7 Quick Takes Friday {#27}

1.)  There's not enough time in the day to do all the reading I want to do.  My nightstand is filled with books, my Google Reader is overflowing with unread blog posts, and that's not to mention all the articles and things online each day that I wish I could read.  Sigh.

2.)  Yesterday I went to an estate sale across the street.  With my kids.  And, wouldn't you know it, there were probably over one hundred Barbies--still in boxes--at the sale.  My kids were ENTHRALLED.  Like seriously thrilled.  (So I bought them one.  One $5 Barbie.  To share.  I'm cheap!)

3.)  Last night Kevin came up the stairs, after tucking our kids in, obviously frustrated with someone.  I totally thought he was talking about one of the kids--but no, he was referring to an author of a book.  Ha!

4.)  Have you ever tried returning something to IKEA?  Better yet, have you ever tried getting your money back, after you accidentally rang up your white pendant lamp twice, during self checkout, a few days before?  While your husband and five kids sit around, anxious to go home?  Well, I don't recommend it.  Picture lots of waiting your turn, having a cashier try to tell you she won't help you, and finally having a manager called who then proceeds to take a half-hour to credit your card.  But, I still love IKEA.  (It's a sickness.)

5.)  I just ordered these.  Goodbye multiple ziploc sandwich bags that I detest so very much!

6.)  We had someone over the other night who happens to be a priest.  As he was leaving and the kids were saying goodbye, Kaitlyn asked, "Do you have to leave because the Mass people need you back?"  She makes my day.  Makes.my.day.

7.)  I have a bunch of projects looming--things to paint, mostly.  Like lamps, frames, mirrors, a table.  Oh, and a piano.  However, what I really NEED to do is organize my homeschool things so we can start our schoolyear.  I'd thought we'd start this next week, but maybe I'll opt to make my house pretty instead!

Thanks Jen, as always, for hosting!

7 Quick Takes Friday {#26}

1.)  I'm having a lot of fun with my current series of answering questions.  My goodness, you people ask some good ones!  My answers are all turning out to be way too long in length, so sorry about that.  :)  I'm still accepting questions, by the way, and you can ask as many as you want.



2.)  We had some crazy wind and torrential rains briefly this afternoon.  Causing a HUGE tree branch from a HUGE tree to come crashing down on precisely the spot where Kevin always parks our Corolla.  Thankfully he was at work, with the car, when it happened!



3.)  Wednesday night, a sweet friend treated me (!) to dessert and coffee at Whole Foods, over by the Cherry Creek Mall.  If you're a local, have you seen their decadent dessert bar?!  And I had some delightful lemon gellato and an iced mocha, in case you were wondering.  (Could you tell I was roasting all day in the summer heat?)  I had such a wonderful time, and not just because of the dessert.



4.)  Today is Kevin's bi-annual 4th of July party at the company where he works.  Two years ago, at the last party, there was a crazy rainstorm that put a bit of a damper on the bounce house and other various outdoor activities.  Hoping today's festivities stay dry!



5.)  I made chili this week.  On a very hot day.  Not sure why.



6.)  I'd hoped to make it to the pool this week, but some of my kids (read: most of my kids) have colds, so we stayed home.  They all caught the aforementioned colds from Mary.  They have so much fun splashing around at our neighborhood pool, and are excited for swim lessons later this summer.  Get well soon kids!



7.)  I get so bummed out when I do something dumb and let one of my kids down.  (Which, sadly, happens on a regular basis.)  I'd wanted to sign Anna up for a day at horse camp this summer, as there was a SWEET deal through Mamapedia.  But, it expired before I bought it.  Ugh.  Major mom fail.  So now I'm trying to come up with an affordable alternative, because without the deal it is ridiculously expensive.  Here's hoping I figure something out!



Thanks as always to Jen Fulwiler for hosting these here Quick Takes!

7 Quick Takes Friday {#25}

1.  I haven't done this feature on my blog in a long, long time.  Not sure why, because I really do like it.  And as I'm still trying to get over this ridiculous stomach virus, thus not having much energy or motivation to blog anything that requires too much thought, I am returning to it.

2.  Kevin was at a mens' conference recently where he signed up for three free issues of The National Catholic Register.  We actually don't subscribe to any sort of newspaper, so this is the first time we've had one delivered to our house.  And I've discovered that reading said paper makes me feel much smarter and cultured than I actually am.  Suddenly I'm an all-out intellectual with a doctorate in Philosophy as I read articles about the Vatican and sip my coffee.  That alone might be worth the annual $50 subscription fee.

3.  Yosef and Biniam started T-Ball on Tuesday, and have had two practices so far.  (One of which just Kevin took them to, due to my need this week to be near a bathroom.)  But the one practice I DID attend--oh my GOODNESS.  Have YOU ever seen a bunch of five- and six-year-olds chasing after a ball, randomly running bases, throwing dirt up into the air in the outfield and watching it drift on the breeze when they're supposed to be fielding?  Honestly, I'd worried that this venturing into the world of youth sports would be a tad boring.  Oh how wrong I was.  Funniest.thing.ever.

4.  I'm really liking Twitter these days.  Finally I think I'm sort-of getting the hang of it.  Are you on Twitter?  Follow me!

5.  We just finished watching (online) the show "America's Next Great Restaurant."  And I want me some soul food now.  I'm so glad Jamawn won, so sad that Joey didn't, and as for Sadir, his food sounded amazing until he tried to fuse it with Mexican food.  Indian food=good, and Mexican food=good, but together?  Doesn't sound so good.  Plus I don't think he wanted it as badly as the other two guys.  (Yep,I got way too into this thing.)

6.  I'm getting more finicky about the books I read in my old, nearly-thirty(!) age.  I don't as much read spiritual things I don't agree with (beyond learning and understanding where someone is coming from) and I refuse to read something just because it is hyped.  I used to read all manner of books from all manner of Christian perspectives (I have everything from Brian McLaren to John Piper to Mother Theresa to CS Lewis on my bookshelf), and while I DO occasionally still do that, there are just so many WONDERFUL books out there that I'm not as interested in reading stuff that, for the most part, does not resonate with me.  Or is complete and utter fluff.

7.  Speaking of reading, over the past couple of years I have taken to reading some apologetics and memoirs and theology (nothing too brainy, don't worry) in an attempt to better understand church history and the various perspectives found under the massive, multi-faceted umbrella that is Christianity.  In hopes of answering the question, "Why do _____ (insert Calvinists, Armenians, Orthodox, Roman Catholic, etc.) believe what they believe?"  It's been an interesting, and at times exhausting, little journey.  Funny thing is I went years without ever questioning why my own corner of Christianity believed what they did about Jesus, salvation, and the Sacraments.  Then I got curious.  It's been eye-opening and to be honest, a bit uncomfortable, but I hope and believe that in the end, my faith will be stronger for it.

**********

Thank you to Jennifer at Conversion Diary for hosting!  If you're interested in doing your own 7 Quick Takes, go ahead and link up!

7 Quick Takes Friday {#21}

1.)  We are still a house full of sickies.  Ugh.  Yesterday all three of my biggest kids were too sick to go to school...which meant they missed out on exchanging valentines.  SO SAD!  Thankfully though, with five children, we always have a quorum for a party, so they seemed satisfied with us having our own Valentine's Day party here on February 14th.  Whew!

2.)  Yesterday was of course also Anna's birthday.  We made cupcakes (even though she said she felt too sick to eat one!), and otherwise just lounged around trying to get well.  No doubt the highlight of her day was opening gifts from grandparents after "dinner" (all the invalids wanted was a partial tortilla.  I'm not complaining!)  Lots of clothes, books, and a Calico Critter house.  The best part of MY day was surely Anna being so excited any time someone around here wished her a happy birthday (which, in our family, is OFTEN), and then telling her birth story that evening and looking at photos of when she was born.  I was young and my face was swollen and red but I was blissfully in love.  (And if I wasn't so terribly lazy, I'd scan the photo and show you.  Maybe someday.)

3.)  I'm currently reading a library book that smells oh-so-strongly of cigarrette smoke.  Good thing I'm almost finished with it--I've always been really sensitive to second-hand smoke, it makes my eyes itch, etc.  But I'm devoted and committed to sticking with it.  So, smoke be darned, my task-orientedness is winning out.  (Extra ironic that it is an interview with the Pope.  I find this amusing.)

4.)  For dinner last night I had some Lucky Charms.  I NEVER, ever eat junky cereals.  Kevin buys them for himself.  The kids don't eat them either.  BUT, I wasn't feeling well, so Lucky Charms it was.  And it was such a fun treat!  Not bad when you're sick.

5.)  I'm getting my annual calls from the Cal Poly Psychology Department this week.  (Read about last year's call here.)  Every year now some girl from the department calls, most likely on her fifth Red Bull of the night, asking me questions about my university experience, inevitably leading up to begging me for money.  (Yes, begging.  It always culminates in begging.)  I love when it comes out that I didn't actually graduate, that my time at Cal Poly was not the very best part of my whole entire life (though I had a good time), and that I'm not using my degree-I-don't-have because I'm...gasp...an at-home-mom.  It's HILARIOUS because they don't have a great script for someone like me.  Don't get me wrong, I'm polite and all that, but NO one could match the enthusiasm of these people, and it's downright awkward when they PRETEND that it's cool that I'm "just" a mom.  AND, notice that at the beginning of this paragraph I said "calls"--yes, I'm getting multiple calls, one a night, because I'm sick and just not up to answering the questions.  So I hang up.  Kevin thinks this is incredibly rude.  But I used to be a telemarketer, and to be honest, I preferred a hang-up to having to awkwardly find a way out of a conversation.  You just go on to the next call.  When I'm feeling better, I'll answer the person's questions.  I'm rather looking forward to it!

6.)  We've had some snow lately.  A bit of a storm, in fact, with the wind whistling and the snow blowing.  I love it!  I'm looking forward to Spring and Summer, but I'm NOT one of those people jealous of 70 degree February days in Florida or California.  I LOVE seasons.  I love how hot summers make you long for cozy winters, and vice-versa.  I'd never want to go back to living in a super mild climate.

7.) My kids are definitely on the mend--the VOLUME in this house this morning is the loudest it's been in days.  It's hilarious.  So glad they're starting to feel better, but I have to admit I enjoyed the quiet too!

***Do your Quicktakes.  Link to Conversion Diary.  Have a happy Friday.  :)

7 Quick Takes Friday {#16}

1.)  Yesterday was the Christmas party for the big kids' school.  They were SO excited to go.  It was at a rec center so there would be swimming, and all of us, even Kevin, were planning to attend.  But then Kaitlyn threw up that morning.  And so Kevin stayed home with the two littles, and I took the oldest three.  I rarely spend time with the oldest three all together.  It was pretty sweet!  We hit up the Taco Bell drive-thru on our way (due to aforementioned sickness and the consequent clean-up, I had no time to bring anything for the potluck, and we were running terribly late.  I didn't even wear make-up.  That is how late we were.  Because I usually wear it when I go to something like that, otherwise people think I look tired.  Which I probably am, so maybe I should just roll with it!)  Anyway, the kids thought it was SO FUN to get burritos on our way, and kept thanking me and saying "this is the best burrito EVER, Mom!"  Ha!  Once AT the party, they took off with their friends, and then we hit the pool, where they took off with their friends again.  So, so fun.  Until a small child pooped in the pool, they had to kick everyone out, and so we went home.  :)

2.)  We were also supposed to have dinner last night with some sweet friends that we haven't seen in a long time, to talk about adoption.  I assembled my spinach lasagna in the morning and everything.  But alas, Kaitlyn got sick, and it turns out that they had a sick little one too(!) so we rescheduled for tonight, tentatively.  (As of last night, Kaitlyn seemed more or less back to her usual rambunctious self.)  I'm really looking forward to it!

3.)  I rarely have people for dinner.  We host a community group that meets here weekly but that's different.  I wish we had people over more often, but honestly, I get SO NERVOUS hosting people for dinner!  PLEASE tell me I'm NOT the only one.  Actually I know I'm not, because I was just talking to a good friend about this the other night.  Anyway, I feel all nervous about what I should make, if it will be any good, if my house will look presentable, how things will go...I know, SO neurotic, right?  Right.  The thing is, I LOVE spending time with people.  It has NOTHING to do with that.  It's just the entertaining aspect.  Freaks.me.out.  Clearly the woman in the above photo is confident as can be.  I need to be more like her I think!

4.)  I HAVE to figure out a better laundry schedule for myself.  It is getting entirely too tricky to be flying by the seat of my pants...do the girls have clean tights?  The boys, clean pants?  Who has clean underwear?  Ugh.  So yes, I think I'm reaching the point where I need to designate certain days to be laundry days for each child.  Can I stick to a plan like that?  NO clue.  But I hope to!  (Note my laundry helpers in the photo.  They rock!)

5.)  I am LOVING the Mrs. Meyers line of cleaning supplies these days!  Have you used them?  They smell so CLEAN and fresh.  Right now I have the "Lemon Verbena" in my kitchen: hand soap, dish soap, and countertop spray, and the all-purpose cleaner (pictured above) for my floors.  Not only does it work amazingly well, it's so pretty!

6.)  Do you ever wish you had a robot who did certain things for you?  One of those things I wish I could delegate to a mechanical person is brushing my teeth before bed.  At the end of the day I just want to go to sleep, and brushing my teeth feels like such a chore.  (I do it, don't get me wrong, but if I could snap my fingers and have it done FOR me, I would!)

7.)  I need to buy more ProActive facial cleanser.  This is my go-to product.  My one expensive splurge on my appearance (remember, I haven't had my hair cut in over a year.)  Anyway, I ran out, and I buy it at a kiosk in a nearby mall, but I never really go there, so it's kinda out of the way.  But I'm tired of breaking out so I need to just go over there and get it.  Before we moved here I'd order it online from QVC, but this way I save on shipping.  I really ought to do an entire post on my love affair with ProActive.  It is fabulous.  And, because I only use it once per day (otherwise my skin gets too dry), it lasts a super long time.  

***

If you'd like to do your own "7 Quick Takes", link up to Conversion Diary! 

7 Quick Takes Friday {#15}

1.)  How on EARTH has it been a week since I last blogged?!!!  I don't know what happened, but apparently we've been a bit busy.  My week in review: Monday I got to have coffee with three sweet friends--two came over in the morning and stayed for lunch, and one came over in the afternoon, and stayed for dinner and cards.  SO fun!  Tuesday morning we were fingerprinted by the USCIS (something we have to do in order to obtain eventual visas for our girls), we did homeschool, and Tuesday evening we had our small group.  Wednesday Kevin was home sick with an apparent 24-hour stomach virus, so we just hung out around the house and homeschooled and read.  Yesterday, Thursday, the big kids went to school, I did a bunch of reading, and then went to a friend's house for awhile before it was time to pick up the kids.  Then last night we had to trek out to have something notarized (not adoption related, surprisingly.  :) )  Finally, this morning, the kids and I got up early (though not early enough since we were a little late), went to Mass at our neighborhood parish, came home and did homeschool, and are finally taking a little break.  Whew!  Tonight Kevin and I are attending the annual Christmas party his company throws each year...kid-free!  Crazy, I know.  It's a pretty formal affair so we get to dress up and enjoy wine and appetizers and a nice meal and dessert.  I'm looking forward to it.


2.)  Is Charlotte's Web not the sweetest story EVER?!  It's my second time through (as an adult) and I absolutely love it.  The kids do, too.  If you ever get the chance to get the book-on-CD version from the library, it's read by EB White himself and it's AWESOME.


3.)  My kids think it's super fun to make Christmas lists.  They spend pretty much all of December writing lists and figuring out what they want--it's a group effort.  So funny.  We don't really do tons of gifts...our kids get SO many things from their grandparents that we really haven't done much.  This year though I've been doing a little shopping and have picked up some things for them.  Anna and the boys are all shopped for I think, and I'm about done with Kaitlyn too.  You're going to laugh but everything I've bought has been from the thrift store, except for some cheap 2-for-$1 headbands for a certain three-year-old from Target.  But I've found some great stuff!!  On the one hand I really do NOT ever want my kids buying into the consumerism and idea that Christmas is all about getting stuff.  On the OTHER hand, in case you didn't know, we don't exactly buy toys and things for our kids on a regular basis (besides clothes or stuff they need.)  SO, I think it's nice for them to have a couple of times a year (Christmas and birthdays) when they receive something they've been wanting.  Plus, we really are doing a lot of Christmas things (nativity set, Advent calendar paired with opening and reading an already-owned or library Christmas book a day, baking, Advent wreath + daily readings) that have nothing to do with consumerism.  Advent is all about anticipation and I'm really hoping to capture that this year!


4.)  Last night when we had something notarized (I THINK it had to do with refinancing, but I don't really know, as that's Kevin's domain, and I choose to be ignorant and just sign on the dotted line), we did it at the little bank inside our grocery store.  We needed to pick up a few things as well, and let's just say I came home with some extras...Peppermint Mocha creamer, egg nog, egg nog ICE CREAM, and chocolate mint fudge topping.  HA!  Clearly I am attempting to get into the spirit here.  By consuming lots of delectable calories.  (Note that I didn't call them "empty" calories.  Because they bring me joy.  Nothing empty about that.  So come on over if you're in the area, because I'm happy to share!) 


5.)  The kids and I are going through a childrens' book about saints right now.  Have you done much reading about the saints?  SO fascinating!  Many of them I've heard of, mostly the biggies (St. Augustine, St. Joan of Arc, St. Patrick, St. Francis of Assissi, and of course people of the New Testament like Mary and Joseph and John the Baptist and Stephen)...but there are some really wild stories!  Crazy miracles and visions and such.  I do believe these things happen, but they feel so far removed from little ol' me that it seems so wild.  It is truly amazing, however, to see the passion and love for God in His people all throughout history, and to see how they courageously gave their lives away (some in martyrdom, some simply in the day-to-day) to live for Him.  (My kids LOVE this portion of our day, by the way.  Love, love, love it.  I'd thought we'd do two saints per day, but no, we usually end up reading about five or so--when I finally say we need to move on to something else.)


6.)  I also feel like maybe we're FINALLY finding our homeschooling groove.  In December.  Ha!  Not that we weren't doing and learning things before this point, but I do feel like we're maybe finding a good rhythm, and that I'm finally figuring out what we should be working on exactly.  It feels so good to feel like we're (finally) on the right track for us right now.


7.)  Last night for dinner we had, ahem, frozen pizza.  (We baked it, but it started frozen.)  I know, I know, first I talk about all the unhealthy sugary treats I bought, THEN I tell you we ate cheap frozen pizza.  Well, I couldn't exactly cook last night because we had to leave the house to see the notary, so that's what we did.  (Does it make it any better if I say that the night before that we had (brown) rice and beans?  Full of fiber and protein?)  One of the kinds of pizza we made last night was spinach mushroom (yum!), but one of the kids declared that it smelled like stinky feet (??!!)  SO, they kept calling it "stinky feet pizza."  And apparently they LIKE the taste of feet because they kept wanting more, and would let us know by saying, "Can I have some more stinky feet?"  They thought this was SO funny, and really, so did I.  Kids.  What will they say next?



***

Want to do your own 7 Quick Takes Friday?  Link up to Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes Friday {#14}

1.)  I've done the whole "What I Wore Wednesday" thing two weeks in a row now, but I'm thinking I should really be doing "What I Made for Dinner Wednesday" instead.  Talk about needing accountability!  I am so inept when it comes to meal planning.  You'd THINK this would be something I'd have figured out by now, but it's not.  Remember, I said I'm not creative.  And that's part of my problem.  I get tired of making the same old stuff , or I just plain can't come up with anything.  BUT we need to eat.  All seven of us.  So I really need to make some improvements in this area.

2.)  Lately, speaking of dinner, I've been making roasted vegetables as a side-dish.  I just toss them with extra virgin olive oil and fresh minced garlic, then bake or roast them...YUM.  I could live on that.  Love it.  So do my kids and husband though, so I have to share, and pretend that I LIKE sharing because I want my kids eating veggies.  But deep down, I'm really wishing that all of the asparagus and cauliflower were mine.

3.)  How is Thanskgiving next week already?  My goodness!  November has BLOWN by.  We've been busy and I've been sick so I guess that's what happens, but still, it's nuts.  We're having dinner at my sister-in-law and brother-in-law's house, and I'm bringing mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie.  Oh how I love a Thanksgiving feast!  (And aside from the delightful company, the side dishes are what I'm there for.  The turkey gets all the attention, and I do like turkey, but I'm all about the stuffing and the potatoes and the yams and the rolls.  And lots of gravy.)

4.)  I really, REALLY need to get to Costco.  We are seriously out of our staples--bread, peanut butter, brown rice, beans, garlic, soap, the list goes on.  Anna hasn't been feeling well (she even missed school yesterday, bummer!) though so I'm not sure about how well we'd all wether the outing.  We probably don't have a choice though, ha!

5.)  Starbucks.  2-5 pm.  Yesterday through Sunday.  Holiday drinks.  Buy one, get one free.  Enough said.

6.)  Last night Kevin misplaced his keys after he got home from work.  We had to go to a meeting after dinner so we just used mine instead, but he was perplexed and stressed out about it the entire time we were out.  I told him he needs to be more like me and lose things on a regular basis, so he can learn to just roll with it and not care so much.  Heehee.  (He did find them when he got home, on our bookshelves.)

7.)  My house is a disaster (for me.  Objectively speaking it is not really that bad).  I feel like we are having a hard time maintaining a routine lately.  Also, homeschooling has really taken a hit in recent weeks, partly because I've been sick, and partly because I'm just not thrilled with what we've been doing.  So I'm changing it up.  I'd envisioned what our year would look like, but it's looking a bit different, and I need to be okay with that.  I'll share about our change in curriculum sometime soon.

***

If you're interested in doing your own 7 Quick Takes Friday, link on up to Conversion Diary!  One of my favorite blogs!    

7 Quick Takes Friday {#12}

1.)  Dear friends are so good for the soul.  If you've hung around here for any length of time, then you know I am quite introverted.  And I'm a homebody.  So sometimes I am inclined to not go somewhere or to bow out of doing something because I simply want to be at home.  I need that downtime.  But yesterday afternoon I had such precious time with friends--and I didn't realize how much I needed it until I was there, chatting and laughing and suggesting things for my friends to blog about.  (Are you like me?  Do you not love reading what your good friends write?)  I've been fighting this dumb cold for about a week now and considered just spending the afternoon at home.  But I'm so, so glad that I didn't. 


2.)  I'm in the midst of reading three, yes THREE, books right now.  And it's kind of fun.  Currently sitting on my nightstand are: Better Late Than Early, Love and War, and The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth.  I know, pretty random titles that seemingly have little in common--except that their contents are sharing space in my mind.  I'm enjoying the books for the most part, although I honestly don't think I'm on the same wavelength as John Eldredge (author of Love and War).  He seems to paint the respective genders with a pretty broad brush, and I'm just not relating to the book.  (I'm going to finish it though.  And I DO appreciate how he emphasizes the spiritual significance of marriage.)  Better Late Than Early is WONDERFUL and fascinating and I will share more about it later I'm sure.  The Lamb's Supper is also super interesting so far.  For the past few years I've been interested in Catholicism and church history as I seek to understand why on earth I believe the things I believe.  A strange quest to be sure (that actually began more or less with nagging questions about the church's historic stance on contraception.  Go figure.)  Anyway, I have since discovered the gold mine that is Catholic scholarship and literature and yes, theology.  All things I ignored lo these many Evangelical Protestant years.  I could probably do an entire blogpost about this, but I don't feel ready yet.  I feel like I'm still in the middle of this journey.  At any rate, this book is about an interpretation of Revelation which describes the Roman Catholic Mass.


3.)  There are all these ethical questions rattling around in my brain right now (also taking up space) in regards to an organization that I would so love to raise funds and awareness for, but I'm just not sure about it.  Do you ever have that happen, where you're SO wanting to get behind something, to support it, but you keep  having twinges of "there are too many things wrong with it?"  Well, that's how I feel.  No answers yet but I'm leaning towards "no."  Bummer.  Because I think some of the work they do is excellent.  See, now I'm feeling undecided again.  Around and around I go...


4.)  I love how God is in the little things.  Yesterday my daughter wore a new shirt to our homeschool co-op that she just wasn't sure about.  Was concerned she looked like a "rock star" and "not a kid" (though I have NO clue why, as the shirt was super cute and there was NOTHING rockstar-ish about it!)  She was worried her friends were going to laugh at her (????!!!!) and I just kept telling her that she looked beautiful and not to worry about what others thought.  WELL, when I picked her up after school, she shyly told me that she'd been wrong, and I was right.  "About what?" I asked.  "My shirt!" she exclaimed.  Turns out my friend's daughter (who is 12 and seriously one of the greatest kids EVER) saw Anna, said hi, and told her she liked her shirt!  Made my kid's day.  So, so sweet.


5.)  I've been eating way too much Halloween candy.  It's awful.  What more can I say?


6.)  Also on the topic of food, when I had kidney stones I stopped drinking soda (so I could drink water and rid my body of those vile calcified objects) and, guess what?  I don't crave soda anymore.  It is INSANE how once you stop, you have no desire for the stuff.  I had some yesterday and it was okay, but so not the treat it used to be.  (Is it weird if I miss enjoying it so much?  Is this how ex-smokers feel?)


7.)  While at the grocery store yesterday, an announcement came over the loudspeaker saying that they were giving FREE samples of PEPPERMINT MOCHAS at the Starbucks counter.  Um, yes please!!!  Kaitlyn, Mary and I made a beeline over there.  Seriously.  We pretty much ran.  Because I was actually paranoid that they'd all be gone by the time I showed up.  But of course they weren't.  And it was so, sooooo good--definitely worth running through the store with my cart and two kids.  Kind of like on that show "Supermarket Sweep."  And probably the most exercise I've had in years!

***

As always, if you want to participate in 7 Quick Takes Friday, go to Conversion Diary and link up!  Happy weekend all!

7 Quick Takes Friday {#11}

1.  HUGE answer to prayer: if you recall in this post (you know, the one that has a funny picture of Kenny Rogers that cracks me up every time I look at it), I talked about how we were up against a hard-and-fast deadline with an adoption grant, because something we need for it has not arrived.  Well, Kevin called the grant organization and lo and behold, they agreed to wait for it and NOT disqualify us!!!  SUCH great, wonderful news.  Rejoicing over God's provisions, even in the little things.  Guess I'll visit Tennessee another time.

2.  I got up at 5:30 AM yesterday to:

frost cupcakes

and

do three heads of hair for crazy hair day.

Standing-ovation worthy, dontcha think? 

Look, if you  know me at ALL, then you KNOW I am NOT a morning person.  In the least.  This may or may not be why I love homeschooling so much.  Thursday mornings though I DO have to get up early because I take my kids to their homeschool program and it's a half-hour away.  Well yesterday was Yosef and Biniam's birthday (!), AND crazy hair day, so this mama was out of bed at 5:30.  Goodness.  We managed to get out of the door on time: two boys with bright green hair and one girl with six bright green ponytails and me with a bunch of cupcakes and stickers to hand out.  Oh yeah, and two other little girls coming along for the ride too.  Sweet success.  And all the more sweet since we didn't run out of gas on the way there!  Nothing like driving 35 mintues with the "empty" light on the whole way, brainstorming about what you're going to do when you're pulled off to the side of the highway in 32 degree weather with no gas, three kids with bright green hair, two littler kids, and a bunch of cupcakes.  (I think I'd probably just sit and eat the cupcakes.)

3.  I'm still a bit under the weather.  Boo.  I need to be well by Sunday because hello, it is Halloween, and I want to eat my kids' candy go trick-or-treating with the kiddies!!!  I LOVE watching my kids ring the doorbells and get candy.  I don't know why, but they have so much fun and it's super cute.  They love going to the neighbors' houses and seeing neighbors that we know.  It's also downright hysterical watching Kaitlyn lug around her big pumpkin-container full of loot.  There will also definitely be the annual viewing of It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown whilst sipping hot apple cider and eating popcorn balls.  One of my all-time favorites!

4.  Is Donald Trump really thinking about running for President in 2012?  Are some of the polls actually showing favorable results?  Would YOU vote for the Donald? 

5.  The cooler weather we've been having has been so fun.  I LOVE cozy sweaters, my Good Earth cinnamon herbal tea (it is seriously like drinking Red Hots but there is no artificial anything added!!!), and bundling up under a blanket in the evenings.  BUT, cooler weather ALSO brings with it what I will hereby refer to as, "The Battle of the Heater."  Maybe more like a war than a battle.  See Kevin doesn't like me running the heater as high or as often as I do.  But IIIIIII don't like being in a drafty, freezing cold house all day.  So I inevitably get all sorts of grief for how I heat my home, but at this point I say too bad because this is where I am all day.

6.  Mary is eating so many solid foods now, it's crazy.  She eats what the rest of us eat, more or less.  And I have to confess that food-wise, this stage is SO HARD for me because of the MESS!  Yucky high-chair, yucky crumbs (aka huge pieces of food) all over the floor, ugh.  Thankfully Yosef does a pretty mean job with the dustpan and broom and is most always happy to help.  But, yeah, not my most loved "eating stage" of childhood.  (Though I do appreciate the convenience of her self-feeding, as opposed to me spoon-feeding her purees.)

7.  My cousin posted something wild on Facebook yesterday: that clip from the Charlie Chaplin movie where it looks like a woman walks by talking on a cell phone!  Have you seen it?  CRAZY!  What on earth?!  Some people are claiming she's an actual time-traveler, but I don't believe in that, and yet I have no explanation for it.  Because it really does look like she is, indeed, talking on a cellphone.  In 1928.  Yet another one of those things that makes you go, "Hmmmm."

*****

I hope you have a great weekend!  If you want to participate in 7 Quick Takes Friday, go to Conversion Diary and link up!