Oh What A Night

Last night I actually got a night out with my husband! We went to an "amazing" concert - Chris Tomlin. His new album "Hello Love" is a definite download/purchase.

Of course in our world, nothing runs smoothly. We were going to meet friends for dinner before the concert, but Andy was over an hour late getting home from work. Scrap those plans. Little frustrating, but life happens.

Then after a great evening we come home to find that Ty had just gotten sick. My boys aren't ones to puke. So this is both of them in less than a week. Must be that they know I've been trying to make plans and playdates and catching up with friends.

Ah life.

Have a wonderful weekend ya'll.

I Got Nuttin'

Sorry that I haven't been writing much. I'm funneling all my extra time into my new freelance job. I'm really enjoying the work, but needing to find a routine/schedule that works to make this functional.

Other than that, I have to say life has been really routine and there hasn't been too much to write about. We went from have awful temper-tantrums last week with Ty to him being his usual happy self this week. It's nice to have my boy back.

It's still cold. It's still snowy. We're all a bit house bound. So I'm trying to come up with free or low cost activities to get us out and about and seeing friends. That means lots of play dates and planning. But it seems to be paying off with boys attitudes.

I'm really lacking motivation to work on house stuff and exercising. Guess you can only care about so many things at one time. Someday maybe I will care about household chores (I doubt it).

Welcome to January in the great white north.

Weekend Adventures

So our weekend had a damper on it when Ryan randomly threw up on Friday. So calls went out to cancel plans. Saturday he felt fine so he ran errands with daddy to fix stuff on the car $600 later (brakes, tires, and headlight) my car is in good condition again. Ty went with his grandma to a kiddie symphony and actually sat still for it (that's close to a miracle). That left me alone at home for about 3 blissful hours.

It's amazing how much I pumped out in that time. Including spending an incredible hour doing my Bible Study (Living Free - Beth Moore) and praying. I was a new woman with a much cleaner home.

Actually feel like I got somewhere this weekend. Stuff done, time with my kiddos and hubby, watched a couple of movies, and fit work in too.

Here's hoping for a productive week and more sunshine. It's been nice to see that fiery ball in the sky, even if it is only 4 degrees.

I'll leave you with a poll question. Give me some feedback.
* What (if anything) do you do for your kids for Valentine's Day? OR is it just a day for you and your significant other?

Good Things

Here is a few of the good things happening around here this week.

* Andy passed his last CLEP test to finish his associates degree today. Last hurdle for his application to the police academy. Way to go!

* We finally got a frame for Tyler's bed. No more Asian style sleeping for you kiddo.

* Made some amazing strawberry crepes for breakfast and stayed in our jammies til noon. Strawberries were on the clearance rack - 2 pints for $.75 total!

* Picked up a bolt of chocolate brown fabric at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore - 35 yards of upholstery fabric for $10. That's more than enough for curtains for living room, slider, and maybe our bathroom.

* My boys are doing better playing together. I've really been praying that they would develop a strong friendship. There is lots of squabbling and fighting still, but at least there is laughter in between.

* I'm really enjoying my freelance work right now. It's a really good fit.

* I'm feeling better again and it's nice to be able to function again. Now I just have to dig out from under the laundry, dishes, and other things waiting for me to catch up on.

* When Tyler ran into the corner of the wall, he only came out with a bruise across his forehead. From the sound of it, I thought for sure we'd be on our way for stitches.

Hope you are having a great week.

Today I Remembered That...

...I really enjoy politics. I stayed home from church with a fever and had the house to myself. I putzed around the house with "Meet The Press" on in the background. Before I knew it I was drawn into the exchange and thoroughly enjoying it. Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm was on. He's a very articulate man.

I enjoy the civil and passionate exchange of ideas and policies. Mind you there was plenty that I was left questioning or disagreeing with, but also with something awakened.

I enjoy history and the people that make it. This will be an interesting week to watch unfold. NFL playoffs, Obama taking office, Martin Luther King's 80th birthday, etc...

Now if the fever will leave for good, maybe I can stay awake long enough to see to see it all happen. Enjoy the week.

What a Week

This week is round #2, or week #2, of illness around the house. Last week the boys had bad colds and this week is a virus. Managed to avoid last week, but they decided to share with me this week.

As far as being sick, it isn't too bad... fever isn't very high so I can still get stuff done. Poor Ty was miserable yesterday so my FIL was kind enough to pick up Ryan from pre-school who thought it was a wonderful treat. Part of that is that Opa took him to McDonald's for lunch.

So it's been a movie/play kind of week. Worked out kind of well with the severe cold, didn't want to pop my head outside if I didn't have to. Also worked well because Andy has been studying like crazy.

To apply for the Police Academy he has to have his associates degree. He left college 3 credits short of his degree. So last fall he studied to take a CLEP test suggested by the college counselor to finish up. After lots of government studying he took the test and passed. But when he went to get a transcript last week he found out the test didn't count as it was a duplicate of a class he took over 10-years ago. Obviously the counselor wasn't looking at his transcript when making the recommendation and Andy didn't look because she recommended it.

So that leaves him in a panic to pass another test very quickly. Our kind friend Dave has been tutoring him in math to test again next week. So much fun, really.

So nothing really exciting in our world. Hopefully next week will bring warmer weather (above 0) and healthier family. Until then, I'm enjoying my jammies and laptop in front of a warm fire with some tea.

What I Learned from Cartoons

On a lighter note, here are a few things I've learned from watching pre-school TV.

* With enough imagination, anything can be solved. In the adult world we call it denial or hallucinations.

* Those who failed music theory class in college went on to write the classic "I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the MAP!" for Dora the Explorer.

* There is no animal that will hurt you or to be wary of. Thanks Diego.

* Marching band music & pizza goes along with ancient aztec culture. Thanks Backyardigans.

* Being overweight is perfectly acceptable. Big and round is lovable. Preschool role models & favorites -- Santa, Barney, Boz the Bear, Teletubbies, etc.

and my favorite...

* Some catch phrases work no matter what the age. "Yes we can" worked for both Bob the Builder and Barack Obama. Was that copyright infringement?

I'm freezing cold in this winter blast and need to go throw another log on the fire. Have a great day.

Yet

So I have managed to avoid illness so far, but now Ty is on round 2 of whatever we had... I'm not out of the woods yet.

Tonight I got to catch up with my dad's cousin and his wife. They were really more like an aunt and uncle to me growing up. They only had boys since their daughter died very young, not long before I was born. In some ways, I think I have a special place in their heart, what their little girl would have been like had she lived.

Spending time with my cousin Steve is really a lot like getting back a piece of my dad. They were really very much the same in some ways, especially their dry sense of humor. It always feels so comfortable.

Started compiling all of our information for the ever pressing tax return. Started this weekend by looking for all of our health care costs. Between what Uncle Sam took, building a house, and our efforts to fund the medical field... no wonder 2008 was a little bit tight.

Tax return time always makes me look back and wonder, "Where did it all go?" Did we spend it wisely? Did we safe wisely? Did we invest enough (that means lost enough this year in the IRA)? Did we give enough??? Each year I walk away wondering what more we can do. Wish I had better answers to that question.

Definitely looking forward to tax returns this year. It will be a welcome addition to the savings account. Wish I had some fabulous plans for it. Some times it really stinks to be responsible.

What are the Chances?

Over then past 5 days I've been coughed on, sneezed on, breathed on, slimed on, snotted on, etc by two boys. What are the chances that I won't come down with their nasty cold?

I should get hazard pay.

2009 Adventures

Looking back at 2008, it was a very full year. Full of adventures. We finished building our house. We saw Ryan grow so much and loving pre-school. We saw Tyler turn into a little man - with his own personality and strong will. We experienced all sorts of health adventures with sinus infections, flu, colds, blood clots, etc.

We settled into a new community and starting forming relationships with our new neighbors. We found lots of personal challenge and growth as our friends and church helped us grow spiritually. God brought us through so much and provided every step of the way. Sometimes it was through friends and family, sometimes through strangers, and sometimes by absolute surprise.

2008 really shaped us as a family. We are stronger. Our faith is deeper. We've learned some of our limits and how to say no. We've learned how to give more generously. We've learned how to accept generosity. We've learned how to do without somethings. We've been blessed beyond our expectations and imagination.

How do you top a year like that? My hope and prayer is for a healthy 2009. For God to continue to guide and provide like we've seen so far. That my boys would continue to grow up to be kind, generous, men of faith. That Tyler would be potty trained easily (praying hard for that one). That I would walk deeper in faith, trusting in God rather than my own abilities (ouch).

One of the biggest adventures of 2009 will undoubtably come from Andy's career change. He's currently finishing up his application for the police academy. No, it's not the academy that Steve Guttenberg made famous in the 80s.

Andy originally went to school for criminal justice and left to join the family business. The desire has never gone away. So, Andy is going back to school and leaving the family business. While not completely understood, our family has been fairly supportive. There are still some that think we are crazy to throw away what we have. Yet, we really feel like this is where God is leading us.

Yes it will be 4 months of single parent life while Andy is at school 5 or 6 days a week 14-16 hrs each day. Yes it will mean going back to work. Yes it means a big financial hit. Yes it means an uncertain future. But it will be an adventure to say the least. I know that God will provide every step of the way. He's already shown us that.

So, bring in on 2009. Let's see what you've got.

Holiday Recipes

I've had requests for recipes so I thought I'd share a few things I made over the holidays. Just click on the name for a link to the recipe. Enjoy.

* White Chocolate Fudge
* Kuckie's Caramel Cashew Fudge
* My Amish Friend's Caramel Corn
* Caramel Shortbread Squares
* Beef Brisket
* Apple, Pear & Cashew Salad
* Mint Dump Cake
* Aunt Vi's Brown Sugar Cookies
* Aunt Vi's Sugared Nuts
* Sour Dough Stuffing
* Hot Almond & Cream Drink