October 5th

It's a soccer time of year.  We have three in soccer this year.  It's a first.  It's crazy.

This weekend, we have three soccer games at three different times (thankfully, really) at three different locations.  Apparently, it's also against the rules to post pictures of CYC games without written permission from the other team.  So we won't be doing that.

But here are some from the Baptist league - they aren't so picky:

that's Mr. T in the blurry electric blue shorts in the middle yellow shirt - goalie!

It was also a "Let's Make This Place Festive and Get Out of This Funk" kind of weekend, so out came the Halloween decorations.  The kids helped a little.  I really need to let go of that control more.  Everything Meiners put out was perfectly positioned, but my first response when they ask, "Can I help?" is like fingers on a chalkboard and dissonant noise in my ear - I hike my shoulders up to my earballs and sneak off like I didn't hear.  Poor kids.

Happy Fall!

Happy Valentine's Day!

We sure enjoyed a fun Valentine's Day here yesterday!  A few old traditions were rekindled and a few new ones begun.  All in all, it was a special day focusing on these sweet relationships we have growing right here in our midst!

I stayed up way too late the night before putting finishing touches on the kids' Valentine's Day gifts!  Using Photoshop, I created individual pieces of artwork for each child (modified from this Pinterest link), listing some of the things we love most about them right now, and capping it off with a life verse that seemed best for each of them.

I love how the projects turned out, and I sure appreciate that each kid took their framed artwork and found a special place for them in their rooms!  My hope is that they'll reflect on these words when life gets hard in the years ahead and receive the mental and spiritual boost that the printed word can give.  Framed Heart Attacks from their number one fans - Mom and Dad - nothing better than that!

I took another Pinterest idea to complete a gift for the man who already has everything.  We've been blessed to take some truly fun and remarkable trips so far in our relationship from Jamaica to Ireland and several stateside, as well.  Although I look forward to the days when we can travel a little more freely again, I sure love these current days just as much and wouldn't trade them for anything!  Nonetheless, it seemed simply sentimental to put together a print of the places we've visited so far just the two of us ~ and the dates of those excursions. 

It was fun to reminisce about some of these experiences while completing the project, and I received some valuable design advice from the twins who were home recovering from the stomach flu the day I finished it.  Now, it hangs on the wall in our bedroom as witness to where we've been together and a promise for where we someday hope to go!

Then, of course, what Valentine's Day would be complete without some {heart}y food.  We went hog wild yesterday on that lovely shape.  Here are some of our favorites of the day!

It was a such great day.  I'm so fortunate to be surrounded by some of the coolest kids imaginable, and hubby gave flowers and a shopping spree to buy some new running gear, so I have that to look forward to, too.  I hope you, also, were able to make the day memorable one way or another!

Happy Heart Day!

Heart Attack

I decided not to scare the bejiggers out of all of you by calling this post:

Dad Had a Heart Attack

Nor the close approximation:

WE GAVE Dad a Heart Attack...

Wise, no?

But, we really did give him a heart attack!  It has become our tradition, in following the amazing creativity of blogger Shawni Pothier, to give each other heart attacks during the month of February for a couple of years now.  Since Dad was turning 39 over the weekend, we thought it would be fun to write out 39 reasons why we love him and plaster them all over the house on his birthday.

So, without further adieu, here are 39 reasons why we love John/Dad:
1.

2.  He is always there for me. (Katelyn)
3.  He makes me laugh so hard I cry.  And pee.  (TMI)
4.  He is good looking!
5.  He helps in the kitchen (at least with weekend breakfasts)!
6.  He sometimes lets me have a bubblebath when I want to. (Sara)
7.  He holds my hand.
8.  He helps me with my homework.  (Katelyn AND Matthew)
9.  He gave his iPod to me and bought me my new radio.  There is so much more I could not possibly list all of them.  (Tommy) ... ;)
10.  When he doesn't go to work, sometimes he plays with me.  And when he does go to work, I still love him.  (Sara)
11.  He helps me with Skylanders.  (Tommy)
12.  He is always willing to go outside and play sports with me.  (Matthew)  ... :)
13.

14.  He plays soccer with us.  (Katelyn)
15.  He cares about the kids' education and quizzes them.
16.  He takes us on awesome trips.  (Katelyn)
17.  He and Mom bought me Pokemon Black.  (Tommy)
18.  He helps me with picking new books to read.  (Tommy)
19.  He let me read The Belgariad and The Mallorean from when he was a kid.  (Tommy)
20.  He does math with me.  (Matthew)
21.  He is always on top of current events and he fills me in!
22.  He always has a logical answer.  { ; )}
23.  He sticks to his guns, sets goals, and sees them through.
24.  He plays video games with me.  (Matthew)
25.  He makes delicious pancakes. (Katelyn)
26.  He is a super star at the office.
27.  He is an AWESOME dad.
28.  He helps me with my pinewood derby car.  (Tommy AND Matthew)
29.  He has an awesome personality.  He helps me with things and teaches me new things.  (Tommy)
30.  He is smart and super good at trivia games.
31.  He knows how to do stuff and he researches the things he's not quite sure about.
32. 

33.  He is good with electronics.  (Matthew AND Me!)
34.  He knows my love language is icee mochas yet he helped me give them up in January.
35.  He always keeps things interesting.
36.  He's a super running partner.  Most days.  ;)
37.  He fills my van up with gas every weekend.
38.  He takes us to church every weekend.
39.  He's my best friend and the love my life.

Happy Birthday Honey!  We sure do love you!

Merry Christmas from our house to yours

In the words of that crooner Michael W. Smith:

May the ones you love be near you
That's the happiest Christmas of all

Much Love,
Karin


Read more: MICHAEL W. SMITH - THE HAPPIEST CHRISTMAS LYRICS http://www.metrolyrics.com/the-happiest-christmas-lyrics-michael-w-smith.html#ixzz1hW5TnEHo
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The Minutes :: 12.4-12.10

My good friend Frizzy used to host Five Photos on Friday on her lovely blog Heaven's Gift.  I truly loved that series.  I was horrible at keeping up with it.  But it was a wonderful way to give a week its own props by way of an honorable review.
So - in honor of that which once was, I am giving this post up to last week.  I know, I know.  We're all over-the-moon crazy busy.  It's that time of year.  But it was just such an awesome week.  The kids are all healthy; they're getting along with their friends, doing well in school.  Basketball has begun and schedules are nuts, but everyone made it to their respective practices. { I think. } I started baking again (for the first time in months, literally)...We celebrated St. Nicholas' birthday...The kids did a great job in the Christmas Pageant...Dad built a closet from nothing.  It was just such a good week.  Let's pay it a lil homage, if you will.

I could otherwise title this post:  A Tribute to Pinterest - Thee Whom I Love.  Pooks and I are way into hair right now.  Maybe it's mostly me.  I was pretty darned impressed with myself for recreating this hairstyle on my pretty girl, though, I must say.  I, myself, am Queen of the Messy Bun.



Sash insisted on a photo alone with Santa.  She added it to her wall of friends.  Santa gave her this sign to put in the window with her list of things she wants him to bring.  Now, when he asked her what she wanted, she merely said, "Whatever you bring me."  So sweet.  Somehow she found plenty of ideas for this list.  I think she'll be very happy come Christmas morning.  ;)

St. Nick was good to the kids this year already (December 6th).  Sash's ornament is a ballerina.  Meiners' a Power Ranger.  Pooks = Elphaba (The Wicked Witch of the West) and T's was the golden snitch (a nod to Harry Potter).

Here's another fun Pinterest idea.  (Did I mention I love that place??)  Sashi and I had fun surprising Daddy one morning after some light snow :)

The Christmas Pageant occurred last week, as well.  Our sweet shepherd.  Lovin' that hair.  She gave up on the matching beard, though.  (Can't say I entirely blame her!)

I just ove this four year-old march march marching below in the Christmas program...and the puckered little sideways lips.  She's been making that face a lot lately.  Such focus and determination.  So cute.

And get a load of this pre-teen.  He's still three years away from being a tween - are boys tweens? - but that hair sure makes him look older than 7, I think.  He looks like a brooding teenager.  Maybe pensive is a better word.  John and I have officially decided the kids can have their way with their hair.  What's funny is it can't be short enough for Tommy.  But Matt screams when you mention a haircut.  So different.  But it fits both of them perfectly.

And cupcakes.  Yeah.  I laughed as I delivered these.  Sometimes I get this incredible notion that I can bake cupcakes.  Yet, God humbles me.  {Thank you, Lord!}  These were awful.  Just awful.  Not the recipe.  No, the recipe for the cake was D.I.V.I.N.E.  I nearly pitched them and went to buy a dozen from Dierberg's because of the frosting I chose.  Next time I'll skip the brilliant idea to top the delicious peppermint mocha cake with [ever-so-yummy but way too overpowering] mint cream cheese frosting and just top 'em with chocolate frosting.  Now that would have been Y.U.M.!  Yup.  There's always next time.  {They were pretty, though, which is half the fun!}

So, that was our week-ish in a nutshell.  My man was home most of it, taking some hard-earned vacation time, building a closet in the corner of the boys' room.  The closet looks amazing and will be such an asset to their room.  I sure love my handsome handy man.

Yup - it was definitely a great week.  And only 13 days left until Christmas!  Can you believe it??

elfie

The Elf on the Shelf.

Do you have one?  Ours arrived two years ago now.  He's helping make some super family Christmas memories, letmejustellyou!

There was the time when Matt tried to see if Elfie could fly.  Elfie had landed for the day on the ceiling fan.  Matt turned the fan on.  Elfie flew.  Sort of.  He landed - upside down on the floor.  Matt howled.  Then as he ran to get someone to help, he accidentally kicked Eflie across the floor.

Ouch.  That looks like it hurt.

Elfie didn't come back for a couple of days.  Dad had to call Santa directly to put in a good word.

This year, everyone is as infatuated with the whereabouts of Elfie as ever.  Let me assure you, many a fight has broken out in order to hold the honorable title of being 'first to find Elfie.'  Lately, Sara has even taken to waking in the weeeeeeeeeeeee hours of the morning to go on her little 4 year-old self's 4AM Elfie Hunt.  One morning with sheer panic in her voice she woke me to tell me she couldn't find him.  Ever the patient, nurturing, and good momma, I said groggily, "There are numerous reasons why you can't find Elfie, Sara.  First.  It's pitch dark outside.  Number Two?  GET YOUR BUTT BACK TO BED!!!!!!" 

I may or may not have growled.

Good times.  Good times.

She sure does love him, though.  Every day, we discuss where he may end up tomorrow.  And again, she is definitely the first one to find him.  Every morning by no later than 4AM.



I have to admit, however, that Elfie is getting more creative as the years go by.  Perhaps even brazen.  Using our crayons.  Holding the Advent calendar candy hostage.  Staging tea parties with stuffed animal playmates.  He spent one night 'cooling off' in the fridge. 

All in good fun.  I imagine he'll still be up to his tricks even when the kids have grown too old.  Or maybe they'll always fight for the right to be "First Elfie Finder."

The Big Leaf Finale

We dragged our leafy Gratitude Tree to Grandma's house on Thanksgiving day in order to add our remaining thoughts to its branches.  It was a lot of fun watching and listening to the kids sharing some of their favorite leaves with the grandmas.  They truly seemed to enjoy it as much as I did ... and, although it looked a bit like a leaf storm even to the very end, I think it will be a new tradition for us!

We ate plentifully Thanksgiving Day while enjoying a smaller version of our traditional family group (sure missed the BIL & SIL and those Tennesseeans), played the socks off each other in Catch Phrase and Scrabble (the kids' new favorite game - especially Meiners, who is by far the best 7 year-old Scrabble player I have ever seen!) and watched the ever-traditional fam fave Christmas Vacation.  Before heading home at the end of just a super relaxing, sweet family day, we snapped a Christmas photo of the kids and let them open Christmas PJs for the drive home.

Now the tree is up, the mantel decked out, the shopping list begun, and we're full-on in to the Christmas Spirit.  Hope you are enjoying your own version of a blessed Holiday season...

Much love,

~Karin

Leaves are piling up

Besides the 17 bags we raked from our neighbor's yard this weekend (!!! - that's a TON of leaves!!!), our Gratitude Tree is raining leaves as much as those outdoors!

I love how our kids can't get enough of saying thanks for the things in their lives.  We have leaves that say:

That would be Sashi, of course.  She also gave a nod to our trip to the mall as well as our numerous tea parties.  And this one she did all by herself (OK, Katelyn drew the seal):

 That would be "animals."  (Just like her sister.)  Then there's this one of Kate's:

A truer statement hath never been made.  What would she do without her TV I dare ask?

;)

Hers also include such things as dolphins, Erin Bode (I'll explain more about that later this week), and her awesome friends.  We also got this one:

Tommy's are pretty straightforward, as well:

These are even better, though.  The number of exclamation marks exponentially relates to the intensity with which Tommy feels gratitude for these things (as explained by Tommy):

And Matthew:

I love that boy. 

He is also grateful for food, water, "friends, best friends, and BFFs," as well as sports and "everything."

:)

Hubs and I got in on the action, mutually appreciating each other:

It's been a really good exercise for all of us.  I even need to make more leaves!  I'm thinking I may take this idea from Young House Love and put them all together so we can review them next year to see what is the same or different. 

I am so very grateful for this crazy, wonderful life God is giving me to live every day.  It isn't a hard road and it isn't an easy one, but it's mine.  And for it, I am thankful.

on changing my world

Emily at Chatting at the Sky took 31 days in October to tell us how to change the world.  I didn't really pay attention.  It isn't like I don't adore Emily ~ if you've been around here long enough, you know I refer to her quite often and consider her an inspiration and mentor.  And she wrote a real live book, so she pretty much knows what she's talking about.  I just didn't listen.

Then some things in my life sort of started falling apart.  Maybe they are always falling apart and some days I just notice more than others.  But last weekend, I read a quote somewhere along the path to and from Nashville that said, "Change your thoughts and you will change your world."

I've spent some time considering that statement and believe it to be true.  Absolutely, unequivocally true.

So this week, I took out my markers and my Cricut and I made our family a gratitude tree.  We're taking time every day to fill out leaves with words like "I love it when" and "I'm thankful for" because those kinds of words bring us back to center.  Our bible verse around the tree states, "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His love endures forever."

I have to report that my world is changing for the better {our tree has numerous leaves on it already}.  That isn't to say that all things are hunky dory or that I'm sweeping any dirt under a rug.  I'm just saying my attitude has changed, my tone has changed, my outlook has changed.  And it's all because I'm choosing joy and gratitude.

How are you doing today?

Halloween 2.0

Halloween festivities continued through the weekend as we enjoyed time at our church's Trunk or Treat and then Halloween Night itself!  Perfect weather, fabulous costumes, and tons of candy made for a great time!

Sunday was busy, busy, busy with a tiling project in the laundry room Hubs took on for the weekend, but we finished in time to carve some pretty spectacular pumpkins.  {Did you know there was a pumpkin shortage this year?  The kids told us all about it!}  T adamantly carved his own without help from start to finish this year.  He did such a great job, too!  I was so proud of his diligence and attention to detail!

Pooks' pumpkin was spectacular (a wicked witch flying over rooftops to go along with her Elphaba costume) - and so was Meiners' [he chose a Ninja in honor of his costume this year :) ].  Mom and Dad helped to varying degrees there.

Then there was my sweet Sashi's pumpkin.  I probably haven't shared her love affair with our animals much before, but let me go not a single word further in this blog without telling you that Sara's very, very, very best friends in the whole entire world are a cat named Benn and a dog named Obi.  Man does she love those two furries.  And they are terrific with her.  Benn is 16 years old and, truthfully, is on his deathbed.  But she drags him around and forces him onto her bed and into her tea parties and he puts up with it - even purring most of the time. 

The photo quality is poor as I truly thought the next morning the cat wouldn't be with us due to declining health.
<3  Nine lives is accurate with this one.  <3

As for the dog?  She can play ball with him for hours.  He lets her jump on him.  They take walks together.  Sure - I may be the one holding the leash, but there they are, out in front walking side by side.  I'm just the tagalong with a leash.  Sara tells the dog worldly secrets and wisdom about life the entire way around the block.  It's stinkin' adorable, that's what it is.  She sure loves these pets.  Who would be surprised then to see her hommage to Benn the Cat in pumpkin form on Halloween?

Super cute.

We were off to Trunk or Treat Sunday and a hurried meal and costumes being thrown back on Halloween night on Monday.  I was so looking forward to snapping amazing photos of the kids with spectacular sunset lighting but we just weren't quite finished eating dinner as the sun snuck below the trees.  Instead we settled for a porch light - and then off they went!

We live in a quiet neighborhood where the closest kids live about two blocks away.  Many of our neighbors are retired.  Every year Carol drops off big treat bags full of candy and dollar coins for each of our kids before she heads out to their daughter's house to enjoy Trick or Treating with their own grandkids.  Lil sends her grown daughter over with treat bags specially made for our kids - this year full of Hot Wheels, Halloween hairbows, snowglobes, and candy.  Up the street the kids receive entire candy bars for their jokes.  It's a pretty awesome place, and I know they have so much fun!  Each year they venture a little farther around the circle of houses that make up our subdivision and return with more candy than ever.

After such an exciting evening and all that sugar, what better way to end all the parties and parades and festivities than back at home by a fire Dad built because the wind wasn't blowing ;) .  And Mom toasted marshmallows for dessert!  ;)

Home sweet Halloween home!