nativity

We have a new nativity set. (See it here.) Grandma Martin purchased these for each of the families with grandkids.  I know ours is getting a lot of use.  We are so thankful for it.  The girls enjoy arranging it and rearranging it. Their favorite part may be pushing the angel down to hear Away in a Manger. Blessings.

missing slipper

The girls got slippers from their aunt while we were in Indiana.  They were wearing them yesterday.  Today, we can only find 3 of the 4 and the first two found were not mates.  I really don't understand how they are so hard to find.  Off to search some more.  Blessings.

princess legos

Mollie got some princess Legos for her birthday.  She loves them.  Right now, she and Betsy are upstairs building a castle to put Aurora in.  She is feeling much better today and is playing happily at least at the moment. I'm sure the new blocks are a distraction.  Blessings.

strep throat

Well, strep has hit the house.  Mollie is suffering from a fever, then chills. Thankfully, her symptoms started only yesterday and we were able to get in to see the doctor early this morning.  Already she has taken one dose of antibiotics (9 more to go).  Poor kid.  Andy thinks she probably picked it up in the chick-fil-a play place on Friday after Thanksgiving.  Betsy will probably come down with it too, so we may be going back to the doctor later in the week.  I just feel bad that I never even thought to look inside her throat.  Hopefully, we will get back into the swing of things soon.  Hopefully.  Also, I am praying none of the extended family gets it as we were all together over the weekend. 
Blessings

barky

Poor Rocky dog, he thought he was going to get left here by the Vogels, so he spent the whole time that they were packing their vehicle barking and barking and barking. Of course, they got everything loaded up including the dog.  Now the house seems almost too quiet.  Hope you have a good day of preparations and travel. Blessings.

Getting ready

Tomorrow we leave for my sister-in-laws. The girls are beyond excited about the trip.  Today, we went shopping for our contributions to the Thanksgiving meal and weekend snacks.  This afternoon, I made some sweet pecans and almonds in the crock pot. (They are very yummy.) Andy and I have loaded some items into the van already because we will be picking him up from work.  I am getting ready to pack my bag. I love getting ready for a road trip.  The feelings of excitement and anticipation for the fun time we will have together builds into the beauty of the trip itself. Hope you have a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Blessings.

being deliberate

One thing that I realized from the fast, was that I want to be more deliberate with how I fill my time  (and by extension my family's time-especially the girls). It is so easy just to sit down and play a game, get on pinterest or check face book and an hour passes.  I like those things, but I don't want my days and nights absorbed by them. I want to play more with the girls, be with them, read to them, try out the things I've pinned, and live life. With the holidays fast approaching, there will be less "free" time anyway to give to those things.  It is a good time of year for reflection on the things that truly matter and be given to those activities and not all the fluff that can steal the time away.  Hope you take some time to reflect on your blessings and how you want to spend the holiday season this week.  Blessings.

church fast

I am writing this on Tuesday but it won't post until Wednesday.  Our church is doing a fast, and one of the things I am fasting is computer time.  (So there will be no Thursday or Friday posts this week.)  I am looking forward to the absolute break from computer, TV, i-pad, novels etc. to have more time to pray and read the Bible and pray and read.  It is a challenge for sure, but I know that God will honor the sacrifice.  Blessings.

opa

One of the benefits of having another family living with you is shared family time. The girls love having Opa read to them and I think he enjoys it as well.  Blessings

dirning room make over

The bench - after

Bench - before

Chairs - after (can't find the before pics - sorry)

The curtains-before (I loved them, but the kids and dog like to play in them too much so they often looked like this)

How I preferred the curtains - before

Kids and dog can't even reach the valance :)  - after

I love this look too. Although I may add some long drapes as well b/c the DR gets a lot of evening sun.

My friend and housemate, Susan, helped me with this project.  She did most of the work in fact. What a good friend. We love the look of the updated dining room. Blessings.

babysitting

On Thursday and Friday of last week, I was able to keep a friend's kids while she sold some crafts at a holiday fair.  Baby girl (41/2 months) would not take her noon bottle (she typically nurses).  I know that this was definitely more stressful for me than for her as she was quite content without it.  She was so pleasant.  Little boy (4 yrs) was very active and loved playing with the girls albeit a little rougher than they normally play.  It was a good experience for them as well to be stretched out of their comfort zone of princess and tea party.  It was a great way to serve the body.  It was a challenge to me as well as fun. Blessings.

beauty school

A friend and I go out to get hair cuts and then to dinner every 6-8 weeks or so.  I am loving this time out more and more.  We go to the beauty school, so the cuts are not expensive but still nice.  All of the student's work has to be approved and then checked by a teacher, so it's not too scary.  We scheduled our appointments for 6 weeks out next time. (7 weeks was the day after Christmas!) It's nice having this time already on the calendar.  Then, we head to dinner.  Last night we went to Ramsey's, a local favorite.  We both enjoyed veggie plates and split a slice of pumpkin pie.  Yummy and fun. Blessings.

election results

Well, the election is over.  We stayed up for a while last night watching the results come in but went to bed before anything was confirmed.  Betsy woke up at 2 a.m. and cried a couple of times.  Andy jumped out of bed, I thought to take care of her, but he got on the computer to check on the results.  He told me that Obama won and went back to bed.  No matter your political leanings, the Bible commands us to pray for our leaders.
Thankfully, Betsy calmed herself down. 
Blessings.

^“1 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— ² for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ³ This is good, and pleases God our Savior…” -1 Timothy 2:1-3

Mama

My mom's birthday is today.  She is a breast cancer survivor-diagnosed just after Mollie was born.  So, every year, I am thankful that she is with us.  She is such a good example of love and sacrifice and we all love her to pieces.  Blessings.

Logan's

We went to Logan's for lunch yesterday.  The girls loved munching on the peanuts.  Too bad they were so impatient that occasionally they would eat shell and all. LOL.  Blessings

thankfulness

To quote a veggie tale song - "a thankful heart is a happy heart"
I have found this to be true and "to be thankful for what you have is an easy place to start." 
Love November to remind myself daily to be thankful. Blessings

h'ween in pics

Indian Princess

Fairy

sweet sisters

passing out candy

Betsy's jack-o-lantern

Mollie's jack-o-lantern

Happy November - Hope your day is fantastic.  Blessings