The Rain Rain Rain Came Down Down Down

The rain rain rain came down down down today.



Our church's Trunk or Treat was cancelled. So we had a relaxing day of staying indoors, and when Hannah went to a costume party, the rest of us dressed like couch potatoes and watched the end of the fourth season of Doctor Who.

Great Pumpkins

Carving pumpkins gives us a chance to use our creativity. I don't thing we've ever chosen just the basic face. Every year we choose things that are fun and reflect who we are. This year we had been rather busy and almost didn't carve pumpkins.

To simplify a bit, several of us shared pumpkins. My wrist was happy about this!

Rebecca made the 11th Doctor from Doctor Who. The rest of us haven't met him yet, but we will soon.

Abigail and Elisabeth chose the S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem from Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Paul made Captain America's shield. 

And Hannah and I did Tigger!

We made a party of it listening and dancing to the Wicked soundtrack and some Tangled songs. I'm really glad we did not let tiredness or busy-ness keep us from our fun Halloween tradition.

More Waffling

After our great waffle experience last Friday, we went ahead and ordered a new Belgian waffle maker. Our research showed that this one would cook great waffles and would cook more of them at once.

We tried out our new appliance tonight, and we were not disappointed! The waffles were crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. I've never really been all that excited about waffles. Now I know that was just because I'd only had average waffles. They were often either soggy or too dense. This recipe (and our new waffle maker) has made me a fan of waffles!

Pinterest for the Win

Yesterday we had a family celebration. Dinner* was done in stages because of church and ballet, but we shared this dessert. The celebratee it!

This is a picture from the recipe website. My spiraling skills were not this good! 

Mine wasn't quite so pretty, but it tasted really good! We used to often get the refrigerated Pillsbury sticky buns. This cake tasted like a giant, fresh sticky bun. Much better than the Pillsbury kind! I already had requests to make it again.

Pinterest for the win!

*Dinner was a Pinterest favorite: brown sugar garlic chicken.

Cattitude

One of my favorite things about today was holding Patches for a good ten minutes. She usually spends most of her time in the girls' rooms, so this is always a special treat!

I can't get up because there's a cat on my lap is one of the best reasons not to do something.

A Story Worth Watching

I love stories. Particularly those that are either utterly beautiful or those that are intriguing and intricate and complicated.

Last night Elisabeth felt bad and stayed home from ballet. Since the others were either at ballet or Bible study, she and I watched an episode I hadn't seen from the first season of Doctor Who. (Three of my girls and I are watching season three together.) When I started watching Doctor Who, I did not realize how much I would like it. The creativity of the writers is amazing. And the character of the Doctor is compelling. And the show does a wonderful job of affirming life and humanity and the sacredness of the ordinary.

Then Hannah, Rebecca, Paul, and I watched Blind Spot. I love the mystery and complexity of this show. It has a similar feel to Alias (my favorite) and The Black List. The twists and turns are fun, and I really like Jane's character. She manages to be both tough and vulnerable.

I am thankful for the opportunity to immerse myself in stories that entertain, inspire, and challenge me.

Sunday Afternoon Nap

I normally am a huge night owl. And the concert Saturday night made it even harder to fall asleep. So today I so appreciated a good nap! It may not seem like much, but it really was a blessing.

Saturday Night Worship

Paul, 3 of the girls and I drove to a nearby town yesterday to worship Jesus with Chris Tomlin and Rend Collective. Even though the event was billed as a concert, the hearts of the musicians made it a time of worship.

I hadn't listened to much Rend Collective, but I really enjoyed their music. We liked it enough to buy 3 CDs. (Plus some Tomlin shirts and his new Christmas CD!) And getting to worship with a kilt-wearing bagpipe player made me so happy!

And Chris Tomlin was terrific as always. He said that after his first time to publicly lead music, a godly man said he would become the psalmist for his generation. And I think that is an apt description of Chris' music and his heart for worship.

And, since our generation likes a party, our time ended with a celebration as we sang "God's Great Dance Floor."

Let the future begin!

Waffles and a Movie

We made our first recipe from Pioneer Woman's newest cookbook last night: waffles. We like them so much we are now researching buying a second Belgian waffle maker! These weren't quite as good as the Mickey waffles at Disney World, but they were certainly cheaper!

And my youngest were super thrilled to watch our new blu-ray of Avengers: Age of Ultron.  Since we all love complex stories, the aspect of a big overarching story appeals to all of us. And I feel like the writers and actors did a terrific job of giving these characters based on comic books depth and dimension.

Witty Banter Must Cost Extra

I remember watching Gilmore Girls when it first aired and wanting to have a Christian version of Lorelei and Rory's relationship. I loved their friendship and communication. Of course, our family would add a great dad, some siblings, and parental authority, but I wanted my girls to be able to talk with me and have fun with me.

And now that they are teens, I'm seeing some of this. Minus the super fast witty banter. Yesterday one of my girls came to me when she was troubled. I love that she and her sisters feel comfortable confiding in me!

And I was able to go shopping with my girl who doesn't always like to shop. She found shirts, sweaters, skirts, and even a pair of boots. And because we shopped at Target, we didn't even break the bank. We both enjoyed finding new fall clothes for her to wear. (And for me to borrow!)

The season of parenting teen girls can be challenging. (Hormones are real!) But I have found it to be so rewarding as my girls are becoming not only my daughters, but some of my best friends!

Valley Days

Some days are hard. Misunderstandings occur. Feelings run amok. Bodies tire or ache. Those are the days I feel like I'm walking in the valley, far from the sun.

Yesterday was one of those days. And finding blessings and grace took more work.

Some days, like yesterday, blessings look like a quesadilla made with homemade tortillas. 

Dinnertime

Food. I so often take it for granted, but having enough food, let alone having food I truly enjoy eating is a blessing I don't stop often enough to count or savor.

Yesterday my new Pioneer Woman cookbook, Dinnertime arrived. We plan on making our first recipe from it tomorrow, but I already know our family will eat some delicious meals because of this book. Several of her recipes are already family favorites. This week we've been enjoying Ree's malted milk chocolate chip cookies from one of her previous cookbooks.

Sometimes I can view cooking dinner as a chore or even a burden, but I would like to start seeing it as a blessing as I provide (always) tasty and (usually) nutritious meals for us to enjoy together. I look forward to enjoying new favorites at our family's Dinnertime.

Simple Joys

This blogging every day thing can be a challenge. Somewhere during the month I missed a day, and I know I forgot yesterday. That doesn't mean my small moments of joy don't happen, I'm just too busy living them to chronicle them here.

Sunday I was able to be a part of joy. Paul and I had stopped to talk to some neighbors during an afternoon walk. Our dog, Callie, discovered a sprinkler in a nearby yard and gleefully began to try chasing the roving drops of water and drinking out of this unorthodox fountain. She ran. She chased. She shook her wet fur.

And the neighbors' daughter delighted in the show and added her own giggles when she got too near the range of the sprinkler and was showered with a drop or two. 

Even when I pulled a reluctant Callie away from her fun, she continued to entertain us by rolling in the grass to dry herself off. 

Such a simple thing. But full of joy.

Saturdays Are for Relaxing

Saturdays are often more of a Sabbath for me than Sundays are. Because I am such a night owl, and since homeschooling means we don't have to begin our weekdays particularly early, I often go to bed at my normal (late) time on Saturday and am tired on Sunday.

Saturdays I can sleep in. (And I usually do.) And I can often avoid going anywhere! I like having a day not to leave the house.

Even though I exercised and washed sheets and even popped in for a quick visit to a friend, I still felt rested today. 

I'm thankful for days of rest, whether they come on Saturday or Sunday or any other day.

A Winning Game

Hannah and Rebecca had a friend over yesterday. We all went to see Pan and came home to eat some fabulous burgers and pork loin Paul had grilled. After dinner, the older girls and their friend invited Paul and me to play Scattergories with them. I won the game, but that wasn't the best part. The real win was that the girls want to include their parents in their friendships.

I am so glad that my girls like spending time with Paul and me. Even when they have friends over. I know that isn't always the case with teenagers, and I don't want to take that for granted.

Girls' Night Out

Last night I was able to check out the new Starbucks with my friends. The store was too echo-y to hear well, but the weather had cooled down enough (from 93 degrees earlier!) to be quite pleasant. I don't like coffee, but I really enjoy their hot chocolate, which was good.

The best part was the company. We shared about children and family. About extended family. About pets. We laughed. And we shared some things that had been troubling us.

Even though my week had already been rather full, taking this time with girlfriends was good for my soul!

Houston Means That I'm One Step Closer to Great Tex-Mex (and Blue Bell)

Paul & I went to Houston yesterday. So, of course, we had to go to Chuy's. The Elvis Memorial Platter did not disappoint. Neither did the thin chips and jalapeño ranch salsa. 

And we only had to go to two grocery stores to find some Blue Bell to bring home. 

A Bunny!

This post is a little late because the past two days have been so full. 

Yesterday after I got home from bringing Elisabeth to ballet and running a couple of errands and was preparing dinner, Rebecca came to tell me she saw a bunny out her window. We went outside for a better look, and it was still in our yard. It saw us and hopped a couple of feet and then stayed still, hoping we couldn't see it.

We enjoyed watching it and then went back inside to watch it from the window. Since it could no longer see us, it relaxed and began nibbling grass. I used to often see bunnies in our neighborhood but haven't seen any for months. I so enjoyed watching our furry visitor.

A Great Deal

Today has been such a full day. Monday's school is always longer because of math videos. Rebecca had a meeting. Elisabeth felt bad. And I tried to get a day or two ahead in my daily cleaning schedule because I know the next two days will be even busier. 

In the midst of the business, I did make time for a brief visit to the mall after bringing Rebecca to her meeting. I was able to use a $10 off coupon and get two head bands for $.88! And I found a couple of really good-smelling fall candles  (which were on sale, but cost a lot more than $.88). I know these are small things in the grand scheme of things, but I also know they will bring me pleasure.

Playing with Fire

Since the Cleaning Fairy seems to have lost my address, all the housework is up to me to do or assign. And, since I'm not one of those people who appear to be effortlessly tidy, our house is usually in some degree of disarray.

Sometimes the best way for us to make ourselves do what needs to be done is to invite people over. A very real deadline can motivate me far more than my internal goals for my home. I spread out the cleaning I wanted to do all week, and by the time the youth group came over this evening, our house looked pretty good. (And the messy rooms stayed behind closed doors.)

I was able to enjoy my evening without stressing about clutter.

We ended the evening outside by the fire pit making s'mores and having a great time. Even after the others left, Paul, my 3 younger girls, and I stayed around the fire. (Hannah was at college Bible Study.)

The girls enjoyed lighting pine cones and sticks, and, for some reason, decided that we should sing Christmas songs. Our family easily falls into the rut of just watching TV, so this was a refreshing change that everyone enjoyed.