Sugar

Our Little Elves

I know it's not even Thanksgiving, but this is too funny not to share.

Merry Christmas from our little elves!

Random Fun Photos From 2007

A little funny

Patrick Henry Hughes - Inspirational Story

Our First Day of School!

Sunshine Rewards sign-up bonus!

You may have noticed the link to Sunshine Rewards over in the "Links" section to the left. And here are my thoughts about it that I've written previously: What I've Been Up To

Just wanted to let you know that Sunshine Rewards is currently offering an extra bonus for signing up. You always get a $2 credit for signing up, but for a limited time you will earn an extra .50.

As you can see from my earnings banner, I've earned a lot of Gift Cards. And it's a lot of fun! Find out more at this link: Sunshine Rewards Sign-up Bonus!

Extreme Makover: Doggie Edition

While we were away at India Camp, Sugar had a little vacation of his own....including a little doggie makeover. This is the new and improved Sugar I picked up from the kennel yesterday.

Poor Sugar....I'm sure this must be a blow to his manhood. The lady at the kennel said they had three "Sugars" last week.....he was the only boy....and now THIS! But it needed to be done. He was getting so matted it was embarrassing. So now we're starting fresh. Hopefully he'll be cute and fluffy again by Christmas time.

I don't know what kind of shampoo they used on him, but oddly enough, he smells like my Grandma! LOL! And gee, I didn't realize how skinny he is. I wonder how much weight he lost with all that hair cut off.

One good thing....now I can see his eyes! :o)

Indian Heritage Camp 2007

A picture of me.....

to test some technical computer stuff. Please forgive me!

Packin' up!

Early Wednesday morning we will be leaving to drive out to Tulsa, OK for Dillon International's India Heritage Camp.(See Dillon's link to the left) The kids are really excited to go to "camp." Hopefully, we will get to meet up with some other adoptive families that we haven't seen in a very long time and connect with other moms who I only know throught he Dillon India Forum. It should be really fun!

It's a 15 hour drive though! PRAY FOR US!!!

I will post pictures when we get back. In the meantime check out this Children From Matri Sneha site. You may see some little faces you recognize! (wink)

Today at our house

So what have the boys been doing today while Gracie is at camp, you ask????

It's been VERY quiet at our house today!

Grace at Camp

Grace has been attending day camp this week at Camp Straight Street. On Wednesday they had a shaving cream war. See if you can find my little girl!

(I'll give you a little hint....scroll down to the third picture.)

Happy Birthday Grace

Here are photos from Grace's birthday party last Friday night.

What If I Asked You?

1 Timothy 2:14

Mary was studying her Bible quietly at her desk. A still, small voice began to speak to her.
"Mary?"
"Yes, LORD?" Mary had been walking with the LORD and recognized His still, small voice. Especially in His Word.
"Mary, what if I was to ask you to go to work for Me."
"Oh, yes, LORD." Mary answered anxiously. "To France, perhaps?" As she gazed at the globe on her desk, pointing a finger decidedly on Paris.
"Mary, what if I was to ask you to go to work for Me in an obscure place."
"Ah, yes, LORD." Mary sat dreaming while moving her finger down a bit. "Africa. The jungle..." Her mind wandered to the missionary stories she had read, "perhaps where Elizabeth Elliot worked."
"Mary, what if I was to ask you to work for Me in an even more obscure place."
"Hmmmm...even more obscure. South America, LORD? Or innermost China? Or perhaps Indonesia? Is that what you mean LORD?"
"Mary, what if I was to ask you to work for Me in a home."
"Ah, now I understand, LORD. A home for handicapped kids."
"Mary, what if I was to ask you to work for Me in an obscure home."
"An obscure home? Perhaps a home for orphaned children in Mexico or South America?"
"Mary, what if I was to ask you to work for Me in your own obscure home?"
"Here, LORD? Here?! All I do here is scrub, vacuum, wipe noses, wash clothes, sing lullabies, pray with toddlers, change diapers, cook meal after meal, sweep and dust, stretch one income, mop and mop; oh, and then over and over the very same thing again. Sometimes more in one day that I can count. This can't be the obscure home You mean, LORD!"
"Yes, Mary. This is the home. Will you do it for Me? For when you do it for the least of these, you do it for Me. Will you do it for Me, Mary?"
Big sigh. "No one is going to notice it, LORD. Not even the ones I am doing it for. None of them really even care, LORD. Everything I do, they undo. And then I have to do it all over again. Don't you think Paris is kind of obscure?"
Big Smile. "Mary, I have chosen you especially for this work in this specific place. I have Leaders and Warriors being raised here. I have wives of Leaders and Warriors being raised here. Will you wipe these noses for Me, Mary? Will you bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the LORD, Mary? Some day I may send them out to places like China, Indonesia, South America, Mexico, and yes, perhaps even Paris. Will you do this for me, Mary, in this obscure home of yours?
Spinning the globe gently, Mary bowed her head, "Yes, I will, LORD. Yes, I will."
"I'll do it through you, Mary. Keep coming to me for your strength. It is a very big job raising My Warriors and My Wives of Warriors; but I will walk you through it every step of the way."

-Laine Amavizca


I pray that out of His glorious riches
He may strengthen you
with power through His Spirit
in your inner being,
so that Christ may dwell
in your hearts through faith.
And I pray that you,
being rooted and grounded in love,
may have power,
together with all the saints,
to grasp how wide and how long,
and high and deep is the love of Christ,
and to know this love
that surpasses knowledge,
that you may be filled to the measure
of all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:16-19

[A wonderful reminder from my friend Pam. Keep on keepin' on Moms!!]

SLIDE!!

I just discovered the SLIDE website thanks to my friend Pam. (You can read her blog and see her precious Micah at www.babymicahsjourney.blogspot.com.)

So I've been tinkering around with it a little and thought I'd share some of our Disney World photos.

Disney World photos

Mistakes

This morning as I was getting Samuel dressed I accidentally started to put his pants on backwards. I caught mayself and mumbled some comment about it and Samuel said "What are you doing Mom?" I told him I made a mistake and he said, "I make mistakes too." "We all make mistakes sometimes, don't we?" I said. "Except God!" Sam reminded me.

Sugar

What I've been up to!

I've found a really easy way to help earn money for another Disney trip (hopefully this time with Grace). It's called....

By reading email, clicking on links, filling out surveys, shopping online, and joining in on fun contests I have earned almost $300 in Disney gifts cards and Disney Dollars since last August. I earned a little bit before our trip in January that I was able to use for food and souvenirs. And since then I have earned over $200 more for a future trip.

There are many other types of gift cards you can work towards earning...not just Disney! Kohl's, Target, Old Navy, Starbucks, and Amazon.com come to mind. You can also cash out to a Paypal account if you have one.

It's a really, really easy way to earn some "free money"....and fun too! I can't say enough about Trica Meyer who owns Sunshine Rewards. Her customer service is A+. There is even a Sunshine Forum where you can ask questions and learn more about how to earn. And you would be AMAZED to see how much some people have earned.

If you want to take a "look-see", follow this link....




Just a little something I've been up to lately! :o)

oops!

I was just re-reading my post from yesterday and thought that I probably should post updated photos of the kids too....not just the dog! LOL!!

So here's kind of a silly picture of the three kids, plus a couple of Samuel having fun at Disney World!

Here I go again!!

It seems like Summertime is the only time I have to keep this blog updated. (Actually, I'm surprised it's still here!) We are still one crazy household, but a lot has happened in the last year!

First of all, in November last year, Mike took a new job. It was a big step for us but Mike felt like he needed a new challenge and room for more growth. The new job is an hour away, so the new schedule has been an adjustment for all of us.

Samuel is doing great! He just finished first grade and had a super year. He still really loves school and is such a hard worker. He is reading and is very good at math. He loves maps, mazes, and telling time (and keeping Mom on schedule!) He is growing like a weed.... so tall and thin. He continues to drive his power chair and think he is hot stuff! LOL!! In January, Samuel and I (along with my sister, nephew, and niece) went to visit my parents in Florida for a week. We always all have a great time together. We visited Disney World on two days and had a blast! Samuel thought it was the greatest....Mom did too....such great memories!

Noah has been promoted to first grade for next year!!! Hallelujah!! Yea Noah!! Although he still struggles a lot at school, Noah really has come a long way and did have a good year in school. He still gets very tired at school and therefore has behavior problems, but academically he is doing well. He is a TERRIFIC speller and is reading simple sentences. These things finally seemed to click for him this year. His handwriting also improved by leaps and bounds this year. He had a wonderful aide this year as well as our amazing special ed. teacher who really seem to "get" Noah and are very in tune to what he needs. They have been so amazing. Noah will have the same aide next year and we are really happy about that.

Grace survived Kindergarten this year. For the most part, she loved school....the "social" part of it anyway. She had a lot of trouble with staying focused and getting her work done and with interupting. In February, she was evaluated by a neurologist and was diagnosed with ADHD...no big surprise there. The poor thing has been through the ringer trying different medications. I think we're on about the sixth one. Some of the early ones seemed to help, but she also had AWEFUL emotional side effects. It's been rough. But she's been one tough little cookie as always. Grace has really enjoyed the nicer weather and being able to play outside. And she still likes being "little mother" to her older brothers! She'll be going to Day
Camp one week this Summer and she is really looking forward to that.

We've had one more addition to our family this year. No, no more kids! LOL!! Back in the Fall, we "adopted" a dog. We picked him up the day after Thanksgiving. His name is Sugar, he is a little over a year old now, and he is a Goldendoodle. We got him for the kids, mostly Noah....but he has turned out to be MY dog (don't ask!) He is very sweet and playful. As I was sitting here typing, he came in from inside and promptly vomited on the living room floor. Don't know what that's about. So loving "Mother" that I am I put on my rubber gloves, got out the carpet cleaner (Thank God for that thing!) and cleaned it up. Just a gross FYI for all of you out there who have never had a dog.....dog vomit is actually much easier to handle than kid vomit! Just thought you'd like to know! LOL! Oh, but if anyone knows how to keep a white dog clean in the summertime, please let me know! :o) I will try to post a photo of Sugar soon. (Our computer was out of service for several weeks and I don't have my photo files back on it yet.)

And me....well, I'm hangin' in there. I struggle with not having a "normal" life and feeling lonely....I have to be honest. But I know God has put me right in this spot for a reason and someday I will have a better understanding of "why." Until then, I will just put on a smile....and keep the rubber gloves and carpet cleaner handy too!

You gotta share stuff like this....

Read the story at this link:
http://www.a2zedad.com/StrongestDad.html


INCREDIBLE!!!!

Gotta love Ziggy!

Hope this makes you laugh like it did me this morning. Happy Friday!!!

Happy Birthday Grace!!

It's hard to believe that our little hurricane...I mean princess....is six years old today! :o)

Six years ago our baby girl was born without a voice far away in Calcutta, India. (Typing that just made me laugh because whenever Grace tells a story it always begins, "Once upon a time, far, far away in Calcutta, India....) If you know Grace, her being born without a voice seems hard to even imagine, and she's been making up for lost time ever since. But we call her our miracle baby. Every child is a miracle, but the fact that God brought a family together with a baby girl all the way on the other side of the world is truly amazing....a baby girl who had no voice, who could have had severe brain damage, but didn't....well, that is just a HUGE miracle to us!

And what is our girl up to these days? This week she is at day camp and having a blast! In the Fall she will start Kindergarten! She is a smart girl with a huge imagination. Her favorite word lately is "actually". When I ask her something she'll say, "Well, ACTUALLY Mom....." She LOVES to swing and can pump and swing really high all by herself. As always, she is a busy, busy girl!! She continues to keep me on my toes and on my knees! :o)

So Happy Birthday to our sweet Princess Grace!!! We love you so much!!

P.S. - The pictures are ACTUALLY from her princess birthday party that we had last Friday night.

Hurray for Micah!!!!!

I have been anxiously awaiting to hear this news....Our friends Pam and Joel have been waiting for what seems like forever to receive the referral of a baby from India. Well, today was the day I heard that wonderful news. On Monday they received that long-awaited phone call with a referral...a four-month old baby boy named Micah Sajan!

Pam and Joel are a sweet couple that we met when they first began their adoption process....probably about 18 months ago! They have been through the ringer with red tape and beaurocracy and the wait was getting very long.

But we are so very happy for them....and for little Micah who now has a forever family.

Congratulations Pam and Joel! (aka. Mommy and Daddy!)

We can't wait to meet you Micah!!!!!

For all my scrapbooking buddies!

Happy Birthday America!!

God Bless America

"While the storm clouds gather
far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance
to a land that's free,
Let us all be grateful
for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices
in a solemn prayer. "

God Bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her,
and guide her
Thru the night
with a light from above.
From the mountains,
to the prairies,
To the oceans,
white with foam
God bless America,
My home sweet home.

Words and music by Irving Berlin

Happy Father's Day!!

When God Made Fathers
by Erma Bombeck

When the good Lord was creating Fathers, he started with a tall frame.
A female angel nearby said, "What kind of a Father is that? If you're going to make children so close to the ground, why have you put the Father up so high? He won't be able to shoot marbles without kneeling, tuck a child in bed without bending, or even kiss a child without stooping"
God smiled and said, "Yes, but if I make him child size, who would children have to look up to?"

And when God made a Father's hands, they were large. The angel shook her head and said,"Large hands can't manage diaper pins, small buttons, rubber bands on pony tails, or even remove splinters caused from baseball bats."
Again God smiled and said, "I know, but they're large enough to hold everything a small boy empties from his pockets, yet small enough to cup a child's face in them."

Then God molded long slim legs and broad shoulders, "Do you realize you just made a Father without a lap?" The angel chuckled.
God said, "A Mother needs a lap. A Father needs strong shoulders to pull a sled, to balance a boy on a bicycle, or to hold a sleepy head on the way home from the circus."

When God was in the middle of creating the biggest feet any one had ever seen, the angel could not contain herself any longer. "That's not fair. Do you honestly think those feet are going to get out of bed early in the morning when the baby cries, or walk through a birthday party without crushing one or two of the guests?"
God again smiled and said, "They will work. You will see. They will support a small child who wants to ride to Branbury Cross or scare mice away from a summer cabin, or display shoes that will be a challenge to fill."

God worked throughout the night, giving the Father few words, but a firm authoritative voice; eyes that see everything, but remain calm and tolerant.

Finally, almost as an after thought, He added tears. Then he turned to the angel and said, "Now are you satisfied he can love as much as a Mother can?"
The angel said nothing more.

Good news for Veggie lovers!!

Can't wait!!!!



http://www.bigidea.com/company/news/pirates_movie.htm

Memorial Day....Never forget!

The Gettysburg Address

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate--we can not consecrate--we can not hallow--this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

GirlTalk thoughts

Okay, this has NOTHING to do with my birthday.....but I just read these really precious thoughts regarding aging by Nicole Whitacre on the GirlTalk blog and thought I'd share....

http://girltalk.blogs.com/girltalk/2006/05/i_will_not_forg.html

Happy Travelers

40+ Days of Birthday

Okay, I have to admit it....today is my birthday and I'm 40 years old (THERE! I said it!). And I only publicly admit it because I really need to publicly brag on my sweet husband.

Way back at the end of February it all began. One evening after the kids were in bed, Mike handed me an envelope with my name on it. I opened it up and it was a beautiful birthday card. Enclosed in the card was also a note stating that Mike had purchased tickets for two Cleveland Indians' Spring Training games in Winter Haven, Florida. WOOHOO!!!! We were going to Florida!!!!!

After I got over the shock (and asked what the kids were going to do while we were gone), he also told me that there was a free day in between the two game days and that we could do something else too, if I wanted. I did a little research on the web and found that it wouldn't be too far to drive to Orlando and go to Disney World. Surprisingly, Mike agreed! WOOHOO!! We're goin' to Disney!!!!!

We had approximately 2 1/2 weeks to get all our ducks (aka. kids) in a row. My parents, Mike's Mom and Mike's sister wonderfully agreed to take care of the kids while we were gone. WOOHOO!! We're goin' to Florida with NO kids!!!!

So....on March 14th, very early in the morning, we flew to Tampa. It was a whirlwind three day trip. It was short, but we packed a whole lot of fun into those three days!!

We arrived in Tampa late morning. We rented a car and drove to Winter Haven (about an hour drive). We arrived in Winter Haven in time for a 1:05 ball game. It was WONDERFUL to be in the warm sun and see the palm trees waving in the breeze. BEAUTIFUL!! Even though the Indians lost, we had a fun time.

After the game, we drove to Orlando (about 45 minutes away). We checked into our hotel and took a short rest. Then we headed out and found a Subway to eat dinner at (they're turning 40 this year too!! Who knew??). After eating, we drove to Downtown disney. We enjoyed just walking around and checking out all the shops. We then headed back to our hotel.

The next morning we got up early (again!) grabbed a bite to eat at Burger King and headed off to the Magic Kingdom. We got there before the gates opened and so were able to see the little "Welcome" show they have and then we entered the park. It was a wonderful day...not a cloud in the sky. We had so much fun! (Mike had never been and I hadn't been since Jr. High!) Others might call it "Pixie Dust", but we called it special blessings we received throughout our day. We knew it was because people at home were praying for us while we were gone. We just had a great time.

The next day we did a little shopping after breakfast and then we left to go back to Winter Haven for another game. It was good we left when we did because we got in a HUGE traffic jam!!! We enjoyed another game (they lost again though), but had to leave early in order to return our rental car and make our flight. Once again, it was good we left when we did because we reached Tampa at rush hour and the traffic was aweful! We were sweating it a bit, but we made our flight. We arrived home that night (well, next day) at about 1 am.

We couldn't have asked for a better trip. We had absolutely beautiful weather and so much fun!!!

Well, picture me basking in the glow of a wonderful trip my husband planned for us....now fast-forward to the day before Easter. I had gone out shopping and when I came home there was a little birthday card set out for me. Inside was a couple dollars and a little note to treat myself to a burger at my favorite burger place. I thought it a little odd, but figured that since I had received such a big gift...the trip....that Mike wanted to do something else little so i would know he hadn't forgotten that my birthday really wasn't until May. Okay. Thanks Hon'!!!

The next day was Easter. When I got up there was a card for me on the kitchen table. I thought it was nice that Mike got me an Easter card even though we had said we weren't going to do that. I opened it up and it was a BIRTHDAY card! Hmmmm. Okay. Thanks Hon'!!!

Well, I don't know if it was that night or the next day, but I started realizing that my sweet husband was up to something! My birthday was still WEEKS away!!! Wait a minute....I got out the calendar....I did some counting and calculating....my 40th birthday was exactly 40 days from the day before Easter. What a clever guy I married!!!

So.... for the last 40 days we've been celebrating the "40 Days of Jill's 40th birthday". Each day I've received a little something.....a card, or flowers, breakfast out, a coupon for something like a back rub or not having to help put the kids to bed. It's been really sweet and fun!

[And as I was sitting here typing, Mike came home with an ice cream birthday cake!! Boy, what am I gonna do tomorrow. I've gotten a little spoiled and it's going to be such a let down!]

Last Friday night, Mike threw me a little family birthday party. A Cinderella/princess birthday party. He cleaned the house, bought a beautiful cake and decorations, and even served hors....appetizers.

People have asked me how I feel about turning 40. What I have told them is that I'm not sure. I've heard others say that 40 is "fabulous", but I don't feel fabulous yet. Oh well, I guess I have to grow into the the 40's slowly. But what I DO know is that I am fabulously blessed to have people around me that love me so much!!!

And it's definitely been a fabulous 40 days.....something I will remember for a long time.

P.S. - Photos to come!

Happy Mother's Day!!

Why Did God Make Mothers? Answers given by second graders!!!


Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mum just the same like he made me. He Just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in
the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use
string, I think.

Why did God give you Your mother & not some other mum?
1.We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's mums like me.

What kind of girl was your mum?
1. My mum has always been my mum and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty
bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mum need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mum marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mum eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mum didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mum doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mum. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mum is, but only because she has a lot more
to do than dad.

What's the difference between mums & dads?
1. Mums work at work and work at home & dads just go to work at work.
2. Mums know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but mums have all the real power 'cause
that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Mums have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mum do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mum perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of
plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your Mum, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my Mum smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of
her head.

[Thanks Tina!]

"Too bizarre!"

My good friend Tina sent this to me. I'm always fascinated by optical illusion stuff like this so I thought I'd share.

(thanks Tina!)

"The pictures below are used to test the level of stress a person can handle.
One teacher said, "I felt like they were all moving...but slowly. Kind of like, they were breathing."
The slower the pictures move, the better your ability of handling stress.
Alleged criminals that were tested see them spinning around madly; however, senior citizens and kids see them standing still.
FYI ... None of these images are animated - they are perfectly static! "

Having a bad day???

http://www.robcomcc.com/badday/badday.html

Please let me stay!

This made me laugh....especially since I haven't posted anything in so long. (Picture me embarrassed!)

xoxoxoxoxo

Happy Valentine's Day!

So, what are you doing special for Valentine's Day? I guess I'm not the most creative or romatic person. Last night I went grocery shopping and picked up a card for Mike. I checked at the bakery and they had some of his favorite cookies....white chunk macadamia nut. So I got some of those. Also got some doughnuts with red, pink, and white sprinkles on them. I was going to let the kids have them for breakfast, but the boys actually went back to school today so we didn't really have time. So I guess we will have them for dessert tonight. I also am making a meatloaf in the shape of a heart for dinner. And I do have a little dollar store gift for each of the kids. So It's nothing exciting, but the kids will think it's great. And Grandma snuck over and left little gifts on our doorstep so that will be exciting!

I just realized all of this revolves around FOOD!!! Oh no.....I don't even want to know what that says about ME! Ugh!!!!!

Hope everyone has a great day!!

Can you do these?????

So I've been trying these Sudoku puzzles (Thanks Dad!). I'm SO frustrated! I've tried about 5 or so and have only been able to complete one! I usually think I'm doing great until I get near the end and then numbers start not fitting in right. But I've gotten so far and I don't know how to back track to try and correct everything....so I just give up!!

If you do these puzzles, any tips would be greatly appreciated! They really are great brain excercize!

If you don't have a clue what I'm talking about or would like to print free puzzles, try this link:

http://www.websudoku.com/

Guess what I just figured out.....

Towels that cost more really ARE better than cheap ones!

I was just working on the laundry...folding towels....and all of the sudden it hit me. I have some nicer brand bath towels that I bought way back when I was young, wealthy, and single and they are in MUCH better shape that some that I bought at Target about three years ago. The Target towels are faded and basically just haven't washed up as nice.

Hmmmm....go figure! And just so you know.....I can SEE all of you out there who are rolling your eyes at me!!!!! ;o)

The nice towels are Cannon by the way.

Missing In Action

So why have I been missing you ask??? Here's just a little bit of what I've been up to since Jan.27th (the date of my last post)......

* wiping noses....three noses times "I can't even count that high" times!

* deciphering cold medicine labels....deciding which one will bring the most good to the most people (ie. not totally messing up the WHOLE family's sleep schedule....you know, awake during the day and sleeping at night.)

* determining who is well enough to go to school and making sure they and all their stuff (back pack, lunch, papers, etc.) actually get there.

* picking sick kids up from school.

* taking Samuel to the doctor ( not related to being sick...he just had a scheduled appointment.)

* getting prescriptions filled.

* keeping up with the dishes.

* trying to get the laundry caught up.

* buying and making Valentines.

* changing videos for sick children.

* and numerous other things I can't remember!

Neve and Gliz

Do YOU know who they are???

Well, from their outfits you can probably tell that they are the official mascots of the Winter Olympic Games that will be starting next month in Torino, Italy.

Okay, but do you know WHAT they are? My first thought was that Nev e(on the left) looks like the Kellogg's Special K. And maybe her friend Gliz is a relative of Gumby or maybe he's really the son of the Michelin man or a marshmallow???

Well in case you haven't figured it out....Neve is a snowball and Gliz is an ice cube. Who comes up with this stuff? Whatever happened to cute little animals with big heads as mascots I want to know!

Am I the only one who didn't know this?

Do you "Google"? Well, if you do, did you ever notice how some days the Google logo is "decorated" like maybe for a holiday or something? There have been times though that I didn't know what the occasion was. Turns out that if you roll your mouse over the logo, it will tell you what the occasion is. (Who knew?)

So for example, try it out today.....

http://www.google.com/

[Just another bit of almost useless information from me!]

Don't worry! Be happy!

The Journey

"We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are. After that, we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, when we are able to go on a nice vacation, or when we retire.

The truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when? Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway.

Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time with...and remember that time waits for no one.

So, stop waiting....
--until your car or home is paid off
--until you get a new car or home
--until your kids leave the house
--until you go back to school
--until you finish school
--until you lose 10 lbs.
--until you gain 10 lbs.
--until you get married
--until you get a divorce
--until you have kids
--until you retire
--until summer
--until spring
--until winter
--until fall
--until you die

There is no better time than right now to be happy. Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

So-work like you don't need money, Love like you've never been hurt, And dance like no one's watching."

Can I brag a bit?

The other day we received a note home from school telling us that Samuel had been chosen as "Student of the Month" for his class for the month of December. Each month the school focuses on a particular character trait. December's trait was courage. At the end of the month, a student from each class is chosen who has best represented that character trait throughout the month. Apparently a photo is going to be taken of the students and will be in our small local newspaper.

A week or so earlier we also got a note from Samuel's aid, Mrs. C, telling us how polite Samuel is at school and that when he saw her that morning he asked, "How are you today?"

Obviously we are very proud of Samuel. We have so many people tell us what a joy Samuel is. I don't consider that a testimony to our parenting skills, but to Samuel's character. My prayer for him is that He will grow up to love the Lord and that he will "grow into", so to speak, this testimony that the Lord has given him.

Thanks for letting me brag!

Extreme Makeover

We had our own "Extreme Makeover" of sorts at our house today. The reason....well, it was bound to happen eventually....Grace decided to cut her own hair. A nice big chunk right on the side. It's my own fault....I let her watch me trim my bangs last week. But there was no getting around it....she had to go get a real hair cut. So as soon as Mike got home today, we were out the door to Great Clips.

Funny but she's told me several times this week "I need a haircut when Grandma gets home from Florida Mom!" :o)

So here's my girlie's new "do"..... (See previous post for "before" photo!)

Some cute kids!

They just happen to be mine! :o)

Yesterday afternoon, Samuel put this whole train track set-up together himself. I was amazed and very proud of him. When I saw it I assumed Mike had helped him, but he didn't. It kind of felt like trying to figure out how the Egyptians built the pyramids! LOL! But apparently he went back and forth from the box with the track in it to where he wanted it. Pretty cool!

Here are Grace and Noah posing together after Noah's bath....sporting new PJ's BTW. Pretty rare to get such a nice photo of both of them at the same time. Noah hates having his hair washed. But we've just recently discovered that he LOVES to have his hair blow-dried (go figure!). So I had just blow-dried his hair and he was feeling like a new man!! (PTL!!!)

This is me!