I'm SNOW Over it!

Sigh... snow... every day it seems like we get more and more snow... I don't know what color grass is anymore.. I think it might be white. We got slammed with another major snowstorm last night. Which means I was up half the night because of the snow plows clearing our streets. I think I've come to love the sound of those plows because every minute they are out there I am reminding myself that my husband and I don't have to lift a finger to clear our driveway.. or our stairs. It truly is the major benefit of townhouse living and I'm sure one day when we are living elsewhere I will miss that.

Today I gave a piano lesson to my neighbor's son. I haven't taught piano in a few years so I don't know who was more nervous... me or him! He wore cologne (how cute!! he's 8 so relax!) It went well and I'm told that he's eager to continue... at least I didn't scare him off.

Hope everyone is doing well and that most of you didn't have to go to work outside of your home today.

Aww..

Wouldn't you like to receive this from your child? Melted my heart... he printed the paper off the computer all by himself and proudly handed this to me.. I know it's a little light but it say:

"Dear friend. You are nice. I like to play with you. From Christopher. "

Enjoying the moment

The Guy Side

Saw this article in my Thriving Family magazine and had to share it. Although I am thankfully many years away from my son dating, I thought those of you with sons would appreciate this...
written from the Dad's perspective:

Seven Rules For Dating My Son by Phil Callaway

Have you noticed that girls are chasing boys now? Just the other day, one called looking for my son. I asked, "Is this Christy, Britney or Sarah? There are so many of you, I get you all mixes up!" Believe me this works. Go ahead and try it. Since my son is receiving calls from lovely girls who will make fine wives for someone in 20 or 30 years, I have decided to issue a short edict to help them out. Later today I will be posting it on the front door with an electric staple gun.

RULE ONE: If you would like to talk to my son, please do so in the church foyer. Bring your Bible.

RULE TWO: If you call my house to talk with my son, your conversation may be monitored by a customer service representative.

RULE THREE: The following locations and activities are acceptable for your date: (None)

RULE FOUR: My son cannot use my minivan to drive you to a mall. He has a bicycle. You may ride on the handlebars.

RULE FIVE: Please do not touch my son. Do not lean against him unless you are falling over and are in danger of plunging from a cliff. Do not even pull lint from his ear. He can do this himself.

RULE SIX: I am aware that it is considered fashionable for girls your age to wear Fergie-style "shirts" that do not reach their low-slung pants. My wife and I want to be fair and open-minded about this, so you are free to show up in such attire. My wife will affix it properly to your body with a glue gun.

RULE SEVEN: Above all else, remember that we've been praying for this boy since God game him breath, and we will continue to. When he chooses a godly girl, we will be overwhelmed with joy. Until then, we'll pray that you'll chase Jesus first and watch everything else fall into place.

Recipe Helper

Have you ever tried to make dinner but had NO idea what to do with the food you have in your refrigerator? If you're like me.. you have lots of great ideas, but don't have all the ingredients to make one of your "standard" dishes. I've been using this website and love it (www.allrecipes.com) If you click on where it says "ingredients" at the very top of the website, it will take you to a page where you can enter the ingredients you want in a dish and the ingredients that you don't want (great if you have food allergies or just don't have certain ingredients on hand like sour cream, cheese, etc.)

Hope you find it helpful!

Mangia!

Christmas Tree Road Trip

There's nothing more disconcerting to a soon-to-be 7 year old than the thought of missing the class Christmas (oops.. "Holiday") party. Especially, when it's a pajama party featuring a showing of the Polar Express. When Chris realized that our plans to drive to Florida meant him missing this party, he was really upset. I guess I would have been to. After trying to reason with him and explain how much more fun sitting in a car for 2 1/2 days would be (ha ha), we realized that there was only one thing that would cheer him up. A pajama party of his very own. (Thanks to my sister-in-law, Sara, for sharing this idea with me!)

Once he had his PJs on, we whisked him away to one of his favorite places.. McDonald's.. with a playplace of course. He ate, climbed to his hearts content and then it was on to the "real" treat. We got in the car and headed into New York City. It was impossible to get close to the Christmas Tree with our car, so we did a "drive by". We rode up and down some of our favorite city streets taking in all the sights that make New York so wonderful in the winter. We had so much fun and, even though it was cold, we pulled over to get smoothies to enjoy on the ride home.

He had a great time and by the end of the night, he honestly was ready for our road trip to Florida. It's all in the adventure that you make it. The next night we had our own family movie party watching the Polar Express and, not for nothing, I bet he enjoyed that more then he would have with his class.

So, I highly recommend a spontaneous pajama party with your child... I personally did not put my PJs on for this trip into the city, but definitely would for a future one.

God's New Year Resolutions To YOU!

Have you ever wondered where God is in a situation? You've "done all the right things" and you are still waiting on God for Him to show himself? Or give you an answer? Have you ever felt like you needed wisdom?

Here are some of "God's New Year Resolutions to YOU!" to help you remember that he is an all powerful, all knowing, loving and Amazing God! Thanks to my Dad who passed this along to me...

New Year resolutions:

I will bless you (Genesis 12:2)

I will not fail you (Joshua 1:5)

I will heal you (2 Kings 20:5)

I will guide you (Psalm 32:8 )

I will instruct you (Psalm 32:8 )

I will teach you( Psalm 32:8 )

I will deliver you (Psalm 50:15 )

I will help you (Isaiah 41:10 )

I will uphold you (Isaiah 41:10 )

I will hold your hand (Isaiah 42:6)

I will not forget you (Isaiah 49:15)

I will comfort you (Isaiah 66:13)

I will forgive you (Jeremiah 31:34

I will restore you (Jeremiah 30:17)

I will be your God (Ezekiel 36:28)

I will save you (Ezekiel 36:27,29)

I will love you (John 14:21)

I will manifest myself (John 14:3)

I will give you a crown of Life (Rev. 2:10)

Thought For The Day

"The present is what slips by us while we're pondering the past and worrying about the future." Barbara Johnson

I've been thinking a lot about the past (Christmas tends to make me reflect more on my Mom and Christmas of years ago). I've also been a little guilty about stressing about the future. This quote was just what I needed today to remind myself that God has all my days in His hands and that today, I'm just going to live in the present... enjoy each minute and use each day to bring glory to God through all that I do.

Happy New Year to All!