Shopping Weekend

David and I just spent an awesome weekend in Brandon/Sioux Falls with the Melius family.
It was the 4th year for our annual Melius Sisters-in-Law Shopping Weekend. As always, it included great food, great wine, great laughs, and great bargains! It took me a little bit to get in the groove this year, but I found it after a couple stores. :o)
I have been known to buy the biggest (in size) items on the trip. The first year it was our entry bench. Last year it was a baker's rack. This year, I kept it pretty small and limited it to the wall hanging I found for our living room. We had a long, narrow space between our TV and window. It wouldn't have bothered me, but there was an outlet there as we had originally planned on a mantle shelf. Now it is covered and I'm very happy about this find.

I checked our messages when we got home and had one from a store telling me my name was drawn for a free pair of jeans! I was ready to call it one of those just-left-the-building-and-your-name-was-chosen-for-the-raffle tough luck experiences, but David encouraged me to call the store. As it turned out, I just had to call them within 48 hours. I have until the end of February to pick them up. Thankfully my sister-in-law Katie agreed to help me out and pick them up sometime when she's in Sioux Falls. Wohoo-bonus bargain!
The snow, wind, and cold temperatures have provided our first snow day of the year today. Landen is helping Dad & Grandpa while the rest of us take it easy at home.
This morning David said we had "slept in" for three days in a row. I may now consider 7:30am an appropriate wake-up time, but I still don't count it as "sleeping in"! Nevertheless, it was nice to have a little extra time to ease back into "real life" today!

Quiet Time

The kids are sound asleep and I sat down to play around with the blog layout a bit more. If you usually pause the playlist, you can now find it at the bottom of the page!
Sweet dreams!

Germophobe

This parenting gig has made me SUCH a germophobe.
A flu bug is making its way through our high school. You know where it will go next. Yep. First grade. Or Preschool. We may avoid it--we may not. I pray we do.
I hate, hate, hate the stomach flu! The worst part is that it will (almost) inevitably hit every member of our family before it makes its way to the next family. It is quite obvious how this happens with young children. One throws up and the rest have to rush over to see what just happened. All the while I am cleaning up as fast as I can and spraying bleach over every surface the infected child recently came into contact with. It's no mystery how mom picks up the bug. The only problem is that by the time mom catches it, everyone else feels better and is up running around getting into trouble!
Just the thought has put me in a sanitizing tailspin.
I have wiped down all the doorknobs and lightswitches, cleaned my kitchen sink with bleach water, soaked all the bathtub toys in bleach water, and scrubbed my kitchen floor.
Will this do ANY good? I don't know.
At least my house is the cleanest it has been in a long time!

Work Evaluation

I am happy with the work evaluation I received yesterday.

It's often hard to tell how I'm doing around here. Mostly my efforts are met with resistance or one of Nathan's insults, such as, "You're kind of a boring person."
Then I find out that Landen would like to walk in my footsteps. It gives me encouragement that I am doing a FEW things right.

P.S. Be sure to scroll down and sneak a peek at Lauren Grace!

Little Changes

You may have noticed a few changes around here.
First, I have added several new songs to the playlist. I find musical inspiration from all sorts of sources . . . Christian music catalogs, KLOVE, Pandora, TV, and old favorites of family. It's a lot of fun discovering new music--even if it's been around a few . . . or many . . . years! Bob Dylan's "Forever Young" is a perfect example of that. It is the theme from the show "Parenthood." I watch the show sporadically, but I just had to find out the source of that great song!
Bowling for Soup's "Shut Up and Smile" was another great find. "All we need is some ice cream and a hug" has been my unofficial motto for most of my life. Just days after I heard it for the first time, David and I heard something about only needing ice cream in life--in a completely unrelated conversation. He immediately said that sounded like me. A "little love and beer" never hurts either . . . .
I also added a little Garth Brooks to the list. I can't believe I hadn't added any of his music before. Garth got me through Junior High, High School, and half of college. It was my life's greatest dream to see him in concert. Thanks to my dear friend Amy (and her great connections), I was able to see him in concert TWICE. Recently David and I looked up how much his Las Vegas show tickets were going for. After a few minutes' (or seconds) deliberation, I decided I best just be happy with the two Garth concerts I was blessed with in my life! Now Landen has discovered Garth on his tape player, too. He thinks it is neat that music from "way back then" is still being played. Gulp.
There's some font stuff going on here, too. I just discovered that blogger now gives more font options in its template designer! Since I switched backgrounds, I lost the neat font I had worked so hard to get before. This was SO much easier to give the blog a little more personalized look.
That's it! I hope you are all having a great day.
As always, I welcome your comments! I always appreciate the "in person" comments I receive, too. I'm glad my little creative outlet--and our crazy family--make you smile, laugh, and cry. (I hope there isn't too much crying, though!)

Lauren Grace

Today was a good day.
My dear friend Rachel started it all off by having a beautiful baby girl this morning. I had to wait all day for her name which was kind of fun to wonder about, but also torture! I just found out a few minutes ago that she has a most beautiful name--Lauren Grace. I love it.


I can't wait to snuggle her and give a high five to her big brother Brandon. If you are my friend, you don't have to have a baby to make my day, but it really does help. :o)
There are a few more on their way for this spring and early summer . . . I can't wait!

A Baby Day

Our friend Henry, who is 6 months now, came to visit again today. He weighs almost as much as T and is cute as a button! We love when he comes to play.
After he went home, I sat down to check my email. I must have had babies on my mind, since I thought to look in my sent emails to see if I still had the messages from when our babies were born. It was so much fun to read the emails I sent to announce our news (although I didn't have a pregnancy announcement for Teresa for some reason) and the replies from family and friends.
I am so thankful to have memories like these safely stored in my e-mail box. I hadn't thought about what a treasure they would be until I received a binder after Grandma Rosemarie passed away. She had printed and saved every email and picture I had emailed of Landen and Nathan. The little mundane details of each particular day were wonderful memories to read through.
Since that time, I have created an email file for each of my kiddos--to keep fun little tidbits and photos from their everyday lives as children. If someone has sent a photo of them or a message to them, it goes in their file. Then, on days like today when I am feeling particularly sentimental, I can read through them and it puts a little smile in my heart.

Here are our three in 2007--their first Christmas together. The boys were just 4 & 2! No wonder so many people told me, "You sure have your hands full." They sure were--and still are--but now just in different ways!

Dancing Queen, Princes, & Princess

We have a new hobby here at out house. It is called "Just Dance 2."

We received a gift card from our friends for Christmas. Usually we use such gifts for more outdoorsy (Ladder Golf) or educational (Mastermind) games. This year, tired of the cold, snow, and needing a change of pace, I decided to take the Wii route. I like games that I can put in the Wii and start playing right away. This is one of those. It is also a great workout! The songs are fun and even Teresa can play.
In fact, I was just on my way downstairs to play for awhile before the kids get home. Otherwise, Nathan controls what we dance to--nothing too girly for him!
That means lots of "Monster Mash." :o)

Stripe It Rich Cake

How about a cake recipe for this cloudy and dreary Monday?
This is a favorite from as far back as I can remember. I even requested it for my birthday cake one year. The flavor combinations are up to you, but yellow or white cake with chocolate pudding has always been my favorite!
Stripe It Rich Cake
1 box yellow or white cake mix
2 pkgs (4 serving size) instant chocolate pudding
4 cups cold milk
1 cup powdered sugar
Prepare cake mix as directed on package, baking in a 9x13 pan. Remove from oven and immediately poke holes through the cake to the bottom of pan with a round handle of a wooden spoon. Holes should be at about 1 inch intervals.

After poking holes, combine pudding mix with powdered sugar in a large bowl. Gradually stir in milk. Beat at low speed for no more than 1 minute. Quickly, before pudding thickens, pour about 1/2 of the thin pudding over the warm cake and into the holes to make stripes.

Allow remaining pudding to thicken slightly; then spoon it over the top to frost the cake. Chill at least one hour. Store cake in the refrigerator.

Grandma Kurle

Yesterday I went back to my hometown for Grandma Esther Kurle's funeral. Actually, Grandma Kurle was my maternal cousins' paternal great-grandma, so she wasn't technically my grandma, but I was happy to adopt her as such. God blessed her with 98 years on this earth.
I visited Grandma and Grandpa Kurle occasionally with my cousins over the years. After Grandpa passed away, I mowed Grandma's lawn for my last two summers at home.
All was well until a large tree in her backyard was cut down. Then the garter snakes moved in. I was--and still am--deathly afraid of snakes.
There was one particular day when I was mowing along, minding my own business, and I heard a weird sound. I looked down and quickly stepped over not one, but two mangled snakes. I had to stop and go inside to calm down. Grandma, as always, was ready at her kitchen table with a snack for me. I told her I was sorry, but I just could not finish that day. As I went home still shaking from fright, little Grandma (really--she wasn't even 5 feet tall) went out and got rid of the snakes. It was quite the day for both of us. She probably didn't know a teenage girl could practically die from fright from such a little thing. There were more snakes seen during subsequent mowings--always with a scream from me--but I never mowed over another one! I was quite the entertainment for her neighborhood for those two summers.
It's always sad to say goodbye, even when someone is blessed with so many years on this earth. What I will most remember (besides the lawn mowing adventures) is sitting around her kitchen table with a can of pop, a plate of cookies, and visiting together.
I am thankful that a tiny lady in her 80's was braver than I could ever be.
God is good.

Growth

If there's anything that trips me up in life, it's that as soon as I get used to something, it changes. A company stops making a favorite product. A favorite restaurant or store closes. One of my kids presents a new behavioral challenge that needs to be dealt with. The kids' organized dressers suddenly hold clothes that are all too small. Good friends move away.
It is in these times, I am made aware of what a good match my husband is for me. Change doesn't faze him at all. In fact, he spends a good amount of his time bringing change about to make our farm more efficient or make life easier.
It is also in these times that I am made so very grateful for my faith in Jesus as he is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Whatever life throws at me, He will never close up shop or move away.
I read a great quote last night. In his article "Growth," Deacon Frank Tremblay shares a former professor's definition of growth. The professor is not named, but his definition is one I tend to remember. He said:

Growth is giving up that which you are best at,
for that which you are unsure of,
on the word of one who loves you.

Growth is hardly ever easy, but in my 32 years, I have found the result is always worth the effort.
And, so, building on yesterday's resolution to embrace little risks and changes in life, I hope that this year will be one of positive growth--for me and you!

Fitness Challenge

I usually don't make many New Year's resolutions, but this year I have made a couple unofficial ones. Until today. After this post, they will be in print and as official as it gets!
The first is to take little steps out of my comfort zone now and again. It is easy for me this time of year to get comfortable staying at home and then isolating myself. I am going to make an effort to reach out a bit more.
The second is to be more patient with my family and treat them as I would strangers. Isn't it interesting how it takes more effort to be patient with the ones we love the most? I know David isn't going anywhere, so sometimes he can be an easy target for my frustrations. We all know children can make a mom a little nuts at times, but I'm really trying to be more patient with them, too.
Today I started something that combines both of those resolutions. Our local community is having a Fitness Challenge as a fundraiser for Relay for Life. Participants get the benefit of eating right and exercising and Relay for Life is given a donation of $1 for each challenge met or $2 for each challenge not met. When I first got the email, I thought it would be way too much for me to handle. The words "fitness" and "challenge" have never been my favorites--especially when combined. After I slept on it, I realized the leaders of the challenge are normal people just like me. Chances were very good I could do, or have already been doing, some or most of the things in the challenges. The worst thing that could happen is it would cost me a $16 donation at the end of the 8 weeks. So, I stepped out of my little comfort zone and signed up.
The first challenge came in last night. It was made up of a few parts. The first was to do three Random Acts of Kindness this week. My brain immediately traveled outside of my home and how I could be nice to friends or strangers. Instead, I am going to make those acts of kindness count in my home this week. My family knows I love them, but I want to do little things to show them in the way they best receive it. Remember those love languages from last year?
The main part is to exercise 3 times this week for 30 minutes each. That's already on my schedule, so no problem there! Whew!
We are also encouraged to journal our food intake. I can pretty much guarantee that won't happen, but even thinking about each thing I eat has made me more mindful of where my calorie intake is coming from. Bites here and there at the kitchen counter can really add up in a hurry. Sweets and baked goods need to be my occasional treats instead of the go-to snacks. I LOVE sugar and carbs, so this is not easy for me!
I hope we don't get a week with no desserts allowed. That will be a $2 week for sure. I'm all for being healthy, but life is short! :o)
Have a good day!

Chocolate Chip Muffins

I've had a sort of blogger's block this past week. Nothing seemed particularly blog-worthy. (You may be thinking that my usual posts aren't particularly blog-worthy, either, but--hey--you're still reading it, aren't you?) :o)
I had a couple requests for another recipe post, so I decided on the Chocolate Chip Muffins. Teresa and I just baked a batch yesterday. We even made them a bit healthier, in honor of the new year, by using half whole wheat flour, skim milk, canola oil, and cutting the amount of chocolate chips in half. Don't worry--there are still plenty of chocolate chips in these muffins!

Chocolate Chip Muffins
1 3/4 cups flour (We used 1/2 white flour and 1/2 whole wheat flour. I have also used all white whole wheat before.)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup skim milk
1/3 cup + 2 tsp. canola oil
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400. Line muffin tins with paper liners and set aside. Mix the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add the wet ingredients and stir just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Do not over mix. Fill cups about 2/3 full. Sprinkle extra chocolate chips on them if desired. Bake for about 20 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and cool on wire rack.

You could make these even healthier by substituting applesauce for some or all of the oil and using honey in place of some or all of the sugar.
The whole wheat/white whole wheat flour does give them more of a whole wheat taste, but my family has never seemed to notice. Yum!

Baptized into Christ

We were able to be present for our niece and Goddaughter Lydia Ann's baptism yesterday! It was the first time we were able to meet her, too. Everyone already knows this, but I absolutely adore newborn babies--especially those who are in my family. They are just so sweet and cuddly. Next time I see her in a few weeks, we are going to practice smiling at Aunt Laura. :o)

The entire immediate family was there to celebrate. We are excited to welcome another baby into the family (John & Jodi's first) in a couple months.

As as added attraction, we celebrated big brother Luke's 3rd birthday, too. More presents and cake made for happy Melius cousins!

Happy New Year!

Good morning! Can't see anything? Neither can we! We had planned to leave today for our Goddaughter's baptism tomorrow, but it seems as though God has other plans for us. We will have to see what the day brings.
As much as I hate the cold South Dakota winter temperatures . . . and I DO hate them . . . I just have to love a good South Dakota blizzard! It gives us a reason to stay indoors, play a little too much Wii, watch a little too much TV, and eat a little too much comfort food.




Happy New Year!