Kid Funny

My son has caught the entrepreneurial bug. I've had several girlfriends over to our home these past few days to give them facials. During the first facial, Christopher sat on the couch in the living room - so well behaved at that!! I was very proud of him. He played with his Wii games and it appeared that he was well engrossed in Star Wars while I was in the dining room.

The next morning, I told him that another friend of mine was coming that afternoon and again I would need him to be on his best behavior during that time.

"Ok Mom but after your party I am having a party too! "
"You are -- what kind of party?"
" An MK Men party -- for the guys.. but you can come too."
"Really!? Sounds like fun - I'd love to come. Go tell your Dad and Uncle and we'll all be there"

Sure enough, as soon as my guest left, he marched us all up to his room and the first thing he had us do was to put our finger on our forehead and wiggle the skin around. (Please note - I DO NOT make anyone do that during a facial. LOL)

Then, he pulled out a container that holds his toys and used that as his "table". (Since I use a table for my demonstrations) Next he piled some things on top. Next he made us do some exercises such as standing on one foot and then another. It was hilarious and we were all laughing.

He finished off the party with a puppet show featuring Buzz and Woody from his favorite movie, Toy Story. What can I say.. it was precious and an event I truly wish I had captured on video camera to play back to embarrass him in years to come.

The Big X

Everyday Chris comes home from school and immediately opens up his book bag, pulls out his folder and shows me the contents from the day. Recently, he pulled out a little piece of yellow construction paper. All that was on this lonely piece of paper was his name and a big X in the middle of the paper.

"Oh -- wow Chris that's a nice X you made"
(Yeah.. we were told to write our name and to draw a picture of our pets. I don't have a pet so I made a big X instead."

I could tell that he was on the verge of sparking a debate with me about our no pet policy so, being the super mom that I am I quickly reassured him that while we don't have any pets right now, maybe one day he can get a fish. That seemed to satisfy him... for now. Sounds like a trip to Walmart is in order.

Clean Up On Aisle Four

I'm convinced it has something to do with the month of February. Last year, on the day after Valentine's Day, I made coffee for my whole family. Nothing special about that... I do that every day. On this particular day, I put as much water and coffee in that coffee maker as I possibly could. I turned it on and walked out of the room.... only to return once I heard the triumphant rumbling that our coffee maker makes alerting the townsfolk that their delicious cup of 'joe' is ready and waiting. What I came back to find was a river of coffee all over my counter and floor. It was a mess. Well... it has long since become a joke in the family. I didn't have the carafe properly inserted under the coffee pot. It was all my fault.

Fast forward to this morning. Different coffee maker.... same issue. I must have knocked the carafe out of place and walked in 15 minutes later to find a river of coffee. Nothing says good morning like cleaning up that mess (Thank you to my wonderful husband for cleaning it up for me!).

Sorry my postings have been sporadic. We had an awesome visit with my friend Beth D. ("Reever") and her family. (pictures coming soon.) Our boys became fast friends and I only wish we lived a little closer so we could all spend some more quality time together. There's something about visiting with friends that have known you for a long time. So comfortable...so familiar. They know the good and the bad about you... they've been with you through the ups and downs of life and you can just be yourself. I am so thankful for the friends the Lord has blessed me with. I just wish we all lived closer!!

I also helped my sister-in-law, Shirley, launch her MK business this past weekend. It was so much fun and a huge success. Way to go Shirley!! We wrapped up the weekend with dinner with some friends from church and had so much fun. It's been a little hard to connect with folks up here in our new church (that seems to happen when your church has over 5,000 members), but this past weekend really encouraged us and we are feeling that the friendships are coming.

This is another busy week for us and I'm praying that the weather will cooperate with me as I have many things on my calendar this week. I'm not anxious, but trusting God.. one day at a time.

I Have No Time For This

I am busy... I have a ton of things to do today, but here I am online. It certainly does not help that we've moved this laptop into our kitchen. It's sooooooo accessible to me now. I love it.

Believe it or not, I finally gave in and have texting on my cell phone. I know.... I am way behind in technology, but I resisted for the longest time. I had my good friend and neighbor, Dana-Maree, on the floor laughing when I told her that she could FINALLY send me a text message but she should be warned that my first text message to her will be "Call me!". So, texting is a new challenge and I'm figuring out the new "language" that goes along with it.

Today was a Valentine's Party at Christopher's school. Nothing like spending an hour with 19 five and six year olds to make you appreciate the fact that you are not the teacher of the class. It was actually a great party... somehow I wound up in charge of it ....I guess they didn't get the memo that I have no creative bones in my body so leading the class in a craft is way outside my comfort zone. I could have given a facial to them all LOL. Thankfully, the chosen craft was no more then taking some foam hearts and gluing them on a foam picture frame. No injuries to report.

I would post a picture of this wonderful event except the camera failed to make it into my purse this morning. Oh well... what can you do. Now I must go and get ready for my college friend (loving known as Reever to all of my college buddies who ready my blog). She and her family are coming over for a few hours today.... haven't seen her in years!! I'm sure it will be tons of fun... better go find that camera...

Must Be Tuesday

Looking out my window today, I immediately knew it was Tuesday. It snowed again. For the past 3 Tuesdays we have had snow. Oh the joys of winter. My little boy finally (insert cheer!) was able to go back to school today after being home for just about 1 week. Don't get me wrong... we had lots of fun together and tons of family bonding, but I think we were all ready for a little bit of "normalcy" whatever that is.

Steve had to work most of Valentine's Day, so I cooked a wonderful steak and we just spent time as a family here at home. Nothing is more cozy then watching America's Funniest Home Videos wrapped up in a blanket with your man and your little boy.

Hope you all enjoyed time with your loved ones!

God's Valentine Gift

God’s Valentine gift of love to us
Was not a bunch of flowers;
It wasn’t candy, or a book
To while away the hours.

His gift was to become a man,
So He could freely give
His sacrificial love for us,
So you and I could live.

He gave us sweet salvation, and
Instruction, good and true--
To love our friends and enemies
And love our Savior, too.

So as we give our Valentines,
Let’s thank our Lord and King;
The reason we have love to give
Is that He gave everything.


By Joanna Fuchs

First Snow

Here are some photos of yesterday's first huge snow fall here in NW New Jersey. No school yesterday or today PLUS the kids have off Friday and Monday for Presidents Holiday. Let the fun continue!!

This is A Test... Only a Test

"When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life. Even the smallest incident has significance for your character development. Every day is an important day; and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your character, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God. " Rick Warren

The Launch

Well, Friday night was the big launch. Thankfully, the snow held off for us. I had a great group of friends come to celebrate my MK business launch and they were each treated to a facial, tons of prizes and delicious pink sugar cookies baked by my friend, Melissa of Cookie Crumb Productions. It was so much fun! A huge thank you to my sister and Director, Ruth, who flew up from Florida to endure the cold weather to help me with this grand opening. I couldn't have done it without you !!

Here are some photos of the big night.

Road Trip !

A couple of weeks ago we took a spontaneous road trip to Lancaster. Just a day trip - so please no angry comments from my Lancaster friends as to why I didn't call, drop in, etc. We were literally there a total of 5 hours. (I promise to spend a full weekend down with you all soon!) We saw the Amish, learned how to make pretzels at Sturgis Pretzel Bakery in Lititz, PA and ate at a smorgasbord. I was very saddened because both Plain & Fancy and Good & Plenty (my go-to places for quick fixes of PA Dutch food) were CLOSED!! We wound up going to Shady Maple Smorgasbord which was an experience in and of itself. The place is MASSIVE! The food is unending and the choices are mind-blowing. The lines were long, but thankfully the wait wasn't too bad. It is definitely something to experience once in your life.

Everyone agreed that the trip to the pretzel factory was the hit of the day. I had been there before, but it was everyone else's first time. What made it more special was that the great-granddaughter of the founder was our tour guide. Talk about getting personal perspective. Here are some photos of Chris outside the store.

Winding Road

The road I take to my weekly bible study is incredibly winding. There are a ton of twists and turns. It's definitely a "back road" - a road I never, ever would have found had my GPS not insisted that it would be the fastest route to my destination. As you can imagine, when my GPS first told me to take that road, I was very cautious. I drove the speed limit, careful at ever turn, every hill, etc. because you just never knew what was going to be around that next turn. I made sure to read each road sign - Yield, Stop, Single Lane ahead, Merge, etc.

Now that I have driven on those roads for over a year, they are quite familiar to me. I am comfortable with it - I don't have to wonder what is beyond that curve or hill - because I know what awaits me. That doesn't mean I speed through it - I still need to be cautious - but because I've traveled this way successfully before, I am more confident and sure that I will be able to handle the curves and turns again and again.

I was thinking how much our walk with the Lord is a walk on winding, twisting, unfamiliar roads at times. We're not sure what is waiting for us at every turn -- every decision. We know he is with us, but we cautiously handle situations. Give it thought and prayer --- follow the road signs in the Bible. God helps us through unfamiliar times and territory so the next time we are faced with decisions or choices or road blocks that seem too hard to handle we can trust in Him. Even when the road is winding and uphill and seemingly confusing - he is with us and guiding us. Trusting God is always the right road to take - NO STOPPING OR STANDING! As we trust Him more and more, and we learn that He is faithful, the roads may not get much straighter, but we can handle them with more ease knowing our faithful Saviour not only awaits us on the other side of that mountain, but is walking (or sometimes carrying us) there.

Listen closely to the Lord today and, as you spend time in His word, may your heart be sensitive to Him to hear some of the "road signs" he may be trying to impart on your journey.

Slap In the Face

It's hard enough to lose weight. I was very grateful for those little 100 calorie snack packs that are now in our grocery stores. I particularly love the Mr. Salty pretzels with chocolate - YUMMY!

You can only imagine the horror of going to reach for one of those little packets and finding that, even before opening it, that there was a problem in the packaging of the item. Something happened at the plant and honest to God, I could only feel 3 little pretzels in there. It felt like I was going to open up a bag of air. 3 LITTLE PRETZELS -- Now having had this snack before, I knew that there should be at least 10 or 12 of those little darlings in there -- but a lousy 3. Maybe that's the idea --- give the consumers air instead of the pretzels and I will lose weight -- Ahhh.. the light bulb went on. So, I did what any normal person would do (after having my hubby call the company to complains)... I had 2 bags...

Good Advice

Read this in my daily devotions today...

Five Biblical Rules for a Happy Marriage

• Never bring up mistakes of the past.

• Neglect the whole world rather than each other.

• Never go to sleep with an argument unsettled.

• At least once a day, try to say something complimentary to your spouse.

• Never meet without an affectionate welcome.

What Are You Counting?

I learned in life that you can either count your blessings or you can recount your disappointments. Every day we have the choice. Somedays it may seem that there are more disappointments than blessings that come to mind. I know most of 2009 looked like a big heap of disappointments to me.... between my father-in-law's stroke, several of our own health issues, a major cut in pay and a very personal crisis which up to now I have not shared publicly. A few months ago, I blogged about a major stomach bug that I had caught. I was sick for over a week and it really was affecting me. Then one my bloggers hinted to me that perhaps it was something else... and she was right. The next day I took a pregnancy test and it was faint, but it was positive! We were shocked...and I have to admit, I was terrified. For those of you who have been following my blog for a while, you know that pregnancy for me was not recommended because of my blood disorder.


With this news in hand, we went the next day to my OB/GYN who confirmed that it was a faint positive... and that we would have to monitor my hormone levels to make sure that things were progressing nicely. We knew the due date and were on my way. She reassured me that given the right medication I would have a high-risk, but not an impossible pregnancy.


Of course the prayers went up immediately. I could feel things happening in my body. I knew I was pregnant. My second trip to the doctor did not bring good news... my hormone levels were going down, not up. A "viable" pregnancy was not going to happen. She predicted that I would miscarry sometime around Thanksgiving... while I was in Florida. We were devestated. I was alone with the doctor when she gave me the news. She asked me if I was ok. I told her: "I am a Christian and I have no doubt that God has my life in His hands. If I have the baby I will praise Him and if he sees fit for this baby to go to heaven first, I will still praise Him. I trust Him with my life and he has a purpose for all things." I was weeping as I was telling her this and it just amazed me how it turned into an opportunity to witness to my doctor.


I don't know what is worse...a spontaneous miscarriage or knowing that it was coming. I praised God the entire time I had that baby inside me. We thanked Him for those precious 8 weeks. One day we will get to meet that little one. This miscarriage did come shortly after Thanksgiving. It took my body many weeks to recover. Emotionally and physically it was exhausting. I have a very loving and supportive family that was by my side and for that I am eternally grateful.


I share all this to get back to my original thought.... you can either count your blessings or recount your disappointments. While the miscarriage was a major disappointment, being able to be pregnant for just that short while was a blessing and an opportunity to witness. I don't know why this happened, nor do I question God over it. I give God all the glory for the tremendous blessings AND for seeing me through all the disappointments of last year. I have faith... I have hope... I have a future through Christ. Who knows... maybe I'll be able to help someone else.

Dark Nights

"God's promises are like the stars; the darker the night, the brighter they shine." David Nicholas

Friendship

I'm so thankful for my friends!! Thought I'd share this great quote from Suzanne Dale Ezell:

"Friends are like a quilt with lots of different shapes, sizes, colors, and patterns of fabric. But the end result brings you warmth and comfort in a support system that makes your life richer and fuller."

Favorite Things

It's been a long time since I posted one of these... today's posting is extra special because I'm talking about something that I have been a long time fan of -- MARY KAY! I've been using these products for over 20 years and for all of you who tell me that I look just like I did in college ... this is my secret... this is the reason. My absolute favorite product is the Time Wise Firming Eye Cream.

For those of you who are Facebook friends, you already know that I decided to launch my own Mary Kay business. I have played with the idea for a long time and always had an excuse: too busy, thought I didn't have the right personality, etc. Well, I already made my first sale and have a team member -- and I don't even have my business cards yet! God is so good and I'm just thankful for this opportunity to make some extra money and still be home for my little boy. You can check out my website at http://www.marykay.com/bmalave

A New Name Written In Glory

On Saturday a wonderful thing happened.... my little boy asked Jesus into his heart. I've prayed about this day for years and I was so excited to be there to see it happen. I just never expected it to result from a conversation I had with him about STAR WARS... Yes, you read that right.. STAR WARS. As in the movie.. and also his very favorite Wii game - Lego Star Wars.

The game was his introduction to "bad guys" as he calls them. He has to shoot these little lego guys in order to move on to the next level. He has no problem attacking them, killing them and mastering this game... but it also had him thinking... deeply. So, on Saturday, after playing the game for a while, he asked me about bad guys. "Mom...what happens to bad guys? What if I was hit by a bad guy and was killed? Where would I go? What would happen?"

So, I explained to him about heaven and hell and then presented the salvation story and opportunity to him. Right there in his grandfather's living room in South Jersey. He listened intently and asked some more questions and when I asked if he knew where he wanted to spend eternity, he said yes... in heaven. So, I led him in prayer and at that moment, he made me feel like the proudest mom in the world.

I guess it just goes to show you that even in simple, every day activities there is always an opportunity to share the love of God and to use it as a teaching point.

A Very Special Psalm

I hope you can all read that.... it says "Laughter is more powerful than a scream. Psalm 1:18"

My son presented me with this piece of paper on Saturday. I read it and then had to reread it because it COULD sound like a psalm, but didn't REALLY sound like something I had read before. Here's how the conversations played out:

Me: "Christopher, did you write this all by yourself?"

C: "Yes, I did."

Me: "Did you copy it from Mommy's Bible?"

C: "No, I copied it from my Monster's Inc. (a Disney movie) surprise ink notebook."

Me: "Wow... you did an awesome job copying the words.... what about the bottom part.. the part with the Psalm?"

C: "I thought it should have a psalm on it... just like the bible verses we read each morning for devotions."

Me: "So, you just made one up?"

C: "Yep.. Psalm 1:18"

There you have it... and just in case you were wondering, there really is NO Psalm 1:18 in the Bible... we checked it out. I think the funniest part of the whole thing is that he wrote it on a little notepad I have by our phone which has the scripture verse, "With God All Things Are Possible".

Too cute!!

Growing Up ...(sigh)

I called Chris in for lunch yesterday and during our casual conversation he turned to me and said, "Mom, please don't call me Chris... my name is Christopher". My mouth almost dropped to the floor... he's asserting himself... finding his own way in the world... developing preferences. Last week he chastised me for calling him my "baby"... "No, Mommy... I'm a big boy now." He's 6 now... I'm not ready for this... now a name change. Not that I always call him Chris, but knowing that he prefers Christopher, well, that's just part of him growing up and developing his own personality.