Christmas 2008

Conversations

Me: Thomas, are you helping with the Christmas Country Store at church tomorrow?

Thomas: I doubt it. But I probably should go since I'm a politician.

Me: You should just go for the children, not politics. I believe the children are the future. Lead them well and let them find the way. Show them all the beauty they posess inside. Give them a sense of pride...

Thomas: Oh, yeah, quote scripture and make me feel really bad. Thanks, Carol.

Me: Uh, that's Whitney Houston, not scripture Thomas!

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

This next conversation was happening while stuck on a patch of ice trying to pull out of the Walmart parking lot...

Andrew: Mom...we're gonna die. Just park the car and leave it here. We're gonna wreck and die!

Me: I need you both to be quiet. We'll be fine. I just can't get up this little incline.

(Meanwhile, all sorts of cars are slipping and sliding all around us. At this moment my dash shows the following messages: service stability control system, service ABS, service traction control. I'm also starting to wonder if Helen should get out and give us a push, although I'm fearful of rolling back over her, too. Then I start thinking about rewriting the song Grandma got run over by a reindeer to fit this situation...)

Me: Lord, just help us get up this little incline and get us safely home.

Isaac: Andrew, just play your game and you won't even see what's happening to us!

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

The last one happened last week, when Isaac went to a Christmas dinner with his Mamaw and Papaw.

Isaac: I sat on Santa's lap with Zoey

Me: You did? Wow (this is a first!)

Isaac is all grins. :)

Me: Did you tell him what you wanted for Christmas?

Isaac: No. (big grin) I couldn't because all I could think about was wanting to kiss Zoey!

The End of an Era

On Saturday the RCA Dome was imploded and this Indy landmark is now just a memory. I can remember taking a field trip in 5th grade to tour it, back in the good ol' days when it was still called the Hoosier Dome. :) I saw several marching band state finals there, and just last year had the awesome opportunity to visit one last time and sit in the Anthem suite. (Wow!) But, there's something bigger and better in town now, called Lucas Oil Stadium. I'm sure it is pretty cool, but I will have a soft spot in my heart for the old Hoosier Dome.

Theme Song Contest

Enjoy the wonderful voices of Straight No Chaser as they serenade you with some sitcom theme songs. Let's see who can guess all of them?

Tuesday Tunes

Hello friends! Welcome to Tuesday Tunes. Today's song is Love Out Loud by Jaci Valesquez. This is also the theme song for the Chrysalis I'm working this winter. I love this song, and I hope you enjoy it, too. (even though half of my blog friends are working the same retreat and already know this song) But, for everyone else, enjoy!

Hear the cry, tearful eyes
Can't deny and wish it all away (whoa)
Will the pain ever change?
If we save love for another day (whoa)
This is the time
For us to see the vision
Now is the time
To break the silence and

(Chorus)
Love out loud
Let your loving be your voice
Love out loud
Together we can make some noise
Love out loud
Without Fear
Sing a song and let the whole world hear
Love out loud

Be His hands, be His feet
Be the people we are called to be (whoa)
Take His love to the streets
Show compassion to a soul in need (whoa)
This is the time to break the silence and

(Chorus)

Hush, listen to my heart
Can you hear me crying out
Willing to believe
That touch, is loving more than words
It's living out for all to see the light that shines through me

(Chorus)

Leave me a comment and let me know what's on your mind!

What was he thinking?

The kids wanted to sleep downstairs Friday night, and since it was the weekend, they got their wish. Isaac went to sleep in pj's and laying on top of a blanket on the living room floor. When I woke up Saturday, this is how I discovered him:




He was lying on a beanbag (legs only), no pj's but wearing his winter coat. After I covered him up, I just had to take his picture. : )Not sure what happened in the wee hours of the night, and neither is he. Hopefully I don't have another sleepwalker!

Thank you, thank you very much...

Thanks to my sweet friend Lauren for the FABULOUS BLOGGER AWARD!


Here are the rules to receiving this award:

1. You have to pass it on to 5 other fabulous bloggers in a post.
2. You have to list 5 of your fabulous addictions in the post.
3. You must copy and paste the rules and the instructions below in the post.

Instructions: On your post of receiving this award, make sure you include the person that gave you the award and link it back to them.


I am going to nominate five Fabulous Bloggers:

1. Bev @ Organized Chaos

2. Melissa @ Melissas Thoughts and Wonders

3. Rachel @ From My Perspective

4. Lora @ A Quiet Life

5. Crystal @ Dull Happenings


And now for my 5 facts:


1. I love, love, LOVE Dt. Dew...never really drank Mt. Dew, but a few years ago I fell in love with the diet one!

2. I ♥ Mario!

3. I'll pick Fazoli's any day over fast food burgers and fries.

4. I love my laptop! It can entertain me for hours on end, especially when sitting in a hospital room.

5. Caffiene and Jesus are the glues that hold me together. :)

Have a FABULOUS weekend, and thanks again to Lauren @ That Girl for the award!

"Let it go, let it go, let it go..."

Isaac was walking around singing this song the other day. He was singing it to the tune of "Let it Snow", and I started to tell him it was 'snow' and not 'go'. But, I knew he'd get upset if I corrected him, because honestly with his debating skills, the child should be a lawyer. :)

So, he just kept singing, "let it go, let it go, let it go". And I realized, he was really on to something. Wouldn't the world be a much nicer place if this became everyone's mantra? Can you imagine how different a day would be if everyone only focused on what's really important and let the rest go? I tend to be a little more like Mary than like Martha, but I'm working on it. I get wrapped up in all that needs done and miss the little moments. My Christmas tree is a perfect example of that. I have all the original boxes the ornaments came in, and the kids tearing into them to 'help' decorate usually stresses me out. I decided I want my children to have happy memories of Christmas, not of me being the ornament nazi. So this year, they decorated the tree - and I didn't even give my opinion on which tree to get, either. They only used about 1/4 of the ornaments and told me I could do the rest. I was tempted, but I left it alone. It's been that way for a week now. Sure, I'd like to make it look prettier, but why? Instead, I wrapped some presents to put under the tree. This is something I usually procrastinate on...and a little thing I could do to really get the kids excited.

When Christ returns, he's not going to make sure my tree was perfect, or that my house is either. I know that He wants me in His Word, and taking care of the beautiful gifts he's given me in my children. Even though it's early for resolutions, I am going to try to sing Isaac's little song and "Let it Go" if it's not important or eternal.


Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 (New International Version)

A Crafty Christmas?

Somehow I came across this website tonight, and thought it was blogworthy. Maybe not anything I'd make, but certainly worth telling my friends about, at least. I must admit the little ghost is kinda cute...although not too sure he should make an appearance at Trunk or Treat. :O Let me know what you think! :)

Snow Day

I woke up early this morning to hear rain falling and the phone ringing. I knew it was Courtney telling me there was a 2 hour delay, and I was right. Woo Hoo! Not that I went back to sleep, but the boys got to sleep in and I came downstairs and enjoyed some peace and quiet. By the time they got up, school had been cancelled. I can't say either one was too sad. We made cinnamon rolls for breakfast and ate them while watching the Grinch. We will finish decorating the tree, although right now it's pretty lopsided after the cat's overnight adventures. :( It's a good day to be inside together. I, for one, don't mind the occassional snow (ice) day!

Looking forward to a good laugh tonight!

I like to laugh and have a good time. Even when things in my life aren't going so hot, I can still joke around and laugh. Today has been a very emotional day. I've been on the phone with the school and the mito team trying to figure out where to go next with Andrew. It seems we are at a crossroads and his good days are becomming fewer and fewer. Then I find out our med. waiver app I did online in Oct. is lost in limbo land...which will push the effective date back now. Ugh!

So, I am really looking forward to a girls night out tonight. We are going to Vincennes to see Anita Renfroe. I've said for years when I grow up I want to be her. :) She will induce the laugh until you pee your pants kind of laughter, which is exactly what I need.

If you don't know who she is, here is a clip. She's a hoot! (if you want to go, get in touch with me...there are still some tickets left with our group) Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Mandy!

My sister turned 29 yesterday. Lucky for her, she was able to spend the afternoon with the boys and I. :) I always make her a cake, and she usually picks red velvet. This year, I had something different in mind. She said she didn't care if it was red velvet or not as long as it was german chocolate instead. I assured her there was german chocolate in there...I just didn't tell her exactly what I was up to.

So, here she is with her birthday cake...or her barfday cake! It's a kitty litter cake (click here for recipe) My nephew Kaine took one look at it and said, "Aunt Carol, I think I just lost my appetite!" Lol Believe it or not, it was actually good...I just couldn't get past the tootsie rolls myself.

Christmas in America

Naughty or Nice?

We're not sure which list the boys will be on this year. While taking a shower yesterday, I discovered someone had dumped the shampoo out and filled the bottle with water. I quickly went for the kids' shampoo, but again, water... I hollered for Courtney and thankfully he was able to find another bottle for me. Not like I could just run out and buy some on Thanksgiving day, ya know. I asked the boys about it, but no one knew who would do such a thing. Of course, why would I think my little angels would do something like that? I just did break them of the habit of squishing the bar of soap everytime they showered. Now this?

And as I was finishing getting ready, I couldn't find my mascara, but was afraid to know what Courtney's children might've done with it! :)

Thanksgiving

We had our first Thanksgiving at Bob and Helen's new house. It was nice, and the first time in several years I haven't hosted it at my house. As we were getting ready to eat, we had a funny conversation that went something like this:

Bob: (burning his hand) Ouch! We need some new potholders!

Helen: They worked just fine at the other house.

Me: Well, that's because at the other house you just ate out all the time! :)

How to fix a turkey

How To Fix a Turkey, by Isaac, age 5


"Go to the farm and get a big turkey. Cut it up. Put it in the oven at 145' for 4 minutes. Put salt and pepper on it. Eat it with fish and A-1. Have chocolate pudding for dessert. Have Coke to drink."

Chicken Noodle Soup

This is a true story, and some of you may have heard it before. For those who have not, I figured it was worth sharing. :) Several years ago, my wonderful husband wanted to learn to make homemade chicken noodle soup. I got the ingredients and put them in the panty. One evening, he decided to give it a try. I was laying on the couch not feeling too well while he was slaving away in the kitchen. Before long, the house really started to stink. Figuring it was just me not feeling well, I tried to keep my opinions to myself.

Dinner was ready and I decided to be a good sport and try to eat a little of his wonderful stinky soup. He dished it up, and we went to the table to eat. Andrew was about 2 or 3 and not a picky eater at all, but after one bite he was done! I tried it, and decided the same thing. Meanwhile, Courtney kept eating bowl after bowl of this stinky soup. I finally mentioned how much it stunk and it smelled like catfood. The recipie called for canned chicken, which I'd never bought before, so I assumed it was just that. I decided then and there to never buy it again, either!

Being the proud chef that he is, Courtney took his leftover soup to work the next day. It got the same reaction there, but nonetheless, he kept eating and loving it. The guys all thought it stunk and wouldn't think of trying it.

A couple of days went by and I got into the pantry for something and I saw it -

The canned chicken was still in the pantry!!! I used to keep one can of catfood in there in case we ran out...and it was gone. That's right, folks, my husband had used 9 Lives chicken flavored catfood in his beloved soup. GAG! The worst part was, he didn't flinch when I told him this. He just said, "Well, whatever it was, it was sure good." Of course, the guys at work found out and for a long time they'd start meowing when he came around.

Needless to say, Campbell's makes a very suitable chicken noodle soup should anyone in my house crave it. And I don't think I've bought the canned chicken since. :)

Thankful Thursday

It's been awhile since I've done one of these. These are some things that I'm thankful for today:

*The snowflakes falling outside

*That my boys are getting haircuts tonight...been hard to find an available time that Andrew's also been able to maneuver in the chair lately

*For my husband...he may come in smelling like the hog building, but I keep telling myself it's the smell of money. :)

*That Isaac got his glasses tightened last night and they didn't break!!

*For my Turtle girls - love ya all and enjoyed out time last night...and the honorary members, too. Can't wait till you find my fried bologna scented candle...if Yankee makes it, look for a fancier name such as "essence of Kentucky Roundsteak" :)

*That I didn't have anywhere I had to be today...great day to stay inside!

Anyone else wanna share?

Teenage Affluenza

Not much to blog about

There's never a dull moment around here, yet it seems like there's not really been anything blog-worthy lately.

I do have to say though, that Isaac keeps us on our toes around here. He hasn't even been home from school for an hour yet and he's given me plenty of material. First off, he asked for a piece of gum. Keep in mind that the kid despises anything hot or even minty. He tells me the gum is the sour kind and pops it in his mouth, but it didn't take him long to spit it out. It turned out to be some sort of cinnamon tingle. :) Then Courtney comes in from work and Isaac is hugging all over him and so happy to see him - and then realizes he forgot to wash his hands after he'd spent some time in the bathroom...

While working on his homework paper, he had to draw 3 pics that started with the letter H. He drew a black rectangular box and kept insisting it was a hamster. We weren't seeing a hamster. Courtney asked where the head was and he kept giving us his confused look and saying, "You mean the lid?"I finally figured out he meant a clothes hamper. :)

He wears his heart on his sleeve and can be so sensitive. (he may someday realize how much like his mother he can be!) But he's also such a happy-go-lucky boy. He can sometimes be so clueless, and other times he's got us laughing until we cry. The joy he adds to our lives is amazing! And to think, we named him Isaac without knowing his name means "he laughs".

HalloThankMas

That's right...HalloThankMas. You know, the months of October, November, and December every year where stores and the media cram Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas all together? Thanksgiving is barely mentioned, apparently because other than buying groceries, it's not viewed as an important money-making holiday like the other two are.

I about gagged walking into Walmart the day after Halloween to hear Christmas music playing and being greeted by a huge Christmas tree. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Christmas and the reason we celebrate it. However, I need to go in order and can't handle Christmas before I've had my fill of turkey.

As I've gotten older, Thanksgiving has become my favorite holiday. It's so simple and pure. Even though Courtney always has to work that day and our gathering is small, it's just nice. It's nice to have a day dedicated to being thankful rather than on commercialism. Yeah, I have to cook, but it's really ok.

And as soon as the turkey is put away and the dishes are done, then it's ok to start talking about when the tree goes up!

Don't Ya Wish Your Husband Was a Freak Like Mine??

Let me start off by saying I love the man dearly. However, anyone who knows Courtney knows his eating habits are...shall we say STRANGE?! And that's putting it lightly, folks. My Tuesday morning Bible study girls are now used to him coming home for lunch and having a PB&J with hot sauce. We've been meeting for three years now, so over time he's convinced them this is "normal" and he's otherwise an ok guy. :)

Yesterday he tells me one of the guys at work called him a freak. Trying to sound concerned, while secretly knowing he probably deserved it, I asked why. He goes on to tell me he was eating Pop Tarts Splits while on break at work. These are the ones that are half strawberry/half chocolate...as if that's not odd enough. He then proceeds to pour mango habanero sauce over them. The poor guy sitting in the office with him couldn't believe his eyes. And Courtney looks at him and says, "What, I wanted to try this sauce?" Oh, so naturally you'd just eat it over Pop Tarts...

He sometimes snacks on cottage cheese with flaming hot Cheetos stirred in, will eat peas straight out of the can, pours some kind of hot sauce, salsa, or marinade on nearly everything he eats, and just has some generally strange habits when it comes to food. He even puts Ken's Steakhouse Buffalo Sauce over chocolate cake or brownies. I'm glad that I don't get offended when he dr's everything I make. And thankfully, no restaurant around here sells fried brain sandwiches...I could hardly stomach the few times I was with him when he ordered those in his hometown! There are probably hundreds more, but I can't think of them right now. So how about you, do you eat anything weird? Can you top Courtney?

Adventures at Lark Ranch

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Saturday was such a nice day and we didn't have anywhere we HAD to be. Andrew had felt pretty good all week long, and we thought a day trip would be fun. We went to Logootee, IN for the day. We had lunch at Stolls, then visited Blessings Bookstore, then headed on to Lark Ranch. The boys were pretty excited about the corn maze, although with Isaac picking our turns we failed miserably. Oh well, we had a lot of fun in there! Andrew said he was visiting his great, great, great uncle, Corn Maze. lol

In the petting zoo area, the ducks for some reason liked Isaac's feet and kept nipping at them. The hayride was fun and they were giving pumpkins away since it was the last weekend. The boys loved the big tube (pipe?) slide and would've stayed there for hours I think. They also liked playing on the big round hay bales and sliding down. I think their favorite part of the day was probably the go-carts, though. We let them choose one "extra" thing to do and this is what they picked. We'd never seen pedal go-carts before. Andrew was fine, and Isaac was fun to watch. He got stuck a couple times on the turns. You get to go around four times. Andrew parked his like a pro when he was done...Isaac was another story! He finally got going real, real fast when his turn was up. He veered off the track to park, only didn't pull his brake. He drove right over the parking curb and into the big rock pile. We laughed until we cried...he was fine and so was the go-cart. After all that, he wanted to go again, but I redirected him to the fossil dig and the slide again. :)

Trunk or Treat

We had a lot of fun at our first ever trunk or treat at church!

Andrew's b'day

Found my cord

My sister's wedding:








pics from the coloring contest

Updates!

So, a lot has been going on and I've been wanting to blog. Andrew was sick, then me, then countless appts, a new part-time job, and all sorts of other things going on. This week, my big delay has been the fact that I've apparently lost my camera cord. Can't upload my pics without it... So, in a perfect world, these are the posts you might've seen:

1. Isaac won the Fire Safety Coloring Contest at school. There was a winner from each grade that got a trophy (K-2), then the overall winner also got a bicycle. He won!!! He was so excited! Andrew also won in kindergarten, but wasn't the overall winner of the bike. Kinda cool for Isaac...and he has a bike to grow into in a couple of years.

2. My sister got married Saturday. The ceremony was beautiful, simple, and sweet. She married a wonderful man who has loved her and the kids unconditionally from day one. She deserves this happiness!! Best wishes to the newlyweds...and I'd post a pic if I could.

3. I have a new job! I had been praying about a way to make extra money that was extremely flexible. My friend Jennifer and I are splitting the church custodian's job, which is 10 hours a week. It's certainly flexible, and nice to know we are there to back each other up if one of us can't get our time in! God answers prayer! (Even when I find the camera cord, don't look for pictures of me cleaning urinals or anything :)

4. Helen (Courtney's mom) has retired and is officially living here now. The boys are loving it!! It was nice to be able to take her out for b'day lunch yesterday. She chose The Gathering Place, so we ate and shopped a little while both boys were at school.

5. Andrew chose to celebrate his b'day at Mi Pueblo's in Washington. They even put a huge sombrero on him and came out singing! BTW, if you're reading closely, here's the answer to the "What Is It?" post. The pic was taken at Mi Pueblo's and it is used to form hard taco shells.

6. That's all I can think of for now...maybe I'll find that cord and get some pics up soon.

it's been awhile...

I have been sick and also busy with Andrew, and just haven't blogged. Lots of updates, though. Maybe tomorrow...

What is it??

Let's play a little game called "What is it?" I took a random picture and lets see who can figure out what it is. We'll see if this makes things a little more interactive and fun. What is it??

I've been tagged!

Thanks to Christy, I've been tagged. I am now required to share 6 random facts with you all. Here goes:

1. I am ready for the elections to be behind us already. Not looking forward to all the mud-slinging in the next few weeks.

2. I once went to St. Louis-du-Nord, Haiti on a mission trip and would go back in a heartbeat.

3. The downstairs of my house is covered in a layer of sawdust right now. (We are refinishing a hardwood floor we found at 10:00 last night when ripping carpet out)

4. I smile when I hear 80's music - bring on the lovesongs of the hairbands and NKOTB!

5. I would love to go on a tropical vacation...the sooner, the better! :)

6. I want to learn to make pottery.

Ok, now my turn to tag 6...Anna, Nicole, Bev, Becky, Seth, and Melissa.

10 years ago today...

...we became parents. Andrew Michael was born at 12:21 pm. Although we were a little surprised that our "Hannah" turned out to be an "Andrew" :) , we were pleased to welcome our new bundle of joy. In the last decade, our idea of what raising children is like has changed from something out of Norman Rockwell into a more realistic view. I have done things I never imagined I would do, said things I said I'd never say, laughed, cried, prayed, and lost lots of sleep over the past decade. Even if things aren't exactly what we'd like them to be with Andrew, I wouldn't trade a day of this journey. Part of me dreads my children growing up and just wants to stop time while they're young. However, with all he's been through in the last year, I realize another birthday is a blessing. He's growing into such an amazing young man and makes us so proud! Happy Birthday to our little man!!

He did it!

Everyone knows Isaac's reputation with his glasses, and to be fair, the eye Dr. has said there's a defect in the frames, which isn't helping any. But, since we just got them this summer and they are still under warranty (at no loss to Dr due to the defect), we're just biding our time in them. Anyhow, I've been holding my breath for several days praying Isaac didn't break his glasses. Yesterday was picture day at school and I didn't want him to wear the goofy loaner pair that his lenses don't fit all the way in. Even going on a camping trip with his buddy Zach last weekend turned out ok - I was happy to see that his glasses were intact when he got home. Of course, we had to take him in after school one day this week to get them straightened - a task which no one likes to do!! When we walked in the door at the eye dr's, it was obvious the girls were nervous to see us. :) But he did it - he had his own glasses for school pics. And now this momma is hoping I don't have to get on here anytime soon and update this continuing saga.

The Outlaws are coming!! The Outlaws are coming!!

Does that sound a little like Paul Revere shouting "The British are coming, the British are coming!"? It's true...the outlaws officially arrived in Freelandville late last night. Even though the movers were at there house in Indy at 8 am, it was late before they finally made it here. Everything that could go wrong did, and I think it was a very frustrating day.

I've called them the outlaws forever and it's truly a term of endearment. I think it's just funny to those who know Bob and Helen to hear them called "outlaws". It made someone laugh, and it just stuck. :) We are so thankful to have them here. Of course, Bob has been here part-time for months running the nursing home and communting to Indy every weekend. Helen does have to work a couple more weeks, then will be retired and down for good. I think them being officially out of their house makes it seem more official, though.

Anyhow, you can leave a comment here to welcome them, if you'd like. They read the blog, and yes, they know I call them the outlaws. :)

BEAUTIFUL CHRISTIAN SISTER
By Maya Angelou

'A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ
That a man should have to seek Him first to find her.'
When I say ... 'I am a Christian' I'm not shouting 'I'm clean livin''
I'm whispering 'I was lost, Now I'm found and forgiven.'
When I say ... 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.
When I say ... 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.
When I say.. 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.
When I say ... 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it.
When I say ... 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain..
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.
When I say ... 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner Who received God's good grace, somehow!
Pretty is as Pretty does ... But beautiful is just plain beautiful!