My first card from JD

YOu mAKE MY LifE BRiGHT!
THANK YOu MOMMY!!
LOVE
JACOB

Meals for the Week (share yours!)

Monday: Sloppy Joe Pasta, Green Beans, and leftover Apple Custard Pie

Tuesday: Rice & Lentils, Spinach, and Homemade Rye Bread (Daniel won't be home, can you tell?)

Wednesday: Biscuits and Gravy, Scrambled Eggs and Smoothies

Thursday: Quick Taco Salad and Sweet Cream Cornbread

Friday: Pepperoni Pizza

Saturday: Monterey BBQ Chicken and Cornmeal Rolls

Sunday: Minute Steaks & Mashed Potatoes and Parmesan Cauliflower Salad

And She's Three!

(Those are girls on little sleds, err, donuts- her cupcake request.)

Birthdays wear a girl out!

Not sure why, but she closed her eyes during the traditional "everybody say what they

like about Cambria" time.

Oh, wow. My own gumball machine.


Life is good and birthdays are over for another year!

Tonight. From Daniel for me. Awww.

Those Sitters. . .

You've always had the sneaking suspicion that they ignored the kids and looked at Seventeen and Brides.

Now you know.

Helper By Design

I borrowed this book from our pastor's wife and haven't had a chance to crack the cover until today. It looks good- I'm always in need of challenge in the area of marriage. I fall so short.

In the little bit I looked at, Elyse talks the contrast of the "So Happy Together" philosophy of marriage vs. "How Firm a Foundation." She suggests that "So Happy Glorifying God" is a better goal than just being happy.

Good reading material for me! At any rate, more mentally stimulating than the newspaper.

There are no trivial assignments in the work of the Lord

- Vance Havner

Jacob Daniel - 5!

JD requested train races, a game that involves boxes tied together.

Note Gabe's box - Daniel said he could race too.

And the little snowboard cupcakes.

Well, another birthday came and went.

We had lots of bad attitudes, ungratefulness and training going on. I'd like to blame it on too much sugar, but I think the more likely culprit is plain old sin.

And as a side note, I never even looked at JD's Cubbie bag from last week, which contained a request for me to bring treats. (note to self: always look in Cubbie bag. always look in Cubbie bag. always look in Cubbie bag.) So when I picked him up and he informed me that I had forgotten to bring snacks for everyone, I was a little surprised.

Don't know which was worse, all those little faces looking at me (there's the mommy who forgets treats) or all of the snowboard cupcakes sitting on the counter at home that I totally could have brought!

Sometimes you just gotta love the way things turn out. The neighbor boys are getting all of the extra cupcakes.

Oh well.

Gabe - Six Weeks!

You haven't lived until you've shopped for a formal with three kids!

Well, I'm here to report on last week's shopping trip.



Armed with an entire bag of candy conversation hearts in my purse, we entered David's Bridal. (Yeah, I'm not even going to pretend we were going to attempt some high end boutique. David's is not Wal-Mart. Or Target. Or even the Salvation Army. David's is a step up for me.)

The girl who helped me really was helpful, and eventually I actually made it to the dressing room with lots of options.

Well, sort of.

Remember the post partum thing? The great stuff they give you to - ahem - help actually pushed that tummy out like no other. Plus, that new jersey fabric that is so in is not friendly to really anyone. I tried on a really cute jersey dress in orange (couldn't zip up the back, but that's another story) and tentatively poked my head out of the dressing room. Horrors, walls of mirrors. ( I remember thinking walls of mirrors were so fun seven years ago in a chic boutique in Minneapolis. Hmm, what changed?)

Wow, orange wasn't my color, and jersey wasn't my fabric.

JD: "Mom, don't get that one." Ok.

Cambria found the conversation hearts. RRRIppp. The floor of the dressing room now was littered with You Rock and Got Love? and Sweet Thing and Goodbye.

Eventually my helpful sales rep or whatever you call the female employees of David's Bridal had mercy on me, realizing I couldn't zip (or unzip) any of the dresses and came back to help me.

I ordered the only dress that fit. In black. It's too short because I'm too tall, but here is where the joys of knowing how to sew kick in and I can add a band to the bottom which will be cool and who knows?

Maybe it will have that custom high end boutique look.

And if anyone wondered what the kids were doing - look below - that's Jacob bouncing a hungry Gabe, and Cambria enjoying the magic of the mirrors. (We got the conversation hearts cleaned up if you were looking for them.)

Mitten Dryer

Usually the kids just lay their mittens over the forced air vents to dry, but the other day I had this brainstorm- isn't it cute? I was going to use ribbon, but then found this old cotton sash that kind of matched in my kitchen. I tacked it underneath the windowsill and added clothespins.

Works great!

"just like the olympics, mom!"

now you see him. . .
now you don't!

(this week for dinner)

Monday: Pasta with Fresh Spinach, Bacon & Chicken

Tuesday: Super Stuffed Potatoes

Wednesday: SpAaghetti (Jacob's birthday request- "please use the long noodles")

Thursday: Rice Something or Other (no, that's not a recipe)

Friday: "Cheese" Salad (Seven Layer Salad) and Chicken Fingers (Cambria's birthday)

Saturday: BBQ Beef Pizza

Sunday: Angel Chicken, Sweet Potatoes & Broccoli Slaw


So what are you eating?

Mocha Coffee Punch

Coffee Syrup:



4 c. water

3-4 c. sugar

4 oz. jar instant coffee



Boil and refrigerate.



To serve, combine the following ingredients in punchbowl:



1 1/4 c. coffee syrup

3/4 quart vanilla ice cream

3/4 quart chocolate ice cream

3 quarts milk



Yummy yummy punch! My sister Nancy made this for Tim and Lydia's party on Friday night- it's the best!

MFD lost again.

Special Olympics Basketball - I love the look on Daniel's face!

This is the second special olympics event I've been to (the first was a softball game) and both have been a riot. So fun!

As a society we tend to insulate ourselves from anyone who isn't just like us; what a lot of joy we miss out on.

Life is precious. Every life.