Tuesday, I had to run to the office to sign some documents, so I took my two older ones with me.  While there, we went to lunch with dad, just the four of us.  We ate at a restaurant called, Valentino, after a famous actor back in the day of black and white movies.  This restaurant is located in a beautiful old historical court house. It was fun having time with our older ones spent over lunch.  When we were done, a snow blizzard had begun.  I wanted to go home, but we were to attend a birthday party for a family friend that evening, so we went straight to TSC (Tractor Supply Company) to find a gift.  We got home just in time to get the rest of the kids into the car and off to the surprise party.

Mike and Margie are such great neighbors (they live just a mile down a country road from us) and friends.  We just love visiting with them.  They have this big country kitchen that is always inviting with lots of homemade food and bread made by Margie.  It was a fun surprise party for Mike who just turned 50. 

Wednesday was the day my husband had a date with his oldest daughter, Becky, who is 27 years old (married and has three children ages 4, 2, 1).  He took her to lunch at a nice restaurant where they sat by a warm and crackling fireplace.  After lingering there in conversation for over three hours (they were served a five-course meal), they did a little shopping together. It was a sweet time for dad and daughter to be together.   Meanwhile, I got to babysit the three little ones.  This was my first time to baby sit my 4 grandchildren, ever.  I was thrilled.  I enjoyed so much to have the three little ones all to myself. They are soooo precious.

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By the time Becky and dad returned, it was kind of late.  We were both so tired.  But this is the night we have designated to go visit my husband's parents.  Not wanting to disappoint them, we headed over there - a 45 minute drive.  In retrospect, we are both so very glad that we made this decision.  My in-laws are virtual shut-ins, whose only contact with the outside world is with doctor's and an occasional visit to a dentist.  They have told us numerous times how very happy they are that we come to see them every week, and how they look forward to it.  When we are together we watch a sermon, and this evening has become a virtual mid-week church service.  We may come tired, but we always leave feeling refreshed and uplifted.

Thursday I went shopping with Rachel and we accomplished all that was on her Christmas list.  We went to lunch with dad (again) at the same cute little hamburger joint in the old court house. And we shopped until we almost dropped, having started in the early afternoon and ending almost at 9:00 p.m.

Today I had planned to spend the morning leisurely organizing my bedroom drawers and getting a better system.  In the afternoon, I was going to take my 13 year old son to do his Christmas shopping.  Plan interrupted.  Phone call from the office.  “I really need you here at the office, this is very important.”  So, six hours later, and a bedroom that had gotten half started (translation: a mess), I got home just in time to take Joshua Christmas shopping before it got dark.

Shopping with a 13 year old boy sure is different than the day before with my almost 17 year old daughter.  Shopping with Rachel is a carefree, fun, and an enjoyable event all through the process of finding the perfect gifts.  Shopping with Joshua was a rude walk into reality.  He had a list.  And the priority on the list, were the fun stuff for the boys. When we walked into the doors of Target, the toy section of the store was his target. His older brother, Matt, he got a computer game (bought with his own money); his younger brother, Jacob, he got a nerf gun.  He got some cars for his friend, Micah.  When that was done, he carried his list as a soldier might carry his battle plan.  He forgot that I was even with him, as I kept trying to find him every other minute.  His pace was fast, I couldn’t keep up.  And the final moment was when he walked up to the cashier, had her ring everything up, and then realized he needed his money that was in mom’s purse.  At course, mom didn’t even know that he was in the checkout line. 

So here’s a soup I made this week, and I guarantee your going to love it. This recipe was given to me by my daughter-in-law, Kristi. I cook this in the crock-pot.

• I pour into the pot a large container of V-8 Spicy Juice.
• I add a pound of browned hamburger meat (which this soup is really fast to make if you have the meat already browned and in the freezer, which I did.) 
• Add two green peppers, chopped. 
• Add 1/2 cup of rice.
• Add 1/2 cup of brown sugar. 

Voila!  Your going to love it!