Skittle Sleuth

This past weekend my family had our annual slumber party. It's always a great time of hanging out together and something to look forward to after the holidays are over. My sister wrote about the ABC's of our weekend on her blog. I hardly even got out my camera. I was just enjoying each moment of our relaxing weekend. But when Big Sissy started in on her mystery solving, I could tell by her face that this was too "serious" to not document. What started the mystery was that Big Sissy found an empty bag of Skittles next to Bub (her older cousin). When she interrogated him, he told her that he ate the Skittles, but she could still smell them near the top of the steps. She next found a small white piece of Skittle shell that looked a lot like a piece of fuzz to the untrained eye. That evidence was found here...

So it was time to start interviewing the bystanders. Aunt Darla helped her record her clues on a piece of notebook paper, and Nana found her a magnifying glass to search for more clues.

Aunt Darla clued her in to previous character inferences about Bub--that he has been known to sneak candy into his pockets. But an interview with Daddy revealed that he had caught Little Buddy with a piece of candy earlier that day. The plot thickens...

After searching every nook and cranny, she discovered a big brown mess that might have been spit-up or the inside of a Skittle. Since Bub has not spit up for several years, the evidence began to point to Little Buddy. At this point, the adults decided to reward the detective for her hard work so we planted a bit of evidence. Pretty soon she found 2 skittles on the little table where Little Buddy eats.

One Skittle was intact; the other, partially sucked as though the perpetrator had been caught in the act. That matched up with Daddy's story about Little Buddy. Conclusion: It was Little Buddy with the Skittles in the corner. Mystery solved. Reward: a new bag of Skittles. Until next time, here's good night from the Skittle Sleuth. May you sleep well, and may a mystery find you in the morning.

Leaving My Mark

Lately I've been faced--no pelted--with the reality of mortality. There have already been 3 funerals of people I care about this year, and of course hospice has said that Grandpa's will likely be one of the next. I don't handle it well. For all my silly ways and love of playing, I can't bear the thought of losing someone I love. I'm trying to make my heart match what I know (as Beth Moore would say, "make my reality match my theology"). So I know that he's ready to meet his maker, and I know that he will be welcomed by those he's loved and lost, and I know that I'll see him again in heaven someday. That doesn't stop me from bawling LIKE A BABY every time I'm alone--and to my embarrassment, often when I'm not alone.

There have been some huge answers to prayer already that I want to share. First, my dad was able to get home from his trans-world journey to support the family and have some more quality time with Grandpa. Second, the doctors have told us what a painful kind of cancer he has. That was part of the reasoning for giving him the chemo--to delay the inevitable pain. He's been off of the chemo for 2 weeks now, and so far he hasn't had to take his pain meds at all. That's a HUGE answer to prayer. A third thing that has been amazing that I didn't even pray for is the way our family has rallied together. There has never been a time that I have gone to visit that there wasn't someone else there--an aunt, an uncle, a cousin or two. I really feel like that's what's keeping Grandpa alive. I can't tell you how many times he has told me the story of going to visit an old man as a teenager. The man lived alone and had no one in this world. No one came to visit except Grandpa and his brother. He just can't relate to being alone and is so thankful. In a strange way, it makes me want to go have a bunch more kids. It really does take away all of my selfish motives for wanting to have a "manageable, affordable" size family.

The other day a friend at church was commenting on all the bags dotted around the church that have come from my business. She said, "Don't you feel like you're making your mark on this church?" I should have been proud that my business is going well or excited that people like the products I sell. Instead, I was a little embarrassed. Of course I want people to buy what I'm selling. But that's not truly the mark I want to leave on my church, my friends, or even strangers. I think about this every time I leave Grandpa's bedside. He's sick and bedfast, and yet he ALWAYS tells me when I'm there how much he loves me, how he appreciates me, encourages me to stay true to God and His Word, and even reminds me what a wonderful husband I have. That's the kind of mark I want to leave--not one of adorable fabrics and bags, but one of spiritual planting and watering, one of encouragement, and one of helping people feel a sense of belonging.

Princess Rock Stars

I know every mama thinks her kids are just the cutest, so just indulge me for 45 seconds. Introducing...Princesses Alexa and Liana, royal rock stars.

Oh, That Sarah!

Today Hubby took the day off. We had a great morning at Monkey Joe's and lunch at Red Robin, and I got to go copy the MOPS newsletters without trying to keep 3 little ones from breaking anything in the church office. It was amazing how quickly it went. While they were napping, I ran some errands. When I got home, Little Sissy was on the couch. I was just taking my coat off when she said, "Mommy, when are you going to have another baby?" Taken aback a little, I gently told her that I probably wasn't going to have any more babies. "Well, you could have one of those Sarah babies," she said.

"Sarah babies?"
"Yeah."
"Oh, do you mean like Sarah of Abraham and Sarah in the Bible?"
"Yeah, she had a baby. You could have a baby like that. How about 15 babies?"
"How about when you're a mommy you can have 15 babies, and I'll come over and help you with them."
"OK."

Yeah, I can have a baby just like Sarah in the Bible--who was only 90 years old!!!! If God chooses to give me a baby just like he gave Sarah, I will be happy. But just like Sarah, it will be a miracle. And not because I'm too old!!! Thank you.

Snow Day Snack

God bless Hubby's uncle, who came and cleaned our furnace so that it would stop sounding like an explosion (although he came at 4:30 a.m. and did a whole lot of banging). I am so thankful for a heater that works, but I am ready to thaw out. My children keep begging to play in the snow, and I just can't stand the thought of being outside. I did finally go buy some snow boots, eradicating the excuse of not having shoes that I can play in. Unfortunately, when you wait until January to buy snow boots, this is your only option. I am pretty sure they are men's boots, but Hubby disagrees with me. The good news is that they were 50 % off.

So since I keep avoiding the actual snow, I find myself doing "snow" activities indoors. First, we "played in the snow" with shaving cream in a cookie sheet. The diggers plowed paths for the princesses so they could go to their ball at the castle. My job was to give the princesses nice warm baths (at the sink) when they got snowy. Then we made snow cream. Yummm... Today we had this for our snack.

I got this idea from http://www.familyfun.com/ and adjusted it a little. The stick is one of the chopsticks that the girls were supposed to wear in their hair on Halloween. The giNORmous hat is an apple wedge cut in half and a grape. The body is made of thick banana slices. The scarf is made of fruit leather (which I naively called fruit roll-ups until yesterday when I was just a child). Since I couldn't find mini chocolate chips, the eyes and mouth are made of chocolate sprinkles, and the nose and buttons are colored sprinkles. The arms are broken pretzels.

That was fun. Now I'm ready for sunshine snacks. How about you?

My Shepherds

I struggle with not wanting to blog when I can't find the funny in me. It's just not there right now. Many people I love are hurting, sick, grieving, or wounded. As Little Sissy said, "My eyes keep getting sparkly." It's true. My heart is heavy, and I find myself whispering prayers in any given quiet moment.

One of the reasons is that my childhood pastor went to be with the Lord on Monday. I can't say that I remember any of his sermons, but I remember his life, his ministry, his passion for holiness. I remember that he came to the hospital to pray with me when I got my tonsils out. I couldn't believe he thought I was important enough for that. After all, I was only 11. I remember him calling special prayer for my sister, who had serious health problems as a child that went undiagnosed for a long time. I remember the way he honored his wife and made her seem like a queen. Pastoring is so much more than delivering sermons. It's a lifestyle--shepherding people.

There are other people who shepherd people without it being their vocation. My dad and my grandpa are 2 of those people. My grandpa is not doing well, and that is the main reason my eyes keep getting sparkly. I love that man so much. I love how He loves his family and is so proud of all of us. I love how he points every conversation to God's goodness and faithfulness. I love how he never complains even when he's in so much pain. I love how he is so manly and yet so unafraid to display emotion. I love how he has loved Grandma for all of these years even through some very difficult times. He is ready to go home. My prayers are that he will be able to do that surrounded by family, with no pain, and that it would be a sweet reunion with his Savior. My other prayer is that my dad, who is on a missions trip to China, Burma, and Bangladesh, can get home quickly to be with him.

No one is perfect. I know. But there are some people who set the bar pretty high. I am thankful for such a legacy, and I want to live my life in such a way that the people in my life feel shepherded. pastored. loved. cherished. like I have.

Shorn

I'm convinced that whoever created tub crayons--and soap that looks like ice cream--does not have children. At least not children who color on walls and eat soap. Anyway...you can see that Little Buddy LOVES his new tub crayons. You can also see the bad haircut that was...

Now introducing....Little Buddy's post-Christmas buzz (and ravioli face). I'm sooo sad that his curls are gone, but by my estimation they should be back for birthday pictures in February. He's still adorable and really looks like his daddy now. I just loved his blonde curly locks.