January 31, 2011

The Sickies End With a Laugh

Saturday morning, Jason and I sat in the living room. We talked about what to do with our day, tossing ideas around. Caleb, still recovering from a week of The Sickies, crawled up into my lap with a blanket and said in a woobie voice: "I feel so sick."

Don't feel too sorry for him. He learned that phrase recently and now uses it whenever he tries to be cute. Whether he feels ill or not. We smiled at him, and I wrapped him up in his blanket and let him snuggle.

A few minutes later, still undecided about our day, we asked Caleb what he would like to do.

"Chucky Cheese?" he asked hopefully. We started to laugh.

Casually I said, "You can't go to Chucky Cheese if you're sick, little boy."

He thought about that for a minute, then declared, "I feel better!"

We really had a laugh then. Silly, goofy child!

But the happy ending to this story is that we did spend time at Chuck E. Cheese's on Saturday. We had a happy, tuckered out little guy by the end of the day (which made us adult-types happy, as well!).

~~~

We fought a bout of influenza last week. Caleb woke up Monday with a fever that persisted for three days; he had a cough, sore throat, and runny nose. No appetite (wonder of wonders!) and no energy (I thought for sure hell had frozen over). In fact, I haven't seen him so sick since he was a baby. Seriously.

We spent a lot of time snuggling on the couch. Garfield cartoons. Blue's Clues. Pink Panther. Ice Age movies. We watched them all. Then we watched them again. He slept in bed with me at night (Jason relocated to the guest room, because our bed just isn't big enough for three!). Caleb would play a little, I'd clean a little. Cancelled plans with friends. Kept him home from school. Skipped bible study.

Yep, that's pretty much how the week went. But you know what? It was actually a rather restful week. Quiet, un-busy. It was nice. :)

And I got a chance to work on my rag rug. Which is a whole 'nuther story, because I figured out four blankets in that I was doing it wrong. I promise to give more details later. And maybe a picture or two of my progress so far.

In the meantime, Caleb is back to his old michievous self and I once again find myself on my toes trying to keep up! Happy Monday, all! Hope you have a good week!

January 19, 2011

Being Domestic

Working on my current project: Caleb's rag rug.

(After a frantic phone call to Tabitha to make sure I had threaded her sewing machine properly.)

Anyone want to guess how long it's been since I last sewed? On a machine?

(A looooong while.)

Stack of old receiving blankets. . .


. . . and what I'm turning them into. Strips of soft, flannel fabric.

Sewing the strips together to make one long continuous strand. I have cut and sewn four blankets so far. I have nine to go. Whew!

I haven't begun to crochet yet, but I'm close. I decided on a rectangular pattern today. Hopefully I'll have time this weekend to start on the actual rug! :)


January 18, 2011

What's in a name?

- excerpted from "To Live is Christ" daily devotional by Beth Moore. I'm loving the simplicity and depth of her thoughts today.

"And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch."
- Acts 11:26

What a great word: Christian -
an emotional word causing one man joy and another man fury, causing one man peace and another man turmoil.

A dividing word unceasingly drawing a line. Either a man is or he is not; he is either for or against.

A uniting word, drawing together unlikely pairs in workplaces and neighborhoods over one single bond.

A defining word for which countless people have lived and countless people have died.

Christian was a label coined by unbelievers as a form of ridicule. How beautifully God stole the victory from Satan. The very word used as a mockery became the greatest privilege a man could boast.

January 15, 2011

Made Personal

Psalm 23
(slightly expanded)
The Lord is my shepherd
I shall not want.
I will lack for nothing, I will not be in need, for You are my provider.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters,
You bring me to pleasant places and give me rest from the weary busy-ness of life.

He restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
You show me where to walk and keep my feet from slipping.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
When hard times come, when life is dark and my story takes me to painful places, I have hope, for I know You walk those difficult roads with me. The darkness will not last forever.

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You love me enough to correct me when I wander, to show me when I'm wrong. That brings me great comfort because I know I'm not enough on my own.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You exalt me, protect me, and grant me victory over the One who destroys.

You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.
You pour out blessing upon blessing into my life and fill my days with good things.

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life,
for your love never fails and your forgiveness covers my every sin.

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Death is not the end. I have eternity to hope for and while I don't know what Heaven will be like exactly, it is enough to know

that You will be there.

January 13, 2011

Of Brownies and Bright Ideas

3:58 pm. Sitting in the den, watching Ant & Aardvark cartoons with Caleb.

Gray day outside, but deliciously warm.

(I never thought I'd call temperatures in the 40s "deliciously warm", but after a week of 20s and 30s, 45 degrees feels like spring!). I love the soft, wet smell outside. And the fact that my nose doesn't immediately freeze upon leaving the house.

My friend Tabitha is coming over this evening for mint brownies and a chic flick. I have Letters From Juliet from Netflix and neither of us have seen it. She and Caleb get along famously and I'm looking forward to a night of laughs, fellowship, and of course, those brownies.

She's also bringing over her sewing machine, which she generously offered to lend me. It's for my latest craft idea: a crocheted rag rug for Caleb's room. :) I started last night, cutting his old flannel receiving blankets into strips. I'm so excited to make this rug! I haven't done something "crafty" in a long time, and this rug idea has completely taken me over. (Like most of my bright ideas do... and I say "bright" in the most sarcastic voice possible...) Heh. We'll see how this one goes. Rugs are expensive to buy, and I love the idea of recycling old cloth into something useful.

The sun just broke out of the clouds, illuminating the Madrona tree in our backyard with a kind of rosey-golden light. Mmmmm, beautiful.

And with that happy image, I should probably get started on the brownies. Oh, and dinner. Yeah, I'm sure Jason would appreciate dinner when he gets home. Instead of just brownies. I wonder what he'd say if I tried to feed him brownies for dinner?

(He'd probably shake his head, laugh, and then go heat up a hot dog)

Well, I won't do that to him. Not tonight, anyway. :)

Happy Thursday evening, all!

January 10, 2011

Because Someone Just Turned Four!

Birthday Candles Blue Birthday 5x7 folded card
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Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland

Hey everyone! First off, I'd like to wish you all . . .

(yeah, what the hat said)
I hope you guys had a warm and wonderful New Years! Our holiday was quiet and cozy, just the three of us at home. We debated whether or not to have friends over, but decided in the end to keep it just us.

(truth be told, I didn't even make it to midnight... how lame is that?!?! I must be getting old...)

The day after New Years, we went to Cranberry Lake. We had a cold spell with temps below freezing for several days and it was just enough to freeze the top few inches of the lake. The ice was a lot of fun to poke and prod and crack and throw. :)

The ice made the most interesting noises when it was cracked...

Or when it was flung... you could hear a rock or piece of ice creak all the way across the lake. Weird!


Caleb discovered some canoes with frozen water inside them. He made it his own personal skating rink.


Whoops!
Me, all bundled up!

Kneeling, precariously, on a deep patch of ice. Who says I can't walk on water?!?! ;)

~~~
After New Years, the weather warmed up into the 40s. But now it's cooled off again, and would you believe it? We woke up to SNOW yesterday morning!!! It was too warm to stick, but was coming down too quickly to melt completely (temps were hovering just above freezing all day).
After church, we made a pit stop at Joseph Whidbey S.P. so I could get some pictures. :)

Snow on the driftwood... love it. :)

Snow in the trees... Jason loved that.

Some of the snow actually lasted through the night, which means we were out playing in it first thing this morning. Caleb tried going out in his pajamas, but Mommy put a quick stop to that!
We had some sunshine this morning, but the clouds have closed back in and we have more snow in the forcast for tonight, tomorrow, and probably Thursday, too. Crazy, huh? Considering we had ZERO snow last winter . . .
That's the Pacific Northwest, I guess! :) I've stocked up on indoor activities and craft stuff to do with Caleb in case we have a snow day later in the week. Or, you know, tomorrow.
I'm dreaming of a white January . . .