Meet Braden and...

These are Libby's play friends. Their names are Braden and Lazer. They are boyfriend and girlfriend and they really like Libby.

Don't tick Braden off though. He might just have to do something about his anger issues. Ha!

Better Late than Never

Here are some pictures of Grace enjoying her birthday cake. Libby made the special dunce cap, I mean birthday hat for her. Grace loved it!

As for the cake, we had a run for our money just in getting it. I asked Grace about a month before her birthday what she wanted on her cake and she said she wanted Tinkerbell...then ran to the table to wait patiently for it. :) I had her psyched up for a Tinkerbell cake for an ENTIRE MONTH! Then, when I went to order it from Dairy Queen, they said they didn't have any. I was devastated. They tried to get me to take a Dora cake instead...um, NO! I have made cakes before, but Tinkerbell? Hardly! They have a cake mold with Tinkerbell, but not in stock here in Dubuque. So, I bought some frosting dyes that were bright green and bright purple and bought a Tinkerbell decoration to put on the cake...did I mention I was REALLY dreading have to make this cake? Luckily, the day before her birthday I had a revelation! Wal-Mart makes cakes. DUH!! Shew! I was out of a cake making job and loved what Wal-Mart had. And, actually? Their cake was pretty darn yummy, too!

Hard at Work

Libby loves art...I mean LOVES it! So, doing her Bible Notebook is her favorite part of the curriculum this year. Her favorite mediums are "bleed" markers (named that way because they bleed through the paper) and glitter. I have absolutely adored watching her make this book as she writes a description of the story we went over for that day and then illustrates it. Some of her illustrations are...well, just...Libby. For example, for Cain and Able she drew a picture of Cain stabbing Able with a smile on his face while the sun watched with a look of horror on its face. I can't wait until 20 years from now she looks back through her first Bible Notebook. On the other hand, I can too wait. Let's not rush time...too many memories to make in the meanwhile. :)

Great Expectations!

Have you ever seen something in your mind's eye and reality didn't quite turn out that way? How do you feel when your expectations aren't met. We all have high ideals in our minds and I know that my ideals...certainly aren't always met with reality. ESPECIALLY, when those ideals are in the hands of others' choices. I never realized how much of a controlling person I could be until I had children...and with those children, ideals about the way things should be (according to me, of course). I have to learn, daily, to give up some of that control and let my kids be who God made THEM to be instead of trying to fit them into Liza's mold.

This is a somewhat trivial example, but last week Libby had a birthday party to go to. With all the sickness in our household, we decided to just make a card. I had exactly how I thought it should look in my mind and it did NOT look exactly like the card that you see below. I couldn't believe how many times I had to stop, step back, assess whether it really made a difference in the big picture of life if she put the green squiggly on the heart or under the heart, and KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT!!!!

Wow! How often do I step on my children's toes and try to change them just because they don't fit my mold? What happened to God making us so fearful and so wonderful? Haven't I been taught all my life that God makes each one of us uniquely? Why is that so hard to accept? I learned a lesson about myself that day and I have been trying much harder to step back and assess whether what my children are doing is just a God given trait that I can smile and encourage them to grow...even if it seems a little "off" to me or whether they are truly doing something that needs corrected and weeded out. Dear Lord, give me the wisdom to know the difference between the things to correct and the things to let go...and give me the courage to correct what I need to in my children and the serenity to LET GO of those things that annoy me, but do not affect my children's character and integrity!

Should've Been a Cowboy

I LOVE These Kids!!!

How can you not?

Paper Stand

Here is the paper stand that Chris spent yesterday building.

It will hold all of my scrapbook paper in it. I am having trouble being decisive with how I want to split my categories. So many colors, so many patterns, so many holidays, so many choices. Ai yai yai!

Being a "Yes Mom"

So, my friend, Deanna, posted this post. The post found me quite guilty. Therefore, this year I will be working on being a little more of a "yes mom". I have already caught myself twice today getting ready (or having already said) to say "no" when I stop and think and decide to change my mind. :)

Doesn't he just look like he's up to mischief?

The Beginnings of a Craft Room

One of Chris's Christmas gifts to me this year was to transform our mechanical room into a craft room. Here is the beginning process.

This is my pegboard wall. Eventually it will be filled with fun little tools to work with. Behind the pegboard wall is our furnace.

This is what it looks like when my table (which obviously folds down flush to fit against the wall) looks like when it is up and ready for me to work. And, look, it even comes along with an adorable three year old. :)

This is my shelving system. Lots of room to put lots of stuff. Does that mean I get to spend more money on my scrapbooking now? :D

Last, but not least, my technology center. My cricut and a computer (thanks Tom and Janet) that has a program called Sure Cuts a Lot so that I can cut out any font or shape that I can find on the computer. I've already used the program quite a bit to get me started on Grace's curriculum.

I am very much looking forward to using my little getaway to get some scrapbooking done. I am very blessed to have a husband that can put this all together for me and is even willing to do so. Thank you for being the best husband ever!