7 Quick Takes

1.

Since I can't seem to make it to the gym anymore, I've started doing my Biggest Loser workout dvd again.

I'm pretty sure Jillian and Bob are trying to kill me.

2.

While leaving her babysitter's house yesterday, Lauren said to me, "Mommy, I want to keep these two big pieces of ice for my ice collection."

"You don't have an ice collection."

"I do now!"

Touche.

3.

Day # 7,312 stuck in the house in the middle of winter: marshmallow/toothpick creations.

The Big Dipper (or maybe it's the little one)



Marshmallow Man

4.

Sure, they can all get on daddy's shoulders



But, then what?

5.

Going to Elmira on a double date tomorrow! Excited to be within within spittin' distance of a Target, a restaurant that seats more than 15 people, and a theater with more than one movie. (I started to say "in close proximity to," but "spittin' distance" just seemed more Southern, and I have to cling desperately to what I have left of my Southern, ahem, charm?)

And, yes, we are driving an hour and a half to go to dinner and a movie.

Those of you who live within twenty minutes of your date-night destination, bow your head and say thank you when you go to bed tonight.

6.

Can a person eat too many bananas? I eat at two or three a day. Sometimes more. I mean, I buy an INSANE amount of bananas every time I go to the grocery store.

7.

Okay, I have officially bottomed out with the Quick Takes. For what I'm sure are far more scintillating Quick Takes, head over to Conversion Diary.

7 Quick Takes Sunday

Better late than never, right?

1.

Yesterday David and I went with some friends to a concert called Winter Jam. It was fantastic.

We spent almost 12 hours without kids, eating uninterrupted meals, having entire conversations that didn't involve anyone having to go potty or tattling on someone, getting to know some new (to me) friends better, and watching some of my favorite bands perform some awesome music.

Other than having to stand in line outside for two hours when it was only like five degrees, it was perfect.

2.

I was doing laundry this morning and noticed a peculiar thing about my washing machine. I'm assuming the people who made it must have been childless or delusional or tripping on too much fabric softener. Because they gave the water level dial more than one setting.

Yeah, for real. Did you know that there are settings for small and medium loads? Do people really do small and medium loads? Is there such a thing? Are there people out there who wash fewer than 30 items of clothing per load?

Nah, I'm sure it's just a manufacturing defect.

3.

I must add yet another fact about myself to my list of shockingly appalling attributes.

Not only do I have a mini-nervous breakdown if I hear someone brushing his/her teeth, fall down stairs on a regular basis, and talk waaaay too much . . . I'm also corkscrew challenged.

I'm pretty sure there is not a person on the face of the earth who is worse at using a corkscrew than I am. Okay, maybe a blind four year-old with only one arm . . . but I doubt it.

4.

Oh, also I'm pathetically unobservant.

David and I are in the process of having our office redecorated. For several weeks we've been waiting to see how it would look once the walls were done. Once the hideous old wallpaper was taken down and our beautiful new paint colors applied.

So, last week I walked into David's office - after having walked through the waiting room, down the hall, and into and out of my own office.

He said, "So, what do you think?"

"About what?"

"The paint. The walls. The lobby. Your office. What do you mean, 'About what?!'"

The whole office was finished, and I hadn't even noticed. My office had been a pale off-white, and now it is chocolate brown. And I didn't notice. How is that even possible?

5.

I taught the kids how to play spoons last week. You know, the card game where you try to grab a spoon when someone gets four-of-a-kind, and if you don't get a spoon, you get a letter?

It was fun to play with the kids and observe their natures at work.

Joshua, always quick, competitive, and coordinated was very good. He flipped the cards quickly, paid attention to the spoons, and ended up going head to head with me for the final few rounds after Ethan and Lauren were eliminated.

Ethan, on the other hand, is not quick. His response time has never been comparable to Joshua's. If I give Ethan a task, I know that I must give him a minute to process what I said before I expect him to go accomplish it. So, he was not very good at deciding quickly whether to pass or hold a card or at noticing when someone was grabbing a spoon and reacting in a hurry.

However, he has skills of his own.

When it got down to me and Josh, Josh said, "I guess whoever gets four of a kind first will win since they'll grab the spoon first." I told him about the last time Daddy and I played spoons with some friends, and it ended up me against Mr. Steve, and even though I was the one with four of a kind, Mr. Steve ended up with the spoon because he was watching for me to grab it, and he has waaaay longer arms than I do.

Ethan, always thinking when everyone else is acting, said, "Mom, you should reach for the spoon and then when the other person starts to grab it, put your hands up like you were just pretending to have four, then they'll let go, and you can grab it . . . would that be cheating?"

No, but it's awfully smart for a five year-old.

6.

It has taken me hours to do these "Quick" Takes because I'm also watching Planet Earth: Predators and Prey on the Discovery channel. It doesn't bother me to watch a great white shark eat a seal or a pride of lions attack an elephant (okay, that one bothers me a little), but eeeewwww, I don't like the segments about ants with parasites in their brains or cockroaches feeding on mites in bat dung. Come on, get back to the grizzly bears already.

Aren't you glad I shared that with you?

7.

Heading to Georgia very soon. Sarah, be sure to hook me up with some good songs in church. :)


Check out more - and less disgusting, I'm sure - QT's over at Conversion Diary.

7 Quick Takes Friday

1.

Lauren and I were making her construction paper prayer chain a couple of days ago, and as we were thinking of people to put on each link, she told me she wanted to pray for Grandma Nita. Grandma Nita was my step-grandmother, who died of cancer this summer. I guess Lauren just remembered praying for her often and putting her on the chain last year. I told the kids about her death this summer, but since we were in Pennsylvania we didn't go to her funeral, which was in Tennessee, so I guess it just didn't register with Lauren that she was dead.

"Lauren," I said, "Grandma Nita died, remember? She had cancer and was very sick, and she died."
With the most stricken look, Lauren said, "Grandma Nita's DEAD?"
"Yes, sweetie, she died."
"She can't talk anymore?" she asked with anguish in her voice and then broke down sobbing.

I felt so bad for her. I guess she didn't really understand what it meant before.

It must be so hard to comprehend death when you're four. For that matter, it's hard to comprehend it at thirty-four.

2.

Speaking of praying for people, that is one of my favorite things about sending out Christmas cards every year. I end up seeing the names on mine several times because I first address them all, then I put stamps and return address labels on all of them, and then I seal them right before I take them to the post office.

It's such a blessing to me to see the names of people I cherish and have been so blessed by. I love thinking of each family and praying for them as I prepare the cards.

(And yes, by "prepare the cards," I mean only addressing, stamping, and sealing. I use photo cards with a printed greeting, and I'm not ashamed of it!)

3.

Why are socks sold in resealable bags? Does anyone actually put the socks back in the bag? Or take out just one pair and seal it back up? I'm baffled by this.

4.

Ethan, age five, to Joshua as he made a bank-shot to get his dirty socks into the clothes hamper: "Dude, you're awesome!"

When did my five year-old start sounding like a surfer?

5.

Also Ethan: While riding in the van the other day, he said excitedly, "Mom, can we make some figgy pudding when we get home?"

"I don't know how to make figgy pudding, bud."
"Well, I do."
"You do? Did you learn at school?"
"No, I just know."
"Well, how do you make it?"
"You put some fig newtons in some pudding," were his words, but his tone clearly communicated, "Duh, mom!"

6.

We've just arrived home from the elementary school Christmas concert. This consisted of songs sung by the kindergarten and first graders (Josh and Ethan were both appropriately adorable) and a performance by the 5th and 6th grade band.

I have to tell you, 5th and 6th grade band director is one job I would not like to have. Can you imagine??? Every day???

I think I will add that poor man's name to Lauren's prayer chain.

7.

Advent Reflection

We most often read the account of the nativity found in Luke, but I love how the account in Matthew begins:

"Now this is how the birth of the Messiah came about. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit."

I love that. Here is how the Savior of the world came to be: in what looks like the most unholy, unrighteous of circumstances, He came.

It couldn't have been more scandalous. Mary was unmarried.
It couldn't have been more unlikely: Mary was young and poor.
It couldn't have been more impossible: Mary was a virgin.
It couldn't have been more unexpected: As far as we know, four hundred years had passed since since God had spoken.

But, this is how the Messiah entered the world.

Check out more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.

7 Quick Takes Friday

1.

While driving Lauren to ballet last week, I noticed that there were a couple of guys wearing reflective vests and directing traffic, but I couldn't find any sign of road construction. It appeared they were directing traffic into some sort of wide driveway/parking area just off the main road.

Curious.

On the way home, I was able to look a little more closely and saw that there were large signs on either side of the driveway that read, "Bear Checkpoint ---->" and "Bear Weigh-In."

Ah, that's right. Last week, for three days, it was bear-hunting season.

2.

Lauren was an hour late for school this morning. Not because we had some pressing appointment or some kind of crisis or anything else going on.

I just forgot to take her. Who forgets to take their kid to school??!! (In my defense, she only goes three days a week . . . but she's been going those same three days since early September.)

I did impress myself once I realized it, though. I remembered it at 9:06 when I was IN the bathtub, not yet having washed my hair, yet I managed to drop her off at school at 9:19. Not bad if I do say so myself.

3.

We took the kids on a train ride the day after Thanksgiving. It was supposed to be a "Polar Express," so the kids wore their pajamas, and we rode to the "North Pole" to pick up Santa. Then he rode with us on the way back and gave all of the kids a silver bell. It was cute . . . though without snow it didn't seem very North Pole-ish.

4.

If you look closely at Joshua in that last picture, you'll notice that he has a t-shirt on under his pajamas. That's because, as I found out when I offered him that pajama shirt, any shirt with an applique on it is the "most irritating thing in the whole wide world. AAAUGGGHHHH"

Socks inside out? Check. T-shirt under annoying shirt? Check.

5.

Maybe it's his artistic nature that makes him so sensitive to how everything feels. Check out his latest picture that he brought home from art class this week:



(I can't fit the whole picture in my scanner, so it's a little cut off.)

6.

While I'm bragging on kids, Ethan brought home another perfect behavior certificate yesterday for the month of November. That makes the entire school year so far without a color strip (the school's discipline system).

Actually, it makes a whole year of perfect behavior so far for both boys. Josh's class just doesn't give out certificates of honor.

7.

Today's Advent reflection. (I should note that I am not following the liturgical calendar with any of these. This is actually a prayer for the final Sunday where you light the Christmas candle and celebrate Christ's birth, but, it's one that I love this morning. And I'm not catholic, anyway.)

As you go about your day toady, consider these reasons we have to rejoice.

Let the just rejoice,
for their justifier is born.
Let the sick and infirm rejoice,
For their saviour is born.
Let the captives rejoice,
For their Redeemer is born.
Let slaves rejoice,
for their Master is born.
Let free men rejoice,
For their Liberator is born.
Let All Christians rejoice!

Check out more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.

7 Quick Takes Friday

1.

It's Friday. Which means only four days till Tuesday. As Joshua would say, "What matters that?"

Well, I'll tell you what matters that. Tuesday is when I am hosting a bunco group at my house.

Never heard me mention my bunco group? That's because technically, they're not "my" bunco group. Last month was my first time attending, so that means I've met 99% of the women in the group a grand total of . . . once.

So, what exactly made me open my big mouth and say I'd have the next one at my house? I have no idea. But, open it I did, so in four days I will have a whole bunch of women I have met once, most of whom have known each other for a loooong time, come to my not-done-being-decorated, usually-looks-like-the-circus-must-live-here, contains-only-one-table-with-chairs house to play bunco.

And, did I mention that the hostess provides the food and the prizes? (The money comes from the whole group, but the hostess is responsible for choosing and purchasing them.)

What have I done?

2.

It's become my routine to eat lunch around 12:30 every day. I usually turn on the television and catch the last half of What Not to Wear while I eat. (I don't really care for the first half where they tell all about the person and make fun of her clothes. I just like to see the new outfits and the hair & make-up makeovers.)

Of course, Lauren always wants to sit on the couch and watch it with me. She calls it "the haircut show." Upon hearing her playing with her dolls one day this week, I realized maybe I let her watch this too often. This was the running monologue she had going on:

"Hmm, it's a little longer than I thought. Let's fix this. Long hair doesn't always look good when you're old."

"Now I'm just fixing your eyebrows. Much better. And, you need some lipstick and some eyestick. Ooh, you look so good."

3.

Speaking of Lauren, she has begun to really dislike being away from me. She's started crying when she leaves for preschool, and her teacher told me that she cried for me for almost 20 minutes on Monday.

When I dropped her off on Wednesday, I said, "Now remember, there's no reason to cry. Mommy will be back in three hours, and you're going to have so much fun."

Nevertheless when I picked her up her teacher said she had cried again saying that she missed me. I asked her why she cried, and she said, "Mommy, I tried not to, but I just wanted you."

She never did this before and has never minded being away from me. Yesterday I had to make an all-day trip to Olean, so I asked her if she wanted to go with me or stay home with a sitter. She chose stay home because she hates the long drive. Still, when I got home our sitter (who is actually one of Lauren's cousins who has babysat her many times) said that she cried for me a couple of times.

Lauren said, "I just love you. You give me a lot of kisses, and I needed one."

4.

Operation Get Back Into My Jeans has officially begun.

Time for some brutal honesty. Just between you and me and the worldwide web, I have gained 17 lbs since I moved to Pennsylvania. SEVENTEEN! Consequently, I have decided that I must lose 15 pounds by Christmas. That gives me exactly six weeks from today. I began by getting back into a gym routine on Monday, and to give me even more incentive to stick with my exercise program, I'm taking classes to become a kickboxing instructor.

Yes, you read that right . . . a kickboxing instructor.

So, if you have any rude comments you'd like to make about me and my overweight butt, I'd suggest you do it now, because come January I will take you down.

You and my jeans size.

5.

Check out these homemade pretzels we made a few days ago:




They were so unbelievably good. I think if there is any hope of Operation Get Back Into My Jeans succeeding, I'd better not make them again.

(Yes, Lauren's is shaped like a cat.)

6.

I finally got around to listing my china on ebay last week, and the auction ended last night without a single piece of it selling.

I really want to buy some new dishes, and since we have used our wedding china approximately, I dont know, maybe zero times in nine years, I thought that would be a good way to pay for the new dishes I want.

Then again, maybe not. To add insult to injury, I still had to pay the ebay listing fees, so instead of making a little money, I spent a little money. Splendid.

7.

Sorry, folks. I have to go pick up Lauren, but if you need more Quick Takes, head over to Conversion Diary. You won't be sorry.

7 Quick Takes Friday

1.

This is not going to be one of those posts where I say how sorry I am for not blogging much lately and promise to do better in the future. Don't worry, I'm not going to whine about how I haven't felt all that great and how busy we've been what with company and PTA meetings and conferences. Seriously, I'm not.

2.

It snowed most of the night last night, and it was the perfect time for it since the kids did not have school today. Last time it snowed, the ground would be covered every morning, but by the time they got home from school, it would be mostly gone. It's only 9:40 a.m., but so far they're calling today a great day.

3.

We had a great time with my mom, aunt, and niece here last week.





The kids partied, trick-or-treated, made a haunted house, baked mummy cookies.

There was only one thing missing:

4.

On the way home from taking everyone to the airport in Buffalo, Lauren and I made a stop at the mall. The wonderful, enormous, inviting, consumer-pleasing mall.

I must have looked like an idiot walking around with this big silly grin on my face, but let me tell you, it made me happy. It's amazing - and sad, I'm sure - how good it felt to suddenly have all the retail I could want right at my fingertips again.

Of course, I couldn't afford to actually purchase much of it, but just knowing it was right there with me was enough. It was like wrapping myself up in a big, cozy consumer quilt, pulling corners of Pottery Barn, Ann Taylor, Kirkland's, and Lord & Taylor around my shoulders all snug and secure.

I'm sure there's a therapy for this kind of thinking.

5.

Lauren loved it, too. As soon as we walked out of Lord & Taylor and she realized we were on the second floor, she started pleading to ride the "calculator" down to the first floor. I told her that we could indeed ride the escalator, and when she saw it she literally jumped up and down squealing with delight.

As we stepped onto it, I asked her if she was having a good time at the mall with just mommy. She looked up at me and said, "Mommy, this is so fun my pants aren't even irritating me anymore."

(She had cried for at least half an hour when I made her wear pants because she always wants to wear dresses. Apparently, a calculator ride is the cure.)

6.

It makes me sad to realize that she is my last baby. Last night as she was getting ready for bed, she asked where here "nightgowned" was. I love how she adds the "d" sound on the end and cannot bring myself to correct it. Once she stops mispronouncing words there will be no one left here to do it.

At least not in a way that is cute. I still have issues with metallurgy.

7.

Josh finished his newest picture at his art lesson this week:




Head over to Conversion Diary to check out more Quick Takes.

7 Quick Takes Friday

1.

Lauren has been curious lately about where she was before she was born. She's got this idea in her head that she was in heaven all by herself, which she does not like because she says she would be scared all by herself.

I've explained to her that I have no idea where we were (if anywhere) before we're born but that maybe she's right and she was in heaven with God. Today she came to me out of nowhere with a very pouty look on her face and said, "Mommy, when I was in heaven with God, I didn't get to see how tall he was."

The things my kids can find to complain about.

2.

Last weekend I saw a sign in front of a restaurant in Harrisburg that left me baffled. I spent miles perplexedly pondering its meaning. It said, "Beer to go. Draft or six-pack."

I know, it sounds just like the kind of thing that would leave you deep in thought for half an hour, too, right?

But really, I've never seen a sign for beer to go before. Draft beer. How do they do that? Surely a cup with just a lid would violate open container laws. Do they put it in a bottle? That would sort of defeat the purpose of it being draft, wouldn't it? I was tempted to go in and order some just to satisfy my curiosity so I could stop wasting precious brain cells thinking about this.

Anyone know how this works?

3.

Here's what our yard looked like yesterday.



Here's what it looks like today:



Remember what my mountain looked like one week ago?



Here's what it looks like today:



So much for Fall.

4.

So glad I bought snow gear in Harrisburg last weekend! I really thought I was being supermom and buying things way ahead of time. That's so unlike me that I should have suspected something was amiss.

5.

Apparently October is Fire Safety Month. All of my kids have come home this week with some sort of fire related homework assignment. Count how many smoke detectors and fire extinguishers we have. Test the batteries. Have a fire drill.

Lauren's preschool sent home a note letting us know that there will be firemen and a fire truck at her school on Friday. When I told Lauren about it, she said, "I hope he doesn't spray me with fire!" "Lauren, firemen don't spray fire. Remember what comes out of their hoses?" "Yes," she replied, "Water. Then it turns into fire, right?"

I'm thinking fire safety month is going to be a bit lost on her.

6.

I suppose once the snow melts we really should get around to raking the hundred million leaves that are currently covering our yard and sidewalk. Somehow it just doesn't seem right that it could be covered in snow before we've even had a chance to rake the leaves.

Interesting tinytown trivia: There is no city trash pickup here. You're on your own for finding a way to dispose of your garbage. But, leaves . . . those the city will pick up for you. Drive around right now, and you'll see piles and piles of leaves on the curb just waiting to be picked up.

What kind of place picks up your leaves for you but not your stinkin' trash?!

7.

The bad thing about winter is that it requires covering up



all one's cute clothes.



Check out more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.

7 Quick Takes Friday

1.

Tomorrow is Joshua's birthday party, which means today is a really fun day for me. What better way to spend a Friday than cleaning bathrooms, dusting, mopping, and trying to make my yard look like Sanford & Son don't live here anymore? Oh and baking and decorating a birthday cake.

2.

The downside to living in a tiny town is that it becomes necessary to plan things in advance. So, for instance, one would learn in plenty of time that there is nowhere to buy party favor bags or decent things with which to fill said bags. If I was a better planner, I would have found these things out in enough time to plan a trip to another town that has, say, a Walmart. Or perhaps to order things online with enough time for them to arrive before the party.

I always mean to be uber-prepared. I started looking at things online at O riental T rading C ompany a month ago. But, then trying to be frugal, I decided to wait and see what I could find here first so I wouldn't have to pay for shipping unnecessarily. And, um, yeah, that was a month ago. Now here I sit with not enough party favors and a birthday party in 17.5 hours.

3.

Speaking of things that make birthday party planning difficult . . . why do people not RSVP? Is it really that difficult to do? Are people really so busy that they can't take 30 seconds to pick up a phone and say my kids is or is not coming to your kid's party? Are their lives so completely unpredictable that they just can't decide whether to commit two hours on a Saturday afternoon to a scheduled activity? What is wrong with people?!

4.

Okay, enough about the birthday party, already. The kids had a blast raking leaves into a giant pile last weekend and then hiding from me. The boys came in and said they had to change clothes; they were changing into things with orange on them so that they would better blend in with the leave they said.

5.

We've been flocked.

Apparently, that is what it's called when people put a bunch of signs in your yard supporting the local high school football team. There is a note on one of the signs that says, "You've been flocked," and it explains that members of the band or the football team or something will come by later today and, for a small fee of course, take up the signs and move them to the yard of my choosing.

Given her penchant for mispronouncing words, I think I'll just tell Lauren we've been signed instead of flocked. Less risky.

6.

I let the kids each paint a pumpkin yesterday afternoon. Joshua wanted to get on the internet and look for picture ideas and then, of course, picked the creepiest looking one I would let him get away with:



Ethan chose a happy looking pirate:



Lauren went for more of an abstract art nouveau look:

7.

Sadly, the pumpkins were not the only things to get painted. One of my children - who shall remain nameless but here's a hint: it's the one who spills a drink sixteen times a day and trips over his feet while walking on an hourly basis - knocked over the entire box of paints. The red paint flew out of the box and splattered all over the rug . . . and the walls . . . and the desk . . . and the window seat. I tried to clean it, but it wouldn't come out of the rug, and I keep finding more spots on the walls even as recently as this morning.

Let's hope there's a carpet cleaner in this town.

Check out more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.

7 Quick Takes Friday

1.

I've got to make these quick takes quick this week so I have time to go to the gym while Lauren is at preschool. I'm working on getting back on the wagon with exercising after having fallen off well over a month ago. In fact, it finally occurred to me this week that it is pretty stupid to drive 1/2 a mile to the gym and then wish I had a little extra time to use the treadmill. So I'm walking to and from the gym now to get that extra mile in.

2.

What madness has taken over our media causing them to have Michael Moore on every singe news/talk show in the nation in the past two days? I don't know why I don't just turn the channel, but it's like watching MSNBC . . . sometimes I just can't help myself.

I saw him on the Today show a couple of days ago promoting his new movie (he would say documentary, but I would heartily disagree) Capitalism: A Love Story. In it he proclaims that capitalism is evil and that citizens should rise up and revolt against wall street. (He even has the camera pan one person's gun cabinet admirably. Apparently he has abandoned the "guns are evil" message of Bowling for Columbine since it's not convenient for his newest propaganda.)

So, on the Today show he says with disgust, and I quote with equal disgust: "Capitalism is basically legalized greed. Our economy should be a democracy, that's all I'm asking for. Make it fair."

Legalized greed? Since when was greed illegal??? Make it fair?? What happened to the "don't legislate morality" message that liberals love to sling around. Now we ought to make greed illegal and make fairness the morality of the land?

I should really move on to number three.

3.

I put Joshua and Ethan on sweets restriction earlier this week. I've found that there are a few things I can deprive them of that are really unpleasant enough that it makes an impact on them: taking away all sweets for a few days and taking away their bikes. Yikes.

So anyway, they were misbehaving one evening this week, so I told them they could not have any treats the next day. Well, who knew that the next day was National Ice Cream Cone Day in celebration of the anniversary of the invention of the ice cream cone? Joshua came home from school and told me that his whole class got to have an ice cream party at snack time. He said he knew he wasn't allowed to have any, so he just ate an empty cone and was that okay?

I was so proud of him. How many six year olds would be able to withstand the temptation of his entire class eating ice cream and not having some himself?

We celebrated with ice cream cones after school the next day.

4.

Oh, you know all that stuff I said about how I am improving at volleyball?

Lies, all lies.

5.

I finally remembered to take a picture of these two rabbits that roam our neighborhood. We've been seeing them for months just wandering around people's yards. We probably see them in our yard about once a week. They're so tame that they don't run away the minute we go outside anymore. They just sit their until we get too close.

6.

I really must go finish cleaning my house now so I can get to the gym. We are having company this weekend - today actually - and I'd hate to wait until the last minute to clean. I like to do things at least fifteen minutes ahead of time.

7.

Check out more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.

7 Quick Takes Friday

1.

This weekend is "convention" at our church. I've never been here for one of these, but best I can figure is that it's sort of what we call "revivals" in the South, except there's a lot more food involved.

I offered to go to the church and help set up this morning while Lauren was at preschool. I didn't really know what would be needed, but it seemed like a lot of people were doing stuff, and I like to be helpful, so up I showed.

I walked in and was handed rolls of white plastic material, scissors, and tape. If you know me, you know the only thing that could have been worse would have been if they'd handed me a hot glue gun. (Right, Jawan?) I don't do crafts; they frighten me and make me hyperventilate. Stores like Michael's and A.C. Moore cause me to become tense and anxious and have horror-filled daymares (you know, like a daydream that's a nightmare - there should really be a word for those, or am I the only one who has them?) that someone's going to ask me to, gasp, make something.

I realize that most people would not have been intimidated by being asked to wrap a white plastic sheeting around the bottom of the tables as a table skirt. Alas, I am not most people. I think I need a nap now.

2.

I got the boys' hair cut last week. This haircut should last us a while!

3.

I have been needing to get my own hair done for quite some time now but was a little nervous about finding someone here to cut it. And color it. I haven't highlighted my hair in over six years, but I've been really annoyed with its mousy brown color lately and with the way the bottom appeared a lot lighter than the top. But, who in tiny-town, Pennsylvania was I going to trust to cut and color my hair?

Well, R.J., that's who. Turns out a man in our church use to work in the Redken laboratory and was a professional colorist for them for years. Who'da thunk? And, wait, it gets even better. Know how much it cost to get my hair washed, cut, colored, and styled (and my eyebrows waxed) in tiny-town, Pennsylvania?

$47.50. Sometimes I love small towns.

4.

David's cousin had a baby Tuesday, and now I have serious baby fever. Oh my goodness, he's so cute and cuddly and soft and shiny and new. I want a shiny new baby. I suspect that David and I having been spayed and neutered will be a hindrance to obtaining one. Maybe I'll just borrow Rachel's.

5.

Several people have asked recently, so I've decided to share one of my holy-grail of recipes. Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. I tell you, these things are like a little piece of Fall heaven in your mouth. Enjoy.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 c sugar
1/2 c oil
1 c pureed pumpkin
1 tsp milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla

2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon

1 c chocolate chips

Mix first six ingredients in mixer. In separate bowl, mix dry ingredients; then, blend into wet mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes.

The consistency of these is not like ordinary cookies. It's sort of halfway between cookie and cake. Like I said . . . heaven.

6.

Today is "Pirate Day" for the first graders at the elementary school here. (Don't ask me why; I have no idea.) Joshua, of course, came home and started planning his costume the moment he heard about it. He practically lives in dress-up clothes, so the opportunity to wear a costume to school is nothing short of thrilling.

But, he's always been more self-conscious than my other kids and getting more so as he gets older. This morning he said, "What if nobody else wears a costume?" I told him that was okay, and he should wear it if he wants to because the note home specifically said they could. I told him I would stick some jeans in his backpack in case at some point he wanted to change. He decided to go ahead and wear it, but he asked if David or I would drive him to school today so he wouldn't have to wear it on the bus. So, David drove them this morning, and I have been slightly worrying in the back of my mind all morning whether other kids dressed up, too. I don't think there are many more painful things than your child being made fun of, having his feelings hurt, for doing something he loves so much.

Please let other kids have dressed up, too.

7.

Pops, Lauren wants to know when you're coming.

Check out more 7 Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.

7 Quick Takes Friday

1.

I've just gotten all three kids off to school, which is no small feat with my kids. One would think that getting ready for school would be a simple matter: eat breakfast, brush teeth and hair, and get dressed. That's it. That's all they have to do in the morning. How can that take 45 minutes and involve wailing and gnashing of teeth every single day?

First there's breakfast: Josh has more oatmeal than me. Ethan took the last maple & brown sugar. Hey, that's MY cup!

Then there's the seating dilemma: They sat on the bench last time! It's my turn! I don't want to sit next to him!

Next comes the toothbrushing issues: I hate that kind of toothpaste; it feels like my mouth is burning! No, that kind is girly; it's Dora!

Of course, all of those pale in comparison to the monumental task of getting them dressed, which involves locating one of the four items of clothing Josh owns that don't "irritate" him: This one feels scratchy, that one squeezes my arms. I can't squat in those pants, these buttons hurt. Those sleeves come up when I go like this, that one's too stiff.

Aaaggh!!

Once we finally get the clothes on, we must find acceptable socks and then put them on inside out. You heard me. Inside out. Apparently, the strings are irritating if they're on the inside. And, naturally, since Joshua wants his socks inside out, Ethan must have his inside out as well. Never mind that Ethan's socks have that rubbery grip stuff on the bottom to keep him from sliding; they must be inside out like Josh's.

And so it is that 3/4 of an hour is spent on three simple tasks.

2.

I'm beginning to think Lauren may be my smartest kid. Yesterday she was eating an apple and asked me if she could go outside and plant the seeds to grow an apple tree. I said sure. When I went outside to get something a few minutes later, she had buried the seeds and was sticking wildflowers into the dirt. We had this conversation:

Lauren: Mommy, will you help me plant these flowers?
Me: I'm cleaning up right now, maybe in a few minutes.
L: But, I NEED you to help me.
M: It looks like you're doing great. What do you need me for?
L: Um, I need you to water it for me.
M: But, that's your favorite part, why do you want me to water them?
L: I need you to water them and help me because I wuv you.

Well then . . . who can say no to that?

3.

I got my Kindle last week, and I think I have died and gone to heaven. I would put it up there as one of the best purchases I've made in the past 10 years. It's small and light, so it's easy to take with me anywhere, and it takes less than a minute to download a book to it. Since it holds 1500 books, I don't think I will lack for something to read anytime soon.

Having lived in this tiny town with its even tinier library for four months now, I was desperate for a way to get my hands on books. The only obvious solution was ordering them online, which is what I've been doing, but then I have to wait for them to arrive. Day after day after day. Waiting is not my gift. Now I choose a book or ten from the Kindle store, and I can start reading it minutes later. I'm in love again.

4.

I live in the Allegheny Mountains, near the Allegheny River. I take Alleghany Rd. to get to my house, and there is a town not far from here with the word Allegany in its name.

Did you notice that I spelled the word three different ways? Those were not typos; that's how they are spelled in regard to the various things I mentioned. The official spellings. How can the town and the road and the river not be spelled the same??!

5.

I have mentioned on here before that I LOVED our church in Georgia. It was one of the hardest things to give up and without question one of the things I miss the most. Even more than Chik-fil-A.

However, I must mention that the people in our church here are absolutely wonderful. When I was in the hospital last weekend, a couple of people came up to the hospital to sit with David and to visit me the next day. When I got home, my kids had been watched, my kitchen had been cleaned, my pantry had been replenished, and food had been cooked. People I don't even know brought us meals. The people in this church are a genuine reflection of God's love, and I am so thankful to have found that here. I guess demonstrating the love of Christ is more important than good music anyway, right? Right.

6.

Does Facebook try to get anyone else out there to be friends with Karen C? (I hate to put someone's full name on here, especially someone I don't know.)

Normally, when Facebook makes a friend suggestion, it tells me why it's suggesting that person. We have nine mutual friends, or she's in my network, or she also went to my college.

But not this person. Every two or three days, Facebook recommends her and gives no reason. Apparently, they just think we should be friends.

7.

We finally got around to making goop last time Isabella came over to play with Lauren. They had a blast with it, and it was so simple to make. Thanks, Jawan.



Don't you just love chubby three year-old hands?

7 Quick Takes Friday

1.

Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my!

Okay, just a bear. This is what its claw did to the lid of our trash can the other night. The trash can - the large 30 gallon trash can - was crumpled.

2.

We went blueberry picking last Sunday when my mom and niece were here visiting. My memories of blueberry picking all involve Alabama summers with smoldering heat and oppressive humidity. I have to say blueberry picking in Pennsylvania when the temperature is around 73 is so much more pleasant.

Don't you love how her eyes match the blueberry?

3.

On the other hand . . . today, August 7, 2009. Current temp: 57 degrees.



Mornings are a tad nippy.

4.

The kids went to a Star Wars themed birthday party for one of their cousins last weekend. They were trained by Obi Wan and then had a chance to battle Darth Vader to become a Jedi knight.

Most of the kids swung their pool noodle light sabers around a bit, basically swatting at Darth Vader until he fell. Joshua, on the other hand, made an aggressive attack, and when Darth Vader finally fell, what did my six year-old do?

Pretended to slice off Vader's head with his light saber. Yikes.

5.

We loved having Gaga and Lesey here last week. On the way home from the dentist yesterday, Lauren said she couldn't wait to show Lesey the flower balloon she got at the dentist office. I reminded her that Lesey had gone back to Georgia. Lauren said, "No, she didn't. I saw her on the third floor." She wouldn't believe me that it had been a few days before. (She was a little confused from the sedative.)

We miss you, Lesey.

6.

The boys wanted to get out their soccer jerseys and have a backyard soccer game last week. They nicely let their sister and cousin borrow their "away" jerseys and helped Lauren get shin guards on her tiny legs. The preparation for this soccer game took at least an hour, maybe more.

The game? Ten minutes - tops - before it devolved into arguing over the fairness of the teams, the need for water breaks, whose turn it was and all manner of unsportsmanlike conduct.

7.

There won't be any Quick Takes next Friday as I am going - alone, as in without children - to visit my girlfriends in D.C. for my birthday. I'm not sure what I'm looking forward to most: spending time with my closest friends or driving 5 hours without listening to a single Veggie Tales song.