Reading 'Riting 'Rithmetic

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme
TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?
I'd like to get my wedding ring fixed, I'd like a nice wide prime lens for my camera with a good macro function for taking pictures of baby, I'd like an Ergo baby carrier, a set of Harmony wood knitting needles, and maybe some nice wool for knitting more socks
2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?
I've gotten quite a few over the years from my very crafty family, but I guess I love the blanket my grandma crocheted for me, and the other quilt my other grandmother made for me best of all.
3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?
I've always wanted to make a quilt. Also Waldorf dolls were on the list and I just finished making three for my girls this year for Christmas.
4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?
My goodness, I have no idea. Maybe my very own stereo system with a record player or my electric piano.
5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?
They all want very specific webkinz
6. What is your favorite holiday food?
Pretzel jello!!
7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?
Waldorf dolls for each girl and wardrobes for said dolls, doll slings, and a pair of jammies for each girl. Also some other things I cannot blog about!
8. What is your favorite holiday movie?
Family Man, Elf, The Santa Claus, pretty much any sweet and sappy holiday movie!
9. Favorite holiday song?
I love Christmas Carols. O Holy Night, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, pretty much all of them!
10. Favorite holiday pastime?
Cooking, baking, canning, crafting, singing, decorating, just not cleaning :)

Just had this conversation with my 6-year old:

Her: Mom, there is something I want to ask Jesus when I get to heaven.

Me: Yeah baby, what's that?

Her: I want to ask if I can be a kid forever.

Me: Well, that is something we just don't know about heaven, right? Maybe we will all be grown ups.

Her: Maybe we will all be born again! I want to be born again because I like having chubby cheeks!

http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/2009/11/handmade-dress-patterns-guest-giveaway.html

This giveaway rocks. I am planning to make each of my girls dresses for Christmas, and I love each of these patterns!

Too cute!

Wouldn't this be the perfect Christmas gift for Ainsley?

http://mamasamess.blogspot.com/2009/10/all-childrens-furniturecom-giveaway.html

She even got to meet her favorite author again yesterday, Donita K Paul. She found out that the book she is currently reading, The Vanishing Sculptor, will have a sequel and Donita is already on chapter 24 of it! So exciting.

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately! Maybe I will get back into it :)

This one is humongous!! I promise a real blog entry soon, just as soon as I stop finding all these awesome contests to enter :)

The Fabric Shoppe isgiving away a huge stack of fat quarters! Aren't they gorgeous?!

But don't enter, okay, so that I will win? Please?! Pretty Please?!!

http://the-fabric-shopper.blogspot.com/2009/06/giveaway-30-fat-quarters-katie-jump.html

Somehow, time has gotten away from me, and all the things I have been meaning to do keep getting pushed to the back burner. (And in our house, there is only one working back burner, so things back there take a long time to get sorted out!) I've been meaning to post on my blog more frequently, meaning to talk about our first year with COVA, meaning to talk about the end of the year at co-op, meaning to talk about the dismal behavior my children have been exhibiting as of late, etc. The list really could go on and on and on.

As of this week, we have nearly completely finished our required schoolwork for the year, and in the push to get that all finished, I have had little time to think and reflect. One of the last big things we had to finish was the Scantron exams. Ainsley took hers in Reading and Math, Liberty took hers in Math only. I was concerned because at the beginning of the year, both girls were behind in Math according to the test. I really wanted to see improvement from the beginning of the year. And I don't hang my hat on standardized testing to show us how we are doing, but I do think they can be a useful tool to help guide our focus in the year to come. Well, both girls did great and had HUGE improvements in their scores. Ainsley is reading at probably a tenth grade level. She got nearly 100% on the test. And the way the test works, it scales itself based on their answers, easing up when they answer incorrectly, advancing as they continue to answer correctly. We thought the test would never end because she kept answering correctly :) Ainsley was also below target in Math at the beginning of the year and had improved to nearly advanced in Math on this test! I know she really had an exposion of understanding in Math this year, which made her feel good, and me feel really proud! Liberty also did great in Math, only a couple of points away from advanced. Now, if only she would believe in her own ability, I think she would do even better!

So, I am glad to have seen real progress in my girls this year, not only on these test, but in their daily work. Liberty is reading so much better, and is actually beginning to enjoy reading for pleasure and outloud to her younger sister. And Melody can read almost as well as Liberty now, sounding out almost everything I put in front of her! This summer, we are going to continue to work on math and reading, though it won't be everyday. They've worked hard and deserve to play and have lots of fun. We will probably take several field trips and work on bookwork 3x a week.

In other news, my BABY has a loose tooth! I can't believe it. She is only five and a half! We were eating corn on th ecob the other night and she was having trouble, which is strange because she is usually the first to devour her corn! She was saying it was too hard to eat. Then she felt in her mouth and said, "My tooth is wiggly!" I couldn't believe it, but sure enough those two bottom teeth are wiggly, one is just about to fall out! I am not ready for this!

This is for Miss Melody:

1. Go to the zoo—Yup, have had a membership a couple of times, and all three would love if we had one again

2. Visit a farm—yes, and a ranch :)

3. Go on a hike— of course, next up begin training to make it up Pike's Peak!

4. Play with kittens or puppies—as often as possible

5. Catch a frog—yup, thanks Nana and Papa

6. Make a gigantic mess—without a thought

7. Help clean up a gigantic mess— if tasked with specific objectives

8. Master the monkey-bars— working on it at the new park we found, but they are still awfully high up for her taste

9. Swing high up into the sky all by themselves— not so hot at the pumping of the legs yet

10. Try ice-skating - even in our own back yard, and she LOVES it sometimes, hehe

11. Go sledding—again in our own back yard, haven't braved the really big hills yet

12. Make a snow-man—Yes

13. Blow bubbles—YES

14. Plant seeds and watch them grow—Watching them grow daily

15. Have a pillow fight—Yes with my poor pathetic couch pillows

16. Jump on a big bed—Yes.

17. Jump on a trampoline or in a bounce house—Yes, again daily

18. Hang out in a tent—Yup. Even in a massive thunderstorm!

19. Spend days at the beach—Yes

20. Build sandcastles—Yes, ah, I miss CA sometimes

21. Go fishing—Yup, but did we catch anything, nope nope nope

22. Go out on a boat—Hmm, not sure about this one. Does Disneyland count?

23. Play with blocks and puzzles—Yes.

24. Read the classic picture books—Yes.

25. Read a classic chapter book—Yes. She has listened to Narnia and Alice through the Looking Glass, as well as all the stuff we read for school. Loves Mrs. Pigglewiggle

26. Check out library books with their own library card—Not yet.

27. Get a passport—Sadly, no.

28. Carve a pumpkin—Yes.

29. Hold a newborn baby (to see how much they’ve grown) - Yes

30. Love a special doll or stuffed animal—Yes, her babies are all special and her kitties.

31. Bake cookies and cakes—Of course!

32. Help plan their own birthday party— yup, her Alice in Wonderland party this year!

33. Go to the circus— supposed to go next week!

34. Go to a museum on a quiet weekday—Yes

35. Play hide-and-seek— yes

36. Play a board game— Balloon Lagoon and Candy Land are the current favorites

37. Do nothing whatsoever all day— more often than not, lol

38. Try a sport— just at co-op

39. Watch a sporting event— been to several Minor League Baseball games

40. Learn to swim— mostly

41. Be tickled in hysterics— often!

42. Paint and draw as much as desired— yup

43. Have the use of scissors and glue— yup

44. Display artworks and other creations around the house— taped to many walls and the fridge

45. Learn to use a camera (and keep an album of the results!)— one day we took an entire roll of film and printed them out into their own albums, I love those! We also use the digital camera a lot, but haven't printed those pictures very often.

46. Play with clay—Yes.

47. Pick flowers—Often, and they usually end up behind her ear.

48. Climb a tree— The big one in the front yard!

49. Gaze at the moon and stars— Yes, especially while camping

50. Toast marshmallows—Of course!

51. Learn to eat an ice-cream cone - Yup, too bad the photographic proof is mia currently!

52. Watch a sunset—Yes, over the lake while camping, aaaahhh, and at the ocean, and over the Peak . . .

53. Learn to write their own names— Yes, all over everything

54. Learn their addresses and telephone numbers— yes

55. Learn their parents’ full names—Yes.

56. Set the table—Yes.

57. Clear the table—Yes.

58. Help wash the dishes—Yes.

59. Learn to say their pleases and thank yous and excuse mes—Yes, usually

60. Watch fireworks—We even let her stay up til midnight to watch the fireworks off the peak

61. Go to the ballet or theater or a puppet show— Yes, we saw Narnia on stage and she loved it

62. Put on a ballet or play or puppet show at home—All the time

63. Face paint—Of course!!

64. Dress up in costumes at will—Frequently

65. Learn rhymes and poems and songs by heart—Yup

66. Have a dance party—Yes, quite often

67. Enjoy friends at preschool and at the park—Yes, and I am so glad we have had co-op this year for building those friendships

68. Invite friends over to play—Yes.

69. Get to know grandparents—Yes.

70. Play with cousins—Second cousins, as they don't have any cousins yet (And we aren't in a hurry for that either! Get married first girls!)

71. Become attached to a wonderful preschool teacher and/or babysitter—She loves Miss Stephanie, Miss Jackie, Mr. Jason, and she has always loved her teachers at church

72. Learn the name of our president—Yup

73. Know the name of their town, state and country—Yup

74. Be familiar with a map of the world—We love the maps and globe around here!

75. Listen to music from many different ages and genres—Yes.

76. Hear and learn words from a different language— She listens to her sisters' French and watches Muzzy, plus we sing songs in Spanish

77. Learn the difference between trash and recycling— Working on it!

78. Grow their own vegetables—Not for lack of trying, but we are not super successful round these parts.

79. Learn to ride a bike (or try!)— Yup, its two wheels all the way now!

80. Take a road trip—Yes, many, many road trips.

81. Draw a self-portrait—Yes.

82. Slurp alphabet soup—Yup, and spell her name with her soup

83. Learn to twirl spaghetti on a fork—Yes

84. Pick apples—Not yet, though we have a trip to the orchard planned for the fall

85. Star in a home movie—Yes.

86. Learn a magic trick—Hmm, not that I know of, but we do say, Ta-Dah! alot

87. Try different hair-dos—All the time

88. Practice writing letters—Yes

89. Practice counting to 100—And beyond

90. Make up stories—Yup, funny ones too!

91. Send a letter—Not often enough

92. Receive a letter—Yes, thank you grandparents and cousins!

93. Ride on a merry-go-round—Even a double-decker one! And one at the beach, and Disneyland!

94. Give away toys and books to less fortunate children—Yes

95. Learn the value of coins and bills—Knows most of them, not all though

96. Keep a piggy bank—Yes

97. Try a musical instrument—The violin and the piano, the glockenspiel, and the recorder, multiple percussion instruments too

98. Have a heartfelt wish granted—Maybe?

99. Have a heartfelt wish denied—Probably, but I can't think of something specifically

100. Receive a million (make that a billion) heartfelt kisses and hugs from their parents—Of course!

I was invited about a month ago by a blogging friend to be a part of a wonderful homeschool resource called The Homeschool Post as part of the team of contributing writers. I was so honored, as I have really admired these gals! They are veteran bloggers and homeschoolers, and I am such a newbie to the blogosphere. My first post is up, and I would like to invite you to subscribe to the blog! If there is anything you think I ought to write about, I am up for the suggestions!

Also, be praying for us next week please, Ainsley has state standardized tests 3 mornings next week, and she is feeling a bit overwhelmed. I am really not concerned about the test results, I just want her to do her best and try hard. She has been having a rough couple of weeks, and has slipped back into some behaviours that I thought we were long past. It hasn't been my finest parenting hours lately, and I am feeling overwhelmed. I covet your prayers, truly!

Oh, and here are some quick pics from our Valentine's day photo shoot. I need to take a picture of their actual Valentine's cards. They were so cute, if I do say so myself!

I feel like I have been a whirling, twirling top ever since we got home from California in January. We've been on the go nearly constantly, or stuck at home in bed. We even missed a week of co-op due to fevers and a stomach virus. It seems that at least one of us has had some sort of virus since the first week of January, and no amount of bleach and Lysol will rid us of these germs! When we haven't been sick, we've been at special ed evaluations, co-op, get-togethers with long lost friends, and parties. There really just hasn't been a moment to sit and reflect, much less to actually blog those reflections!

The special evaluations went well for the most part, confirming much of what I already knew and giving me some insights into my Sensory-challenged child. Girlfriend is brilliant in math, has excellent language processing skills, writes and articulates like a pre-schooler. We are going to be doing some handwriting therapy, speech therapy, and allowing for some accommodations, like reading all assignments except the Barton Program and actual reading, outloud. Her OT would like us to go for a private evaluation in the big city for a more thorough sensory evalution, beyond her capabilities in the little facilty we attend. Funny thing is, she has really bonded with the speech therapist and will do all sorts of things for her! She had previously met with the speech therapist and gotten all settled into the environment before meeting for the first time with the OT. OT said she wouldn't have had any idea about most of her issues if she hadn't heard them from me or heard the observations of the ST. Crazy. We were even able to do a short eval with the psych, and may try to do another eventually, which in all our years of therapy and evals we've never been able to do. Much of this paragraph probably makes little sense, but I really can't read through it and don't have the energy for more, so this will have to do for now. If anyone wants to know more about it, feel free to ask!

The thing is, having a child who for the most part, appears to be normal, but has serious coping issues can be so frustrating for the parents. And I know its hard on her too. But it feels so unfair sometimes. I have high expectations for this kid, and I am not content to let her isolate herself from the world. At the same time, I daily feel like I am a failure as a parent. That someone else could parent her so much more effectively than me.

(Uh Oh! More breaking glass just heard upstairs!!! Yesterday Mellie broke the glass turntable on the microwave. Second microwave she's disabled in just 5 short years. Actually its only been 6 months between breakages!)

What was I saying, oh yeah, I am a failure as a parent. Daily. The thing is, I know I am not doing my best, and that there is always room from improvement. I feel like I am giving constantly, and it's so draining to relive the same struggles day after day. Tonight, for example, the girls and daddy sat down to play a card game, and daddy tried to teach them the actual rules, even though they had been playing all afternoon with their own rules. Libs was convinced from the get-go that she was going to lose, just like she always does. She either has to win, or she doesn't want to play because everyone else must be cheating. Anyway, it all fell apart when she did something against the rules and she proceeded to have a massive screaming fit in the middle of the kitchen. Her normal MO is to run away and slam the door. I wouldn't let her leave. Her screams got louder and more blood-curdling as I continued to make her stay in the kitchen. All the while, I am trying to stir stuff in the (broken) microwave, on the stovetop, and not burn the stuff in the oven. Of course, it means stuff boils over on the oven and I drop four things out of the freezer on to my toe. I get sick to my stomach and lose my appetite. I get a huge headache. Eventually, she calms down enough to join the family at the table, whereupon it is discovered that nothing I have prepared is edible for this child. Vegetables! The Horror! Ravioli! Disgusting, this pasta is not long and straight! Red Spaghetti Sauce! Evil! All must scream and cry because no one can tolerate the nastiness gracing our table. She was asked to leave the table due to her inability to calm herself down. The evening ended for me when I left the table feeling miserable. Now, here I am blogging and watching Chuck, feeling sorry for myself. I spent about a half an hour in prayer, and she eventually calmed down enough to return to the table for a few bites to eat before bed. Unfortunately it feels like this routine repeats itself in different Variations on the Theme, nightly. UGH.

I am anticipating that we might eventually be able to work though some of this in therapy. Not that I think we can solve all our issues overnight, but I need some new strategies. And so does she.

In other news, lots of parties, including my girls' first real Valentines' parties. We even had a skating party and all the girls improved in their roller skating abilities. They all still prefer the ice, but they can at least make it around the roller rink a few times! And now the Valentine's Day cards are all stashed away in secret hiding spaces to be saved until the end of time. I really need to take a picture of the cards I made for the girls. They turned out super cute and were quite a hit!

I was also approached about a new opportunity to write, and when I know more I will pass it along! It sounds like it will be a lot of fun to be a part of a great community!

But I am procrastinating with a meme instead. Feel free to play along and let me know if you do!

Use the first letter of your name to find a word for each of the following:

Your Name - Gretchen
Four letter word - grow
Boy name - Gerald
Girl name - Gertrude
Occupation - grocer
Color - green
Beverage - green tea (is that cheating?)
Something found in a bathroom - grime, eww
A Place - Grover, PA
Reason for being late - grounded? grouchy? ran out of gas?
Food - gingersnaps
Something you shout - Grrrrr-eat!

So, Shabby Baby is having a contest for their model for the Spring Collection! Wouldn't Melody be just perfect?! She is such a little princess anyway, and I always call her my Picture Princess. She is my child who will always willingly model for me when I have a fun photo idea, or the light is just right. And she is all about the swirly-twirly dress, even in the dead of winter! She asks nearly every morning if she can wear a pretty dress for the day. Remember for her birthday how I sewed her a frilly Alice dress?



It is still one of the first things she will tell people about when they ask how old she is! She loves to pick out special bows for her hair to match, is the queen of all things pink and sparkly, carries her wand with us wherever we go. When asked to pick 3 toys to take with us to California, she picked her wand, her kitty, and a sparkly tiara. Then she got two more sparkly tiaras for Christmas! She is the girliest girl in the house, and would be completely thrilled to win a brand new wardrobe full of all sorts of gorgeous frocks! Of course, she is just as home in the mud and cowboy boots as she is in sparkly shoes and twirly skirts, but that doesn't make her any less of a princess, right?




Wouldn't this dress be just perfect for Miss Melody?! Or this one?!

My little sparkly girl :)

Here is a little meme:

Rules: bold it if you’ve done it.

1. Started your own blog (obviously)
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (Like Band? or like a Rock Band? Because yes to the first, no to the second! Man, I miss being part of an orchestra.)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (DisneyWorld) (many times, even DisneyWorld for our honeymoon!)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (seen plenty from my own window, while camping, and over a lake in Guatemala)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (Um, does Mexico count?)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (in general)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt (not yet but that is our next family vacation destination!)
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt (it was a giant flannel and denim one, but I would like to do a proper one!)

73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

I'm finally sitting down for a moment! I've been baking, cooking, sauteing, and washing all day long. Actually since yesterday!

I am feeling so thankful for a home, a family, modern conveniences, groceries, and a clean table. Even though I have been really sick all week, I am still thankful. Especially for Nyquil.

I should probably try to take pictures and document our yummy meal. Maybe I will even get around to uploading them someday!

And now, I need to go uncover the turkey and pop the dressing and sweet potatoes into the oven.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

URG. urg. urg. urg. urg. urg.

Does that accurately portray what I am currently feeling?

URG

I was in the very last stage of a new pair of flannel jammies for Melody, just needed to gather and sew the sleeves on, when I fiddled with the feed dog mechanism on my machine. Now, it is dead dead dead to all regular sewing. I cannot believe it. I was already frustrated with it because it was refusing to cooperate earlier. I cannot ever get the stupid automatic button holer to work. Oh, how I miss the four step button hole on my mom's machine. But now . . . now, the material will not feed through the machine. I am so completely disgusted.

I looked up several repair shops in the area, and its going to be a minimum of about $90 to $140 to get it repaired!!!!!!!!!!! I can go buy a new machine from Costco for $179. My machine is from 2001, so it isn't ancient or anything. It shouldn't be falling to pieces already. I thought for sure that when I *someday* got a new machine, it would be an upgrade to a real embroidery machine. So much for that idea :S A new machine was so not in the budget. But I have about 10 different sewing projects either in process or that I need to finish before Christmas.

Now I just need to decide if I am going to find a cheap used machine for the time being, or go grab something from Costco or Sam's, or just make due borrowing a machine from a friend to finish the current project.

UGH!!! It just really bugs me that I have taken the whole darn machine apart and I cannot find a reason why it is being difficult. If you know me, you know that I like to be able to fix whatever is broken. And not being able to fix it just makes me want to throw it out the window!!!

And. . . Why is sewing repair and maintenance so incredibly expensive now? I remember I used to take the old machine in for about $30 for standard maintenance. Here the minimum is $69 for basic cleaning!

urg . . . urm. . . ugh

Over at Parent Bloggers a contest about pets is being sponsored by Burger King. I thought it was the perfect excuse to talk about how Molly came into our family!

When we moved to Colorado, one of the perks our kids were excited about was the fact that we would have a bigger home and yard, and therefore space for a new addition to the family - a pet, not a baby. We had been through more than our fair share of pets already, and my husband was not anxious to try another. We ended up with 2 parakeets and a fish for the girls. And while the parakeets are fun to listen to, and talk to, they aren't snuggly or cuddly, and don't really play with you very well. And the fish died. Note to self: tropical fish and cold climates do not mix.

So eventually, the girls started asking for a cat or a dog. The husband firmly said absolutely no dogs. I am a dog person myself, but they do take a lot of commitment and our last dog experience was not a positive one. So we started praying about the possibility of getting a cat. I started browsing the local humane society's website and looking at their pictures of cats. I was thinking of adopting an older cat, but the husband and kids were really hoping for a kitten. After lots of considering, I realized that in a loud household like ours, it might be better to get a kitten who could grow up used to the noise! And kittens are quite playful. Still, I knew that we needed a very special cat. One that would put up with being petted, maybe not as gently as we might like. One that would play with us, not run and hide from us. One that would not shed too much. And one that would be willing to stay indoors, and maybe even catch mice!

The girls and I prayed a lot for several weeks about finding just the right cat for our family, one that we would love and that would love (tolerate!) us back. One Friday afternoon while browsing on the H.S. website I came across an adorable blue-eyed siamese cat named Stevie. She looked so sweet, and I knew in my heart that she was the cat for us! We prayed about it again, and the girls talked to daddy, who said we could go look at her in the morning. That Saturday was the last of a special month of an adopt-a-thon, and it was SO busy! We wandered through the facility, but couldn't see Stevie anywhere. And I had forgotten the paper with her number on it at home, which is the only way the HS could look her up and find her for us. All the kittens that we liked were already spoken for, and we really knew that it was Stevie that we wanted. I remembered that I had e-mailed the hubby the day before, and he had his Palm cell phone with him, so we could look up the number! Hooray! I had to stand in a long line again to request a visit with Stevie's number, if she were still there. We got to the front, and lo and behold, she had been put into isolation because of the kitty respiratory virus. It was as if God had set her aside specifically for us. The isolation unit cannot be seen from the public viewing area, and if she'd been in the public area, she would most likely have been already adopted that day. We had no problem getting a kitten with the respiratory infection because we were taking her to the vet anyway, and we had no other animals that she could infect.

It was so perfect, and such a great way for my children to see the hand of God at work in their lives in such a small, but important way. We finally got to hold little Stevie in our arms, listen to her sweet mewing, and check her out. She took to all of us right away, and especially my husband. We were able to take her home with us that day, give her the name Molly, and just love on her like crazy.



To this day, Molly is the most unique cat I have ever known. She is almost dog-like in the way that she follows me around from room to room. She has to be a part of whatever I am doing, whether is working with power tools to put up bookshelves, or making the beds, or schooling the girls. She had to be right in the middle of the workers who were installing our new water heater last year. She comes when you call her name, just because she wants to be with you. She loves to play with hair bands and crumpled paper. And she loves to catch mice and wasps and spiders and moths, making the strangest chattering sound at the insects. She loves to curl up in her bed in the sun, or sleep on my lap while I type. She is in every way the exactly perfect cat for our family, and I couldn't ask for a better pet! We remind the girls all the time that Molly shows us how God cares about every detail of our lives, and we can go to him with our smallest concerns and our biggest ones.



I am sure there is more I could add about our sweet Molly, but I have to run to bake a pie, and I have already interrupted myself about 10 times in the middle of writing this post! If I have any chance of getting this published tonight, I'd better do it now :)


“This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as part of a sweepstakes sponsored by Burger King Corp.”

Ok, I realize my readership is practically miniscule, but I cannot stay silent. I was just sent this link from Focus on the Family Action and it makes me want to throw up. It is a fictional letter from the year 2012 based on facts and, while not a prediction, it is a glimpse into what the future could hold for us if Barack Obama is elected president of the United States.

I just cannot fathom how any Christian could be swayed into voting for a man who has proven himself time and again to vote as liberal as possible. Honestly, I am so disturbed by the possibility that this man could one day hold so much sway over my rights. Read the letter, and just put yourself in that time frame for one moment, and then tell me if it doesn't scare the cr@$ right out of you. I know that Christians will one day find themselves the object of extreme persecution, but I wouldn't want to be a part of ushering it in. I would like to continue to teach my children how I see fit, when I see fit. I consider myself extraordinarily blessed to be a part of something like COVA, where the "teacher" assigned to us also attends our church, where I can continue to teach my children about the Bible, and Jesus Christ who died for our sins. I cannot imagine Jesus voting for Obama.

Its just scary.

And there are nine billion blogs out there right now about politics, but I have never felt more strongly that we NEED to get out there and vote. And seriously consider what Jesus would do. Do I think John McCain is the perfect choice for our country? Not necessarily, but in light of the alternative I say a resounding YES! Please, if you are a citizen of this country, get out there and vote. Don't tell your children one day that you would have voted, or you would have done something differently. Make the effort. Go early, so many places are now allowing early voting. Make your voice be heard. Pray. And Vote.

And now I am hopping of my soapbox, and praying I don't have nightmares after reading that fictional, but highly probable letter.

I cannot cannot cannot believe my BABY, my youngest, my littlest, is a five year old! She is learning how to read, loves to write, loves to sing and dance, is every bit the princess, the baby, and the trouble-maker. I love her to pieces, and I seriously cannot imagine life without her. I just can't believe that tiny little thing is FIVE!

My baby turns 5 today!! And for some crazy reason, we are having her birthday party tomorrow afternoon, so today is preparation day! I have no idea what I am doing for dinner tonight, and we are going to have cupcakes for dessert and the candles tonight. I finished sewing her Alice costume so she can wear it to her party tomorrow. I am trying to make cupcakes in the shape of teacups. We will see how that goes. And I am packing up little party bags with homemade peppermint hot cocoa. So I need to print tags for the party bags and the cocoa. Oh my. Oh my. Why am I typing instead of working? Oh yeah because the cupcakes are in the oven. And I have a million things I should be doing, but my feet are just killing me.

Kevin took Melody out this morning for her birthday breakfast, so very sweet. And they had a blast. Let's see, I kicked the middle child out of the house today and sent her off with a friend. Her jealousy was making it hard to get anything done, and it was giving me a headache. She is going to go to a friend's hockey game and then come home. Or I may go get her before the game, who knows?

This may just be my most rambling post ever, which shows how my brain is right now!

Anyway, back to printing, and checking out how my cupcakes are doing. Hopefully I can actually break out the camera and finally get some pictures of the goodies and my sweet baby who now is one whole hand old!