Summer Dreaming - My Top 13

I have been excited for summer's arrival for a few months now. Summer around our house is always such a fun time. I'm sure we're not the only ones.

Here are 13 things that I'm looking forward to this summer.

1. Corn on the cob, strawberries, watermelon and so many other summer-only foods.
2. Spending countless hours going for walks and playing with the kids in the backyard.
3. Eating outside. For some reason, I love eating outside and I have since I was a little girl. There's just something special about it. Our kids love it too, as long as the bees stay away.
4. Weekly trips to the Farmer's Market. I am so excited that our town is starting a Farmer's Market this summer! The past few summers I've spent a ridiculous amount of time whining about the fact that we did not have a Farmer's Market close by. Not anymore. Every Thursday afternoon, starting next week, the kids and I will be hitting that Farmer's Market. I'm already planning on setting aside a portion of our monthly grocery budget to use there every week.
5. Blogging on the patio. It will stay light out until about 10 o'clock for quite a few weeks. I'm so excited to spend a few nights a week sitting outside and blogging.
6. The drive-in. Drive-ins are few and far between nowadays. We are fortunate to have one about 45 minutes away though. Eric and I have already decided that all the kids are old enough now that we can make a trip or two to the drive-in with them this summer.
7. Slurpees. We have a 7-11 a few blocks away from us. It's an easy walk and during the summer, we like to take the kids on a walk to 7-11 every once and awhile. We pick up small slurpees for each of us. It's a great little treat that always feels like such an extravagance.
8. Trips to the park. This is the first summer in a long time that all of the kids are old enough to make a trip to the park fun for all of us.
   
9. Summer festivals. Anybody that has been reading my blog since this time last year knows I love summer festivals. To me, walking around the craft and art booths, listening to local musicians, being outside, and enjoying the downtown area of some cities around us is the perfect day.
10. Outdoor date nights. Late last summer, Eric came up with a fabulous idea of having our date night outside. We lit a fire in our small fire pit, talked, and watched some Hulu on the laptop. It was wonderful! Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate enough for us to do it more than once. But now that we know what a great night this makes, we will be doing it often!
11. Going to BlogHer. I am really looking forward to rooming with Toni again (although I'm sad that Joy won't be joining us). I'm also looking forward to meeting tons of other bloggers that I consider friends. Oh, and the sessions...I'm sure there'll be lots to learn.
12. Isabelle will be going to sleep-away camp for the first time this summer. I am so excited for her. I went to sleep-away camp four times when I was growing up and those weeks were always such a great experience.
13. Outings of all kinds. We always do a lot more during the summer than we do during the winter. Visiting state parks, going to the zoo, visiting my family,water parks...so many things to do! Now we just have to get it all planned out so that we can fit everything in.

Stop by Happy To Be At Home for more Thursday 13 fun.

Read more...

Disney World Dreaming

Exactly a year and a half ago, we were in Disney World. And exactly 6 months from right now, we will be there again. I've spent the past few days looking at all the pictures from the "Magical Moms" weekend at Disney World, and I'm ready for those 6 months to fly by!

My parents love all things Disney. We took many wonderful vacations to Disney World throughout my childhood. Definitely some of my best childhood memories involve Disney in one way or another.

And we are so blessed that my parents want to create those same memories for their grandchildren now. This will be the third trip they've taken us all on. The first time there were only 3 grandkids. Last time and the time coming up, there are 7. (The kids are the 7 Dwarfs to Nana and Papa's Snow White and Prince Charming. It works perfectly!)

The planning has already begun for our trip in November. I'm sure I'll be posting about it a lot over the next 6 months. But for now, here's 13 pictures from our last trip.

Our villa at the Beach Club Vacation Club villas. I can not tell you how wonderful it was to have a kitchen. We were able to eat a nice big, protein-packed breakfast every morning before heading out to the parks.
This picture just makes me laugh. I'm not sure which is more amusing - Gracie pulling Isabelle's hair or Alex and Olivia looking like they're ready to bolt at any second.
Alex LOVED the monorail. He still talks about it all the time. Whenever we are driving on the highway, he says we are going as fast as the monorail.
This picture pretty much sums up the hours of enjoyment we had trying to get the kids to cooperate for a nice photo of the 4 of them.

Does it get any better than this?

Eric can tell you the location of every single bathroom on the Disney property. Because I had Gracie in my arms most of the time, he was the designated potty taker. Alex and Olivia had been potty trained just a few months at the time. So, potty stops were frequent - very, very frequent.
Eric is mighty proud of this picture, and rightly so. One of these days we'll get around to printing and framing it.

I think Bert was a little jealous.

Next stop...the bathrooms.

She has changed so much in the past year and a half. I love this picture though.

The boy loves Buzz Lightyear.

If you look close enough, you can see Eric and Isabelle - third row from the back.

There's is nothing like a nap in the stroller after a busy Disney day.

Stop by Happy To Be At Home or here for more Thursday Thirteen. And then stop by Jen's place for more Thousand Word Thursday or What Works For Us for more Photo Story Friday.

Read more...

13 Things About The Birthday Girl

Today was Gracie's second birthday. She is the first one of my children I ever wrote a birthday post about, and I can't believe it's already been a year!

We did not have any big celebration today (that will be on Saturday), but she did get lavished with attention and birthday wishes from Eric, the older kids and myself. She was referred to as "the birthday girl" all day long!
So here are 13 things about this sweet little birthday girl.

1. She was an unexpected blessing of the best kind! I was a little hesitant to tell Eric at first though. I knew for almost 3 weeks before I told him. He was absolutely thrilled and excited.
2. As the youngest with two older sisters, 2 older female cousins, and a few family friends, she has been wonderfully dressed since the day she was born. We haven't had to buy her any clothes, and probably won't either.
3. Although we did buy her coming home from the hospital outfit. The onesie that she wore home is still sitting in my closet waiting to be turned into a pillow.
4. My labor with her was one of the best ever. There were no issues and my nurse knew I planned to go natural. She brought me a breakfast tray because she knew everything would go as planned. I ate bacon and drank a cup of coffee while I was 7 centimeters. I wasn't hooked up to anything and got to walk around whenever I wanted to. Since I've always dreamed of a home birth, this hospital birth was probably the closest I'll ever get!
5. Gracie was a fantastic sleeper right from the start. I could lay her down with her eyes open and she'd just drift off peacefully.
6. I felt a little guilty about that and often wanted to wake her up after she was asleep just so we could have some one-on-one time.
7. She has been spoiled with attention from her older sisters and brothers right from the start. As a result, she is also their greatest cheerleader and imitator.
8. She began crawling with a super-fast military crawl before she was 6 months old. That was her mode of transportation before she began walking. She only crawled on hands and knees for about 2 weeks before transitioning to walking full time.
9. She was a late walker, but I bet she would have walked sooner if I had actually put her down more often.
   
10. Gracie is the only one of our kids to suck her thumb. She used to suck her thumb and put her hand down my shirt for comfort. Now she sucks her thumb and plays with her belly button.
11. She loves to pick out her own clothes. In fact, she's very independent with most things. It kind of surprises me since she has 3 willing helpers who want to do everything for her. But I'd much rather see her independence then to see her expect to have things done for her all the time.
12. Her pronunciation of words is very unique. When we say prayers at night, Eric or I will say things and she repeats after us so we often add words that we love to hear her say. Therefore, she thanks God for bubbles, turtle, water and noodles every night.
13. Gracie has the biggest, most beautiful blue eyes ever. Ever since she was born, we can't go anywhere without someone commenting on her eyes.

Happy Birthday Gracie Lynn!

Visit Happy To Be At Home for more Thursday {Thirteen}.

Read more...

Date Nights At Home

Eric and I cherish our date nights at home. We have gone on a total of 7 date nights out of the house in the past 5 years. 10 if include the births of the last three kids. 11 if you include the night we spent in the ER when I had my gallbladder out. Out of those 7 actual date nights, 6 of them have been in the past year.

Needless to say, we have become pretty adept at creating some fantastic date nights at home. Even if we could go out every week, I don't think we would. We just cherish the ease of staying home while still focusing on a special night for the two of us.

Our date nights are so special to us that we try to carry elements of them throughout our regular nights too. It's just one way to make each other feel special without spending any money.

Here are 13 little ways to have a mini-date night at home every night.

1. Save dessert for after the kids are in bed. Sit down together if even for only 10 minutes and enjoy.
2. Sit next to each other when watching tv instead of on opposite ends of the couch.
3. Before dinner, share an appetizer just for the 2 of you. Even if that appetizer is a handful of chips that you sneak in the kitchen while the kids are getting ready for dinner.
4. Use Hulu to catch up on shows that you have missed during busier nights. For Eric and I, we really don't watch tv. But we do love to watch 24. So we choose a night during the week when we both will be able to relax for an hour without other commitments getting in the way. Then we settle down in bed with the laptop and get caught up thanks to Hulu.
5. Schedule at least 10 minutes in the evening to do nothing but talk. Go over your day and the plans for the next day. Discuss current events. Pray together.
   
6. If the weather is nice, spend some time sitting outside together.
7. Get in bed early and talk or read together.
8. Develop a signature drink that you can share together on a regular basis. Even if your signature drink is coffee or tea, set aside special mugs that you use only for date night time.
9. If you spend your nights at the computer (like yours truly), set a designated time to shut it down for the night. Make sure that time leaves you at least a little while to spend with your husband before ending the day.
10. If your night time routine involves lots of chores, turn on some music that is special for the two of you and enjoy listening together while you work.
11. Work on a project or hobby together. But make sure it is something that you can save for times when you can both work on it together.
12. Spend some time just making each other laugh. Laughter brings you together and eases any hurts. It's a great way to reconnect.
13. If you still don't have time to fit in a little date night on an ordinary night, take a few minutes whenever you can to plan what you want to do on your actual date night at home.

Stop by Happy To Be At Home for more Thursday {Thirteen} and The Happy Housewife for more date night ideas.

Read more...

It's Been A Year Already?

I can not believe that it was one year ago tonight that I first started writing this blog. Well, to be honest, I did write 2 posts on here back in 2005. Then, we were without internet for 2 and a half years. When we reconnected, I immediately thought I'd like to try blogging again.

When I first started this last year, I had no idea what direction I wanted to head. But I promised myself that I would see if I could make it a habit and stick it out for 21 days. Obviously the habit stuck!

So, since it is Thursday {Thirteen} day over at Happy To Be At Home, I decided to commemorate the occasion with a series of 13 things.

13 Favorite Posts

1. My Strength Is Not Sufficient
   
2. Celebrate The Simple, Celebrate The Mundane
3. Growing Pains
4. The post that started it all - My Blog in May
5. A 3 Moms Tip For The Day
6. Inevitability
7. Just Another Imperfect Post From Another Imperfect Blogger
8. Frugal Ideas For Date Nights At Home
9. Confessions of a Former Literary Snob
10. The Perfect Pair Of Jeans For A Quarter
11. Showing and Telling In My Kitchen
12. What Is The Line Between Childhood And Adulthood?
13. Every single post that included something about my kids, or pictures of my kids. There are just far too many to list!

13 Things I Just Realized While Looking Through My Archives

1. I can be a little long-winded at times.
   
2. Why didn't someone tell me the importance of the return key sooner? Following grammatical paragraph structure on a blog is unnecessary and even I had a hard time reading through posts with not many returns.
3. My tone or style haven't changed very much over this past year, but my focus has shifted a bit.
4. I need to clean up my archives one of these days.
   
5. I have learned a lotover the past year. For example, I know how to tweak and write some html now. A year ago, I didn't even know what html was. (Joy deserves lots of credit for this!)
   
6. I need to do a better job of self-editing.
7. There are so many more places to find stock images to use in posts then I ever imagined. Allposters.com used to be the only thing I used.
8. A lot of you have been part of this blog since early on.
   
9. And I still enjoy each and every one of your blogs.
10. A blog is a wonderful tool to document your family's life, from the simplest things to the extraordinary.
    
11. Eric's views of blogging have changed a lot.
12. I had no idea I'd be able to form so many wonderful, life-changing friendships.
13. I still love comments as much today as I did when I got my very first.

Stop by Happy To Be At Home for more Thursday {Thirteen}.

Read more...

13 Lessons Motherhood Has Taught Me

1. Stepping on Legos hurts more than stepping on Hot Wheels.
2. After about the 20th time, re-rolling an entire roll of toilet paper is pretty easy.
3. Clean is overrated. Quiet is overrated. There is no such thing as perfection.
4. Carrying a fistful of poop around with you is the best way to let someone know you need your diaper changed.
5. Two arms can work as well as eight when you really need them to.
6. It is possible to do many things one-handed while holding a child in the other...using a manual can opener, peeling and slicing an apple, frosting a cake, etc.
7. It is possible to memorize more than 20 children's books over the course of a week.
8. When you are really tired, you can sleep anywhere.
9. You can get through an entire day without sitting down even once.
10. When in doubt as to what's being said to you, saying "oh yeah?" will save you every time.
11. It is possible to go from laughing to screaming and crying in less than half a second.
12. Sticky, dirty hands are as nice to hold as clean ones.
13. Little arms are capable of giving awfully big hugs.

How about you? What are some lessons you've learned from motherhood?

Stop by Happy To Be At Home for more Thursday {Thirteen}.

Read more...

13 Reasons I Love Having 4 Kids

1. We're even. When we go out as a family, Eric has 2 kids and I have 2 kids.
2. There is always someone to talk to or cuddle.
3. If I'm not available for talking or cuddling, chances are a brother or sister is.
4. We have an abundant supply of hand-me-downs.
5. Many hands make light work.
6. I get more hugs and kisses in any given day then I know what to do with!
7. Food rarely has a chance to go bad.
8. Quiet is overrated.
9. The kids have built-in best friends and when they buddy-up, no one is excluded.
10. I like truly "needing" a mini-van.
11. I always have at least one willing helper.
12. Four kids working together can make one pretty awesome fort with couch cushions.
13. My life is never boring and my heart is always full.

Head over to Happy To Be At Home to link up with your own Thursday {Thirteen} post.

Read more...

13 Oh-So-Clever Giveaway Commentors

I have had so much fun this week reading all of the comments on my Bloggy Giveaway post. When I posted about the whisk I had originally intended to use for the giveaway, I had no idea I'd get so many clever comments in return.
Above is the whisk in its original state and below is the whisk after I carelessly dropped it on the floor.
Here are 13 of my favorite comments I've gotten on this predicament.

1. Southerner said...Aw, poor headless whisk! You killed her. Quick, get the super glue. Add some pearls so she feels beautiful. Stand her in a special crock until she is needed to whisk away the night.
2. Skywaywaver said...Oh what that lovely whisk lady gave up for the name of the Bloggy Carnival!
3. angelacisco said...She was very cute.may she rest in pieces.Thanks for the giveaway!
4. Jaime said...That is how I feel most days....running around like a mom with her head cut off. So that item might have been appropriate! LOL
5. mannequin said...Oh, I'm so sorry over your loss. And ours too. She was so beautiful. Too bad she was badly beaten.
6. Amber said...RIP dear cute whisk, though you may be broken, you're still missed and appreciated ;)
7. Shannon said...Isn't life just like that? Just when things are going smoothly....your head falls off!
8. paula h said...You could leave the head off and call it "artsy".
9. Estelle said...Too bad about the whisk. It was really cute. She reminds me of myself. I always lose my head when I'm in the kitchen!
10. Marin... said...Hold a new giveaway and include a tube of krazy glue?
11. Jesica said...that is the cutest whisk I've ever seen. I'm so sorry it's gone, now. So sad. We should have a moment of silence.
12. Roxy said...off with your head ! well thats too bad she broke her neck over your giveaway. ;)
13. carlton170 said...She must have been a wife of King Henry VIII, they were always getting their heads chopped off!

Do you have any others for me? I'd LOVE to hear them! If you haven't entered the alternate giveaway yet, you can do that here.

And don't forget to stop by Happy To Be At Home to link up your Thursday {thirteen} post.

Read more...

13 Blissdom-Related Things On My Mind

Two weeks from right now I will be finishing up packing and getting the house organized so that everything runs smoothly while I am gone. Then, I'll be boarding a plane and heading to Nashville to attend Blissdom. Needless to say, Blissdom has been on my mind a lot lately. Here are just a few of the things I've been thinking about.

1. Clothes! I have no idea what I'm going to wear and I really need to go through my closet and see what I can find. I'm hoping I can find at least a few options.
2. How on earth am I going to get over my shyness? I can be painfully shy, as I know I've mentioned before, especially in large groups. At least I already feel like I know some of the women I'll be meeting.
   
3. Meeting Joy and Toni. I am NOT worried about being shy around Joy and Toni. I got over that a long time ago. Now I'm just thrilled to get the chance to spend some time together face to face.
4. I don't like flying. I had planned on driving to Nashville. It's only an 8 1/2 hour drive so I didn't think that was too bad. But then Eric pointed out how much easier it would be for everyone, and how much more comfortable he'd feel, if I flew. When we found an airfare deal that was close enough to the cost of driving, we decided to jump on it. But now that means I have to fly. On a plane. By myself. I'm not looking forward to it.
5. The list of speakers is amazing! There are so many women I'm looking forward to hearing speak. But I'm also feeling like there are SO many speakers and so little time. We get to pick and choose which sessions we want to sit in on, but some of them will be so difficult to choose between the two.
   
6. I wish Joy and I had started the 2 Moms, 20 Pounds series about 3 months ago instead of 3 weeks ago.
7. The quality and content of some of the sessions sounds so inspiring. I know I'm going to want to take notes. Will I look like a dork if I pull out an actual notebook and a pen instead of my laptop? I use a lot of shorthand and symbols when I take notes that I just can't do on a laptop.
   
8. Live tweeting. This past weekend, I received a late birthday present from Eric. My cell phone was scheduled for an upgrade and Eric surprised me with a big upgrade - an iPhone. Now I have to practice using it so that Joy, Toni and I can tweet throughout the weekend.
   
9. Clothes! Did I mention I don't have the slightest idea what I'm going to wear.
   
10. My kids. I have not been without at least one of my children for more than a few hours in at least 5 years. What am I going to do without them??
    
11. My husband. His support is awesome! He encourages my blogging and is completely supportive of this trip to Nashville. I think he's even a little excited for me. If I had any doubt about his real feelings, I don't think I could comfortably go. Instead, I have a feeling he'll be pushing me out of the car at the airport.
    
12. I really need to get a plan in place to make sure I have laundry caught up, food in the freezer, and homeschooling plans all laid out. I know Eric will do a great job while I'm gone, and I know my in-laws will be able to handle everything while Eric is at work, but I am going to do everything in my power to make sure the weekend runs as smoothly as possible.
13. I wish that everybody I know through blogging was going to be at Blissdom! If you will be there, please let me know. If you won't be there, I'm sorry! I wish you were going!

Stop by Happy To Be At Home to link up with 3 Moms Thursday {Thirteen} and share your list of 13!

Read more...

13 Little Reminders To Myself

1. There is no work more important than stopping to give one of my children a hug when they ask for one.
2. When my neighbor brings over a freshly made loaf of bread, it is a good idea to remember that I'm trying to lose 20 pounds. Slowly savoring one thin slice is much more rewarding treat than eating half the loaf, by myself, in 5 minutes.
3. Christmas was 3 weeks ago. There are thank you cards that must, without excuse, be written and mailed out immediately!
4. Putting 8 meals in the freezer is a legitimate excuse for falling behind in the laundry.
5. The bathroom floor does not clean itself - ever!
6. My children will remember my example far longer then they will remember the words I speak.
7. The best way to keep all of the wonderful relationships I've built in the blogging community is to actually comment on blogs, at least once in a while. (Sorry!)
8. Playing with balloons is a fun part of childhood. I need to let my kids be kids when they are given balloons by the nice lady at the grocery store instead of letting my over-the-top fear of popping balloons get in the way.
9. Coffee is good, but water is better!
10. It doesn't hurt to say yes once in a while.
11. I bought 2 calendars just after Christmas to organize my blogging time. They are still blank, and blank pages really don't help organize anything.
12. Blogging is good, but sleep is better! (That's almost as hard as, if not harder then, remembering #9.)
13. Eric does not know what I am thinking unless I tell him. Just because he is my husband doesn't mean he can read my mind.

In case you haven't heard, the old Thursday Thirteen hub is no longer up and running. So, Joy, Toni and I decided to start a new version over at Happy To Be At Home. We are calling it "3 Moms Thursday {Thirteen}." I always enjoyed participating in Thursday 13, so I'm really excited about this. I hope you'll come join us each week.

Read more...

13 Christmas Activities We Haven't Gotten To Yet

...but we hope to over the next week.

I can't believe Christmas is a week away already. How on earth did that happen? If anyone could explain that to me, I would really appreciate it. There are still so many things I want to (or absolutely must) do during this next week. This is just a few on my list.

1. Finish round 2 of Christmas baking. This includes at least 6 more varieties.
2. Make a few different batches of fudge and some candies. It's been a few years since I made fudge and I'm ready to do it again. I have come across so many great fudge and candy recipes on some of my favorite blogs lately that I really want to try.
3. Make and decorate chocolate pretzel rods and package for some of Eric's clients.
4. Make a about 10 dozen pierogi for Christmas eve. I think this is going to be date night at home material for Eric and I on Saturday night. I just love planning these uber-romantic nights!
5. Finish shopping for Christmas presents.
6. Go for a nighttime drive with the kids to look at all the lights.
7. Watch some classic movies - It's A Wonderful Life (my personal favorite), Holiday Inn (my 2nd favorite), A Christmas Story, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas (the cartoon version), Rudolph and Santa Claus is Coming to Town.
8. Read the remaining Christmas books that we haven't gotten to yet.
9. Pull our nativity scenes out and walk through the story with the kids.
10. Drink a glass of eggnog.
11. Make mini-blinis and cinnamon rolls for Christmas breakfast.
12. Help the kids choose at least 4 toys each to donate. (We need to clear out some of the old toys before we bring the new ones in.)
13. Finish teaching the kids how to sing "Jingle Bells," "Frosty The Snowman," "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer," "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town," and "Away In A Manger."

Head over here for more Thursday 13.

Read more...

13 Things on My Kids' Christmas Wish Lists

We are not a materially or commercially-driven family at all. That fact has been made obvious to me the past few days.

First, on Tuesday, Eric brought home a package of Oreos as a rare treat for us. Alex and Olivia had no idea what an Oreo was. Seriously - at 3 and 4 to have never heard of an Oreo? Actually, I was pretty proud once the initial shock wore off.

Then, today the kids made their Christmas wish lists. Isabelle wrote while Alex and Olivia dictated their lists. Gracie did not participate this year. Her list would have included Baby, Mine, and Gay-key (how she says Gracie). There were only 4 brand-name items in all.

Anyhow, here are 13 of the things from their lists.

1. A toy vacuum (Alex)
2. A number game (Alex)
3. A toy train (Alex)
4. A football (Alex)
5. A toy angel (Olivia)
6. A toy donkey (Olivia)
7. A rainbow striped sweater (Olivia)
8. A toy chair (Olivia)
9. A rainbow sweater to match Olivia's (Isabelle)
10. A science kit (Isabelle)
11. A joke book - a long one would be nice (Isabelle)
12. A shirt - for me to wear (Isabelle)
13. And a bonus 2-in-1 from Alex that did NOT make it on the list, even though he insisted they should be there: poop & pee and everything in the universe. 4 year old boys are so much fun!

Head over here for more T13.

Read more...

My 13 Favorite Snacks

1. Hummus and pita chips
2. A spoonful of crunchy peanut butter
3. Licorice - all varieties, from Twizzlers to Snaps
4. Dry-roasted peanuts (with salt only!)
5. Chili-cream cheese dip with Fritos (a rarity in our house, but SO good!)
6. Homemade cookies
7. Hot pretzels
8. A big slice of still warm homemade bread
   
9. Toast with peanut butter and strawberry cream cheese
10. A hot, fresh-from-the-oven poppy seed bagel with mustard or salt bagel with plain cream cheese
11. Almost any kind of chocolate
12. Fresh or frozen fruit (I had to fit something healthy in here)
13. Garbanzo beans - roasted or tossed with a little sesame & ginger salad dressing

If I absolutely had to narrow it down to just one snack, I'd definitely say hummus and pita chips. What's your #1 favorite snack choice?

Head over here to enter my Frito-Lay snack basket giveaway.

And then head over here for more Thursday 13.

Read more...

13 Things On My Thanksgiving Countdown To-Do List

I cannot believe Thanksgiving is already a week away. Where has this past month gone?

We will be going to my parents' house for Thanksgiving and staying until Sunday. So, I have lots to do between now and when we leave next Thursday morning. I would love to say that I have a full weeks worth of meals in the freezer, but I don't. I do have four days worth at least, which should help a bit.

1. Write lists - clothes to pack, cookies to make, miscellaneous stuff to pack, etc. This is just the first list of many that I'll be writing throughout the next week. I heart lists!
2. Finish making cookies - both dough for the freezer for December & some to take for my sister and baking cookies to take for family gifts. We won't see my family again for Christmas, so we have to do all of that kind of stuff now.
3. Make apple sour cream pie to take.
   
4. Get coolers and cookie tins out of the attic.
5. Wash, iron and pack kids clothes.
6. Wash, iron and pack adult clothes.
7. Finish buying Christmas presents for my family. (Only 2 to go!)
8. Wrap Christmas presents.
9. Clean out the van.
10. Make and paint salt-dough ornaments with the kids.
11. Finish Thanksgiving crafts with the kids.
12. Try to get some blog posts in drafts for while we are gone.
13. Get all of the miscellaneous stuff packed which always seems to take days and is never completely done until the second we walk out the door. Does anyone else do this? Please tell me I'm not alone! For us on Thursday morning it will be animals and pillows from the kids beds.
    

Well that felt good! I've wanted to get this list down on paper for a while. It really doesn't seem so bad once it is written down. Unfortunately, I'll probably add about a dozen more things to this list over the next few days.

See, I already thought of one I forgot...clean the house before we leave! I am fanatical about making sure the house is completely spotless before we go out of town. First of all, what if something happened to us while we were driving? I would hate for people to come in our house and think we were slobs! Seriously, I do worry about this. And secondly, there is nothing worse than getting home to a messy house after an exhausting day spent driving.

You can find more Thursday 13 here.

Read more...

13 Reader-Recommended Books #1

One of the best aspects of participating in the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival a few weeks ago was reading all of the fabulous book suggestions left in the comments. There were so many that I knew I had to share them all. Here are the top 13 suggestions from the first 200 comments. All of these books/series were mentioned more than once, or the author was mentioned more than once. Some of these books I have not read yet. So I'm excited to have a new list for the library. I'll post some more of them next week.

1. The Twilight Series by: Stephanie Meyer
2. Pride & Prejudice by: Jane Austen
3. The Notebook by: Nicholas Sparks
4. The Pillars of the Earth by: Ken Follett
5. My Sister's Keeper by: Jodi Picoult
6. The Redemption Series by: Karen Kingsbury
7. Redeeming Love by: Francine Rivers
8. The Poisonwood Bible by: Barbara Kingsolver
9. Evergreen by: Belva Plain
10. Flowers For Algernon by: Daniel Keyes
11. Till We Have Faces by: C.S. Lewis
12. No Compromise by: Melody Green
13. The Cider House Rules by: John Irving

Find more Thursday Thirteen here.

Read more...

13 Things That Have Made Me Happy Recently

There are all kinds of things going on in our world currently, and it seems unhappiness is an easier feeling than happiness right now. So, I decided to focus my T13 this week on things that make me happy.

1. Gracie is learning more and more words each day and it is so fun watching the other kids teach her new ones.
2. I went to the grocery alone today. That's right, it was just me, a list and a cart. It was kind of thrilling.
3. While I was at the store, my mom called. And because I was alone, I was able to have a nice conversation with her while I shopped.
4. When I got home from the store, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Eric had done some cleaning and rearranging of some of the clutter-prone spots in our kitchen. Everything looked fantastic and smelled so clean. It was such a treat!
5. Alex helped me unload the dishwasher this morning. And he really helped and made the job much easier and faster. When we finished, he asked what else he could do for me. (He must take after his dad.)
6. Isabelle was allowed to stay up late to watch the returns last night. We initially agreed that she could stay up until 10. But she was so into it and really paying attention. When she asked me at 9:50 if she could stay up until the results from the polls closing at 10 came in, how could I say no?
7. My sister asked me to make some cookies for her to have on hand throughout December at her house. Being 350 miles apart, we can't help each other with day to day stuff, but it feels good to be able to do what I can, when I can.
8. Our next door neighbor brought us some fresh out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies yesterday and went home with some of our fresh out-of-the-oven oatmeal raisin cookies.
9. Although we haven't actually done any of our Christmas shopping yet, we have a plan. We'll begin acting on it this weekend.
10. We received some more hand-me-downs and were able to put 3 bags of size 4 and 5 girls clothes up in our attic. Olivia and Gracie will be set on clothes for at least another 5 years!
11. Olivia's imagination is running wild lately. Today, she was "Dr. Olivia" all day. Any time that I forgot and called her Olivia, she'd look at me with her hands on her hips and say "call me doctor!"
12. I have talked to both Joy and Toni at some point over the past few days, and exchanged lots of e-mails with Amy. There is nothing better than the support, understanding, encouragement, and fun of these friendships!
13. Eric and I are finalizing the details for our date night next Saturday.
    

For more Thursday Thirteen, go here.

Read more...

13 Things About My Husband

I have never participated in Thursday 13 on this site before. I've always loved reading the little slice of life that it provides on others blogs though. And I wanted to write about Eric today because I haven't talked much about him or marriage in general lately. Plus, I love him!

1. Most days, he is the only other adult I actually carry on a conversation with, and that is just fine with me.
   
2. He has read every book in the Harry Potter series at least 20 times each. Whenever he is without a new book to read, he'll grab a Harry Potter book. A few of his copies are even starting to fall apart.
   
3. He talks like Snoop Dogg. A lot. I am amazed at how well I'm now able to decipher everyday sentences where each word ends in "-izzle."
4. He is exceptionally goofy. He jokes around with the kids all day and makes up silly little songs for things. He is called crazy at least 200 times a day by Isabelle. (The two of them have so much fun making fun of each other.)
5. He is the family barber. He cuts his hair, my hair, and the kids hair, and he always does a great job. (Well, almost.)
6. He never, ever complains about my cooking or what I make for meals and will eat whatever is put on his plate. He is not picky. He doesn't mind leftovers or casseroles.
   
7. He can talk for hours and hours with just about anyone. When he goes to a neighbors to help with something, I know I can count on him being gone at least an hour, even though he always says he'll be right back. Cashiers know him by name. When he walks into our bank, he gets a greeting reminiscent of Norm's on Cheers.
8. He can't pour a cup of coffee like a normal person. He has to hold the pot up as high as he can possibly get it and let the coffee stream into the cup. He'd probably deny it, but I bet he even does this when no one is around to see.
9. He works incredibly hard in a physically and mentally demanding job. He needs to be able to switch hats between business owner and "the cleaning guy" seamlessly. His vision for our company is admirable. He definitely knows what he is doing and deserves a vacation. That's kind of hard when he works 7 days a week though.
10. He is a Nascar junkie. He has certain races that are favorites and we plan our lives around them accordingly. For example, under no circumstances was I allowed to go into labor during the night race at Bristol.
    
11. Speaking of that, he is a phenomenal labor partner. He is patient and compassionate. He is my advocate when I am too shy or acting too tough to speak up for myself. And he always makes sure to get a picture of baby's first weight check.
    
12. He is my very best friend. We can still stay up half the night talking. He makes me laugh like no one else. He knows more about me than even I know about myself. And I know that I'm his best friend too, and that's pretty cool.
13. He is not perfect. I am not perfect. Our marriage is not perfect. But at the end of the day, there's still no one else I'd rather have to next to me.

You can find more Thursday Thirteen here.

And for more My Husband Rocks Friday, head over here.

Read more...