Late this afternoon I went by myself to the grocery store 7 miles away. Last time we shopped there we all went and Lamb 2 dropped a bottle of laundry detergent as we were leaving. The clerk was real kind and sent for a new bottle and sent for someone to clean it up. But after that, I preferred to shop by myself this week. Plus it is very cold here and I didn't want to take all the Lambs out.
Ram was nice enough to watch all 3 Lambs when none were taking a nap. I got to drive our new car for the first time. We have had it for a week and it already has over 450 miles on it. I've never driven a car with only 450 miles on it. Ram had never driven a car with only 6 miles on it before last week. On the way there it was just enough time to figure out some of the features on the car that are different than our minivan like the cruise control. I'm still not used to driving so low after driving the minivan. I like it and I'll have to be sure to use the cruise control or I'll have a heavy foot and get myself in trouble.
When I got home Ram had cooked a steak dinner while I was gone. We obviously aren't fasting meat during Lent! We had received the t-bones as a Christmas gift from church members and decided to use them tonight. We had potatoes free from the grocery store. We also had broccoli and asparagus to use from the freezer. The two oldest Lambs ate really well. We ended up discussing treats during supper with the Lambs. They were surprised Ram said steak was a treat. They thought treats were sweets. So we talked about fruits and vegetables out of season are treats. Even meat is a treat because we don't have meat at every meal. It was a good discussion and gave them something to think about.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
What a difference a day makes
I was noticing yesterday that we finally had a few areas in the yard where all the snow had melted. It wasn't green grass yet, nor the whole yard, but there were a few spots. And the sidewalk was very icy from all the melted snow that refroze.
The Lambs have extreme cabin fever. I feel like all I have accomplished this week is settling petty arguments between them. The two oldest lambs used a whole can of parmesan cheese on their food and laughed about it; Lamb 2 colored the living room carpet with red crayon; Lamb 3 broke the latch to the china cupboard; Lamb 3 continually finds stickers the other Lambs left out and eats them and we have to get them out before he chokes; and Lamb 3 continually stands in his high chair (no matter how tight he is buckled in he can get loose) and he grabbed a kiwi out of the fruit bowl and took a bite out of it skin and all. Just imagine, all this happened while I was watching them, not when they were unattended! Most of this would be solved if they could run around outside and get rid of some energy. I'm anxious for spring to come and in the meantime I continue to watch the Lambs like a Mama hawk!
Last night it snowed and it was very windy today. Someone from our town estimated we got about 10 inches but it's hard to tell with the drifts. Here's a photo from this afternoon when it had died down a little. This photo is taken out our back door looking at our back yard. You can just barely see the sidewalk that is not shoveled. The wind chills are bitterly cold too. We stayed home today and probably will stay home tomorrow too.
The Lambs have extreme cabin fever. I feel like all I have accomplished this week is settling petty arguments between them. The two oldest lambs used a whole can of parmesan cheese on their food and laughed about it; Lamb 2 colored the living room carpet with red crayon; Lamb 3 broke the latch to the china cupboard; Lamb 3 continually finds stickers the other Lambs left out and eats them and we have to get them out before he chokes; and Lamb 3 continually stands in his high chair (no matter how tight he is buckled in he can get loose) and he grabbed a kiwi out of the fruit bowl and took a bite out of it skin and all. Just imagine, all this happened while I was watching them, not when they were unattended! Most of this would be solved if they could run around outside and get rid of some energy. I'm anxious for spring to come and in the meantime I continue to watch the Lambs like a Mama hawk!
Blog question
How can I write a post early and then get it to publish later? Please leave a comment and let me know.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
More on Ash Wednesday
This afternoon (Ash Wednesday), Lamb 1 asked, "Mama are you excited about tonight?" I had to answer yes, because we were having church and communion. But he wondered if I was excited to receive ashes because we only do that once a year.
A little later Lamb 1 came up with this on his own..."Mama, do you know we are getting ashes tonight just like 'Ring Around the Rosy...Ashes, Ashes, we all fall down'."
After all that, Lamb 1 refused to get ashes when the time came. Lamb 2 wanted them and received them. I told Lamb 1 he could still get them tonight from Ram if he changed his mind, but not tomorrow. When he got into bed he said, "I didn't get ashes this year, but I'll get them next year."
A little later Lamb 1 came up with this on his own..."Mama, do you know we are getting ashes tonight just like 'Ring Around the Rosy...Ashes, Ashes, we all fall down'."
After all that, Lamb 1 refused to get ashes when the time came. Lamb 2 wanted them and received them. I told Lamb 1 he could still get them tonight from Ram if he changed his mind, but not tomorrow. When he got into bed he said, "I didn't get ashes this year, but I'll get them next year."
Ash Wednesday
O Lord, throughout these forty days
You prayed and kept the fast;
Inspire repentance for our sin,
And free us from our past.
Be with us through this season, Lord,
And all our earthly days,
That when the final Easter dawns,
We join in heaven's praise.
TLH 418:1 and 4
We start a Lenten series on Jonah tonight. The pastors are going to rotate churches in our circuit, but write a new sermon each week so it goes in order for the members. I will go to our tri-parish churches some weeks and go with Ram other weeks. Tonight Ram is at our church next door.
I rejoice that there is communion tonight so we can with the angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven (including Aunt Alice and my Grandmas), laud and magnify His glorious name.
You prayed and kept the fast;
Inspire repentance for our sin,
And free us from our past.
Be with us through this season, Lord,
And all our earthly days,
That when the final Easter dawns,
We join in heaven's praise.
TLH 418:1 and 4
We start a Lenten series on Jonah tonight. The pastors are going to rotate churches in our circuit, but write a new sermon each week so it goes in order for the members. I will go to our tri-parish churches some weeks and go with Ram other weeks. Tonight Ram is at our church next door.
I rejoice that there is communion tonight so we can with the angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven (including Aunt Alice and my Grandmas), laud and magnify His glorious name.
Sweet Potato Lentil Soup
Ram was gone visiting people all day yesterday. We didn't have enough leftovers so I had to cook. He suggested pea soup but I didn't feel like making that. I didn't feel like making pancakes even though I should have for Fat Tuesday.
I decided to try IN Jane's recipe for sweet potato lentil soup. We had some homemade yogurt so we topped it with that. I didn't use sausage or fresh ginger or lime wedges. Lamb 1 refused to put yogurt on it, but the rest of us did. For dessert we (but not Lamb 1 or 3) had yogurt with flax and cinnamon and a little honey. After we ate that I realized we didn't have any yogurt left for topping the leftover soup today. I'm sure it will be delicious without yogurt too. Ram's mom gave me a Spice Boy to grind spices. It came in handy to grind some of the spices that I had but weren't ground. Today's too busy, but we'll have to go to the store to get milk to make more homemade yogurt soon. And yes, we were eating homemade yogurt with flax, cinnamon, and honey before I read it on this blog.
I decided to try IN Jane's recipe for sweet potato lentil soup. We had some homemade yogurt so we topped it with that. I didn't use sausage or fresh ginger or lime wedges. Lamb 1 refused to put yogurt on it, but the rest of us did. For dessert we (but not Lamb 1 or 3) had yogurt with flax and cinnamon and a little honey. After we ate that I realized we didn't have any yogurt left for topping the leftover soup today. I'm sure it will be delicious without yogurt too. Ram's mom gave me a Spice Boy to grind spices. It came in handy to grind some of the spices that I had but weren't ground. Today's too busy, but we'll have to go to the store to get milk to make more homemade yogurt soon. And yes, we were eating homemade yogurt with flax, cinnamon, and honey before I read it on this blog.
Babies and fish
I just read an article by Dr. Sears that babies over 6 months old should have fish (with the exception of shellfish) as part of their diet. I never did this with Lamb 1 or 2 until they were over one year old. The other night we fed tuna to Lamb 3 and he loved it. We eat a lot of fish, especially canned tuna. I think we're going to try to eat more canned salmon and feed it to Lamb 3 too.
Do other PK's do this?
Lamb 1 and 2 are currently getting supplies out to pretend to burn ashes just like Ram did. They just finished discussing if they could receive ashes anywhere else besides their foreheads. I answered no, we receive them on our forehead just like we received the sign of the cross on our forehead when we were baptized.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Happy Birthday Dad!
Here's my dad last September with the three Lambs. He only had girls, so he has enjoyed having grandboys. The Lambs save all their toys for him to fix or put new batteries in when he visits us.Happy #69! My sister is at home celebrating with them this year. We love you, dad!
I wrote this early and had it ready to publish and now I can't figure out how to publish it on the correct date. It should say Thursday, February 26.
Almost Wordless Wednesday
The two big Lambs sitting in the back of Ram's new car. Don't worry, they just sat in it in the showroom, they didn't drive without car seats. It's been too cold to take more photos. We'll try to post more photos soon.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
My Great-Aunt Alice
My Great-Aunt Alice fell asleep in Jesus yesterday.
My Grandma was the second of four daughters. Alice was the youngest. The also had one brother that was never officially adopted, but part of their family.
I was trying to figure out how I could go to the funeral in IN. I was planning on driving the boys myself because Ram is busy with Ash Wednesday coming up. I was hoping the funeral would be Thursday or Friday so I could pack on Monday, drive on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then be there for the funeral. The funeral is on Wednesday and there is no way I could get everything together and drive that far by myself by then. My sister thought maybe I would just take Lamb 3 and fly, but there's no place for the other two Lambs while Ram has to be a pastor this week. And even flying is a big deal when you live 3 hours away from the airport.
I'm sad to not go to the funeral. I went to my Grandma's and her other two sister's funerals. Many of the family that will be there I haven't seen since my wedding 7 years ago, and some since before that. Times like this are when I am the most sad to live so far away from home. I do hope to go to the wedding of Alice's grandson this summer. Hopefully I will see a lot of the family there under more happy circumstances.
Alice and her husband Carl lived next door to my Grandma. They were younger and helped my Grandma out a lot while she was still in her own home. As a child when I would go visit my Grandma for a week or two, I would also spend several afternoons going over to Alice and Carl's to visit for the afternoon. They were like my grandparents too. Alice visited my Grandma so often that my grandma would say, "It's only Alice", when she knocked on the door.
One thing I really appreciated was Alice did her best to correspond with her relatives and especially wrote to me a little more often after my Grandma died. She sent letters or cards when each of my boys were baptized about how happy she was that they were now part of God's family. I sent Christmas cards out late this year so I just received a letter from her a few weeks ago in response to our Christmas letter.
We were able to see her last June when we were on vacation. Here's a photo of Aunt Alice with Lamb 3 from that day. I'm so happy that she held each of my 3 Lambs when they were babies!
My Grandma was the second of four daughters. Alice was the youngest. The also had one brother that was never officially adopted, but part of their family.
I was trying to figure out how I could go to the funeral in IN. I was planning on driving the boys myself because Ram is busy with Ash Wednesday coming up. I was hoping the funeral would be Thursday or Friday so I could pack on Monday, drive on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then be there for the funeral. The funeral is on Wednesday and there is no way I could get everything together and drive that far by myself by then. My sister thought maybe I would just take Lamb 3 and fly, but there's no place for the other two Lambs while Ram has to be a pastor this week. And even flying is a big deal when you live 3 hours away from the airport.
I'm sad to not go to the funeral. I went to my Grandma's and her other two sister's funerals. Many of the family that will be there I haven't seen since my wedding 7 years ago, and some since before that. Times like this are when I am the most sad to live so far away from home. I do hope to go to the wedding of Alice's grandson this summer. Hopefully I will see a lot of the family there under more happy circumstances.
Alice and her husband Carl lived next door to my Grandma. They were younger and helped my Grandma out a lot while she was still in her own home. As a child when I would go visit my Grandma for a week or two, I would also spend several afternoons going over to Alice and Carl's to visit for the afternoon. They were like my grandparents too. Alice visited my Grandma so often that my grandma would say, "It's only Alice", when she knocked on the door.
One thing I really appreciated was Alice did her best to correspond with her relatives and especially wrote to me a little more often after my Grandma died. She sent letters or cards when each of my boys were baptized about how happy she was that they were now part of God's family. I sent Christmas cards out late this year so I just received a letter from her a few weeks ago in response to our Christmas letter.
We were able to see her last June when we were on vacation. Here's a photo of Aunt Alice with Lamb 3 from that day. I'm so happy that she held each of my 3 Lambs when they were babies!
As sad as I am, I rejoice that Aunt Alice is singing with the angels today.
Asleep in Jesus! Oh, how sweet To be for such a slumber meet,
With holy confidence to sing That death has lost his venomed sting!
TLH 587:2
Fear of teenage boys
Before we started making supper tonight, Lamb 2 said, "Me hungry, Mama!"
Lamb 1 had 3 soft tacos. Lamb 2 had 2. They had lots of toppings (cheese, salsa, avocado, sour cream). When Lamb 1 was on his second helping he said, "I'll eat the rest of that avocado with my next helping. When he was eating his third helping he said, "I want cookies for dessert."
Today Lamb 3 ate a whole banana, plum, pear, 1/2 big sweet potato, and some avocado and crackers before he said he was full. He's still nursing full time too.
Is this a bad sign looking ahead to when they are teenagers? I can see less and less leftovers to put away after meals.
Ram's mom jokes about throwing the meat to her boys when they were teenagers. I think I will be joining that club very soon.
Lamb 1 had 3 soft tacos. Lamb 2 had 2. They had lots of toppings (cheese, salsa, avocado, sour cream). When Lamb 1 was on his second helping he said, "I'll eat the rest of that avocado with my next helping. When he was eating his third helping he said, "I want cookies for dessert."
Today Lamb 3 ate a whole banana, plum, pear, 1/2 big sweet potato, and some avocado and crackers before he said he was full. He's still nursing full time too.
Is this a bad sign looking ahead to when they are teenagers? I can see less and less leftovers to put away after meals.
Ram's mom jokes about throwing the meat to her boys when they were teenagers. I think I will be joining that club very soon.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Economy
My generation is too young to have lived through inflation and really understand it. I do have vague memories of gas shortages and electricity brownouts (is that what they were called?) in the 70's as a child.
But this week I've been noticing small things that are signs of the times and I don't just think, I KNOW it is going to get worse.
1. Ram needs his car replaced. It is cheaper to buy a NEW car than a used car. Well technically, it's about a $1000 more for a new vs. a car with 65,000 miles on it. This is a good time to be a car buyer, not a good time to be a car salesman. I thought the days of buying a new car for less than $20,000 were long gone. I was wrong.
2. I've heard that everyone is doing their shopping at the grocery store and they are doing well because people are eating out less. But recently our small local grocery store has had incredible deals. I don't know if this is because people are shopping at Walmart or if the grocery store isn't doing well. Today Bryers ice cream was $3. I realize the container is smaller than it used to be, and $3 isn't that good of a price when we lived in Fort Wayne. But for out here at the local store, Bryers is normally $5.75. I could go on about other prices, but what really shocked me was you could use manufacture coupons with their good deals and get double coupons and there was no limit to their good deals. And it wasn't just a few items on sale for these incredible deals, it was lots of items. So that tells me it wasn't just a few items to get you in the store. Again, a great time to stock up and be the buyer, not so good for the local grocery store.
3. There is also talk about how incredible mortgage rates are right now. We live in a parsonage so I don't know anything about that. But it's a great time to refinance or buy, not a great time to be the seller or bank.
But this week I've been noticing small things that are signs of the times and I don't just think, I KNOW it is going to get worse.
1. Ram needs his car replaced. It is cheaper to buy a NEW car than a used car. Well technically, it's about a $1000 more for a new vs. a car with 65,000 miles on it. This is a good time to be a car buyer, not a good time to be a car salesman. I thought the days of buying a new car for less than $20,000 were long gone. I was wrong.
2. I've heard that everyone is doing their shopping at the grocery store and they are doing well because people are eating out less. But recently our small local grocery store has had incredible deals. I don't know if this is because people are shopping at Walmart or if the grocery store isn't doing well. Today Bryers ice cream was $3. I realize the container is smaller than it used to be, and $3 isn't that good of a price when we lived in Fort Wayne. But for out here at the local store, Bryers is normally $5.75. I could go on about other prices, but what really shocked me was you could use manufacture coupons with their good deals and get double coupons and there was no limit to their good deals. And it wasn't just a few items on sale for these incredible deals, it was lots of items. So that tells me it wasn't just a few items to get you in the store. Again, a great time to stock up and be the buyer, not so good for the local grocery store.
3. There is also talk about how incredible mortgage rates are right now. We live in a parsonage so I don't know anything about that. But it's a great time to refinance or buy, not a great time to be the seller or bank.
Blogging, Memes, and Computer Problems
Elephant's Child had a great post about how creepy Facebook memes are getting. She says they are too long and too much privacy is being lost with them. Read her whole post to see what she says. I agree with her.
That is one reason why neither Ram or I are part of Facebook. I could write a whole post about other reasons why we aren't part of Facebook. Ram is part of Wittenburg Trail, but he rarely uses it and I'm not part of WT.
Esther tagged me today to do 25 things about my children. I just started this blog in December so I had never been tagged before. I don't have a problem with a meme like that. Although I did think 25 was rather long. Maybe some day I'll do a post on my children, but this week I'm too busy to do it.
Susan has been discussing with Loopers her terrible computer problems recently. There are some nasty viruses going around computers recently and currently. She was given the advice to watch her websurfing and only go to sites that she KNOWS are safe until this calms down. (google blogs, Amazon, etc.) And if you haven't backed up your computer recently, that would be a good idea too.
We had computer problems a few years ago and we had to backup our photos and important things and then erase everything and start over. We learned our lesson and Ram is much better about backing up than he was before that. We have been busy so Ram hasn't done a backup for awhile. But with Susan's news, he backed everything up last night. So far it seems like we have been protected from this group of viruses. I hope that we continue to be protected. Not because we don't have things backed up. But because it takes so much TIME to fix your computer up when you have to mess with this. We know from experience when we had to crash our computer. With 3 little lambs and Lent starting next week, we don't have time to rebuild our computer now. I know some people crash their computer on purpose every so often to start with a fresh slate. I'm not one of those people!
That is one reason why neither Ram or I are part of Facebook. I could write a whole post about other reasons why we aren't part of Facebook. Ram is part of Wittenburg Trail, but he rarely uses it and I'm not part of WT.
Esther tagged me today to do 25 things about my children. I just started this blog in December so I had never been tagged before. I don't have a problem with a meme like that. Although I did think 25 was rather long. Maybe some day I'll do a post on my children, but this week I'm too busy to do it.
Susan has been discussing with Loopers her terrible computer problems recently. There are some nasty viruses going around computers recently and currently. She was given the advice to watch her websurfing and only go to sites that she KNOWS are safe until this calms down. (google blogs, Amazon, etc.) And if you haven't backed up your computer recently, that would be a good idea too.
We had computer problems a few years ago and we had to backup our photos and important things and then erase everything and start over. We learned our lesson and Ram is much better about backing up than he was before that. We have been busy so Ram hasn't done a backup for awhile. But with Susan's news, he backed everything up last night. So far it seems like we have been protected from this group of viruses. I hope that we continue to be protected. Not because we don't have things backed up. But because it takes so much TIME to fix your computer up when you have to mess with this. We know from experience when we had to crash our computer. With 3 little lambs and Lent starting next week, we don't have time to rebuild our computer now. I know some people crash their computer on purpose every so often to start with a fresh slate. I'm not one of those people!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Issues Etc. on contraception
Rev. Curtis and Rev. Walther were on Issues Etc. talking about contraception. They ran out of time and didn't get very far, but they plan to continue the discussion on a later broadcast. I actually listened to it LIVE today-something that rarely happens with little Lambs in our house. I think it takes awhile for it to come up to listen to today's broadcast, but check back later tonight or tomorrow and listen to this broadcast. Click on the Issues Etc. button on my sidebar to access it.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Two week report without TV
We haven't received our monthly bill to reflect our savings without TV yet, but I love not having TV! One benefit that I did not expect is we don't look at the clock in terms of-it's almost time for the news; or the two nights that we watched TV-it's almost time for CSI. We have tons of really nice CDs, especially hymns, and we've pulled those out and listened to them all day-except for when the boys are listening to children's songs. (Notice we aren't technology enough to use anything beyond CD's like an MP3 Player!) To me the house seems more peaceful with music instead of TV. Ram and I have gone to bed a lot earlier, not staying up to watch Leno. Ram has finished several books and I've read 1/2 a book which is a big accomplishment for me-since Lamb 1 was born I've only skimmed, not actually read a book. Ram and I are spending more time together after the boys are asleep too. :) (I'll leave it at that since my parents read this.)
With the internet and radio we can keep up with the news but we haven't been beat over the head with news about the woman with Octuplets nor do we have to listen about all the foolishness that Obama and Congress are doing now nor do we have to listen to the media idolize Obama. I don't miss that at all.
A problem that I didn't expect is both Ram and I want the internet at the same time. He's busy or gone all day so the evening is the only time he can use the computer. I'm home and I may skim e-mail or blogs, but I don't have time to post on my blog or use the computer to update our digital photos or things like that when I "have" to watch the Lambs. I'm sure Ram and I will adapt and come up with some kind of solution to this.
Just imagine, we didn't even watch that much TV and rarely had it on in the daytime and these are our results!
With the internet and radio we can keep up with the news but we haven't been beat over the head with news about the woman with Octuplets nor do we have to listen about all the foolishness that Obama and Congress are doing now nor do we have to listen to the media idolize Obama. I don't miss that at all.
A problem that I didn't expect is both Ram and I want the internet at the same time. He's busy or gone all day so the evening is the only time he can use the computer. I'm home and I may skim e-mail or blogs, but I don't have time to post on my blog or use the computer to update our digital photos or things like that when I "have" to watch the Lambs. I'm sure Ram and I will adapt and come up with some kind of solution to this.
Just imagine, we didn't even watch that much TV and rarely had it on in the daytime and these are our results!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Home and Farm Show
We went to a Home and Farm Show today out in the country of Appleton, MN. PBS had Curious George there from 10-2. We arrived about 1:30pm so we had to see Curious George first before he left. Lamb 3 was sleeping and Lamb 1 totally freaked out. Partly because he is sick with a cold, and partly because it was the first thing we did there and he didn't have time to "warm up". We tried to convince him it was like a Halloween costume, but no luck. So only Lamb 2 got his photo taken with Curious George. Of course Ewe wanted her photo taken with Curious George too.
After we walked around the exhibits and ate lunch there, the last thing we did was go see the animals. Watertown, SD zoo brought a few animals for the children to see. Lamb 3 really wanted to touch them but Ewe didn't let him. Lamb 1 did remarkably well for himself. He didn't touch any of them but he got up real close. He even asked to stay a little longer and look at them.
Lamb 2 touching the millipedes while we all watch him.
Lamb 2 loved touching the Bearded Dragon
Lamb 2 touching the turtle
After we walked around the exhibits and ate lunch there, the last thing we did was go see the animals. Watertown, SD zoo brought a few animals for the children to see. Lamb 3 really wanted to touch them but Ewe didn't let him. Lamb 1 did remarkably well for himself. He didn't touch any of them but he got up real close. He even asked to stay a little longer and look at them.
Lamb 2 touching the millipedes while we all watch him.
Lamb 2 loved touching the Bearded Dragon
Lamb 2 touching the turtle Happy Valentine's Day!
Lamb 1 and 3I was upset because this is the first time I couldn't convince Lamb 1 to wear what I wanted him to wear. I wanted all the boys to wear red today. Lamb 1 said he would only wear red on Sunday or Tuesday. ???? So I dressed Lamb 2 and 3 in red and hoped that Lamb 1 would change his mind when he saw them. He didn't. I knew this day would come, when I couldn't convince Lamb 1 to wear what I wanted him to wear, but I was hoping it wouldn't come yet! In his defense, he has a cold and isn't feeling the best. His nose gets so red from wiping it with a tissue constantly.
Lamb 1 made a Valentine heart in library storytime this morning. He was the only one to pick yellow, the other children chose red or pink. I like sending him to library storytime to make messy things with glitter and not have the mess at home! Ram usually takes him and I get to read books to Lamb 2 by himself while they are gone. Lamb 2 is looking forward to this summer because he'll finally be 3 and allowed to attend. We took Lamb 1 before he turned 3 and when the session ended they nicely told us he wasn't allowed to return until he turned 3.
We only took a few photos tonight, not trying for the perfect one, and this one turned out pretty good for all 3 of them together. Maybe there is hope that we can have all 3 in a photo together!
Lamb 2 and 3
Lamb 3
Lamb 3 was mistaken for a girl today even though he had on overalls!
Lamb 1 made a Valentine heart in library storytime this morning. He was the only one to pick yellow, the other children chose red or pink. I like sending him to library storytime to make messy things with glitter and not have the mess at home! Ram usually takes him and I get to read books to Lamb 2 by himself while they are gone. Lamb 2 is looking forward to this summer because he'll finally be 3 and allowed to attend. We took Lamb 1 before he turned 3 and when the session ended they nicely told us he wasn't allowed to return until he turned 3.
We only took a few photos tonight, not trying for the perfect one, and this one turned out pretty good for all 3 of them together. Maybe there is hope that we can have all 3 in a photo together!
Lamb 2 and 3
Lamb 3
Lamb 3 was mistaken for a girl today even though he had on overalls!My parents never celebrated Valentine's Day. They thought it was silly to celebrate one day a year when you love your spouse all year long. Ram thinks it is a big commercial racket. We have not celebrated Valentine's Day either. Ram does surprise me all year long with cards and once and awhile with flowers or a gift he thinks I will like. He did surprise me with a card today though!
I worked with the boys to make homemade valentines this year. We started the beginning of February. We handed out a bunch last Sunday to most of the members of the church that we attend. We also gave a few to people in town here. And of course we mailed some to our close family members. I never expected the church members to appreciate it so much. I think because it was homemade and Lamb 1 handwrote on them they were impressed. So the boys received several valentines back from the ones we gave them to with money or treats.
We didn't make cupcakes or heart shaped cookies like I had planned because I thought the Lambs were getting plenty of sugar from all the treats they received. We did make yummy oatmeal rhubarb muffins and put them in heart cupcake liners to take to Bible Class tomorrow.
I've noticed on other blogs I read others talking about going out to dinner and a movie tonight. First we don't live close enough to a restaurant and a movie to do that. But if we did, I would not go tonight when everything would be crowded. I would celebrate later in the month when it wasn't so crowded. Or personally I would rather have homemade dinner and watch a movie at home!
Others talked about celebrating as a family. Maybe when the Lambs are older we can celebrate like Glenda and have the Lambs cook and serve us dinner. In the meantime, I don't have the energy to cook a fancy supper with candlelight for only one Lamb that MIGHT remember it by next year. We ended up having leftover Groundnut Stew. Thanks to MckMama for the excellent recipe! Everyone loved it and asked for seconds. Ram and I talked about how it didn't even need chicken with all the other yummy things in it. I would highly recommend this recipe!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Goodbye Zion Lutheran Academy-Hello South Side Lutheran School
I am posting this because I don't know how many of my friends from Fort Wayne or who used to live in Fort Wayne read my blog. I'm also reminiscing a little too...
I taught at Zion Lutheran Academy, Fort Wayne, IN from 1996-2003. I started teaching second grade and then taught first grade.
I read in their newsletter that 4 churches on the south end of Fort Wayne including Zion, Bethlehem, and the two churches that combine for Unity school are all combining to make one Lutheran school on the south end of Fort Wayne. Their hope is to open it by this fall. There is lots of planning happening now. I must stress that this has not been approved for sure by the churches. But it sounds like it is really going to happen.
The Zion members (past and present) knew this was happening for a long time. Financially they just can't afford to support a school staff with declining enrollment. Hopefully by combining they will be able to still offer Lutheran education on the south end of town and save lots of money by combining. Hopefully the classrooms will be full of children that want to have a Lutheran education instead of small classes. Financially they couldn't maintain the ancient school building any longer.
The problem is Fort Wayne as a city's problem. Most of the factory jobs are gone and not being replaced with new industries. It was a sad day with Lincoln Insurance moved so many of their staff that they eventually moved the Lincoln Museum too. The people that are left don't want to live on the south end of town because the media has made it sound unsafe. 40-50 years ago the south end of town was THE place to live. I'm not sure, but I think Bethlehem was the largest Lutheran school in Fort Wayne then too. My mom remembers trick or treating at some of the south side mansions because they got a whole candy bar there. Anyway, there just aren't as many people living on the south end of town as there were before.
Part of me is really sad that this day came even though I knew it was happening. Children are the life of the church and it's sad that they won't be worshiping in daily chapel at Zion any more. But part of me is excited that by combining they can still have a south side Lutheran school. It would be exciting to be part of the planning of a whole new school even if it is a lot of work.
I have great memories of my time at Zion and I will treasure those memories and continue to keep Zion church and her school (whether it is a combined school or her own) and her staff in my prayers daily.
I taught at Zion Lutheran Academy, Fort Wayne, IN from 1996-2003. I started teaching second grade and then taught first grade.
I read in their newsletter that 4 churches on the south end of Fort Wayne including Zion, Bethlehem, and the two churches that combine for Unity school are all combining to make one Lutheran school on the south end of Fort Wayne. Their hope is to open it by this fall. There is lots of planning happening now. I must stress that this has not been approved for sure by the churches. But it sounds like it is really going to happen.
The Zion members (past and present) knew this was happening for a long time. Financially they just can't afford to support a school staff with declining enrollment. Hopefully by combining they will be able to still offer Lutheran education on the south end of town and save lots of money by combining. Hopefully the classrooms will be full of children that want to have a Lutheran education instead of small classes. Financially they couldn't maintain the ancient school building any longer.
The problem is Fort Wayne as a city's problem. Most of the factory jobs are gone and not being replaced with new industries. It was a sad day with Lincoln Insurance moved so many of their staff that they eventually moved the Lincoln Museum too. The people that are left don't want to live on the south end of town because the media has made it sound unsafe. 40-50 years ago the south end of town was THE place to live. I'm not sure, but I think Bethlehem was the largest Lutheran school in Fort Wayne then too. My mom remembers trick or treating at some of the south side mansions because they got a whole candy bar there. Anyway, there just aren't as many people living on the south end of town as there were before.
Part of me is really sad that this day came even though I knew it was happening. Children are the life of the church and it's sad that they won't be worshiping in daily chapel at Zion any more. But part of me is excited that by combining they can still have a south side Lutheran school. It would be exciting to be part of the planning of a whole new school even if it is a lot of work.
I have great memories of my time at Zion and I will treasure those memories and continue to keep Zion church and her school (whether it is a combined school or her own) and her staff in my prayers daily.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Sprinkles
I asked Ram's mom for some red, white, and blue sprinkles to bake cupcakes for the annual town picnic on the Fourth of July. She sent us those plus more every holiday. This is what we have-plus there may be more buried in the back of the cupboard. We used a lot on Christmas cookies and it hardly looks like any is gone yet. She is very generous! Today I had to find a new way to organize these as there was no room in my cupboard. Now we have to get to baking more cookies and cupcakes! We'll be ready as the Lambs birthdays are all coming up in the next few months. Thanks Ram's mom!
Barbeque Time!
Lamb 2 baked cookies for dessert. I hate it when I drop the cookies as I'm getting them out of the oven!
Lamb 3 enjoyed "eating" the cookies. He had several!
Lamb 1 and 2 tried to pose with their huge deluxe hamburger.Trip to Goodwill
We hadn't been to Goodwill for awhile with the cold. Yesterday we went shopping. I LOVE Goodwill in Willmar! When we went to ECFE, the Lambs saw some new toys. Lamb 2 really wants this.
We actually saw this at Goodwill yesterday for $3.99. Ram drew the line and said the Lambs needed a sister before we bought this. So Lamb 2 was very sad to say Goodbye and go home without this.
Lamb 1 really wanted a grill. He has been asking about one since September. Every time we go to Once Upon a Child or Goodwill he looks for one. The one he saw in September was just a plain grill. Yesterday we found a talking grill at Goodwill for $4.99! Here's a photo of it.
We actually saw this at Goodwill yesterday for $3.99. Ram drew the line and said the Lambs needed a sister before we bought this. So Lamb 2 was very sad to say Goodbye and go home without this.Lamb 1 really wanted a grill. He has been asking about one since September. Every time we go to Once Upon a Child or Goodwill he looks for one. The one he saw in September was just a plain grill. Yesterday we found a talking grill at Goodwill for $4.99! Here's a photo of it.
I didn't know if it would work, but we put new batteries in it and it does. I looked on the Playskool site and they sell a different kind now, they no longer sell this one. Ours came with just the grill, no parts. I'm going to look into if the new grill they sell, if the replacement parts would work with this grill. If not, they already have play hamburger to make.
What is really funny is that we have a real gas grill but it is still in the box, not assembled!
We also found and bought adjustable roller skates for $1.99.
We've all eaten a lot of pretend deluxe cheeseburgers this morning. Lamb 2 baked pretend chocolate chip cookies to eat for dessert with them. Yum!
(I took these photos off of Ebay because they don't make these any more. I'll try to post photos of the Lambs with their grill soon.)
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Non dairy split pea soup
Susan recently posted about making split pea soup for her family.
I remember when I was little my mom would make grilled cheese or garlic cheese bread along with split pea soup so that we had something we liked along with something we didn't like. (But we were expected to eat both.)
My family loves split pea soup. Because Lamb #1 couldn't have dairy, we searched and found this recipe. It is from What to Cook When you Think There's Nothing in the House to Eat by Arthur Schwartz. Ram LOVES this recipe book. I often catch him reading this recipe book, not just to find recipes, but he enjoys READING the information. (When I looked this book up on Amazon, a used copy is 24 cents, but you have to pay shipping.)
Split Pea Soup
2 cups green or yellow split peas
1 cup finely chopped carrot
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped celery
7 cups water
1 large bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
homemade croutons (optional)
You can chop the vegetables in the food processor. We don't do that, it's ok with us if it's a little chunky.
1. Combine all ingredients except salt and pepper and croutons in a large pot. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer about 50 minutes until peas are soft.
2. It says to puree the peas and vegetables in a food processor or blender in 2 or 3 batches. We don't do this, we don't mind it chunky.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Return to a simmer and cook briefly to make very hot for serving with or without croutons. The soup will keep for several days in the refrigerator, but you will need to add more water when it is reheated.
You can add a ham bone, ham hock, or bacon to this. We have made it both ways, with and without ham and it is good. I like the pea flavor. You could also use canned broth for some of the water or add a chicken bouillon cube. We usually make it without meat and with one can of broth with the water. We don't always make the croutons, but that is really good on it.
I like this recipe because you can make it the way you like it. It's a really cheap way to make it without meat or milk too. And it's a healthy way to make it if you leave out the salt. And it's a fast recipe, done in about an hour. We plan to continue to make this recipe for our family even though the Lambs can have more dairy now.
I remember when I was little my mom would make grilled cheese or garlic cheese bread along with split pea soup so that we had something we liked along with something we didn't like. (But we were expected to eat both.)
My family loves split pea soup. Because Lamb #1 couldn't have dairy, we searched and found this recipe. It is from What to Cook When you Think There's Nothing in the House to Eat by Arthur Schwartz. Ram LOVES this recipe book. I often catch him reading this recipe book, not just to find recipes, but he enjoys READING the information. (When I looked this book up on Amazon, a used copy is 24 cents, but you have to pay shipping.)
Split Pea Soup
2 cups green or yellow split peas
1 cup finely chopped carrot
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped celery
7 cups water
1 large bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
homemade croutons (optional)
You can chop the vegetables in the food processor. We don't do that, it's ok with us if it's a little chunky.
1. Combine all ingredients except salt and pepper and croutons in a large pot. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer about 50 minutes until peas are soft.
2. It says to puree the peas and vegetables in a food processor or blender in 2 or 3 batches. We don't do this, we don't mind it chunky.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Return to a simmer and cook briefly to make very hot for serving with or without croutons. The soup will keep for several days in the refrigerator, but you will need to add more water when it is reheated.
You can add a ham bone, ham hock, or bacon to this. We have made it both ways, with and without ham and it is good. I like the pea flavor. You could also use canned broth for some of the water or add a chicken bouillon cube. We usually make it without meat and with one can of broth with the water. We don't always make the croutons, but that is really good on it.
I like this recipe because you can make it the way you like it. It's a really cheap way to make it without meat or milk too. And it's a healthy way to make it if you leave out the salt. And it's a fast recipe, done in about an hour. We plan to continue to make this recipe for our family even though the Lambs can have more dairy now.
Friday, February 6, 2009
These are a few of my favorite things
1. It was 37 degrees above zero today. I heard several birds in the bush outside our living room window. Spring is really coming after this long hard winter! Ram says I'm talking too early, but after this winter, I want to look ahead.
2. All 3 Lambs slept last night while we made a phone call to the best man in our wedding and talked over an hour. It has been rare for Lamb #3 to sleep for a long time before midnight. I don't think we've had any long phone conversations since he was born that he slept the entire phone call. It was great to talk to him too.
2. All 3 Lambs slept last night while we made a phone call to the best man in our wedding and talked over an hour. It has been rare for Lamb #3 to sleep for a long time before midnight. I don't think we've had any long phone conversations since he was born that he slept the entire phone call. It was great to talk to him too.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
President Obama's own words
President Obama spoke this morning at the National Prayer Breakfast. I found his speech here during a quick internet search.
Lora pointed out these awesome words from President Obama this morning. Thank you Lora for alerting us to this.
"There is no God who condones taking the life of an innocent human being."
We need to keep President Obama in our prayers daily.
Lora pointed out these awesome words from President Obama this morning. Thank you Lora for alerting us to this.
"There is no God who condones taking the life of an innocent human being."
We need to keep President Obama in our prayers daily.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
10 months!
It is hard for me to believe that Lamb 3 was 10 months old yesterday! He is small so people often are surprised to see him almost walking.
He is in the process of getting his first tooth. No wonder why he wanted to nurse all the time last week. He hasn't slept well the last few nights. He had an adjustment at the chiropractor today so hopefully that will help along with hoping the tooth finally comes in.
Tonight I left Lamb 2 and 3 with Ram while I took Lamb 1 to Spanish class. It was the first time I had left Lamb 3. He didn't miss me at all for the 1 1/2 hour I was gone! I had a hard time with this and Ram laughed at me.
This photo was taken a few weeks ago, don't worry, we really have taken our Christmas tree down!
Monday, February 2, 2009
Goodbye TV!
We decided to stop paying for TV. This has nothing to do with the transition to digital. Where we live, your only choice for TV is to get cable, there is no free TV with an antenna. We actually had a nice deal for basic channels for $11.95/month through the phone company fiber optics. Our small town was one of the first in the area to get connected.
When we first signed up for it we were hesitant because you had to sign a contract for 3 years and we are never sure if my husband will get a Call and if we will be here that long. When we started the basic channels were $9.95/month. We've been here for 3 years since then and the price has gone up two dollars too.
We feel we can spend $11.95/month much wiser than TV. The only show we both like to watch is CSI and it's been changing so that we no longer like it as much. We don't watch sports except Ram likes to watch NASCAR but it is rarely on the basic stations we got. We can get our news off of the internet and I'm sure there is lots else we can get off of the internet. The Lambs have a few movies (mostly Richard Scarry) that they enjoy but they have never watched Seseme Street or TV shows. The most frustrating thing is the news always talks about the Twin Cities and rarely mentions our part of the state. The weather people usually stand in front of our part of the state. We are able to get news from both Fargo and Twin Cities and neither show our weather.
We had paid through January but they forgot to disconnect us so we were able to watch the SuperBowl yesterday. We called this morning and it is really disconnected now.
You may be surprised that we aren't rushing out to get a NetFlix subscription and we have never had one. We also live 7 miles away from the library and a movie rental place. And we live 1 1/2 hours away from Blockbuster. I know that we could watch much of TV and movies on NetFlix.
We found that when we had TV available, we just vegged out in front of it every evening even though there was nothing on that we really wanted to watch. I think without it we will read a lot more. Plus, we have a lot of movies that we own that we have never watched or only watched once that we would enjoy watching again. We just never get around to putting our movies in the DVD player.
We were discussing this with a couple from church last Sunday. They agreed with us that it probably is good to save the money on TV. Then the conversation came out that they have cable TV from both the phone company and satellite because he wants Big Ten sports and she wants her shows. Plus they have two TVs so they both can watch what they want. So I think our conversation went right over their heads because we only had one TV with 11 channels to begin with.
Growing up, both Ram and I had a long time without a TV. Ram had one in the closet for when his mom thought it was something important enough to get it out. My family didn't own one from about the time I was 5 until the time I was 12. My family played a lot of board and card games together and read aloud. We joked that my younger sister was all the entertainment we needed.
I'm happy TV is finally gone at our house now too!
When we first signed up for it we were hesitant because you had to sign a contract for 3 years and we are never sure if my husband will get a Call and if we will be here that long. When we started the basic channels were $9.95/month. We've been here for 3 years since then and the price has gone up two dollars too.
We feel we can spend $11.95/month much wiser than TV. The only show we both like to watch is CSI and it's been changing so that we no longer like it as much. We don't watch sports except Ram likes to watch NASCAR but it is rarely on the basic stations we got. We can get our news off of the internet and I'm sure there is lots else we can get off of the internet. The Lambs have a few movies (mostly Richard Scarry) that they enjoy but they have never watched Seseme Street or TV shows. The most frustrating thing is the news always talks about the Twin Cities and rarely mentions our part of the state. The weather people usually stand in front of our part of the state. We are able to get news from both Fargo and Twin Cities and neither show our weather.
We had paid through January but they forgot to disconnect us so we were able to watch the SuperBowl yesterday. We called this morning and it is really disconnected now.
You may be surprised that we aren't rushing out to get a NetFlix subscription and we have never had one. We also live 7 miles away from the library and a movie rental place. And we live 1 1/2 hours away from Blockbuster. I know that we could watch much of TV and movies on NetFlix.
We found that when we had TV available, we just vegged out in front of it every evening even though there was nothing on that we really wanted to watch. I think without it we will read a lot more. Plus, we have a lot of movies that we own that we have never watched or only watched once that we would enjoy watching again. We just never get around to putting our movies in the DVD player.
We were discussing this with a couple from church last Sunday. They agreed with us that it probably is good to save the money on TV. Then the conversation came out that they have cable TV from both the phone company and satellite because he wants Big Ten sports and she wants her shows. Plus they have two TVs so they both can watch what they want. So I think our conversation went right over their heads because we only had one TV with 11 channels to begin with.
Growing up, both Ram and I had a long time without a TV. Ram had one in the closet for when his mom thought it was something important enough to get it out. My family didn't own one from about the time I was 5 until the time I was 12. My family played a lot of board and card games together and read aloud. We joked that my younger sister was all the entertainment we needed.
I'm happy TV is finally gone at our house now too!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Graphic fun with Kieschnick and Harrison Papers
If you are LCMS, you may find this interesting.
I have added Harrison for President to my sidebar too.
I taught at Zion Lutheran Academy in Fort Wayne, IN while Harrison was senior pastor there.
I have added Harrison for President to my sidebar too.
I taught at Zion Lutheran Academy in Fort Wayne, IN while Harrison was senior pastor there.
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