Family Night - Jelly Beans!

Last Thursday was National Jelly Bean Day, so I decided to try to figure out a way to plan a family night around jelly beans.



I didn't come up with much :) but we did do a few things. It was a school night, and we got started a little late, so we didn't have time to do too much anyway.

We started with dessert - of course - isn't that always the best way? ;) We made these cute nests out of chow mein noodles and melted almond bark, and used jelly beans for the eggs.



I loved Kloe's sweet little nest with its pretty yellow-polka-dotted white eggs.



Jacob's little birdie must have felt so much better after she laid all these eggs! :)



After our nests were made, we set them aside to dry while we ate dinner.

Dinner....hmmmm....what to have for dinner on Jelly Bean night? The jelly bean casserole just wasn't calling to me, so I opted to stick with the bird nest theme and go with spaghetti and meatballs.



After dinner we had a contest to see who could toss the most jelly beans into their partner's mouth in two minutes. (If you look really closely in these pictures, you can see the flying jelly beans. :))



Kloe and Daddy won that one by a long shot....



....but Jacob and I got points for originality. (yep, it landed there on its own!)



Next, the kids competed against each other to see who could toss the most beans into a bowl in the allotted time.



My mom always used to say you could tell how much fun you'd had by how big of a mess you made! :)

They say don't knock it 'til you try it....

Ummm....I won't be trying it....



and oh yeah, I'm knocking it.

(Yes, that would be fried egg yolk Kloe's dipping her strawberry in. Ewww.)

Calling All Ice Cream Lovers

Tonight (Wednesday) is 31 cent scoop night at Baskin Robbins!

Their website says "participating stores" will offer ice cream for 31 cents per scoop, so you may want to check out your local store to see if they're participating. They are honoring America's firefighters, and The Baskin-Robbins Community Foundation will donate $100,000 to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

It's from 5-10 p.m. tonight only, and the limit is 3 scoops per person (awww). Don't miss it!

In need of prayer....

Bloggy friends,

Could I ask you guys a favor? Would you mind saying a quick little prayer for me today? I am facing a very, very difficult task today and would feel so much better knowing that my bloggy friends were praying. I'm sorry I can't give you any details - even if you know me personally, I don't feel like I can share right now. But isn't it cool that God knows anyway, even if you don't know specifically what you're praying for?

And....here's that verse again....funny, isn't it, how it keeps cropping up over and over again in my life lately?

"Do not be anxious for anything. But in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:6-7.

Thanks, friends, I really appreciate it.

Ranch Day

Yesterday we went to Ranch Day at the ranching museum we have here, which is mostly made up of an outdoor collection of old, authentic ranch houses, dugouts, bunk houses and such. It was a fun, free event where the kids got to experience a little bit of frontier life by participating in different "ranch hand" activities. They had a work card that they got stamped at each activity, then at the end of the day they had to take their work cards to ranch headquarters where they got "paid". They could then take their days' wages to the commissary and buy fun treats.

Carding wool, which then could be spun into yarn...



Kloe adding mud to the walls of a log cabin. I think it's called chinking? Jacob didn't want to get his hands dirty. *smile*



And here's the inside of the cabin she was working on. Can you even imagine? Oh, the things I take for granted and complain about. With electricity, central heat and air, kitchen appliances... Yeah. Imagine living here. We saw another cabin almost exactly like this one, where the educator guy told us a family of FIVE had lived. No kids stomping into the bedroom and slamming the door at that house!



This was the home of a wealthy rancher, built in the late 1800's. My kids said, "Now THIS is where we would want to live!" :)



Grinding corn into meal...



The kids got to make corn husk dolls, practice roping cows, and write with quill pens (messy!).



One of the favorite activities of the day was washing clothes on a washboard, putting them through the wringer, and hanging them on the clothesline. Again...can you imagine washing every.single.item.of.clothing. for your entire family this way?




The one room schoolhouse....



Making rope....




Working on the railroad....




Pay Day!!



We also got to make stick horses, see newborn lambs (very newborn!), watch a pioneer woman bake cookies in a wood stove, and buy old fashioned candy sticks in the general store. It was a really fun day.

I know life was so much harder in so many ways 150 years ago, but in SOME ways I think it was so much better. Kids learned the value of true work....not just picking up their toys or making their beds. And not just kids....I would have had to be so much more disciplined as well. No distractions like TV or internet or cell phones. There's so much about that time period that appeals to me. So much I could learn. But God has chosen for me to live now, in this time period...."for such a time as this." So I guess my job is to figure out how to live and be disciplined and productive and effective now. Whew. That's a tall order.

Thank you gifts for walk-a-thon helpers.....

I think they turned out pretty cute, don't you?

Stylin'

WOOOOO HOOOOOO - walk-a-thon is D.O.N.E!



To celebrate, I bought myself these fun new flip-flops. Aren't they the cutest?



Actually, I got them at Academy a couple of days ago when I was supposed to be shopping for walk-a-thon prizes. Can you tell my mind had already totally checked out of fundraising mode?

They go great with my favorite army green t-shirt, plus they're textured inside so it feels like my feet are getting a tiny little massage when I walk. Love 'em!

I bought a new swimsuit, too, but you'll be glad to know I won't be modeling that for you. :)

Coming up for air.

Man... What. A. Week.

Sorry I haven't been around much lately. I haven't even been able to see straight, much less think about blogging.

First of all, I've been overseeing a walk-a-thon fundraiser at Kloe and Jacob's school for the past couple of weeks. Almost single-handedly. Except for my sweet friend Jen, PTA President Extraordinaire, who graciously stepped in and planned all the prizes, which I had no idea how to do. AND she helped me hang up paw prints that the kids had colored.

I've been at school early each morning (except one) to help organize the awarding of student prizes on the school news. I've helped coordinate teachers, newsroom staff, the principal, and the assistant principal.

I've been up at the school every afternoon, hanging up paw prints, collecting lap-count sheets, and tallying up 700 students' laps.

I've been out every evening, draggin my kids around and buying different prizes for the students who participated in the walk-a-thon.

And then on Wednesday it started to rain. And it rained. And rained. And rained. For three solid days it rained, almost without a break. Ever tried to hold a walk-a-thon in the rain? :)

And in the midst of all the walk-a-thon madness, we received the very sad news that one of Kloe's teachers passed away on Monday evening. And so Monday night we were up at the school meeting with counselors.....and Tuesday at school was oh-so-hard.....and there were tears and whispers and questions and substitutes and short tempers and disrupted schedules and lots of frustration for everyone.....and then I was trying to make the walk-a-thon work in the midst of great sadness and confusion and uncertainty.....and on Thursday we attended Mrs. D's funeral.....and Thursday night I stayed up late making a pie to take to school on Friday, because the PTA was providing dessert for all the teachers.

And the Mister and I began an investing course last year that we never finished. So naturally we would choose this week to meet with our education counselor and try to get back on track, right?

And on Thursday the Mister came down with some sort of sickness that has continued to get worse and worse throughout the weekend. And today he can hardly speak or get out of bed.

And I had to file an extension on my taxes because I waited until the last minute (again) and I couldn't get the software to download (again).

And on Friday afternoon I had Bible study.

And on Saturday I slept until noon. :)

And then today after church I went outside and took advantage of the sopping wet ground by pulling weeds. :)

And Walk-a-thon's not over. We have one more day of walking, two more days of prizes on the school news, laps to tally and send home with every student, and grand prizes to award at the end.

And next week we get to count all the hundreds and thousands of dollars the kids raised.

And then I'm hiding in a cave, unplugging the phone, and resigning from PTA. (just kidding, Jen, you know I love you!)

10 things you might not know

A couple of weeks ago Beth Moore had this fun post up on her blog, and I thought it would be fun to do one here, too. I'd really love it if you guys would play along. I know there are at least 2 of you who read my blog....haha, just kidding, there are 3....so come on, play with us!

Here's how to play, according to Beth:

What are 10 things – right off the top of your head – that we would only know about you if we knew you really well? 10 random things ranging anywhere on your personal map that make you a tad distinctive? Or just plain weird? Think quickly. Don’t go for deep. Go for quirky. Don’t try to put them in any kind of order and don’t make them long. Just start typing. I’ll go first to give you the idea.

And here are Beth's 10 things:
1. I have an addiction to Ziploc bags.
2. I hate wet socks worse than almost anything.
3. I was the only baby out of 5 born to my mother with no anesthesia. She never forgot it.
4. I wore braces for 12 years. I still often sleep in a retainer.
5. I am a read-aholic. I read over others’ shoulders. I walk the aisle on airplanes to see what others are reading. I read what’s laying on people’s desks during meetings while they think I’m listening.
6. I love Black music. (huh?)
7. I need slices of cakes and pies to be cut neatly with a sharp knife and not gouged out with a fork. (Nearly just got a shiver at the thought.)
8. My children call me “Doodle.” I no longer remember why. Sometimes just “The Doods.”
9. I am a very slow driver.
10. I’m a go-girl. I love the rush of taking off in an airplane. I smile almost every time.

I did play the game over at Beth's blog, but I can't remember what my answers were....and who could ever find your own comment amongst the thousands over there? So here's my new list:

1. I have a love hate relationship with my bangs.
2. I have a weird affection for office supplies.
3. If I'm reading a really good novel, I often skip to the end just to find out what happens, then go back and finish reading it the right way.
4. I hate calling people I don't know on the phone. RSVP-ing for parties, finding out how late a store is open, even ordering pizza. Hate it.
5. I buy pretty annual flowers to plant in my flower bed every year, but usually let a good percentage of them die before I get them planted.
6. I don't like to drive. Anywhere.
7. I would rather have more dinner than dessert. (usually)
8. I worked as a train attendant on the Polar Express when it came to our town 2 Christmases ago.
9. I went to 8 different schools by the time I was in the 8th grade.
10. I like okra pickled, but not any other way. Ewww.

Ok, what about you? I can't wait to read your list!

Copycats.

Us.

We're the copycats.

For what seems like forever now both of my kids have had some sort of weird fascination with my glasses.



I always think other people look so cute in their glasses, but me? Not so much. I hate wearing glasses. I hated it in the third grade when I had to start wearing them. I hated it in high school when I was trying so desperately not to be the nerd, the freak, the outcast. I hated it so much on my wedding day that I didn't wear them at all - or during my honeymoon.

And I really hate it now that I'm creeping up on 40 (OH. MY. GOSH. I canNOT believe I actually just typed that) and am having to face the very real possibility of BI-FOCALS in the next not-so-many years. I've tried wearing contacts several different times over the years, but for some reason my eyes don't adjust to them the way most people's do, and they drive me insane every single minute I have them in.

So with all of that I have to say I completely don't get my kids' fascination with glasses. They love them. They want to try mine on all the time. They tell me they can see perfectly through my glasses. They try on reading glasses every time we see them in a store. They try to convince me they can't see too well and need to get glasses of their own....until we go to the doctor and both of them score 20/20 on their eye exams. Hmmmm. So don't get it.

Recently they had both decided that they were going to spend their OWN money to buy some reading glasses they had picked out at CVS. That did it. I decided it was a lost cause trying to convince them that glasses are NOT cool and you would NEVER want to wear them if you don't absolutely HAVE to.

Umm, sorry. I know. I have issues.

Anyway, it was time to step in before they blinded themselves.

So I copied.

Seems my friend Jenifer encountered this same phenomenon with her daughter not too long ago. Really? Other kids have this obsession too? Yep, Jen took her little one to get her eyes checked (like us), and everything turned out fine (like us). So my very wise friend took her to get some "real glasses"......at Claire's.

What a fabulous idea! Worked like a charm. Mind if I copy?


(When I said, "Come here, let me take your picture in your new glasses," Kloe said, "Let me guess....blog?" Hahaha)

I must admit they look pretty cute. They both had to keep taking their glasses off all day because they kept getting headaches from wearing them (even though there is no prescription or magnification in them), but still they kept putting them back on. I'm so hoping that glasses are always only for fun and that they never have to wear them for real.

As a side note....don't you think Jacob looks just a tad like this guy from The Polar Express?

April Fools!

April Fool's Day this year just happened to fall on the day we were celebrating Passover, so I was a little too preoccupied to do much foolin' this year. Fortunately I had seen this idea at Redbook.com that I thought would be a fun, easy trick for my family.



The Mister? Loved it!

Kloe? Delighted!



Mr. Finicky Jacob? Not so much. :)

San Antonio - Final Installment

Day 4, the plan was: To go to the Alamo and then, on the way out of town, stop at the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch, a place where you stay in your car and drive through, seeing animals in their natural habitat.

What actually happened: Since we missed the zoo on Thursday and went to the Alamo instead, we decided to go to the zoo on Saturday morning before we left town. We were awakened very early that morning by the sounds of thunder and hard rain. We searched for the weather on TV and saw that the storms were passing over, but the day was expected to be cold, cloudy, and windy. We decided to try it anyway.

After 3 long days of going and walking and riding and walking some more, we had two very tired little ones who had a hard time getting started, especially with the rain and cold weather. But they were determined to go to the zoo!



The weather forecast was right. It was so cold and very windy....which definitely kept the crowds away! But it also meant very few of the animals were outside. We braved the cold, leaped at every chance to see an animal indoors, and even rode the train afterwards. To Jacob's HUGE disappointment, however, there were no zebras. Really? Who ever heard of a zoo with no zebras?? The whole time we were planning the trip, he was more excited about seeing the zebras than anything else. I was so sad for him. And sad that we had chosen the zoo over the wildlife ranch, as I know there were zebras there.

I know all zoo pictures are the same....I'm reminded of that every time we go to a zoo and I come home with a ton of pictures that look the same as all my other zoo pictures! But you know I have to share just a few....





Look at the hippo behind Kloe and Jacob....yep, he's real! He never opened his eyes, but would raise up every few minutes to stick his nose out of the water and get a breath. Then he would slowly sink back down into the water, and every few seconds bubbles would come out of his nose. The kids thought that was really funny. :)



With Kloe's new-found passion of bringing fresh water to people in Africa, we loved this sign that we saw in the Africa Live exhibit....



One thing we love about the zoo is the chance to marvel at the HUGE variety of animals God has created! We love thinking about Him painting stripes on a zebra, splashing color on a Lorakeet, stretching out the neck of a giraffe or the trunk of an elephant. Look at the funny ears on this little creature. They crack me up! Can't you just imagine the fun He had coming up with this?



And one of the absolute coolest things we saw at the zoo was the butterfly exhibit. Since the weather was so cold, the butterflies were dormant, and were just sitting perfectly still in the trees and on the flowers. They almost looked fake, as they didn't fly around or move at all. Perfect for taking pictures. They were so beautiful!



Ready for the (freezing cold) train ride....



We got home very late Saturday night (actually Sunday morning), and slept most of the day Sunday. I'm so glad we planned to come home a day early so that we didn't have to get up and get ready for school and work the next day!

On a side note from Day 3's recap....look who we will be missing at Sea World in May. :(



Lessons we learned from our trip:
1) We have decided NOT to go to any touristy spots during spring break ever again! We have even said that for our next family vacation, we will go during school and just take the kids out. Really, it would be worth it.
2) Pack warm clothes, even if the forecast shows nothing but sunshine and warm temps!
3) Expect everything to cost more than you had planned.
4) Expect everything to take longer than you had planned.
5) Next time we will be sure to schedule in more down time....and time for Jacob to swim. :)

We did have a very fun trip - even though we had to be flexible with our plans - and it was great to get out of town with the kids. We never did get to eat at my beloved Casa Rio....and we missed going through the Wildlife Ranch....and we want to take the kids to Schlitterbahn....so it looks like we'll have to go back!

Thanks for hanging in there with me through this long and disjointed update. Sorry it took me so long...I'm done now! :)