Nothing like a great vacation :)
We spent the last week travelling up and down the island and off to a few smaller islands along the way with our 23 foot pull trailer in tow. It started off a little shakey, quite a few mishaps and trials along the way but we survived *grin*. I've got a ton of photos.... way to many for one entry, so I'm going to spread it out over this week :)
Just before we left one of L's little friends had a birthday so we made the winding trip out to Gold River. The first half of the trip once you leave Campbell River is like a roller coaster ride!! It's actually a really pretty drive as you go along the Upper Campbell Lake and sweep around the other side of it. The last time I was there though was in January in slippery, snowy weather and Dh was deathly ill so I had to drive. It was a much more relaxed trip this time around :)
On our way back home we stopped at the rest stop just before the Strathcona Lodge where there is a giant Elk. The kids loved it and had to have a photo by it and it ended up being a great way for them to burn off some energy before we tackled the remaining hour and some before we made it home again. As you can see above the tall side of the rock wall made for some excellent rock wall climbing *grin*.
What is it that makes boys just have to climb everything!? On our last outing to a nearby park there was a neat driftwood log sculpture that just begged to be climbed on :) Of course K wasn't happy to just sit on it, no he had to hang upside down like a monkey!
I've got some family time that is calling me so I just wanted to let you know that I will be taking a brief bloggy break and will catch up with all of you at the end of next week. That is if I can tear myself away for that long *grin*.
I can't believe it! I'm so excited that I just had to share :) L just got up to go potty in the middle of the night all by herself. I had to pinch myself just to make sure it was real! *grin*
Girl's are supposed to be the easiest to potty train but not this little gal, she's been putting on all the stops over this. We've spent years in those pull up undies and training pants because some days she just didn't feel like going to the bathroom when she needed to and I finally put a stop to that and said enough was enough and made her wear 'big girl' underwear hoping that some cool princess undies would spur her on to dry days but we still had accidents, although they were minimal compared to before. Then about 2 months ago I took away the night time pull ups, cut out the before bedtime drinks and made sure she hit the potty before bedtime and wouldn't you know it, she wet the bed nearly every night! I actually thought that I might go crazy from all the bedding that I had to wash every morning. But tonight was a first. She has NEVER gotten out of bed in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Could it be the end of night time bed wettings?? Time will only tell but I'm crossing all my fingers and toes that we have finally crashed over this milestone! LOL.
I love this time of year when we really start to get delicious fruit and vegetables from the garden :) I mean what kid wouldn't love to be let loose in a raspberry patch to eat until they can't eat anymore *grin*. Opa planted a bunch of raspberry canes in our chicken pen a couple of years ago and the kids have claimed them as their own.... that is if they can get to them before the chickens do! LOL.
We have been enjoying fresh tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, beets, plums and now apples to. We have 2 giant transparent apple trees outside of all of our bedrooms and they are loaded with nice plump apples this year. There are always more than we can handle so my dad takes a lot of them home with him and at lunch time he peels at least a dozen for the kids and himself to eat :) Well the other day K comes running out of his room asking if it would be okay if he and L had an apple from Opa. It wasn't anytime near lunch aka apple time with Opa, so I said they'd have to wait not thinking that he was anywhere nearby! I was wrong :) There was Opa outside their windows which are a good 9 or 10 feet above ground picking apples from the tree and throwing them to their waiting hands hanging out of their windows! Some were caught, some bounced back out and onto the ground and others sailed right through. LOL. They were having so much fun of course I just had to say they could eat them :) I love moments like that.... they'll never forget it!
Yesterday my best friend surprised me with a visit! We only get to see each other about once a year so it was so great to see her :) We grew up together from grade 1 on through high school and then after we graduated we ended up going separate ways for college so we weren't able to have a lot of face time, but have tried to keep touch with phone calls and letters and yearly visits. So when she called and said she was nearby visiting her mom I definitely wanted her to come over here to. We ended up spending the afternoon together catching up on what was happening with each other and she stayed for dinner with me and the children. They were so excited to have company and of course they never run out of things that they just have to show a guest. LOL. Before she had to head back to town we had a mini photo op and took some pictures together and she wanted some of the kids to before they sprouted another foot before he next visit. *grin* Just before she left Dh phoned to and said that he was coming home so it turned out to be a really great day with my best friend and dh home :)
I wonder what he's thinking as he stands in quiet reflection? Or is he just working out the kinks to a mischievous plan to hop over the trail barrier and explore the stream below? I'm going to go with the latter. *grin* This morning we suited up in rain gear for a morning hike up at Mt. Washington. It was definitely wet but well worth it, the scenery was magnificent! It's hard to believe that just the other day we were melting in the heat and today I could have sworn we were teleported straight into fall. Now that I think of it I'm pretty sure that it always rains the first week in September just about the time school starts back up. It's a bit earlier this year but oh so welcome :)
Today was L's 5th birthday and she was fit to be a princess *grin*, she even dressed the part by wearing her sparkling pink ball gown and feather tiara :)
My sister drove up and we all met at my moms house for lunch in the gazebo :) The night before a friend had dropped off some crab so we were treated to crab on croissants, tea sandwiches, fruit kabobs, veggies and dip and of course birthday cake!
I think that Opa is the culprit behind all of the present smelling that goes on around here! LOL. He loves to get landjäger and other sausages as gifts (he's a complete meat-a-holic) and he's always teasing the kids by smelling his gifts and guessing what's inside *grin*. So of course L couldn't pass up the chance to smell her gifts to :) We gave her a feather pillow in a lovely soft flannel hot pink pillowcase that I had sewn for her. Of course she squeezed it before opening it and then sniffed at it a bit before she yelled out that it smelled like a pillow! She was all excited when she found out she was right. Now she has a special pillow to sleep on just like big brother K :)
Tante gave her some cute bubble blowing liquid in a chocolate ice cream cone with a cherry on top and it smelled like chocolate to!
It made some pretty fun bubbles to :) L blew them and Baby M snapped them up with his hands as fast as he could!
My mom spoiled her though by buying her the softest little baby doll you've ever seen. I washed up one of Baby M's old diaper bags and Omi filled it with bibs, bottles, spoons, bowls, a blanket and all the stuff you need to take care of a new little one :) L is completely in love with it and has named her Pipsy.
I'm not sure if it was the heat or all of the cake and food Opa ate, but he ended up sneaking in a little snooze at the table while we played with Pipsy and blew bubbles :) L had a great time and now I've got 2 days to plan what we are going to have when her little friend comes on Thursday for birthday party #2!
Tomorrow is L's 5th birthday and we are having a family celebration :) Her best friend who lives 2 hours away from us is unable to come so we are actually going to have a second birthday party on Thursday! We initially had some tears because L was extremely disappointed that they weren't going to make it right on her birthday but thoughts of two cakes and two parties seemed to cheer her up *grin*. Plus we've talked Tante (my sister) into coming up tomorrow as L's special guest :) L went into full party mode today. We picked out her dress, washed and braided her hair so that she would have pretty waved hair and even picked out seating arrangements! LOL.
I didn't realize until today just how important this birthday is to her. I know all birthdays are important events but this is the first year that she is SUPER excited about turning a new age, and she even made sure that we didn't tell her any of the secret plans because she wanted to be completely surprised and has taken part in planning it :) My little baby is growing up to be quite the event planner!
My cousin is getting married! I'm so happy for her, she has found a really nice guy to spend the rest of her life with :) We got to have a little bridal shower for her last weekend and all of my cousins were there. Each of us brought one of our favorite recipes to share with her and some words of wisdom for how to have a successful marriage :) I decided to share two of my favorite quotes with her....
"May your walls know joy;
May every room hold laughter
And every window open to
unimaginable possibilities."
"A great marriage requires falling in love over and over many times with the same person."
My mom and I both scrapbooked her pages for her wedding album with our recipes on them for her to put into a memory book that she is planning on making. I've got some pictures of it that I need to resize and share with your later this week :)
I'm sure everyone can recall many times when they have caught one or more of their children up to no good or accidentally making a mess and of course they really don't want to fess up to being the one that did it :) Well that was the case today when L spilled some of her water at lunch time, right in front of all of us I might add *grin*
Me: Did you just spill some of your water? You better wipe it up. L: I didn't do it Me: What do you mean you didn't do it? Who did it? Me: Did a purple fairy do it? L: Yes Me: Was the fairy wearing a fuzzy purple sweater? L: Yeeess
L was grinning now while still pretending that the fairy did it although she just admitted it was her by saying the fairy was wearing HER purple sweater *grin* How's that for some mischievous twisting of the truth!
My sister came to visit us today :) It's so nice when we get a chance to see each other. She lives about an hour away from us but between her work and schooling and the days that we can get in to town it doesn't seem like our schedules match very often. So today was a treat! We spent the day up at my moms, enjoying the sunshine and lounging in the gazebo eating delicious dessert....
drinking coffee....
and playing cards *grin* The kids splashed in and out of the pool most of the afternoon and playing with their beach balls while I tried to keep their hats on their heads so they wouldn't scorch in the hot sun :) Dh is coming home tonight after 2 weeks away to! I can't wait it seems like a month since he was last home :)
Yesterday when I returned home from running errands in town I found one of the doors on my china cabinet open. Very strange I thought to myself, why would it be open?! Thinking about it for a while while I put things around I thought Dh must have been looking for something but what in the world would he have been looking for in there! *grin* That's when I spotted a gorgeous bouquet of red roses tucked in the corner of the kitchen counter :)
It's our 10th wedding anniversary tomorrow and he had surprised me with a dozen red roses before he left for work. I can't even phone and thank the sweet man since he has gone so far north with his tug boat that he is out of phone range!
I had to rub my eyes twice when I got out of bed this morning. LOL. I just couldn't believe that we were covered in snow again! My poor clothesline stand is completely covered and just yesterday I was thinking how I was going to hang my clothes out on the next sunny day since they have been so warm :)
NBC News aired a very interesting piece on the dangers of the new energy efficient light bulbs. Did you know that they contain mercury!? Albeit it's a very small amount but what happens if the lamp falls over or someone accidentally bounces a ball into their bedroom light? Would you vacuum it up? Probably. I would, how else would I ensure that all of the little glass shards are picked up and not going to stick into the hands or feet of the kids. Well apparently this is a big NO, NO. When the mercury is sucked up into the vacuum cleaner it blows the mercury fumes into your home causing potentially disastrous health problems for you and your children. If you do break one of these bulbs you are supposed to open the windows, put on your rubber gloves and wipe it up all together placing it into a sealed ziploc bag. They also recommend taking your broken or burnt out light bulbs to a hazardous waste site. A hazardous waste site!!! I can tell you that I will be removing any of these light bulbs from within our home and keeping them only in the outside lights that are on at night for long periods of time. I'm not taking the risk of breaking one of them inside.
The kids and I made a whole bunch of heart shaped cookies for Valentine's day last night and after they went to bed I decorated some of them so that they would have a sweet treat when they woke up :) Later on today I'm going to mix up some more icing and let them finish decorating the last couple of dozen. I've had my little bit of fun and now I'm glad that they LOVE to decorate cookies because they're all theirs now *grin* I've got to conserve my creative energy for tomorrow, we're having our Valentine's party then :)
L: Come play with meeeeee
K: Not until you say the magic word!
L: Abra cadabra
K: No not that one.... the magic word. "P" "L" (he's giving her a hint)
L: Pull-lool-a-duh-duh
K: Huh?
L: Pull-lool-a-duh-duh !!
By this time I've cracked up laughing because she sounds so confident that it has to be the right word *grin* apparently she forgot the word please!
I'm asking for prayer again tonight but this time for the loss of our nephew. My sister in laws son committed suicide earlier today. If you could keep my husband, his parents, and his sister and their family in your prayers I know they would greatly appreciate it during this very difficult time. Thanks so much.
I just got a phone call from my mom letting me know that my sister and her husband had been rear ended this afternoon totaling her car. They were taken from the scene on spine boards in neck braces and have since been released from the hospital but are extremely whip lashed. Thankfully they weren't more seriously hurt! I can't phone her until tomorrow since it is quite late now but if you would keep them in your prayers for their recovery as my BIL just had knee surgery and wasn't fully recovered yet and my sister is in the middle of her nursing course and is doing her practicum right now and I'm not sure if she will be able to go tomorrow or what she will do now that she doesn't have a car to get to the different work places which aren't always close by.
Tomorrow we are going to celebrate my sisters birthday so the kids got busy today and made her some fun birthday cards : )
K was real happy with how his turned out but L came over quietly and asked me why he had made a halloween card. LOL.
And here is L's card with a super happy Tante on the front with balloons above her head : ) For some reason neither of them would color them but it's the thought that counts! and I know she's going to love them. Just in case your wondering I didn't draw her one this year *grin* I got her a fun one for sisters that you open up and it sings thechorus line to "We Are Family" by Sister Sledge:
Infant cough and cold medicines have been pulled off store shelves because of growing concerns that they can harm or even kill young children.
Manufacturers in Canada and the United States Thursday announced a voluntary withdrawal because of “rare instances of misuse” that could lead to accidental overdose. Large pharmacy chains such as Shoppers Drug Mart said they would immediately stop selling the products......
To read more about it and find out the list of ones being pulled so that you can check your medicine cabinets go HERE:
to all the Canadian bloggers out there!
My bird is defrosting and I'm off to make up the stuffing so that it will be ready for the morning and I just finished baking my pumpkin pies so that I don't have to worry about how I'm going to bake them and the turkey all at one time! Everyone is going to arrive around noon and we are going to have an early supper this year since my sister has midterms all this coming week and needs to hit the books one last time before test time : ) Blessings to all of you and your families as you celebrate being with each other and all of the wonderful things we have to be thankful for.
My friend passed away last night after a very brief battle with Ovarian Cancer.
I think I'm in shock. It was to quick. I know she's gone home to be with the Lord and is pain free now and whole again but how could it all happen so quickly? I didn't get to say goodbye, I thought she'd come home once more, but she didn't. I have a quilt laid out that I was working on for her that I was going to have everyone write a little message of love on for her that I would embroider and give to her but now can't. Sorry this is so blue. Please pray for her family right now as I don't think they can believe what happened either. Her daughters are going to fly home this weekend and her son is away at school and still doesn't know yet. I think that he will be the most affected by it so please keep them in your prayers.
I went outside to run up to my moms for a minute and my car won't start : (
It justs makes a bunch of strange noises and the lights flick on and off and that's it. Luckily Dh is home so he has gone out and put the battery charger on it since it appears to be the battery, and I brought home a voltage meter from my dad so that we can test the alternator in the morning and make sure it has been charging the battery properly. I sure hope it is just the battery and not anything more expensive.
I am so thankful that it happened at home in our own driveway!! I have been on the road quite a bit this week with the kids on outings and it would have been horrid to have the car break down on the highway somewhere. Now I just have to wait until tomorrow to find out if it is indeed just the battery and then I guess we need to make an appointment with VW. We had the manual out to read about the battery and it said that we shouldn't disconnect it without some sort of re-programming tool because as soon as the battery is disconnected it looses the timing and idling speeds and all sorts of things. So I think we would really be in trouble if we do that.
I finished it! The cake is done : ) but I'm not showing it just yet. LOL. I had to put a cloth over it in the fridge so when L gets up in the morning she won't see it when she gets a drink. The goodie bags are packed, the party hats are out, now we just have to wait for daylight : )
Are you making a list.... checking it twice *grin*
I came across a neat site that has a week by week schedule starting on August 26th that takes you through your entire house getting it tidied and ready for company with check lists and planners for your holiday baking, christmas cards & gifts and more. There are also links for crafts to make now and recipes. Check it out here : )
I'm going to follow along with some of it. I just may get my cards out in the mail by the end of November this year instead of just before Christmas eve. LOL.
My mom just called me and said that there are 2 bears on the loose on the property right now. We share the same piece of land and the last couple of days the dog has been going wild so we new something was around we just weren't sure what.
Dad and her had gone up the nature trail on our mountainside and they hadn't gone very far when they rounded a corner and spotted 2 LARGE bears in front of them. My dad clapped his hands above his head and shouted to give the illusion that he was much larger than he really was while my mom backed away and then ran like mad she said.
Luckily dad was able to scare them off and make it down safely but he said that one stood up on its hind legs and he was at least 8 feet tall, maybe a bit more. So they are not a force to reckon with! I sure hope that they pass through and go on their way but if it is a mating pair and they plan to have cubs here then it could turn out to be a big problem : (
We'll have to be careful outside for now and not let K and L go away from the house for a bit just to be safe.
He won't walk, he won't talk but he will climb....anything!! The problem is I don't think he knows how to get down. Good thing I caught him before he climbed right into the fireplace.
Oh that sounds bad as I'm rereading what I just wrote. Just to clarify, that fireplace is never used and there was no threat of danger except for a soot covered baby *grin* All other stoves are well guarded and out of reach.
This is my little angel L when she was 1 month old.
I had been hoping that I would be lucky and not have morning sickness with her but boy was I wrong! I was extremely nauseas and tired for the first 4 months. I spent a lot of time lying down and I couldn't bear to leave my house because everywhere else would make me want to throw up : (
My water broke 5 days before my due date around 2 am on February 18th, 2003. This time when we arrived at the hospital the anesthesiologist was on call so they said I could stay. I had opted for a VBAC (Vaginal Birth after Caesarean ) so I went through full hard labor right up until about 4pm when I just wasn't dilating enough and off we went to the operating room again and I wasn't feeling sad about having a c-section again. I just wanted the pain to stop : ) The surgeon said that it was a good thing that we didn't try the VBAC any longer than we did because the scar on my uterus had started to thin and it could have caused my uterus to rupture.
L was born at 4:59 pm weighing 10 pounds 9 ounces. This time I got to hold her right after she was born : ) and we only stayed in the hospital for 3 days. Yay : )
I have been reading some of the birth stories that have been posted lately which I think originated on Tracy's blog and I thought that I would share
mine : )
Well here I am, as big as the fridge *grin* at 8 1/2 months. I look like I ate everything in the fridge : ) I must have gained 60 pounds or maybe a little more when I got pregnant with my first angel K. I was eating for two you know : ) Luckily I didn't have any nausea though, just really swollen ankles!
I went into labor on February 5th, 1999 at 8pm. We were in the middle of a big power outage and were visiting my mom and dad because our home at that time only had a furnace and when we lost power we also lost our heat. I had gone to the bathroom and when I stood up my water broke and gushed all over the floor. Of course I had no idea what had happened : ) I thought that I had peed myself! But it kept coming and I realized what it was.
We weren't sure if we were going to be able to make it to the hospital 45 minutes away because of fallen trees on the road due to the storm, but luckily we made it through. When we arrived at the hospital we were told that there was no anesthesiologist on call that night and they would be unable to deliver the baby! So off we went again another 45 minutes down the road to the next town. I wasn't feeling any contractions so I was pretty sure we would make it.
When we arrived they checked me in and I was only dilated 2 cm and didn't seem to be progressing fast enough so they put me on the induction cocktail through IV. Not fun. The nurse would crank it up so it was dripping in rapidly and I was screaming in pain (I had back labor and I went no medications) and the next minute she would turn it way down and contractions would stop completely. This went on for a good 20 hours or close to it when they finally decided at 4cm I just wasn't going to progress and prepped me for C-section. I was never so glad to be wheeled into an operating room!!!
Twenty-six hours later I got to have a spinal and was awake to see my little or should I say not so little 11 pound 10 ounce baby K born at 10:50 pm February 6th, but that was about all I saw. I never got to hold him before he was taken up to the nursery and they medicated me so heavily for the spinal that I don't remember anything until the next afternoon : ( There was a problem when they suctioned out his airway after he was born and he developed some fluid in his one lung and I had to do chest percussions on him every hour. We ended up staying in the hospital for a week until they thought he was okay to go home. I was sooo glad to get out of there and to be able to take my little baby home :)
Today I cooked our big Easter meal that we share with my mom and dad and my sister and her husband. We always have it at our home but this year my sister had to work so she wasn't able to come : (
The morning started off a little shaky though. I woke up with a bit of a stomach upset and L seemed to be coming down with a bit of a cold again. So luckily Dh said that I could go and lie down for a bit and after I rested a bit I felt much better : )
I got the turkey stuffed and into the oven around 11:30, prepped the vegetables and sauces and got my raspberry flan whipped together so that I wouldn't be in a rush when it was time to start dishing things out. Why is it that everything seems to go topsy turvy right when everyone starts to pour through the door?! I actually did pretty good today. I was very proud of myself *grin* When 5:30 rolled around I had everything and I mean everything finished and placed into their serving bowls. Phew, now all I had to do was make sure Baby M was fed and happy so that he would play contently while the rest of us enjoyed the meal : )
Well the baby was happy but L seemed to be getting sicker by the minute. Her poor little eyes were watery and red and she couldn't stop sneezing or wiping her runny nose. Poor little thing just wasn't feeling well at all : ( She made it through dinner though like a little trooper.
I think that the real incentive for finishing supper was her dessert that was waiting and teasing her under its little glass dome : )
We were all looking forward to eating it!
As I had mentioned last night we had just attended the Passover Meal at our church and it was the second time that they have ever had one or that we had attended one. So we are really new to it and I thought that I would post about it for those of you who may have never attended one and for those of you that have maybe you could let me know how it is similar or differs from Passover meals that you attend : )
The Passover Meal has been celebrated since the time the Israelites were freed by God from slavery in Egypt. When Jesus ate this feast with his disciples he used the bread and the wine to symbolize his death and resurrection. We celebrate Passover and Communion the way Jesus did to deepen our faith and understanding. With our meal only the main elements of the Jewish meal are included so that it is easy for everyone to participate including young children.
The Lighting of the Festival Candles
Mathew 26:17-19 On the first day of Unleavened Bread, Jesus' disciples came to him and asked, "Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal?" Jesus told them to go to a certain man in the city and tell him, "Our teacher says, 'My time has come! I want to eat the Passover meal with my disciples in your home.'" They did as Jesus told them and prepared the meal.
We celebrate the Passover Meal to remember how God set his people free from slavery in Egypt by eating the meal that Jesus ate with his friends the night before he died.
We now light 2 festival candles in honor of our Lord God for making us clean through His word.
Luke 22:14-16 When the time came for Jesus and the apostles to eat, he said to them, "I have very much wanted to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer. I tell you that I will not eat another Passover meal until it is finally eaten in God's kingdom.
The Kiddush, the Blessing of the Feast
We praise the name of the Lord and tell everyone how great He is because He has set us free and given us times to rejoice and be glad. During Passover we remember how He set his people free from Egypt and as we lift our cup we rejoice in our salvation.
Luke 22:17-18 Jesus took a cup of wine in his hands and gave thanks to God. Then he told the apostles, "Take this cup and share it with each other. I tell you that I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until God's kingdom comes."
We then pour the first cup for everyone and drink it as a symbol of joy. There is a stack of 3 Matzoh (unleavened flat bread) on the table and the middle Matzoh is now broken in half and the larger half is hidden under a cushion. The hidden piece of Matzoh symbolizes how Jesus was hidden from view until his resurrection when the stone hiding his body was rolled away.
The Hagadah, the Story of Deliverance
We now pour the second cup for everyone and this is the cup of instruction.
Now the children read out questions that are answered by one of the adults.
Question 1: Why is this night different from other nights? Answer: This is the night that we celebrate going from slavery to freedom. God set us free and we want to tell the story over and over.
Exodus 12:21-31 Then Moses called all the older leaders of Israel together and told them, "Get the animals for your families and kill the lamb for the Passover. Take a branch of the hyssop plant, dip it into the bowl filled with blood, and then wipe the blood on the sides and tops of the doorframes. No one may leave that house until morning. When the Lord goes through Egypt to kill the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the sides and tops of the doorframes, and he will pass over that house. He will not let the one who brings death come into your houses and kill you. You must keep this command as a law you and your descendants from now on. Do this when you go to the land the Lord has promised to give you. When your children ask you, "Why are we doing these things?' you will say, 'This is the Passover sacrifice to honor the Lord. When we were in Egypt, the Lord passed over the houses of Israel, and when he killed the Egyptians, he saved our homes.'" Then the people bowed down and worshiped the Lord. They did just as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron. At midnight the Lord Killed all the firstborn sons in the land of Egypt -- from the firstborn of the king who sat on the throne to the firstborn of the prisoner in jail. Also all the firstborn farm animals died. The kin, his officers, and all the Egyptians got up during the night because some one had died in every house. So there was a loud outcry everywhere in Egypt. During the night the king sent for Moses and Aaron and told them, "Get your people out of my country and leave us alone! Go and worship the Lord, as you have asked.
Now we all washed our hands in a basin and the smaller half of the Matzoh is broken in half and passed around. As each person receives the Matzoh they break off a piece and pass it on to the next person. We then bless the Lord for giving us bread to eat and eat our pieces of Matzoh.
Question 2: Why do we only eat flat, unleavened bread tonight? Answer: When Pharaoh let God's people go from Egypt they had to leave very quickly and they didn't have time for their bread to rise. So as they carried it with them the sun shining on it baked it into a flat, unleavened bread called Matzoh.
Everyone now tries a bit of horseradish.
Question 3: Why do we eat bitter herbs tonight? Answer: We eat bitter herbs tonight because the peoples lives in Egypt were bitter and sad.
Everyone now dips parsley in salt water and eats it.
Question 4: Why do we dip parsley in salt water? Answer: We dip parsley in salt water because the salt water reminds us of the tears that the people cried as the were slaves for the Egyptians.
Everyone now mixes horseradish with haroset and eats it.
Question 5: Why do we mix the bitter herb with the sweet haroset? Answer: We eat the bitter herbs and haroset to symbolize how the people hoped to be free even though they were still slaves.
Everyone now visibly relaxes.
Question 6: Why do we lay back and relax at the table? Answer: Long ago only people that were free could relax at the table and since the people were set free on this night we can relax at the table.
We now passed the shank bone around.
Question 7: Why is there a lamb bone on the plate? Answer: The lamb bone symbolizes the lamb that was sacrificed and had its blood put on the doorframe. The angel of death passed over the homes of God's people and it also reminds us that God sent Jesus to die in our place.
We now passed an egg around.
Question 8: What does the egg mean? Answer: The egg was brought to the temple as a voluntary peace offering. It also reminds us that Jesus gave himself freely, making peace for us with God.
We now praised God who did all these wonderful things and has brought us from slavery to freedom, from sadness to happiness and out of the darkness and into the light. We now drink our second cup and thank the Lord for our health, strength and daily food.
We now ate a meal of lamb, rice & green salad.
After the Meal
In the Jewish seder meal, a single large cup and an empty chair are left for the arrival of the prophet Elijah who is seen as the precursor of the Messiah and it is a reminder of those who perished at the Pharaoh's hand in Egypt. It symbolizes hope in the coming of the kingdom of God.
The Communion
It was now the Jesus took the bread and the wine and explained how they symbolized his body and his blood and invited his friends to take part. At this point instead of following the Jewish tradition, we are following Jesus' wish for us to do this to remember him. The unique part of the Jewish tradition is that the Matzoh was broken like Jesus' body was broken and the Cup of Redemption is the cup Jesus used to show that his blood washes away our sin.
The Afikoman (the hidden part of the Matzoh) is now brought back to the table.
Jesus took bread in his hands and gave thanks for it. He then broke it and handed it to his apostles and said "This is my body, which is given for you. Eat this as a way of remembering me!"
We now prayed and passed the Matzoh around. The third cup is poured which is the cup of redemption.
After the meal Jesus took another cup of wine in his hands and said, "This is my blood. It is poured out for you, and wit it God makes his new agreement."
We prayed again and drank the cup of redemption.
The Hallel, the Cup of Praise
The fourth and final cup is the cup of praise. As Christians, we look forward to the New Jerusalem when we will celebrate this meal in the presence of Jesus.
We now pour the fourth cup, the cup of Melchisedech and we praised the Lord and drank the fourth cup.
I just had to share with you two funny things that L said today. She is just priceless. Usually I forget these things but today they stuck with me : )
First thing this morning:
Me: L what do you want to have for breakfast? L: Toast Me: Sorry honey we don't have any bread left. Mama has to make some today. L: What kind are you going to make? The one with the hard crust? Me: Not sure yet, which one do you want? L: I want the round one. Me: What round one?? L: The round one you made with the bananas in it. Me: Bananas.... bananas.... You mean the PIE!! L: Yeah, PIE. I LIKE PIE.
For the life of me I couldn't think of what kind of bread I made with bananas in it. LOL. Then I realized she was talking about the banana cream pie we had for dessert last night. The kid lives for sweets! Before she eats each meal she always checks to see if there is something good to get after. This also makes a big difference on how quickly and how much of each meal she eats. I left her with my mom and dad one evening and she had some pork roast she was eating which she would just chew and chew and not swallow. The lump was growing in her mouth so my mom fed her cookies at the same time she ate the meat so that she would swallow it! Grandparents! What they do and get away with : )
Later on this afternoon L was helping me put away my baking supplies in the cupboard when she came across a syrup bottle with Aunt Jemima on it. She was studying it quite intensely for a while when she came over to me and asked me why did the lady on the bottle have a chocolate milk head : )
I couldn't help but giggle. They're so cute at that age and so innocent : ) I remember when my sister was a little older than L and the pen she was writing with ran out of ink and she was yelling at the top of her lungs that the pen had run out of fudge!! Maybe that is where L gets her sweet tooth. Her auntie was thinking about goodies all the time to.
I came across this tag on Tess's blog and it originated on Jen's blog so make sure you go and check out both of their wedding bell answers : )
1. Where/How did you meet? I was home for the summer from college and went to visit a friend and he was there also. We had know each other for years from school growing up, not well though since he is a couple of years older.
2. How long have you known each other? From school days, so about 22 years. As a couple 10 years.
3. How long after you met did you start dating? That first day we ran into each other we talked and got along really well and started to date pretty much from there onwards.
4. How long did you date before you were engaged? about 7 months.
5. How long was your engagement? about 5 months.
6. How long have you been married? 8 1/2 years
7. What is your anniversary? July 27th
8. How many people came to your wedding reception? 7. We had a REALLY small wedding with just immediate family.
9. What kind of cake did you serve? I had a 3 tier cake made out of carrot cake with a cream cheese fondant type icing. My mom made it and it was just like you would get at a bakery. I still have a piece of it in my freezer. I'm saving it for our 25th anniversary : )
10. Where was your wedding? At a resort on the beach
11. What did you serve for your meal? Fillet Mignon. (spelling?)
12. How many people were in your wedding party? 2 besides me and hubby. My sister and my father.
13. Are you still friends with them all? Yes, I am very close to my sister, and I see my daddy everyday.
14. Did your spouse cry during the ceremony? No, we were both just really nervous. He said he was so glad that we had a small wedding because there was no way he could have done it in front of anymore people than we had.
15. Most special moment of your wedding day? Becoming my husbands wife
16. Any funny moments? I can't think of anything hysterical, but I know we had a lot of fun.
17. Any big disasters? My inlaws did a bunch of complaining about the resort, food, and so on. So that was a bit of a drag but they couldn't ruin my day!!
18. Where did you go on your honeymoon? We went into the middle of nowhere, down a dirt road, into the sticks, probably 2 hours of dusty driving until we hit a lake where we camped and swam : )
19. How long were you gone? About a week.
20. If you were to do your wedding over.... I wouldn't do anything over. I had everything a big wedding would have. My family, my dress, cake, photographer.....
21. What is your song? You know, I don't think we really have a song.
22. Describe your wedding dress: White with lace, a heart shaped neckline, princess sleeves, very poofy *grin*
23. What kind of flowers did you have at your wedding? I used my mothers bouquet. It was velvet red roses.
if you decide to tag yourself and copy this - please leave me a comment so I can come check yours out!
Yes, you can’t protect them forever. Yes, that is a real world out there. And yes, they do have to learn to deal with life. What does any of this have to do with raising your children at your pace, and not the world’s?
What you are hearing makes my top ten list of nonsensical notions assaulting good parents today. Mindlessly repeated by so many so often, they have assumed child rearing truth. We think they are correct just because everybody is saying they are.
Let’s go back a couple of generations, when it was still considered intrusive and impolite for people to give you their unasked for opinions about your parenting. Protecting kids — socially, morally, emotionally — was considered a very good thing. Indeed, a prime duty of grown-ups was to shield children from the ugly and immoral stuff of life while the child’s character was being formed. Keeping kids innocent was a worthy goal, a sign of responsible and wise parenting. Soon enough a youngster would face what was out there beyond childhood.
In the last generation or two, we’ve taken a step backward toward “enlightenment.” It is now arguably more psychosocially savvy to help kids deal with seamy reality as it assails them. Further, if you put it off too long when the child finally does confront the “real world” — whatever that means — he will be emotionally and morally shell-shocked. He’ll be overwhelmed, or seduced by evil, or crushed into despair. His very innocence will be his undoing.
I have some questions regarding this “real kids know the real world” assertion. Who is better able to navigate the temptations and challenges of life — a mature child or an immature child? Is a seven-year-old better or worse off for knowing what life is all about: Who is more able to cope with life’s ugliness — a moral eight-year-old or a moral eighteen-year-old?
The opposite of innocence is not maturity; it is worldliness. And worldliness doesn’t better equip a child to cope with the world. It just makes him more likely to be comfortable with it.
Most parents nowadays accused of being over-protective are no such thing. They are not “babying” their children emotionally. Nor are they running ahead of their kids, bulldozing all of life’s obstacles and frustrations out of the way. Their protectiveness is morally driven. They want to shield their kids from situations and people who could overwhelm their judgment or their young consciences.
Compared to under-protective parents, a good parent can easily look over-protective. In fact, her supervision, or caution, or pop-cultural vigilance is healthy and wise. Only when it’s too late do many parents come to realize they weren’t protective enough. Over and over again, my experience with families has taught me a real life truth: Far more children have trouble as adults not because they grew up slowly, but because they saw and learned too much too early.
So stand strong, Mom. Give social freedom later than the peer group. Protect innocence. Lay a strong moral base before you let the world assault it. Your “over-protectiveness” will be rewarded by real life.
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Ray Guarendi is a father, clinical psychologist, and author. He has been a regular guest on national radio and television, has hosted his own national radio show and writes a syndicated parenting column. In addition, he has written several books, including Discipline That Lasts A Lifetime, You're A Better Parent Than You Think!, now in its nineteenth printing, and Back To The Family.
I came across this on Amanda's blog and I just had to share it with all of you. So like Dr. Guarendi says
LETS STAND STRONG AND PROTECT OUR CHILDREN'S INNOCENCE!!!
I have been planning a tea party for L for a couple of days now and today was the big day. It was a BIG surprise! She had no idea what I was up
to : ) While she and K were busy doing schoolwork and playing I snuck into the dining room and set the dining room table with my lace table cloth, pretty yellow placemats, place setting markers, linen napkins, a floral bouquet, tea sandwiches, cake and of course tea cups and teapots. Phew! I'm not sure how I pulled it all off without someone stumbling down my end of the house to check on what mama was doing all by herself. *grin*
To start the morning off I had little teapot shaped invitations that I made up the night before for both L, K and my mom. I put them in their own individual envelopes addressed to each of them and then I had daddy pretend that he had been to the mail and there was mail for them : ) They excitedly ripped open the envelopes and L was ecstatic that she had gotten a teapot. Of course she had no idea what it was for so brother K read them out loud to her and then the excitement really hit! TEA PARTY!! When are we going to have it? I'm not sure I told them. The invitation only says that it is at 2:30 and it doesn't say what day. Maybe it's next week? *wink* It's a miracle that they continued on with their day without to many more questions : )
Now it was time to get the tea sandwiches all made up. You know those fancy ones without the crusts and cut into fun shapes. LOL. All for L : )
I had purchased a couple of loaves of store bought white bread for the little sandwiches because my home ground whole wheat bread just isn't delicate enough for the job : ) and off I set to work with my heart shaped and circular shaped cookie cutters cutting out bread cookies. To start with I trimmed the crusts off of some of the bread and then spread cream cheese over them, placing an asparagus spear on top and then rolling them up length wise into a log and then cutting them into little rounds. Next was the hearts which I spread peanut butter on topped with banana slices for mini PB and banana sandwiches, and last but not least the little rounds spread with cheez wiz and cucumbers : ) Mmm this is going to be good! Once I was finished up making them I placed them into the fridge while I got my napkins folded.
I didn't have cloth napkins in fun colors to go along with our spring themed tea party but I did have some new cotton tea towels that would be just perfect so I folded them so that they made a square and then I folded them into the crown shape : ) There is a link below with instructions on how to fold this napkin and others styles as well.
And to go along with the napkins were these adorable flower place setting markers. The more I got into the whole tea party thing the more formal I wanted it to be : ) I even brought out some of my silver spoons from my spoon collection so that we would have dainty little spoons to go along with our teacups. LOL.
Finally what tea party would be complete without the pretty cake??
Definitely no shortage of cake here! And boy was it good : )
A great time was had by all of us and L was beaming from ear to ear as she sat eating sandwiches, cake and and sipping on strawberry tea.
Now all we have to decide is how often we want to have our tea parties. If it was up to L we would probably have one everday!
Keeping The Home is hosting a wonderful book study at her blog on the book A Mother at Home. So far I am truly enjoying it. Every Monday she posts about the section that we have read and invites us to comment about what we have read for the week. The reading allotments are nice and small so I can keep up and haven't fallen behind. This is really great since there are so many things going on around me right now :) We have just completed week 5 and if you are interested in joining I would encourage you to do so. You might think that 5 weeks is to far behind to catch up but we have actually just started to read chapter 2 so getting up to speed won't take much time at all. Plus you don't need a copy of the book since it is available online to read, which is how I have been doing my readings.
This weeks entry was about obedience and how it is absolutely essential. This is so true. Here is a link to a wonderful article from the No Greater Joy website that I think you will really enjoy reading.
Blessings from a mama who is trying to lead by example and instil in my children a willing and cheerful attitude towards ones duties.
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).
I belong to the Making It Home Magazine yahoo group and there was an absolutely wonderful post on there today about making a friendship calendar. You make a grid of twelve squares and in each one you fill in a different name of someone you would like to reconnect with or spend some quality time with. Such as a family member or friend and that way each month you commit to writing a letter, calling or visiting that person.
This is perfect since I can think of quite a few family members that are far away from us that we haven't been able to keep in contact with on a regular basis and some that are close at hand but we just can't manage to match schedules and get together as often as we would like. Having it written down on paper and in a spot where it is viewed daily will keep it fresh in my mind so that I will make a point to follow through with it : )
Another idea that she shared in her email was that instead of making it a monthly grid you could change it to a weekly grid where you could schedule one on one dates with each of your children so that they had special times with mom.
And this one was especially sweet. You could include in your weekly grid little reminders to yourself to send your husband (or your children) little notes of encouragement : ) I LOVE this idea! Sometimes the ones that are closest and dearest to us are overlooked and this is such a wonderful way for me to let my husband know how much I love and appreciate everything he does for me and our family.
Today was my dad's 64th birthday. My sister and her husband travelled up to be with him and all of us for dinner at my mom and dad's house this evening. We were so happy to be celebrating another birthday with him after his bout with cancer.
Here is K at 1 month old.
