Improvements

Winter has been good for one thing anyway.  It has given me plenty of time to concentrate on my varied hobbies.  Exercising--fun for about 40 minutes a day.  Knitting--the new purple scarf is getting longer.  Gardening--started and growing a little every day.  Baking--a good way to keep the kids busy.  Scrapbooking--waiting for a marathon weekend at my sister-in-law's in a few weeks. 
Reading--ah, yes.  I used to like to read.  How about I try that again?  Suddenly I wanted--needed--something  "real" to read.  I made it through my magazines in record time.  (Perhaps this wasn't the ideal winter to decrease my subscriptions.)  I even read my cookbooks--again.  I wasn't quite ready to hit David's stack of farming magazines, but I was coming dangerously close! 
Then I remembered I had a couple Beth Moore books I bought last fall and still had not read.  Beth Moore has written several Bible-based books along with Bible studies and has a huge women's ministry, but I had never read any of her "stuff" before.  I have no idea what took me so long.  (I suppose one could get hung up on our different Christian denominations and practices, but that would just ruin the experience.) 
My favorite book right now is So Long Insecurity.  I bought the book last fall during my "comparing myself and coming up short" phase.  You may remember around that time I read Calm My Anxious Heart, which I still recommend.  I was feeling better about life, so I didn't get around to reading Beth Moore's book until January. 
Forgive me for shattering any impressions, but insecurity does play a less than desirable role in some areas of my life. I'm not insecure about some things (like my husband leaving me), but I am very much in others (like if I am ENOUGH).  Different days bring different "enough"s.  I think you know what I mean.

First impressions can be waaayy wrong.  What, I wondered, would a beautiful, talented and successful woman like Beth Moore ever know about insecurity?  It turns out she has a lot rougher road behind her than I have.  She also struggles with insecurity like everyone else. 

Don't think you are insecure about anything?  Wait for the person you really admire mention that their life isn't perfect.  Then you say, "But, you're so thin/pretty/young/well liked . . . ." 

There you go.  Your insecurity has just smacked you right on the forehead. 

I love the Scripture passages Beth uses to illustrate God's love.  The best part of this book?  We all can be "cured" of our insecurities.  I am still a work in progress with many of mine, but now I have a shield of Scripture to help defend myself when they come calling.  Sure, the Scripture has always been there.  Beth Moore just put it all in a nice little convenient package for us to draw from.  Nice.

Maybe this winter wasn't just good for hobby time.  Maybe it was good for a little self-improvement, too. 

God does work in amazing ways--even in a frigid South Dakota winter.

WalkMS 2011

It is time to prepare for team Many Steps to Fight MS's 3rd WalkMS event!  This year's walk is April 16 in Aberdeen!

Here is our team from last year.  The balloons are many that we sold In Honor of or In Memory of those with MS.  In our first two years, our donors have generously given over $3200 to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.  We are so thankful and look forward to walking again this year. 
If you would like to join us or donate, email me or visit www.walkms.org.  Click on Aberdeen.  Click on the event's website and Many Steps to Fight MS will be on the team list. 
The event is quite casual and takes a Saturday morning to complete.  We walk from the west end of Melgaard Road to the east end and have a snack halfway through.  If that's not enough, there's pizza at the end, too.  That's my kind of walk!
As always, I want to thank everyone who has prayed for my mom and our family over these past--wow!--15 years.  You are all a blessing in our lives!
Now . . . get those walking shoes ready.  We would love to see you there!

Work Before Play

Have you seen today's Baby Blues?  So often I think Mr. Kirkman & Mr. Scott have secret cameras in our home. 
This actually happened last weekend.  I sent Nathan out the front door and he came in the garage door with his coat/snow pants/boots already off before Teresa could get out the door.  Often they will head out for just a few minutes and be in asking for hot chocolate before I have even recovered from the "dressing of the children."
Arrghh!  By the time we locate everything, Nathan throws a fit about something being too big, too small, too scratchy, or too SOMETHING, and everything gets put on the right places, my hair is a mess, I'm out of breath, and cursing winter under that lost breath.  God bless the teachers and all others who work with children who do this 20 times or more day after day! 
The kids all just headed out for a little bike riding in the shop.  I dared to sit down and post because they most probably won't be able to make it back to the house without a little help from dad. 
Or, Nathan might be coming in to announce that we will need a shovel to rescue his sister from a snow bank again!  It's always an adventure!

Why this Weekend Storm Won't Get Me Down

If spring doesn't come soon enough, it is easy enough to bring it on yourself!  These little greenhouse boxes are amazing.  Teresa and I planted ours with various flower seeds on Monday and by Wednesday they were starting to sprout.  I propped open the cover this morning because the tallest were reaching the top.  Nathan helped us plant zinnia seeds in our homemade models on Wednesday.  I started seeing green peeking through from them today.
So, bring on the weekend winter storm with its possible 15 inches of snow.  I'll just hang out by my "green" table and think spring!
Also pictured are the flowers from David for Valentine's Day.  Teresa received a rose from the bouquet for herself.  The boys were so very jealous.  What can I say?  Sometimes it's good to be a girl.

Small Spaces

I spent much of my day today in small spaces--our two messiest closets. My desire to tame these wild places once again came from two factors--spring fever and the shipment of Signature Home hostess gifts that arrived yesterday. Among my choices--baskets of assorted sizes to organize, organize, organize!
My first project for the day was our game closet. I bought a set of plastic shelves a few years ago. They did alright, but they needed some help. The kids' games tended to fall to the back and off the shelves (REALLY not good for the Memory game). Now they are all in a basket to keep them corralled. The same went for the puzzles and the games our kids are just starting to get old enough to appreciate. Chinese checkers and UNO have been recent favorites.
I wrestled a top shelf into the closet for some more space, too. Notice how weighed down the former top shelf was?

Then I moved onto our hall closet which houses an array of needed items from Play-Doh to flower vases. There was one leather case I had been shifting back and forth in the back of the closet for our entire marriage. (The fact that I never opened it should make it overtly obvious that I am not an overly curious person by nature!) Today--greedy for every free space I could find--I decided to pull it out of the darkness and check it out. It was a bag cell phone! Remember those? David always threatens that our kids will have a bag cell phone when they get in high school. Now they are one step closer!
In a few months, these frequently used and catch-all places will need some attention again, but for now I am basking in their basketed, organized glory!

Brotherly Love

Teresa sustained a minor arm injury--again--on Saturday. This has happened several times before while playing/wrestling/fighting with her brothers. When it happens, it always hurts her for the rest of the day.
This time Nathan was the culprit.
Then it is always completely painfree in the morning. Such was the case again on Sunday.
When I picked Nathan up from preschool yesterday, one of his teachers asked if he had broken Teresa's arm. I explained the situation and she told me that he had made his sister a valentine.

He was very excited to give this heart to Teresa, along with a cookie and candy hearts from his party. She held onto her heart for the rest of the ride home.
Today they were both playing outside at our friends' house. Roxanne said she saw Nathan walking toward the house as she heard a high pitched scream from Teresa. Teresa had gotten herself stuck in a snowbank. As Nathan got closer, he said, "We're gonna need a shovel."
Nathan can be a tough one to figure out. I'm not sure I ever will, God love the little guy. But, one thing is for sure. He loves his brother and sister and he does a great job of watching out for his younger playmate.
He made that heart for Teresa, but it was an awesome Valentine for me, too. So much of my time as a mother is spent telling my children to be nice to each other, showing them how to be nice to each other, and sometimes just telling them to "knock it off."
When I see them showing their love for each other, it truly is a most welcome gift.

LOVE

Happy Valentine's Day!
I have always loved Valentine's Day, even though I didn't have a "special" Valentine to celebrate with until 11 years ago. Valentine's Day, for me, has always been a day to celebrate friendships as well as romantic relationships. There's so much about winter that is dreary and depressing--immerse yourself in the shiny red heart balloons, pink roses, and boxes of chocolate. If you don't expect any to be delivered, treat yourself! Most of all, think about all there is to LOVE about your life today!
It was fun preparing for today with my kids. We made Nathan's Valentine box at Preschool on Thursday. Then we made Landen's robot box after school on Friday. Teresa was feeling left out, so she took her treats to Sunday School yesterday.

Thank you for occupying a LOVELY place in my life. May God bless your day!

In Your Inbox

I have been asked a few times to put feedburner on my blog. Some blogs have them; some do not.
To be honest, I was not sure if I wanted one or not.
First of all, I had never worked with feedburner before and was not sure how.
Second, I liked to have my readers visit my actual webpage to get the entire AMAZING and FULFILLING "Wife and Mom Under Construction" blog experience! :o) A blog is a personalized blog space; and email is a black and white email message. They message might say the same thing, but in two different ways. Personally, I like to visit the actual blogs of those I follow.

What to do? What to do? What to do?

I'll end the suspense for you.

I added one today. It wasn't even that difficult, so that ended up being a pretty poor excuse.
If you like to visit this site for the background decor, reading list, assorted gadgets, and great music, just keep right on doing what you do.
If you would rather have new posts delivered to your email without all the fancy blog frills, you can now do that, too.
OR, you can do BOTH! Wouldn't that be GREAT?
To receive new posts in your email inbox, enter your email address in the box to the right.
This SHOULD work. If it doesn't, let me know and I will do a little troubleshooting. (That is not my favorite thing to do, but, for you I will.) :o)
Happy Reading--however you choose to do it! As always, thanks for visiting my little blog.

Snow Buddy

We have been blessed with a beautiful day today. The sun is shining and the snow is just right for . . . building a snow man!
Nathan had been patiently waiting for the perfect snow man making day. His snow buddy has a corn cob nose and a smiley face. He even invited his sister to join him for the picture.

As you can tell by her hat, coat, snowpants, and mitten (yes, singular mitten), Teresa was more interested in all the mud she could find!

Funnies from Today

the scene: making Valentine boxes at Nathan's preschool
Nathan: Why do you have that sticker on your shirt?
Me: It says that I'm a visitor.
--several minutes pass--
Little boy sitting next to Nathan: Why does it say that you're a PRISONER?

the scene: in our entry getting ready to leave
Me: We need to comb your hair.
Teresa: Grandma did it.
Me: Where?
Teresa: On my head!

I hope you've had little things to laugh about today. Sweet dreams!

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

Mmm . . . I love scalloped potatoes and ham. It's just a great comfort food on a cold day.
Since moving south (a whole 40 or so miles) from my hometown, I have also found this to be a traditional meal served at funerals in the area. That was new to me.
We primarily have ham sandwiches, salads, and German desserts where I come from. Occasionally, a ground ham spread will make an appearance, but not often. My dad's friend Charlie told my dad one time that if they served ground ham sandwiches at my dad's funeral, he would not be coming. I am sure "no ground ham" is written down somewhere. If it isn't, it should be lest we forget and Charlie ends up missing a good funeral meal!

I really had no intention of blogging about funerals when I started this post! So . . . anyway . . .

I have my brother-in-law Jason's family to thank for this easy and yummy version of scalloped potatoes and ham. There's no potato peeling or funeral meal required to enjoy this dish.
This recipe also allows for some creativity. I have substituted soups and used shredded cheddar cheese (with a little milk) in place of the cheddar cheese soup. It turns out great every time.
Easy Scalloped Potatoes & Ham
4 cups ham
1 can cream of potato soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 32 oz. bag frozen hash browns, at least partially thawed
1 8 oz. tub sour cream

Mix all ingredients together and bake covered for 1 1/2 hours at 350.
And that's what's for supper tonight!

Missed It and for Good Reason

It seems this morning Facebook is bursting with comments on the Super Bowl game--Christina Aguliera's botched Anthem, the Black Eyed Peas, the commercials. Usually I am right in the room with the guys watching most every play of the game. I don't understand all of football, but I get the gist of it enough to enjoy a game now and again. I fully intended to watch it this year, too.
But, then I got distracted.
The men moved into the living room as soon as they arrived, but we women stayed in the kitchen to finish up the food portion of the evening. After we accomplished that task, we parked ourselves at the kitchen table and didn't move (except to aid the occasional child concern) all night. We had the little kitchen TV on, but we only looked at it occasionally to check the score. There was too much good food, good wine, and good laughs surrounding us to care much more.
Now this morning I am realizing how much I "missed." If I had an outside job, I would have had to cram some YouTube videos over breakfast just to engage in break time conversation today!
Oh, make no mistake. I am not disappointed. It was a good trade. You can't put a fun evening with good girlfriends on the DVR. You have to appreciate it while it's there! And that we did.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

Here we are on Snow Day #3! Tomorrow promises to be warmer, so we expect that yellow bus to be at our door at its usual time in the morning!
When I am snowed in, it is my instinct to bake. It is then my instinct to EAT what I have baked. I have been fighting the baking urge for most of this cold snap, but with two parties at our house this weekend, I know someone will help me eat the yummy treats! They will go into the freezer and emerge just in time for company.
I had been thinking of something lemony, so I tried a new recipe. This is a keeper--it is easy and very yummy. (I had to try a piece when no one was looking.) :o)
Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
1 lemon cake mix
1 3oz. pkg instant vanilla OR lemon pudding
1/2 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 T poppyseeds
1 c. water
1/2 tsp. powdered lemon peel (omit if using lemon pudding)

Mix & beat for 4 minutes. Grease and flour two small loaf pans. Divide batter evenly and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. I used vanilla pudding and the powdered lemon peel (which I found at penzeys.com).
The kids can't wait to try some for breakfast tomorrow!

Snow Day--Take 2

Today was Snow Day #2. The boys have been living on a steady diet of Mario Kart--or rather devouring it until they are overflowing. Today--a day that I have let them play Wii for most of it (a VERY rare treat)--has been like Halloween for them without the sugar high. I imagine they will be racing in their sleep tonight.
I decided to use my time this afternoon to put our Christmas pictures in a more compact space. We love getting Christmas pictures--please don't ever stop sending them. But, this is about the time of year when I am ready to have my wall space back to normal even though I am not necessarily tired of looking at our loved ones' faces. I took a digital picture of each one and put them on our digital frame. It didn't take very long at all to do and now both problems are solved!

This little winter vacation has been nice, but it is time to get back to the normal routine. Maybe tomorrow . . . .