. We all enjoyed the special 3-D effects - even in the previews - bonus!

It was fun to see the preparation for the concert and all the activity backstage. Getting a glimpse into Miley's life was cool and it was amazing to see how such a young girl handles being a star. Her parents were right there with her and it seems that they do a good job in the parenting department. So I don't mind my kids attending her "concert", watching her show or crooning her songs at the top of their lungs!

My only critique of the production is in the editing. I felt that there were too many things that were hinted at and never delivered. For instance, I was looking forward to a duet on stage with Billy Ray that was mentioned, even sat through the credits hoping it would be at the end. . .nope.

All in all I give it:Since it is geared toward kids, I thought it only fair that I let the cubs have their say. Naturally, they give it their stamp of approval with a rating of:

If you've got pre-teens who love to watch Hannah Montana, then this is a sure fire winner as a perfect Cub's Choice. Just be prepared to pay more at the box office for a "concert" - we paid $15 per ticket. That's a bit annoying since I know it doesn't cost them nearly as much to put together a concert as it does a multi-million dollar movie production. I just hope Miley picks an excellent college education as a result!

(1 hour 40 min. Rated G)

A Monumental Day

2008-02-18T23:26:00.004-05:00

Well, ladies and gentlemen, today we had cable installed! I know that every single one of you reading this post probably has had cable TV or Satellite for eons now, so you can't comprehend how this could possibly be a monumental event to our family . . . but believe me . . . it is.

We even have a Family Cable Contract. Yup, you heard right. All of us, even the cubs, had to sign on the dotted line that we would not "be mastered by the TV."

That's pretty much the main reason we have not gotten cable before. Just way too much stuff to waste our time and brain cells on. C'mon, do we really need hundreds of channels? Nope.

Besides, what seems to be on most of the channels is certainly not something we want our family to be watching. Can't tell you how many shows, ratings, and channels we blocked - it took almost an hour to go through it all!

After my less than stellar reaction to our recent cable hook up, you may be wondering why we are wasting precious money on this. Hubby will be creating software for the set top cable box, so it seemed a logical step.

All I care about is the clear picture! I'm just happy to finally see my favorite broadcast shows clearly after 12 years of bunny ears and static! (The DVR is pretty darn cool too!)

So I'm gonna make sure we all stick to our family contract, because if we don't it's back to regular old snowy, blurry, buzzy, intermittent broadcast TV. . .yikes!

Repairing My Walls

2008-02-18T00:11:00.004-05:00

As I struggle to incorporate the character traits of the Proverbs 31 woman into my own heart, the greatest hindrance I find is lack of self-control. Yeah, yeah, I know I'm a red-headed Irish lass and sometimes I feel like the very essence of my being is working against me here, but still it is no excuse for a short fuse!

At times I've had my cubs memorize the following Proverb when they have struggled with the sin of anger and a lack of self-control.

Proverbs 25:28 Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.

The metaphor of a city wall is quite interesting. Here, it is our self-control that protects and defends our heart against the invasion of the enemy, just like the city walls of ancient Jerusalem. But if we let our wall crumble and fall, then we give Satan an entry point to attack and wreak havoc in our lives.

I think it's high time I commit this Proverb to memory myself, so the Holy Spirit can use that to convict my heart before I am teetering on the brink of hot-headed emotionalism!

So this week, before I burst out in frustration, I will count to 10, recite this Proverb and pray.

My Funny Valentine

2008-02-15T10:21:00.014-05:00

Valentine's Day Moments:

Imported Italian Pink Pinot Grigio Veneto: $10
A Dozen Red Roses: $20
Romantic Italian Dinner: $60+
Chick Flick, Becoming Jane: $21

Hubby's Homemade Valentine ...

PRICELESS!

Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T08:22:00.004-05:00

Taking a brief moment before running out the door to Bible study, to wish you all a Happy Valentines Day! I had hoped to do a little write up myself of the history behind the pink hearts, but after grocery shopping til 11 p.m., baking til midnight, doing laundry til 12:30 a.m. (can you tell I'm a night owl!), getting to bed at 1 a.m. and trying to get to sleep til 3 a.m. - I don't seem to have the mental capacity to do anything creative. Soooo, I've decided to just pass along this post on Valentine's Day!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-02-13T11:06:00.007-05:00

Ever feel like a couch potato?

HA! I just couldn't resist this one! Hubby and I dressed as Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head at a costume party quite a few years back. In the foreground is Buddy galloping by as Woody and Darlin' glammed up as Belle!

Life, Liberty and "The Pursuit of Happyness"

2008-02-12T09:47:00.009-05:00

If ever you find yourself down and out, perhaps looking for work, feeling discouraged about your uphill battles and just wanting to hide under a blanket, then I suggest you watch The Pursuit of Happyness. If this movie doesn't help put things in perspective, make you feel much better about yourself and motivate you to pull yourself out of those depressing circumstances . . . I don't know what will!

It is an amazing story of Chris Gardner (masterfully portrayed by Will Smith) and his struggle to pursue the American dream all the while protecting his young son (played by Smith's real-life son Jaden Christopher Syre Smith - whose screen presence is worthy of such a big name!)

Will Smith surely earned his 2007 Oscar nod as he brilliantly draws us into the story and the heart of a man who, though broken, continues not just in pursuit of, but we are talking hot pursuit while running breathlessly after the seemingly elusive ideal of the American dream: a job, a home, a happy family.

Put this at the top of your Netflix queue and trust me, you'll be happy you did!

Hope you enjoyed my first installment of The Popcorn Diaries, Movie Reviews From the Den! Keep an eye out for my thoughts on some of these films: Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Apollo 13, Groundhog Day and more!

Back To Blogging!

2008-02-11T10:40:00.000-05:00

I'm back! Did ya miss me?! Thanks to my loyal followers who checked the blog daily over the last week to see if I was doing anything. Sorry to disappoint. Good news though, I have now officially returned from the recliner!

No, I wasn't off enjoyin' a bit of R&R to watch a movie marathon from the comfort of my favorite chair. Believe me, that would have been fun and this bit o' time off was anything but! I had the misfortune of being struck with a double whammy: influenza with a side of kidney stones!

Whew! Glad that is over. Now that the fever is gone, I'm able to get back to the computer. Housecleaning may have to wait a bit longer though (aw, shucks!) as my legs still feel like JELLO when I walk.

During this time I was able to see God's providential hand in the life of my family and our church family. It all comes down to timing, and that my friends, is never a coincidence but more accurately a "God - cidence"!

Friends of ours lost their house to fire last week. The same week other friends moved, leaving an empty home ready to be occupied by the now homeless family! One college student chose to stay home this semester, enabling her to call 911, helping to assist her sister and prevent greater loss and tragedy for their family and neighbors!

In our family, Hubby was home this week and able to take over my duties with the kids and help care for me while I was down for the count!

From the mundane to the tragic, God's hand is evident as He orchestrates what we sometimes flippantly refer to as LIFE! This brought to my mind a memory verse for this week, Romans 8: 28-30:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Monday Morning Memory Verse

2008-02-04T11:01:00.000-05:00

Today's verse, 1 Timothy 6: 20 & 21, reads:

Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith. Grace be with you.

I've been quite sick the past few days, so I just picked another verse from 1 Timothy. It happens to sum up the theme of the book. Paul spends the letter instructing Timothy on how to guard the gospel.

Hopefully, once my eyes stop burning after a minute at the computer, I'll be able to post again in the next day or so. Just wanted to let you know that I'm still alive. Sick as a dog, yes, but still breathing, well not through my nose as I would like to, but we'll call it breathing just the same!

Envelope please

2008-02-02T18:38:00.002-05:00

And the winner of the Solebury Home Teas is....

But before I get to that, thank you to everyone to stopped by and entered My First Bloggy Giveaway. I was excited to read all your sweet comments. I look forward to visiting the rest of your sites (it's taking a while to get through all 237). Come back and visit again. I plan to have another giveaway in the next couple weeks.

While you're here today, please vote in my poll about blogging.

And now (drum role please), the winner is Dukes' and Duchesses. Congratulations, please email me (denitrasden@gmail.com) your snail mail address and I'll get it to you ASAP.

Weekend Poll-Blogging

2008-02-02T00:07:00.000-05:00

As a newbie blogger, I've decided to enlist the help of you more experienced bloggers out there in cyberspace (well, all 10 of my faithful visitors!) How do you manage your blogging with your family responsibilities?

I am amazed at how much time this new obsession of mine is sucking out of my day. I enjoy writing my posts, reading other's, following little bloggity trails to new ones and leaving comments here and there. Only after this, I find that several hours have slipped right through my frantically typing fingertips.

It became quite clear that I needed to learn how to better balance my new blogging hobby with the rest of my life, when Hubby reminded me on his way to work the other week that there are more important things to do with my day than blog...yikes!

Just wait. . .it gets even worse. Hubby also informed me that Darlin' had her own opinion of my new hobby. Apparently she had asked Daddy how long it would take to read the Bible. He calculated that if one read 18 hrs a day it would take 10 days to complete, but that a lot of people do it in a year by reading about 1/2 hour a day. Darlin' replied that she thought that she could do that if she were a stay at home mom. And that maybe Mommy could do that if she wasn't blogging all the time! Hubby retorted, "You could do that too if you weren't on Webkins so much." "Touche!" she conceeded. Ouch!

So if you have any tips to help keep me blogging while striving to be a Proverbs 31 wife and mother. . .I'm in dire need of guidance!

I also thought it would be interesting to see how much time we all spend blogging. So after leaving a comment please check out the poll below!

[Sorry, poll has been removed]

***Check back soon for the winner of my bloggy giveaway. It ended Friday night Feb. 1st.***

Laundry Lunacy

2008-01-31T21:48:00.000-05:00

So, I was doing some laundry last night and my daughter had put her favorite sweatshirt in the hamper to be washed. Now, this isn't some regular ole' ho hum sweatshirt, it's a Calvin Klein with a fur lined hood! Check it out:

Isn't that cute? Darlin' just adores wearing this sweatshirt, so I 'm sure it took a lot of strength for her to part with it temporarily. Knowing how much she loves this garment, I knew that I had to take great care not to destroy it in the laundry process. I was mostly concerned with the fur in the hood, as fur never seems to look as good as it does beforehand. So, I thought I'd check the tag for cleaning instructions.

Aaaaarrrrrggggghhhh!

Nothing on the tag but more authentication that it is indeed a Calvin Klein product. Which I might add was quite obvious with the name emblazoned across the front and the $68.00 price tag dangling from the sleeve! Now, hopefully you are asking the same question I did (otherwise I may be concerned for your sanity) "Who in their right mind even considers paying $68.00 for a kid's sweatshirt?!" Fortunately, I know that this "Aunt" never pays full price, but I can't believe she managed to get this for anything under 30 bucks! So it was quite a generous gift along with the adorable purse and jeans to go with it - one of Darlin's favorite ensembles now. But I digress. Back to my frustration with clothing labels. . .

After being bitterly disappointed with the label on the back - it didn't even tell me to "see side for care" - I began my all to usual search for cleaning instructions. Why is there more than one tag anyhow? I just need one! Eventually, I found this:

Aaaaaaarrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhh!

Being an American who can read, I found this quite confusing. First of all, I am no friend of the metric system, so Celsius just eludes me (those of you in Europe, go ahead and take a minute to have a good laugh on me). Is 30 C considered cold, warm or hot??????!!!!! After consulting hubby, who can answer all things scientific and into which category I place the Celsius scale, I decided to wash it in warm.

OK, moving on. Can anyone shed any light on what the other symbols are supposed to mean? Some vague triangle with lines, reminiscent of cuneiform markings from the city of Ur . . . not helpful. (See, I may have skipped science and math, but I did take archeology!)

The remaining heirogliphics resemble a camera and an opened padlock (at least that's what hubby thought!) I did inform him that it was an iron and I'm assuming that the previous one is a dryer. I just never paid attention to these laundry symbols before, I always read the instructions that usually accompanied them!

Here is my plea: To anyone out there in the clothing industry, please keep English on the tag somewhere, because, yes, I'll admit it, I'm a stupid American. I speak one language, I don't grasp the metric system, and I prefer one clothing label that I do not have to decrypt!

Well, for the 2 of you who may still be reading this sorry saga, I did successfully wash her hoodie as you can see in the picture at the top. Washed warm, tumble dried low for 10 minutes to fluff the fur and then line dried. Maybe I should write that on the tag . . . .

***Check out my bloggy giveaway. It ends Friday night, Feb. 1st.***

"That's A Daddy Question"

2008-01-30T13:31:00.000-05:00

Last night, my son asked me how flashlights work. He is quite aware that you stick batteries in and turn it on, so I knew that he wanted the specifics - exactly how the batteries make the light bulb illuminate. He's a little engineer in the making.

Knowing this, my first response was, "You're asking the wrong person. That's a Daddy question." (A frequent comment of mine!) He replied, "I know, but I want to know how you think it works." How sweet. He didn't like my answer, "Magic!"

Yup, that's about how I understand it. You put the batteries in and the flashlight magically turns on. . .pretty much all I need to know. It's magical to me! (Can you tell that I'm easily amused?)

About the only scientific fact I remember is one from Jr. High. "Evaporation is a cooling process." That's about the sum of the vast scientific wisdom that I have passed on to my cubs (good thing hubby's here, eh?). Even last week, at the dinner table, they were discussing something about water turning into steam. So naturally wanting to put in my two cents, I began my quote, "Evaporation. . ." Both cubs jumped in to complete my sentence and Buddy then proceeded to discuss with Dad the fine nuances of steam vs evaporation. Whew! Sure glad hubby loves science!

I am convinced that at some point in their lives all Dads must take a class so that they can answer such questions as these. "Why is the sky blue? How does the phone work? What's a radio wave? How are we able to see things on TV? How do my ears work? How do airplanes stay up in the sky?" Hubby's so good at answering any type of question that the kids throw at him. My Daddy could always answer these kinds of questions too. I find that truly amazing!

I must confess, I've asked hubby all of the above questions. Knowing how I tend not to grasp all things scientific he usually responds to me with, "Do you really want to know? Cuz' I'll tell you." Nope, I'm good with "magic" thanks! I guess I just prefer to remain amazed!

***Check out my bloggy giveaway. It ends Friday night, Feb 1st.***

Pamper Me!

2008-01-29T09:12:00.000-05:00

As I've mentioned before, I'm an extrovert, so I'm on cloud nine from the day I had yesterday . . . and it keeps getting better! One would think that 4 hours of cleaning, 2 hours of grocery shopping, 1 hour of neck & back shots (ouch!) and 2 hours of icing from said shots yesterday, would negate any potential extroverted benefits from 3 hours at my Pampered Chef party and 2 hours on my blog . . . but NOT SO (I was never good at math!)

I'm still reeling with delight from the fun I had with my Pampered Chef Mexican Fiesta. We had Touch Down Taco dip and Chicken Enchiladas . . . muy bien! To go along with the Mexican theme, strawberry margaritas were also served, and being the good reformed Presbyterians that we are, we enjoyed 'em! Come to think of it, those margaritas could have been what is enabling me to order so much free stuff! (Mmmmmmm. . .would have made more if I was aware of that kind of math. . .inhibitions down = sales up!) Now before you think we're a bunch of lushes, those who imbibed only had one - once again proving that I'm no good at math.

Anyhoo, it was a blast and, considering I usually only have about 2 people show up to my home parties, this was the best one ever with more than could fit around my table! Friends, fun and food. . . what could be better than that?! My first bloggy giveaway!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you to all who have entered my giveaway so far! It's amazing what 122 comments in 24 hours will do to a girl's ego! I feel a Sally Field comin' on, "You like me! You really, really like me!" OK, so I know ya'll just want the free tea, but it still feels great to read all your comments . . . keep 'em comin'! Check back over the next few months as I'm hoping to stock up on the tea and do another giveaway. So if you don't win this time, never fear, just try again later!

To continue in the spirit of generosity, I will be posting the yummy recipes from my fiesta in the next couple of days - just in time for all those Super Bowl parties! Also, if any of you want to take advantage of the 20% discount off the stoneware in January, you can place an order online.
If you know me personally, you can enter my first and last name if you order before Friday, otherwise I don't benefit at all if you order from my consultant. I would just love to help support her goal.

Her husband teaches at the Christian school that we hope to send our cubs to someday. Their goal is to increase her business to the point where he can donate his entire salary to a scholarship that would enable more kids to attend the school. Awesome! It'd be nice to benefit from such a scholarship in another few years!

Thanks for reading my enormously hyper blog today! C'mon have you ever seen so many exclamation points in one post! 26! That math I can do!

***Check out my bloggy giveaway. It ends Friday night Jan. 31st.***

Monday Morning Memory Verse

2008-01-28T11:28:00.000-05:00

Yesterday our sermon and small group study was on 1Timothy 6:11-16 again. This time the focus was on verse 12 where Paul instructs Timothy "to take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession."

As our two cubs begin their communicant member class at our church, it is a reminder to me of the importance of being a member in "good standing." That's what our Pastor says every time he administers the sacrament of communion - all are invited to partake as long as they are members in good standing at an evangelical, Bible believing church.

Why? Because that is what Scripture tells us to do. Not only are we to believe in our heart, but we are to act on that belief by making our "good confession in the presence of many witnesses (v.12)." By being a member of a church, we are publicly acknowledging our belief in Christ and our membership in the body of believers. By being a member in good standing, we are actually attending church more than the obligatory Christmas and Easter appearances. Also, we are participating in the ministries of the church by using the gifts and talents God has given each one of us. This may be as simple as sending cards of encouragement to shut-ins or more involved like teaching Sunday school.

The important thing to remember is to be involved in the life of the covenant community. As we are reminded in our memory verse this week:

Hebrews 10: 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

***Check out my bloggy giveaway. I'll keep a link to it in all my new posts for the week.***

My First Bloggy Giveaway!

2008-01-28T00:19:00.000-05:00

* * * * * * U P D A T E D * * * * * * (see below)

Today starts a huge giveaway carnival over at rocksinmydryer. I am very excited to be participating in the first "bloggy giveaway" of my blogging career!

Ladies (and Gentlemen) it's tea time! I will be giving away 2 cannisters of Solebury Home Teas to one winner. The first tin contains 15 silken tea bags of English Breakfast Tea with a hearty robust flavor. The second, and my personal favorite, is the Earl Grey Tea. This tin contains 15 silken tea bags of Earl Grey with rose petals. The feel of the silky bags, the smell of the rose petals and the unique flavor make this the perfect choice for tea time... it is simply splendid!

To enter, just leave a comment on this post before midnight, EST, Friday night, Feb. 1st. Then head over to the bloggy giveaways carnival to find more great freebies. I'll pick a random number to select a winner this Saturday, Feb. 2nd. Unfortunately, I can only mail to a U.S. address. You do NOT have to have a blog to participate, just a valid email address so I can contact you if you win!

Thank you dcrmom for letting me know about the carnival!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

And the winner is ....

Fibro Fun

2008-01-25T09:06:00.002-05:00

Yes, that would be sarcasm you sense in the title of my post! Dealing with fibromyalgia for the past 15 years has been anything but fun. However, God is good and has blessed me with a very fun filled life despite the pain!

Last night our local news did a report on fibromyalgia and provided a list of resources. I found that Arthritis Today provided the most helpful information including a list of Fibro Fixes.

I thought I would pass along some things that have worked, and not worked, for me in dealing with my fibro.

MEDICATION: Traditional RX - not really helpful for me. I've tried a slew of things over the years and found that the side effects were more difficult to deal with than any benefit gained. That said, you need to work with your doctor to find what does work for you.

My D.O. actually ended up prescribing Nature Throid, even though mainstream docs would not have done so. In his experience, patients with fibromyalgia do best with an absolutely perfect thyroid. He was right! Mine was in normal range, but not perfect. After months of monitoring to get the numbers perfect, the fatigue began to improve tremendously. No more needing to pull over because I was too tired to drive the 20 min. home (or worse, slapping my face to stay awake!)

I also find that 4 regular old ibuprofen work wonders for me on those days when I just can't take the pain. Since I have started incorporating more of the suggestions below, I find that I only end up taking the pain meds maybe once a week and not several times a day! (yikes!)

WEATHER: Ah, the change in barometric pressure is my nemesis! As soon as all the joints in my fingers ache I can tell you that a storm's a comin'. Yes, between that and my curly hair, I'm a walking barometer!

Understanding that there is a connection with the weather has helped mentally. Somehow, knowing that the hurricane in Florida hundreds of miles away is causing my pain, makes it easier to put up with it. It's temporary and will subside when the weather calms.

CHIROPRACTIC CARE: This is my favorite treatment! If physical therapy is covered that is a great way to go or massage therapy for the "rich & famous," and for the rest of us. . .they're called husbands. Fortunately, our insurance covers chiropractic care, so that is what I like to do. I notice a huge increase in pain when I cut back to once a week. However, I used to go 3 times a week and now feel much better if I can keep it at 2. Someday I'll be even more improved and will be able to cut back more!

EXERCISE: I don't care for this one at all, but it is vital. I remember hearing a study where they deprived a bunch of people of sleep for days. The only 2 people who did not develop fibromyalgia symptoms were marathon runners! Now, you don't have to be training for a marathon to receive the benefits of exercise. Do what you can do - just make sure you do something!

Getting motivated to exercise is the hardest, because for those of us with fibro it causes a lot of pain. Doing things little by little and building up, will help. Icing after exercising helps keep my pain minimal. And of course don't forget to stretch. I stretch before I get out of bed, in the shower, throughout the day, before, during and after exercising! This, along with deep breathing, brings oxygen to those muscles and keeps them from getting too tight.

DIET: I don't like this one either. It ain't easy, but it works! Many of us with fibro suffer from food allergies and intestinal issues. Knowing what foods bother you is very important. I find that my pain increases if I eat too much wheat, dairy and sugar over a few days. Wheat causes inflammation, which therefore can cause pain and digestive stress.

Typically the foods you can't live with out, (ya know that which you crave!) are most likely the foods that are causing problems. Eliminate the culprits for a few weeks and, after the flu like symptoms of deprivation subside, slowly add them back in and see how you react. I've found that rotating wheat, sugar, dairy and coffee every 4 days has been the most beneficial in reducing the intestinal issues that go along with fibro.

PRAYER: Taking time to pray and read the Bible helps keep me from being overwhelmed and give in to the pain. Talking with hubby, playing with my kids, going to Bible study, being involved in our church and ministering to others, takes my focus off myself. . .and that's always a good thing!

I hope that if any of you suffer from fibro, or know someone who does, that these tips might help in dealing with the pain.

Now, I've been sitting at the computer way too long. . .it's time to stretch!

The Nerd Herd Returns!

2008-01-24T11:57:00.000-05:00

YAHOO! I can hardly contain my excitement! CHUCK returns tonight! The show will air on NBC at 8 p.m. & 10 p.m. with two new episodes for people like me who have missed CHUCK so much over the past two months that one hour just wouldn't be enough!

I know you must think I'm crazy. What can be so interesting about a couple of geeks working at a Best Buy wannabe? I don't know. Maybe the fact that they fumble through their day, including nonsensical attempts to save the world in each episode that are somehow reminiscent of Get Smart and Alias all at once!

As I've stated before, I married a computer geek (Tech Talk), so "geek" is a term of endearment for me and I think the actors who portray Chuck and Morgan do a funny job at defining a nerd in the first half of this clip. (Be warned: the second half of the clip at the convention is a bit questionable. I just couldn't figure out how to only show the first part. . .sorry.)

Come home early Hon, we've got a date at eight!

View episodes online at www.nbc.com/Chuck
Or download episodes from Amazon.

The Knight's Gone

2008-01-23T08:40:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I was shocked and saddened to learn of the sudden death of actor Heath Ledger. The last time I remember feeling that way regarding the passing of a Hollywood star, was when Phil Hartman was murdered by his wife. Both circumstances were tragic.

To quote my husband, "Why am I so bummed about this?" It is not as if I knew Heath Ledger personally or even had much of a glimpse into his life aside from snapshots and write-ups in People magazine. I just really appreciated his talent as an actor.

His breakout role in The Patriot, with Mel Gibson was impressive. Though he has been acclaimed for much more recent roles (some of which I have no desire to see him portray), it is his first starring role that I love the most: William Thatcher in A Knight's Tale.

If you have not seen the film it is a good one for date night. It is an odd mix of medieval meets modern and, if you like quirky, you would probably enjoy it quite a bit. I'll probably watch it this weekend as my little tribute to Heath.

It is a story of redemption. Only by being called by the Prince can we too, be saved from the punishment we deserve, given a new name and stand forgiven with a new title, like a knight in shining armor!

I believe it is this underlying desire for redemption that rocks us to the core when we hear of the death of someone so young. Every cell in our body groans because death is not natural. Deep down we feel how wrong and tragic it truly is. Whether we acknowledge the truth or not, we were created to live forever in harmony with our Creator. As a result of the Fall, (ya know - Adam & Eve), we now must suffer the curse of death. But there is hope for us in Christ who was promised back in the garden (Genesis 3:15) to redeem us.

He is the ultimate Prince who can redeem us from the pit and do more than knight us, but declare us children of God!

What's Behind The Name?

2008-01-22T15:43:00.000-05:00

A fellow flamingo fancier, marathonbird explained the meaning behind her blog name. That led me to find a bunch of other bloggers showing the creativity behind their particular names at amuse-bouche.
So for those of you who haven't been with me since the beginning (way back on Jan. 3rd!), I thought I'd post a link to my original post, It's all in the name!,in which I too describe the meaning behind my blog name, Denitra's Den.

Above are my little lions: Swiffer, Shadow & Peanut!

Tea Time

2008-01-22T08:39:00.000-05:00

On a day when the house is chaotic and I just can't wait for some peace and quiet to properly wake up, there is nothing like a cup of tea (OK, coffee would be better, but sadly it is not coffee day!)

A friend of mine bought me some Solebury Home Earl Grey Tea with rose petals in silken tea bags. It smells glorious and tastes wonderful (not at all like the barnacles on a bottom of a boat as my Dad claims - come to think of it, how would he know what that tastes like anyway?!)

I almost feel like a Queen whilst sipping from my huge Winnie the Pooh mug. More so if I could extend the pinkie, but you need a firm grip on such a huge drinking vessel. Besides, being different from the English is the American way, isn't it?!

Now that my tea is almost done, I feel like I may be able to tackle the day. There's lots to do in catching up from a brief increase of vertigo this long weekend. The never ending piles of laundry, meal planning, grocery shopping, and the dreaded litter boxes are just a few of the items hubby reminded me of on his way out the door. So I better get to my "honey do" list and hopefully I'll meet you back here later with another cup of tea!

Life is Sweet

2008-01-21T11:50:00.000-05:00

Life is sweet. Yesterday, as our church joined many others in celebrating Sanctity of Life Sunday, I was reminded of how sweet it truly is.

As we discussed the devastating facts of abortion in our small group last night (approximately 3,700 babies aborted daily in the US alone; 126,000 worldwide!), many of us mentioned the reaction of our own children when they hear about mothers having their unborn babies killed. My cubs just look at me in astonishment and ask, "Why would anybody want to kill their baby?" I continue to answer, "I have no idea." It is truly alarming to me that our society has come to this.

In my effort to memorize Proverbs 31 this year, I thought that I would pull this week's memory verse from that pericope. It is a passage that came to mind quite often yesterday as I considered the precious gift of life that we in America so easily dismiss and how as a Christian mother I am called to take a stand.

Proverbs 31: 8-9 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Pizzer fah Dinnah

2008-01-18T18:43:00.000-05:00

Yup, that's right folks, it's pizza night! Just about every Friday night you can hear the familiar phrase "pizzer fah dinnah" being heralded throughout our happy home. In case your wondering, that would be a New England accent. Having lived in New England for a time, hubby and I can attest to that personally. It is almost out of reverent homage to the place where we met, that we cannot resist repeating the phrase whenever we have pizza . . . without exception!

Tonight was to have been no different. Hubby was needing to work late so I intended on doing the cheap version of pizza - homemade. All was going along just fine, til I realized nearly everything I had in stock was "fake". Wheat-free pizza crust mix and vegi "mozzarella cheese". I did find some real cheddar cheese and pizza sauce, so I thought I would make do.

When I called the cubs in for . . ."pizza", my Darlin' asked worriedly, "Did you just say that in quotation marks?" With the hesitation in my voice I had given away the impostor waiting at the table. After a few bites we called to have Daddy pick up pizza on his way home. There's just no substitute for the real thing!

"Pizzer fah dinneh!" We can hardly wait!

Symptom Free With Vitamin C!

2008-01-18T14:37:00.003-05:00

It's that time of year - to get sick! After hearing about my friend being under the weather, I thought I would pass along what has worked in our household: Vitamin C!

Since my husband read Doctor Yourself by Andrew Saul (info here), he as become known as "The Vitamin C Pusher." As soon as anyone in our family starts sniffling, hubby is there with his precious C, pushing it on you until you give in!

At first, I found this quite annoying. Then, when hubby bought me "jewelry" (a hot pink MP3 player I can hang around my neck!), for our 15th anniversary and one of the few things he'd loaded on it was the Doctor Yourself audio book, I must admit that I found that mildly amusing and . . . annoying.

After a few weeks of "encouragement" from hubby, I decided that it would be best for me (in my efforts to become a Proverbs 31 wife!) to actually listen to the book. Before I finished the first chapter I was hooked!

Since my C conversion, I have noticed a dramatic change in the length of sickness in our household. Rather than the typical 5-10 days of sore throats, coughs, fevers, and runny noses that somehow stretch out for about a month as the nasty bug works its way through each member of the family, our illnesses have lasted, at most, only a few days.

Now, let me preface all this by reminding you that I am not a doctor (I just wish I played one on TV!) You should always check with your doctor before starting any kind of Vitamin C therapy, especially if you're pregnant or suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). I actually have IBS, spastic colon and microscopic colitis, so I do react to taking C more quickly than my husband. As soon as the gurgley stomach starts, that is when you know you've had too much and it is time to back off. It's important to take C throughout the day or in time-release form since it is water soluble leaves the blood stream almost as quickly as it enters. If you purchase the buffered C in powder form it is much easier on the tummy and the kids don't mind taking that in juice. I make them what we lovingly refer to as "vita-juice" each day at dinner, so that they get their daily dose of C and other vitamins. All of the natural remedies we take in our family is under the care of our family physician, who has encouraged us to keep it up.

Forgive me for this rather long post as I recall some of our personal Vitamin C victories:

In June, hubby was actually quite sick with the flu right before our anniversary. Now, being the hopeless romantic he is not, he surprised me by re-proposing, arranging for us to renew our vows and celebrating with a reception to follow. He couldn't afford to be sick at such an important time! He ended up taking 1,000 mg of C every 45 min. the day before and by the time we completed the festivities he was only a bit tired!

In the fall, I came down with an annoying cough. I faithfully took 1,000 mg of C several times throughout the day. After a week I had had enough, so I went to the doctor. They told me that I had had bronchitis! Now, I've had bronchitis before and those coughs really hurt - but not these. I'm convinced that the C enabled my body to fight it much better and kept the symptoms reduced.

Winter arrived and Buddy Bear came down with a persistent fever. (One would think that all the C we take would keep the bugs away entirely, but it just seems to get rid of them quicker!) We kept pumping him full of C, but couldn't get the fever to go away after a week. To the doctor we went. They declared that he may have been suffering from Mono! As soon as we left the office I called hubby and congratulated him on successfully treating our flus, bronchitis and perhaps a bout of mono. . .unbelievable!

Just last week, my Darlin' was getting sick with only a week to go before her big birthday bash. We gave her 500 mg of C every few of hours, (with no tummy troubles I might add) and within 2 days she was feeling better. I on the other hand, had picked up her nasty little bug and by Thursday morning was starting to panic about the upcoming festivities. Within the course of 24 hours I took 13,000 mg of C and knocked that nasty head cold out of the park! Mind you, I did suffer from some tummy troubles on Friday morning, but I chose to put up with that rather than the alternative head cold which made me feel much worse. By Friday evening I had been able to clean the house, bake and decorate the cake, prepare for the party, host a sleep over and only suffer from lack of sleep due to giggling girls by Saturday morning!

Needless to say, I'm a true believer now! Gotta cold? "Take Vitamin C til your symptom free!"

The Nativity Set

2008-01-17T16:09:00.000-05:00

(The following short story was written by my daughter as a gift for Daddy when she was 10 years old!)

One holiday season, the Miller family was very busy with decorating. It was December 12th and all of the Miller children were writing their Christmas lists. Chelsea, Andrew, and Jessica wrote their letters to Santa while Baby Scott sat on his mother's lap as she typed up the Christmas cards. Their father, Ralph Miller, hung the stockings on the fireplace and decorated the living room. There was so much to be done and everyone enjoyed this time of the year.

When Andrew and Chelsea, the eight year old twins, finished their letters and put them by the door, they ran into the other room. "Daddy!" Chelsea cried. "May we help you decorate?" "Of course!" their father answered with a chuckle. When five year old Jessica finished her list of toys that she wanted, she skipped into the living room. "Daddy, I want to put the nativity set on the mantle," she declared. Carol Miller and her children sat on the sofa and watched Ralph pick up their little girl and help her carefully put the set on top of the fireplace. "Now that she did that can we continue?" Andrew asked. So they did.

The next day the Millers went Christmas shopping after school. Carol got very tired from the long hours at the mall since her kids were complaining the whole trip. When they got home, the Miller kids ran up to do their homework while their mom laid down on the couch. She sighed and stared at the pretty fireplace with the family's stockings and tinsel. Her husband came in, lit the fireplace, turned on the Christmas music and sat down in the recliner to read. Then, Carol saw the pretty little nativity set sitting on the mantle.

She noticed the wise men looking like they just saw the King of kings and Lord of lords, for the first time. "Well that's who He is," she thought. The first of the magi looked proud as he set down the gold on the ground and bowed. Carol could just imagine him saying, "For the Lord of lords and King of kings!" The next wise man was holding frankincense in front of Jesus their Savior. The third king, crying while he handed the myrrh to Joseph, thought of the day when their Christ would be sacrificed. Carol sat up, took her Bible and read about the wise men who followed the star and traveled a long distance to visit the humble king in a manger. Then Carol felt less stressed and went to help her kids with their homework.

A couple of days later, the family went out to cut down a Christmas tree. It was cold, but they still had fun. Ralph tied it on to the van and they went back home to decorate it and bake Christmas cookies. While Andrew helped his dad put up the tree, the girls helped their mom bake. When the cookies were in the oven, they all went in the living room and decorated the tree with lights, beads, tinsel, and ornaments. Baby Scott slept next to the tree and he seemed to be smiling. They munched on cookies and had some hot chocolate while the children put the presents under the tree. The fire was blazing in the fireplace and the Christmas music was on and they were having a wonderful time.

Afterward, Ralph put the kids to bed and his wife rested on the couch with some coffee and music. She felt like she had caught a cold while they were out chopping down the tree. At that moment she saw her nativity set on the mantle. What she spotted first that day were the shepherds. Angels told them to go to Bethlehem to see the new baby boy who would rule over all people. So they obeyed and saw the "little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay." They didn't give him gold or silver but they gave Him their hearts and were the very first humans to preach the amazing news of Christ's birth. She wanted to be sure of her thoughts so she read everything she could find about the shepherds in her Bible. Now she felt happy, instead of tired, so she went to spend some time with her husband.

On the 19th, the family took out their Christmas books. "Mom, can we read some of the Christmas books together?" asked Chelsea. "Sure, while you do that I'll heat up some of those Christmas cookies we made the other day." So the twins sat down on the recliner and Jessica sat on Andrew's lap. Carol gave Chelsea Baby Scott, and the twins took turns reading their favorite Christmas stories. Carol sneezed twice while bringing in the cookies and cocoa. Ralph took a picture of the kids finally getting along and the couple listened to them read.

When Carol started sneezing like crazy, she took her temperature. She had a fever, so she told her kids when they finished that book, they had to go upstairs and get ready for bed. They finished The Christmas Carol and Ralph put the children to bed, while Carol curled up in a blanket and lay on the couch. Again she noticed her little nativity set above the fireplace. The angel was watching over God's Holy child. He looked down at the baby like a guard who would never let a single person harm Him. "Wasn't the angel's name Gabriel?" she asked herself. She wasn't sure, so she read the Bible to see when the angel first appeared. After that she fell asleep on the couch.

On the 22nd, the Miller children had off from school, so they plotted a Christmas party for Christmas Eve. When they told their mother, she shook her head. "Oh, I would love to do that, but I'm really feeling a little sick and it's too late to invite people over." "We'll clean up like crazy!" Andrew pleaded. "We can call people instead of sending invitations," Jessica added. Carol sighed, "Well, I suppose if you clean a lot today and then after dinner we can make some phone calls. We have to clean up for Grandma and Grandpa anyway." Somehow, it ended up that Carol did most of the cleaning and the kids did most of the complaining. "If you kids don't stop complaining, we aren't going to have a party!" she yelled. Her children moved a little quicker after that and before dinner the house was almost clean. While the kids played upstairs, Carol laid down on the couch again.

She saw Joseph, His earthly father, watching over baby Jesus. He was afraid when he found out that Mary was pregnant. An angel came to him and told him not to be scared because the baby she would have was from the Holy Spirit. So he took her to Bethlehem, his hometown, and searched for a place for his wife to stay since she was going into labor. All the inns were full, but one innkeeper offered them his stable. Joseph was a good man who would give of himself first before anyone else. "I'm glad I have a husband as good him." She thought as she sneezed. Then she took her Bible and read about Joseph. Ralph was asleep on his recliner, so Carol got up, kissed him and went up to their room and fell asleep right away.

The next morning, the family cleaned up like crazy. Their Grandparents were coming later on that day and they would have some guests the next day too. Carol tried to work her hardest while she was sick, but she probably took the most breaks out of the family. There were plenty of complaints, "Mommy! This is Scott's. Why can't he pick it up?" "He's just a baby, Jessica. Would you do me a favor and take care of it for me?" Carol answered. When the whole house was clean, the doorbell rang. Chelsea answered it. "Grandma! Grandpa!" "Hello!" Carol sniffled. "Oh, Carol! You don't look good! You lay down while we take care of the kids," Grandma answered. "Thanks, Mom!" Carol yawned, heading toward the couch. "Make yourself comfortable" she added as she collapsed on the couch and looked at her comforting nativity set.

There she saw Mary, the chosen mother of Jesus. She was looking lovingly down at her baby boy. Carol could imagine Mary playing with Jesus just as she played with her own children. "She gave her life to God when she agreed to have Jesus. Do I totally let God have control over my life?" she wondered. She didn't feel sure. She prayed and let God take over her whole life. Then she read all about Mary. "God, I want to be like Mary. I want to fully trust in you and live a life for you and not for men," Carol prayed.

On Christmas Eve, the whole family was getting ready for their guests to arrive for dinner. "What are we going to do at the party?" Jessica asked. "Well, when everyone comes, we'll eat. Then we'll talk and play games. Later, we'll go to the twilight Christmas Eve service." Jessica nodded and the kids went upstairs to tidy up their rooms. Party time arrived and everyone started piling in to the house. All the children went up into the kid's rooms. Carol felt a little sick, but she welcomed the guests with a smile. All of Carol's friends were in the living room and they offered for her to lie down on the couch. They talked, but Carol wasn't really with them. She was looking at Jesus.

Baby Jesus looked like any other baby, but He was much more than that. Jesus was the most humble king anyone ever saw. He was in a manger instead of a cradle. "The first Christmas gift ever! The most wonderful one, too! Thank you, God for sending Him for me!" she thought to herself. Ralph called to her, "Come on, Carol! Everyone is in here. Do you want to say something?" Carol looked at her husband. "Yeah, one second." She scribbled down what she learned about the nativity set and what God had showed her through it.

"Hi everyone," Carol said with a smile. "Before we leave for the twilight service, I'd like to say something about this year's preparation for Christmas. It was stressing, exciting, and fun, but I realized that out of everything we did, most of it had nothing to do with what Christmas is all about. It's not bad or anything to decorate the tree and go shopping, but it is bad if we forget that Jesus is the reason for the season. I have a nativity set on the mantle and I looked at it whenever I got stressed or tired. I noticed different figures each time and I thought about them and then read about them in the Bible. I learned to be like Mary and learned to give my life to God. I'm sick, but God is still in control. Now let's go to the Christmas Eve service, and remember that Jesus is the reason for the season!" Everyone clapped and headed to their cars.

"This is a Christmas to remember!" Jessica cried as she ran through the snow. Carol smiled at that and she and her family hopped into the car and headed over to church. "You did great, Hon!" Ralph whispered in his wife's ear. "Thanks," Carol answered. In her heart she agreed with Jessica. It would be a Christmas to remember.

(This post has been submitted to Proverbs 31 Ministries for A Chance For You To Get Published)

Denitra's Den

Christmas Greetings 2011

Phil and Denise

THE KIDS

Dusting Off Denitra's Den

Christmas "Card" 2010

The Kids

Happy Birthday Cupcake!

Clara's One Year Portrait

Star Wars Movie Party

Micah's 12th Birthday

Clara's Baptism

A New Addition To The Den

The Triumph of Chocolate Chip Ice Cream!

My Mid-Life Motherhood

Tribute to Grandmom

Ode to a Nut

Check Your Heart

Pondering Easter

Knowing

Parent's Day Faux Pas

The Feeling of Goldfish

Mommy Math

Back to the Bible

100th Post

Christmas Nuggets

Fasting on Stuffed Animals

Go Phillies!

Just A Couple O' Eggheads!

Talkin' Pennsylvanian

Back to Proverbs 31

Random Things

Waking Up Is Hard To Do *updated*

Showers & Stools!

Sidebar Surprise

History in the Making

Early to Bed, Early to Rise

Back to School, Back to Blogging!

WHEW!

Rainy days and Mondays. . .

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Making Mother's Day Memories

The Ol' Bartering System is Back

Fightin' the Frump

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

Babycakes!

How shall I serve the Lord?

Fightin' the Frump

Led by the Spirit

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Everyone's a Comedian!

With Vigor!

Ah! The Life!

More Melodrama

A Business Savvy Wife

Back on Spin Cycle

Are you a morning Mom?

Eggstravaganza!

Happy Easter!

Cub Quotes

The Sweet Life

The Life of a Housewife

Identity Crisis

Kitty IQ Test: Round Peg, Square Hole. What A Smart Cat!

Welcome to the Blog Party!

The Good Wife

Tooth Dismay

Happy B-Day To My Lil' Buddy!

A Fortunate Man

Winter Wonderings

Go Ahead, Bragg A Little Bit!

Chewy's My Favorite! Who Is Your Favorite Star Wars Character?

Half Way There

From the Mouths of Babes

Let It Snow!

Oh Baby!

Will I or Won't I? That is the Question.

3-D Bonus: Cool Shades!

Hannah Montana

A Monumental Day

Waking Up Is Hard To Do updated