Be back soon!

Hi, friends... I am so missing my camera! And, blogging! I feel like telling my kids we can't do anything fun, because I don't want to miss it on film! I should be back by this weekend... I hope! We've had new floors put in the bedrooms, a weekend MOPS retreat, both girls in VBS, and now family visiting. Still... I miss you! I'll be back very soon!!!

Cold Stone Factory Tour

My friend just sent me these pictures of our Cold Stone factory tour from a couple weeks ago. Perfect timing, huh? No pictures of my own to post, but now I have these... thanks, Marcie! Our MOPS group took a little tour of the Cold Stone Ice Cream Shop at Victoria Gardens, and I thought it was a lot of fun! The kids weren't too excited about all the behind-the-scenes stuff, but they were sure excited about making their own ice cream! The littlest child got to go first, which happened to be Natalie this time. Of course, she picked strawberry ice cream with sprinkles, but then spent more time pushing the sprinkles aside with her spoon than eating her ice cream! Silly girl! Allison picked vanilla with sprinkles... what happened to choosing coffee ice cream, (found out they use Folgers!), or the chocolate and peanut butter cups? Whose girls are these???

Missing my camera!

Lots to blog about... a fun MOPS craft, some yummy recipes, and a new "craft" activity with Allison. But, alas, it is no fun without pictures. Daniel did bust out an old camera we have that can be a little temperamental, so once he comes home I should be able to download some pictures, at least. For now, let's take a trip down memory lane. Here are Allison and her best buddy Triscuit about 18 months ago. (That means Allison in this picture is Natalie's current age... kind of crazy, huh?) Aren't they sweet?

We Adore Thee, part 2!

Hmmm... for some reason I couldn't text under the video, so I guess a second post will have to do! Oh, friends... the girls asked if there was a "Beethoven video," and this is what we found. If only our camera wasn't broken! You should see our girls singing at the top of their lungs to this song, and dancing all over. We've had so much fun! It makes me want to search all over for more video/ hymns! Of course, I had to post it on the blog so they could watch it over... and over... and OVER! Hope you enjoy it, too!

We Adore Thee!

All dressed up...

Girls are so fun, aren't they? Today we had a special appointment for Yehbie. At our original ultrasound, Yehbie's right kidney was slightly larger than the left. So, today we visited the perinatal center for another ultrasound. Our sweet friend agreed to take the girls for the afternoon for us, and this picture was waiting for us when we got home. Too fun! Allison and her friend are just a day apart, and we have pictures of them together since they were just days old. I'll add this to the collection!

The result from this second ultrasound was not quite what we were hoping to hear... Unfortunately, the right kidney is continuing to enlarge, due to being closed off from the ureter, and thus not secreting urine. The good news is we serve a big God, and are praying for a miracle. I have total peace, but a stir in my heart to pray, pray, pray! Unfortunately, this may require surgery after birth, (there is a good chance), but again.. we are praying for a miracle! And, we'd love for you to join us in prayer. Surgery would be removing the kidney, which would still mean there could be other complications.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, WITH THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God. And, the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Phillipians 4:6-7

Sunflower Cheer

I dropped my camera last night... it's smashed... totalled... ruined... I am SO thankful for an understanding husband, because we only had this camera 91 days. I feel so bad. I thought I'd post an old picture of one of our sunflowers to cheer me up! (My husband took this about 2 weeks ago!) Hope it cheers you up, too!

Bathroom Bible Verse

Here is the finished verse. I am so inspired that I want to paint verses all over my house, now! (We'll see about that!) But, I do love the idea of seeing this verse each day, and hope that will encourage me and help me to memorize more scripture!

For Mel: It really was a fairly easy project. I used a level and a piece of chalk to get a straight line. I then wrote out the verse in chalk, so I could see the spacing of it. I would then erase one word at a time, and paint it on. Once I was completely finished and it had dried, I used a towel to wipe away the chalk line and any other excess chalk. You can use any acrylic paints from any craft store. However, the higher the price, the better the quality. You don't have to buy the super expensive kind, but don't get the cheapest, either. As for the bird on the branch, I had that pictured in my mind for a while, so when I started I just chalked it out, then painted it in. Hope that helps!

Allison: "Mom, what do those words say that you're painting?"
Me: "It's a Bible verse that I can see every morning as I'm taking a shower. You see, some mornings I wake up a little tired and grumpy and wish away my day. This verse reminds me that each day is a gift from God, and I need to change my attitude and ask God to help me to choose joy each day."
Allison: "Oh, mom... sometimes I feel that way, too! I think you need to paint that verse in my room, and Yehbie's room, and everyones' room to remind us all to pray that to Jesus!"

Wednesday Date with Daddy

Do you think the girls have fun when their Papa is home? Aw, it just makes me smile thinking about it. Without really making a conscious decision about it, Wednesday has sort of become the girls date day with daddy. The last 4 Wednesdays, I have had my Bible study and Daniel has been off, so he has graciously taken the girls on a date. Pump it Up, Chuck E. Cheese, IHOP... spoiled girls! I asked Natalie tonight if she wanted to go to Bible Study with me tomorrow, and she got a big smile on her face as she exclaimed, "NO, I go to Chuck E. Cheese with Papa and Allison wins the jackpot and we have SO much fun!" I guess she's caught on!

For Mel: I'll post more pictures and explanations of the bathroom painting tomorrow for ya!

Sunday Sabbath

I was just enjoying our Sunday Sabbath again yesterday, and reflecting on how awesome it was. Daniel took the girls to the park in the morning. Then he played Chutes and Ladders with Allison. We took a family trip to Costco for some samples. (Oh, and other necessities, as well!) Then came my favorite part; painting with Allison, while Natalie and Daniel took a nap. She kept saying how much she enjoyed doing things with me, and how she wanted to be just like me. (Melt my heart!) We finished the night off by putting the girls down and playing with our new Wii! Daniel killed me in tennis, but I rocked in bowling!

Anyway, I woke up this morning, and went back to my computer after my 24 hour hiatus. On Facebook, my friend wrote a whole spiel entitled, "In Defense of a Day of Rest." You can check it out here. So true... I couldn't agree more!

So, what did I paint? I have been wanting to paint a bird on a branch silhouette, as well as a Bible Verse in our bathroom for a while. I finished the bird and branch within 30 minutes, and chalked out the verse, but haven't had a chance to paint it, yet. I added a butterfly at the last minute, as requested by Allison, but I don't think I like it. Here are the pictures. (I'll show you how the verse turned out, when I'm done!)

The Flower Girl

I was told by some of you that I never posted pictures of our trip up north. Of course, I expected that comment from my mom, but I was so impressed that others of you picked-up on that! Really, I just had trouble getting back in the swing of blogging once we got back. Lots on my mind lately with MOPS and preparing for Yehbie! But, you are right... I at least have to post some pics of our beautiful flower girl. One funny story, first:

The flower girls were suppose to come back around after walking down the aisle, but somehow ended up standing up front the whole time. They were a bit squirmy, and actually very entertaining; especially Allison! Afterward, the lady behind me commented, "That one flower girl was sure a distraction!" I turned around smiling, and the lady continued... "uh... and... uh... cute!" Too funny!

Breakfast for Dinner

Oh, my friends... with Daniel gone last night, we decided to do breakfast for dinner. I found a recipe for banana oatmeal waffles. Let me tell ya... my new favorite breakfast! We added some blueberries, whip cream, and syrup. Here is the recipe:

Banana Oatmeal Waffles

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup regular oats, uncooked
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 medium bananas, chopped
Mix all ingredients except bananas until smooth. Add bananas and mix to blend. This may be done in a food processor, pulsing to chop bananas. Bake in preheated waffle iron until golden.

The new couch...

The girls and I were playing in bed this morning, as we usually do when they come to wake me up, when I said, "Girls... guess what Mama did last night?"
Allison, jumping off the bed: "You made it! I can't wait to see the new couch!"
Natalie, following: "Oooh... is it blue? I'm so excited, I'm so excited!"

Of course, I then mustered up the energy to jump out of bed and follow... they were too sweet!

Natalie: "It's enormous!"

They played in it for the first part of the morning, before finding their "castle" (box) to play in!

So, as you can see, the color matches Daniel's chair! The old pillow definitely has to go. And, I am DETERMINED to learn to sew so I can make the new pillows. I think once the new pillows are on, and the new artwork is hung behind the couch, I will be loving it. I already know what I want to do! It's still nice for now, but taking a little getting used to for me.

Oh! Why did we get rid of our old beloved couch? So grandma and grandpa would have a place to sleep when they come, since Yehbie will be taking their room. Surprise, Grandma! It's a sofa bed! (And a tough one to put together by myself, but I did it!!) Luckily, I found a friend who bought our old couch and loves it as much as I did! Yeh!

Cow Appreciation Day

Hope you all enjoyed Chick-Fil-A's Cow appreciation week. We made it there Tuesday for dinner, and today for lunch. I just had to post a quick pick of the girls in their cow "costumes." Thank-you Chick-Fil-A for being such an awesome place. My girls and I love you!

Look what came yesterday...

Some boxes? I'm excited about some boxes? Actually, yes! Because these boxes quickly turned into this:


Which later turned into this:

The finished product was actually awesome! The girls spent a couple hours decorating and playing in it yesterday, and a couple more playing in it today! (Dare I tell you I even took a nap while they played in it today?) I was quite exhausted from staying up last night and assembling the contents of the box... see my next post for those pictures! :)

Seashell Craft Day

What a fun morning! Our sweet MOPS friend had a seashell craft day. The girls loved using the glue.... (and especially peeling it off their fingers when it dried!) We even let Allison use the glue gun, and she did awesome! Fresh-baked banana bread, a delicious cup of coffee, and lots of fun with friends... every day should be this good! (BTW, great job Miss "crafty challenged!" :) )

Back to School????

Well, it's that time of year, again! Back to school!! (Ok, so it's only July 9.. but Target has all it's back-to-school supplies on sale NOW!) Perhaps it's because our schools will be starting August 10 this year. Poor kiddos! Anyway, I always look forward to the back to school sales for a couple reasons:

1. It makes me feel like Fall is around the corner... I LOVE fall!!! Love, love, love!
2. It's the one time a year I stock-up on glue, markers, etc. You really can't beat the prices, and by this time of year the girls' old markers are usually dried-up, and their glue supply almost gone!

This year, I also bought some dry-erase markers for our board. We already had a set, but these came with their own little white board, an eraser, and some cleaner which we desperately needed! I envisioned playing "school" with Allison, but told her to play "school" with Natalie while I cooked dinner. It was too adorable! They played, and played, and PLAYED! I cooked, and cooked, and COOKED in peace! Hooray for back-to-school sales!

Squirt Bottle Art Fun

This afternoon I finally filled the new squirt bottles for the girls. Natalie requested purple water, and Allison wanted pink. (That seems to be our theme). Of course, there is no pink food coloring, so she got red! I then spread out an old white sheet and let the girls do some "art." It was a little advanced for them... they just sort of squirted and squirted. But, they had fun and it kept them occupied! That's all that really mattes, right?

My friend had suggested using Kool Aid, so that it smelled really good. I thought that would have been fun, but I didn't have any Kool Aid! She also suggested hanging the sheet up, but once again I couldn't find a good place to hang it. I'm sure there are a lot of other creative things to do... I'll let you know if I come across any, and you let me know if you do!

"New" kitchen chairs

Ever since I was single, I've had a "set" of mismatched wooden chairs for our kitchen table. I had always wanted to paint them, and only recently thought of how I might do that. However, it would be a lot of work, and the chairs had gotten quite dirty! So, when my mom told me about a set of 6 newly recovered vintage chairs from the 1950's in red and black for only $100, I had to tell her to get them. She happened to call us as we were driving up there for the wedding, so we were able to take them home with us. I must say, I love having "cool" chairs, and I love that they match -- however, I have visions of what they might become if I don't clean-up right away after the girls!

Water bottles

Every day I do crafts with the girls, but rarely do I get to do them myself! So, I thought of a project that I could do on my own, yet the girls would love. I've been wanting to do this project for a few months, now. It combines my girls' 2 favorite things: crafts, and water!

I simply took a few spray bottles: (The "spray right" kind, so they can hold them at any angle and still have them squirt!) I used a little goo gone to scrape off the label. Then, I bought some rub-ons I found on clearance at Michael's, along with some letter stickers to personalize them. And, voila! Personalized spray bottles! These are horrible pictures. You can't even see the girls' names! But, they turned out really cute in person, and I can't wait to play with them with the girls outside, tomorrow!

In the meantime, here are a few "water pictures" from today. I came home from my Michael's trip to find Daniel washing the car with Dora in between the girls running through the sprinklers. (I thought that was pretty cute!)





Once the sprinkler fun wore-off, Daniel found himself with a good little helper!

Happy July 4th!

Happy 4th of July, my friends! Don't my girls look sweet? You'd never know they were fussing and screaming just a minute before, and I had to threaten them to smile! (Seriously, it was one of those mornings!) But, we did have a fun afternoon. First, we painted our toes blue... (It's so fun having girls!) Then, we headed to our church small group friends' house for a bbq/ swim party. How American, huh? It's been a tradition the last few years, and such a blast. I was happy to get out of the house after a long morning, and was hoping the girls would swim themselves silly and sleep early. And, they did! It's now 7:15pm, and they've been out for the last half hour! Unfortunately, my sweet man has to work tonight. So, I may watch the quakes fireworks from our front porch, or I may just curl up with a book and fall asleep. Either way, I am enjoying the peace, and reflecting on what a blessing it is to live in the USA.

July 4th FUN!

I realized today just how few July 4th decorations we have... Considering that I have several bins full of every other holiday in the garage, I even surprised myself! So, this morning the girls and I decided to do some July 4th crafts. First, we made these fun candle votives for the kitchen. (The colors even match my kitchen!)

Next, we decided to do some handprint/ footprint flags I saw on "Be Different Act Normal." (My friend also sent me the link... thanks, Holly!) I was glad Daniel got home just in time to help with these... what a mess! But, lots of fun!

These 2 pictures I got off "The Crafty Crow," today. I've already made my cone cups, and plan to serve the girls breakfast in them, tomorrow. (Cold cereal, of course! I don't know why they don't like milk?!?!) I just thought the kabobs were adorable! Unfortunately, we don't have the stuff or the time to head to the grocery store. Maybe next year!

God Bless America!