Randomness

So here it is the 12th of January already - Yikes! My brain is frozen with the crazy weather we're having (good excuse anyway, eh?) and I can't seem to think of much to share. Not to mention that my laptop is really being obstinate and I can't have it on my lap - it blips off the minute I move it. I know it needs another new power cord. The other problem is that the battery doesn't keep a charge and a new one is outrageously expensive. I want a new one so badly, one that is lightweight and is really portable. But that's not in the budget.

I haven't written anything about Christmas. It was very low key this year (well, except when the girls' other grandparents showed up a week later with tons of stuff for them - a year's worth of attention in an hour - Feisty calls her Grandma Santa).

The girls will be going home a week from Sunday. I'm sure I'll still have them a lot, but hopefully not every morning and night any more. I am really weary of the morning get-ready-for-school routine and the evening get-ready-for-school-the-next-day and get-ready-for-bed routine. I don't get why I have to say the same things every day - you'd think it would become habitual, wouldn't you??

I want to acknowledge the wonderfulness of blog friends once again. Kevin loves those peanut butter cookies with the Hershey's kiss in the middle of each cookie. I have sent them by mail before, but it so costly to mail something that heavy. So I enlisted the help of our dear friend, Groovy - I asked her if she'd mind making a batch for Kev and the guys and delivering them to him - about 20 miles from her house. She was glad to oblige this mamma and wouldn't even accept any reimbursement for ingredients or gas. What a blessing to me AND to Kev and his mates.



As long as we're on the subject of Kevin, I'll tell you that we're very excited to get to go back out that way for his final graduation. The ceremony on January 28 and we'll just make a quick trip to Boston for the week-end. Sema will go with us and he'll come back with us for a month. Please pray for them as they seek God's guidance for their future. They want to be in the center of His will.

Kev received some interesting Christmas gifts this year - this one was presented to him by a young man at one of the churches where they were sharing and ministering. He's a real "Mainer" now!

He calls this the Flannel Gang - he's on the far right.

We saw one of these last summer on someone and DC thought it was hilarious, so we sent Kev one, since he's always worried about his receding hair line.





Speaking of gifts, the girls received way more than they needed, which is lots of fun. They got many art supplies. And their big surprise was on the patio after everything else was cleaned up --

That was a beautiful day, though the girls wanted a white Christmas - they got their wish a few days later and enjoyed it to the fullest. They loved helping Grandpa clear the driveway and had to improvise with their equipment.

Remember how scared the girls were when Callie came to stay with us? What a difference time and close proximity makes! They actually cried when she went home last Saturday night.

Matchy-matchy!

2011 is rushing along! I will try to post about my word for the year soon - before the year is half over!

It's Amazing . . .

. . . what five minutes of soft, pea-sized hail can do to irises. These were all brand new to us this year after planting them last fall - the rhyzomes were a gift from our friendly "iris lady." They were doing so well - and I think the ones that are "pending" will be okay when the sun comes back out. But it's sad. I have been thinking all afternoon, ever since the hail hit, that if it feels this bad to lose a few flowers, how awful it must be to be the victim of a tornado or hurricane!

I was going to go out and get a shot of this one this afternoon, but I didn't even have a chance.

Don't Forget the Give-Away!

Be sure to go back to this post to enter my little give-away, if you're interested, and if you haven't had a chance yet. Wednesday morning I'll draw the winner, then let you know of the excitement I am looking forward to.

You probably are aware by now that this is one crazy place for weather. The 21- inch snowfall we had last Wednesday here in our town is almost entirely gone. It got up to 60 degrees F today, and tonight was a gorgeous moonlit night for the kiddoes who were out trick or treating.

Do you want to know one of the most annoying things about these drastic weather changes? Constantly having to change the straps on the twins' car seats to accommodate coats or not!

Before - Wednesday, October 28

After - Saturday, October 31

So tonight was our big function at church called Light in the Night. We have lots of games and booths, candy galore, a chili contest, prizes. People come from all over the neighborhood and have a great safe place for their families to spend the evening.

DC won a prize, and I picked it out for him as he manned the popcorn machine. I had spotted something I REALLY wanted, so when his name was called, he asked me to go pick out something for him. I brought the envelope over - it was a half hour therapeutic massage - which I talked him into giving me! It wasn't too hard! The massage artist is a friend from our church - I have been privileged to enjoy her services one time before, and it is something I could stand to have at least once a month - she is fabulous. And she comes to my house! Who ever heard of house calls these days?? So I'm looking forward to taking advantage of that gift.

I wish I could have a chance to take pictures of all 4 girls, but only got the littles - and they weren't too excited about it. But they looked adorable anyway.








See you Wednesday!

Winter, Books, and a Giveaway

Another crazy week around my town. I guess experiencing unusually bad weather is kind of like child birth - you forget the pain after awhile. I learned after this storm hit that we experienced one in October of 1997 that was even worse - more snow, wind, ice, stranded people at the airport and out on the eastern plains. But this was enough for me -- I love how you can detect the flakes if you look closely.


















In the middle of the snow falling yesterday, I went to get the mail on my way home from some errand - the roads were really not treacherous at all yesterday. A little while later the doorbell rang - it was a neighbor that I don't really know. He had a package in his hands, along with his own mail. We have cluster boxes and each requires a key. There are also boxes for packages, and the mail carrier leaves a key in your box if you have a package. It seems that I must have brushed the key to the package box into the deep snow when I got my mail. This kind neighbor trudged all the way down to my house at the end of the cul de sac to deliver my package. And what a fun package it was! My dear friend, Robin of Robinznest, sent me a surprise. She knits beautifully and I have told her more than once how adorable I think her little granddaughter looks in the hats she has made. So - she sent me FOUR of them - one for each of my grandgirls.

Care Bear chose to pose without her glasses

Feisty posed with her typical big grin



Katie allowed me to put the hat on her long enough for a picture. Emma wouldn't keep hers on - it's the same, except a darker pink. Adorable!!

Robin also included a book - you know me and books! This one is called The Sound of Sleigh Bells by Cindy Woodsmall. I have not heard of this author before, but it looks like a good story about an Amish girl. I'll look forward to reading it.

I finished The Perfect Christmas this morning - Debbie Macomber's annual Christmas story. It's cute.

When I went to Women of Faith, I bought this wonderful bag full of books -- I am a sucker for a nice bag - I love bags so much that I have nickname "Bag Lady" by a lot of people.

And you KNOW my love affair with books -- never ending. I got 5 books in this bag, written by the speakers. One is missing because I loaned the one by Sheila Walsh to my daughter-in-law Sema to read first. It's not like I don't have anything to read! You see a book by Lisa Whelchel (remember Facts of Life? If you are in your thirties or have girls that age, you will). She was the rich snob in the girls' school. She has a great testimony. One is by Patsy Clairmont. She's a tiny little bundle of energy who has you laughing one minute and crying the next. The third one is by Marilyn Meberg - she's the psychologist of the group and the book is called What to Do When the Roof Caves In. I am anxious to read them all. And the one by Sheila.


The little book on the right is by Steven Curtis Chapman - yes, there were actually men on the program this year. This little book was written by Steven and his wife in honor of their daughters. It goes along with the song he wrote, Cinderella. This was before their little Maria was killed in that horrendous accident last year. So it is even more poignant now.




I have decided to offer this little book and the accompanying CD as a giveaway. Just comment and indicate your interest and I will draw a winner next Wednesday, November 4.