Easter

Our church had a service last night for Easter.  I'm thankful for Christ's sacrifice.   Take time to reflect on the person of Christ, His death on the cross, and His rising from the grave this Easter.

¹ When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, ² “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” Matthew 26:1-2


 ⁴⁵ Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!” Matthew 26:45-46


 ¹ Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. ² So they bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor. Matthew 27:1-2



 ²² “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked.
   They all answered, “Crucify him!”
 ²³ “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.
   But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” Matthew 27:22-23

 ³² As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. ³³ They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). ³⁴ There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. ³⁵ When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. ³⁶ And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. ³⁷ Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Matthew 27:32-27

 ⁵⁰ And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. Matthew 27:50

 ⁵⁹ Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ⁶⁰ and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Matthew 27:59-60

⁶⁵ “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” ⁶⁶ So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard. Matthew 27:65-66

 ¹ After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
 ² There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
 ⁵ The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Matthew 28:1-5


 ⁹ After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
 ¹⁰ They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ¹¹ “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” Acts 1:9-11

All passages NIV.   Taken from www.biblegateway.com

We've Been to Texas Children's and Back

Monday was our big day at Texas Children's hospital.   We've been waiting six weeks for my son's tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy.   The short story is some time last fall my son had a cold.   We noticed that he stopped breathing in his sleep.  He also snores louder than most grown men, especially when he is sick.   I made a note to talk to the pediatrician the next time we were in to see her.   She looked in his mouth at the next appointment and said that his tonsils seemed abnormally large.  He also has a history of frequent ear infections.  She sent us off to a Pediatric ENT that she felt was conservative.   While waiting for the appointment, we heard more instances of sleep apnea, which are terrifying.  We saw the ENT in early February.   He agreed the tonsils and adenoids needed to go.  There was a six week wait for an OR at Texas Children's, but it was the only hospital that our insurance allowed us to use.

On Monday, we went to the hospital.  One perk of day surgery at TCH is complimentary valet parking.  We went upstairs to a very cheery waiting room.   There were several riding toys to play with as well as other toys.  My son loved it.   For his sake, I just didn't think about how many germs were probably on those toys.   Someone came out and talked with my son about the medical equipment that he would see.   She showed him pictures of the OR.   She was really nice and wonderful.   We waited a bit longer then his stats were taken in another room.   To all the places we went, he was allowed to ride a riding toy.   He loved that.   We talked with the anesthesiologist nurse practitioner about the surgery.   Then were given Texas Children's PJs and taken to a final waiting room.   We met with the ENT  and anesthesiologist in there.   While we were in the final waiting room, my son found a John Deere tractor riding toy in there.   He was already loving the experience, but that put it over the top.   My son is crazy over tractors, especially John Deere.  When he was called back for surgery he happily rode his tractor down the hall.  

Jason and I went back out to wait.   After about 40 minutes, they called us back to the Post Anesthetic Care Unit.   When we got there, my son was still asleep.  It took him about 30 minutes to come around.   His nurse was really nice, very gentle, and patient with us and him.   In fact, she took care of me for a few minutes.   I have a needle phobia, which I have been trying to get over for years.   I had a bad experience with an IV when I was about 4.  My phobia is getting a lot better, but seeing my son I had a really hard time.   I felt woozy a few times and sat down.   The third time she asked me if I was feeling ok.   I admitted that I wasn't and asked if I had turned white.  She got me some juice and peanut butter and that helped a lot.  I was irritated at myself for now being able to hold it together.   I have to remind myself I have come a long way.  I can take a flu shot without laying down now and I can give a blood sample without vomiting and passing out.  While my son was coming around the anesthesiologist came by and checked on him again.   We were in recovery two hours.

He slept most of the first day after the surgery.   The second day he bounced off the walls.  The second night was rough.   He does not like the taste of the Hydrocodone, so it is hard to get him to take it.  The third day he was quieter and kept telling me he felt better.   He is ok if his pain medications are current.  When it starts to wear off, he gets uncomfortable.   Waking him up is the worst because this throat and mouth are dry and typically the pain medicine has worn off.  He is eating lots of chocolate frozen yogurt, jello, mac n cheese and pasta salad.   Yesterday, I took him off the Hydrocodone and switched to Tylenol.   He is calmer on the Tylenol and able to nap in the afternoon.   Today my goal is to get more protein into him.   Every day is better.

In my mind since it was a day surgery it thought it would less traumatic.  It is a pretty major deal.  My son's recovery has not been as terrible as some I have heard about.  He has been a cooperative, sweet little patient.   Our next big milestone is somewhere between 7-10 days post surgery when the scabs finish coming off.   We also have to work back up to solid foods.  Every day is better.  

Quilting, Quilting

Since finishing the sock monkey project, I have cleaned up my studio space.   It was nice to reorganize, throw away and get things back in order.   I also had to corral the disaster on the kid's side of the table.

I have two quilts finish soon.   My sister-in-law is on bed rest and due in four weeks.   I have a suspicion that once her doctor lifts the bed rest restriction that she could have my niece anytime.   I'm so excited about her quilt.   Half of it is cut already.   It is a ladybug themed quilt, but I am not using a single ladybug fabric.   I have another idea to incorporate the lady bugs.

The second quilt is for some dear friends from college.  We went to college with Patrick.  He is one of Jason's favorite people in this world.   We got to know Carrie when we were living in Florida.   They were at the University of Florida, Gainesville while Patrick got his Ph.D.  We were in Orlando while Jason got his MBA at Duke.  Side note, Jason traveled to North Carolina every eight weeks for a one week residency for twenty L..O..N...G... months to get his MBA from Duke.  Back to the history, we would meet Patrick and Carrie in the Clearwater/St. Petersburg area because it was equidistant from our respective cities.  One trip we shelled on Caladesi Island.  Here is a picture circa 2006 Patrick took of us on that trip.  Brooke is two and I'm expecting Brayden a few months after the picture was taken.  

We also canoed in search of Manatees on another trip.  We made trips when we would meet at various springs between Orlando and Gainesville and snorkel the boils.  We love them and I'm so excited to make a quilt for their baby due in July.

My daughter thinks I am not an artist, but a craftist.   So I'm off to be a quiltist today!

Aid Sudan 5K

Last weekend Jason and I ran the Aid Sudan 5K.  This was my 2nd time to run and Jason's 1st.   He started training in January with me.   In the last month, we missed a lot of training due to injury and illness.   I had an on going knee issue and spent a lot of time sick.   Jason worked on our backyard drainage and garden which took time away from training.  The day of the race I felt great.  I planned to beat my time from last year.   Here we are before the kids 1K.

My kids ran their first 1K.  I was unsure how they would do.   They did really well.   My daughter finished in the first 20 kids and my son was about 15 kids behind her.   Here they are:

They were so proud of their ribbons.  

Next was Jason and I's turn to run.   Here we are at the beginning.

We ran the first 10 minutes with no problems.   Then into the 2nd mile Jason's knee started to tighten up.  He stopped and stretched.   We walked a little and he stretched some more.  His knee continued to give him issues.   We ran through the turn around and walked again.   After the turn around, his knee became so tight he was limping as he walked.   I decided then I would give up besting my time from the previous year and finish with Jason regardless of the time.  We walked a lot.   Jason kept trying to stretch it out and didn't have much success.  A friend from college caught up with us.   We ran the last stretch with him and encouraged him to the end.

You can see our cheering section in the above picture.   Jason pressed on and finished. 

I enjoyed Jason doing the race with me.  Hopefully, we can run together again next year and not have any knee complications.  

Sock Monkey Bonanza

The blog has been neglected recently due to sock monkey production.  For my daughter's birthday this year we had a sock monkey themed almost sleepover.  I gave each girl a sock monkey as a party favor.   Here are all the girl's sock monkeys.

I ordered the traditional rockford red heel socks and started sewing.  I took several pictures of the process and plan to post a how to blog.   When I looked for instructions, there we some instructional blogs.  Honestly, I found them lacking.  We had a cookie cake.   I used our Recycle Bank points for a free cookie cake from Great American cookie cake.   They did a great job decorating it.  My Mom gave gave my daughter some cool monkey PJs to wear for the party.   The party was three hours of high energy excitement.   My mother-in-law was in town to help with the party.   I was so thankful to have her help.  For the party, we made shrink-a-dink tags to go on the monkeys.  Next, we made personal pizzas.  As the pizzas cooked, we made bottle cap necklaces.  Then, we ate our pizzas and played Uno.   By this time, I could see that the girls needed some unstructured time.   We had a dress up time which gave them an opportunity to dance around in my daughter's dress up clothes.  Finally, we had cake and ice cream.   After cake and ice cream, I read a book to the girls and their parents arrived to pick them up.    My daughter had a great time and I collapsed on the couch to recover from five giggly energetic girls.  I count this year a success and I am already dreaming up the plans for next year's party.

Spring Break

I am a couple of weeks late blogging about Spring Break.   I wanted to share what we did anyway.  I think the kids had a lot of fun.   I loved seeing friends that I don't get to see often.  Our week looked like this:

Monday was spent getting organized and ready for the week.   This was the kids least favorite day.   It is far more fun to destroy their rooms and playroom than it is to clean up.  We paid the piper and were ready for a fun week.   Jason called late in the day to tell me he was given two rodeo tickets for that night.   He and I went to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.   I was so excited.   The last time I went to the HLSR, I attended I saw George Strait in concert.  I am not a huge sports fan, but I do love to watch rodeo events.   I had a blast cheering on the bull riders and barrel racers.  Kid Rock performed after the rodeo.   We stayed for about half the concert.   When Kid Rock's shirt came off, I was done.   It was a study in contrasts compared to the Chris Tomlin concert Jason and I recently attended.  I'll take Chris Tomlin any day!

Tuesday we had a friend over to play.   Her Mom was in the hospital and she hung out with us.  We were finishing violin practice as she arrived.   She helped/watched my daughter finish her lesson.  The girls played with their American Girl Dolls for quite a while.   They held a tea party for the dolls complete with paper pretzels and biscuits.  My son played on his own when he wasn't irritating the girls.   We ate lunch and rode our bikes to the park.   After playing at the park, we came home.  The kids then played in the backyard.   My kids had a blast.   Our friend's daughter fell asleep in the car not long after she left our house.   I was told she had a great day too. 

Wednesday we had play date with a family from church.   They go to Sunday school and service opposite hours from us, so we don't get to see them often.   We went over to the Audubon Society to take a hike.  I had never been over there before, but it was a beautiful hike.   I want to take the kids back and take some pictures.   There is an old log cabin with lots of stuff to explore inside.   I think we caught it during the lunch hour because it was not open.  After our hike, we headed to Terry Hershey Park for a picnic lunch.   There is one place in the park where there is a massive grassy crater.   My friend and I sat in the middle and watched the kids play.   The girls collected huge bouquets of wild flowers while the boys explored.   We also met a neighborhood cat as we were leaving.   Apparently, he thought the hatch of my friend's car was a comfy place to sleep.

The kids found this beyond funny!

Thursday was day trip day.   I bought Jason a book for Valentine's Day called Day Trips from Houston: Getaway Ideas for the Local Traveler.   My Mom and I picked a day trip and took off.   We picked the West day trip 3: Czech Country.   We headed out to see what we could see.  We stopped by the Fayette Hertage Museum and Archives.   This is the place to go is you are tracing your Czech ancestory.   We weren't.    It was housed in the town's library.   Outside was a nice park and playground.   It would make a good picnic lunch spot.   We had already eaten lunch, so after a quick look around we were off again.   The book recommended the Jersey Barnyard.   We called and found out the prices were $7 for adults and $5 for kids.  After looking at the place, we skipped it.   I would rather go to The Oil Ranch closer to home even if it is pricer.   We called the Katysweet Confecioners.  They are also mentioned in the book.   We were told  they are no longer offering tours.  We found the town square and stopped into Le Petite Gourmet Shoppe.   We found the shop interesting.   The staffers were friendly to the kids.   We had some samples and made a couple of purchases.  We walked the square and found my camera card needed reformatting.   The traditional town square was neat.   The courthouse was in the center with the storefronts facing it on four sides.   I could picture bygone times and see the heart of the town.  We tried to find Monument Hill and Kreische Brewery State Historic Site.  My GPS was no help.   The book said it was 1 mile south of town.   We headed out of town toward Schulenburg and stumbled upon it.  It is run by Texas Parks and Wildlife.   We took the Scenic and Historical Trail which was a short 1/2 mile hike.   It was late in the day and we were warned by the park ranger that the hike down to the Brewery ruins wasn't bad, but the hike up was rough.   I was not interested in carrying two tried children back out, so we kept to the high country.   The park ranger was very friendly and helpful.   On our hike, we had a breathtaking view of the Colorado River.   We saw the orginal house and barn for the site.   There was also a monument and marker honoring the men who were involved in Dawson Masacre and Meir Expedition.   These were interesting from a Texas history perspective.  From a lookout point along the hike, we could also see the brewery ruins.   The bluebonnets were blooming as was the Texas Mountain Laurel.   Both were absolutely beautiful to behold.   The Texas Mountain Laurel smelled heavenly.   Overall the road trip was fun.   We  did not get to the 2nd half of the road trip described in the book to Schulenburg.   There is a painted churches tour that sounds interesting.   That will have to be another day!

By Friday we were worn out.   I wanted to visit my friend in the hospital because she was due to deliver on Monday.   My Mom watched the kids while I went to the hospital to visit.  I had a great visit with my friend.   My daughter read a book all day at my Mom's house and my son played outside. 

Now Spring Break has come and gone and April is almost here.   Time passes so quickly.  The bluebonnets are blooming on the banks of the bayou not far from my house.   I headed out Monday to try and get some good bluebonnet pictures.   My son will NOT look at the camera or smile.   These are the best I got.

 Bluebonnet season is my FAVORITE time in Texas.   The things I missed the most while I lived away from Texas was the HLSR and the bluebonnets. 
The azaelas blooming in my yard this year were amazing.   At least I got a kind of good picture of the kids.

Book Review: Lillies in Moonlight

I had a sinus infection this past week as I already mentioned.   My latest book to review arrived midweek and I had plenty of time to read.  

My overall impression of the book was that it was a cute historical fiction novel with a light romantic element.   The first few pages engaged me quickly.  I got about halfway through the book and the storyline slowed down for about 20 pages.   At the end, I was left wanting to continue reading about the adventures of the characters.  It was a sweet story set in the roaring twenties.   The main character is Lilly, a flapper, who is looking for love and acceptance.   She meets a WWI veteran, Cullen, in an unexpected way and the story unfolds.  Lilly is very likable and fun.
 
This is a lighthearted read, perfect for tucking into your beach bag or vacation bag.   The characters are very believable and winsome.   Other than the slowing of the narrative in the middle it is a quick fun read.    I would recommend this book to a friend.  

I recieved this book free from Multnomah publishers for review purposes.    All opinions expressed are my own.

Sinus Infection Again

I battled another sinus infection this week.   The two recent infections are the first in several years.   When I taught in Naperville, I had several sinus infections over a the course of 2-3 years.   This one is worse than the one over Christmas.  Both of my ears have fluid in them in addition to crushing sinus pain.   I can tolerate not hearing well, but the pressure in my face is almost unbearable.   I spent a lot of time on the couch or in bed the last three days.  I have been absolutely exhausted.  The pain started Sunday, but the earliest I could get to the doctor was Wednesday.  On the upside, I received my next book to review on Tuesday evening.   With all my couch time, I am more than halfway through it.   I have made no progress on any quilting or sock monkey making.   I hope to work on a sock monkey tomorrow.   I also have a dog date and a baby shower to attend, so sewing may not happen.

My husband plans to till the garden tomorrow while I am at the shower.   I wish we had planted about 3 weeks ago, but with me not feeling well, I haven't been much help.  We also plan to visit my sweet friend Marcy who recently got a new puppy.   The kids are so excited about getting to play with a dog.  I would love a dog.  I haven't decided what kind to get that would best suit our family.   I want something smallish, tolerant of children, non-shedding.   Does that dog exist?   We'll see how Missy handles the kids and how the kids handle Missy.   The earliest we might get a dog would be next year.

My two seconds of peace are over.   Time to get the kids into the bed.

It's St. Patrick's Day!

Today is the wear green or get pinched day, otherwise known as St. Patrick's Day.   Since my kids are on Spring Break, I don't have to try and figure out how to send my daughter to school in green today.   Last year, St. Patrick's Day fell on Spring Break as well.   We were hanging out in NYC for the week.   We watched parts of the all day parade that is the St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York.   Here we are:

We ate a cookie with a shamrock on it we bought in Battery Park

I absolutely love New York.   I would move there if it wasn't so expensive and our families lived up there.   But alas, paying 3Xs as much as I do now for housing and being 18 hours from our nearest relative is not what is best for our family.  So, we stay in the south and I'm content to visit.  For a walk down memory lane, I'll post the top 10 favorite things we did last year.   Since this was my 2nd trip to New York.  We skipped some things that I would enjoy in lieu of what the kids would enjoy.   No Met. or Broadway shows this time, but we had a blast doing what we did.  I already posted about the parade, I'm not including it, but it was one of our favorite things.  

Number 10, Belvedere Castle, Central Park:

Number 9, Watching a bit of the Today Show and getting on TV!: 

Number 8, FAO Schwartz:

Number 7, Toys R Us Times Square and Times Square in General:

Number 6, Children's Museum of Manhattan, seriously fun:

Number 5, Riding the Subway, the cheap and necessary entainment:

Number 4, Hanging out with Daddy and exploring the city every evening after work:

Number 3, The Statue of Liberty: 

Number 2, Visiting a new playground everyday we were in the City.  Pictured: Upper West Side, Central Park: 

Number 1, Carriage Ride in Central Park:

My top ten list might look a little different, but these are the things the kids loved the most!

We are having a blast exploring our town this year.   I'm working on posting the various things we have done this week.  The weather has been gorgeous, so we have been outside lots!

Book Review: Secure Daughters Confident Sons

I recently read a book called Secure Daughters Confident Sons by Glenn T. Stanton.   I was very impressed.   This is a book I will go back and reread.   It gave practical advice, backed up by psychological studies.   The studies are secular studies from researchers at leading Universities.  The author is the director for family formation studies at Focus on the Family.   The book is interspersed with scripture that backs up his assertions;  it is not preachy or over the top.  If you do not hold a Christian world view you can still apply the advice in this book to any two parent family.   Single moms and dads can also benefit from this book by understanding what their unique gender brings to the family.

The book is divided into two parts: "Clear Vision for Authentic Manhood and Womanhood--and How to Help Your Kids Get There" and "Why Boys and Girls Need Mothers and Fathers."  At the end of each chapter, the author includes 2-3 questions posed by everyday moms and dads.  Those questions are then answered by the author.  Part one was very informational, but also applicable.  In the first two chapters, the author sets up the thesis of the book and gives information about the uniqueness of the genders .  In the next four chapters, he talks about what boys and girls need from their parents.  He also discusses how to walk with them on the journey to authentic manhood and womanhood.  I found this very interesting for boys in particular because in our society we devalue the unique qualities of a man.

The second part of the book discusses how men and women approach raising children differently.   The author asserts that men and women bring unique ideas to the table.  These ideas should each be given play and allowed to balance one another.  I found a lot of practical application in this section.   I also recognized qualities in my husband and myself that we employ in raising our children.  This section gave me an appreciation for what my husband does and teaches our children.

I would wholeheartedly recommend this book, give it to a friend, and reread it.   I found it informational and encouraging.

I received this book for free from WaterBrooke Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.  The opinions expressed are completely my own.