While I do have some serious stuff I'm mulling over, I'm still tired from last weekend's garage sale, the time change, and ALL THE COUGHING (Allergies are no fun!) so I'm going for lighthearted and fun today.
Today I did something I said I would never do: I bought a pair of skinny jeans! Until a few days ago I thought skinny jeans only worked on slim teenagers or those enviable women who somehow managed to escape childbirth without the typical hip expansion. I am neither. My daughter tried some on, and they looked cute on her, but she wears a size 0, so she can wear just about anything and look adorable!
I got a pair of boots at the garage sale that are really cute and that I thought might actually look good with skinny jeans. So on Monday I tried some on with a really cute long top. I tucked the jeans into some black boots I had, and it did look good. I was surprised. I got the great shirt, but wanted a second opinion about the jeans. So last night Paul and I went to Kohl's where I tried some on. He really liked them! I was hoping to find a more comfortable fit, so I passed on that particular pair.
I went back to Kohl's today. And tried on a different pair. They looked good. They were comfortable. And, to top it off, they only cost me $6.72 plus tax!!! Which totally makes it okay that I bought a great shirt to go with them, right?
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Week(s) at a Glance
Wow! Life has been full these last couple of weeks! Our schooling has taken more time, we've had several extra-curricular activities, and my allergies have been overactive!
We had fun carving pumpkins in late October. Faith did a pretty floral design; Hope did a Border Collie; Joy did a cat face; and Grace did a fleur de lis. It was fun and messy!
We also celebrated Paul's birthday. I cooked one of his favorite dinners and we had Italian Cream Cake (minus the coconut - I'm allergic!) for dessert. I tried a new recipe, and we all enjoyed it.
Some friends of ours hosted a "Retro Prom" on October 31st. Faith wore my old prom dress. Hope found a formal at the Salvation Army store for $5. And Joy and Grace wore some cute 80s-inspired skirts and shirts from Target that are still fashionable enough for them to wear again. I wore my old Coca-Cola shirt from high school, and Paul wore his leather pants from back in the day and eyeliner a la Billy Idol! Everyone had a terrific time!
Last weekend we did something we said we'd never do: We hosted a garage sale. The money went to help the college students at our church go to Passion 2011 in January. The students did most of the work, and we made enough money to be a help to them. And I hope to never host another garage sale again! (The late night of getting ready and early morning start time wiped me out!!)
We also started offering a children's church during Paul's talk time. One of our families lives right across from the clubhouse where we're meeting, so we bring the children there after the singing time. I think it's going well and will only get better!
I have some thoughts rattling around in my head about being a pastor's wife and hope to blog about them soon.
We had fun carving pumpkins in late October. Faith did a pretty floral design; Hope did a Border Collie; Joy did a cat face; and Grace did a fleur de lis. It was fun and messy!
We also celebrated Paul's birthday. I cooked one of his favorite dinners and we had Italian Cream Cake (minus the coconut - I'm allergic!) for dessert. I tried a new recipe, and we all enjoyed it.
Some friends of ours hosted a "Retro Prom" on October 31st. Faith wore my old prom dress. Hope found a formal at the Salvation Army store for $5. And Joy and Grace wore some cute 80s-inspired skirts and shirts from Target that are still fashionable enough for them to wear again. I wore my old Coca-Cola shirt from high school, and Paul wore his leather pants from back in the day and eyeliner a la Billy Idol! Everyone had a terrific time!
Last weekend we did something we said we'd never do: We hosted a garage sale. The money went to help the college students at our church go to Passion 2011 in January. The students did most of the work, and we made enough money to be a help to them. And I hope to never host another garage sale again! (The late night of getting ready and early morning start time wiped me out!!)
We also started offering a children's church during Paul's talk time. One of our families lives right across from the clubhouse where we're meeting, so we bring the children there after the singing time. I think it's going well and will only get better!
I have some thoughts rattling around in my head about being a pastor's wife and hope to blog about them soon.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Happy Saturday
It's late Saturday night, and I'm waiting for Faith to come home from a friend's house. Joy and Grace have been asleep for a while, and so has Paul. The friend that Hope has over tonight is sleeping on the couch, and Hope is waiting for all to be quiet to try to sleep. It's nights like this that not having to be at church as early comes in handy!
After hearing so many good things, we went to see Secretariat today. And we were not disappointed. It really is a great movie! I knew Paul would like it, and I was confident that Faith and Hope would enjoy it. But I wasn't sure if it would be able to keep Joy and Grace's attention. I needn't have worried; they LOVED it! We don't see many movies as a family. With four kids, that would be too expensive, but this movie was so worth it! And I really enjoyed seeing a movie the whole family really enjoyed and that was so inspiring.
This evening we were pleasantly surprised by a group of young singles from our church displayed a row of jack-o-lanterns that spelled "Go Jesus!" in our front yard. Today is Paul's spiritual birthday: twenty-one years ago he began his relationship with Jesus. To mark that occasion, these great people decided to gift us with one of Paul's catch-phrases in such a fun package. It was so much fun! (Except for the mosquitoes; those were no fun at all!) I'm so glad our friends love us so much!
And to top it all off, Baylor won!!!
After hearing so many good things, we went to see Secretariat today. And we were not disappointed. It really is a great movie! I knew Paul would like it, and I was confident that Faith and Hope would enjoy it. But I wasn't sure if it would be able to keep Joy and Grace's attention. I needn't have worried; they LOVED it! We don't see many movies as a family. With four kids, that would be too expensive, but this movie was so worth it! And I really enjoyed seeing a movie the whole family really enjoyed and that was so inspiring.
This evening we were pleasantly surprised by a group of young singles from our church displayed a row of jack-o-lanterns that spelled "Go Jesus!" in our front yard. Today is Paul's spiritual birthday: twenty-one years ago he began his relationship with Jesus. To mark that occasion, these great people decided to gift us with one of Paul's catch-phrases in such a fun package. It was so much fun! (Except for the mosquitoes; those were no fun at all!) I'm so glad our friends love us so much!
And to top it all off, Baylor won!!!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Why People Have Two Dishwashers
Somehow Fridays have turned into "Try Cooking Something New Day." Two weeks ago I tried my hand at Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls. They weren't that hard, but they were messy to make. I realized that I need a silicon mat for rolling dough. I had an old Tupperware one that melted when a certain daughter, who shall remain nameless, set a pan from the oven on it. I made the first batch of rolls on Friday but didn't put the icing on. Saturday morning I warmed the cinnamon rolls in the oven and made the frosting. YUM! I only used half the dough, so I got to perfect my cinnamon roll making skills on Saturday. (We actually decided we like less butter and cinnamon than the recipe calls for. And we like the cinnamon and sugar mixed first.)
Last week I finally made PW's Mozzarella Sticks. I remember wanting to make these at home years ago, but I couldn't find a recipe. These were also very good. Except we didn't eat them right away, so they weren't as fabulous as they could be.
Today I made PW's doughnuts. Hope has been begging me to make them ever since we saw the recipe. And she was not disappointed. They're really good. And easy. I had to stand in front of the fryer for a while, but it wasn't difficult.
And I've even tried a couple of new recipes during the week: oven-baked Panko breaded chicken tenders and a barbecue chicken tender dish. Both were very good.
And with all this cooking and with six of us eating all this cooking, I've come to understand why people have two dishwashers! Because, lately, mine is always behind. But we sure are eating well!
Last week I finally made PW's Mozzarella Sticks. I remember wanting to make these at home years ago, but I couldn't find a recipe. These were also very good. Except we didn't eat them right away, so they weren't as fabulous as they could be.
Today I made PW's doughnuts. Hope has been begging me to make them ever since we saw the recipe. And she was not disappointed. They're really good. And easy. I had to stand in front of the fryer for a while, but it wasn't difficult.
And I've even tried a couple of new recipes during the week: oven-baked Panko breaded chicken tenders and a barbecue chicken tender dish. Both were very good.
And with all this cooking and with six of us eating all this cooking, I've come to understand why people have two dishwashers! Because, lately, mine is always behind. But we sure are eating well!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Signs of the Times
A group of us are having a "Retro Prom" themed costume party at the end of October. So today, in the interest of retro research, the girls looked through my old high school year books. Joy and Grace just like looking for pictures of Mommy. Faith, however, was amazed disturbed by all the big hair! And the high pants! And the tucked-in shirts! (I guess the shoulder pads weren't as obvious.)
And really, those pictures do look so dated. "Why?" I ask myself. "Why the big hair?" (OK, that one's easy; there were no flat irons, and I have curly hair.) "Why the baggy jeans, especially when I was so thin?" (No answer for that one!) "Why the puffy sleeves?" (Maybe we needed them to balance out the hair!) "Why didn't my hair dresser prevent me from getting bangs?"
And I comfort myself with the fact that in twenty years, Faith will be asking herself similar questions.
And really, those pictures do look so dated. "Why?" I ask myself. "Why the big hair?" (OK, that one's easy; there were no flat irons, and I have curly hair.) "Why the baggy jeans, especially when I was so thin?" (No answer for that one!) "Why the puffy sleeves?" (Maybe we needed them to balance out the hair!) "Why didn't my hair dresser prevent me from getting bangs?"
And I comfort myself with the fact that in twenty years, Faith will be asking herself similar questions.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
A Day in the Life
I woke up tired this morning. Maybe staying up to read just one a few more chapters of the book I was reading wasn't such a good idea. I had to wake up all the girls so they could get something to eat before we started school. Usually Hope is awake before I am, but this morning she was tired, too. (I blame the extreme silliness I heard from her and Faith at about 9:45 last night.
We were reading about John the Baptist this morning, and the girls were quite grossed out by the eating locusts thing. We ended this morning with enough time for me to spend half an hour on the exercise bike before lunch. Faith cooked the frozen pizza for her and the twins. Hope cooked herself a waffle. I made a meatball sandwich from the leftover meatballs I made Sunday night. YUM!
I showered after lunch, and then we had a leisurely afternoon of reading and a nap for me and reading and play for the girls. I did science with Joy and Grace, and all the girls listened to part of a Haydn CD for music time.
I made a big pot of chili last night, so dinner planning was easy! I did make Pioneer Woman's cornbread (Scroll down for the cornbread recipe.) And I even figured out the secret for keeping it from getting too brown on the bottom: don't melt the butter on High! Not all the girls like chili, so I also "cooked" some chicken nuggets and fish sticks.
Then we were off to the 4-H Pet Show. Rebecca entered our cat, who did NOT enjoy it! But Patches did win Coolest Cat! Of course, we've always known how cool she is. Hannah helped out with running the pet show. All the girls loved seeing all the cute pets, and we had to exercise some serious willpower and resist taking home the adorable Miniature Australian Shepherd puppies that were for sale! I also got to visit with a sweet friend from our former church.
We got home, watched the new David*Crowder Band video, then the girls asked to see this one, and the girls got ready for bed. Paul went to help a good friend install floors in the house he is building.
All is quiet now. Netflix is calling! (But the dirty dishes are silent!)
We were reading about John the Baptist this morning, and the girls were quite grossed out by the eating locusts thing. We ended this morning with enough time for me to spend half an hour on the exercise bike before lunch. Faith cooked the frozen pizza for her and the twins. Hope cooked herself a waffle. I made a meatball sandwich from the leftover meatballs I made Sunday night. YUM!
I showered after lunch, and then we had a leisurely afternoon of reading and a nap for me and reading and play for the girls. I did science with Joy and Grace, and all the girls listened to part of a Haydn CD for music time.
I made a big pot of chili last night, so dinner planning was easy! I did make Pioneer Woman's cornbread (Scroll down for the cornbread recipe.) And I even figured out the secret for keeping it from getting too brown on the bottom: don't melt the butter on High! Not all the girls like chili, so I also "cooked" some chicken nuggets and fish sticks.
Then we were off to the 4-H Pet Show. Rebecca entered our cat, who did NOT enjoy it! But Patches did win Coolest Cat! Of course, we've always known how cool she is. Hannah helped out with running the pet show. All the girls loved seeing all the cute pets, and we had to exercise some serious willpower and resist taking home the adorable Miniature Australian Shepherd puppies that were for sale! I also got to visit with a sweet friend from our former church.
We got home, watched the new David*Crowder Band video, then the girls asked to see this one, and the girls got ready for bed. Paul went to help a good friend install floors in the house he is building.
All is quiet now. Netflix is calling! (But the dirty dishes are silent!)
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Movin' On Up
Last Sunday, we had our first worship time at our new location! We are now meeting in an apartment clubhouse. We had recently been to an event there, and both Paul and I thought that this might be a better venue than our living room. The apartment manager was very kind and gave us a reasonable rate to rent the clubhouse each week.
The room is much bigger than our living room, so we can more comfortably fit more people. Paul also thinks that a new person wanting to check us out might feel less intimidated here than at our house. It includes a kitchen with a great counter for serving coffee or snacks. There's even a large TV that we hope to use to display the lyrics for the songs we sing.
Our first Sunday went pretty well. We are still working out a few glitches. It was way too COLD, for one thing. I also discovered that fans and florescent lights are a bad mix for me, particularly when I am perpetually on the verge of a sinus headache. But these things are easy to fix. (But, just in case, I am seriously considering bringing a blanket!)
We also have a new guitar player, who has led his youth band in the past. We may even have a keyboardist and a keyboard! It's fun to see our church grow!
The room is much bigger than our living room, so we can more comfortably fit more people. Paul also thinks that a new person wanting to check us out might feel less intimidated here than at our house. It includes a kitchen with a great counter for serving coffee or snacks. There's even a large TV that we hope to use to display the lyrics for the songs we sing.
Our first Sunday went pretty well. We are still working out a few glitches. It was way too COLD, for one thing. I also discovered that fans and florescent lights are a bad mix for me, particularly when I am perpetually on the verge of a sinus headache. But these things are easy to fix. (But, just in case, I am seriously considering bringing a blanket!)
We also have a new guitar player, who has led his youth band in the past. We may even have a keyboardist and a keyboard! It's fun to see our church grow!
