What have I gotten myself into?

Last week, Karah auditioned for a part in her school's talent show. She did well, just needs to memorize the words. She's singing a patriotic song, so they said that more than likely she'll be the first one (or one of the first few) to sing after the opening ceremonies. She needs something to wear, obviously, so I went online to do some searching. I found this pattern that I thought would do really well. I was consulting with my sister back and forth and we liked this one the best. Then we had to decide colors. Red, white, and blue were the obvious choices, but trying to figure out what color to go where was the hard part.


Brian had Tuesday off and the kids had school, so we went in search of the fabric store. (I didn't know there was even here until I went to Walmart and they didn't carry Butterick anything!) We found the pattern, and chose the materials we needed (satin, lining, and ruffle). Based on the picture above, we are making the pink dress with the short sleeve jacket. The dress will be royal blue with white straps, and the jacket will be red. Think it'll be patriotic enough? I figured I'd go ahead with the ruffle, might as well make it nice. However, my sewing has been pretty basic since I've been out of high school. I don't have a clue how to install a zipper, nor have I ever done anything this advanced before. Yikes! If you could please pray for me so I don't mess it up. When we got the materials, I was a little worried about the price, since you know the nicer the material = the higher the price. Praise God, they were having a sale on all prom fabrics - 30% off! So all the satin and the linings were 30% off, and the netting (for the ruffle) was marked down from 99¢/yd to 79¢/yd. The pattern was marked down 40%, so all in all, I was able to get the materials for Karah's dress for under $50. Whew! Now the hard part ... making it :-s

Where did the time go?

Okay, so I realize it's been almost 2 weeks since I last posted. Two weeks! My, how time does fly! Well, I think it will show up best in pictures what we've been up to. Things have been pretty busy lately, keeping all of us on our toes.

2-5-08 ~ Karah & Vincent with their Mardi Gras stuff from their grandparents. They enjoyed wearing it, even if they have no idea what Mardi Gras really is. I'm not an expert on it, either, but I married into a family that is - at least more so than me! :-)

2-7-08 ~ Here we are on that long day. Karah got her blood pressure checked and the nurse was kind enough to bring some crayons for her to color with on the paper. She was nice enough to share with Vincent.

2-7/8-08 ~ Here are the hats they made for the 100th day of school, and them wearing it the next day.

They each designed their own and picked out their own buttons, enough to total 100, after counting the letters.

2-9-08 ~ We went to a local flea market on Saturday. We went in with $60 and came out with $15. I think we did rather well. Out of Vincent's 7 items, he only paid for 4. Everything else was "Can I have this?" - the question being directed at the seller. :-) That's how he got the truck, shell, and little transforming items. The other things only totaled up to $7, so he averaged $1 / item. Not too bad!

Karah found lots of stuff that she liked. The wooden window/shelf is now hanging in her room with the little bobble-head kitty on it. The picture frame (in front of the shelf) actually has a girl scout stamp in it, so she keeps it on her desk. She was pretty excited about that one. The fan and silver basket she is also using for decoration in her room. She likes decorations ... hmmm, I wonder if that is the start of a career choice? :-) The cheerleading outfit and veil were bought for dressing up. I actually had a hard time deciding which picture to post on here, since she was just so pretty in all the ones with the veil. (They were taken separate because we'd forgotten about it until after she had put her other things away!) She really enjoyed her finds!

Me, I spent the most, BUT I don't think $25 for a flute is that bad. It's a Gemeinhardt which is the same brand as I already have. All it needs is a little silver polish, it works just fine. I was sooo happy, since I know the kids are interested in learning to play, so now we have more than one! I got this doll because it reminded me of Scarlett from "Gone With the Wind" (my most favorite movie of all time!). I found out when I got home that it was supposed to - it was a limited edition "Scarlett" doll, and I only paid $2 or $3 for it. :-D I also got the pretty little teacup (no saucer) because it was pretty and only a quarter. I'im sure I can find somewhere to put it so it looks nice! All in all, I think we did rather well!

2-11-08 ~ It was a Monday, can you tell? Church nights we end up staying up later than usual, and Vincent is one that really needs his sleep. This was taken after he got home from school and had been throwing a fit about doing his homework (writing a couple of sentences). He fell asleep during his pouting and I just couldn't resist taking a picture. He wasn't happy when we took the picture and complained, but then he went back to sleep. LOL! After his impromptu nap, he finished his homework pretty easily. Re-instate Nap Time!!! :-D

2-13-08 ~ Ahhhh, the night before Valentine's Day. I used premade, pre-flattened cookie dough with an icing recipe I found online. They had fun decorating the cookies for their classes. Karah stopped after her first batch because she was tired (church night, we got home late), so I finished the rest of hers. Vincent was a trooper though, and wanted to do all of his himself. So I let him. They had a blast, and the cookies tasted really good.

2-14-08 ~ Happy Valentine's Day! Here are the kids with their teacher's gifts. Karah got her teacher some pampering goodies, chocolate, and a candle rose. Vincent got his a little glass turtle (from the flea market), a turtle keyring, chocolate, and a candle rose. (His class is part of the Turtle team at school, hence all the turtle stuff). Why I didn't get pictures of their school Valentine's I don't know, but they really enjoyed them! I was solo this Valentine's Day, so my neighbor brought me some chocolate covered strawberries & cherries that she had made to help the evening pass easier. It was really sweet of her. Brian told me today that he would NOT be coming home this Saturday as was originally planned, but on Monday instead. So much for the weekend plans!

2-17-08 ~ We had an absolutely wonderful morning service. We had the men's quartet from Amassador Baptist College (5 men in all) and in Sunday School, they played music while in the morning service they sang and one of them preached. In the evening service, Bro. McIntire preached as the Pastor was home with his father. His dad had stage 4 colon cancer and other medical problems as well, but did not appear to be in any pain. Pastor felt that he didn't have much longer to be with us in this world, so he stayed home with him. (The Pastor's wife called me the next day to say that he had passed away that night, and is now with the Lord. Please pray that they would be comforted by the knowledge that he is now in a better place and in no pain.)

2-18-08 ~ HE'S BACK!!!!! :-D We were so happy to finally have Brian back home with us. It seemed to take forever, and the thing that sucks is knowing the next time he leaves, it will be for 7 - 8 months! :-( We will enjoy the time we have with him for now and will make many good memories that we can hold on to until he returns.

After dinner, Brian played Guitar Hero III for a little bit before we watched a movie. Here, Brian was checking the alignment (although I don't know why ... it's plastic!) and Vincent got down and pretend to "evade the enemy's sights". He was having fun playing with Brian :-)

Seems like now that daddy is home, the silliness is back! And I am not complaining at all. It's good to see the little ones happy and smiling!

Brian playing Guitar Hero III and getting a multiplier (causing the blue flames along the edge of the tv guitar). Brian had wanted Guitar Hero for a while, but it costs money so we didn't buy it ... until we went to the warehouse yard sale. At the same time we got the kids new bedroom furniture, this was there (guitar w/game) for only $10. So we got it and he has enjoyed playing it. I must say, it is a bit easier to play than a real guitar (well, it doesn't hurt your fingers so much, anyhow!)

Sorry for the reallllly long post, but now I'm caught up so it shouldn't be so bad in the future. :-)

VOD:
"Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun. For wisdom is a defense, and money is a defense: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it." ~ Ecclesiastes 7:11-12

What a long day

I had a PTA board meeting this morning. All I wanted to do was sleep. And since the kids missed the bus, they had to wait for me to finish getting ready, so 'round the board we were all late. *sigh* Then a 2 hour meeting for me followed up by a little yearbook planning. During the meeting I get a call from the nurse next door saying that Karah's ears were really red. So I decide I'll take her to the doctor (which is out in town) and do a walk-in. Knowing how long I waited before for one, I went ahead and took out Vincent, too, just in case I wouldn't be able to make it back in time. Good thing, too, since we were there until just after 5pm (after getting there right around 1pm). Turns out she has a double ear infection.

They gave me a prescription and we left to go to walmart to grab a couple of things. It was just across the street, and would save me a trip later. After walmart, we went to the Naval Hospital on base to get Karah's meds, where we got a double whammy. 1) the pharmacist was gone for the day 2) they didn't even carry this particular medication. great.

So off to walgreen's we go, after a quick stop by the house. It's a 30-45 minute wait, so we go back out to the truck to work on the 100th day of school hats. We glue on letters and count out buttons and then it's time to pick up her meds. You know, the Lord is so good, even in the little things. I've never had to purchase any prescription medication .... it's always been on base. I was really worried about the price, 'cause I've heard some can be pretty high. Well, with her meds and some sudafed for me (on sale) my total came to just under $10. I knew that the sudafed was $6, so that put hers around $3. When I got home and looked at the paper, it said her medication retailed for $103. But because of the insurance, all I had to pay was $3. Thank God! I was really worried, but He had it taken care of.

So with meds in hand we were finally able to go home (and stay there!). The kids got ready for bed and Karah took her medicine, then we finished gluing buttons to the hats. I read our Proverbs for the day and then we prayed and I tucked the kids into bed. Yeah, a couple hours past their bedtime, but I think most of their stuff will be ready for tomorrow. Now to take my meds and get some rest!

Oh, and I do have pictures, just haven't downloaded them yet. I'll do that tomorrow when I have more time!

VOD:
"And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor." ~ Ephesians 5:2

Just a quick note ...

Today's post will not be long. Just long enough to say it won't be long! :-)

I know I am due for a post, but I have started to get sick, and am not feeling so well. Coughing, sneezing, runny nose - a cold :-(

I promise I will update (with pictures) as soon as I feel better. I'll post the verse of the day (for yesterday and today) and then get my self to bed. I'm sure rest will help...and medicine. And with a little luck, I won't end up looking like Rudolph, :-)


VOD (Monday)
"Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not." ~ Lamentations 3:57


VOD (Tuesday)
"For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name." ~ Luke 1:49

Superbowl Sunday ...

... but I didn't watch the superbowl. (Football's not really my thing). Instead we went to church this morning. Earlier in the week, both Karah and Vincent recieved a letter from their Sunday school teacher that had a paper puzzle piece in it. They were encouraged to come back to Sunday school this week and bring the puzzle piece with them so they could have the picture for the lesson. All the children got one. Pretty cute idea, actually. Since they brought their puzzzle piece, they got a prize ... a Hershey's kiss. In the adult Sunday school, was a continuing lesson on our sins. The Sunday morning service dealt with the church's theme for the year, "Striving for the Mastery" focusing on prayer today.

After church, we went to the new walmart to pick up some bleach and grabbed a snack to eat on the way home. I had decided to grill since it was such a beautiful day (doesn't it just figure I'd pick today to wear a sweater and a long, wool skirt!) so I knew it'd be a little while before we ate. While I was taking care of the food, the kids rode their bikes and scooters for a bit, then decided they would "help" mommy at the grill - supervised of course. Mostly they were just playing with the tongs and spatulas, but at the end, I let them each take off three hot dogs from the grill. They were a great help! ;-) We took the food (hot dogs, steak, & pork chops) inside and I was just putting the butter & milk into the potatoes to mash them when the door bell rang. It was my friend with my charges for the evening.

Karah & Vincent helping take off the hot dogs.

Since her kids would be eating here as well, she brought over some mac & cheese so they could eat. I went ahead and fixed it so there would be enough food for everyone. In the end there was steak, pork chops, hot dogs, corn, mashed potatoes, and macaroni & cheese . Karah is the only one that had a little of everything. I am pretty sure her eyes were bigger than her stomach, and sure enough, she was full but she did eat most of it. Although it's funny, about 10-15 minutes later I ask if she's really full. She says yes. I said, "not even any room for dessert?" "Oh, yeah, plenty of room for dessert" was the reply I got. hmmmm

We went out to the grill and toasted marshmallows the right way this time, instead of like last time. Then the kids played outside until it was too dark to see anymore and I had them go inside. They played pretty well for the rest of the evening and I got a chance to play the keyboard a little :-) That always helps me relax. And now that I've had my evening dose of talking with Brian, I get to go to sleep. Yea!

All the kids roasting marshmallows

VOD

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." ~ John 10:27

"A Lovely Marriage" Giveaway

Ok, so this is my first time with this; hope I don't mess it up.

There is a contest going on here... so I get to do a post about it. :-)

She's got some great stuff up for grabs.

Please feel free to go and visit her and see the wonderful goodies!


(Do I do anything else now? :-s )

Is Your Daddy a Recruiter?

That is a question that was asked of Karah earlier. We were at our first cookie booth (Girl Scout Cookies). As a little background, Karah's first year of Girl Scouts was last year. She was unable to attend cookie rally and therefore did not have her supplies to go door-to-door selling. Brian took the order form to work and got about 30 orders. By the end of cookie season, she had sold over 450 boxes of cookies, mostly from cookie booths. Let me tell you, the girl is a natural salesman. It came out again today after a year of not using it.

Here she is next to her cookie booth



The booth where we were at was Karah and another girl from her troop. It was the other girl's first time, so Karah was teaching her the ropes. By the end, the other little girl was actually going up and asking people if they wanted to buy cookies. But Karah has a knack. She doesn't always get a cookie sale, but a good majority of the time, she'll get a donation. Last year, the leader said it was okay to ask for donations. This year she has a different leader who doesn't want the girls to ask for money. They can, however, ask if they'd like to buy / donate a box of cookies for the troops (Operation Cookie Drop). We started off with one or two boxes of cookies in the clear plastic tub. By the time we were done, we had over a dozen! The other mother and I couldn't help but laugh (not at her, she was just amusing), because even though people would say "no" she'd ask about the donation, and if they still said "no" she would say "ok, thanks anyways" and turn around and find someone new to ask. She's resilient! Which is how the title question got to be asked by one of the customers. :-)

Like the marketing technique?



She makes me proud. And I must say that I am in awe of her sometimes. I wonder how she got to be the way she is. I've never been like that. I'd have died at the thought of actually having to go up to people and talk to them when I was her age. It is amazing to see how our children grow up and become their own person, even if it isn't just like us.



The rest of the day was pretty much just a bum day. The kids got to play their DS until dinner, which is probably more than they've played it all week. It's good for them, even if Vincent doesn't agree! :-) Although, on the way home after picking up Vincent, I found this interesting sight. You may have to click on the picture to make it big enough to see, but take a close look at the right side of the bumper. Notice anything unsual?







I bought a page-a-day calendar the other day that has KJV Bible verses on it. I think from now on, I will post that verse at the bottom of my posts. Enjoy!

VOD
"The LORD is nigh unto all that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth." ~ Psalm 145:18

Excuse me ... does anyone know where I can find some "Taffy Glue"?

That's right. Taffy glue. Welcome to my world.

I had picked the kids up early (5 minutes) from school so we could run some errands out in town. After getting some gas for the truck, books from Books-A-Million, a couple small things at Michael's, and some dinner at McDonald's we were finally at Walmart. I had to find a hat that could be ruined, in a manner of speaking.

The 100th day of school is on February 7th, and Vincent's teacher wants the kids to come in that day with a hat that has 100 items on it. Naturally, I didn't want to put stuff on a perfectly good hat that is used regularly, but I was able to find a ball cap on clearance for $1. Yea! Naturally, Karah wanted to do one too, and she was in luck. There was one more hat that was exactly the same as Vincent's. We went over different things trying to decide what to put on there. It's got to have 100 after all, so it can't be too big. We got a thing of 200 buttons (88¢) and a couple of foam puzzle letter pieces (pkg of entire alphabet and numbers for 88¢) and some Tacky Glue to attach the items with.

So we were going down an aisle, looking for shirts to match the kids' for family pictures, and they were talking about their hats and Vincent asked if we were going to sew the stuff one the hats. Karah in all her infinite wisdom declares that "No, we're going to use 'Taffy Glue'". Yup, she said it. After I finished laughing, I corrected her and showed her the bottle. Tacky glue, not "Taffy" glue. She's so funny sometimes. I needed a good laugh though, because Vincent was really being a bit of a pain this evening. Listening and obeying was not on his list of things to do, and then he wondered why he was getting into trouble and losing priveleges. One of these days he'll learn ... I hope!

Here's a few pictures from our evening.

Karah & Vincent enjoying a sample of Frozen hot chocolate at Books-A-Million while mommy enjoys a Mocha frappe - yum!



Enjoying a treat - McDonald's for dinner (I love dollar menus)



Here is the playplace. I took some pictures of them in it, but none of them turned out. :-(



After changing into PJ's, Karah decided to do a little coloring.



Vincent, on the other hand, decided to lay down on the couch and go to sleep. Odd how he's not really that heavy until you try to move him sleeping ... gotta love "dead" weight!