Ranch Weekend

We're headed out to the ranch this weekend with some friends from the old neighborhood, the Maslows. We always have so much fun together. We're expecting some rainy weather, but that shouldn't affect us too much. We'll just pack some movies for the kids and games for us adults. I'm sure we'll have pictures for you when we get back. Have a good weekend!

Back to Normal & a Novel

No, we didn't sleep in until 10am again! We woke at 7am watched the weather, decided Jim couldn't quite yet go to work, so we went back to sleep until 9am. Hee-hee. Jim had fun defrosting the car while I made breakfast. He even had time to pack a lunch for himself. He wasn't too anxious to drive to Whole Foods for lunch today. His goal was as little driving as possible.
The kids and I completed several chores today. It was nice to have things start to come back to normal. When Jim is home, we all alter our plans to spend our time with him. This usually only occurs on the weekends so it's not too disruptive to our routine. But these past few icy days have sent us all bonkers. We've gone crazy being cooped up in this house watching the same two movies over and over! I'm usually quite content to stay at home, but that's when I am able to at least go to the mailbox and grocery store.
I started reading a novel last night, "The Widow of Larkspur Inn." I wish I had started it on Monday! I don't know exactly what it is about Christian novels that I love the most. Maybe that I actually finish them! I'm in the middle of three or four Christian growth books right now and may never finish them. I keep reading the same chapters over and over again because I can't seem to absorb and apply at least some of it with fewer than three readings! But, back to the novels... I love the Christian heroins. They always have godly attributes that I wish to acquire. I enjoy reading the thoughts that go through their minds. They always seem to hold their tongues and repent much quicker than I do-at least by the end of the story. I like watching their transformations to greater faith and how they affect all those around them. I especially love the stories where people are born again in the novel. That's my favorite part. I tried reading a secular novel a couple of years ago but had to scrape my jaw off the floor. I had to skip several chapters that contained scenes readers shouldn't be privy to in the personal lives of the characters. Yikes! So, I'm sticking with the classics and Christian novels.
Any book recommendations out there? I'd be interested to learn what you're reading right now.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

(This should have been posted on Sunday, but didn't happen. Sorry, MOM!)
Sunday was my mom's birthday. The kids and I went up to visit her and dad Friday-Saturday. We took with us a little (I do mean little) cake, some flowers, and some flower bulbs for her to plant. The kids had fun making a special card for Kay-Mom. We fancied it up with yarn, sequins, glitzy pipe cleaners, buttons, colored markers, and yarn puff ball things. We even glued a sponge dinosaur on there! It turned out quite cute I must say.
My mom has turned out to be one of my dearest friends as I've gotten older. We were always close, even when I was a teenager. I don't think I ever "hated" my mom like many girls do. We always seemed to agree or at least understand each other on most things. She was a good mom and tried to teach me many things that I frankly just didn't care to learn. Now I'm regretting that! I didn't pay attention to house cleaning, sewing, and other wifely things like that. Those were all things I could deal with later. Well, now is later and I'm reaping what I've sowed...nothing! So I'm constantly calling mom asking how to get a stain out of the carpet, how to make white cream gravy, or something like that.
But, I did learn from mom how to listen to both sides of a story and make a decision. I did learn to think of other people and how my actions/words might make them feel. I did learn how to color maps and make them look really cool. I did learn to edit my own papers. I did learn that family is important and family dinners are a must. There are so many lessons mom taught me that I'm just not thinking about right now.
And, she's still teaching me. When I'm trying to make a big decision, I usually chat with mom at some point about it. I call mom when I need to bounce ideas off someone. I call mom when I'm just flat out bored or driving and all three kids are asleep and I need someone to chat with. I call her just to call her and see what's up out there at the lake. I call her because I love her and want to hear her voice.
I remember an instant that made me miss my mom so much. I spent a spring semester of college doing mission work in Estonia. My partner and I didn't seem to get along very well. I kept thinking that God was crazy for sending me all the way to Estonia with someone whom I couldn't seem to mesh with. This had never happened to me before. I usually got along with everyone. I remember missing home and my parents so much. One day I was riding a tram across town to our apartment without my partner. I was standing holding on to a rail and I looked down at this nice lady sitting in the chair close to me. And I saw her hands. They looked just like my mom's hands. My eyes teared up. When I was little, I would play with my mom's hands during church. I came up with counting games with her fingers, and I'd play with her fingernails-which drove her crazy. When I saw this lady's hands I just started crying. I would have loved to have held my mom's hands and felt their warmth and love at that time in my life. I was so alone and sad and so far away from home. But my loving Father God used an Estonian woman's hands to let me remember my mom and what awaited for me in the states. It brought me great comfort that day.
Well, mom, Happy Birthday. I love you dearly and am so thankful the Lord let me be your daughter. I'm also thankful for the great many years he's let you be on this earth. (hee-hee!) I hope you've had a blessed day. I love you!

Icy Day

Today has been an icy day for us here in Austin. Jim stayed home from work so it has been a pretty lazy day for all of us. Last week I had the kids and I on a pretty good schedule and we'll try to start that up again tomorrow. We all got out of bed this morning around 10-10:30! Woo-hoo! We really slept in. Jim hasn't slept late in ages, so I didn't want to bother him, even though I woke up at 7, 8, 9:30 and 10. Not that I got out of bed any of those times- just woke up.
When we finally did roll out of bed, we were all starving. Jim treated the kids to some yummy bacon and then started on hamburgers for lunch. I love it that Jim loves to cook. I wish I loved to clean like he loves to cook. Wouldn't that make a great combination?! After lunch we watched the movie, Cars. We all enjoyed it and got some good laughs out of it. Then we finally took down our Christmas tree. Yes, it's January 15th and we're just now taking down our tree! It's a two man job and we've been so busy. Oh there are a thousand excuses for not doing it sooner, so I'll not bore you. But, it's down now and I feel so much better. I have my study back!
We got the piano I had as a kid from my parents after Christmas and it is in our study. It had been hidden by the tree, but now it's out in the open. I love seeing it in here. The kids hop up on the bench every now and then to play a few notes. Rebekah sits up there and sings her little heart out while she taps a few keys here and there. Elijah likes to see how many keys he can pound at one time. Yikes! The first day it was here I pulled out my old piano book and played some songs. Jim was thoroughly impressed. He had never heard me play before, didn't even know I could! Not that I play much. I learned the treble clef pretty well, but not the bass. I noticed that I play by number. The lesson books have numbers above the notes so you know which finger to use. I caught myself looking at the numbers more than the notes! I'll have to work on that. Elijah has said that he would like to learn to play the piano, so we'll look into lessons for him.
Well, everyone is down for a nap and the house is quiet, so I thought I'd take a minute to update our blog. I'm sorry it's been so long. There really hasn't been too much to talk about.