Somewhere in this world...........

Today I am feeling serious. So here it is folks.

Somewhere in this world there are children who go to bed hungry. Not because food is non existent, but because the parents just don't care. They don't wear winter coats, they have no warm snow boots, and a nice dresser full of lovingly folded clothing is something they have never seen.

They long for attention, for love. But they don't know it. Because they don't have it, and never have. It would be a long stretch to even say their basic needs are being met- because I consider food and coats a basic need. Not to mention basic love. After all, that's free, you just have to want to give it.

Somewhere in the world, that makes you think other countries. But really it's right here in our city. We've all met these children, at one time or another. Sometimes we 'judge' them. But they can't help it, they are left to raise themselves. How would they learn anything different, anything proper, anything better. The only examples they have are from people who pay them no attention.

I have a friend who is starting a ministry on February 9th. She's calling it Destiny's Place. She picked that name because she feels that all children should learn about God's Destiny for their life- I think that's beautiful. Completely free to the families, these children can come after school to her church and get help with their homework, two 'snacks' (one is actually a meal before they go home- because most of them won't be offered dinner at their houses), and a faith filled program to teach them of our Lord. That faith might just be the only thing these poor little children have to hold onto most days. I praise God for leading this lady to this ministry.

She is giving of herself to make something different for these children. I find that to be inspiring. Will she change the entire world? No. But for a few children, she will be making a world of difference. Please just lift her and this ministry in prayer- it is weighing on her trying to find money to fund the program and time to make it happen and she could use a prayer today.

And pray for the children. And my children. Because if we don't leave this house soon, I'm going to hurt them. But mine have coats and dressers of clothes, so I think thats okay : )

Use in the event of an emergengy.........

Every mother should have a bottle of gatorade on her cabinet shelf for emergencies. Like when you have 2 puking children (this morning that number progressed to 3) and 10 inches of snow all in the same day.

I'm just saying.

Only in America..........

Cantelope from Honduras. Interesting. Did we quit growing our own cantelope? Or do we sell it all to China? Notice anything else? USA is not even listed. I'm going to do more farmers market shopping this summer. Although Hodurian cantelope is still tasty, especially in the winter when the farmers market is, well, non existent. But the thought of my cantelope traveling on an airplane or boat- well that's just bothersome.

Also- in the car yesterday I saw a large man wearing what appeared to be a huge snow suit with a statue of liberty dress and crown over the top standing on a street corner, smoking a cigarette. Gosh I wish I'd had my camera. That's definantly something I bet you'd never seen anywhere else.

And lastly, in my little untraveled brain, I envision that only in America could a fresh blanket of newly fallen snow elicit such excitement and joy among small children.

And their 'new snowblower toy' fathers.

A happy January birthday's celebration indeed.....kind of

Yesterday we got to celebrate January birthdays at my mom's house. My brother Dana, Sam, Emily and my niece Rachel all have January birthdays.

What's that? Where's emma? She's at home puking with her dad, of course. She was puking, not Dad- he was just supervising. Bummer for her, she missed her own party. Good thing she had like 4 others- when did birthday celebrations advance to an entire month?

Either way- Sam was LOVING the cake- and didn't even notice his sister was missing.

She shoots, she scores

She (me) forgets her camera. Bummer.

Allyson's first basketball game was today. We've begun playing with an Upwards program out here, and so far I LOVE IT. It not only teaches the kids about the sport and sportsmanship, but also includes a spiritual lesson. The coach we have been blessed with is gentle and kind, and Allyson is loving it.

Today's first game involved a lot of reminding the girls what goal they are to shoot at, as well as which direction they should run and when. Even though it was almost comical, I of course cried a bit. Just for a moment. It's hard to believe that was my little girl out there. I get that she is not pro ball or anything, it's just amazing that she is old enough to do this kind of stuff.

Ally scored a goal, and Dan was quick to correct me, she actually, apparently, scored a basket. Whatever. She did it. She got out there, embarrassed and confused and ran her legs off for 30 of the 60 minutes. And I am a proud momma.

A nice relaxing dinner?

So- one of our neighbors generously gave us a gift certificate to Maggiano's for Christmas (what a blessing!) and I have been savoring and caressing it ever since it arrived in our home.

Last night was the night- we went out for a wonderful dinner.

Here is the recap:
Car Ride: Allyson begins crying - her stomach hurts.
Parking Lot: RUN with Emily to restroom to avoid pants peeage.
Restroom: 8 minutes explaining what all the fancy bottles of lotions and sprays are for ( I love upscale bathrooms!)
Hostess Stand: Husband and Sam still waiting for us to tell them we arrived (I assumed they would be seated with drinks by now)
Table: Ah- the battle over whose crayson are whose, and who will sit with who, and whose coat is in whose way- but finally everyone became situated and happy.
Drinks- pre dinner order: Explanation to Sam why he can NOT have iced tea for dinner. He orders iced tea again only directly with the waiter this time. Explanation with waiter why even unsweetened iced tea would not be a good idea for my 3 year old. Order shirley temples all around. Sam spills said shirley temple, I wipe and blot. "Waiter, can I trouble you for another napkin?"
Salad: Entire discussion over when the kids dinners will be here and why they brought 'ours' first. (obviously my kids could eat salad, if they would, but they won't)
Appetizers & entrees: Cut cut cut, plate plate plate, chop chop chop. Clean up Sam's spaghetti masacre that is all over the table and booth. "Waiter- can I have yet another napkin?"
Entrees: mad dash run back to the bathroom, with all three because we travel in a pack, so that Emily and Allyson can use the potty. Clean up the entire drawer of stuff from the table sam accidentally pulled out. Explain the sprays again. Parade back through the restaurant to our table.
Back at table: waiter asks if he can box up our leftovers. I rip his head off and stuff it in his doggie bag and explain I have YET TO EAT.
Entrees: still- Allyson accidentally spills her drink, I crawl around on the floor picking up ice and blotting, rubbing, wiping. "Dude- bring me another napkin! You heard me right- another napkin"
20 minutes of waiting, waiting, waiting: Our server who rocked the first part of our meal is now missing in action. Wait wait wait.
Finally returns: we beg for drinks, to go containers, another napkin (I hear ya) and the kids cookies.
Dessert: the best most wonderful, rock this world lemon cookies arrive. A plate for all of us. My iced tea is full, my cookies are awesome, and I am finally forgiving the server.
Restroom, again: Sam poops his pants. Back to the potty we go.
Car: ahhhhhh, finally back in the car. Tummies full of wonderful italian food, a huge bag of leftovers- enough for at least 2 more meals- happy kids full of cookies- and a gas light that has come on in the van (and a husband willing to pump it).

There is no relaxing dinner as a mom. Dinner is more relaxing at home, than out. At least there I don't have to hop up and down for the restroom breaks. But I also have to cook it. And serve it. And clean it up. And wipe it off every surface in our home because my children eat like wolves.

I've become accustomed to cold food, wet pants from spilled drinks and NOT drinking soda with a meal for fear the kids will want one too.

But someday- ooooohhhhhh, someday they will all be older, and I'm going to only cut up my food, and it's going to be eaten while hot. Or at least warm.

At least I didn't have to cook dinner last night, which was awesome! I just wonder why I am not thinner- it's a work out to get everyone through dinner and I only get to eat a bite or two in between 'needs'. What's up with that?

Reunited..........

Reunited and it feels so good. Reunited 'cause we understood. There's one perfect fit and, sugar, this one is it. We both are so excited 'cause we're reunited, hey, hey

(Salty- the train on the right- has been missing for quite a while. He is Sam's best friend, and we missed him terribly. Tears were shed more than once for this trusty piece of wood with wheels. But he turned up in the church nursery, and the reunion was pretty cool to see. Sam hugged him and told him how much he'd missed him. It warmed my heart, just so sweet and funny at the same time. Of all the things in the world, he selected Salty the grumpy train to be his favorite. And my favorite thing is Dan, his grumpy father : )

Clearly,

There should be a license required to shop. And obviously I shouldn't have one.

Old Navy was having a 1/2 off their clearance price sale. I logged in, loaded up my virtual shopping bag, had multiple virtual items get virtually stolen from my bag, bought what was left and waited for my fabulous box from my favorite UPS man (he's my favorite because he brings me stuff).

PS- we're not telling dan about my UPS man, nor this shopping spree. Ah hem.

So- normal people would wonder why no one else was snarfing up these gems for 1/2 off their clearance price- making shirts (which for those of you who don't know, plus size clothes are expensive and hard to find on sale let alone clearance) like $3 and $5 each.

My first little gem:

Not bad, perfect for under a blazer or this summer. Nicely gathered, soft fabric. Kind of cute.


Back view:

Oh my. A nice little cut out and bow. Didn't see that one coming, nor did I notice it on the virtual shopping rack.

Up next:Somehow this didn't look so moo-mooish on the 14 year old size 12 model who was wearing it at the virtual store. But I'm not sure what is worse, looking like a Floridian grandmother (no offense to my former Floridian grandma reader- I'm sure you never wore anything this atrocious) or looking like...................YO GABBA GABBA!

Not familiar- here I will help introduce you to Robe from the hit TV show:

Oh dear.

I have a dream..............................

That I would not have all of our pool toys inflated and on the kitchen counter, waiting an upcoming beach vacation that is still 2 months away.

That my home would not look like a tornado just came through despositing shoes, bendaroos and various play items everywhere.

That my dishwasher could unload itself.

That laundry, if only for a brief moment, could be all washed folded and neatly put away.

That all toys in our home could be in their designated spots- all with their associated pieces neatly organized with them.

That my kitchen cabinets are functional and tidy.

That my banister railing could be finished, stained and sanded.

That my gutters were leafless and non over flowing with frozen water.

That my children could play together- without screaming.

That my excess weight would just begin to melt off of my sexy mom body that is buried within.

That, if only for a brief moment, 'everything' was done and I literally had 'nothing' to do.

That dinner could spontaneously produce itself on my kitchen table.

That my lottery numbers could be called.

That the mail could run on Martin Luther King Jr. Day- only because I managed to drag myself out of the car in the cold to go to the post office.

No earth shattering dreams here people, just my selfish ones. Probably why there won't ever be a Mynde day, huh?

A good day to turn 5!

So it was a cancelled school day- so emily didn't get to take her fancy cookies we made yesterday in the snack bucket. And since it was -11, we were forbidden from keeping our playdate with her friend. And because everyone was home, and acting like doofs all day, I was less than pleasant- we'll just leave it at that. But it was still a wonderful day to turn 5!We always try to do a family activity on our children's actual birthdays. This is in addition to any party they may have. This is just private, just us, and just nice. Emily chose duckpin bowling.
Here are our five little bowling feet (sorry Ronda- I stole this idea from you). This is the first time all five of our sets of feet have been in bowling shoes. Sam's were so small, and cute.

As any good bowler knows- you must properly stretch prior to flinging the ball down the lane. Emily definately stretched everything she had.And then Sam realized he had forgotten to stretch. So he preceded to roll around and pull is arms and legs in every which way.But finally- they were ready to bowl. Emily actually bounced one ball off of the glass wall on the left and knocked a girl in the lane to the right of us in the ankle. Wow- we are lucky we are not replacing a glass wall and driving a chick to the hospital this evening. Once she discovered the over handed bowling technique was not working, things got much safer.Emi and Ally spent some time tonight getting ready. The wanted to dress alike. Keychain lipgloss, headband, jeans and jeanskirt, tank top under t-shirt, same lipgloss, you know.Once home it was straight to the presents. Allyson wrapped up a china doll given to her by my Aunt Pauline. Emily has always had her eye on it, so needless to say she loved it.And here is Sam opening one of Emily's gifts. Most kids would have freaked out, but Emily was okay with it. Sometimes, I tell ya, these guys shock me. The spend some of their time just screaming and beating the tarnation out of each other- and then other times they are so generous and loving with each other. It's scary.Here is Emily, pedaling to no where, on her new smart cycle video game toy.And here she is in her new outfit and accessories. Just moments later she disappeared. She was in my bathroom painting her nails of course. This brand new outfit (and my carpet I might add) now have pink sparkle nailpolish on them. Arghhh!Oh well- time for cake. This is Emily's request. A strawberry cake, pink frosting, strawberries on top, sprinkles of course but NO WRITING. Finally- a request I can handle!As Allyson belted out Happy Birthday on the piano, Emily and Sam gave blowing the candles out a whirl.It was a good day. A busy day. A cold day. A loud day.

A day to celebrate my emily sue.

Happy Birthday- again but different this time

Here she is, my super dee duper 5 year old. It makes me gasp to type that, let alone say it. 5 years old. Could it be possible?

Dan and I had decided to try for another child a year or so before we conceived her. I was hoping to get pregnant prior to moving- so that I could get a 'free pass' from painting, carrying boxes and moving furniture. But no such luck.

Fortunately- I was super busy with the Allyson, the air show, and our move to our current home which needed alot of 'love' (aka- paint, drywall, flooring, cleaning, and on and on and on). I didn't focus on the fact that my womb was empty- I had given that to God and we were just waiting.

Like 15 seconds after we moved into our home, I was pregnant with Emily. Everything slid into place- our new home was perfect, and felt so right to be there- and now a new baby was coming.

Needless to say, the year flew by. I was 5 months pregnant during the air show that year, and I remember I could only think about walking tacos. Riding on the golf cart made me vomit (sorry- but it's true) so I either drove like a snail or just walked. And then, I blinked, and it was January 16 and I was at the hospital having my Emily.

My Emily. She is growing so very quickly, it makes me gasp. She is my snuggler, my book reader, my child who is always up for some time with me- no matter what it is I am doing. In the picture I posted, she is wrapped up in what was her baby blanket. She loves it, it will always be her blanket. She refused to pass it to 'the baby' Sam when he was born.

Today it is like 49 degrees below zero, and although the furnace is running NON STOP it is a bit chilly in here. School was cancelled, our lunch play date with preschool friends is cancelled, and if it doesn't warm up a bit- I'm sure Dan is going to cancel our duck pin bowling date tonight. Whatever, either way we have a birthday girl, birthday presents, and a big bad strawberry birthday cake. With five (gasp) candles.

Be still my heart.

Happy Birthday my sweet Emily.

I challenge you................

Operation PURSE DUMP.

Just real life purse dumpage here today folks.

Miss Ronda made a comment about 'her mothers purse' referring to me yesterday. Which made me look at my purse and see that it is pretty pathetic. Typically stuffed with more crap that belongs to the rest of this family than me, but being the only purse toting individual it all ends up in MY BAG.

And then my friends make fun of me.

A couple of years ago we had a baby shower for a couple of gals at church. We played a game called 'whats in the diaper bag (or maybe it was purse) of a mother'. Some of the strange crap, which was all actually really in my bag, was pretty surprising. Especially to the older folks in our church who just stared in horror. Makes you question yourself, when the older folks give you that deer in the headlight look and then run the other way, ya know.

So here is my ever so stylish bag ontop of my postage scale.

Just shy of 5 pounds. Wow! I wonder if there are stacks of 100's in there that I forgot about.
Nope- doesn't appear to be. Here is the rundown folks. (I could have pitched and thrown prior to this, but I didn't. Here is what was lurking inside:

My wallet. It alone weighs 2 pounds. Too many pennies I suppose- plus every receipt I've ever received and 39 store loyalty cards (yuck!)

Allyson' chapstick.

Sam's epi pen (a necessity).

A cell phone.

That red bag- filled with womenly type items, a stain wipe, and an empty bandaid holder.

Reminder card for a doctores appointment.

Various receipts that should have been thrown away.

A broken pen.

Two barretts.

A watch that needs a battery (I put it in my purse so I could do that next time at the mall- like 3 months ago.)

3 tubes of lipgloss.

My car keys.

Various coupons- including bath and body works and ice skating.

A token from chucke cheese.

$.56.

2 diapers & and empty wipes case.

A high school musical sticker.

Discharge papers from my trip to the ER last week.

2 breath mints (taken from Long Horn Steakhouse)

A cereal bar (smashed flat!)

An empty envelope (?)

A bottle of Alieve (which actually contains advil and tylenol)

Yesterdays mail (oops!)

A target giftcard. What is that, a target giftcard. Huh, wonder if there's anything on it (tries to find the phone under the mountain of crap from my purse. calls convenient 800 number. low and behold- $10! it pays to clean out your purse!)

Product information for my new chairs and sofa from Sam's club (I say mine very loosely, technically they are still Sam's Clubs as I have not a plan yet to actually purchase them)

A piece of hubba bubba (sam's of course)

Allyson's wax for her braces.

That is about it. Nothing too bad. Boy, it's been much worse. I am personally surprised that there are not more toys in there. Typically I can entertain an entire preschool class with what I find in my purse. Today, I could only offer some wax and a tampon for entertainment.

After the photos, I did clean it out. And it is much better now.

So I challenge you (you know who you are) to go dump your purse, snap some photos and share it all!

Oh happy day

Another week, already half gone.

I have nothing important to report. Just another week. As I type this, Dan is outside with the snowblower, I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of allyson's bus with one of her girlfriends who is coming to play, and sam and emi are in the hospital. Not the real hospital, the pretend one in her room. Otherwise, I would be at the hospital. Community North, of course, because they have a Starbucks. Which means they offer better care, right?

Anyway.

Emily will turn 5 in just 2 short days. Poor middle kid, I have nothing fantastic planned. I have put together a family dinner though, so all I have to do is plan, shop and cook for that. I will need to make a cake. Ahhhh, a cake. She can't nail down what she wants though, so for now I just wait for her to decide. Hope it's not a 'light mcqueen' catastrophe again.

Allyson is going to be a bag lady when she grows up. Yesterday I unloaded various lipglosses, rubber dinosaurs, video games and a multitude of other 'treasures' from 3 bags and put it all away. It drives me nuts. She packs around a bag everywhere we go.

And Sam is nude. With the exception of a pull up. Why on earth is he not freezing to death? Oh- and goodie. He just presented himself with poop coming out of his pants onto his legs. Now he is playing in the tub- yuck. He ate 3 1/2 cup containers of mandarin oranges for lunch yesterday. Nothing else, just oranges. Hence the runny poop. Because I am a 'good' mother, I allowed him to just eat that, knowing there would be a price to pay. Oh well, it was bath day anyway.

I woke up at 5:30 this morning unable to go back to sleep. Although I appreciated the 2 hours to myself prior to child awakenage, it is making for one super tired mamma.

I have pictures. Still trapped on my new fangled camera. Surely someday I will be able to get them off of there.

Happy day.

Training for the mini (the mini mini)

So, my psychotic friends have decided it would be 'fun' to walk the mini. Some of them even suggested running it- can you imagine? But we are not crowd people, so one of the gals (not to name names- Ronda) said she will prepare a route for us out in the country. Just this group of us. No gatorade stations, no free t-shirt, no golf cart shuttle when you collapse, no paramedics- just us and the beans.

She (again, Ronda) mentioned a mini- mini. I was thinking 'Heck yeah, a mini mini- what 2 miles with a rest stop 1/2 way?' She meant 'the full mini- just in a different spot of town mini'. Ackkkk.

No one else thinks it's a big deal, so I was all 'pushhht- 13 miles. I'm in'. Eeee gad.

Then there was a training calendar circulated, it says we should start training on Jan 12. Since I am such a fine specimin of health and fitness, I decided to wait to start until then.

Now my foot is all 'ouch'. It is getting better, so for now I am still planning to begin my training. Sometime.

What in the heck am I thinking? I guess, in the Fall, I was thinking "this will motivate me to get all skinny and hot". Now that it's Winter and the mini- mini bean field tour is coming rapidly, and I am soooo not skinny and hot, I gasp at the thought.

If I can walk a 25 minute mile- which I can in the air conditioned gym on a treadmill (with restroom facilities should I decide to take a pee), then it will take me a mere 5 hours and 42 minutes to walk this death trap. If I can maintain that fast pace the whole time (which I doubt).

My friends will laugh, their husbands will laugh, my children will laugh. I will cry.

What on earth will motivate me to get off my sorry behind and do something about this? I eat a lot of bread, sometimes for meals with nothing else, I adore sweets, which I try not to bring into the house, but for crying out loud- I eat the yogurt with the enzymes. You know- the miracle stuff that regulates digestion and all other bodily functions. What's up with that?

I'm going to do this. I am.

But it will not be 'fun'. I know it won't. They are liars, my friends. They also probably think it will be fun to rip out our toenails afterwards, and then shave our legs with a lawn mower. I digress. This is my choice to participate. I know that. I will try (really hard) not to whine too much.

I plan to bring the snacks. Whiskey and pretzels.

Like Father, Like Son

It is true- them apples don't fall far from the tree. Lord help these poor children as we discover what 'marvelous' characteristics of mine they have inherited.

On another note- my efforts to break my foot Friday evening were rewardless. Apparently, I just tore a tendon or ligament or some other stretchy thing that we have in our feet. So it seems that daily I am able to walk a bit more, and for a bit longer, before the pain makes me want to knaw my hands off. Hope none of the kids got my grace.

By the way- Target is clearancing everything- whoo hoo! Gotta love January. Later this week I will share some pictures from miss emi's trip to libby lu. For now, I'm going to go milk this sore foot to it's fullest and curl up on the bed for a bit.

So it was said

Matthew 18
21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"
22Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."

There is more. A story of a man who receives forgiveness but will not give it. But my focus this morning is on what Jesus reminds us. Forgive. Yourselves and each other.

Noffin

I have 'noffin' to report from our neck of the woods. We are just hanging out here in our overly christmas still decorated house- waiting on the crew who is supposed to come through and put all this stuff away. How embarrassing, they are really taking their time getting here. Heck, I may have to break down and start taking some of it down myself- sheesh!

And on another count of 'noffin', I bring to you headlice. I don't actually bring them to you, because I don't have them. But just the mention of them makes me itch like crazy. I check the children 84 times a day. Interestingly enough, I have NO idea what I am looking for, but I check and check and check. Kids in allyson's class have them, and I am just hoping beyond hope that we don't manage to get them. I will die. Die die die. I simply can't do it. We'd have to buy all new stuff- carpet, pillows, sheets, blankets, stuffed animals, toothbrushes, toilet wands- all new. And we'd have to move. Not to mention I would sure miss Allyson, when I sold her and her headlice to the gypsies.

You're itching now, aren't you. See.

My little man

Today, Sam turns 3. Wow, 3 years old. I tend to get all nostalgic, well most of the time, but especially on birthdays. We looked through his baby book this morning already. And although I am so grateful to celebrate his birthday with him- a part of me (a huge part) wants to put him back into my tummy. He was safe there, protected, nourished, warm, and a baby. He had that alien look to him, that sweet baby smell on his head, and strange jarring reflexes. All the sweet little babyness. But obviously, he wouldn't fit. And there are no fruit snacks in there, so he wouldn't be happy anyway. So I suppose I will just embrace his rapidly growing little self and try to savor this next year with him. My no longer 2 little man. And for a brief couple of weeks, he and Emily will be just 1 year apart.

And now for a brief look back over his 3 little years of life:

Who knows what pictures this year will hold. Pretty exciting stuff- 3 is a really cool age.

And now, apparently because I crave stress and pain, we are off to my doctors appointment. With any luck at all, we will not be stuffed into that little room forever. And then, probably dinner at Chuck E Cheese. Which I actually am kind of looking forward to- Sam will be so excited!

Resolutions....................

So with the start of a new year, a whole new ball of worms to try and untangle.

Really, they are the same worms, just left over from last years resolutions, and the year before, and so on.

So, being the overachiever that I am, here are my resolutions for 2009:

1. Potty train Sam (being as he is turning 3 tomorrow, I figure this one is a slam dunk- sometime this year he will become potty trained)
2. Don't loose weight. Nope- not a pound. (reverse psychology anyone?)
3. Keep a tidier home (whatever- I don't really plan to do this, but feel I should at least pretend that I'm going to)
4. Be more on top of 'things' (aka- no more midnight runs to the grocery when suddenly realizing tomorrow is snack bucket day)
5. Dedicate my year to the Lord. This is tricky, as I find myself becoming confused by what I think the Lord wants me to do, what 'that little voice' in my head is telling me to do, and what the world expects me to do. I'm giving it to him, and although I'm sure I will stumble and fall (probably more than once) I want Him to use me to do His work. I just hope it doesn't involve a lot of cleaning : )

Ka- Chow!

Or KABOOM! It depends on how you look at it. It you look at it with the love of a mother- who desperately wanted to fulfill her soon to be 3 years olds wish for a 'Lightning McQueen & Backyardigans' cake- then you see love. yep, love.

Being the good mother that I am, I googled it and found a nice simple 'recipe' for a lightening mcqueen cake. I thought to myself "Heck, look how easy that is. I can do this". And so I did. And here it is.

I baked it, I carved it, brushed it, mixed frosting, and yes- I even propped it's ever sinking rear end up on that roll of wax paper. And then it hit me- this looks like sh*t! No amount of icing and chocolate covered doughnuts can save this car.


So I did the only thing I knew to do, I called Rebecca- whom I will from now on refer to as "The Princess of Cakery".

Here is what she did with the muffled up disaster I showed up with on her doorstep at 9am Friday:She is the master. And although this cake had roughly 14 inches of icing on it (she had to cover up my gorgeous shade of pink crumbs after all-which was the first 12.5 inches I might add) it was beautiful and perfect!

And later that night, as our family gathered to celebrate with Sam his upcoming 3rd birthday- I pretended that I decorated it, of course! (rest assured, Princess of Cakery, they knew better.)

But I did manage to make this without requiring any digging out from my friends:

My mother kept saying with a hint of amazement and wonder in her voice "Wow Mynde, this is actually good". Wonder what that meant?

It was a nice, simple evening- with a not so simple cake- to celebrate an even more not so simple young man. Whom I also got to play a role in making. One of my better accomplishments, I might add. For today- he is still two. My baby. My two year old baby. Don't you DARE say any different until Tuesday please. My heart can't handle it.

My sincere thanks to Miss Princess of Cakery- that master of disaster fixer. YOU ROCK!

It's Christmas (finally)

I am delinquent in posting about Christmas. I suppose it's because I still can't believe it has came and gone. I am having a tough time even thinking about taking down the decorations, it seems too early in my over tired brain.

But it was nice. We had a wonderful Christmas- even though we neglected to find the opportunity to attend a Christmas Eve worship (whaaaaaaaa!) But we did bake a birthday cake for Jesus- he was still our focus even though we didn't make it to church.

I have been putting off sorting through pictures to post, and apparently (as you will see) I didn't do a good job of narrowing it down- so for your viewing pleasure (or pain?) here are wayyyy too many photos:

Christmas Eve we spent the evening at my mom's house. It was nice. Despite my trip to Meijer on the way, which totally crashed my mood by the way (note to self- NEVER save anything to be purchased on Christmas Eve, even though the stores are open. DO NOT GO), we had a wonderful visit, food and lots of fun.

Yes- I did in fact allow Emily to dress like this. She picked it out, put it on, and was proud as punch- and it was just my family so who cares, right? And, look how happy she is. Only at Grandma's do they get to drink a soda right out of a can.

And as the evening came to a close, and Sam dang near collapsed from exhaustion, we drug them home to get ready for a visit from the big guy himself.

And at 5:15 AM, we received the word (from Allyson) that Santa had in fact come!

Check out Emily, burnin' rubber to get out to that tree! Sam and Allyson flew by too fast, I missed them.

Cracks me up- as parents Dan and I (and my mom I might add) spent most of the morning with screw drivers and scissors in hand trying to remove these toys from their 'super sonic' packaging. Toys, that I might add, seem to break into pieces when you breath on them- but the packaging will last for years to come!

Here is Allyson who just spotted a bike on the deck with her name on it. Her knees were banging her handle bars, so needless to say this was a well welcomed addition!

Christmas Day we enjoyed a nice dinner and company at Dan's sisters house with his side of the family. It was nice. Until Sam melted down from too much sugar, lack of sustainable nutrition, and way too little sleep. Then we packed them up and ventured home- no need to continue the show in front of everyone.

There are more Christmas pictures- but they are trapped in my new fancy fangled camera that Dan got me for Christmas and I have no idea how to get them off of it. Or how to really even use the thing. I am a creature of habit, slow to embrace change. So far, this new camera has spent the majority of it's life sitting on the counter. I will learn to use it, I will. Just give me time. Lucky for me, it came from Ronda- so she will learn me to use it!