And The Winner Is . . .

Dan McBride!!

Seriously! Random.org selected number 17, and that's Dan.

Congratulations, Dan. I'll get the earrings to you in time for Christmas!

Halleluia!

Hi there! The Diane Jaderholm jewelry giveaway is still going on through Thursday night, so if you're looking for that, scroll down a little further and leave a comment.


Earlier this week I mentioned that I went to my daughter’s high school “Holiday Program.” That’s public school-speak for “Christmas Concert.”

Whatever you call it, it’s a celebration. A birthday party for One who seems, these days, to be nameless. We’re all walking around either trying to avoid saying it or saying it so loudly that our neighbor cringes at our advances.

Why can’t we just say what it is? It’s Christmas!

Our not-so-small public school shouted it from the rooftops last Sunday afternoon, and I, for one, am so thankful for it. It’s like a pleasant surprise every year when I get to attend this concert in the middle of all the hubbub of the season. Not only because the music is so good, but also because at the end of the concert the combined music groups perform the “Halleluia Chorus.”

There we stood—parents, siblings, grandparents, neighbors—some singing along, some merely listening as our students performed some of the greatest music ever composed. And as I stood in the crowd of believers and non-believers alike, I listened to the words again: “King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And He shall reign forever and ever. ”

I get choked up every time I sing those words, especially when I’m in a crowd like that. I mean, here we are, in a public high school gymnasium, singing praise to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. How amazing is that?

And proclaiming alongside my neighbors that “He shall reign forever and ever.” Amen and amen!

Some in the crowd have no idea what they are singing, no idea what it means. But when I hear those words I just can’t help but think of the Heavenly chorus that will never end. The chorus of men, women, children, and angels all singing to the King who will reign forever.

And it makes me tingle with anticipation of that Great and Glorious Day when He will come again, that day when we who have believed will finally be able to join in the Heavenly chorus. How much fun will that day be?

This week I’m thankful, once again, for our very large, very public high school. Because on Sunday afternoon I got to worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

. . . in a gym

. . . with my neighbors.

DeDe Jaderholm Jewelry *Giveaway*

Christmastime is here, and you know what that means. It means a whole bunch of husbands who don’t know what to get their wives.

Just last week my husband, in a moment of complete and utter helplessness over what to get me, threw up his hands and said, “How about if we go over to DeDe’s, and you can pick out some jewelry for yourself?”

I grabbed my coat and ran for the car as quick as the Roadrunner could run from Wile E. Coyote.

(Insert picture of a cloud of dust here.)

I’ve told you about Diane Jaderholm Designs before. Dede is an amazing artist who handcrafts every piece of jewelry she sells.


My favorites are the pieces she makes with antique buttons from France. So cool. So beautiful. So classic.

Just check out these bracelets made with buttons. I have one, and every time I wear it I get a compliment on it.



But she also makes some pretty neat contemporary pieces too. You can check out many of Dede’s one-of-a-kind pieces on her website.

To really appreciate Dede’s talent, you have to attend one of her shows to see her work in person. She sells her original jewelry out of her home a few times a year, and if you live in the Wheaton area, you really should go.

If you don’t live in Wheaton, you’re really out of luck. For so many reasons. But you can still order from Dede online (although her website only shows a portion of what she actually sells). Or give her a call. She’ll make whatever you want.

Today, because Dede’s jewelry is probably one of my Top 10 Favorite gifts ever, and because B let me pick out some pretty incredible pieces that I can show you AFTER Christmas (yes, he’s still going through with the wrapping and making me wait until Christmas to open them, even though I already know what I’m getting) . . . because of all that (did you get lost in that sentence? I did!) I am giving away one pair of Dede Jaderholm earrings.

These earrings are made with sterling sliver interlocking loops with bright green and blue glass beads. So fun and spring-like. And aren’t we all needing a little hope of spring right about now?

You will love these little beauties, and you can win them if you leave me a comment. Head on over to Dede's website, take a look around at all of the beautiful pieces she makes, and come back and tell me which piece you'd like to have.

And just because I love you, I’ll give you three more chances to win (leave separate comments telling me you did this).

Tweet this giveaway to all your Twitter pals.

Mention this giveaway on Facebook.

Follow me in an RSS feed.

Good luck, and I hope you win!

Catching Up

Well, it's catch up day here.

As in catching up on errands that needed to be run. (Tide, anyone?)

As in catching up on cleaning things that needed to be cleaned. (Fresh sheets, kids?)

As in catching up on putting things away from the weekend. (Where DID I find that water pitcher anyway?)

As in returning all the things I borrowed from friends. (Two trips, perhaps?)

My marathon party weekend has ended, and I must say it was really fun. A long time ago I took a spiritual gifts class and discovered that I have been cursed blessed with the gift of hospitality. I do sometimes think it's both a blessing and a curse. A blessing in that I get such satisfaction out of cooking for people and serving them and making them feel welcome in my home, but a curse in that I'm just so worn out after it's over.

Plus, I miss them all. I'd like them to come back . . . .after I've had a nap.

Today I'm also catching up on writing some blog posts that need to be written. I have two exciting giveaways this week that you DO NOT want to miss.

Tomorrow I'm giving away something I count in my Top 10 Favorite Gifts of all time. You'll have to check back to see what it is. It's so great that you just might want to keep this one for yourself.

And on Friday I will have a super-fun giveaway for the coffee lover in us all. I'm actually quite jealous that you guys get to win this one.

So stay tuned while I get caught up today. And come back this week for your chance to win some really great gifts.

Gratitude Journal

Things I'm thankful for today:

11. Watching "It's a Wonderful Life" with my husband who is, in so many ways, George Bailey.

12. A high school music program that ended with the singing of the Halleluia Chorus. Amazing.

13. Kids who pitch in without asking.

14. People to walk alongside.

15. Grace poured out on me this week.

16. Our church body.

17. Poinsettias on the podium.

18. Little girls.

19. Warm coats.

20. Heat on a very cold day.

Monday Morning Mayhem

Good Monday Morning! I'm going to be brief here because there are places to go and people to see and lots to do today.

Our weekend was . . . in a word . . . busy. But so much fun!

Friday night was party #1 with a sweet young family from church here for dinner. The best part was watching Maggie, who is just starting to babysit, have so much fun with their two-year-old daughter. I don't know what it is, but I just love watching my girls nurture other little kids. We work in the nursery once a month and it's fun to see them interact with the babies there too. So sweet!

Saturday night was Party #2--the high school youth group progressive dinner. It's a fun event where the kids get dressed up in formal wear and travel to three different homes for three courses of the meal. Then they all end up back at church for dessert and a special time together.

We, of course, had the main course, so I went with my old standby for things like this: chicken parmesan, pasta, and bread. It was so good--one of my favorite meals--and soooo easy. One happy mama here.

Sunday. Oh Sunday. You just about kicked me to the corner, but I survived. The day started out at church which was wonderful and restful and Christmas-y. We then ran home to scurry around to get ready for Party #3 which, I thought, was going to be a group of college students coming over for pizza. But then I decided to look at my phone and found a text from the night before (silly me! How could I have gone to bed before 11:30 and missed the text?!) telling me that Party #3 was going to have to be postponed until after Christmas Break. College kids had other plans.

No worries. I had plenty to do to get ready for Party #4. So I spent the afternoon polishing silver, setting tables, and baking homemade rolls. Until we had to GOT to go to Abby's concert at the high school. This year the high school gave us parents presents--they cut the concert down from three hours to one hour. Wasn't that nice of them? Actually, they split it into two concerts so we only had to go to one. The one Abby was in.

Here's the best part of their program: everyone stands while the choirs sing and the musicians accompany the Halleluia Chorus. Can you believe that? In a very large public high school?

Can I just tell you that I love our community? I do.

After the concert we rushed over to church to listen to our church choir put on their annual "Lessons and Carols" program. Amazing. It's like a professional choir and a professional orchestra singing and playing the most beautiful Christmas music of all time. I loved it.

It made me feel all Christmas-y again.

And then there was the small matter of a church meeting after the concert which pretty much crushed that Christmas-y feeling. But I think I'm recovered now.

The Christmas-y feeling is back. And just in time too, because tonight is Party #4 (or #3 if you're really keeping track). We're hosting the pastoral staff from our church with their spouses. About 30 people in all.

As Maggie put it the other day, "Wow, that's a lot of holy in one place."

So if you don't hear from me for a few days you'll understand why. Four parties in four days (almost). But you know, it's what I do. I party. And I cook. And I host.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

P.S. I was just kidding about the not hearing from me for a few days part. I'll be back later today with a Christmas Tour of Homes post. Lots of fun going on at Nester's place today.

And the GIVEAWAYS!! I've got some giveaways lined up this week that you will NOT want to miss.

So I'll be back. I hope you will too.

And the Winner Is . . .

Joy!

What an appropriately named winner for this time of year. Ha!

Except that, Joy, I think I know who you are, but I'm not sure, so please contact me right away (wildmom3@sbcglobal.net). I need your address so that I can send you your prize.

Alright, I know you're all on the edge of your seats with wonder about these quotes. You probably haven't been able to sleep all week because you're so tied up in knots over this. So here you go. . . . The answers.

1. "I . . . I . . . I want a BIG one." It's a Wonderful Life (of course!)

2. “ All I want is what I... I have coming to me. All I want is my fair share.” A Charlie Brown Christmas (said by Charlie Brown's sister, Sally)

3. "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear." Elf (duh!)

4. "Faith is believing when common sense tells you not to." Miracle on 34th Street

5. “Is this toothbrush approved by the American Dental Association?” Home Alone (the first and best one)

6. “Yellow eyes. The kid had yellow eyes!” A Christmas Story

7. "Hey, we’re all misfits too. Maybe we’ll stay here for a while." Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

8. "Happy Birthday!" Frosty the Snowman

9. “Oh, Linda Mason.” Holiday Inn (my personal favorite)

10. "I don't know what to say, except it's Christmas and we're all in misery." Christmas Vacation

So tell me, what are some of your favorite Christmas movie quotes? I'd love to know.

The Hectic and the Happy

Hi there!

I'm just wondering . . . is your life as crazy as mine right now? I mean, are you hosting three parties at your house in the next four days? And are you attending your child's Christmas concert (sorry, I guess I should call it a "Holiday Program" since our kids attend public school)? Are you shoveling snow?

And then did your college daughter call and ask if she could bring a group of friends over on Sunday night, making it four parties in four days? Not that I would EVER turn down the opportunity to have Kate's friends over here--it's what I live for, having those college kids here. I'm not kidding! I really love having them around. So that's a no-brainer. "Of course, honey. Bring the whole dorm!" (O.K., that part I'm kidding about.)

Oh, and in the middle of trying to keep your house clean and cook for these parties are you having a new furnace installed?

If you answered YES to all of these questions, then your life is indeed as hectic as mine. Fun, isn't it?!

What about Christmas shopping, you ask? Let's just say that I am very, very far behind in that arena. Santa might just want to send his elves personally to my house because the shopping just might not get done.

And cards? I've officially decided that they just aren't going to happen this year. Even though my friends at Magnet Street offered me a discount (HEY! they're still offering YOU a discount too--15% off your order using this promo code: EFFA373Z7E), I just don't think it's going to happen. I'm so bummed. But then I figured, you all know what's going on in my life anyway, so really, there's no need to send cards.

Well, I'm not going to complain about the hectic because I love it. I love the people we've invited into our home. I love being hospitable (it's one of my gifts, you see). And I love celebrating with good food. So it should be a full and fun weekend around here.

But it doesn't leave much time for blogging. Which is kind of frustrating because there is so much I could be writing about right now. It gets all muddled up in my brain and then I don't write it down because I don't have time or paper nearby and then it flies right out the window. Oh, my brain. It's like swiss cheese.

Hang around though, because a couple of posts just might happen. Like this afternoon, for instance. Check back to see who won the Starbucks gift card. There's still time to play! Just scroll down and see how many Christmas movie quotes you know.

And there just might be a Fab Friday Food coming sometime this weekend. You'll be so happy about this one. Our family's favorite Christmas cookie . . . EVER!

And then . . . next Friday . . . a super-sweet giveaway for coffee lovers. I'm really excited about this one, so be sure to hang around.

Life is definitely on the Wild Side right now. You won't want to miss a minute of it.

Christmas Movie Quotes--A Game and a Giveaway

Our family is constantly quoting movies--I don't think a day goes by that someone in this house doesn't quote a movie. Just the other day, for example, Kate stopped by the house for something (who knows what it was--a piece of cake, a pair of shoes, a kiss from her mama) and as she was leaving she said all spiffy like, "Catch up wit'cha later!" which, if you lived in this house, you would recognize as a quote from "She's the Man."

Oh Amanda Bynes, you crack me up. Someday I'll have to do a list of Amanda Bynes movie quotes. She's one of my favorites.

Anyway . . . suffice it to say that we're just a movie-quoting family around here. Other people don't get it, but it's kind of like a secret language that we speak. Most often-quoted movie of all time (in our family anyway)? "It's a Wonderful Life," of course! I don't have time to go into all that "It's a Wonderful Life" means to our family, but I'll try to get around to that post another day.

A day on which college girls aren't imminently arriving to bake cookies at my house--yikes!

Hey, why don't we make this a game? I'll post the quotes and, just for fun, you post the name of the movie in the comments section. And to make this game even more fun, why don't I offer a prize to the person who gets them all right? How 'bout like a $20 Starbucks gift card? (If there is more than one person who gets them all right, I'll do a random drawing to determine the winner.)

Yeah! This is going to be fun!

So here we go . . . ten Christmas Movie Quotes.

1. "I . . . I . . . I want a BIG one."

2. “ All I want is what I... I have coming to me. All I want is my fair share.”

3. "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear."

4. "Faith is believing when common sense tells you not to."

5. “Is this toothbrush approved by the American Dental Association?”

6. “Yellow eyes. The kid had yellow eyes!”

7. "Hey, we’re all misfits too. Maybe we’ll stay here for a while."

8. "Happy Birthday!"

9. “Oh, Linda Mason.”

10. "I don't know what to say, except it's Christmas and we're all in misery."

Let's see . . . I'll give you until Friday at noon to make your comments. Make sure you give me your email address so I can contact you if you win.

[Edited to remove the sentence about not cheating. Cheat away!]

Have fun!

P.S. Tell your friends to come play too! The more the merrier!

Gratitude Journal

B and I waited seven years before we had children. Does that surprise you?

I know that seems like a long time, and sometimes it felt long for us, but God knew what He was doing. There was a little matter of grad school for both of us that we had to get out of the way. And then there was the little backpacking trip through England and Scotland that we needed to do. And so many other things to do and work to be done that we just didn’t get around to having children for a while.

But the main reason, I believe, that God had us wait to have children until just the right time can be summed up in two little words: Veggie Tales.

God obviously knew that it would take a village for me to raise my children and that village would have to include such characters as Bob, Larry, and a little asparagus named Junior.

I feel extremely sorry for anyone who had children either pre-Veggie Tales or post-Veggie Tales. If you had kids anytime after 1993 and up until the early 2000s, you probably know what I’m talking about. But if you had kids prior to the ‘90s, you probably didn’t get in on the craze that was Veggie Tales.

A moment of silence for the children of the ‘80s. For so many reasons.

Thankfully, B and I had our kids in the ‘90s and were fortunate to be able to buy into the Veggie Tales craze. And, boy, did we buy into it. I think Phil Vischer has me personally to thank for that addition he put on his house in 1998.

But I digress.

There are so many great Veggie Tales videos, and the impact they have made on my kids is huge. Apparently they have made an impact on my pastor too, because two Sundays ago he made reference to “Dave and the Giant Pickle” in his sermon. Go figure.

One of my all-time favorite Veggie Tales episodes has got to be “Madame Blueberry,” the story of the ungrateful, unhappy lady who wanted to buy all the stuff at Stuff Mart and the little girl she meets along the way who teaches her something about gratitude.

There’s a song in “Madame Blueberry” that I think of so often and it goes like this:

I thank God for this day
For the sun in the sky
For my mom and my dad
For my piece of apple pie!

For our home on the ground,
For His love that's all around
That's why I say thanks every day!

Because a thankful heart is a happy heart!
I'm glad for what I have
That's an easy way to start

For the love that He shares,
'Cause He listens to my prayers,
That's why I say thanks every day!

A thankful heart is a happy heart. I believe that. And since we just celebrated Thanksgiving I’ve been thinking about thankfulness a lot lately.

Ann Voskamp hosts a blog carnival that is focused on gratitude. She started out simply listing thing on her blog that she’s thankful for—a few every week. Her goal was to come up with 1,000 things that she was thankful for, but once she reached 1,000 she just kept going. I think she’s somewhere around 2,500 now.

I love that Ann records things from the simple (socks) to the profound (grace). I love that she jots them down on scraps of paper whenever she thinks of something to be thankful for. And I’ve been thinking that this would be a really helpful exercise for me.

And so, each Sunday (or Monday, or whenever I get around to it but hopefully once a week), I’m just going to jot a few things from the previous week for which I’m thankful. They will probably be mostly simple (I am a huge Veggie Tales fan, after all), but hopefully some will fall into the profound category.

I don’t know how long it will take to reach 1,000—hopefully not until my first grandchild is born!—but I’ll just keep listing things until I get there. I hope you’ll join me on my gratitude journey. (If you want to link up with Ann, you can do that here.)

Here are my first few:

1. A supportive husband of 25+ years.
2. Three of the most beautiful girls anywhere.
3. A warm house on a cold day.
4. My church.
5. The people in my church.
6. Our families.
7. The friends in our small group.
8. Exercise
9. Amy, who helped me clean my basement.
10. The amazing opportunities I had to share my faith last week and the report I got that one woman gave her life to Christ at one of the events. Praise God!

Fabulous Friday Food - Molasses Cookies

It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas.

My kitchen is filled with the scents of cinnamon and ginger and cloves because today I baked my first batch of Christmas cookies! (Everybody cheer!)

If my family is lucky, it won't be the last. But if my calendar keeps filling up the way it has been, this very well could be the last batch.

(December is already kicking my behind and it's only the 3rd.)

Anyway, the first batch of Christmas cookies is always very exciting for everyone around here and is usually this very cookie because everyone loves them. Even Thunder kept sniffing around the kitchen hoping for a crumb or two.

I got this recipe probably over 20 years ago from my friend, Angie, when we worked together. I've tweaked the recipe just a little to suit my tastes, but it's still Angie's recipe.

And so, without further adieu, I give you . . . Molasses Cookies.

First, cream together one stick of butter flavored Crisco with one stick of room-temperature butter.

It should be really creamy, like this:

Next add 2 cups of sugar and beat this mixture really well. Same after the eggs. I have found that my cookies turn out best when I beat the batter like crazy, making it really fluffy and light.

O.K., so . . . to speed things along here . . . add some more stuff like, well, molasses would be good, and maybe some dry ingredients, until you have cookie dough that looks something like this.

Here's when you want to call your kids to come help you. Take a tablespoon or so of dough and roll it into a ball. Then roll the ball into some white sugar.

Line 'em up! (Are you as careful as I am about lining up your cookies? Or do you just throw them anywhere on the cookie sheet?)

O.K., I don't know what happened, but I didn't get a picture of the finished product on the cookie sheet. But here's what you have to know about baking these cookies. DON'T OVERBAKE THEM!!! Please. For all that is good and right and true in this world, do not overbake these cookies. I found that if I baked two pans for 7 minutes, and then switched the pans and baked them for 2 more minutes, they came out perfect. Your oven temperature may vary, so just watch them.

What I DID take a picture of is this cute Christmas plate that I've probably had for more than 20 years. My youngest sister, Jodi, gave it to me when I was first married. Isn't that sweet? I still love it.

Anyway, pile up the molasses cookies on a pretty plate.

It won't take long for them to be devoured.

Molasses Cookies

1 Cup butter flavored Crisco

1/2 Cup room-temperature butter

2 Cups sugar

1/2 Cup molasses

2 eggs

4 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon cloves

4 Cups flour

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Mix Crisco and butter together until fluffy. Add sugar and beat well. Add molasses and eggs. Add dry ingredients.

3. Roll one full teaspoon of dough into balls and then roll in white sugar.

4. Place balls on cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes.

5. DON'T OVERBAKE!

So tell me . . . have you baked any Christmas cookies yet? What's your favorite?

I Think They Call It a Phobia

Well, I think it’s pretty clear from yesterday’s post that I am no candidate for Mother of the Year.

I guess I wouldn’t be up for Nursemaid of the Year, either. Yesterday my family let me know, in no uncertain terms, that when someone is sick around here, I’m not . . . how shall we put it? . . . the most compassionate person in the house.

B was sick yesterday. He probably takes one sick day a year, and yesterday was it. He has had a terrible cold for well over a week (and does he go to the doctor as his loving wife would suggest? Hmmmmm? No. But I digress.), but the worst part was that he put his back out on Monday. So he not only was dealing with a pretty nasty, hacking cough, but also experiencing back pain every time he coughed up a lung, which is how it sounded.

Let’s just say the guy was a mess.

So I did what every good nursemaid should do. I went upstairs to check on him. A couple of times. I patted his leg and asked if he needed anything. I administered ibuprofin. I brought lunch.

But did I hang around? No sirree. I have a thing about being around sick people. Let’s just say it’s hard for me.

B does not understand this, though, because later in the evening he and the girls ganged up on me. They all stood around the kitchen telling “Mom” stories about how I’ve let them down MORE THAN ONCE when they’ve been sick.

Apparently B needed a little more nurturing.

And Maggie just had to bring up that time last year when she woke up not feeling well, but I made her go to school anyway. (My sister was visiting and we had places to go. Don’t judge.) But before I could make my escape, the school nurse called to inform me that Maggie had a 103 degree fever and could I please come pick her up.

Oh all right, if I have to.

Oh sure, they all got such a kick out of pointing out how I basically dumped poor Maggie in the basement in front of the T.V. and told her we’d be back later. Her little 103 fever was not going to stop me from having fun with my sister.

Looking back on it now, I do kind of wonder what I was thinking. As, apparently, my family was even on that day because they just laughed and laughed about how I’m not very good at taking care of my family when they’re sick.

But really? What do they want me to do? Hang out with them? Hold their hand? Sit there and watch T.V. while they sleep? I mean, being with sick people can be dangerous. I could get sick myself. . .

. . . and then who would take care of everyone?

So I want to know . . . what kind of nursemaid are you? How do you handle things when your kids (or your husband) get sick? Please tell me I'm normal!

Thanksgiving 2010. And as a Bonus, Some Parenting Advice!

So, I really haven’t told you anything about our Thanksgiving yet. Probably because there’s not that much to tell.

I’d hate to bore you with tales of our lying around on the couch for six hours watching football.

Or of my making homemade Chex mix and basically just leaving the pan on the counter all day. “Enjoy your lunch, dears!”

Or lifting my head up from my position in the family room to see who’s wandering through the kitchen.

Yep, that pretty much sums up our Thanksgiving.

I did not cook since it was just our little Party of Five. Just saying it . . . “I did not cook” . . . brings shivers down my spine, because you all know how much I love to cook. And to not cook Thanksgiving is kind of a travesty.

But I’m getting over it.

Four years of going out, and I’m finally getting over it.

Besides, as I told the mailman on Monday (and pretty much anyone who would listen), I cook a lot—A LOT—during the rest of the year. I guess it’s O.K. for me to take Thanksgiving off.

Maybe in about 25 years I’ll actually believe that.

But the fam didn’t mind, so I played along. Someday we will have another family, oh heck, even another person, to cook for and I’ll love every minute of it. But as long as it’s just the five of us, it’s best to go out since I’d be crying in my sweet potatoes if we went to all that fuss at home only to have just us five sitting around the table. That's just depressing if you ask me.

Enough about the meal or lack thereof.



There was a little matter about the hubs being on T.V. that morning and the two of us having to get up really early to head into Chicago for him to be interviewed and the two of us sitting in the “Green Room” which was really the restaurant of a fancy hotel and the Harlem Globetrotters were there, along with Miss Illinois (woo hoo! a brush with fame!), and then B getting interviewed and forgetting everything he was supposed to say even though he had practiced a million times all week long. It’s one of those real-life nightmares he would rather forget.

Except that it will now be preserved forever on this here blog. And our DVR.

The best part about being in Chicago that morning, aside from the truly awesome-for-Thanksgiving-Day kind of weather, was that when crowds gather the whackadoodles come out. We’ve seen them before. It’s not the first time.

But this crowd’s whackadoodles were special. Because they were “Christians.” Yelling really loudly into a bullhorn something about how everyone in the crowd was going to hell.

Really! You can’t make this stuff up.

And they were carrying signs. We were being rushed across the street for B to do his interview (on LIVE T.V.!!!!), so I didn’t have time to get a picture of the whole thing. But I do remember one sign that said, “Your child needs Christ more than Nintendo!”

I can't argue with that.

But this sign . . . THIS sign . . . really helped me out. I have always wondered how I could be a better mother, and now I know thanks to the bullhorn-toting-really-loud-yelling-hellfire-and-brimstone whackadoodles.

And friends, I just cannot keep this little nugget of knowledge to myself.



Mothers of the world, now you know everything you need to know about being a good mom. Put your knowledge to good use.

Two Words You May Never Mention in My Presence Again

Photo credit

I’m done in.

Tapped out.

Exhausted.

Depleted.

Weary.

And I blame Black Friday. For all of it.

Black Friday is a sham. A hoax. A trick to get you into stores to buy things you don’t really need. It’s a waste of precious time and even more precious energy.

Black Friday has ruined me.

I just wanted to spend time with my girls. Bonding, if you will. They were up for the adventure, and I’m always up for an adventure, so we set out to find . . . adventure. Who knew we’d find it in the parking lot?

On our way to the mall, I commented on the lack of traffic, which, in the Chicago area, is rare. We shrugged our shoulders and figured that everyone was probably sleeping in, leaving all the good deals for us.

Even the roads leading to the mall were pretty bare. I expected a lot more congestion.

We hit the parking garage at 9:45. So did the rest of Chicagoland.

Somewhere around 10:06 I dropped my older two at the Nordstrom door. I’m nothing if not particular about where I park, and it must be near Nordstrom. Otherwise I’d lose my car. (I learned this trick from my mom—she always parked by Marshall Field’s. My husband swears that you can learn a lot about someone by where they park at the mall. Whatever that means.)

Anyway, another 15 minutes later (that’s 36 minutes of driving around, just in case you weren’t paying attention) I was in tears saying, “How come everyone else keeps getting a parking place and I don’t?” There may have been some foot stomping involved. And all the while Maggie was rubbing my shoulder saying, “It’s O.K., Mom. Somebody will leave eventually.”

Eventually somebody did, and eventually I did get to park my car near Nordstrom. (Just for the record, I did try other areas of the mall, but everything was filled.)

But my day was ruined, and every other Black Friday heretofore has been ruined for me.

I did try to make the best of it, but once inside the mall things didn’t get any better. After a couple of hours of getting pushed, shoved, and generally jostled I had had it. Maggie and I waved the white flag of defeat and headed to . . . where else? . . . the Nordstrom café for a nice, quiet lunch among the placid Nordstrom shoppers.

I got a white blouse out of the deal, and Maggie got a new pair of jeans. Not a single Christmas gift was bought on Black Friday. My brain was too addled to even think about buying gifts for anyone.

My older two? I think they’re still somewhere in the mall, probably being harassed by evil old women with really big purses. We got separated at the beginning of the day, and didn’t get all caught up until the end.

So much for girly bonding time.

Black Friday? Please don’t ever mention those two words in the same sentence to me. I really don’t know what I was thinking, venturing out into that scene, but one thing I do know, I won’t be in a hurry to do THAT again.

Until maybe next year.

It's the Small Things

Yesterday my daughter emptied the dishwasher. Not once, but twice.

You'd think this wouldn't be such a big deal--kids should empty the dishwasher. Isn't that why we had them?

But the big deal is that both times she did it without my asking. That makes a mama's heart smile. Especially a mama whose love language is acts of service. She has no idea what that small thing meant to me.

Another "small thing" in my life occurs almost every morning around 5:30 when B leaves for work. (He usually works out at the gym at his office in order to avoid traffic, which is why the 5:30 a.m. thing comes into play.) After he's collected all of this things and is just about ready to walk out the door, he walks over to my side of the bed and kisses me on the forehead.

He thinks I'm sleeping.

Sometimes I'll mumble "I love you. Have a good day," under my very tired breath. But usually I just savor the moment.

I don't know when this little habit of his began--I think it was a few years ago--but now it's a habit, and I love it. B's tender way of saying good-bye each morning is a small thing, for sure, but it's huge to me. It's his little reminder to both himself and to me that he loves his wife. And his wife loves him.

Today I'm thankful for the small things in my life.

How about you? What small things are you thankful for?

Happy Monday!

My kids think I'm weird.

I can't help it, but every time that Black Eyed Peas song "I've Got a Feeling" comes on the radio, I just start bopping. And singing. And smiling!

I KNOW! Weird, right?

I don't know why, but that song makes me happy.

So, in an effort to share the love, and to help make your Monday a little happier too, I'm sharing this video. The crew of the Today Show it together, and Emily at "Chatting at the Sky" shared it over the weekend. I thought it was cute.

Weird, huh?



Happy Monday, everyone!

Good Reads

It's been a while since I've shared some favorite posts, so today's your lucky day. Enjoy these as you prepare your pies or your turkey or your yummy appetizers.

Great post at Resurgence about raising daughters, written by a dad. I think my hubby might have a thing or two to say about that topic. (Hey! I feel a guest post coming on!)

And one more from Resurgence (it's a new blog to me, and I love it). Jani Ortlund has written a beautiful piece on "Missional Mothering." It's the piece I wish I had read when my babies were young.

Oh, parental regret. I've got a load of it. Mary DeMuth puts wonderful words to what I feel sometimes.

If you're a blogger looking for inspiration, I thought this post was really helpful. "10 Ways to Find Fast Inspiration for your Next Post."

And finally, just in case you haven't been overloaded with Thanksgiving recipes, I thought these looked delish.

Happy weekend, everyone!

Fabulous Friday Food - Holiday Appetizers

When I first started giving you all a recipe once a week, I just thought of the title “Fabulous Friday Food” off the top of my head. I know you're shocked. Titles are NOT my forte, that’s for sure.

Today, though, I discovered where I got it, at least subliminally. This afternoon I was watching Ina Garten and, honestly, I think she used the word “fabulous” at least five times in one sentence.

So when I chose “Fabulous Friday Food” I think I was channeling Ina Garten in some strange way. She is, after all, my favorite person on the Food Network. She’s one classy lady who is crazy about her husband (just like me!), she cooks amazing food (just like me!), AND she’s got a gorgeous house that I would love to live in. In the Hamptons.

Oh well. Two out of three isn't bad.

Alright. Back to reality. And food.

I know that many of you, especially if your last name is Target or WalMart, would like to skip right over Thanksgiving and move right on to Christmas. But not me. I love Thanksgiving. I would love for the spirit of Thanksgiving to live on all year long. Because, you know what? Thanksgiving is about nothing but being thankful.

It’s not about ghouls and ghosts and graveyards. It’s not about plastic eggs and chocolate bunnys. It’s not about tinsel or trees or trinkets. (I know the other holidays aren't about those things either. Just play along, will you?)

It’s just about being thankful to God who has blessed us all abundantly. Even if we’re struggling right now, we can surely think of one or two ways that God has blessed us.

So for that reason alone I love Thanksgiving, but there’s also the food. Oh my goodness, the Thanksgiving food. I love it so much. And I miss it. Because . . . here’s a little secret . . . I haven’t cooked it in years.

This makes me sad. (But I’ll get over it.)

For the past few years it has only been my little, beloved family of five celebrating Thanksgiving together, so, rather than waste all that time and energy cooking a complete Thanksgiving meal just for us, we’ve been going out.

We’ve even stayed in Chicago a couple of times on Wednesday and Thursday, heading out before the throngs of shoppers descend on the city on Friday. Do you know how cheap hotel rooms are on Thanksgiving night?! It’s been fun, and we’ve created lots of wonderful memories this way.

But it’s not your normal Thanksgiving.

This year we’re not staying in the city, but we are going “OUT! to eat!”. (Quick! What movie is that from?) We’ve discovered that Maggianno’s has a fabulous (channeling Ina again) Thanksgiving meal, so we’re headed there. I know it sounds strange, but they do a great job.

So where am I going with all this talk about Ina and food and fabulous holidays? I’m not really sure. But I do have a couple of fabulous recipes for you.

Just in case you need to take an appetizer to your Thanksgiving celebration (hopefully yours is way less pathetic than ours, full of family—cousins and grandparents and your great-uncle Louie who smells), here are a couple of my fabulous favorites.

The first is Hot Crab Dip which I originally found on Allrecipes.com but, of course, tweaked just a bit.

Take two blocks of cream cheese. Make sure they're room temperature.

Add some other stuff to it: mayo, crab meat (duh!), lemon juice, hot sauce (which I didn't have, so I just substituted a couple of sprinkles of Cayenne pepper), and Worcestershire.

Take two cups of shredded cheddar cheese and mix that into the bunch.

Save a little cheese to sprinkle on top.



Bake it for a while and voila! Hot crab dip. Serve with crackers because if you just dug in with a big ol' spoon, while it might be awfully tasty, it would look weird.



And here's a bonus recipe that I think I've featured on my blog somewhere over the years, but thought, since it's one of my favorites, I'd just give it to you again.

Bacon Wrapped Dates

Three ingredients, that's it. Bacon, of course, and dates, of course, and blue cheese. Of course.



Take the pit out of the date (get the good ones) by slitting it open on one side and pulling out the pit. Replace the pit with a nice chunk of delicious blue cheese. Mmmmm.

Wrap these in bacon and dip into a little brown sugar and hold the whole thing together with a toothpick that you've soaked in water for a few minutes. Line those babies up on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake.



These won't last long. Especially if I'm around. I think I could make myself sick on these little mounds of deliciousness.



So there you go--two recipes for the price of one. Take these to your fabulous Thanksgiving feast and think of me. Or not. Just take them and enjoy!

Hot Crab Dip

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 (6 ounce) cans crabmeat
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons hot sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, mayonnaise, Cheddar cheese, crabmeat, lemon juice, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Transfer to a shallow baking dish. Top with a little more cheddar cheese.

3. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly.


Bacon Wrapped Dates

12 slices bacon, cut in half
24 pitted Medjool dataes
Blue cheese
light-brown sugar (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

2. Soak 24 toothpicks in water for 15 minutes. Stuff each date with blue cheese, then wrap with bacon. Secure bacon with toothpick. Roll in brown sugar, if desired.

3. Place dates seam-sides down on baking sheet. Bake until tops are well-browned, about 6 minutes. Turn and bake another 2 to 4 minutes more, or until evenly browned.

4. Drain on paper towels. Let cool slightly before serving.


Soak toothpicks in water for several minutes to prevent burning.

Grandma Nell

Isn’t she cute? This is my grandma who is 99 ½ years old. Next May she will turn 100, Lordwilling.

A couple of weekends ago I was in Florida with some friends, and I took a Sunday afternoon to go visit her. She lives just five minutes away from where we were staying, so I went.

That last paragraph sounds so magnanimous, but I’m ashamed to admit that I almost didn’t go. I mean, I’m not a huge fan of nursing homes. They make me super-uncomfortable, and when I get super-uncomfortable I start to giggle or cry or, worse yet, giggle-cry at the same time.

So I try to avoid those uncomfortable situations as much as I can. Kind of like those buffet-line restaurants. Those places make me uncomfortable too, what with all the sharing of utensils and germs and such. I’m afraid I’ll break out in a giggle-cry when I’m in there, so I avoid those places too.

At all costs.

But my dear friend and college roommate, Jennifer, the girl who once broke her “Who” album right in front of me, convinced me to put on my big girl panties and go visit my grandma. See, Jennifer is a palliative care doctor. Fancy, huh? (I had to Google it, but those docs help people with end-of-life issues. Not fun.)

I’m so glad there are people like Jennifer out there though. You know, the sensitive types who will hold someone’s hand and help them through the greatest crises of their lives.

Kind of like when B and I were dating in college and in one of our famous fights when Jennifer turned to me and said something like, “Geesh, Shelly, either date him or don’t. I don’t care.” She was famous for her sensitivity.

I think she’s turned a corner these days, though, because when she visited me at Homecoming this fall and I told her I was going to be in Florida, she said, “So, are you going to visit your grandma?”

I had thought about it, but wasn’t so sure I wanted to put myself into the super-uncomfortable situation of having to visit a nursing home, so I said, “Oh, I don’t know yet.”

“You should go see her,” Jen said. “She’s 99 years old. If she dies, you’ll feel terrible that you were right there in the same town and didn’t go see her.”

See what I mean? Sensitivity is her middle name.

I hate to admit it, but Jennifer was right. I called my uncle, who also lives in that town, and asked if he would take me over to visit Grandma. We spent two lovely hours together, walking Grandma around outside (she was in a wheelchair, of course—I pushed. You didn’t expect a 99-year-old woman to walk herself, did you?), and visiting together.

Amazingly, Grandma seemed to recognize me and understand that I had come to see her. She grasped my hand and didn’t let it go for much of our visit. She rubbed the back of my hand against her cheek and kissed it several times. A few times she gave me a really huge smile and just shook all over. Like she was so excited that I was there.

For me, though, the best part of the visit came when it was time to leave. (Wait. That didn’t come out right.) I sat on her couch and got very near her face to say good-bye. I stroked her cheek one last time and told her that I loved her.

And then my grandma, who had barely said a word during my visit, looked deeply into my eyes and said so clearly, “I love you.”

That was it. I left. And obviously I wonder if that might have been my last visit with my grandma on this side of Heaven.

If she makes it to 100, I’ll be back in Florida next May. If not, I may be back sooner.

But no matter when I see her again, I’m glad I had this visit.

Thanks, Jen.

Honesty. It's So Overrated.

So my friend just told me a story about taking her daughter to the mall in her husband’s new car. Two hours later they came out of the mall, but my friend couldn’t find her keys. She worried that she had locked the keys in her car, but she shouldn’t have worried . . . .

Because when she came out of the mall she found her keys inside the unlocked car.

THAT SHE HAD LEFT RUNNING!!!

She might as well have put a sign on the brand new car that said, “TAKE ME!”

Do you think she should have told her husband?

This has been a big topic of conversation around our house . . . not my friend leaving her husband’s brand new car running in the parking lot of a mall for two hours (seriously, it gives me a new sense of hope in humanity, that story) . . . but how much we should tell our spouses.

Here’s why . . .

It was just a lemon drop.

A simple little lemon drop sitting on the tray between the two front seats of my car. There were more, but a few lemon drops had spilled out of the package and B grabbed one. He popped it into his mouth, and I sat silently, watching.

Should I say something? Or should I just let it go?

It was already too late, so I decided to just let it go. The drop was already in his mouth. It wouldn’t kill him, I reasoned.

Two days later, B came into the house. “So, where did the lemon drops go?”

“Oh,” I said, ever-so-casually, “I decided it was time to clean off the tray in the car, so I threw them away.”

“Really?” says he, also-so-casually. “Why would you do that? It wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that THE DOG LICKED THE LEMON DROPS, would it?”

Busted. I was seriously busted.

Turns out, B was driving Maggie over to school and he had a sudden hankerin’ for a lemon drop, but they were gone. Disposed of, if you will. So he asked Maggie where they went.

Her reply? “Oh, Mom probably threw those out because Thunder licked them.”

*gulp*

“When did Thunder lick them?”

“Oh, a couple of weeks ago when we went to the vet.”

True confessions time. Yes, I took my dog to the vet. Yes, the dog licked the lemon drops. And yes, even worse, I didn’t get them cleaned up for . . . oh . . . a while.

But everyone who usually (Note the use of the word “usually” here. B doesn’t usually drive my car. It was a very unusual week.) rides in my car knew not to touch the lemon drops. I mean, why would you? The dog licked them.

But B didn’t know that. I had every intention of cleaning them up, I just didn’t get around to it before he got in my car and suddenly started craving lemon drops. And popping them into his mouth before I could stop him. Seriously, does a guy have to eat everything in sight?

Such was my quandry at that moment. Do I tell? Or don’t I?

So I ask you . . . when I saw him pop that drop, should I have said something? What would you do?

Oh, and if you left your husband’s car running for two hours in the parking lot of a mall, would you mention it? I know I wouldn’t!