Sidenote

Wednesday night I went out for supper with 4 great friends to celebrate Brenda's 40th birthday. (I told you I'd blog about it, Lisa!) After food, laughter, & fellowship, we went where all dates end up...to Wal-Mart. As we were walking around the lingerie department, I had a "moment". It was as close as I've come to a "sister-in-law outing". When I married Phil in 1997, I was thrust into a new family with 2 other new "sisters", as Phil & his two older brothers all had weddings within a 6 month period. It was a little awkward that first Christmas getting to know one another, but we went on a sister-in-law outing, and have carried on the tradition ever since. For me, it's the best part of our family gatherings. The 5 of us never had sisters of our own & we have become as close as any biological sisters could be...without a past of sibling rivalry! In that moment, in the middle of Wal-Mart, I realized that there is a bond between women - that of sisterhood, as we laugh & relate to raising kids, raising husbands :), keeping a home & juggling the many responsibilities we have. I couldn't ask for better sisters.

On another note, I'm going braless today. Yep, you heard me. I really did admit it. I went swimming yesterday & like an idiot, didn't put on sunscreen...and the sunscreen I did put on, I put on a little too late. I have a great "tan" line & the only thing I'm comfortable in is a tank top. So, I know that's probably "TMI" for some of you (Too Much Information), but you've all been there, right? I do it every year. Will someone please remind me next summer to not be an idiot & put some protection on after being indoors all year?!?! Thanks. It's what friends are for.

SpongeBob

I'm not a big SpongeBob fan. I'll just leave it at that. But I am a big softie & I have a special place in my heart for kids. So I'm willing to put aside my personal feelings to make them happy. And this is why I was up until after midnight last night decorating this cake. I like that you can't look at it up close & personal & see all my mistakes. It looks fine from far away. But the best part of the cake isn't the decorating or the frosting, it's the cake itself. Several years ago, I came across this recipe for moist chocolate cake & now it's the only one I use. You can make many "flavors", just choose a pudding flavor that compliments the cake.

Moist Cake:
1 cake mix

1 pkg. instant pudding

4 eggs

1 c. sour cream

1/2 c. oil

1/2 c. water

Mix ingredients together until well blended. (I often use a hand-mixer for this.) Batter will be thick. Pour into a greased 9x13" pan & bake @ 350 degrees for about 30 min. or until a toothpick insterted in the center comes out clean. Cool & serve. My kids love a "lighter" frosting & one of our favorites is a mixture of instant pudding mixed w/ CoolWhip. Enjoy!

Sometimes...they surprise you

So...what day is it again?

I think I'm starting to lose my mind. I really should not be having this much trouble remembering things at 33...no, wait...I'm still 32. See? What'd I tell ya? I'm starting to lose my mind. I can't keep track of what day it is, if I don't write things down they are instantly forgotten, and I can't tell you how many times I walk to a certain location only to wonder, "Now WHY did I come here?" I don't think I should be this absent minded in my thirties. And the "older" women in my life, who are supposed to be encouraging & offer wise counsel, have informed me it will only get worse! I once heard that being pregnant kills brain cells & I'm inclined to believe that. But it probably has more to do with lack of exercise. I've tried Sudoku to get my mind in shape, but all that has accomplished is aiding in procrastination...plus it's highly addictive! I've tried reading deep theological books that force me to think critically, but the four precious children that sucked those brain cells out of me in the first place, now constantly interrupt & make concentration impossible! So after reading & re-reading a paragraph, I decide I don't need to exercise my brain after all. I can't carry on a conversation, but the women I converse with can't either. You know it's bad when half way through a sentence you're asking, "Now, where was I? What was I talking about?" and the person listening to you can't help you out. You just end up laughing, "Oh, well...must not have been that important." But the reality of it is, you'll never know. Because you'll never be able to remember.

Life in the fast lane

Well, the last few days have been a whirlwind of activity. Last Thursday was the kids' last day of school & my last day of babysitting. We loaded up the van, left Enid around 8pm, & headed to my parents' home in Peoria, IL. We got here in time for breakfast & a quick shower, then hopped back in the van & drove to Chicago. We got into the city in time for a picnic lunch at Belmont Park near the Lake. Abbie & Grace each managed to drop one shoe in the water & we were thankful for a fisherman nearby who had a net that came in very handy. Later that afternoon, our family drove around the city & we had fun walking around Grant Park. We spent the night in Bolingbrook with Phil's aunt & uncle. Saturday we witnessed two "miracles" - Aaron's graduation from college (I still remember when he learned how to write "I hate school."), and a girl that is interested in spending time with him. ;) We ate a yummy lunch at Giordano's...nothing quite compares to Chicago style pizza! Afterward, we took the kids for a ride on the subway. We did our best to "blend in" when we lived in Chicago, but walking around with four wide-eyed kids who were peppering us with questions, made it a little obvious that we were tourists and not experienced city folk! While we were riding the train, Phil took another walk down memory lane, "Remember the time we went with our bro/sis & I took us the wrong way & it was freezing &...???" Oh, deja vu is not a good thing! We took the orange line to Clark & Lake, then switched to the blue line & got off on Chicago. "Oh, yeah!" We were supposed to get off on Chicago on either the red or brown line. In an effort to be optimistic, Phil said, "It's not too far, I can see the John Hancock from here!" If you have lived in a big city, you know that just because you can see the 125 story building, doesn't mean that the distance to GET there is all that close! So we had a great family hike & I was reminded why I got the job as navigator. Sunday we spent in Racine, WI with a friend from college. We had reminisced all weekend & arrived at church Sunday morning only to declare to our children, "This is where we got married!" Abbie quickly piped up, "I've had enough of all this love stuff!!" After seeing where we met, the park where we first kissed, the restaurant where we got engaged, the corner where we went roller-blading, and the church where we were married, our kids had exceeded their quota of "gooshy" memories. We're back at my parents' today & planning to head home on Wednesday. All in all, it's been a fun week, and I have realized that though the past was memorable, the present is much more of an adventure!

My Gracie girl...

Tomorrow is Grace's birthday. I can't believe she's seven already. Where have the years gone? This year she's excited about "milestones" - namely getting her ears pierced & receiving a glass doll from Grammie Debelak. The only reason she can count on these things is because her big sister got them when she turned seven. Hopefully the boys won't have the same expectations when they turn seven! Last Friday we went with her class to see Charlotte's Web at a children's theater in Wichita. On the bus ride home I was asking what she would like for her birthday & what kind of cake she wanted. Typically I hear, "Ummm....I don't know." When she was younger she used to say, "I don't matter." which really meant, "I don't care." But without hestitation, she looked at me & said, "Um...a Charlotte's Web cake?"

I must confess I'm either lazy or I like to avoid making extra work for myself. Is that the same as being lazy? Anyway. Grace wanted to take treats to school tomorrow, so I thought I'd send her decorated cake instead of having to make cupcakes AND a cake. Then, I didn't want to make more frosting, since I still had lots of green & white left from Noah's cake...thus the green & pink. Phil thinks I should still mix a bunch of colors together to make a muddy brown. He says pigs are never that pink & CLEAN. But that would take more work & I think the cake looks fine just the way it is, don't you? :) I love watching Ace of Cakes, but I always think to myself, that's a lot of work for something that will just be eaten! But I have to say that all the work is definitely worth that smile...priceless.

Happy Mother's Day!

This weekend we went camping with our small group. We had two new families join us this time, so there were 27 of us - 11 adults & 16 kids (we missed you, Travis!). Sat. night we were making Hobo dinners & one of the mom commented, "These are a LOT of work, next time we should just make Frito Chili Pies, or something simpler!" To which my quiet friend replied, "Hobo dinners are kind of like camping - a LOT of work, but well worth the effort." It's true. When I think about camping, just our family, I have to say, it doesn't excite me much. It's a lot of work! But there's something about coming together in a group of friends, working together & having fun, that makes it worth the effort. I'm not saying that camping as a family isn't worth the effort, it's just different. I love watching the kids play together & pair off with different ones at different times, or to see the older ones caring for the younger. Making meals, setting up & tearing down camp, living without the creature comforts of home...they all require some flexibility & most require a lot of work, but the memories, conversations, and fellowship are well worth it!

Yesterday for Mother's Day, my girls each gave me cards declaring that I was the "best Mom EVER!" (Does that qualify me as a Prov. 31 women, Ruthie?) :) Anyway, before supper, Daniel & Phil decided to make something for me. Daniel wanted to make a cake, brownies & ice cream. Phil left the kitchen for a minute & found Daniel with 3 cake boxes open & ready! But they settled on brownies & Daniel's eyes were bright with pride when he told me all about it. After supper, while we were enjoying the fruits of his labor, I thanked him & told him how special it was that he had made them just for me. He smiled back at me & asked, "Are you gonna give me spanks if I hit Noah?" While I was still trying to figure out where THAT question had come from & if he had just hit Noah or was planning on hitting him...he followed up with, "If I made you brownies, I wouldn't get a spank..." Then the realization hit. That boy is too smart. While he had me on his good side, he thought he'd just see how much he could get out of those brownies. Mischevious AND charming...