Snow Day!

Yesterday was quite an adventure. We got hit with a big snow storm and major accumulation. Aside from my wild ride home from work (thank you Lord for protection on the roads), we did have a fun afternoon. The boys worked on a fort, tossed snowballs, and mom and dad shoveled (ohhhh my aching back)! Lol. Here is a view of how deep it was, poor St. Francis is crooked and half-buried!



Molly Parton is not enjoying this at all!. Poor girl, she needs to go out several times a day and she's been avoiding it at all costs. I think next week we might hit 40 degrees, yippee, that is going to feel like spring. I'm ready for it!:)


P.S. Thanks to Danielle Bean for posting this story on her Twitter. Go Gary! Speak it brother.

Pick Me

Len showed me this cool video today and I had to share! I actually thought it was real....for a few seconds. These tricks are sweet!:) Pretty cool technology. I was excited to see the Brown County Courthouse in the background in one clip. I used to work directly across the street at the WBAY building in Green Bay. He's my fav. (or the guy jumping through the window).:)

Leaving a Legacy

I ran across a neat story about a dad's great idea! He talks about his son's 13th birthday and a way to celebrate his "passage into manhood" . Here is a quick preview: "I'm inviting five men to join him at a special birthday dinner at a restaurant. During our meal, each man will have a few moments to share some things they admire about Chad.".

It goes on to talk about leaving a legacy of faith for his son. That is something I need to tuck away for future reference! What a beautiful way to bond and inspire your child. For the full article, click here.

Ant Update

A few months ago I posted that we were getting Gabriel an ant farm for Christmas. I never would've imagined being psyched about insects but I have to admit, they are pretty cool! At least when they are contained and not freely roaming my home.:) Gabe was giddy to get his ants but they are shipped from CA and took a while to arrive. A few weeks they came and he was thrilled...until we realized they weren't waking up. The lady on the phone said the go into a dormant mode when traveling. Well, after 3 days we realized they weren't dormant, they were dead as doornail's. Lol. So a new shipment arrived yesterday (many of them didn't make the trip) but there were a few survivors. We were amazed to see how much digging they did already. It's pretty good entertainment for a January in NE Ohio!:) Here is what they've accomplished in about 24 hours:


Man, if only I could tap in to a fraction of that energy!:)

On another note, I ran across a story that's a little sad today. More signs of the economic trouble. It's a list of surprising stores that may disappear this year. Starbucks?! Wow, things ARE bad! Click here for the Forbes piece.

Freebie Friday!

My mother-in-law is the queen of freebs and she's always winning something and getting the scoop on the deals. So I wasn't surprised when she sent me this link. It's a fantastic site with tips, coupons, and samples that add up to....zero!:) All good items at no charge. Thanks Grammie, good one!:)

The other big story are the makeup companies giving away free items due to a class action lawsuit. Mark (our news guy) ran across this story earlier in the week. I hightailed it to Macy's after the show and got a bottle of perfume. Alright!:) At that time they were running low on items but it's definitely worth a try! Here is a link with all the details.

Now if I could just find a good deal on a nice camera. We have been trying to find a nice DSLR for our family. Our current digital camera is broken (but nothing a few layers of tape can't fix).:) Still, as we plan for our trip to Rome this year, we're hoping to upgrade and invest in something we'll have for a while. My friend Erika is a professional photog. and said Canons are great, user friendly etc. That was helpful but we still can't choose. I think sometimes the more you research those things, the harder it becomes to actually decide. I want to be educated of course but there are so many reviews, so many brands and opinions that it can become time-consuming. Not that I'm complaining, it's nice to have such abundance. Besides, I know the moment we buy something, it will be outdated anyway! Lol.:)

Oh Baby!

How sweet is this?! It's a 3-d baby ticker. For pregnant mommies, you can add this to your e-mails, or blog. Just type in your due date and a few other details and voila! You have a floating, growing baby to remind you of your little miracle! The entire website is very cute and interactive. Here is a little tool that helps teach sign language. It's Babystrology.com


Speaking of unborn babies, it's time for March for Life in Washington DC. Hundreds of thousands will be united to pray for the most vulnerable among us. Here is a link to a beautiful prayer from Priests for Life.


Just a shortie today. Time to edit an interview and catch a little American Idol.:)

Thanks, Family Fun!

Our Family Fun magazine arrived in the mail this week and was loaded with great ideas (as usual). I have to admit that I normally just enjoy the artistic ability of other moms and their kids but don't attempt the crafts unless I have all the supplies handy (which isn't often). I always seem to be a few pipe cleaners short, and I never have the wiggly eyes when I need them!:)
So I was happy when I stumbled on an idea I liked, was easy enough to do with all 3 boys, and I had all the supplies for! Well, except for the colored duct tape. It's a thank-you card kit. You decorate a binder and fill it with everything you need to make heartfelt, homemade, thank-you cards. We have some stickers, rubber stamps, markers and paper in ours. It's something I know we'll use and it keeps everything organized in one spot. Hooray!



You can download the thank-you note tracker at Family Fun's website. Just click here.

I read a beautiful sentiment from Pope Benedict XVI to our 44th President. Here is a telegram he sent to President Obama.

Weekend Relaxation

Here is our dog that I vowed would never be allowed on the furniture. I think I need to work on strengthening my backbone. :) This is actually a rare occurrence (really)! She moved before I snapped this picture but she had been laying on Garrett's shoulder. So cute! It was his turn for the DS, even though he doesn't really know how to play it. That is the influence of big brothers! It's amazing to see the difference between Gabriel at 2, compared to Garrett. Gabriel was age appropriate for his milestones, cognitive skills, etc. He was an only child at that point and we did most of the entertaining and teaching. Grant surprised me how quickly he leap-frogged the stages (picking things up from Gabriel). Now Garrett is 2 going on 12! Yesterday he was quoting lines from "Little Rascals". AT 2! What a hoot.

I was scanning the news this morning and that peaked my interest. According to the article, paying "full price" for something will soon be a thing of the past. We are now entering a world of perpetual sales. Although the cause is not good (the down economy), the effect is good for consumers! Here is the article.

New Year, New Look!

I am so excited to show you my new blog design. Yippee! I hope you like it. A big thanks to Shera at Sweet and Simple designs for her patience with me.:) I never knew it could so hard to choose colors, designs, etc. Good thing I'm already married, I would be a mess in planning a wedding!:) Here is her portfolio. She does amazing work. Thanks Shera, you are the best!

Snow and Sales

Brrrr. It FREEZING here in Ohio! There is no way we are venturing out in this sub zero arctic air, but we are stocking up on the cold weather duds. After realizing last week that we don't have adequate winter-wear I've been looking online for some good deals. The thing is, we DID have all the ski gloves but somehow over time one would get lost (just like the dozens of socks in our home). There are so many things in our "missing mate" bin...add the ski gloves to the pile! Ugh. It's frustrating because they are so expensive. Well, not at REI! They are having a great sale right now. This hat for example was something like $24.00 and is now about $7.

The only catch is the items are going fast! Many of the sizes are picked over already. Click here for Rei.com


Also, I received a fun recipe idea from my friend Dr. Allison Brindle at Cleveland Clinic Children's hospital. Check it out:
SNOW CREAM
Blend: 1 cup sugar, 1 T vanilla, 2 cups of milk.
Add fresh snow (but don't blend it because it will melt) in until it's a consistency you like ( I make it like a frosty or milk shake)
Also yummy if you add in Hershey's syrup or maple syrup

Yes, anything covered in chocolate I am all for!:)


Finally, I am going to post a website per Mitzy's comment to my last entry. The 2009March for Life is taking place January 22 in D.C. If you would like to get involved in your community, many churches are having prayer vigils and activities. Also, the website www.neversilencelife.com is coordinating a national prayer initiative.

Have a wonderful weekend and stay warm!:)

Precious Life (The Tim Tebow Story)

March for Life 2009 is about a week away. It takes place in Washington DC on January 22. I wish I could go! Still, please pray for the thousands who will travel, pray, and defend those who cannot speak for themselves, the unborn. A great story I ran across is that of Heisman trophy winner Tim Tebow. Here is a little clip of his journey (btw, wow..what a family)! I'm sure I'll be posting more as the date gets closer. It was just on my mind today.

Working on ABC's with Garrett today, better get going ("S" is for SNOW)!

Saturday Snow

I am so grateful I don't have to commute today! We got quite a bit of snow and more to come. Gabriel is at a birthday party but other than that we are going to stay inside and hibernate. I need to get the boys better gloves, the stretchy cotton cheap ones are the worst. Their poor fingers were red and frozen within 10 minutes! Time to make a visit to Lands End.
It's so funny to see Molly Parton react to the snow. She doesn't want to go outside and when she does, she does her thing and bolts back inside like a bullet! Who knew she had that much energy?! Anyway, here are the boys with Molly on the sled. We usually pull them around the yard until we are totally exhausted (which is about twice)! Lol. Molly hopped off but they we are getting ready to ride (Garrett went inside, his hands were too cold):

On Time in 2009!

Time for my annual plug of "Momagenda". I've been using this planner for 2 years (going on 3) and it's helped me tremendously. I've always been organizationally-challenged but I'm happy to say this has helped me reform!:) I'm sure I'll always struggle with paper piles and forgetting to actually LOOK at it sometimes, but it really has made a difference.
It's especially great for a busy family. Momagenda has slots for up to 4 kids (plus mom and dad) meal plans, and lots of space to add details. It's time to order my refill for the year and I just saw they are having a big blowout sale! Last year I also got the "Kitchenfolio" which is a dream for organizing paperwork. You can check it out here at: Momagenda.com. Now if I could only find something to help me with the laundry!

I am also posting a cute online show I ran across. Lisa Henedy (from Catholic Mom) posted this a while back and I was impressed at the quality of the show, and the well-schooled kids! It's pretty long but the questions are good. Here is the link.

Western Room

Grant's room is coming along. For Christmas we gave him western themed bedding and decor. I was going to order a John Wayne poster online and frame it, but then Gina at Laus Deo came up with a great idea. I knew we would be riding horses in Georgia so she recommended taking a picture of our little "Duke" and making it poster size. I never noticed before, but Sam's, Rite-Aid, and all those places have such affordable prices on the poster sized pics. Grant was so amazed when he saw the finished product! We've added a bunch of other cowboy items and I think we'll paint his room a dusty color at some point too. I just hope he likes cowboys for a long time, looks like we are committed to this theme for a while!:)

The Cowboy Monkey

My boys are going to be so excited when they see this! They love cowboys and they love monkeys....and now to see them COMBINED?! Wow, it just might be the best moment ever. I think this is kind of old but I never saw the vid before. It's Whiplash, the Cowboy Monkey! So funny.

Back to the Routine!

Well, this is our first official day back in the groove. School, work, naps, and calendars. So far, so good! Although we are all used to staying up a little later than usual so I have a feeling we'll collectively hit a wall by mid-week. It was so nice to have a breather and really enjoy family time without a set schedule. Well, temporarily anyway. Getting up at 3am has made me very rigid when it comes to routines. Our days are very predictable and I do think that the consistency is good for the boys. Still, it's fun to just let loose and stay up past 8pm every now and then!:)

I'm excited I have a "Twitter" account now. I like it because it's a fun way of updating and it's quick. It's over in the right margin of the blog. I don't do Myspace or Facebook or any of those, but I think I might get in to Twitter! There are so many of those things out there now, I feel old trying to keep up with all the technology. This is my effort though, if my friend Dave can do it and my mother-in-law, I can too!:)

Speaking of feeling older, my new favorite channel is History International. I am hooked. We have so many things recorded on my TiVo that it's going to take us all of 2009 just to watch them! Last night they had a special on Rommel (the Desert Fox), we've watched the history of crucifixions, and our favorite is Wild West Tech. They debunk rumors of the Wild West, go in-depth to places like Deadwood, and reveal facts about people like Bill Hickok. It is so fascinating. The sad part is I knew I learned about those things in school but I just can't remember it. Did I not pay attention or did I just forget? I'm not sure but I love re-learning it. Click here for the channel, I'm telling you, it's addictive!:)

Happy 2009!

Happy New Year!! We just got back from a big show at the Carlisle Inn in Sugarcreek. I was honored to host a show featuring Mark Shultz! We also heard a great Southern Gospel trio (Mencer, White, and Cheney) and we had a wonderful time. What a way to ring in the new year, with great Christian music in a beautiful setting! Here are some pictures from the hotel (it was breathtaking).

Jim caught me doing something I do a lot of: talking!:) Lol


Look at this library! Such gorgeous craftsmanship and woodwork.


Still decorated for Christmas, I love it!



What a year 2008 was. I know people who couldn't wait to move on, but for me I didn't want this year to end! Either way I am grateful to be alive and have a healthy family. God is so good and knows exactly what 2009 holds in store for every one of us. I pray that your year is blessed with joy, peace, and fortitude for whatever lies ahead. God bless you!