Book Meme

I really have not done very many memes and now I'm doing them two days in a row. Ram said I had to do this one since it involved books! Thanks Jane!

Book Confessions Meme
1. To mark your page you: use a bookmark, bend the page corner, leave the book open face down? I try to use bookmarks but one of the Lambs usually removes them. Sometimes I leave the book open face down until I can get a bookmark. I usually have to remember about what page I was on because the Lambs "help" me so much.
2. Do you lend your books? No-no friends here to lend them to. But I frequently will search for a book for a friend at Goodwill and send them a copy of a book that I like.
3. You find an interesting passage: you write in your book or NO WRITING IN BOOKS!
Yes, I write in books. Mostly I will get post it notes and write on there-I can move the post it note as I read and make notes to myself.
4. Dust jackets - leave it on or take it off? LEAVE THEM ON-THAT'S WHAT THEY ARE FOR! It drives me crazy that Ram removed some of his and threw them away before we were married. Plus you can't take books without dust jackets to Hyde Brothers if you want to trade it after you read it. When I worked at the library I frequently had to cut the information off of the dust jacket and tape it inside the book.
5. Hard cover, paperback, skip it and get the audio book?Ram wants hard cover. I don't care. Audio very rarely.
6. Do you shelve your books by subject, author, or size and color of the book spines?I have all of our huge library organized by Dewey with two exceptions. The kids have a bookshelf in their room that is not organized at all (other than on the shelf). The kids also have a box of books in the living room that they can choose to read from daily. I haven't got to organize Ram's theology books (all Dewey 200s) but I hope to have time to do that some day. We try to return books to their Dewey place when we are finished with them. I do have a pile by my chair in the living room that I am currently reading.
7. Buy it or borrow it from the library later? I am 7 miles from the library and with the Lambs so little I don't have much time to read. I own most of the books I am reading and just check out books from the library every once and awhile. I'm glad the library gives a month for me to try to complete the book before I have to renew it.
8. Do you put your name on your books - scribble your name in the cover, fancy bookplate, or stamp?Ram has a fancy bookplate. I only put a bookplate in it if I am going somewhere that I might lose the book. In this case, sometimes I put an address label inside the cover.
9. Most of the books you own are rare and out of print books or recent publications? We have a bit of everything. We probably have more older books than recent books in our collection.
10. Page edges - deckled or straight?Ram probably cares, but not me.
11. How many books do you read at one time?I usually have a big pile that I'm working on, but only actually read two at a time.
12. Be honest, ever tear a page from a book? No way, but rip up all my magazines.

ABC Meme

Wait--before you read this post, did you know STELLAN WENT HOME YESTERDAY?!!!!! Head over to MckMama's blog, and praise God with her! She even got to get home a little early thanks to a blog reader that was in air traffic control.

I refuse to do Facebook (that's another whole post), but I saw this meme on Esther's blog and thought it would be fun.

A - Age: 35
B - Bed size: Queen
C - Chore you hate: yardwork
D - Dog's name: never had a dog
E - Essential start your day item: I hate coffee, can't think of anything essential
F - Favorite color: green
G - Gold or Silver: gold
H - Height: 5'10"
I - Instruments you played: flute
J - Job title: Which job? Wife, Mama, end up being church secretary sometimes
K-Kids: Lamb 1 (5), Lamb 2 (almost 3), Lamb 3 (almost 13 months)
L - Living arrangements: 4 bedroom parsonage
M - Mom's name: Joan
N - Nicknames: Ram calls me Baby Doll
O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: tonsils, morning sickness with Lamb 1
P - Pet Peeve: I can't stand the sound of filing fingernails.
Q - Quote from a movie: I'm too tired to think of any right now.
R - Right or left handed: Right
S - Siblings: Hannah
T - Time you wake up: if Ram gets up with the Lambs at 7 or 8am, then I get to sleep in until 9 or 10am. If he doesn't get up with them then I have to get up at 7 or 8am. Can you tell no one is in school yet?
U- Underwear: Yes, please. Used to be Victoria's Secret until they changed the way they make them. Not sure what kind to get next.
V - Vegetable you dislike: I like almost all vegetables, except I'm not too fond of raw carrots, but I eat them.
W - Ways you run late: After growing up in the city I'm always checking that the doors are locked, and that all the appliances are off, etc. Also, I don't plan ahead enough for 3 Lambs to get ready, especially now that two of them want to do everything themselves.
X - X-rays you've had: teeth, elbow, chest
Y - Yummy food you make: Ram usually cooks and I usually bake. That's a good deal. I love my homemade granola.
Z - Zoo Favorites: penguins

Fun, right? Consider yourself tagged. I'd love to see your results! Just let me know if you join in, so I can read it too!

Trying to catch up

While my parents are here I had a lot of projects for them and I also hoped to have time to work on some projects myself while I had them babysit. Lamb 3 has been pretty sick and not sleeping well either. My mom got a sinus infection and my dad got a sore throat-probably caught germs from us. Tonight was the first time my mom felt well enough to work on some projects. My dad didn't do much today as he just didn't feel well enough.
I worked for a long time in "my" room tonight. I had a pile of scrapbook stuff-stickers, memorabilia to scrapbook, photos, etc. to organize. I knew I was behind when I had some 3 year old birthday cards in the pile. Lamb 1 is the only Lamb that has turned 3 and he just turned 5! I got most of it organized tonight. I did run out of room in the folder I was organizing Lamb 1's. I didn't quite finish organizing my new stickers.
I worked on this tonight in anticipation of going scrapbooking all day this Saturday. I'm trying not to get my hopes up because if one of the Lambs is ill I won't be able to go. At least I'll be organized for the next time. Hopefully I can finish the organizing before Saturday so I get to spend time scrapbooking instead of organizing.

Happy Birthday, Ram!

Ram saw this blog and wanted this cake for his birthday. Thanks Erin for the recipe! It was a strange recipe to be baked at 275 degrees and then put in the freezer to make it moist. I made the cake and my mom made the frosting while I took a nap. It was delicious and it we ate the last piece today. We had to celebrate yesterday because Ram had to go to the LCMS MN N District Convention today.

We opened presents yesterday. Ram's parents brought this box full of books when they came to visit last month. Ram also received several pi shirts and other gifts.

My parents are here visiting so they babysat the two older Lambs and we went out to dinner last night by ourselves with Lamb 3. There was one other couple in the dining area of the restaurant. Ram laughed at me because I noticed what they ordered and paid attention to them. It is so rare for me to not have to help one of the Lambs at a meal that I just didn't know what to do with myself! I really wouldn't know what to do if I didn't have any Lambs with me! Lamb 3 has croup, an ear infection, and a very runny nose so we took him with us instead of leaving him home. He is on antibiotics and slowly getting better. Now my dad has a sore throat and my mom has a sinus infection-I think we gave away our germs. I still have a sore throat. Thankfully Ram has stayed healthy. Since Lamb 1 was born we get to go out about once a year. We had a delicious dinner of beef strogonoff, salad, spinach artichoke dip, and wine.

Ram turned 34 so now it seems like he is closer in age to me... Since we have been married there haven't been very many birthdays that we were apart. Happy Birthday to my beloved!

Sad news-prayer requests

Tests today showed that Stellan's heart problems are coming back after his surgery on Tuesday. He will remain in Boston for awhile. His Mama is homesick for her husband and other 3 kids. Please keep them in your prayers. Please pray that the doctors can help Stellan too. http://www.mycharmingkids.net/

While I don't personally know Stellan, just read the blog, the next one is even more difficult for me. It is the brother of our babysitter (who used to live behind us, but now lives 7 miles away in town). He has been battling leukemia since December 2007. He has been through so much since then. Yesterday he was given the news that he has weeks or months to live. They can keep fighting with chemo but it will come back. I believe he is 11 years old. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/sonshineboy Please pray for their whole family.

The Lambs have all been battling colds. Lamb 3 has a fever today. We couldn't get into the doctor until tomorrow. My parents are coming to visit so they will stay with Lamb 1. I will take Lamb 2 and 3 to the doctor 1 1/2 hours away. Ram has nursing home and shut in visits all day tomorrow. Please pray that we travel safely and can get into the doctor quickly and come home. It is a lot for me to travel with the Lambs by myself. Please pray that we can all get healthy and get over our colds that we have been battling for two weeks now.

Happy Birthday, Ram's Dad!

I had a difficult time finding a photo because Ram's dad is the one that always takes the pictures. I guess we'll have to try to take more photos of him. Here he is last year with Lamb 3.



The Lambs have been enjoying "Grandpa's Mix" named after him. Here is the recipe:
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup dried blueberries
1/4 cup dark chocolate chunks

The Lambs love it when Grandpa comes to visit and builds train track for them with their Thomas trains.
We hope you have a great birthday and hopefully get a day to rest from working so hard and traveling for work!

Stellan made it through surgery!

UPDATE: Tonight at ECFE (Early Childhood Family Education) several children and one mom were wearing orange. Then we used orange sand in the sand table. I thought this was all planned for Stellan-well at least the mom dressed in orange. None of the moms attending ECFE had ever heard of Stellan or the blog before. One mom was thankful I told her about it because she had seen "Are you praying for Stellan?" on Facebook today and had no idea what that meant. The mom wearing orange was proud to wear orange today when she heard about it. Lamb 1 kept talking about Stellan with his ECFE teacher and she had no idea what he was talking about. The Lambs all wore orange to ECFE today, I don't own any orange!
Check out the blog, Stellan is doing remarkably well. The doctor did a fantastic job in difficult circumstances.

The Lambs wore orange today in support of Stellan. These two photos were posted on the website. http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ Stellan and his family still need our prayers.

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host:

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.