I was tagged!

I was photo tagged by my dear friend Amy.

Here are the rules for picture tag:

1. Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer
2. Select the 4th picture in the folder
3. Explain the picture
4. Tag 4 people to do the same

This picture was of Lauryn and Cruella De Vil.

It was taken in Disneyland in Ocotober of 2007.

I was probably teaching a lesson on fractions when this was taken since I had to stay back for work. ;) (I know...quit whining Lolli!)

I'm tagging:

Julaine

Stacy

Kara

Michele

You're It!

The Only One Saying Yum is...Me!

While I was a student at E.W.U. (Go Eagles!) my roommate and good friend introduced me to this simple and yummy recipe. I brought it home and shared it with my parents, who also find it quite tasty. Unfortunately though, Blake and the girls don't find it near as appetizing as I do.

I love that it has only three ingredients: sausage (or keilbasa), cabbage, and onion

I never in a million years thought I would ever take pictures of sausage and cabbage but I just felt compelled to. Now you get to look at them. This blogging makes us do some wild and crazy things! ;)

Here are the directions for this extremely easy recipe:

1. Clean and chop cabbage and onion

2. Slice keilbasa (this time I used Hot Link Sausage from Costco for a little kick).
3. Brown the keilbasa.

4. Put the cabbage and onion in the pan with the keilbasa and stir.

5. Cover and let cook until the cabbage is tender crisp.

Here is my plate! It was a lonely lunch.

Oprah once said that a healthy eater doesn't clean her plate. (She didn't say how much to start with though;) Does this count as healthy? (Can you tell I don't totally dig onions but love the flavor/!)

Thanks Karen for this yummy recipe. I lost my recipe for Cabbage Patch soup so if you still have it could you send it my way (pretty please)? That sounds really good too! Why am I craving all the foods we ate in college? Maybe I'm just dreaming of being the size I was back then.

Girls' Club!

GEMS=(Girls Everywhere Meeting the Savior)

Jenna and Lauryn were invited by their best friends to join GEMS! It is a club for girls in 1st-8th grade which meets on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month. It's purpose is to bring the girls into a living dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ.

The girls:

• participate in team building
• engage in singing, creative movement, and dance
• learn life skills and earn badges
• learn to apply the bible to their lives
• participate in service projects
• complete creative craft projects
• find answers to challenges that girls today face

Jen and Lauryn decided that the Children's Bibles they were using just weren't cutting it anymore. I did a little shopping and found two perfect ones for Christmas. They were so thankful for the gift and were thrilled to pack their GEMS bags this week.

Thank you Ashley and Brandi for being such great friends to Jenna and Lauryn!

Lucie Loo!

Lauryn loves animals! Last winter she wrote up a contract for us to sign so she could get a cat. Blake and Jenna are both allergic to cats so it was a big deal. Blake didn't sign Lauryn's contract for a really long time. When he finally caved, Lauryn was nothing less than ecstatic!

Needless to say, Lucie Loo is now a part of our family. She was strictly an outside cat and had a snuggly basket in the corner of our patio.

We had been struggling with some neighbor cats who seemed to think that whenever we filled Lucie's food dish it was for them. They also started to take over her warm bed because the temperatures at the time were frigid.

Well on the night of December 16th, Blake (out of the clear blue) said, "Lucie can come in as long as she stays on the rug." Lauryn stopped and stared at him in disbelief. She then said, "Who are you and what have you done with my dad?". It was sooo funny!

Lucie Loo has (for the most part) done really well with staying on the rug right inside the door. If she tries to wander, she gets to go back outside. She really has been easy to train. She still spends the majority of her day outside and goes out at night. If we are home though, she's usually in.

Here is Lucie during one of the first times inside. She went from this to....

...this!

Lauryn used some of her Christmas money to buy this cat condo. You can probably imagine what Blake was thinking when she pulled this out of the shopping bag. ;) It's quite a lovely addition to our home. Lucie absolutely loves to snuggle in the bottom with the heart-shaped pillow that Lauryn bought for her. It's kind of a bugger to get her out of at night though.

Lauryn and Lucie Loo are best buds. We love watching the two of them play and "visit". Lucie has definitely been a healthy addition to our family!

Back in the Swing of Things!

It didn't take long to get back into our normal routine. It actually felt kind of good! (I probably wouldn't have said the same thing at 5:30 this morning though. ;) We all had a great day back to school! The girls came home and put their new desks to the test...and they passed!

Jenna is diligently completing an entry in her writing journal.

Lauryn is finishing up her homework for the night.

To Do List in a Day!!

Yep, it's the end of Christmas vacation and we're just getting to that to-do list. Blake and I decided that today is the day. I'm always a smidge cranky on the day before we go back to school so we figured today would be a little more pleasant than tomorrow.

I apologize in advance for the photography. I don't know how, but I even changed our paint colors in some pictures.

#1: Hang up wall decor

We haved had a pile of things to hang up since last spring. We have lived in our house for over three years and still don't like to nail in the walls. Today we nailed with a vengence. It kind of felt good. We had tried those no-nail Command hangers and they worked for a bit but a few things have came crashing down. We decided to just go for it. Hanging things on the walls is always an interesting adventure for Blake and I. He uses a lot more tools than I would need. I'm an eye-baller and he measures down to the nearest gnat's eyelash and whips out his level more than most home builders. I'm always thankful when we're done because you can tell he takes his time and it always looks nice.

Blake's doing one of his measurements to hang the "Grow Old with Me" sign between our bedroom closet and bathroom door. I think I was laying on the bed working on a Sudoku during this one.

Jenna made this sign last year. She's been patiently waiting for it to be put up in her room.

Lauryn painted these blocks three years ago. She has been on her dad to hang these for...three years.

Lauryn bought this sign for Jenna when we were in Leavenworth this summer. It says "Sisters From The Start, Friends From The Heart". We hung it above the door in their bathroom so they could both enjoy it.

In October of 2007, Blake and the girls went to Disneyland with some family. I had to stay back because of work. Blake's mom had this framed for me last year as a Christmas gift. It's pretty cute. We hung this in the den so I can get a good giggle when I'm working at the computer.

This doily and bonnet were made by my great grandma. The bonnet was actually made for my grandma when she was born. These are hanging on each side of the fireplace. (They are actually the same size but my trick photography makes them look like different sizes.)

This was part of my Mother's Day last year. I found this at Yellow Rose and Blake picked up on the hint during one of our trips out to buy plants. What a guy!!

My grandma took an oil painting class after my grandpa lost his life in an automobile accident. This is one of the paintings she created of the barn on her childhood ranch. My brother has a similar painting at his house.

My aunt Carrie gave this to us as a Christmas gift. I love what it says: "Your life may be the only bible some people read."

#2: Seal all the counters

I've been very good about sealing all the counters in the summer and over Christmas vacation. Last summer I somehow avoided the little chore. It usually takes me a good chunk of time because I've always done it by myself. Blake and I worked together tonight and we were quite a team. He was the main sealer and I would go behind and do the wipe/buff step. We did both coats in a fraction of the time it takes me by myself. It feels so good to have this done.

#3: Homework (correct 150 tests, correct late work, enter grades in computer, update Edline)

My homework has been consuming the kitchen table for a few days. I do a little each day. I'm still not done but hope to make a bigger dent tomorrow. I really could say some unkind words to those who make comments about teachers and the hours they work. I'd like to let them shadow me for a time and they might change their tune.

I have had a fantastic Christmas Vacation! The snow along with the good food and fun times with family were absolutely perfect!

Pretty in Pink!!!

Many years ago, Blake and Rich started a tradition of buying each other something pink for Christmas. I don't even remember how it was started. The gift is usually some ridiculous or entirely useless little item. This year Blake was the lucky recipient of a lovely ribbon embellished...hat. We always get a kick out of seeing what they come up with.

You can tell by the picture that Blake is Yin loveY with his new hat. What guy wouldn't be?

After much hesitation, Blake agreed to put the little gem on so we could snap a picture.

I can't wait to see what next year brings!!

Rich will be receiving his "pink" when we celebrate January birthdays. We forgot to take it to town on Christmas morning.