Cold in Kansas

It is so cold in Kansas and it is supposed to get even COLDER! One little tidbit about me...I HATE cold weather. If the temperature stayed in the 80's and 90's forever...I'd be very happy. When it is in the 20's and even worse..the teen's...oh, baby! It just hurts my body!

I have my prayer group to go to today. I look forward to this group of five women who meet together to pray for our children. Our kids range in age from thirties to six years old but each child gets prayed for every day. We choose a card representing that child, their Mom shares a request that has been on her heart, we pray immediately for that child and then for the next week, we pray daily for that request. It's really interesting to hear someone else pray so intimately for your children. Besides my BFF, Tia, I didn't know any of these gals before this group. It is humbling to think that they are willing to invest their time praying for my children.

It's neat because our kids are all at such different ages and stages in their lives. Everything from the militairy and weddings to early elementary to college decision. It's a great melting pot of ideas and care!

A Good Morning To You!

Doesn't this just make the day wonderful? Coffee is the way I always start my day. Jim loves regular coffee so that is what I make first but if we drink that down then I make a pot of Trader Joe's Wintery Blend. It is SO good with a dash of Peppermint Mocha creamer. A little spicy, a little creamy and sweet. Yummy!

This last semester of Maggie's senior year she has a strange schedule. She doesn't have to go to school on Tuesday's until 12:00 and the other days are weird too. It's kind of nice for her. She never gets enough sleep so this is a good opportunity for that. Anyway, since she didn't have to get up until later today...I stopped at Panera for bagels on my way home from taking Daniel to school.

Maggie will love waking up to a Panera bagel with cream cheese. I already had my very yummy Gingerbread bagel with honey walnut cream cheese. Daniel will enjoy a warm bagel with butter and raspberry jam when he gets home tonight. If I remember...I can toast it before I go pick him up and wrap it in foil so it is waiting in the seat when he gets in to come home. He would LOVE that! Maybe a little hot chocolate to go along with it!

While drinking my Wintery Blend..my favorite thing to do is read my Bible. I started reading through the Bible in a year again and I like the consistency of it. Today is Genesis 13-15 and Psalm 5. I especially like to read it out of my NIV and then out of The Message. It really is interesting to hear it in modern language but the NIV is like an old friend and I have to read it there too. :)

A book I am currently reading that I think SO many people would enjoy is called A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller. It's just a really great tutorial on incorporating a prayer life. It's full of everyday analogies and situations. Really good!

Resolutions

I have to admit that I hate the word...Resolution. I would rather use the word...Goals. I like to set goals for myself. I like to make lists and check off lists and strive to make things better. This year, I decided to make a list of everything my little brain could think of and hopefully review it regularly and achieve at least some of it! So here it is...my list for 2010.

Resolutions 2010

Read my bible everyday and learn one new thing from it
Memorize scripture (I'm horrible at remembering it!)
Pray for my immediate family every day
Plan meals for a week at a time so I only need to grocery shop twice a week
Establish a great repertoire of recipes
Bake more cookies!
Master making pies!
Use freezer and fridges more effectively
Repaint living room.
Think through decorating style…what’s really important
Help kids with homework. Check on them more.
Church - pick one and stick with it.
Plan one thing a month with friends.
Participate fully in volleyball and plan better for tournaments.
Read more! Read one fiction book a month. Re-read all the Mitford books in order.
Work on scrapbooking pictures
Really learn how to use my camera and to use photoshop
Learn how to use my sewing machine
Reduce, reuse, recycle
Walk Shadow and/or The Littles five days a week (The Littles are our tiny dogs)
Spend time on our yard
Take a kid out for breakfast, lunch or dinner at least once a month (Listen to them!)
Watch the Anne of Green Gables, the Marples and all the As Time Goes By, DVD’s
Try to live a little more consciously.

Some of these things I already do every day of my life. Some things I'd like to incorporate into my life. I like new beginnings.

Happy New Year 2010!

I feel like it has been forever since I've given any time to my little bloggy world and it surely HAS been. The holidays were just so busy and I can truly say that since Thanksgiving...it has been one whirlwind day after another. We had such a nice Thanksgiving celebration...just the four of us and really enjoyed time being together. We put up our tree that weekend and started the Christmas shopping. This year Jim and I both ordered a TON of stuff online and that was the most stressless shopping I've ever done! I can't say enough about shopping online!

I think my kiddos had a pretty lucrative and wonderful Christmas. Since my 45th birthday was this year on Christmas Eve..we celebrated the whole day long! Christmas Eve we prepared everything for the next day and then spent the rest of Eve opening gifts and watching Christmas Vacation on t.v. It snowed about 3 inches and we enjoyed that so much! Christmas Eve night we went to dinner at Savute's and had a wonderful birthday celebration. Maggie and I enjoyed their insanely wonderful filet mignon, Daniel had a t-bone and Jim had spaghetti and meatballs (he did say it wasn't as good as mine! Ha!).

Christmas Day we enjoyed the Hans' family. We just kicked back and enjoyed turkey and ham and all the trimmings. Between Christmas Day and New Year's we decided to have a very fun week of hanging around and enjoying one another and our house. VERY FUN and relaxing. Jim and Daniel went hunting and shot six pheasants and by New Year's Eve we were ready to cuddle up around the fire and hang out. We hosted a New Year's Eve party for about 15 of Maggie's friends. It was really sweet to know that our 18 year old and her friends were content playing Scattergories, eating pizza, drinking Martinelli's Sparkling Cider and eating Butterfinger dessert. They had a WONDERFUL time and ended it about 2 am. Not too bad for a high school party!

WE are welcoming the New Year with lots of excitement. Maggie's last semester of high school, prom, club volleyball season and Daniel's learner's permit and last semester of 8th grade and 14th birthday!