Prayers Please

My cousin and his wife had their second baby on the 28th of September, a little boy named Ryan Douglas. The only thing is that he arrived 9.5 weeks early and he needs your prayers. He is in the NICU until his lungs fully develop and until other preemie problems sort themselves out--but any prayers you can offer for him and his parents would surely be appreciated.

This is their second child and their first was a little girl a couple of years ago. Her name is Alyssa and she arrived about 8 weeks early. So, they have survived this once before--but it certainly was not pleasant and it is fraught with known and unknown dangers for the baby along the way. Thanks in advance for your kindness and prayers. Love ya, N.

'Family is the Beating Heart that Keeps the Nation Strong.'

This video is a neat expression of marriage and family and why it's so important to our nation to the traditional family. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1GRQGc5GQ0

Carly does something new!

Night before last Carly started crawling. All of the sudden at about 11 pm she just got into crawling position and instead of tipping over she moved forward. Rob and I were the only ones awake still so we grabbed the video camera and started taping. It was so fun to watch her crawl back and forth after months of trying! Yeah!

I know, I know--now we have to watch her every move. Still it's a fun progression in her development!

Here's What Happens . . .

when you have your wife order her own birthday cake! Hee, hee, hee . . .

CARLY WITH HER FAIRY GODDESS CHAR AND MY FRIEND AMY

This was taken at my friend Shelli's baby shower. Carly had a good time and loved being held by everyone.

WOW! IF THIS ISN'T THE TRUTH--I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS!

This cartoon was created by ALG's young, award-winning cartoonist William Warren. And, I think you'll agree that if ever a picture was worth 1,000 words, this one is.

BOY TROUBLES

Julie has officially discovered boys! Crap! I mean she's had crushes and things all along but tonight I uncovered a secret (although somewhat innocent) plot for her and a friend to meet up with a couple of boys at a volleyball game. It all came tumbling out when Julie got grounded from going to the game for not getting an assignment done on time--and was trying to negotiate any possible way to still be able to go.

Lions and tigers and bears -- OH MY . . . I don't know. I thought I still had a year or two before I had to deal with this stuff with her. We don't let our girls date until they are 16 and then only with a group. Ye-gads . . . this one just smacked me in the face. Well, we had a long talk and I think for the moment things are calm but I have to keep my eyes open my ears tuned to my daughters voice. I'm going to have to be a darn good listener if I'm going to keep up with this teenager!

One of My Favorite Poems

The Mighty Oak

When the great oak is straining in the wind,
the boughs drink in new beauty,
And the trunk sends down a deeper root
on the windward side.
Only the soul that knows the mighty grief
can know the mighty rapture.
Sorrows come to stretch out spaces in the heart for joy.

-Edwin Markham-

So, About the Musical . . .

Unfortunately someone else got the lead in the junior high school musical and there were more than a few tears. Turns out all the parts Julie felt were significant went to others and so it was a pretty hard day. She is a Lady-in-Waiting. We shared a few tears together at her disappointment and then had a long talk about what a terrific Lady-in-Waiting she could be and what a good example she could set for all the others who didn't get the part they wanted either. It's hard to be a teenager. I do remember that. Everything feels huge! I know Julie will have fun with this and end up having some wonderful memories. I'm counting on that!

Mugging for the Camera

Okay, Here's My New Haircut . . .

It seemed a lot shorter to me until I saw it on camera. It is still taking me a bit of getting used to. I'm not used to it being so straight. I think I like it though. Either way--there's no going back at this point!

My Singing Child . . .

Julie tried out for the mini-musical in her junior high choir group puts on and she finds out tomorrow after school what part she got. She really wants the lead role. She has a really good voice and even had voice lessons last year. I don't know who she is competing with or how many other girls her age have really good voices. I'm just worried for her that she may not get the lead and will be disappointed. Not that it's not okay to have some disappointments in childhood but it would be nice to see her get to do something she really wants to do, too. Either way, I'm sure she will be fine. She is my happy kid so I'm pretty sure she will bounce back if she doesn't get the lead. I just hope she gets a part where she gets to sing a lot. That will make her happy!

Yikes! I Did It!

I got brave and went and had my hair cut off tonight! It was bugging me. It's always so damaged and I spend so much time doing it everyday--or NOT doing it depending on the day. I needed something simpler. So, I let the hair stylist have-at-me. I think it's cute but I still have to figure out how to do it myself. She took about two and a half inches off and showed me how to do it with a flat iron. So, I am the brand new owner of a flat iron. We'll see how that works out. It may be a few days before I figure out how to make myself presentable with this new style--but if I can do it I will have someone take a picture and I will post it for you to see.

One of Darwin's Latest Nominee's

Run! No, Run Away! 2008 Darwin Award Nominee Confirmed True by Darwin

(July 16, 2008, Italy) Ivece Plattner, 68, was queued at a traffic light in his Porsche Cayenne sportscar. Before one reaches the light, there is a railroad crossing. As you might imagine, given Murphy's law, a train was coming.
The man did not let the queue progress forward far enough before he crossed the railroad. The safety bars came down, leaving the Porsche trapped on the rails. It took the driver awhile to realize he was stuck, according to witnesses. Finally, he jumped from the car and started to run -- toward the oncoming train, waving his arms in an attempt to save his car!
The attempt was successful. The car received less damage than its owner. He was pushed hard enough to land 30 meters away, and attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.
The moral of the story? Momentum always wins.

Wow, I Just Read a Slew of Articles

on MSNBC about Governor Sarah Palin and you would think she was a she-devil. It looks like those 30 lawyers Obama sent to Alaska to dig up dirt on her are doing good work. It's a good thing I don't believe much of what I see and hear on MSNBC. I just check it out to see what the liberals are up to. Now I know. Geeeeesh. Give it a rest already.

My Baby Doesn't Feel Good

Carly woke up with a cold this morning. It's the first time she has been sick. She definitely does not like having her nose wiped! Nor does she like having it suctioned--poor thing. She has been coughing and sneezing and was a tiny bit warm but no actual fever. She's actually feeling better tonight than she was this morning. I hope that lasts.

Julie had some of the same symptoms yesterday but thought it was allergies. Now, I suspect she actually has a mild cold as well. Guess, I got me a bunch of sickies to take care of.

SISTERS, SISTERS . . .

Look at my gorgeous girls! Aren't they adorable? They have so much fun together, too!

Babbling Baby

Carly is really funny lately. She is babbling and everyone is trying to get her to say Ma Ma. She makes all kinds of noises and sounds and every once in a while she stumbles on to something that kind of sounds something like that. However, it isn't what she is trying to say. I do try to get her to say Da Da--but she hasn't gotten anywhere near the "D" sound yet. It is just fun to hear her making sounds besides laughing and crying. It's almost like she's trying to say words and it's so darn cute!

I'M NOT THAT OLD

Today I took the cradle down Carly has been sleeping in. We are moving her to her own room tonight which I'm not sure I'm ready for. Although, we have already tested the baby monitor and it works great. I'm just the nervous Nellie mom!

Anyway, I was polishing the cradle which is the same one I slept in as a baby and my father slept in as a baby. I'm pretty sure my grandfather and great-grandfather slept in it as well. It's a family heirloom. My fourteen year old, Julie, walked in as I was polishing it and as I happened to find some purple crayon marks on one end of it and was trying to remove them. I remarked that I'm sure my younger sister Sarah had probably put them there! Then I admitted that it could have even been me that marked up the end with the crayon. Julie just looked at me and said, "Did they have crayons back then, Mom?" I didn't dignify it with an answer! Honestly, I'm not that old!

Today's Headlines

I was just looking at the online news and some of the headlines caught my attention. Honestly, what is this world coming to? I didn't even read the stories but just look at the headlines. It's awful out there. This poor generation.

Police: 12-Year-Old Boy Stabs 13-Year-Old Brother in Neck
Pennsylvania Woman With Suspended License Has Son, 13, Drive
Iowa Police: Credit Card Thief Caught After Signing Own Name to Receipts
Mom Runs Over Her 8-Year-Old Child in California Driveway
70-Year-Old Woman Arrested Hiding Cocaine Purchase in Bra
Girl Forced to Marry at Nine Murdered After She Sought Annulment

Here I Am Again!

WELL . . .

I did take the before and after pictures of Julie--you know--for her wisdom teeth surgery like she wanted. I was going to post them here but you really can't tell any difference. She didn't really swell at all--so I thought I would spare her the embarrassment of the yukky "bad hair day-pale face" photos. You know what I mean. They aren't ones she is going to want to keep. Although, she did have me ask the oral surgeon for her wisdom teeth so she could keep them. Ewww! I'm not sure what she plans to do with those-but that's probably another blog! Goodnight.

Julie, my 14 year old is getting her wisdom teeth out in the morning. She is both excited and scared. She wants before and after pictures. Her appointment is way early--so I told her it depends on how sleepy I am. Well, if you think about it--aren't all of her pictures BEFORE pictures! Hee, hee, hee!

Carly With A Real Treasure

I've been meaning to take this picture and post it for awhile now. This is a very special treasure Carly is holding. It's a wooden soldier painted especially for her. Each of my girls have one. The treasure part (that they may never fully understand--although, I will do my best to help them ) is that it was painted by a wonderful, captivating, lovely and whimsical artist who is a dear family friend. Her name is Joyce L. I have known her since I was a little girl. My parents went to school with her and she has remained one of their close friends.

My childhood is filled with the most magical memories of our town square decorated for Christmas and I can still see all the windows of the stores painted brightly with scenes of Christmas stories from Frosty the Snowman to Rudolf the Rednose Reindeer. Joyce brought our entire town joy and made it come alive in the most whimsical, wonderful way. She now does these wonderful wooden pieces in almost any form you can imagine that bring a smile to your heart. Thank you JOYCE for such beautiful memories, for making my childhood seem so magical and for just being you. Carly thanks you, too for her terrific wooden soldier. What a treasure!

My Bear Rug Baby-She's A Keeper!

A NEW RECIPE TO TRY!

I hadn't intended to put a recipe up tonight but my adorable little girl won't go to sleep! So, I don't have much time or many hands. This will have to be quick. I found this recipe online the other day and made it and it was really good. Of course, I took a few liberties with it and only used what I had in the house. I substituted dried chopped onions for the green onions and milk for the half and half and then thickened it with flour and water--and I did boil it just a bit. It was yummy!

It's after 12:30 a.m. so I'd better get back to my chattering baby. Don't know why she's not sleepy. She didn't even have a really long nap today but she sure wants to talk tonight! Hope you enjoy the soup!


CHICKEN AND WILD RICE SOUP RECIPE

3 (10 3/4 oz.) cans condensed chicken broth
2 c. water
1/4 c. uncooked wild rice
1/4 c. long grain rice
1/2 c. finely chopped green onions
1/2 c. butter
3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 c. half & half
1/2 c. cubed cooked chicken or turkey
8 slices bacon (crisply cooked & crumbled)

In a large saucepan combine chicken broth and water. Add wild rice and onions; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add long grain rice and simmer 20 minutes more or until tender. In a medium saucepan melt butter. Stir in flour, salt, poultry seasoning and pepper. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly until smooth and bubbly. Gradually stir in half & half. Cook until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Slowly add half & half mixture into rice mixture, stirring constantly. Add remaining ingredients, stirring frequently. Do Not Boil.