yellow shoe day

CHRISTMAS TOUR DAY 5

2011-12-20T09:00:00.001-07:00

Christmas in Elementary school is an exciting and busy time time!

The kids have finals, gift exchanges, pajama days, class parties, and performances this week.

I've been cutting out felt mice for days for the 3rd grade party craft.

My daughter's card for her kindergarten teacher brings tears to my eyes and makes me want her job. But then I snap out of it when I remember she will be assisting 24 kindergarteners in the construction of gingerbread houses on Wednesday.

This is the last day I have at home before Christmas break. Tomorrow is the last day of school and I will be there all day for Christmas Chapel, and various class parties. So today it's last minute wrapping, stuffing stockings, party preparations, putting together teacher gifts, and a little laundry. Not to mention enjoying the last quiet moments I will have for the next 18 days.

I have 6 hours until I have to pick up the kids. I think the couch is calling my name!

CHRISTMAS TOUR DAY 4

2011-12-19T12:05:00.000-07:00

Christmas activities fill our schedule and

this month has been all about ice skating!

Ice skating with friends and family at the local outdoor rink,

practicing new moves,

and preparing for the big show!

Ellie participated in the Ft. Collins Winter Wishes Ice Show this year. It kept our schedule full this month with rehearsals. This past weekend it all came together and she preformed in 3 shows. She was an adorable penguin! It was a great experience for her meeting other skaters, participating in a team, building her confidence, and seeing all their hard work come together in an amazing show!

CHRISTMAS TOUR DAY 3

2011-12-12T08:36:00.000-07:00

I recently heard on the radio that the White House will no longer have Christmas Trees but they will decorate "Holiday Trees" instead. "...Because we are no longer a Christian nation but a nation embracing many faiths" is the comment I heard.

How sad.

In our house we do CHRISTMAS! We enjoy the fun of Santa, stockings hung by the chimney with care, colored lights on the house, the hustle bustle, the massive amounts of cookies, setting the perfect table, the parties, the shopping list. It's all fun!

But when I hear my girls sing...

"The world in solemn stillness lay, to hear the angels sing."

"The thrill of hope. The weary world rejoices.

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!"

" Silent night, Holy night! Son of God, Love's pure light!"

...then I am reminded of what really matters.

CHRISTMAS TOUR DAY 2

2011-12-08T15:17:00.001-07:00

Last night I enjoyed the Kindergarten Christmas program at school. Not much beats Kindergartners for quality entertainment. There were singing camels, oxen, and sheep, and an angel band.

Here is my angel.

There was nose picking, halo adjusting, sash yanking, excess voice projecting, face making and bored out of their minds, oblivious to the audience of hundreds, ceiling gazing.

Of course none of that was from my Molly.

She was a perfect angel!

WELCOME DECEMBER

2011-12-05T13:19:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the 2nd annual 12 Days of Christmas Tour

December is here! Our tree is up, our house is decorated, and all my shopping is finished. But sit back and relax I cannot. This month is the busiest on record for our family. All good things though. I love this time of year; the planning, the cooking, the Christmasy activities.

There is so much to be thankful for.

Day 1

My Christmas List

My kids don't write letters to Santa, or make Christmas lists, or spend time looking at toy catalogs. I don't know why that is. We haven't forbidden it. I know there are things they would like to have, but they don't ask. Somehow we have managed to raise kids who think it's not all about the presents. I have no great parenting skill or advice on this but I'm happy that's the way it is. I know I have certainly been pining over the catalogs that fill my mailbox this month. But I have gotten some really great gifts already this year.
So my Christmas List is my gratitude list. My ongoing counting of 1000 Gifts. Here goes...

593. Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes
594. watching my 11 year old son stand in front of the church and ask for 100 boxes
595. watching him shake hands with Franklin Graham

596. and meet a young woman who received a shoebox in a Russian orphanage as a child

597. watching the 6th graders unload the boxes and form a chain to the door of the school

598. enjoying his "moment of fame" as the kid who brought over 100 boxes

599. hearing the true stories of hope that a box of pencils, candy and toothpaste can bring

600. the first snow fall
601. the way the fog froze on the trees the other morning and made everything glitter on the way to school
602. the smell of a fresh tree when you bring it home

603. my paperwhites about to burst open and fill my kitchen with their scent

604. seeing The Lion King at the Denver Performing Arts Center

605. being amazed at what lights and costumes and sets can do to create magic
606. enjoying hot chocolate after the show at a downtown Denver diner

607. having an indoor window seat to the Parade of Lights

608. watching children watch parades

609. the Christmas hustle and bustle of downtown
610. anticipation of things to come

THANKSGIVING

2011-11-24T20:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving

It was the first Thanksgiving we have not been with family and we spent the morning looking at photos of Thanksgivings past. Piles of leaves in my grandparents backyard, a house full of cousins, warm rolls from my Aunt Judy, the china and crystal, a brisk walk after dinner; all wonderful memories that have a special place in my heart and childhood.

Time marches on and my grandparents house is an empty lot, cousins have scattered, life is different. This year we had Thanksgiving in our home with friends. We shared stories and recipes, ate a little too much, and had a Bocce tournament in the park across the street. It was a lovely day! But I thought about my grandparents a lot, I had multiple conversations and text messages with my brother about the Judy rolls, I set my table with china and white linen napkins, and decorated my chandelier. I talked to my mother twice and wished she had been here to make the traditional salad and take a walk after dinner.

It dawned on me that what I create today will be the memories my children cling to.

I love that we can tie the past to the present with memories and traditions because I am thankful for both.

THE DICTIONARY

2011-11-09T09:08:00.001-07:00

Dear Loyal Readers,

I have been in a writer's slump lately. Too busy to do anything more than some photos and a few comments on our adventures. But today, yes just this morning, I have been inspired!

Did you know there is a whole new philosophy in education regarding good old fashioned grammar and spelling? I recently had a conversation with someone in the field of education who said, "We are really rethinking the need for rote memorization in our world of laptops and spellcheck..."

Really?

I personally think my children should know how to spell and how to write legibly. With a pencil! I also think they should look up a word. In a dictionary. The kind with a cover and 1500+ pages inside.

So imagine my delight and pride this morning when my oldest reached for a dictionary. I was packing lunches and listening to the morning chatter over breakfast.

First, they looked up "crap" - a word that apparently flies around school with regularity.
They decided that it was pretty funny that there are so many words in the English language for poop.

Then we moved onto the word "sex". Now here is a word I know they have heard, but don't understand the complexity of. The first comment was hard to understand through the fit of giggles but I think I made out "I actually found it!"

Then in a mature voice of wisdom I heard -
"I already know what that means. Duh! It means marriage."

To my great relief we did not spend much time on the actual definition; it was too long to bother reading but my oldest did discover that the word "sex" is so important it makes new words. Words that fill a whole page of the dictionary. Words that are just fun to say. Out loud. While giggling so much you choke on your toast.
Here are some of the favorites: sex appeal, sex gland, sexism, sexless, sextant, sextuplet, sexual, sexuality, sexualize, sexy...

And my personal favorite "sexpot", which is one of the guide words right at the top of the page. From the other room I hear a female voice say in a confused tone "What is a sexpot anyway? That sounds weird!"

I didn't get too involved in their conversation because I might start giggling myself, but decided the fun should end when I began to imagine what other words we might look up!

My children are such intellectuals.

OCTOBER

2011-11-06T22:06:00.000-07:00

On 10-10 Ellie turned 10!

She had all her girlfriends for an ice skating party.

The girls skated in their matching, blue and purple fleece, monogramed scarves.

Itsme came from Oklahoma for the party.

(Thanks for helping me sew all those scarves mom!)

Tim provided the party games.

Later, the pumpkin cheesecake she requested and tickets to see Annie 2 at a local dinner theater.

October was full of fun festivities.

A Girls In Grace Tea Party and Fashion Show

Ellie and her friend Abigal were models.

And we spent a wild evening taking the kids and 2 friends to the corn maze...

where we buried each other in corn,

toured a 3-D funhouse,

and of course made our way out of the maze just before dark!

More exciting events for October

my pickiest eater became inspired by bright purple cauliflower,

we had a family outing to the new Ikea store in Denver,

(Ellie modeling a Christmas "hat")

and a pumpkin carving party for some friends who had never done it before.

And then of course,

HALLOWEEN!

This year we had Strawberry Shortcake with her aquarium pumpkin,

A Star Wars clone trooper with his white ghost pumpkin,

Felicity - An American Girl with her dolphin pumpkin,

(poor Ellie kept getting called Little Bo Peep)

and a Jedi knight with a gruesome faced pumpkin.

I put on a white wig and a black witch hat and Tim donned his Darth Vader costume.

We were a motley crew walking the dark streets!

WEDDING GIFTS

2011-10-31T08:47:00.002-06:00

My brother was married over Labor Day weekend in Los Angeles. So to finish off our summer, we headed on another road trip out to California. There were so many great moments and things to be thankful for so I have continued my count of "1000 gifts".

568. a beautiful drive over the Rocky Mountains, through the canyons of Utah, across the desert of Nevada and into sunny California. It was scenic the whole way which made the 16 hour drive more bearable.

569. audio books and snacks for drive

570. arriving at your destination

571. CALIFORNIA - the land of swimming pools...

572. ...and movie stars

573. Disneyland

574. a math teacher who assigns a picture with Goofy as the only homework while he is away

575. a ride he likes so much that he will stand in line 4 times for it

576. when your kids are finally big enough to ride without you - those teacups make me so sick!

577. finally seeing the Pacific Ocean

578. mountains of sand

579. "I'm NOT tired..."
580. the wedding

581. ties, suspenders, and boutonnieres on little boys

582. patent leather shoes, big bows and flowers on little girls

583. a beautiful bride

584. 4 kids making it through a Catholic wedding

585. a reception so beautiful and perfect that you put away your camera after the first 5 minutes and just enjoy...

586. the food, the flowers, the firelight
587. the glow of candles, the glow of the bride, the glow you get after a glass of red wine
588. watching kids on the dance floor
589. hearing your brother rap a song he composed for his new wife
590. the personal touches - the jam made by the bride and groom, the jewelry worn by my grandmother,
Papa's favorite apricots, the "hometown" tables
591. knowing when it's time to leave the party before your children turn into pumpkins
592. heading HOME

It was fabulous!

Congratulations Jonathan and Alyx

SUMMER RECAP PART 5

2011-10-13T12:57:00.001-06:00

NYC

After Philadelphia it was off to NEW YORK CITY! We spent a quick 2 days there, briefly meeting my mother who was there on business, and squeezing in as many icons of the city as we could. I love New York and have been several times with Tim, wandering the parks, neighborhoods and shops by myself while he works. While I was thrilled to show it all to the kids, it is not a vacation I will repeat with children any time soon! Here are the highlights.

On the steps of the New York Public Library

Subway fascination

New York City architecture

A Broadway play - we sang the showtunes all the way home!

The city streets

Chasing pigeons in Central Park

A carriage ride through the park

Favorite stores to visit

We stopped at Zabar's Deli (one of my NY "must sees") and picked up olives, salami, cheese, bread and pears for a picnic in the park. I also stocked up on my favorite tea to bring home.

We headed south to Battery Park to take a peek at the harbor and the Statue of Liberty.

We attempted to take the elevator to the top of the Empire State Building but decided it was not worth the hour and a half in line or the oppressive crowds.

By the time we hit Times Square, Saturday evening, the stars in our eyes had begun to fade. We pressed on to our last stop, the Toys'R'Us the kids had been itching to see. We pushed through the revolving doors, took one look at the total chaos and wall to wall people, and kept right on pushing, circling right back out onto the crowded streets.

We had fallen hard for NYC but just as quickly our relationship soured. Crowds, noise, tired and dirty children, weary mama and daddy. Party's over! Farewell to the city that never sleeps. We need a long nap. Let's get out of here!

SUMMER RECAP PART 4 - ROAD TRIP

2011-09-11T08:20:00.000-06:00

I sat down to the computer this morning not really remembering that today is September 11th. The 10th anniversary of the infamous date 9/11. Many people are recapping where they were and what they were doing that day. I just wrote a page on my memories of that day for a class project Ellie is doing tomorrow at school.

Today, however, I will continue my summer recap because this summer we enjoyed a road trip to some of the places that make America great. Places that symbolize our freedoms, where we came from and attest to the grit of this great nation.

Philadelphia

We journeyed into downtown Philly to visit the National Park Campus of Independence Hall. It was a fabulous tour! We had one of those guides that kept everyone's attention with his stories and love of the subject. We saw the very chair where Washington sat as he presided over the Continental Congress. The room Thomas Jefferson rented from a local merchant and the place where he penned a majority of the Declaration of Independence. And of course the Liberty Bell!

The Franklin Institute - a fabulous science museum about invention, and innovations in the fields of medicine, weather prediction, electricity, machinery, transportation and much more. I spent a whole day chasing the kids around in here!

Our stop at the old Penn Station-turned amazing food market! There was a stall for every food you could think of. I could have spent the entire day there.

Philly Cheesesteaks at the counter.

Philadelphia was a quick 2 day trip but it was great.

Next stop NYC

ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

2011-08-16T21:04:00.000-06:00

I'm taking a short break from our summer recap to share the fist day of school. It was a big day with my oldest entering middle school and my youngest heading to kindergarten. There were a few nerves and a few shed tears but it was a successful first day.

Lockers and schedules and 8 teachers, oh my!

New outfit, new teacher, same great girl!

All smiles with a pink backpack, new lunchbox, and the same green dress big sister wore on her first day of school!

Hard start for Jack this morning but he has a great teacher and will do well this year.

I had breakfast and mimosas, with 6 other moms, after dropping the kids off at school.

Then it was warm chocolate chip cookies and milk with the kids after school.

It was a good day!

SUMMER RECAP PART 3

2011-08-15T06:34:00.000-06:00

June 11th we were off on our annual summer trip to our cabin in New York. A summer spent on the lake and in the cool mountains of the Finger Lakes Region has many gifts to count.

551. driving the boat

552. jumping into the cool lake water together

553. summer salads

554. jet ski hair

555. the "angry birds" dive

556. swing time

557. slip and slides

558. penguin style tummy slides

559. giggles and smiles

560. that perfect evening light

561. colored smoke bombs
562. melting smores
563. tent camping adventures in the yard
564. a bed in the house for me

565. hammock time

566. bulldozer time

567. barefoot all day

Now that's a good summer!

part 4 - Road Trip

SUMMER RECAP PART 2

2011-08-09T15:14:00.000-06:00

The first week in June we had a visitor from New Hampshire. Gloriana was a constant playmate from our days in Andover and her mom was such a support to me. This girl saved her money for a year to help pay for her trip out west! We had a great time.

Drinks at Whit's End soda fountain at the Focus On The Family Headquarters in Colorado Springs

Molly at the Cripple Creek Railroad Station. I'm glad I still have one young enough to pick me dandelions.

Happy faces on the train!

Jack at the end of the line.

Our scary descent down the elevator shaft at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine.

A fascinating tour.

It was a whirlwind 3 days and a fun way to begin our summer of adventures!

Next stop New York.

SUMMER RECAP PART 1

2011-08-05T22:01:00.001-06:00

My kids start back to school in a week. We have had such a busy summer, full of adventures and I haven't had time to record any of it.

So, here is my 2011 summer recap.

The first week of summer break the kids watched TV and played video games nonstop while I sat in the dining room amid mountains of worksheets, macaroni crafts, report cards, Thanksgiving crafts, finger paintings and notebooks filled with writing projects and journal entries. How to sort, organize and agonizingly decide what goes to the trash was the task ahead of me during that first week of summer.

It is truly an overwhelming task for a mom of 4.

I began with the first born, with the scrapbook of school days already begun.

My preschooler who has just finished his elementary education and is now wading into the waters of middle school. There were a few tears shed. After 2 days in the dining room I was able to pack everything precious about his school days into a plastic bin that will likely be slid under a bed and forgotten for some time. But occasionally, that preschool face, proudly holding the flowers planted in a Dixie cup, is the face I see when I tuck him into bed at night.

There was a sadness in knowing that my first baby has hit this milestone but I am one to look forwards and not backwards too often.

The lid is on. The school year is officially over. And our summer begins.

Part 2 tomorrow.

SUMMER SCHOOL

2011-08-02T07:19:00.001-06:00

I started off summer with these lofty goals of continued education:

review the multiplication tables
improve handwriting skills
read for hours everyday
teach my 5 year old all the letter sounds
and my 8 year old how to tie his shoes

Instead we learned the Photo Booth application on our Mac.

Aren't we pretty?

My kids have spent hours in front of the computer and rolling on the floor in fits of giggling over their creations.

School is calling.

2 weeks and I'll have the house and computer to myself.

Know what I'll be doing?

SECOND THOUGHTS

2011-06-03T08:31:00.002-06:00

Sometimes you do something on a whim that maybe if you had more time to think about, you would have changed your mind. We had that experience yesterday. We had just taken our 4 children, and their friend who is visiting from New Hampshire, on a train ride in the historic mining district of Cripple Creek, Colorado. It was fun, it peaked our interest in gold mining, and it was much shorter than we had expected.

So we thought, "We have extra time, let's go check out that gold mine tour we passed on the way up here."

Within 10 minutes we are back in the car, a mile down the mountain and into the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine Offices. We quickly buy 7 tickets for the last tour that leaves in 2 minutes.

The decision was made.

We head out the side door and are instructed to pick out a hard hat from the bins along the fence. It is then that we notice a narrow little cage elevator suspended over a narrow little hole in the ground.

That's when I look at Tim and he looks at me and we say "Really?!"

But there is no time to back out. Our party of 7 is instructed to enter the top level cage.

"Huh! This thing is 2 story?" But we follow like good little sheep and are locked into a 3x3 mesh cage and lifted into the air 7 feet so the next group could load into the cage below us. At that point there were many questions running through our heads. Questions that the 5 children with us verbalized.

How fast are we going to descend?

Is it going to be dark?

How far are we going?

Are we allowed to scream?

How long is this going to take?

What happens if the cable snaps (like in the movies) and we free fall into the depths of the earth?

Are we going TO DIE?

Here we go...

and I decide we need to document this moment.

It was a fabulous tour! We had our nervous moments but the guide was great and we learned some really fascinating facts about the history of mining. We saw how the first miners did everything with a hammer by candlelight and how technology progressed over the next 100 years. It is still an incredibly dangerous job and even though the mine still holds 80% of its gold, it is more expensive to extract it than the gold is worth! The kids had a blast. And we were glad that we did not have time to back out of our decision.

It was a highlight of our trip but we were so happy to see the light of day!

CONTENTS OF A BACKPACK

2011-05-28T07:47:00.000-06:00

After all those days of back and forth to school, being slung, tugged, dragged and tossed, what is in that backpack on the day it comes home to stay, never to return to 2nd grade? What is squirreled away in all those little zippered compartments? What is smashed into the bottom under all the notebooks? What secrets are hidden in its depths?

If you are Jack it contains the usual subject notebooks stuffed with worksheets, award certificates, macaroni art projects, and books.

On closer inspection it also contained:

9 pencils (3 unsharpened)

2 bookmarks

1 lego man

2 bouncy balls

1 deck of cards

1 McDonalds Happy Meal toy

the missing school ID

1 bag of mini M&Ms

sunglasses with 1 lens popped out

2 nerf gun bullets

2 rubber bands

1 peach pit

1 plastic pirate eye patch

1 crumpled Valentine card

and

1 indian arrow craft

All I can say is L.L.Bean makes one sturdy backpack!

OVERDUE GIFTS

2011-05-22T19:05:00.003-06:00

I have been reminded by family members lately that I have not posted anything for many weeks. Life has been full of carpools, field trips, appointments, parties, projects and a handful of challenges. My kids only have 3 days of school left so I thought I'd better finish listing my spring gifts before we get into the summer season.

I hope you are enjoying the gifts of spring and looking forward to the joys of summer.

526. a dancer's silhouette

527. Easter dresses

528. Easter baskets

529. Easter eggs
530. curly hair

531. aquarium fascinations

532. strange jelly creatures swirling

533. tulips in the sunshine

534. this shade of pink, surprising me in the yard of our first spring in this new home

535. sister friends

536. tea parties

537. tiny cupcakes

538. pretty hats

539. Colorado sunsets

540. the way light reflects in the water

541. those moments in the daily that catch you off guard and take your breath away

542. field trips to farms and art museums

543. performances at church and talent shows at school

544. wildlife sighting in our yard - a baby bunny rescued from our basement window well

545. and the rare black fox who posed for a photo

546. the countdown

547. the irony of misspelling "school"

548. pool fun for the birthday boy

549. water guns waiting for an ambush

550. looking forward to summer fun!

RANDOM BIT #9

2011-04-04T06:39:00.000-06:00

Funny Things My Kids Say

Ellie, while cleaning the girl's bathroom, made a discovery that she was so excited to share -

"Look Mama, this toilet paper ripped in the shape of Oklahoma!"

Molly at the salad bar, pointing to the cottage cheese -

"I really want some of that cotton cheese Mama".

Edward to Jack at the dinner table -

"Must I pander to your incompetence?"

When I asked him what he meant by that he said, smiling,

"I heard it on my story tape. I have no idea what it means, but it sounds funny!"

I've got nothing incriminating on Jack but the minister at church said last week about him,

"Man that's a great laugh! If you could only bottle it for sale, you could make a fortune."

EDWARD'S RECITAL

2011-03-29T14:06:00.000-06:00

Edward had a practice recital Sunday afternoon. Next weekend he will participate in a music competition (his first). Edward has had half a dozen music teachers over the years but he is back and Philomusica in Ft. Collins were he took his very first piano lesson at age 5. Since we were here last they have aquired a fancy grand piano - only 2 like it and the other one is in the White House. He was a little nervous but has come a long way from Mary Had A Little Lamb!

GIFTS OF SPRING

2011-03-27T18:27:00.000-06:00

the counting of 1000 continues...

501. the promise of Spring

502. birdsong in and outdoors
503. using my grandparents old brass birdcage

504. Tasha Tudor illustrations
505. our version of preschool - in the sunshine with chocolate pudding

506. spying bunnies in our yard
507. walks with friends
508. visiting special places from your childhood
509. sharing memories with your children
510. seeing your children climb the same tree you did as a child

511. and find delight in the same beauty you do

512. and walk the same path you walked

513. hometown visits
514. getting reacquainted with cousins

515. whack - a - mole
516. skee-ball
517. seeing the delight in faces over lollipops, plastic rings and styrofoam airplanes
518. a perfectly golden roasted marshmallow

519. the produce department at Whole Foods

520. a can't resist price on my favorite happy flower
521. now brightening my kitchen

522. the ability to whip out my camera at the grocery store and not care about the strange looks from other shoppers
523. reconnecting with a college roommate
524. piano recitals on a beautiful old grand

525. the hymn, "How Great Thou Art"

TO FACEBOOK OR NOT TO FACEBOOK?

2011-03-23T12:05:00.000-06:00

That is the question.

For years I have avoided the whole Facebook scene. Friends and relations would ask "Why aren't you on Facebook? We could keep in touch."

Did your phone break?
Did the postal system go out of business?
Do you not have my email address?

These are the questions I would like to ask. But I don't.

I know it is easier to post little snippets of life on Facebook and instantly you have communicated with dozens or hundreds of people. It's convenient, multi-tasking, and efficient. I get it. But I just wasn't interested. It is a strange world in which you can friend and de-friend with a click of a button.

So recently my own dear husband, the one who emphatically used the word NEVER and the words, stupid and time wasting when discussing Facebook, has recently joined. (For business purposes mind you.) But he decided to drag his wife along too. I now have a Facebook account that was not set up by me, but by a man in a Singapore hotel room halfway across the world. Weird!

For the last 24 hours I have been poking around on Facebook and at the risk of alienating many dear friends, I have to say that I'm even more convinced - it is such a bizarre way to communicate. Too personal, yet not personal at all, at the same time.

Magazine articles, TV shows and experts cry out ...

   "simplify"
   "downsize"
   "be authentic"
   "cast off excess"
   "live in the moment"

And yet in the past 24 hours my email has been flooded with "notifications" from people I don't even exchange Christmas cards with. Everywhere I go people are texting, tweeting and talking on cellphones and ignoring the people around them. I realize I'm in the minority here and maybe it sounds harsh but that just doesn't seem like simplifying to me. And honestly sometimes its OK to lose touch with people.

I'm a nice person but I just don't care that my neighbor, from 2 moves ago, is on her way to Wal-Mart to get milk. And (sorry honey!) but I don't care to receive a notice that my husband just posted that he likes JAD Speciality CO. And I think its strange that I can see that my husband's cousin's wife just sent condolences to a friend of her's on the death of one of their relations. HUH? WHO?

Now I realize I may be a hypocrite. I pour out my heart and post personal stories and photos here on my blog that anyone could potentially see. And I will go ahead and complete my Facebook profile and post a few photos. I was able to get back in touch with my college roommate Kari last night and it was nice to see her family and receive her personal message. So maybe Facebook does have redeeming qualities.

But please "defriend" me if I ever waste your time by letting you know I'm out of toilet paper.

TEDDY BEAR PICNIC

2011-02-07T06:43:00.000-07:00

Molly's 5th birthday party was a hit. She had 3 little friends over for a Teddy Bear Picnic. We actually only had 1 teddy bear arrive. The other stuffed guests included a lamb, an elephant, and a bunny. It was a cold bitter day but we decked out our heated gazebo with pink streamers, balloons, picnic blankets and a pink tulle canopy we bought Molly for her bed.

The girls each had their own little picnic basket packed with a party hat, a pink gingham placemat, and a teacup that Molly had picked for each of them at the thrift store. On the menu we had peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwiches, pretzels, strawberries and pink lemonade.

After lunch Molly blew out the candles on 5 lemon cupcakes with raspberry cream cheese frosting and opened presents from all her friends. It was so cute to see the girls proud of what they picked out for Molly. We ended the afternoon with a dance party. One little guest, attempting a twirl, slipped on our wood floors in her socks and banged her knee. There were some tears and a request for Mommy but a cookie helped and everyone left happy.

I can't believe she is 5!

SNOW DAYS

2011-02-04T09:46:00.000-07:00

What do you call days that school is canceled but there is really only a dusting of snow? Can you really call them "snow days"? I don't think so. While the rest of the country has been covered in feet of snow and children everywhere are shouting for joy and building snow forts, we are off school for record low temperatures. It was 12 below zero yesterday. And still my boys fuss with me about wearing coats!

The first day we all slept in. I made hot chocolate and muffins. We sat by the fire. We watched a movie, played Wii, and got out some board games. All this family togetherness lasted until about 10:00 am. Then it began... the boredom, the pestering, the arguments over toys. Time for a field trip! Arctic temperatures aren't going to stop us. Let's get out of here! So off we went to the library, the McDonald's playground, Target. Later we even had a trip to the emergency room.

Day 2 had my kids whining "I wish we could go back to school."
Me too kiddos, me too.

Fun at McDonald's for 2 hours while mom read a book.

A trip to the Urgent Care Center after Jack and the girls thought turning out the lights in the storage room to see the Lego ghost glow would be a good idea. He tripped over one of his sisters and ended up with 2 staples in his head. At least he has something cool for show and tell.

FIGURING LIFE OUT - GIFTS CONTINUED

2011-02-03T15:04:00.000-07:00

Ann Voskamp, who started the 1000 Gifts movement, finally has a book out. It is waiting patiently on my nightstand for a quiet evening to invite me in. You simply must watch this gorgeous video and see her pictures, hear her voice and her words and then begin to count your own gifts.

My gifts reach 500.

479. a birthday girl

480. tutus

481. silhouettes of dancers

482. full length windows letting in the light

483. full length mirrors to twirl in

484. that first time you hear "you're my best friend"

485. PBS Masterpiece Classics

486. down blankets

487. cashmere sweaters

488. wool socks

489. warm boots

490. gifts from India

491. new books

492. a fresh coat of paint

493. finding a new use for something old

494. an afternoon nap

495. soup simmering in a new copper pot

496. knowing that even on grumpy days your family still loves you

497. bargins at the thrift store

498. tiny boxes that hold baby teeth

499. forgiveness

500. moments that wake you up

PAPARAZZI

2011-01-17T08:11:00.000-07:00

My kids are used to me taking their pictures.
"Oh, is this for the blog?" they say in a thoroughly bored voice.

I try to be sneaky and get those candid shots. Like the other day in Barnes and Noble when I came around the corner to see them all enjoying a book together. The youngest two in rapt attention. It was sweet. I did draw a few looks from other customers however as I crouched behind a book rack and stuck my arm over the shelf of Magic Tree House books to get this shot. They never knew I was there.

Sometimes they protest because mama paparazzi can be annoying.

"Let me drink my lemonade in peace mama."

Or there is the annoyed look to which I respond "Oh! Great one Ellie. I'm definitely using that one on the blog!"

Which is followed by the "Yikes! Is she serious?" look.

Then the giggle and cute smile I wanted in the first place.

Blackmail is a wonderful tool.

CONFESSION

2011-01-12T14:42:00.000-07:00

This tea and square of chocolate is my morning ritual.

But please don't tell my kids I have chocolate for breakfast.

I confess I'm a hypocrite, buying low sugar cereals, and wheat bread. We are a pop tart free zone and I refuse to buy frozen breakfast pastries or fruit roll-ups and call it breakfast. But yet I am more faithful to my chocolate square than my daily vitamins.

Shhhh....

NEW YEAR

2011-01-05T08:48:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was one of those days that is so cold the inside of your nose freezes as you breathe.

It was a crystalized winter wonderland.

And it was silent.

I love the busyness of Christmas. All the meal planning, decorating, plan making. And then it is over and I love the silence. The decorations have been put away. My in-laws left before the sun was up on Monday. My kids went back to school yesterday and I went on a walk with my dog in the quiet morning.

It's a New Year.

There have been years that I have been happy to say "good riddance", years that I wanted to hurry along so we could get to the next thing, and years that I anticipated because they held promise of upcoming events.

This year came quietly. And this year my spirit is quiet. No big plans looming, no major changes we are planning. Certainly God could have plans for us that we do not anticipate but for our part I am content to have dailyness this year. Just everyday reliability, routine and consistency.

I enjoy the process of looking back at the previous year and looking ahead and making resolutions. I like having goals in mind. I like list making. Last year I listed a few resolutions here. Some I accomplished like taking my children to the nursing home for visits, house training our puppy and learning new computer skills. Some goals are ongoing, making the list every year, because there are some things you just can't check off a list, like encourage my children more. And then there are the goals that fall by the wayside forgotten or priorities shifted.

This year I have not composed a list. Certainly there are things I want to accomplish this year, a few more rooms to paint and projects to complete, I'd like to get a little more exercise, and I have some spiritual goals in mind. But, overall I am more content to just see what comes this year. I remember as a child always asking my father "What are we going to DO?" and his answer was often "Why do we have to do anything, can't we just be?" That was not a concept I embraced. Boring! But now I'm beginning to think that there might be some wisdom there. To slow down a little and just be.

So as this new year dawns, and so far things are quiet, I am thinking of the words of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:11 when he says "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands..."

And so, although many may think a quiet life is an unattainable goal in my busy household of four children, it is my New Years's Resolution of sorts.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

CHRISTMAS

2010-12-28T08:28:00.000-07:00

The 11th and 12th Days of Christmas

Christmas Eve

Dinner at a cousins house and fun on the trampoline.

Candlelight Christmas Eve Service

Christmas dresses and matching red glitter shoes, carols and candlelight
and children falling asleep in the pews

Christmas Day

stockings, phone calls, ichats, cookies for breakfast

Favorite gifts

Jack is happy with the little things - Mario shirt, shades and cream soda.

Poppy shows off his yo-yo skills

snow ball makers turned reindeer team

Tinkerbell Beauty

Peanut hanging out by the stove

It was a good day.

THE CHRISTMAS KITCHEN

2010-12-25T17:08:00.000-07:00

The 10th Day of Christmas

The Food

I'm sadly lacking great photos for this post because my hands were covered in too much flour, butter and sprinkles over the past few days to pick up my camera. There has been lots of good kitchen action going on here. By the time anyone reads this however, most of the goodies will have been devoured or we will be so full of said goodies that we will be regretting our Christmas kitchen ambitions.

The cookie list:

pizelles

jam thumbprint

cut outs covered in a mass of sprinkles

gingerbread men

candy cane cookies

almond paste pine nut cookies

chocolate biscotti

chocolate nut fingers (which have not been made yet but are definitely required)

also a chocolate pecan pie (my personal favorite)

and a coconut cream pie rounding out the sweets list

On the savory side we have had several batches of Chex mix in the oven. Also three loaves of my Aunt Judy's famous sourdough bread.

An entire day was spent on a delicious secret recipe (secret because no one can really remember where it came from, what exactaly is supposed to be in it, or what the real name is) but my husband's family calls minulatti. Sounds Italian doesn't it?

On the kitchen staff, there is an expert dough roller, several taste testers, and lots of opinions on the correct fillings and the order in which the fillings are placed, also on the correct rolling and dough tucking techniques. There are also specific rules about when you can eat the minulatti - only on Christmas Eve after midnight according to my father in law. But those rules we blatantly broke because they are SO GOOD fresh from the oven.

The finished product, which I do not have a picture of because I was one of the rule breakers eating the minulatti instead of taking pictures, is like an antipasti roll. Pizza dough filled with ground beef and onions, salami, olives, roasted red peppers, and capicalla.

And then of course there are the menus:

Christmas Eve

shrimp cocktail

cheese and crackers

beef tenderloin

twice baked potatoes

green salad

jello salad

chocolate pecan pie

Christmas Morning

sausage egg souffle

cooked cinnamon apples

toasted panettone bread

mimosas

assorted hot drinks

Christmas Dinner

ham with pineapple chutney

scalloped potatoes

green beans almondine

coconut cream pie

So my kitchen is a mess, my jeans are getting tight, my children are eating their weight in cookies...

but its Christmas and its all good.

Happy Eating!

OUTDOOR WINTER FUN

2010-12-23T08:03:00.000-07:00

The 9th Day of Christmas

We have not had any snow in the foothills this season so we headed up to Rocky Mountain National Park to find some.

We had a wonderful afternoon of sledding fun.

We had a fancy wooden sled, 2 plastic saucers, and a long 3 seater. We flew down the hill on our knees, our bottoms, and our stomachs, sideways, backwards and in pairs. We had wipeouts both accidental and intentional.

Here are some of my favorite one-liners from the day.

"I think I broke my but."

"Abandon ship!"

"I'm having major steering issues."

"This is AWESOME!"

"Again, again!"

We had a blast and here are the photos to prove it.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

GIFTS OF THE SEASON

2010-12-20T07:36:00.000-07:00

The 8th Day of Christmas

It has been a while since I listed my gifts here. Not because I have stopped noticing them, but because they come flowing so abundantly - gifts both small and large, gifts wrapped in beautiful packages and in plain paper bags, gifts from God delivered by loved ones and strangers alike. Received in small daily moments and in big events.

441. the Christmas season

442. colored lights

443. Christmas tea

444. chocolate with tea

445. while wrapping presents by the fire

446. new best friends

447. BFF twin lockets

448. finding a friend when you need one

449. ice skating shows

450. beautiful costumes

451. disco balls

452. a grandmother who can name all the jumps and spins

453. homemade wrapping paper with children's handprints, stamps and crayon pictures

454. gorgeous foil papers and satin ribbons

455. silly dog paper picked out by my 4 year old

456. knowing that no matter how it was wrapped, it was given in love

457. volunteering at the school Christmas shop

458. seeing what 1st - 5th graders will pick out for their families

459. hearing the excitement when they describe their purchases

460. helping them wrap their gifts

461. new Christmas dresses

462. smocking

463. red sparkle shoes
464. a sermon about your gift to God
465. hearing your child sing out Joy To the World
466. great big breakfasts with fried potatoes, and bacon
467. asking the Wal-Mart cashier how her day is and listening to her Christmas plans
468. the generosity of parents
469. a great gift
470. the joy and surprise on the recipient's face
471. the feeling you get when someone really loves what you give them
472. school parties
473. reading a silly Christmas story to a roomful of 2nd graders wearing pajamas
474. sitting by the fire and the Christmas tree in the early morning quiet contemplating gifts

475. the indescribable Gift
476. the gift of Christ without whom all other gifts would be meaningless
477. the fact that LOVE came down at Christmas to live among us
478. Mary who "treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19)

Lord, this season may we be like Mary and treasure up all these things.

SCHOOL PARTIES

2010-12-18T09:57:00.001-07:00

The 6th and 7th Days Of Christmas

Christmas Math Lesson

4 parties + 3 classes x 2 days = 1 tired mama

Christmas Creative Writing Assignment

School Party Poem

Red and green paper chains,

Christmas toe-sock gift exchange.

Moms marching in with cookies galore,

Teachers, smiling and running out the door.

Bingo, stories, and crafts with glitter glue,

cookie decorating and a movie too!

Tonight, children nestled all snug in their beds,

while mamas soak in the tub to soothe their throbbing heads.

Christmas Science Experiment

For this experiment you will need:

3 flavors of ice cream, 13 different candy toppings, 9 varieties of sprinkles, 4 types of chocolate sauce, whip cream and 2 jars of cherries

Hypothesis: Offering the 5th grade class a serve yourself, all you can eat, ice cream sundae bar will make them very happy.

TRUE!

We are now officially on Christmas Break.

Ya- Hoo!

CHRISTMAS HOME TOUR

2010-12-15T06:00:00.002-07:00

The 5th Day of Christmas

Welcome to the first Christmas in our new home.

It's fun to pull out boxes and remember Christmases past.

Here are a few of our favorite things.

New,

Old,

and homemade.

These nativity hurricane lamps I bought last year and I love how they glow.

These photos are out all year but I love them at Christmas time.
The one on the left is my husband and his cousins in a very 1970's Christmas shot.
The photo on the right is a very similar 70's Christmas shot of my childhood.

Then there is the red ribbon box that holds special Christmas cards I have saved over the years.
It is fun to go back and read the personal notes and look at the wonderful photos of loved ones.
Someday my children may discover the notes they wrote to Santa that are buried on the bottom.

My dining room is in the middle of a makeover which I hope to have finished by Christmas dinner.
I like simple, natural decorations on the table.

But there is a little glitz hanging from the chandelier.

And then there are the Christmas dishes.
I LOVE traditional transferware. I use these as often as I can throughout the season and into January.

The shopping list has been checked off, the house is decorated, next week begins the best part - the baking!

CAROLING

2010-12-13T08:55:00.002-07:00

The 4th Day of Christmas

Ellie is in the elementary chorus at school.

Recently they donned Santa hats and sang Christmas carols at the hospital and then at an outdoor skating rink in our town.

She has a lovely voice and with a fit of giggles she admitted that she sings in the shower.
Her favorite song is Away In A Manger which she sang to Tim and I last night.

We told her she should try out for one of the chorus solos next time.

That terrified yet delighted her at the same time.

What is better than little children singing Christmas Carols?

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD

2010-12-07T09:39:00.004-07:00

The 3rd Day of Christmas

One tradition we have every Christmas is to fill shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. The kids look forward to shopping for items that a child their age would love. Molly took care picking out the right hairbows, Ellie went for colorful items, and Jack contributed the $7 shipping fee from his piggy bank. This, more than anything, helps them understand "to give is better than to receive".

This year E.J.'s 5th grade class took this on as their service project. The kids had to set their collection goal, speak about it in school chapel, make posters, and tour the Denver processing center.
I am so proud of him for his energy on this project. He asked our church to get involved too. He went around to all the elementary classes to talk about it, manned a collection table for 3 Sundays, and even got on stage to report the results to the entire church - 82 boxes!

Here's what that looks like packed into my SUV cargo space.

It was fun for the whole family to drive up to school and deliver armloads of boxes. They were stacked in a room where over 2,000 boxes are lining the walls and waiting to be sent around the world.

Forget letters to Santa - this is FUN!

TREES AND DO-OVERS

2010-12-06T08:39:00.001-07:00

The 2nd Day of Christmas

The biggest Christmas controversy - fresh vs fake. There are some very strong opinions on both sides. I spoke to a woman at church Sunday and told her we were going to get our tree that afternoon. "What fun!" she said and we went on to discuss how nice the smell is and how much fun it is to have the experience of cutting your own. Then her voice lowered and she rolled her eyes and said "We have a fake tree... but it's what works for us right now." My guess is, she must have married someone on the artificial tree side. Poor girl, those mixed marriages can be difficult!

I am in the fresh tree camp. I have memories of running around the tree lot in my hometown of Tulsa with my brother and mom looking for the perfect tree. The weekend after Christmas was the tradition. I can still picture the living room at my grandparents house at Christmas in detail. My grandmother always had a fresh tree that was flocked. (Do they even do that anymore?)

We have had our Charlie Brown years. Here is a tree circa 2007 that we cut from our yard when we lived in the New Hampshire woods. Actually, it is only a limb cut from a 30 foot pine, thus the leaning and lopsided growth. Those branches were not meant to be horizontal. But it has character and we laughed.

We also had a fun experience one year and drove into the mountains near Estes Park and took a sleigh ride into the woods to search for the perfect tree. They provided hot chocolate and a saw and we did the rest. Not so easy, but memorable.

When we were newlyweds we purchased a fresh tree from a tree lot in Arkansas. Tim was graduating from college the week before Christmas and we would be moving to New York but we just couldn't skip having a tree. The really fun part is, that since we were leaving before Christmas we found a young family in married student housing that could not afford a tree and we gave them the whole thing - stand, lights and all. They were thrilled.

This year we went to a local nursery and found a full, fat, lovely Noble Fir.

Molly couldn't decide which tree she liked best.

We made our selection and had it tied to the top of the car.

It now sits in our living room, with it's lovely smell, waiting to be decorated.

If we can just keep the dog from eating it!

We have had some unresolved Thanksgiving issues in our home since our trip to Las Vegas. We needed closure so we had a Thanksgiving Do-Over on Sunday afternoon. Las Vegas was memorable but we just couldn't wait a whole year for turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie, so while the boys were putting up Christmas lights outside, I had a turkey in the oven.

Here is our Norman Rockwell shot.

Now we are satisfied and can give Christmas our full attention.

THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

2010-12-03T08:00:00.003-07:00

Welcome to our 12 Days of Christmas Tour!

I will be sharing photos, traditions, memories and holiday adventures over the coming weeks leading up to Christmas.

December 1st begins a tradition the kids love. Each evening we sit by the fire and open a door on the advent box, share the treats inside, and read from a sweet book called Advent Storybook. It sets the mood for both the fun and the meaning of Christmas.

Tiny hands reach in to pull out a treat.

Candles are lit, our collection of Christmas books is pulled out.

It's a nice way to end the day.

LAS VEGAS

2010-12-02T12:38:00.003-07:00

We all know the expression What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Well, let's hope it's true this Thanksgiving.

My mother was a good sport for coming along and suffering through a horrible Thanksgiving meal at the Excaliber Tournament of Knights. No pumpkin pie, no stuffing, no turkey. Instead we had to eat a whole chicken with our bare hands, middle ages style. The show was corny but the kids LOVED it.

Have you ever heard of a Thanksgiving Meal where you leave hungry?

That's just WRONG people.

...So we went for ice cream afterwards.

My mother also wins an award for going above and beyond when Edward threw up the first night we were there. We had adjoining rooms and put the two oldest in with her. We never knew until the next morning that she had nursed him and waited over an hour for the grouchy housekeeping staff to bring clean sheets.

It wasn't all bad though. We had fun watching the fountain show at The Bellagio and walking around the beautiful lobby with blown glass on the ceiling and a whimsical indoor garden.

The kids enjoyed riding the monorail and looking at all the crazy themed hotels.

We went to an aquarium, a chocolate restaurant, and took a fascinating tour of the Hoover Dam.

Let's just say it was a memorable adventure! But next year - TURKEY!

THANKSGIVING

2010-11-25T03:00:00.002-07:00

Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow.

- Edward Sanford Martin

Thanksgiving is a day on the calendar,
but it is also an action word.

It is spinning and twirling in wonder at the world around you.

THE TURKEYS GO ON STRIKE

2010-11-23T09:15:00.000-07:00

or

THE SHOW MUST GO ON!

Last night we attended an adorable musical called The Turkeys Go On Strike. Each of the three 2nd and 3rd grade classes at our school were assigned to be, Indians, Turkeys, Pilgrims, Football Players, TV Reporters, or Cranberries. A synopsis of the show is this:

The newscasters report that there is trouble at the Gobble Gobble factory. The turkeys have gone on strike. Thanksgiving must be canceled! The turkeys revolt. The football players protest the cancellation. The cranberries are thrilled to lose their side dish status and offer to be the new main course. The indians and pilgrims are interviewed. In the end the true meaning of Thanksgiving is discovered and everyone breaks out in song.

All very cute!

However there was an unplanned side show going on. One of the adorable little turkeys in Ellie's class threw up on stage. Midway through the performance adults start peaking through the curtain. The turkey section is moved off the risers and shuffle down onto the floor. The reporters never break stride. Next, the cranberries and turkey section seem to be holding their noses while performing. A few are even pulling their shirts over their noses. Hands reach through the curtain and start wiping up the mess. All while the cranberries are jamming to Everybody Dance Now. A few minutes later another hand reaches through with a can of Lysol. In the bright stage lights you see a cloud of disinfectant billowing over the turkey section. And still the show goes on! It brought tears to my eyes.

(I'll leave it to you to determine if they were tears of a proud mama or the tears produced when you want to laugh so hard but are trying to keep composure.)

Here is a clip. The unfortunate turkey who stole the show is the cute tall boy behind Ellie in the back. He made it through his song then exited stage left. You will also notice Jack, our indian on the screen. It was a fun evening.

QUICK TAKES

2010-11-22T10:29:00.000-07:00

There is a funny Sandra Boyton song called "BUSY BUSY BUSY" that my kids love. They call it Daddy's song. But lately it's my theme song. I wish I knew how to attach music to my blog so you could hear this hilarious song... but alas I'm too busy to figure it out. Here are the lyrics which are sung at breakneck speed like one long run-on sentence.

"We're very very busy and we've got a lot to do and we haven't got a minute to explain it all to you for on SundayMondayTuesday there are people we must see and on WednesdayThursdayFriday we're as busy as can be with our most important meetings and our most important calls and we have to do so many things and post them on the walls.
THEN...we hurry to the south and then we hurry north and we're talking every minute as we hurry back and forth and we hurry to the east and then we hurry west and we're talking every minute and we don't have time to rest and we have to do it faster or it never will be done ..."

It goes on and then ends with a funny,
"and we think there is a reason to be running neck and neck and it must be quite important but we don't have time to check. And if not...well, what the heck."

So I'm busy, painting, and carpooling, Christmas shopping, and dog walking and there's no time to update my blog. Here are a few quick takes in the life and times of our household.

1. Tonight we will attend the 2nd and 3rd grade musical called "The Turkeys Go On Strike" . There will definitely be pictures to come because Jack is playing an Indian and Ellie (much to her dismay) was assigned the role of a turkey. She wanted to be a pilgrim and she is mortified to wear a beak and "gobbler thing". I told her that if she is going to be a turkey she should be the best turkey she can be!

2. Saturday I went with E.J.'s class on a field trip to the Operation Christmas Child's processing center in Denver. It was amazing! E.J. is doing a great job with his 5th grade service project and has collected over 50 boxes. The school's goal is over 4,000!

3. We are doing a non-traditional Thanksgiving this year. We head to Las Vegas on Wednesday. I'm sure there will be many photo opportunities there!

4. I'm a painting machine. It's amazing the change a $20 can of paint can make. So far I have rid the pantry, Molly's room and now the dining room of the dull tan color that covers the entire house. Jack's room remains tan but we painted his ceiling dark blue and attached glow in the dark stars. We also have plans to paint Ellie's room, the girls' bathroom, and the master bedroom at some point.

5. I'm 90% finished with Christmas shopping. I love being finished early so I can actually enjoy the season and skip the chaos.

6. Dr. Seuss has amazing insight and so does my 4 year old. We were reading about the Star-Bellied Sneetches and Molly declared at the end. "I would kept my money and just be'd friends in the furst place mama." She is wise.

7. Word to the wise - If you have a dog and a zhu-zhu pet in the house you must be sure to keep them apart. We had a very gory incident in which the zhu-zhu pet didn't make it. I will spare you the photos. It was a scene of destruction, plastic bits, wires, batteries, and a ragged piece of pink and white fur with only 1 remaining eyeball.

That's all I've got today. We're off to school for a Thanksgiving lunch feast cafeteria style. Yum!

DURANGO TRIP PART 2

2010-11-21T19:36:00.000-07:00

The trip to Durango was beautiful. It was wonderful to familiarize ourselves with the Colorado mountains again. Up narrow roads, lined with golden aspens, and steep cliffs, through tunnels, then up past pines frosted with snow and finally to the top of the pass with snowcapped mountains peaks and then back down again. We must have gone over a dozen passes to get there. The scenery kept us captivated.

Colorado is a great place for train lovers and we have a few in our family. One of the highlights of the trip was the Durango-Silverton steam train. We have ridden it several times in years past. This time we decided to drive up to Silverton and watch the steam train roll into to town. It is quite a sight, chugging into town, wheels screeching, steam bellowing and whistle blowing.

E.J. has been fascinated with trains since he was tiny. We have watched hours of I Love Toy Trains video, and built Thomas train layouts that stretch from room to room. At age 2, when we were potty training, he would sit on the toilet making chugging noises. The biggest attraction at the zoo wasn't the animals but the train that slowly made it's way around the park. For years his favorite ride at Disneyworld was the Tomorrowland People Mover train. We have been fortunate enough to ride several actual trains over the years and the fascination never wanes.

We spent quite a bit of time in the Durango Train Museum. This part of the country has a past filled with adventure. The road from Durango to Silverton and then further up to Ouray was called the Million Dollar Highway because of the gold and silver mining in the area. Tim met a man on a recent sales call that grew up working in the gold mines. His father was a sheep farmer above Silverton. He provided us with the photo below. It is the same road we took in our SUV only slightly wider. Amazing!

POVERTY

2010-11-16T14:36:00.000-07:00

I've been reading and hearing a lot about "making a difference" lately. I'm a few chapters into The Hole In Our Gospel by Richard Stearns and I have been listening to the Outlive Your Life video series at MaxLucado.com.

Richard Stearns says that "poverty is rocket science". It is so complex an issue and I agree with this as I pass the man on the corner with the "hungry" sign. Shouldn't this man get a job? If I give him money will he blow it on drugs or alcohol? Didn't Jesus say to feed the hungry? What would I say to him? What should I say to my kids when they ask what he wants?

In the video series Max points out that much of our success in life is due to our birthplace. "In the game of life many who cross homeplate were born on third base and many others, who are just as willing and capable, weren't even born on a team." So I'm a 3rd baser and that man on the corner, maybe he doesn't have a team. Or maybe he isn't willing and capable. I do not know, but I do know that I have be given much and much is expected.

Several years ago I was on my way to pick up my kids from school in Rochester NY. I got off the highway and stopped at a red light. Across the intersection is a man with a sign. I want to help. I have only change in my purse but sitting on the passenger seat is a loaf of banana bread that I had just baked. On an impulse I wave to the man. The light changes and he can't cross. I have to move because I am blocking traffic. I circle the block and come back. I tell him that I have no money but that if he really is hungry he can have my bread. I hand it out the window. Our eyes meet and I think he is ashamed or perhaps disappointed. He mumbles no thank you and heads off in the opposite direction. I am sad for him and for me and for circumstances. I threw my banana bread back on the seat and went to pick up my kids. On the way back home I notice the corner is empty.

Since moving to Colorado I see these these men up and down the interstate or in the Wal-Mart parking lot almost daily. Last week I read a lovely post entitled "The Man On The Corner" at the blog Graceful and I was inspired to try again. I didn't plan anything I just knew at some point it would happen.

Thursday we woke up to snow, and gray skies. The kids were thrilled. It was beautiful. The first snowfall signals the approach of a season I love. But then, I have a warm coat, a cozy house and heated seats in my car.

After having a lovely morning at Ladies Bible class I head up an exit to Wal-Mart to pick up a couple things. And there he is. A man on the corner with a sign that I do not bother to read. It is cold and windy, he must be frozen. We enter through the garden center which is filled with Christmas displays. I quickly collect the items I need, a bag of flour, snacks for the kids' lunchboxes, and some toilet paper. I wonder if he will still be there and determine what I will say. At the Subway behind the checkout I purchase a cup of coffee and stuff a bag full of creamers and sugar packets. We load the car, my 4 year old, completely unaware of her mama's conflicting thoughts and plan. We reach the corner and I roll down the window. "You must be cold" I say and "I wanted to give you this and tell you that God loves us all and offers everyone a chance to change." I hand him the coffee. His eyes look vacant. I hand him a $5.00 bill, hoping it isn't spent on pot. He says "Thank you and God bless." And I roll up my window and drive home.

I don't know whether I helped or enabled this man. Maybe a seed was planted. At the very least I shared a hot coffee on a cold day. To be honest the passing of a $5.00 bill out the window was easy, the coffee was a nice touch but it's the words I wonder about. It's the eye contact and the having to say something that was hard. But it was a good lesson for me in being bold with compassion. I won't be handing out money at every corner but I am keeping my eyes open.

DURANGO TRIP PART 1

2010-11-12T09:11:00.002-07:00

The kids had a fall break from school a few weeks ago we so decided to head into the mountains. We crossed several mountain passes, a splendid drive that brought to mind Romans 1:20.

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities

- His eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen,

being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

Our destination was a cabin in Durango that we had visited several times when we lived here before. The usually bustling campground was in its last week of the season, the temperatures were cool and it was deserted and quiet except for a few hunters in for elk season.

The kids had fun exploring the campground. They were so excited to unroll their sleeping bags and bunk together in the loft. We had declared this vacation technology free so although the cabin had a television, it never once was turned on. No games were played on the iphone either. We brought board games, a puzzle and lots of good books.

The cabin next door had a group of hunters that we saw coming and going in the dusk and dawn, outfitted in camouflage and carrying menacing weapons. One morning the kids peaked through the checked curtains to see them obviously butchering something on the deck. I could hear a horror soundtrack playing in my head. We were disgusted yet fascinated at the same time!

Little did we know, we would need those hunters and perhaps they were not as menacing as we imagined.

The kids really wanted to enjoy a campfire so we purchased, hot dogs, and goodies for smore-making, a bundle of firewood and a starter block. E.J. set to using his cub scout knowledge and got a roaring fire going with Daddy.

The temperatures were cool but the skies were clear and the fire warm.

As often happens in the mountains the clouds started rolling off the mountains and in a matter of minutes our once clear skies were looking ominous. As we moved onto the smores course we were beginning to see snowflakes.

We laughed that we were enjoying this summertime tradition in a snowstorm. It was the first snow we had seen this season and the kids were thrilled dancing around the fire...until...

UH OH!

Someone just locked us out of the cabin!

And now the snow is really falling, and the fire is dying, and the night is coming.

Now it's not so fun!

We looked over at the cabin next door. The hunters. Tim went to borrow their cell phone to call the campground manager. A few minutes later these good old boys were insisting, "Ya'll get in here! It's too cold to have them kids outside." Now I grew up in Texas and Oklahoma. I went to college in Arkansas. I am no stranger to a southern drawl. But when these men from the West Virginia mountains spoke, I really had to pay attention to understand what they were saying.

We all crowded into their cabin. Dinner was on the stove, drinks and pictures of the cook's grandchildren were passed around. And then the hunting stories commenced. We learned that they were here to hunt elk and that they were lucky enough to get one their first day out. And unlucky enough to have shot it 3 miles off the trail. They had to cut it into quarters and carry it out. That morning they "got smart" and had hired a local ranch hand to go in with his horse and pack out the rest. I asked how they insured that the portion left overnight didn't get eaten by other animals. "You don't." was the answer.

Then show and tell began and we learned about field bags and hunting licenses, and we gazed at the rack, still a little bloody, that was hanging in the loft. We exchanged stories of bear sightings in New Hampshire and the Great Smoky Mountains. We had seen moose, they had seen mountain lion.

Dinnertime! We were offered fresh sauteed elk meat (the very same we had seen butchered that morning). Some were more eager than others to try. It was certainly the freshest meat we had ever eaten and pretty tasty.

Finally the camp manager showed up and we said our thanks and goodbyes. It was now dark and our cozy cabin was waiting. This was not the evening we expected but it was an evening to remember and we learned a lesson about first impressions! I just wish I had taken pictures of our hosts.

GIFTS 416-440

2010-11-08T04:00:00.001-07:00

416. a slow change of season

417. bread rising in the oven

418. successful high altitude baking
419. doggie daycare

420. having a tired pup napping at your feet
421. visits from family
422. neighborhood parties
423. timely knitting advice

424. fabric swatches for girly rooms
425. 5th grade service projects
426. Operation Christmas Child boxes stacked on our table

427. a bold new painting project - did I really just paint that blue on a whim?

428. field trips
429. trips back in time

430. a boy's fascination with chamber pots, and "cool chickens"

431. an appreciation of the ease of modern life
432. the strength and determination of the pioneers
433. aquariums

434. fancy desserts

435. art projects

436. Christmas shopping, mostly finished

437. a new babysitter

438. 3-D glasses

439. pumpkin carving

440. grace, grace and more grace, overflowing

Thank you Lord for blessings overflowing,

lists never ending,

promises forever kept,

goodness surrounding,

magnified by the light of gratitude.

COLORADO LIGHT

2010-11-07T06:20:00.001-07:00

I love the light in Colorado and although I have simple equipment and no training, I love taking pictures of "the glow". I do a double take and pull out my camera when I notice the golden light on things. Every time I walk the trail behind our neighborhood, the mountains create a different scene. Things are always changing, the light, the cloud formations, the colors of the sky. It's a wonder of God's creation.

It strikes me as funny that Colorado is known as "Colorful Colorado" because coming from the East Coast where things are lush green, and my favorite, peonies, azaleas, flowering trees, wild violets and daffodils burst forth with little effort, Colorado is a place of brown and gold with blue skies. But there is something about the light here that makes everything beautiful.

I am loving our new life here. Maybe that's why things are glowing. We are busy, but a good busy not a hectic busy. I have been absent from my blog and I miss the communication but I don't find it as necessary as when I was so isolated and my blog was my link to society and sanity.

I learned from another blogging mom that there are companies that will publish, in hardcover book form, the contents of your blog. She does this instead of scrapbooking. I think this is a fabulous idea.

When you have babies everyone tells you "write it down, those milestones and cute stories, or you will forget". And you do ... forget. You forget to write it down, you forget those moments you think you won't. So I have a new goal here at Yellow Shoe Day - to preserve those moments and thoughts I want to share with my children. Since I do not have the discipline to stick with a pen a paper journal, that may or may not be appreciated, or even remembered, many years down the road, I will choose the method that gives me instant gratification, pretty pictures and the occasional feedback.

Hope things are glowing in your neighborhood.

COMPLIMENTS

2010-10-18T22:54:00.001-06:00

Compliments often say more about the person giving them than the one on the receiving end. I have been thinking about this recently because I have received a few compliments on my children's behavior in the past few weeks.

I enter society with trepidation, as so many mothers of young children do, never knowing whether my outing to the bank, church, park or grocery store will be productive or leave me vowing never to leave the house again. Let's face it, children are unpredictable. Yes, I have my fantasies that if I could stumble upon the right parenting method, or a fabulous color-coded organizational plan, or Mary Poppins, then my children would be so well behaved that I could venture out with confidence into the world knowing that my children would be a delight to all they come in contact with.

But I live in reality.
I get annoyed looks, snide comments, criticisms, and judgements often. I even had the 80 year old greeter at Wal-Mart hand my daughter a sticker the other day and then look at me with a scowl and say, "You should take care of that dribble on her nose you know before she gets someone sick". Nice greeting.

So I take notice of compliments.

Compliment #1

I was in the library check out line with Molly a few weeks ago and a middle age woman behind me smiled and said "Your daughter is so well behaved and quiet".

Nice compliment right?

Well she continued, glancing over her shoulder at the mother entering the library with a baby and the family of 3 boys noisily stacking their books on the counter, and the toddler crying because her mother didn't let her put the Barney video in the return slot, and said with a look of disdain "I mean it's nice to see a child who knows how to behave in a library these days".

My heart sunk. This was just her way of voicing her complaints about the other families.

I said thank you but added "I actually have 4 children and we have plenty of noisy moments too."

I identified with those other mothers so much that I wanted to defend them from this woman who so obviously thinks that children should be banned from the children's section in the library.

Compliment #2

After a church service in which I had attempted to keep my 4, standing during the singing, bowing during the prayers, and quiet during the sermon, I was tired and ready to run to the car. The elderly woman behind me touched my shoulder and said "I just want to tell you how well behaved your children were during the service."

She smiled and it was genuine and I just wanted to hug her.

I gushed "Oh thank you! It felt like so much work." To which she replied, "Well perhaps you have higher expectations of their behavior as the mother than we do. But you are doing a wonderful job".

That woman knows how to encourage. That compliment will go a long way to refueling this mother's heart.

Now for the record, I am not a wonderful mother.

But I am a good one. Trying my best in the circumstances.
Stumbling, wondering, worrying, praying, crying, analyzing, correcting, and questioning my way through motherhood.

BIRTHDAY PARTY

2010-10-15T11:34:00.000-06:00

It was hard being the new girl, with a birthday only 6 weeks after school started. There was much discussion about who to invite and who would come. Ellie wanted to go to an indoor bounce park and it worked out perfectly. This year was not a year for fancy decorations, elaborate gifts, or huge parties but she said it was her best birthday ever.
That's all I needed to hear!

Here are some highlights.
8 bouncing children are hard to photograph but I love the blur of motion in these photos, the disheveled hair, and rosy cheeks from all the fun!

FUN WAS HAD BY ALL!

NINTH BIRTHDAY

2010-10-10T16:25:00.001-06:00

My first born girl turns 9 today.

Her daddy said this morning, "That means half our time with you is over! In nine more years you can drive and vote and have a job and get married. But don't you dare do that last one at 18!" he added hastily.

Her eyes grew wide. She gulped and just said "Really?"

And her mama, who was in the bathroom listening, did the same.

She is still a little girl, thankfully, in this age when girls are not little for long.

She is a joy. Our dark haired beauty.

Our wanna be farm girl

artist

Daddy's girl

glamour girl

adventurer

freckle face lovely

Happy Birthday Ellie!