Preparing

There are all sorts of preparations underway around here.

Sunday afternoon was very productive.  David set up the crib in record time (which was impressive since he had only set it up once before over 8 years ago) and my three helpers put up most of the Christmas decorations. 

One of the first things they found were the Advent candles.  I have put these out before, but we have never lit them as a family.  This year they could not wait to light the first one!  I was so impressed that our children had such an interest in Advent.  Then I realized, as I read an Advent reflection and prayer with our family gathered around the wreath, that they were most interested in who would get to blow out the candle at the end! 

We'll continue this practice throughout Advent--and take turns blowing out the candles!

I am THANKFUL

for the difficult times because they make us more appreciative of the good times.

for growth of all kinds.  It may not always be fun to grow, but wonderful things come from it.

for my husband of over 10 years.  I'm not surprised that we have made it this far, but rather that the time has gone so quickly.

for the gift of a healthy pregnancy (along with its aches and pains) and the baby we are about to meet.  I have learned to never limit the blessings God can pour on us.

for stuffing, pumpkin pie, and cranberry sauce--no matter what The Biggest Loser trainers say.  :o)

for Black Friday shopping.  I'm not one of those crazy up at 4am people, but it is kind of fun to wake up early and go shopping in the dark once a year.

for family and friends.  Again, I have been truly blessed.

for children who play well together and for children who fight--it means they are healthy and a part of our lives.

for faith, hope, and love. 

for God's guidance and protection.

for all of those things I tend to take for granted--a warm home, plenty of food, and closets that don't lack for clothes, shoes, coats and hats.

and for everything else we celebrate today . . . .

Happy Thanksgiving!

This & That

This week finds us just 4 weeks or less away from meeting our newest family member!  In some ways, it seems like I have been pregnant forever and in other ways it has gone by quickly--especially these past few months.  We are all excited and getting ready.  I am hoping the crib gets set up sometime this week, but that might be something David rushes home to do before baby and I come home from the hospital.  That's really all I ask for--just have it ready for when we get back home!
Nathan told us that Jesus told him our new baby is a girl.  I'm not really sure when this conversation took place, but possibly having another sister concerned him.  He asked me, "Mom, can you ask God to make it a boy?  He can do anything and He can change it!"  I assured him that--boy or girl--God will give us the family member that we need!  I still don't think he's entirely convinced that another sister would be a good idea!

Today Teresa and I are easing out of pumpkin season and into cranberry season.  We made a batch of homemade cranberry sauce this morning and this bread.  I'm sorry my photo is not uploading, so you'll have to use your imagination!  I really like how it turned out.  I used a cup of frozen cranberries and did not use any walnuts.  The glaze is something I added and I feel it completes the bread.  A little extra sweet never hurts!

Cranberry Orange Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup orange juice
2 T melted butter or margarine
2 T hot water
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients.  In another bowl, beat egg.  Add orange juice, butter, and hot water.  Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened.  Gently fold in cranberries and walnuts.  Spoon into greased loaf pan.  Bake at 325 degrees for an hour or more until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool.
Drizzle a glaze made with orange juice and powdered sugar over the top.  It works well to fill the bottom of a baggie with the juice and sugar, mix them together with your fingers, and snip off a corner to drizzle on the cooled bread.
Enjoy!

Candy Bar Brownies

It was a good Halloween for chocolate.  (Way to go, kids!) 
But, after a few days of the boys rushing in the door after school to choose a few favorite treats from their bags and then my enduring the sugar rush after, it was clear that the candy needed to be controlled a bit more. 
I sent the Tootsie Rolls and Smarties to Grandma & Grandpa's house for them to hand out to their grandchildren over the next year. 
Then I put all of the of chocolate it its own bag with the intention of using it for baking.  I have had my share of treats out of the chocolate bag over the past few weeks, but today it was time to put my original plan into action. 
I even found a recipe for Candy Bar Brownies in one of my cookbooks--perfect for post-Halloween!

4 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup cocoa
7-10 fun-size candy bars

Stir together first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.  Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; stir in sugar mixture.  Fold in candy bars.  Bake in a 9x13 greased and floured pan for 35 minutes at 350.  Make sure the middle is set before removing from the oven.  Cool completely and cut into bars.

Goals

I turned 33 on Saturday.  That made me start to think about life goals.  Hmm . . . lately my goal is to conquer all of the obstacles of the day so I can snuggle up and go to sleep again.  It may not be a life goal, but it keeps me motivated through the day! 
I hardly ever watch the show, but I did watch "19 Kids and Counting" on Sunday evening.  Michelle Duggar is a rock star.  Currently on the show, she and Jim Bob are taking their huge family (and a few extras) on a world tour.  Not only that, but she is pregnant with their 20th child at the same time.  I'm so glad my husband has never seen the show.  He might expect me to have a smile on my face 24/7 and travel the world, too!
My dear friend Cathy once told me of a trip their family (then including 4 boys) took to Walt Disney World for her parents' 40th wedding anniversary.  She knew the work it would entail, but her parents insisted that their entire family be together for the celebration.  As they entered the magical gates, she told her mom, "I don't even take all of my kids to Super Valu."  I thought that was hilarious and so, so true! 
I thought of her after I took my 3 children through the grocery store last night (something I never do unless I absolutely have to).
A trip around the world?
Nope.  Not one of my goals right now!
A snuggly blanket and a couple shows on the DVR?
Now that's something to look forward to!

I Heart Amazon.com

For the past three years, Amazon.com has been my go-to Christmas shopping site.  
It is especially handy when looking for presents for the children in my life.  If I have any idea of what I'd like (Fisher Price, Melissa and Doug, etc.), I just type that in the search box, narrow it down by age range, and I instantly have a huge list of choices to pick from.  If I don't like any of those, it only takes a few seconds to start a new search.  Is there anything you CAN'T find on Amazon.com?  So far I haven't found that one thing!
I also love to use it when searching book titles.  When shopping for children's books, I like to find books with their names in the title.  I'm not always successful in my search, but it is a lot easier than physically searching through a store's collection.
There are other perks to Amazon, too.  For one, it will store items in your cart indefinitely and adjust the prices as they go up or down.  I have had some items in my cart since last year's Christmas shopping.  When I log in, I am alerted as to which items have adjusted in price.  Items can always be placed in your cart to buy immediately or can be saved for later.
Then there's this problem I have with paying for shipping.  I know shipping companies need money, too, but I hate giving it to them.  Amazon has this great option called FREE Super Saver Shipping on most of the items if the total is over $25.  (That is hardly ever a problem for me, or I just continue to fill my cart over several visits until I reach that total.)  It might take a few more days than paying for shipping, but my orders still usually arrive within a week and a half.
Don't get me wrong--I am all for shopping locally and I love the hunt that comes with actually walking through stores to see what's out there.  I never pass up an opportunity for "real" shopping and, as you know, I always adore a leisurely stroll through a bookstore.
But, when shopping needs to be done in bulk, and the rest of the world is shopping at the same time--and for many of the same things--convenience tends to win out.  That's when Amazon.com rescues me from pre-holiday stress year after year.
What shopping sites do you like to use for your Christmas shopping?


*Amazon.com has not reimbursed the writer of this post in anyway, although she would be more than happy to accept. :o)

What I'm Working on This Week . . . .

--Trying to stay active without my treadmill time each morning.  Muscles that have been stretched four times aren't as kind on the fourth go-round!  Sometimes just walking down the hallway will stop me in my tracks lately.
--Getting better at using coupons.  I am a TERRIBLE coupon shopper.  I cut out very few and usually use only a few of those before I find them expired and throw them away.  I started using a coupon organizer yesterday and I actually knew where to find--and remembered to use--three coupons on my shopping trip.  Still, don't expect to see me on Extreme Couponing anytime soon.
--Christmas shopping and wrapping.  I am saving a bit for Black Friday, but staying ahead of the Christmas shopping list has been a huge help this year.  I'm usually not a "Christmas before Thanksgiving" kind of girl, but I'm not sure how much of December I will have free to prepare.
--Sleeping all night.  This happens to me with every pregnancy.  I'm not sure if it is excitement, anxiety, or my body preparing for those 3am feedings, but I wake up most nights and stay wide awake for at least an hour.  It's a good thing we believe in afternoon naps around here.
--Our church's Advent Program.  It follows the same pattern as the one I wrote a couple of years ago at our former parish, but I feel it has improved.  I gave the kids simpler songs to sing and the older students will either be song leaders or narrators, instead of singers.  Teresa plans to make her debut as a baby sheep in the nativity scene.
There you have it--my week so far in a nutshell.  Not too exciting, but ordinary is quite all right with me.  Anything else just gets to be too exhausting!
Have a good day!

Growing or Shrinking?

I'm not sure if my Landen is growing or his dress pants are shrinking!  It seems as though every week I look at the length of his dress pants after church (no time for such details before) and they are short!
Last week he was wearing a pair that was so short I thought I must have forgotten to put them away.  I checked them when we got home and they were 8's, but when compared to a pair from Old Navy, they had obviously shrunk to a 7 or maybe even 6.  I put those away for Nathan and kept the Old Navy pair that he had worn the week before--and had fit--in the closet.
He wore that pair yesterday, and I noticed over breakfast that those were short, too! 
I ordered a new pair last week and this time I'm going to keep a close eye on what is going on--if Landen is growing or if the pants are just shrinking.  David always says that you can see a corn field growing from morning until night in the summertime.  That's about how it is with Landen this year!  He can easily eat more than I can and he no longer looks like a little boy.  He flew through a shoe and jean size last summer.
I just hope no one starts a collection for the poor kid so that he can have dress pants that fit. 
I'm trying--I really am!

Happy 6th Birthday, Nathan!

We started celebrating Nathan's birthday with Teresa's last Sunday when the grandparents and aunt Amanda came for a visit. 

Nathan wanted a Scooby Doo cake this year.  Bless his heart, he also wanted to decorate it himself!

 Here is his cake featuring Scooby Doo and Shaggy in a haunted house.  He may be the new "Ace of Cakes" someday!

 Both of them got to open their presents on Sunday.  If you ask Nathan to hold something up for a picture, you can bet that he will do just that!

 The cake was as yummy as it looked.  No spit showers this year!

 We gave him a Scooby Doo game for his birthday yesterday morning before school.  Nathan loves to play games.  Things have been a bit crazy around here lately, but we will play it soon!

Happy Birthday to our dear Nathan! 
We are so happy God gave you and your energetic personality to our family to give us the spice we needed!

Halloween

Here are our trick or treaters!  Landen was easy again this year--he wanted to be a golfer.  Nathan chose a skeleton and Teresa was a bumblebee with a crown.  I thought that made her a "Queen Bee," but she preferred "Bumblebee Princess."  A "hunny" pot, made by my uncle many years ago for my cousin's Pooh costume, was a nice touch for her bee ensemble.

 Here they go!  The weather was absolutely beautiful for trick or treating.  It is very unusual that their costumes aren't covered up by heavy coats. 

By the time we returned home, their buckets and bags were FULL!  Once again, it was a successful Halloween for the Melius kids!
Next up . . . Nathan turns 6 tomorrow!

Teresa is 4!

Some scenes from Teresa's birthday . . . .

An afternoon with grandparents on
Sunday

 A bumblebee cake

 A new computer (this one was much more realistic than the iPad Landen has already asked for!)

 Our little bumblebee princess finishing off trick or treating with cake at Grandma & Grandpa Melius' house

She is so excited to be 4 like her best friend Lily! 

More on Halloween tomorrow . . . I can only take on one special occasion at a time today! :o)