Friday's Thankful Treasures

Lydia: Her new skill of rolling over!

Me: Fall, Family, Dustin's birthday and all of our friends

Dustin: his birthday was this past Wednesday. click on this link to see what he is most thankful for: http://holyworldwide.com/dustinhedrick/?p=1531

AB: Her Poppy's coat. Last night cold water was poured on hers and she got to wear his to the car and of course he offered for her to wear it all the way home. The look on her face shows her thankfulness and her love for her Poppy

(sorry it is so dark, her car seat is navy blue, the coat is black and it was dark outside)

Thursday's things Heard...when talking about Jesus

AB: Mommy look (a Christmas decoration), I remember that from last year. Its for Christmas.

Me: Yes, I see that. Do you remember what Christmas is all about?

AB: Santa Clause and presents!!!

Me: Do you remember what else Christmas is about?

AB: Nope

Me: Remember it is about Jesus and him being born and God sending him to earth to be with us?

AB: Oh, yes, I remember that! That is so special. This year at Christmas, I want Jesus to be with Christmas and presents and be in my heart.

Although I know we have been talking a lot about what it means to have Jesus in our hearts, I knew she was not really getting it, we arrived at our location shortly after that and I let the conversation rest. Later that evening we were on the road again, this time Poppy was in the car. We dove past another Christmas decoration.

AB: Poppy, do you remember that (a Christmas decoration)?

Poppy: I do

AB: Its for Christmas

Me: Do you remember what Christmas is all about?

Yes, Santa, presents and Jesus

Me: Hey Poppy, did you know what AB said? She said this Christmas she wants Jesus to be in her heart!

Poppy: (hopeful but still sensing it was too early, heck it was just the other month she said she didn't want Jesus in her heart even though he was in poppy's and mommy's) Really? Wow, that's great? Why do you want Jesus in your heart?

AB: cause he is very nice

Poppy: well thats not the reason we ask Jesus to be in our heart. We ask him to be in our heart because he loves us and we love him and he is our friend and we can talk to him and he died on the cross for us and...

Me: and he keeps us safe

AB: just like the firetrucks keep us safe

Me: yes, firetrucks keep us safe. Who is better than fire trucks?

AB: Jesus

Me: who is better than ambulances?

AB: Jesus

Me: who is better than police officers?

AB: Jesus

Me: who is better than mommy?

AB: Jesus

Me: who is better than poppy?

AB: Jesus

Me: who is better than moose?

AB: Jesus

Me: who is the best in the whole world?

AB: (with much thought and consideration she was quiet for a second and then shouted) .... Anna!!!

Wednesday's Something I have never done before...pumpkins and wine

I made an incredible Pumpkin Sausage Pasta dish. It has been a long time since I followed a recipe and created a nice meal. Encouraged and inspired by my Uncle David, I finally agreed to do it. I printed the recipe, read it over and over and over. Made a shopping list and went to the store. $26 dollars later I had all the ingredients for the pasta dish and the accompanying spinach salad. I had hoped to spend a little less but if you think about it, the cost of going to a nice restaurant and getting 2 entrees, 2 salads, a kids meal, a drink (i usually get water but Dustin always gets a diet coke) and a milk for AB plus tax, plus tip - I think $26 was a good deal!

Dustin had to work late which was great, there wasn't a lot of pressure for me to get it done quickly. I read the recipe over and over again. Had it really been that long since I followed a recipe; shamefully I think it has. 1 cup of dry white wine. Ok so how in the heck am I to know if the wine I got was dry? I don't drink, everyone knows that. I bought a cheap bottle for $7. Looks like I can make this recipe many more times seeing that I only used a cup. How long does wine last in the fridge after it has been opened? Speaking of opening, how in the heck am I supposed to open it? I have never opened wine. I called my dad, he walked me through it. It was kinda cool. AB was upset that I made her leave the room while I did it. (I didn't know if it was going to fly off and hit her in the eye or something.)

The pasta dish came together very nicely and the spinach salad was perfect; even the dressing was homemade!

Here is the link to the recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/pasta-with-pumpkin-and-sausage-recipe/index.html

Tuesday's Taco Salad Family Night...Dustin's birthday eve

No Taco Salad again...but it was a special occasion. Poppy's birthday was tomorrow and we had to go shopping without him. In our house we celebrate birthdays for a week and today was day 3 of the birthday week. I made a quick mashed potatoes and a steak cooked inside. The rain would not let up long enough for me to grill.

We scarfed our dinner down, AB wore her rain boots and off to the store we went. AB was on a mission. She wanted to buy Poppy a dog. Lord help us, its all about dogs. I was going to try to steer her in a different direction but then AB announced to Poppy that she was going to buy him a birthday present and it would be a surprise, a dog! He looked at me as I shook my head no and said, at least make it a good one...not some cheap something other, make it something she will like.

My intentions were to go to Bed Bath and Beyond to get him a facial hair trimmer...well let's face it, he's getting old :) and then we would go to the dollar store and let her go wild and pick out whatever she wanted. I didn't think the dollar store would have an appropriate dog we could get plus the rain was a lot and it was late AND it was me vs. 2 girls! Once in BBB I tried to make it a one stop shop. We were on a hunt for a dog. We went straight to the check out isle. I found one for $2.99...you know those family stickers on the back of minivans? You know, the mom, the dad, the princess daughter, the skateboarder son...they have dogs too. We got a dog and it can go on his car and not clutter my house! SCORE!

The evening ended with a stop at AB's favorite place, Old McDonalds. Cheeseburger for her, and ice creams for Poppy and Mommy!

Monday's Making it a Home...10 minutes the night before

So the daycare, LMNOP opens every morning at 7am. This particular weekend, my house looks very "lived in". (i can't be perfect all the time) and I had planned on waking up early to tidy up a bit before my client arrived instead of doing it on Sunday night. All I can assume is that my last thought before bed was of my intentions and last night my only dream was that I was cleaning all night. So my sleep wasn't restful and I woke up only to still have to scramble to clean up before 7am! The best part is is that it only took me 10 minutes to pick up the whole house.

How restful would my sleep have been last night if I had taken 10 minutes and knocked it out then? Its a goal I can strive for.

Friday's Thankful Treasures

AB: Green, Poppy, Cheetos, Moose and Crackers (maybe one day I will make it to her list)

Lydia: learning how to sleep longer

Dustin: a break in the clouds (nothing to do on Saturday)

Lori: my husband and his upcoming birthday week

11.12.10

Thursday's things Heard...What do you want for dinner?

Things heard in response to the daily question...what do you want for dinner?

Me: Ab what do u want for dinner?
AB: Mayonnaise and blueberries!
Me: No way!

Things heard while trying to get a boogie from AB's nose

Very mature and mater-of-factly AB said to me: "Mommy my boogie is way far away and you just cannot reach it"

Wednesday's Something I have never done before...chicken wings

So I have only been using chopsticks for a little over 8 years. I got embarrassed continually going out to restaurants with friends and them having to ask the waitress for a fork for me and me being the only one at the table using one. I picked up the skill pretty quickly, although it isn't always pretty.

This Tuesday, I ate a chicken wing with a very messy, very yummy spicy glaze with chopsticks. Not a huge deal to you I am sure, but I am actually impressed with myself.

So there, that is something I have never done before.

Tuesday's Taco Salad Family Night...cheese and crackers in bed

Dustin had the day off today because we have a special guest with us. Noah Gitau is the National Director of Vineyard Churches in Kenya. We have had a great time with him being here. We are getting ready to walk out the door for our last meal with him. A bunch of us from the Tapesty are getting together.

BUT none of the above changes the fact that it is FAMILY NIGHT. We just improvised and made it FAMILY LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING. Lydia got a bath first, then AB. She shocked us all with laying down in the tub and letting me support her neck! Praise the Lord, she finally trusts me. We have been doing the cup over the head thing and it was getting really old. This was so much easier. I gave her one green spree as a reward! It was so nice to have Dustin home so early in the day (5pm) haha. We usually do not see him till 6:30. Dinner isn't till 7:30 which means we won't eat till 8:00 so we had cheese and crackers in bed. The cheese was some that we bought from Butler's orchard's Market the day we went to the pumpkin festival. It was fancy cheese and we saved it for a special occasion. I think that Tuesday Family Night was special enough!

Now on to dinner and saying goodbye to a new friend!

Monday's Making it a Home...every room in my house has a kitchen sink.

So, I have read a book, visited a website, subscribed to a newsletter and received daily emails. Have you every heard of the Fly Lady? I heard of her a few years ago. I have been very busy with 2 kiddos, church stuff, a full time job and LIFE...but I never fully abandon her principles. You can do anything in 15 minutes. Your house didn't get this way overnight and it won't be fixed overnight either. Its ok to vacuum just the middle of the floor sometimes and not all the way to the corners. House work not done perfectly still blesses your family. Shine your sink everyday.

What? Shine your sink everyday? The creator of flylady.net started it all with the principle of shining her kitchen sink every day. If she could at least do that, her kitchen looked cleaner and felt cleaner and it inspired her not to leave dirty dishes in it and then it inspired her not to leave clutter on the counter, etc. Her theory does work.

This week, I decided to jump back in on the flylady bandwagon. But I need to do it at a different pace this time. I think I can fully do it, but I need to start at a very do-able pace. Once she got the kitchen sink down she moved into this master plan for the whole house. Its amazing and Lord bless me, I will be there soon. But I have decided that every room in my house has a kitchen sink. Do you see where I am going? If I can keep the kitchen sink clean in each room then at least my house will "feel" clean. You know that I am talking about...why do you think your mom always said MAKE YOUR BED. Your bed was the kitchen sink of your bedroom. If your bed was made, the rest of the room didn't seem so bad.

So, my goal is to clean the "kitchen sink" of every room before I go to bed. Here is my list of kitchen sinks. What are yours?

Kitchen = obviously the sink

Sunroom = everything off the rug

Dining room = nothing left on the table, not even the salt shaker (not that it is wrong to leave a salt shaker on it, but in my mind, that is how it looks clean to me)

Living room = nothing on the sofa or chairs and the pillows nicely placed

Front entry way = nothing left on the sofa table

Family Room = everything off the carpet

Laundry Room = everything off the top of the washer and dryer

Bathroom = counters cleared off

My room = the bed made

Lyd's Room = nothing in her yellow chair

AB's room = everything off the floor

How long does each sink take...my goodness, it shouldn't take more than 90 seconds per "sink". Does it really take more that 90 seconds to empty the kitchen sink or put away a blanket left on Lydia's yellow chair? So with that time estimate, that means it should take me no longer than 16.5 minutes and I think I could shave that down some. It takes 21 days to form a habit! Here is to making my house a home, one "kitchen sink" at a time!

The name of the book this concept came from is Sink Reflections and the website is www.flylady.net. Enjoy! (and tell me if after checking any of this out you are inspired. I would love a FlyLady buddy)

Friday's Thankful Treasures

Lydia: The Tablespoon of rice cereal in her bottle each night starting on Halloween

Dustin: "my friends and family that are working so hard to help complete my vision"

Me: I am so thankful for my life, just as it is, good and bad, highs and lows. Today I am just very thankful and I do not want to miss out on now because I am looking so far ahead.

AB: Anna, what are you most thankful for today. "Hmmm, lets see....my bicycle, my jump rope, my scooter and skateboard." Anna, you do not have a scooter or skateboard (she asks for those daily). Can you just be thankful for your bicycle and jump rope? "Yes, I am."

Thursday's things Heard..."both team"

Last Wednesday around 5:30pm we had a couple things going on at once:

a friend stopped by to pick up VeggieTales Sing Yourself Silly tickets for this weekend (and brought me Dunkin Donuts Coffee), we were walking out the door to go to the store to get snacks for small group, the FedEx Truck blocked us both in as he delivered my *Diapers.Com order, I had to get Lydia in her side of the car, I had to get AB in her carseat, I had to remember to get my coffee off the top of the car, AND I brought my neighbors trash cans in from the curb (because her husband is out of town)

As we were pulling out of the driveway and onto the street, AB said, "Mommy, you didn't buckle this one! Mommy, you didn't buckle this one!" I looked back and sure enough, I had only buckled half of the buckle. I quickly stopped my car, in mid-reverse, leaned back and buckled the other half. "Anna Beth, thank you SO much for letting Mommy know. Please always let me know if that happens." To which she replied, "It's ok mommy, we are on the both team, the both team." I asked, "Do you mean the same team?" "Yes, the same team Mommy."

That did my heart so good. Our little family has been through a lot recently, a new baby, a job change, a business starting, a loan refinanced, just to name a few. One thing I said to my family over and over was guys, lets remember we are all on the same team. We have the same heart, the same goal and we are on each other's side. If I said it once in a day, I said it 30 times...we are on the same team! We are a family! To hear AB say, Mommy, its ok, we are on the both team...was just a huge WOW moment for me. She listens to me and she gets it. She really gets it!

*Diapers.Com is AMAZING! - Diapers to your door, the next day with free shipping! When we get down to the last 2 or 3 diapers I place the order and its like magic, it shows up the next day. It beats having to sit in traffic. It beats having to go to more than one store looking for size 5 pull-ups. It is always having sales. It beats having bulk diaper and wipes take up the whole cart leaving little room for other groceries and hello, have you been shopping with a 3 year old and a 3 month old by yourself! Man!

Anyways, they have a referral program. 15% off your first order, that is of course if you put my code in. Here are the details below:

Thought you might be interested in this website I discovered, www.diapers.com. They deliver diapers, wipes, formula and other baby necessities at really low prices with fast free shipping. They carry all the big brands and hard-to-find products too.

If you enter my email address or Share the Savings Code on the shopping cart screen, you'll get 15% off your first order!* It's their best offer for new customers.

My Email Address: lorihedrick@tapestrychurch.org
Savings Code: 123LMNOP

Check it out at www.diapers.com.

* Please note: $100 max discount. Other restrictions may apply.

Wednesday's Something I have never done before...leaving her alone!

I think I hit a milestone. I did one of the hardest things I have ever done as a mom. I left Anna Beth alone at a birthday party all by herself. The birthday girl lived on our street, just 2 doors down. I went with Lydia and Anna and I stayed for about 15 minutes to make sure she was going to be ok. I helped her find her nameplate "Princess Anna Beth" and put the straw in her juice box. This was the first time she had been in their home. I don't know that much about the family, but we see them at every outreach that our church does in this community and they are super friendly. Their daughter is just 9 months older than AB.

Once they were eating, the mom started telling all the girls what they were going to be doing. She said, "When you finish eating, we will go downstairs and play a game with a donkey and tails." Anna Beth, excitedly yelled into the living room where I was, "Mommy, we get to play a game with donkey and tails!!!." Then the birthday girl's mom said, and then we have a donut game we will play." Anna Beth, more excited then she was about the donkey, yelled into the living room again, "Mommy we get donuts!!"

The other girls were not yelling back into the room at their moms. The party was from 12:00-3:00. I could not let her do this for 3 hours. She needed to experience this on her own, share her excitement with the little girls her age, not just me. I needed her to be independent. This was her first party without her church friends or her LMNOP friends. This was her big moment and I couldn't have her not experience it fully. So, I told the mom I was going to go home and would be back later to pick her up. I am not sure what the etiquette is, I am not sure she knew either. I told AB I would be right back and she could have cared less.

I went home, set Lydia down and sat on the couch and teared up. Should I have stayed? I did see a crucifix in their living room. They are good people. She is only 3. What if she has to go potty? She can do it all by herself, but she still relies on me to wipe. Who would wipe her? Oh, goodness, I should go back. But I can't go back, I told them I had to go home. Dustin, working from home that day, assured me she would be fine and I could go back early and he even said he would watch Lydia for me so I could have both hands.

I went back around 2:00. The party officially had another hour. She was fine. When I walked in the door, she was helping the birthday girl open her presents. I looked in the pile of opened gifts. Ours was there. Did they like it? Was the birthday girl gracious and make AB feel good for giving it to her or was it dismissed and set down quickly? Did AB notice either way? I realized there, I cannot project my insecurities of what people think onto my innocent 3 year old. She was so happy to be there. I caught myself telling her to back up a little and let the other girls help open the presents but then I realized, I can't be so hard on her. SHE IS 3!!! I had a cup of tea and cupcakes with the other moms and finally felt myself relax!

I am learning. Learning to let go. Wow this is so hard! God please give me wisdom. I don't want to screw this all up. Man, it is hard!

Tuesday's Taco Salad Family Night ... invaded by Pirates

So, my client picked their kiddo up early for a Dr. Appt. We had a couple hours till Poppy was due home...we sure did take advantage of that time. First we went to vote. It was fun explaining voting on a 3 year old level. Then it was to the cleaners to pick up Poppy's shirts. Then, the day was too nice to just go home. We met a friend at Yogiberry. The fall air is still so crisp. I am wanting the leaves to stay in the trees just a bit longer.

Once home, I started to make dinner. Yep you guessed it, Taco Salad. Dustin came home from work late. He declared we were going out! We have a lot going on in the month of November and tonight was one of the last nights (this month) that we would get to have time, just the 4 of us!

Chuck E Cheese, here we come! What a blast. We played games, saw Chuck, AB got the jackpot 3 times on one machine, and we ended the night with mommy chasing her up the slide as she was coming down. I know, you aren't supposed to go up the down part, but man I had fun meeting her 1/2 way, tickling her and sliding down together as our hair stood straight up due to static.

We got home again and it was bed time. I got her ready and it was Poppy't turn to read books. As we were using the "spicy" toothpaste and learning to spit properly, a big ugly pirate climbed up the stairs and gave AB a huge fright! Oh she shrieked like a little girl so loud! He whisked her away to her bedroom and read books, sang songs, read the Bible and prayed over her. She loved it. What an awesome way to end the day (for both of them). Dustin had a really stressful day and its so cool how a $5 pirate hat can make a lot of that go away. I don't think either of them will ever forget this night. I know I won't!

Monday's Making it a Home...her own space

One way to make a house a home is to give each member of the family their own space so they can feel like they are a part. How many times do we tell our little ones to put their toys away. Get your toys off the living room floor. Please put your legos away. You have to put that away if you want to play with the other toy.

My poor child has to clean all the time since we have meetings, dinner appts, etc. weekly. I didn't realize how much it would mean for AB to have her own space but a long time ago, I taped some of her art masterpieces to our kitchen cabinets. (Our cabinets were the nastiest thing about our house and will be replaced in the next year or so, unless they all fall off sooner!). The sun faded them and I pulled them all down. That was like a year ago. This past weekend, AB came to me and asked me why there were not any more up there.

So the tape runner came out and the art went up! Her toys might be put away, but AB has a spot...its right in the heart of my kitchen, above the coffee maker, above the microwave and right next to the fridge. You can't miss it.