resolved!

Here's my cute new year's banner! (stayed up till 1 am on Saturday making it!) Thanks to Meg for the idea--hers were better, but I'm still pleased with mine. I cut heavy silver cardstock into 6X6 inch squares. Used glue dots to affix glittery letters I found at Michaels. Punched holes at the top and threaded everything onto feathery yarn. All ready for our wild and crazy party tonight--sparkling cider, confetti poppers, and everyone falling asleep in front of the TV by 11:45 :)!
So what would a New Year's post be without a few resolutions? I spent a lot of time pondering what I wanted to improve about myself over the coming year, and had a good, honest conversation with myself in my journal last night. You get the very abbreviated version!:

1. SMILE MORE: I feel happy inside, I need to show it on the outside. My 'getting stuff done' face looks awfully grumpy, and I don't want my children remembering me like that. Plus, I always feel better when I smile!!!

2. SERVE MORE: My family, my friends, my neighbors, complete strangers--time to start following through on some of those good intentions. I'll even think about something I can do to serve all my blogging buddies, though most of you are awfully far away.....

3. REDUCE MEDIA: Now it's probably just because we've taken all of December off of school, but it seems that the TV, wii games, movies, and computer are getting a bit out of hand. I turn them off, kids turn them on. Even little James knows what buttons to push to turn everything ON! My kids are natural visual learners, but I'm not sure how much Shrek or Sonic and Mario at the Olympics teach them! I want to be able to hear the good music I'm playing, or just hear contented silence for a while. I'm busy devising some kind of ticket system to keep it down to two hours a day. Any advice on things you do in your house would be helpful.

4. LOSE THIS 10 POUNDS: that seems to have attached itself permanently to me. Don't know that it's fair to call it 'pregnancy weight' since I haven't been pregnant for a year and a half, but that's when it made its uncerimonious entrance and it hasn't gone home since. This one's tricky since I already work out faithfully five days a week for an hour or more. I guess I could up it to six days, either that or dessert has got to go (except Saturday ice cream man!--nobody's going to get rid of my Saturday ice cream!). I know there are some things I can do to make a difference, and I just need to do them --all the while being patient and kind--but still serious--with myself. And what would New Year's be without a weight loss goal, right? (I say as I go to prepare our pary fondue.....)

I wish you all a Happy New Year's eve, and may your year ahead be filled with blessings and plenty of pleasant surprises!

i'm a poet and i know it....

I have a little something to tell you. I am a published poet. THERE! I said it! I am rather proud of that little ditty about myself, but I don't often share it because the first thing people ask after I tell them is: can I read some of your work? And, oh, poetry is such a personal thing. Each piece I wrote and polished and tore apart and wrote and polished again is like one of my babies, and what mom wants to be told that she has an ugly baby, right? But, Kamee asked so nicely if I would share something, and she IS an English teacher--so I am going to put myself out there. If contemporary poetry makes you fall asleep, please feel free to move onto the next blog and I promise I'll write something normal tomorrow! The first piece was published in the July 1999 issue of The Poetry Conspiracy, and the second in the 2000 issue of Cold-Drill (these are poetry forums and anthologies, and yes! I realize that was 7- 8 years ago-- I haven't, sadly, been able to write quite as much since boys #3 and 4 were born. But I have a lot of ideas stored up in my head, just waiting for the right year to come out......). Remember people, these are my babies, my BABIES :)........

FOOD FOR ANGELS
based on the quote: "The Teletubbies found it rather inconvenient having a cloud indoors"

This morning I wake
to find I am a cloud
Some form of dream fluff
or ghost mist


Arms and legs of sugar strands and steam,
My head a bowl of smoke
Overcome with the urge
to rain on a parade


"Oh--I'm like a poem." I say,
and try to write myself down,
but there is only white vapor
where my fingers use to be,
and I can't hold the pen.


Going about my day is no good either
Pieces of myself keep trailing
off in every direction--
trying to escape out windows or
seep under the door.


At late afternoon, I step out onto the balcony
and am gone--
rising through shades of blue--
periwinkle, robins egg, turquoise, cerulean,
thinning with the atmosphere.

"No one would accept an earth-bound cloud anyway"
the sky sighs from all sides--
"Better to be food for the angels,
than bits and particles
of misunderstood air."
---------------------------------------------------------------------

MIGRATION
Sunday, 5:00 am

I fear the sky is falling
or an apocalypse horse has trampled
into our realm
when the sound tears into my sleeping ears,
startles me
from my soft dreams--


the frantic
dissonance
of honking geese
as they pass by my dawn window.


But blue chips of atmosphere
do not rain down on my gentle head,
nor does my bed
go up in judgement's blaze


They are not warning me,
this time,
instead just flapping southward,
linked in one great, downy V,
the long sinews of their necks
pulled pale and straight.


They offer up their one-note song--
a trumpeter's prayer--
apology
for parting the air.


*All poems copyright of Jennifer Peterson, so any teenaged plagiarists that come upon them, move on :)

By the way Kamee, do YOU have anything you'd like to share?!

a night to remember

diffuser on the blow dryer:
shiny red shoes:

gift card used for something pretty: I think someone has got themselves a hot date!..........

that would be ME!

Each year for our anniversary, Brad and I go to the Mona Lisa fondue restaurant. Here it is:
It was hard to hold still enough without a tripod to take this picture. The entire place is lit only by twinkle lights and candles. How's that for romantic?
Here we are enjoying our chocolate course (the final of FIVE courses of the best food in the world. Good thing I don't eat like this every day!). You can see a bottle behind us. In it are the secret love letters we wrote each other last year. So sweet! We wrote some more this year to read next anniversary (they save them at the restaurant).

We also went to see National Treasure 2, which I loved--but I'm kind of an American history geek, so I don't know if my opinion counts for much!

It really was a night to remember.

happy 13th anniversary to us!

OUR STORY

how we met:

Once upon a time there was girl. She was attending college. She thought all men were jerks. (this would be ME). Then, at the start of winter semester, a new boy moved in across the street (this would be BRAD). I was interested right away, but so were all five of my roommates. (We all thought he had beautiful blue eyes, a great smile, and talent coming out his ears). Unfortunately, Brad also had a girlfriend back home. I thought my chances of catching his eye were slim to none. Still, we became friends. We watched movies. We listened to music. We grocery shopped. We talked. We laughed....a lot. Then, come March, he broke up with his girlfriend. Then, come April, he asked ME out. (Hooray!!!)

how I knew I was in love:

Our first date was to a nature park. We went hiking with another couple. It was getting dark as we headed back to his truck--his spanking clean, nearly new Chevy Silverado truck that he washed every week faithfully. I wasn't watching where I was going and I stepped in a big mud puddle. My Doc Marten boot was covered in black, slimy mud. It was the first time I had revealed my extremely clumsy, very un-perfect side to him. Most guys I had dated up to that point would have acted very put off, and probably made me and my muddy boot ride home in the back of their pristine truck (which is why, incidentally, I had thought all men were jerks!). Brad laughed with--not at--me. He helped clean me up as much as possible and let me ride home next to him--muddy boot and all. He even bought me pizza. Sounds silly, but I knew from the "muddy boot" incident on that I was in love.

how it ended (and began):

He had to propose twice. The first time he asked, I panicked. I thought I was too young. I thought I hadn't seen enough of the world. I thought I needed to establish a career first. Then I spent a few months kicking myself for saying no. I thought he'd surely move onto someone else. But he stuck around anyway.....and he asked again. And I didn't feel so young anymore. And I knew I'd seen enough of the world. And I knew there was no way I could go on in life unless it was with him. We were married for time and all eternity Dec. 28, 1994 by Brad's father. Through the ups and downs of seven homes, five jobs, four boys, and one orange cat--I think we have had a very happily ever after.

So Happy 13th Anniversary to my sweetheart who:

Brings me ice cream every Saturday night.

Tells me I look beautiful even when I first wake up and my hair is all crazy.
Will still be a big goof with me.
Takes me on a date once a week (and doesn't he clean up nicely?!)
And is the best father in the whole wide world.

I LOVE YOU! -your Jennifer

*Funny choice of music to accompany this post, I know. But I loved old re-runs of the Partridge Family in college. I bought their "Greatest Hits" CD and took it to Brad's apartment to listen to on his monster stereo. He stuck around and listened to it with me. What a keeper!

the forgotten christmas gift

I dropped Brad off at the mall yesterday to have the watch I got him for Christmas re sized. He came back out with this pretty little box for me:
Apparently when he was at the mall on the 24th (nothing like waiting till the last minute :)!), he had bought me this gift card to my most favorite store. Then, he accidentally left it on the counter of another store. He worried about it all Christmas day, but didn't say anything. So glad for an honest person who took it back to Ann Taylor where they saved it for him. Love my sweetie too for knowing that I needed some new clothes (don't we girls ALWAYS need new clothes?). Brad use to buy me a sweater every Christmas--and they were pretty ones too. But year after year they had to be returned as I explained to my dear husband that in the confusing vernacular of fashion, not all women wear a 'woman's' size, and he had to look in the mysterious 'misses' section ("I thought that was for old women" he said!). Ah yes--the gift certificate was a perfect idea!

peterson christmas 2007

Christmas has come and gone. So much work--and it's all over so quickly! (I think that including time to change batteries in the camera, we managed to stretch it 52 minutes). We were so blessed this year to have a ...... white Christmas! It's been years since we've had one!
This is the "before" shot. Didn't you just love seeing your stocking all filled up when you were young? Heck!--I love seeing mine filled still! This year, it was filled with all my favorite European chocolate....mmmmmm.
No time was wasted in opening all of Santa' s offerings!
Hooray! Everyone got what they wanted! Liam got the game Lucky Ducks (it's behind him), James got a very noisy pinball game, Ethan got Shrek the Third on DVD, and Zane got some new games for the wii. And everyone was warm and cozy in their new Christmas jammies.
After all the presents under the tree were devoured, we took turns playing Liam's game with him. That was a lot of quacking! (you can see my new carpet cleaner in the background! My husband thought it was a very 'unglamorous' gift--but bought it for me anyway because it was just what I wanted!)

Homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast--with extra icing, just the way I like 'em!
We had an open house the rest of the day, and family dropped in every few hours. Brad made his specialty--Venezuelan food. This time he tried out his new deep fryer and made tequenos (I think I spelled that right!)--mexican-style cheese wrapped in a salted pastry dough and deep fried. Not exactly healthy, but sooooooo good. He made a ton, and not a single one was left!

Christmas night we went to Brad's sister's house for soup and fresh bread sticks. She plays the piano beautifully and all her children sing like angels, so gorgeous music--much written or arranged by her--filled the house. A perfect ending to a perfect day.

And now.....I'm off to get my Christmas decorations down. Something about looking at all of them and remembering I have 364 more days till Christmas comes again is a bit depressing. I really do wish it could be Christmas every day, or at least 3-4 times a year!

I hope your Christmas was as magical as ours!

what i'm doing on christmas eve

Twas the day before christmas and all through the house.....



I have no idea what's going on because I've been gone all morning and afternoon!



First I went to my step aerobics class. Lots of fun. Means I can eat a few more cookies!



Then, yippee! I went to the dentist to have two cavities filled (curse you Dairy Queen!). I figured if the dentist was willing to work on Christmas Eve, I'd be a willing patient!



Took flowers to my Mom's grave. Bawled like crazy. She loved Christmas so much, and I wish she was here to celebrate with us. I feel her near though, my dad too.



On my way home, I came across a dog that had been hit--not dead, but with a severely broken leg. Walked all through the neighborhood until I found where he belonged. Watched all the kids cry over their hurt dog.



Brad and I had a nice lunch together (though I was still kind of numb, so I had to be careful not to bite myself!!!).



This is sounding a bit like a "Debbie Downer " Christmas Eve, isn't it?




Good thing we all look so cute and happy now parading about the house in our paper crowns retrieved from the Christmas crackers!



Making lots of cookies to deliver to the firemen tonight, then settling down in front of a fire and White Christmas to wrap, wrap, wrap!!!



(Now read the post below about cyber gifts, it's a lot more FUN!)



And I heard her exclaim 'ere she blogged out of sight, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night!!!

my cyber gifts to you

I know there are a bajillion things to do between now and Christmas, but if you're in need of taking a little break and find that all your favorite blogs are on vacation--here are a few great things for you to see and do. Merry Christmas!

1. make your own marshmallows: Visit Design Sponge and find their DIY Wednesday post. There's a cute, minute-long video from Lauren and Derek of the Curiosity Shoppe on how to make your own marshmallows. The marshmallows have to rest overnight though, so don't try to make them as last minute gifts!

2. when you're done there, go visit Derek and Lauren's online site the curiosity shoppe. Lots of fun, funky stuff you'd only find at a really great flea market--like souvenir tablecloths and a paint-by-numbers kit of the Eiffel tower. Just call it getting a jump on next year's Christmas list!

3. Then, try your hand at making your own one-of-a-kind snowflake at popularfront. You can even name it and attach a greeting.

4. Finally, visit Shannon at Eight Crazy and enter her contest. I know a few of my readers are amazing with their cameras. She's looking for pictures dealing with the #8, among other things, and has a gorgeous prize for the winner.

Be joyful or at least stay sane! and again Merry Christmas!

and the winner is......

I know you've all been holding your breath and rushing to your computers to check (ha! ha!), so without further attempts at being funny-- the winner of the "What is my Husband getting me for Christmas" contest is......

Elena Manwaring!!!

Her guess a day really paid off and she NAILED IT!


She is followed by co-winner Lee Ann who seconded her guess.

So here's what's up..........

My dear sweet husband, using just his keen power of observation, has noticed that I blog a lot! He has also been made to look at others smartly designed pages and listen to my grumbling at my inability to decipher HTML, and therefore design my own smart-looking page. He, being ever the problem solver (and probably a bit tired of looking at glittery letters and metal tags)--agreed to have my page designed for me. SO the very clever, talented Sean from Eclectic Whimsy, is a-workin' on my perfect Christmas present. I am so excited I can hardly stand it! Keep checking back in for my WHOLE NEW BLOG: coming soon!

Lee Ann, let me know how you would like to get me your address, and you and Elena will soon get a little goodie in the mail! Thanks for playin' gals!!!

it's cookie time

Christmas time just seems to demand sugar cookies. So many possibilities for decorating..... I managed to stop everyone from eating the raw dough long enough to get some cut. In the oven they go!
Our little army of sprinkles ready for duty.
Liam takes the AbstRact approach to decorating his cookies.
Mmmmmm.....all ready to spoil our dinner and rot our teeth!

*While we were decorating (and making a mess!), Zane had what I thought was his first little entrepreneurial epiphany. He said: "We are really making a mess here. Plus we don't have very many kinds of sprinkles. I think I should open a place where you could go and pay $5.00, I'd have ever kind of sprinkle and candy that there is, and you could decorate all the cookies you wanted". I thought that was pretty clever! Does anyone have a place or know of a place like that?

my first blog contest!

Since I grabbed a few of your attentions with the mention of my husband having got me the perfect Christmas gift, but not saying what it was.....I thought I'd run myself a little blog contest. Below are a few clues as to what this practically perfect present is. Have a read, take a guess--I'm leaving the contest open until Saturday, so you may guess once each day. The person whose bid comes the closest without going over (wait, that's the Price is Right)--but if any of you even get in the ballpark, you win a wonderful lil' sumpin' sumpin' that I'll send your way. Here are your clues:

1. It's something personal (you may have read that one already), but it's personal because it is designed just for me.

2. It's under $100

3. I will use it just about every day, except (usually) Sunday.

4. I can't eat it. I won't even try.

5. It is something I tried to make for myself and couldn't, no sewing involved.

*and even if you're someone just popping in here for the first time, go ahead and take a guess--who knows, you just might win! Excluded from this contest are all members of my immediate family (Zane, Ethan, Brad--no guessing!), and also the person responsible for making my gift if she may be reading this :).

Ready, set, guess!

terrible children!

No, my children aren't terrible, though lately they've been doing a few things that make me want to pull my rapidly graying hair out. But each time I feel ready to start down the road to "yellsville" because of some crazy shenanigan or another, I have to stop and remember what a terrible child I was.

I didn't mean to be terrible--perhaps just overly creative with too much time on my hands. My mom was widowed and so she had to work long hours to support us all. Until I was about 8, my brother and I went to a babysitter. I can't really remember why we stopped going, I just remember suddenly having a lot of time to ourselves after school. Time to do things like this:

Once I had a yard sale. Only I never asked, I just went around the house finding stuff I didn't like or didn't think we needed--none of my precious stuff mind you--but dishes, a lamp, some of my mom's clothes, my brother's winter coat with the pointy hood that bothered me---you get the picture. Needless to say my poor mother had to do some hunting around to our neighbors to get our things back and return the dimes and quarters I'd sold everything for.

Another time, I remember my brother and I drug our family's big beanbag outside. Then we got out the ladder and climbed up onto our roof. You can guess what's coming next. We had a jolly good time repeatedly jumping off the roof and onto the beanbag. We even invited a few lucky neighborhood children to join us!

We swam in the canal that ran through our neighborhood. We played with fireworks and caught my mom's bed on fire. We called the police when we saw 'strangers' in our neighborhood (little old people out on a walk). We loaned out expensive tools and fishing gear to our friends. We experimented with our own 'potions' in the kitchen. How we are still alive, I do not know. I can only attribute it to the fact that it was the early 80's and maybe every kid acted like that......maybe?!?!

So when I feel the need to punish Liam and the "spawn of Liam" as we so affectionately call James, or to ground these two amigos that seem to outsmart me at every turn--
I just remember my own mother who laughed (and cried!) and managed to get me through my childhood feeling loved and of worth------and I think I can try and do the same.

*I would LOVE to hear some crazy stories about anyone else's childhood. No teenage stories though please--because those can get really ugly :).

designing heaven

I have about a billion and one websites I visit for my design business--far too many to link all of them off here. But I did pick a couple of my favorites and put them up. I'm sure they will forever be changing. These, however, represent the "approachable modern with traditional lines and whimsical artwork" style that I like the best (yes, I coined that not-too-catchy phrase myself:) ). SO, like you're not already busy enough looking at blogs, but if you're not--go have a look see.

our christmas blessings

For family night last night, I had the boys write the word CHRISTMAS down the side of a paper, then come up with a blessing they felt they had in their life that started with each of the letters. Here is what they wrote--misspellings and all--with my commentary added in ( ).

Zane was thankful for:
Christ (makes a mom feel all warm inside)
Hamburgers (which I never make)
Reality gameshows (we use to love Amazing Race until they moved it to Sundays!)
Ice Cream (it's hereditary!)
Still life paintings (huh? I guess I'm a good art teacher!)
Trafic gaurds (alrighty, I guess we should be thankful for those!)
Mom (awwwwww!)
Aunt Pennie (my sister)
Sisters (of which we have none!)

Ethan was thankful for (and there are a few more spelling errors in this one, but I think it's sweet!)
Chirch (that's church, and again--warm fuzzies!)
Ham (it is tasty!)
Rits (I think that this is Ritz, which he only gets at other people's houses.)
Intrnashinel hose of pancakes (can you guess what this is? :) )
Sports (his father's child!)
Traktrs (tractors. so glad we're related to farmers!)
Miky mose (you can tell we don't watch much of this 'mickey mouse' character!)
Axes (hey! they're sharp and useful for cutting down trees, and he spelled it right! LOL)
Speed stacks (the cup stacking things he's so amazing at.)

And as for Liam, when asked about what he was thankful for, he drew this:

It's a ghost from our plug and play Pac Man game that we get out exactly .3 times a month. He's evidently very grateful for it though!

big, bad, dirty secrets

Yup. I've got some. And as a kind of 'cleansing' for the new year ahead, I thought I'd let some of my skeletons out of the closet.

1. I eat ice cream right out of the container. Most of the time, I have enough self-control to not eat the whole thing, but by sticking my licked on, germy spoon in it and having a big bite, it's as if I am claiming the whole container for ME! this is Ben and Jerry's s'mores ice cream. It use to be called Marsha, Marsha, Marshmallow--and it is sooooo yummy. It has a TOASTED marshmallow swirl and clumps of crumbled graham crackers. YOU would want to eat the whole thing by yourself too!

2. I wear spanx. Not every day. But under certain dresses or pants, or when I want to look really good....... or at least not so much like I had four babies in 8 years--there's nothing like a hip 'girdle'. They really do take two sizes off! But be warned: you will look skinnier, but you will never, never be comfortable :)!

3. For as good a cook as I think I am, my children's most favorite thing that I make is this:

I call them my lazy enchiladas, and there is nothing homemade about them. I don't even grate my own cheese. I 'invented' them when I was pregnant and suffering from morning sickness, and not really all that in to cooking. This year, I let Zane pick out whatever he wanted for dinner on his birthday--and these were it. (They're not really all that bad for the measley 20 minutes they take from start to finish.)

4. So, you've seen some photos of the outside of my house--but you'll notice they always abruptly end on the left side. THIS is why: Yes. There's one in every neighborhood.... and we live next door to our street's eyesore. There are usually no less than eight cars--most broken down, parked all around the place. The outside lights are always on. The blinds are always closed tight. The garbage cans never get taken in. And there is always some form of junk or furniture sitting in their yard or driveway. Until recently they even had two mean pitbulls. We have called the city. Our neighbors have all called the city. We managed to get two of the broken cars towed away, and the pitbulls carted off (they could actually CLIMB THE FENCE! and run around in my front yard)--- but that's been it. Now add to it the fact that this family are actually members of our church (though not active) and it gets a bit sticky with the whole "love thy neighbor, even though they lower thy property value" commandment. Just to prove we actually do live in a nice older subdivision, here are our neighbors and friends to our right:
and here are our neighbors and friends across the street:

*To our credit, the place wasn't that bad when we bought our house last year. A series of renters with roommates and an owner who just doesn't seem to care have taken it there.

5. Finally here is my biggest, dirtiest secret of all: I don't scrapbook. I know that that is almost akin to saying "I don't hug my children" amongst today's mothers, but I just can't bring myself to spend the money or commit to the necessary time needed to scrapbook. I admire scrapbooks, I admire women who make them--I just look at my tens of thousands of pictures and don't even want to go there. I do like to make cards and fun gift holders though, so there may be hope for me yet.

Anyone else want to air some of their dirty laundry? I'd be happy to read about it!

i {heart} saturday!

What a nice Saturday it's been--the kind where you're really busy, but it still feels like you're having fun.

I went to my 90 minute step and weights class and will most surely be feeling it in my abs tomorrow. Then I came home and watched all my 'boys' play a game of baseball on the wii (the only gaming system I would ever recommend to anyone!). Brad and I went to lunch downtown at the Old Spaghetti Factory. It was gorgeous inside--big venetian glass chandeliers, oversize artwork and accessories (I LOVE oversize!), and a trolley car with booths inside it right in the middle of the dining room floor. I was really looking forward to a great meal, but it turned out to be very average tasting spaghetti that was way too heavy on the oregano. The minestrone was tasty though, and the spumoni was good too. And of course I had the best company! Downtown is decorated so beautifully, and we enjoyed a quick walk around the block--might have gone further but it was super cold! (Elena--I may need another lesson in how to put web images up here. Tried to put a photo of the spaghetti factory up, but it wouldn't work. So no pictures this time!) Finally,we put up half our outside Christmas lights (in the dark!). I'm waiting to take the photo for when (and if?!) we get the rest up.

One more announcement: Last year I got Brad what I thought was the "perfect" gift--something he absolutely wanted, but never saw coming. It was a gift certificate to go skydiving. He LOVED it! Well, this year he has totally returned the favor. No, I'm not going to jump out of a plane, but he did manage to find what I think is the perfect gift for me. He had to tell me though, because it's kind of a personal thing and he needed my help to plan it. Curious? You'll have to wait and see :)! It just may be here before Christmas.....

snow show

I hadn't got a chance to post these pictures yet. Monday morning, I got up early and spent some lovely alone time reading and enjoying the quiet and clean that are possible around my house only in the early morning and late night! As I pulled up the shade, I was thrilled to see I had a little snow to keep me company. It was too pretty not to capture, so I tromped outside in my pajamas and slippers and took a picture . I wish I had turned all the lights on inside, as I love a picture of a house in an evening (or early morning) snow all lit up--it looks so welcoming and warm. BUT if I turned all the lights on, everyone would have been awakened and quiet time would be all over. Ah well!
and this is my mailbox. I fell in love with the copper mailboxes that Smith and Hawken offer, but didn't see much of a point in paying $125 for one. So, I bought a gray box for $4.97, and a can of hammered copper spray paint and voila! Not quite the real thing, but it'll fool you good if your just driving by. The mailbox that was here when we moved in was painted like a cow and had been severely beaten in by (I'm assuming) a baseball bat. I think my neighbor's box may have undergone the same beating, but they don't seem to mind......

ALL IS WELL!!!

After a little "rough persuasion", we were able to get our CT scan results for Liam back early, and everything is fine, good, normal--HOORAY! I don't think I've breathed a sigh of relief that deep ever in my life. What a wonderful Christmas this will be with everything put so sharply into perspective. I have always felt so blessed to be a mother to such wonderful little spirits, but this incident has only furthur cemented that feeling. We are now having him tested for a gluten allergy (thank you Lee Ann for helping me to think of this--it does run in Brad's family).

In my fairly short life I have lost my aunt, both sets of grandparents, and both my father and my mother. While I will always accept God's will, I cannot express how happy I am, that this time, His will is that I get to keep this little guy healthy and well:


Thank you all so much for the care and concern expressed,and especially the prayers-- and I hope that all the rest of my posts will be happy ones!!!

prayers for Liam

So you take your child into the doctor for an upset stomach and you leave with the possible prognosis of a brain tumor. Yes-- I'm in that horrible position that you hope, as a mother, you will never be in. Ever. We had the CT scan done this afternoon, and so now we wait and wait. Probably to find out on Friday. Wish someone could tranquilize me until then, but I have to go on being Mom. Any prayers on his behalf would be so appreciated. I hate to post it like this, but people who read this on a daily basis are bound to know something's up when you don't hear much from me over the next few days.

How to make a gingerbread house

First you need a few dishes of candy--you can try and snack on it if you like, but you may break a tooth.
Next, you need some cereal to make a charming cottage roof.
Then you need two boys willing to do a little decorating work.
All of this yields one cute gingerbread house.........
and one very messy kitchen.

We had a great time making this today. We worked mostly when James was napping, making the whole project a bit less hectic. Poor Liam wasn't able to help. He has had the stomach flu since midnight last night--this is his 4 th bout with it in about 8 weeks. We're going to the doctor tomorrow to make sure it isn't some kind of food allergy or water-born virus. Wish us luck!

Mom Jewelery

Do you like my necklaces? They're 14 karat string and genuine plastic straws. But when you know they were made by......
these little hands
that belong to this little face.
and these little hands
that belong to this little face---then you'll know why I think they're

priceless.