Humbly Walking...

2009-10-02T14:57:00.000-07:00

So there's this giveaway off of Fabulessly Frugal for the cool new site I'm eyeing... Vinyl decals for the walls that are so cute, but I've got to see where I can put one! Just wish I'd found this site before painting Keeley's name on her wall... I would've ordered a Large "K" instead! Thinking that the monogramed "L" with est. 2003 would look nice in our front entry way.... What do you think?

Studio JK vinyl

2009-09-19T21:21:00.000-07:00

I just became a follower of a new blog named: Room Remix and have really enjoyed it! If you're kind of a decorating (ahem, H.C.)/DIY junkie like I am (that is when we have the budget for it) you might like it too... Right now they're doing a giveaway of a $35 gift card to a number of stores (Pier 1, Home Depot, Lowe's, etc.) and if you become a follower, you can enter too! Check 'em out...

2009-09-19T10:34:00.000-07:00

Preschool - noun

Pre-school - adjective

Problem solved!

Thanks Mom!

2009-09-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

Sarah's 1st Day of Pre-School
(Preschool? Pre-school?)!

(Note Sarah holding Keeley's ear... What a goofball...)

I was so excited to have Sarah get into this pre-school and I really like their set up - ESPECIALLY the mini-toilets they have in the bathrooms that are in each classroom. (Seriously, this was my main reason for choosing this pre-school.) Things seemed to go pretty well. She marched right into the classroom and neither Mom, Dad, nor Sarah shed a tear... well that is she was fine until another kid came in crying and, having always been a sympathetic crier in the nursery at church, got a concerned look on her face and she joined in for a while... (The teacher told me when I picked her up.) Not really surprising to me... But a successful 1st day! She'll go Thursdays and Fridays of every week from now until May... Didn't get as much of a "break" with Keeley as I thought I might (she "napped" in the car a whole 7 minutes and then wouldn't really nap after that...), but I've got all sorts of ideas of how I can spend hour and a half breaks in the future!

2009-09-12T21:39:00.000-07:00

It was a fantastic day for a hike, so we did!

Both girls did really well. Sarah's getting so good at climbing, we really have to hold her back! A few falls because she's pretty confident, but nothing more than a scratch... We weren't sure if she'd be more tired from practically running two miles or talking the WHOLE way! Keeley was a champ and seemed to really enjoy the hike, had a few little fussy cries, and then zonked out on the way back from the falls... A dream day...

2009-09-12T20:24:00.000-07:00

Lockwood "Zen-isms"

The trees are growing without making a sound...
(Sarah hiking today)

The color of the breeze crossing the ocean...
(Todd copying Sarah's theme)

It's the sound of a flower blooming...
(Sarah sometime in the past few weeks)

Do you feel more relaxed already?

2009-09-05T22:05:00.000-07:00

Once again, catching up and mostly for Grandmom and Nana!

Pictures from August...

(Also trying out the updated editor features in Blogger! Finally!!!)

"Picking" blueberries at a local farm...

1hour's worth of picking: Sarah's basket..... My pail..... Hmmmmmm.....

Love the Bumbo!

Sisters at breakfast....

I'm ALMOST there!

No caption needed...all Sarah's doing...

In the breezeway to the Davenport Towers, Spokane, WA

Who knew luxury included golden rhinos?

Braden has got to be THE cutest little boy ever...

...and he can take Sarah in wrestling - good thing she has a "brother"!

Does Sarah remind you of anyone Mom and Dad? He...he...

Smiles...

Proud Nana!

Cuddling with Papa

Nana set up a tea party...

I hope that Sarah and I can share coffee and chat like this someday...

She's got the look down...

Kate (1.5 days), Keeley (4.5 months), Raegan (10 days), Harper (3 months)

Just some of the babies born at Grace so far... We were missing Madeline.

Can't wait to add to this picture!

2009-09-05T21:41:00.000-07:00

3 months:

Like Father Like Daughter...
(She's wearing a Brave's onsie, but you just can't see the logo)

2009-09-03T20:01:00.000-07:00

Keeley, Keels, Keeley Bug, Smiley Keeley, Keeley Bear...

Celebrating 4 months! (Well, 4.5 months now...)

Right now Keeley is...
Content to not completely roll over, although she gets close...
Is a champ giving up her pacifier more and more getting herself to sleep even though it's only been 24 hours!
At last Dr.'s appointment: 13.5lbs (50%), 26 and 1/4" ((97%!)
So very smiley...
Blows spit bubbles
Babbles and is beginning to find the high notes
Possibly deciding she likes eating from a bottle in the day and from Mama only at night?
Loves being read to - seemingly wanting to turn pages even...
Reaching/grabs for hair, rings, earrings...
Mellow...
Wearing 6 month clothes and 6-9 month sleepers with feet because she's so long!
Loving her big sister who loves her right back!
An all around joy...

2009-08-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

Read this this morning on my friend Bina's blog, "A Branch in the Vine".
So convicting/challenging.
I too will be rereading/praying about this in my own life...

Proud people focus on the failures of others. Broken people are overwhelmed with a sense of their own spiritual need.

Proud people have a critical, fault-finding spirit; they look at everyone else’s faults with a microscope but their own with a telescope. Broken people are compassionate; they can forgive much because they know how much they have been forgiven.

Proud people are self-righteous; they look down on others. Broken people esteem all others better than themselves.

Proud people have an independent, self-sufficient spirit. Broken people have a dependent spirit; they recognize their need for others.

Proud people have to prove that they are right. Broken people are willing to yield the right to be right.

Proud people claim rights; they have a demanding spirit. Broken people yield their rights; they have a meek spirit.

Proud people are self-protective of their time, their rights, and their reputation. Broken people are self-denying.

Proud people desire to be served. Broken people are motivated to serve others.

Proud people desire to be a success. Broken people are motivated to be faithful and to make others a success.

Proud people desire self-advancement. Broken people desire to promote others.

Proud people have a drive to be recognized and appreciated. Broken people have a sense of their own unworthiness; they are thrilled that God would use them at all.

Proud people are wounded when others are promoted and they are overlooked. Broken people are eager for others to get the credit; they rejoice when others are lifted up.

Proud people have a subconscious feeling, “This ministry/church is privileged to have me and my gifts”; they think of what they can do for God. Broken people’s heart attitude is, “I don’t deserve to have a part in any ministry”; they know that they have nothing to offer God except the life of Jesus flowing through their broken lives.

Proud people feel confident in how much they know. Broken people are humbled by how very much they have to learn.

Proud people are self-conscious. Broken people are not concerned with self at all.

Proud people keep others at arms’ length. Broken people are willing to risk getting close to others and to take risks of loving intimately.

Proud people are quick to blame others. Broken people accept personal responsibility and can see where they are wrong in a situation.

Proud people are unapproachable or defensive when criticized. Broken people receive criticism with a humble, open spirit.

Proud people are concerned with being respectable, with what others think; they work to protect their own image and reputation. Broken people are concerned with being real; what matters to them is not what others think but what God knows; they are willing to die to their own reputation.

Proud people find it difficult to share their spiritual need with others. Broken people are willing to be open and transparent with others as God directs.

Proud people want to be sure that no one finds out when they have sinned; their instinct is to cover up. Broken people, once broken, don’t care who knows or who finds out; they are willing to be exposed because they have nothing to lose.

Proud people have a hard time saying, “I was wrong; will you please forgive me?” Broken people are quick to admit failure and to seek forgiveness when necessary.

Proud people tend to deal in generalities when confessing sin. Broken people are able to acknowledge specifics when confessing their sin.

Proud people are concerned about the consequences of their sin. Broken people are grieved over the cause, the root of their sin.

Proud people are remorseful over their sin, sorry that they got found out or caught. Broken people are truly, genuinely repentant over their sin, evidenced in the fact that they forsake that sin.

Proud people wait for the other to come and ask forgiveness when there is a misunderstanding or conflict in a relationship. Broken people take the initiative to be reconciled when there is misunderstanding or conflict in relationships; they race to the cross; they see if they can get there first, no matter how wrong the other may have been.

Proud people compare themselves with others and feel worthy of honor. Broken people compare themselves to the holiness of God and feel a desperate need for His mercy.

Proud people are blind to their true heart condition. Broken people walk in the light.

Proud people don’t think they have anything to repent of. Broken people realize they have need of a continual heart attitude of repentance.

Proud people don’t think they need revival, but they are sure that everyone else does. Broken people continually sense their need for a fresh encounter with God and for a fresh filling of His Holy Spirit.

By Nancy Leigh DeMoss

2009-08-01T21:11:00.000-07:00

What a Birthday BASH!
Happy Birthday Drewanne, Lilly, and Gus!

Good friends, good food, sunshine and a reason to celebrate... What more could we want?

A gunnysack race!

Corn eating contest...

The winner!

My Corny Husband...

Oh how this girl loves corn on the cob!

Candy hunt in the hay!

Thanks Mitchells - you always out-do yourselves and
we KNOW it took a LOT of work!

2009-07-20T22:22:00.000-07:00

It isn't every day that I discover something that really moves me visually. As soon as I saw Bridget's paintings, I knew they'd be perfect for my girls. I LOVE her fanciful (and always happy) subjects, her dreamy yet bold technique in watercolor... Well, here's the wall opposite both girls' rooms and their bathroom...

Woodland Tea Drinkers

Shine Like Stars

Poppy Dots

We hung these as low as we could (and not interfere with the light switch) so that the girls will be able to see them as much as possible. They are right at my eye level and I can only say they are an instant ray of sunshine in my day... I hope that Sarah and Keeley connect them with their childhood. The tea drinkers even have strawberry blondish/red hair!
Thank you Bridget!

If you want to see her other prints, HERE is her etsy shop.

2009-07-19T14:44:00.000-07:00

July in a nutshell...

Loving having fresh flowers...
Can you believe these all come off the SAME bush?

Swimming after nap + air drying messy hair = to die for curls...

Summer Babe

Keeley's many faces at 3 months...

Sisters...

Making money after buying groceries!
Buying coupons on eBay = $4
Buying 10 cereals at discounted price (with card) when you buy 5+ Kellogg's = $18.80
Total: $22.80
- $5 instant savings (Mix 'n' Match items)
- $10 (coupons used)
- $2 when I used doublers for two of the coupons
- $10 rebate from Kellogg's found online
- $.75 random coupon off next purchase (thank you Dole!)
-----------------------------------------------------------
All Equals a net GAIN of $4.95!

THEN I bought 5 pints of Breyers ice cream ($1 each since they're 10 for 10 right now) and only paid $1 since I got a $4 off coupon from the previous shopping trip. THEN there was another one that printed off when I bought the 5 pints so I can go AGAIN and buy another 5 pints for $1!!!
This "could" get addicting...

Baby Steps in Saving...

2009-06-14T14:03:00.000-07:00

I am the first to admit that I totally admire those who are bargain shoppers, especially my extreme bargain shopper friends, but I get intimidated by trying to do it (why, I'm not sure. Perhaps because I really don't like failing at something I attempt, and I don't like feeling like "I've been had/cheated" when it comes to buying things...)

With that being said, I did try to "coupon" yesterday. Well, not really "coupon," but pay attention to what was on the featured item list that paid off in a $10 coupon toward my next shopping trip. I'm also not totally sure how to calculate the savings, but here goes. If anyone who's into this wants to "advise," please do so! Also, all of these things are items we will use, not just purchased for the coupon.

Items purchased:
Sm. box Cheerios $2
Lg. box Cheerios $3
6 jars pasta sauce $2 each (Of course making my own is a preferred thing, but now I like to keep some on hand for a quick meal)
2 bottles of salad dressing $1.50 each
4 boxes brownie mix $1.25 each

These added up to $25 - which was exactly the amount required to get the $10 off next time at Albertson's. I did buy a pork tenderloin which was $9.66 (a featured bonus buy item and $4.83 saved on that) so it's like I got the tenderloin for "free" once I "earned" the $10 coupon.

I also bought goldfish crackers for the church nursery, also a "bonus buy", and I'm including it in the total so I don't have to recalculate...

Total spent: $43.45
Total savings according to Albertson's: $28.69 + $10 for next time
Grand total savings: $38.69?

So I guess if I got this right, I "could have spent" $72.14, but "saved" $38.69... which is nearly half of the hypothetical total...

Not as amazing as some, but much better than I've been doing. I'll have to keep track of this month and see how much I save. It is a challenge, but it's kind of like a "game" too... I wonder if the Proverbs 31 woman found it as rewarding to "get a good deal" at her market too? =)

2009-06-13T22:12:00.000-07:00

Keeley smiling back at Daddy

The romance of using the lanterns from our wedding out on the back deck and late night talks about constellations, God, the past, present, and future while sitting in camp chairs wrapped in down comforters and sipping tea. I am one blessed woman...

Sarah's very own water park! Thanks Grandmom!

2009-06-13T21:41:00.000-07:00

A Sound Bite of My Day Today...

Mommy, I want to run to the pit.
Um, what pit?
The king wants to run to the pit.
Sarah, I'm not sure what you're talking about.
A pit is a round hole.
Yes, that's right.
The king wants to run to the pit.
Oh! Are you talking about King Darius and Daniel?
Yes.
I want to play the king running to the pit.
Okay, but right now you need to eat your tomatoes.
I want to play the king running to the pit and you be Daniel.
Okay, Sarah, but after dinner.
Okay King Darius, Daniel will eat his tomatoes.
Good.

~~~Time passes and dinner is over.

Sarah, it's time to go to the bathroom and try to go potty.
Okay King Darius, I will obey.

(Thought of the mother, "Why, oh why doesn't 'Sarah' obey as well as 'Daniel'?")

~~~More time passes and I hear the shuffling that is Sarah moving the stool to the toilet, putting the toilet seat up, the child's seat on the toilet seat, and then a pause...

Sarah, do you need some help?
Yes, King Darius, Daniel needs you to undo his button and zipper...

On and on it goes... Sometimes she's Elijah and I'm deemed Elisha, she's Cinderella and I get stuck being the evil step mother, she wants to be Ariel without her voice (Hallelujah!), but I draw the line at being Ursula so she settles for me being one of those slug things Ursula turns the merpeople into... Sigh...the constant imaginings of Sarah...

2009-06-04T21:57:00.000-07:00

Sisters

Just for fun, here's some side-by-side shots of the girls. Some similarities, but definitely different. I tried to get them approximately
at the same age and similar poses.

Sarah & Keeley

Keeley & Sarah

2009-06-04T20:19:00.000-07:00

More from May...

Super thoughtful/cute outfit from my friend Jos who is going to be coming back from China soon for a visit! Headbands are not just for bald babies! I always felt like Sarah didn't look quite right with a headband because she had quite a bit of hair as a newborn, and I'd only seen headbands on babies with little hair, but this one looks cute! Thanks Jos for the outfit (which she gave me months in advance since she was going to be gone for the shower... talk about thoughtful!)!

Peepaw getting some Keeley time in during her tummy time...
Smiles from Grandmom even though Keeley seemed to be not returning them at the moment...
Peepaw is amazing with both girls... A natural at the grandparent thing...
Now to upload edit from June so far...

2009-05-24T22:19:00.000-07:00

Things I want to remember from May...

I obviously haven't been posting regularly (mostly due to adjusting to having two and feeling a lack of motivation about blogging in general) and so this is a good opportunity to recap/journal/chronicle random thoughts and what's been happening for both you and me... It's going to be long since it's a lot for my record. So here goes in no particular order.

We seem to have melded as a family of four fairly seamlessly... Not without some adjustmentof course, but a LOT easier than I was preparing myself for... This is largely due to the fact that Sarah still hasn't had problems with jealousy - not that it won't/can't happen in the future - but I was expecting it to happen much earlier and to a great degree. Praise God - much answered prayer!

We've been so well taken care of. Mom and Dad came to take care of Sarah from the day before Keeley came, to when we got home. Mom stayed on for a number of days, then we were on our own with Todd home for a week, and she came back when Todd went back to work until Lynn (Todd's mom) came for ten days. I didn't have to worry about cooking/cleaning for practically three weeks. Many yummy meals came in, and I am so thankful for those I still have in the freezer!

Like before, I've healed really quickly from the c-section, but now am in "in-betweenville" as far as clothes go... not back to "normal" yet, and not wanting to go out and buy clothes that will fit now, but not when more weight comes off... Will probably go thrift shopping soon! Otherwise I have no shorts that fit! UPDATE: Went thrift store shopping and got some really cute/inexpensive "tide-me-over" summer items... some will hopefully be able to be worn after a few more pounds come off...

So far I haven't had the arthritis symptoms I had with Sarah where my joints ached in my fingers/hands/wrists/elbows/shoulders... Not sure why, but I'm thankful!

Breast-feeding while trying to help zip up and button a 3 year old's pants isn't easy.

I am SO thankful that breastfeeding is going so well, but still need to rev up my supply. Right now I'm supplementing with formula. Guess I better pump... bleh.

Keeley is an amazing cuddler...much to our delight, however it does pose a challenge when juggling a very active 3 year old too... We're soaking it in as much as possible.

Sarah got her first tricycle and loves it! It is a snazzy Schwinn that Nana and Papa got her (my mom is QUEEN of finding great deals at consignment stores) and Sarah really loves her helmet and knee pads too...

Aren't the azaleas amazing?

Lynn came for 10 days and her husband Bobby came for five from Clovis, NM. What a blessing it has been to have our family showered with so much love! I'm so blessed that I get to have great in-laws... Bobby helped Todd get our deck prepped and scouted out the best stain for our part of the country/our deck wood etc. so that we don't have to strip the deck every time we need to re-stain it... Lynn was so helpful in getting Sarah to the bathroom and giving me the peace of mind that comes from having the girls taken care of so I could sneak in a nap... sigh... I love family!

I know I've already said it, but Sarah has really amazed me with how much she has taken to Keeley. She never skipped a beat in including her when she talks about our family, making up endearments/nick names for her, taking pride in being a "Big Sister", wanting to be a good helper, wanting to take care of Keeley and mimicking me as I change Keeley's diaper or feed her.

Quotes from Sarah lately...

"There's the Eiffel Tower!" (in reference to Power line towers - she has two books that had the Eiffel Tower in them lately, so obviously, we must be living in Paris!)

"Mommy, what does 'encouragement' mean?"

"Mommy, what does 'spirit inside me' mean?" Not an easy one to explain to a three year old, but she's getting it...

"He washed Larry's (Larry the cucumber) sins away!" Um, sure?

"Jesus is coming back!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've taken to blow drying Keeley's bottom after changing her to hopefully help with getting her diaper rash to heal faster... Lots of Boudreaux's and baby powder alternately per doctor's instructions... UPDATE: it's getting much better...thankfully. Never had to deal with that much with Sarah so this is new territory...

It's AMAZING how comfortable our bed is now that I'm not uncomfortably pregnant and definitely sleepy at bedtime...

I've recently "gone off" sugar for the most part... Trying to choose something to cut out without really "dieting" which could affect my milk supply. So far it's not been too hard except for ice cream.

I'm enjoying doing some moderate exercise now that I've passed the 6 week mark. Arms and abs are where I'm starting. Surprisingly, I was able to do 50 crunches without much strain, but V-ups are somewhere in the future for sure... Now to increase the reps....

Keeley is now in the 75th percentile! Crazy! I love that I get to have a bit of baby chub this time around too. =)

Keeley is also smiling a bit now, along with some cooing... I LOVE this stage! She also has had amazing head/neck control and that, along with her being a good 2 lbs. heavier than Sarah at this point, makes her seem older to me...

Nursing in hot weather is definitely a challenge...I'm hot, which makes her hot, which makes me hot...yada yada yada...

Our pastor, Scott, spoke last week on I Tim. 2 where it talks about women and, among other things, how they are "saved by having babies." I'd never heard any pastor tackle this one (but it's the great thing about expository teaching that if you go systematically through a book of the Bible, you can't just "skip" the "difficult/controversial" passages like in topical teaching) and I was so glad he did... Something that spoke to me, was that he explained the the "saved" was better connected with the process of sanctification. As we live out our salvation, we are made holy -sanctified - by working out our faith in Christ - and a huge part of that, traditionally, for women is through raising our children... Man, that was EXACTLY what I was trying to explain to Todd the other night... God has been gently impressing on me what He wants me to put into practice through how I instruct/train/discipline Sarah... Phrases like: "Obey means 'listen and do', or "Obey me in little things so you'll be able to obey me when 'big' things come", or "When you get frustrated, use your words and tell me what's bothering you..." practically scream, "Um, Abbey, are you listening to yourself? Put those things in practice with ME..." from the Holy Spirit's point of view... Truly humbly walking now days...

I love that I've been getting to read a lot during the middle of the night feedings. I'm on a Chaim Potok kick right now... Reread one book, The Chosen, and read The Promise, and am now on to The Book of Lights... Somehow reading about World War II era Orthodox Judiasm in New York is capturing my attention... THAT's how amazing his writing is... Not sure what's next, but the book has to be able to be held in one hand... =)

Okay, that's about it for now... I've got to get some of the pictures up and posted next!

2009-05-24T22:06:00.000-07:00

Today was the perfect day to...

Have a Rocky Road ice cream cone...

Rejoice in the sunshine and the plants that have survived the winter

stain the deck
and
dress Keeley in a cute cherry dress

she's one month and a few days old already... crazy...

Up next, things I want to remember from May....

2009-04-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

Keeley Renée
Keeley - Irish "beautiful"
Renée - French "reborn"

(To type the é in her middle name, hold down the Alt key and type 0233 - when you let up the Alt key the é will appear. It's an "acute accent" rather than the "grave" accent that slants the other way... Credit for knowing this little trick goes to Deena who explained it when they had Josée)

Most of you have seen Todd's Facebook announcement, but just in case you hadn't here's the fun news!

We welcomed Keeley Renée into our family at 8:25am, Monday, April 20th. She was 6lbs. 12oz and 20" long.

She and I are doing well. The biggest praise right now (for me) is that she's eating well and has taken to breast feeding... Those of you who know about my experience with Sarah know that this wasn't an easy road the first time, so what a sweet blessing the Lord has given me that Keeley took to it right away! We're home now and will get used to our family of four... Todd has been amazing throughout this time and I appreciate so much how he has gone above and beyond to "be there" in all that that means....

Sarah REALLY has taken to her big sister role... We are thankful she is such a loving little girl and are amazed at how easily she has taken to Keeley...

Okay, now to get a little sleep while Keeley is!

2009-04-14T03:48:00.000-07:00

Easter Challenge...

I'm so wanting to make sure that Sarah understands the TRUE meaning of Easter and it's a challenge when everything out there (activities of get-togethers, and gifts) seems to be geared toward bunnies, eggs and chocolate... I need to check out those Resurrection Eggs that you can buy, but for now, I'm happy with her saying, "Jesus is alive!"

Thanks Nana for the super cute dress & sweater (definitely a MUST in the PNW!) The only flowers blooming right now in my yard...

I LOVE the fruit trees that are exploding in their blooms right now... and the delicate confetti of pink petals they shower down...

When the weather gives you rain, go jump in a puddle (rather than complain)!

2009-04-11T04:35:00.000-07:00

Getting used to always playing "catch-up"...

So obviously I haven't been "into" blogging myself lately... I've caught up on everyone else's, but haven't really been inspired to post myself. Anyway, thankfully it's not like housework where my blog can get really cluttered/dusty/dirty if I neglect it!

I'm up at 4:44 am sleepless/hungry/etc. so this is going to be rambling and perhaps rather boring so I can get sleepy again...Maybe more for me than you, so my apologies ahead of time!

We've been on the home stretch/in the land of "nesting" now for a while and seems like there's always "one more thing" that I want to get done before our newest little Lockwood shows up... No pictures yet, but we now have curtains in our living room and eating areas! Hooray! The combined rooms look SO much cozier/coordinated now after five years of being in the house... =) The lack of curtains seemed always to come down to indecision and not wanting to just throw up any ol' thing on the wall, and trying to figure out what the heck to do with our bay window... Hopefully I'll get some pictures soon... I also have a Roman shade that I need to finish this week and get it up in our bedroom. It's out of a dark fabric, so hopefully mid-day naps coming up soon will be even more possible in addition to making the room feel more finished...

Sarah has really taken to writing this past month or so and we are using some workbooks by Kumon that cover basic tracing, coloring (as in changing between/choosing different colors for different images instead of taking up the brown color crayon and coloring the whole page the same color), Uppercase letters and mazes... She's getting better and better at holding her crayons/pencils properly and really seems to be left-handed, so I think that 'll stick.

Imaginary role playing is her favorite form of play right now. I am forever taking on new roles that vary from "Annie" from the Magic Treehouse audiobook series that she LOVES (Thanks Aunt Heather for taking that suggestion as a Christmas gift!) and she is "Jack" who has his backpack complete with book/pencil/and medallion. We run away from army ants or examine dinosaur eggs on a regular basis... or I become Larry the "cute-cumber" who is the unfortunate victim in the Good Samaritan Bible story - she, of course, is the three travellers who pass by and eventually help Larry...

Just a cute pose I found her in when waking her from a nap on day...
She still often sleeps like she did in her toddler bed and crib before that...

Adventure Joe - Magnetic Bender toy
Found Joe suspended from our counter top the other day...
Can I tell you how thrilled I am that
Sarah knows what a snowboard and ice axe are?!?!! Seriously!

Sarah reinacting Laura Ingalls Wilder sewing by firelight... (her idea, not mine)

Sarah is now potty training and this is her "Baby Alive" that we are borrowing from friends. Pretty amazing toy even if she's quite annoying... "Keke," as named by Sarah, can really eat the baby food she comes with and drink a bottle of water. But BEWARE - she poops and pees it out again at random just like her human counterpart! Let's just say we don't really use her for her intended purpose, but she's played a small role in getting Sarah more in tune with her own body... =) The doll also "learns" and gives longer and longer times between her cues that she needs to and actually doing something in her little toilet... Weird and cool technology at the same time...

Sarah on her throne (man is she going to kill me when she's older for posting stuff like this!) doing her workbook of hidden pictures.

Today (probably in about three hours -ugh insomnia!) we'll start the egg dying, deck prep for restaining, cookie making, and prep for tomorrow's Easter meal...

May you be able to take the time away from eggs, chocolate, gifts etc. and be able to soak in/encourage each other with knowing the goodness and power of our Savior's sacrifice and ressurection!

2009-03-24T16:09:00.000-07:00

Update/Correction/Clarificiation
(for recipe below...)

Here's a few things that I forgot to add to my lasagna (not used to posting recipes so please forgive me... =)

The sauce cook time is part of a larger part of the recipe where my great grandma adds meatballs and cooks for another HOUR, so anyone thinking, "15 minute sauce?" was right to question... I also forgot to say that I COMBINED 1/2lb. of the turkey and all of the sausage into the sauce so I ended up not sprinkling the meat separately from the sauce in the lasagna...

Oh, and my mom found a cool site that gives equivalencies for old can #'s to our today's can ounces... HERE so a 2.5 can is 27-29oz. or 3.5 cups...

And just so this isn't such a lame post... Here's a short clip of why Sarah is SO Todd's and my daughter...

2009-03-23T14:35:00.000-07:00

Non-intentional Hiatus - meets - Collage Catch-up
(in no particular order)

This past Saturday morning, some of the girls from my MOPS group table surprised me with a baby shower at what I thought was just a girls' brunch outing at a cute little Tea House... Beautiful, colorful, fragrant roses (Christy was so cleaver and picked that preference up from my "47 Things" note on FB!), a gift card to Target, and a scrumptious brunch of English B'fast Decaf and Lemon scones... Fun conversation and much talk about babies, families etc. Thanks gals!
Also pictured: Sarah's penchant for using her toes like her Mama, a random duck nesting outside of the tea house, Sarah sporting a cute birthday outfit from Aunt Heather...

A couple of weekends ago, we went down to the Seattle Children's Museum to catch the Minniapolis travelling exhibit of Curious George... Sarah LOVED it... If only she didn't need her naps so badly, we could have stayed longer...

Baking with Sarah is one of my favorite activities... She's a very "hands-on" girl and loves tasting EVERYTHING, touching everything - especially cracking the eggs, and really enjoys helping to eat the end product! (As does her Daddy...) I hope this pattern continues and we'll eventually get into cooking...
Also pictured: Sarah in her Chinese dress that Jos brought back for her... Thanks again!

I've been in major craft project mode... and driving Todd crazy (Why do you need to do something more?) =) He's so great at humoring me...

Finishing up Sarah's room (highlighting her name on the wall, personalizing her lamp shade, finishing up the hanging flower balls - so THERE Pottery Barn - not giving you my $ on these! Button wreaths from a former roommate from 6 or 7 years ago... Thanks Elizabeth! Little did you know at the time they'd be cute additions to her room!)

Hmmm... What else?

Still trying to read through the beginning of Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood - a response to Evangelical Feminism
Organizing/revisiting all the baby clothes to figure out what we need - Seems like we have WAY too much pink/roses/"cutsie" things... I'm thinking - not pink, some fun funky things will be on the wish list...
LOVE the fun M'udder Wear Nursing Cover . and pillowcase dress for Sarah from Amber B... If you are expecting, or have little girls, check out her Etsy shop!
Still need to use our new carpet cleaner... A MUST at our house between lil' messy eater/potty training girl & our resident cat-who-pukes-on-a-regular-basis...
I've handed over the church secretary role to wonderful Kay... so now I'm always thinking I have something to do, and then realize with a sigh...that no, I don't! =)
Like everyone else, I wish spring would show up soon and perhaps give us some unexpected days of sunshine... If only I could dig in the dirt more easily... I have blueberry bushes to plant! I'm afraid that there will be few garden pictures this season since I haven't/won't be gardening as much in the next few months...or blogging for that matter...

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OH - and, by request (sorry it's taken me so long Heather C.), here's the super yummy lasagna combo that I made last weekend for some old friends stopping by and some new friends just up the street... I don't like touting my cooking, but this one did come out great... And who can beat cooking/entertaining for nine AND having enough afterward for a freezer meal?

Great-Grandma Mayme Morici's Prize Winning Sauce
(as featured in the Chicago Times, 1955)

1/4 c. olive oil
2 cloves chopped (I put in 4)
1 small onion chopped
1 6oz. can tomato paste
2 cans (#2.5 - which must be a type of can used back then, but can't be found today) peeled Italian (Roma/Plum) tomatoes drained ** I used the Italian Seasoned Crushed Tomatoes - the big cans
1 c. water
2 T. parsley chopped
6 leaves basil chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat oil in 6 qt. pan. Fry garlic & onion until brown. Add tomato paste and continue cooking garlic and onion until soft. Press tomatoes through sieve (read: "open crushed tomatoes and pour in" - we have it SO easy today...) Add parsley & basil. Let simmer for 15 min. Seasoon to taste....

Homemade sauce really does make a big difference...

I used 1lb. of each ground turkey and sweet Italian sausage browned and ground in food processor (for a smooth texture), Ricotta cheese dolops, Plenty of whole-milk mozerella, chopped frozen spinach thawed(with water thoroughly squeezed out), cottage cheese, parmesean, and of course, lasagna noodles...

Combine:
First, a little sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan so the noodles don't stick(I also got a 9x9 lasagna pan filled with the extra ingredients), noodles - I overlap them a bit, meats sprinkled, sauce, mozerella/parmesean/cottage cheeses spotted over mixture, spinach... Repeat. Inevitabally I overfill my pans, but it doesn't matter if you make sure to line your oven with something to catch possible/probable overflow...

Cook at 350 for 1 hour or until bubbly... Let sit 5ish minutes before cutting into it...

Why this one was especially good this time I *think*... Great depth of flavors with sauce, just the right amount of moisture/creaminess/firmness...

Complements all around and GREAT leftovers... Oh, and the garlic bread (which you probably already do) is the bread buttered, put under broiler to brown, and then scraped with a clove of garlic... Much more authentic/better than garlic salt or other methods I've seen/tried... Our new friends brought a Caesar Salad and of course there was a fabulous Cab-Sav that we had... Can't wait until my conscience can let me have more than a few sips! No pictures because of awesome conversations and kid patrol going on.... =)

So... What do YOU all put in your lasagnas to make them yours? It's always so fun to know different people's traditions/versions...