pushin' 40

happy 36th birthday carlos!

funny girl.

alexandria is writing a paper for school about living
in the middle colonies. she had to write a letter to a friend
as is she was a child living during that time.
she also listed 6 facts, 8 laws, drew a picture, and at the end she had to
explain some of "poor richard's almanac sayings" and make up 2 of her own.

i could just be really sleepy but i laughed and laughed at this part....witty girl she is.

(My own sayings; in Franklin's style)

A broken hand is better than a broken brain.

By the time you're grown your brain should not be blown,

It should last all your days.

do something good.

Every time you use your (STARBUCKS)^RED Card to pay for purchases at participating Starbucks stores between 1/3/09 and 12/31/09, we’ll donate 5 cents to the Global Fund to help save lives in Africa.

now this is something i'm really impressed with. the card is absolutely free just like any other sbux gift card, get it started with only $5 (sidenote:register it online and your soy&syrups are free) use it for every purchase you make (just keep re-loading it) and it's a nickel to the global fund everytime, all year.
just think if half of the sbux customers did this, it would be out of control AMAZING!
in december, sbux donated well over one million doses of daily medicine to help save lives in africa with the sales of our (red) exclusive beverages (5 cents per drink), and we can do so much more with these (red)cards.

go get one.

do it.

BIRTH-days

so james, my little brother, is turning 30 today.
it's crazy to think that on this day 30 years ago,
i was at a birth center waiting for him to be born.
i can remember being there, and hearing my mother making the
normal sounds of a woman giving birth,
sounds that i would go one to hear dozens of times in my career as a doula.
two things happened that day...
i was given a brother to love
and i was given an example of birth in it's most natural form.
my mother's birth stories shaped something on the inside of me.
i was handed down trust in the process that God created...
what a gift.
happy birthday james.
happy BIRTH-day mom.

"we have a secret in our culture, and it's not that birth is painful. it's that women are strong." -laura stavoe harm

...of the queens that have gone before us.

i found this article to be interesting. i thought of my memaw, always with the red lipstick. it was one of her divine secrets i think. (yes, that is a reference to this book, that she insisted i read)
the article...

"Forget oil prices and unemployment rates - you know the economy is in trouble when the so-called lipstick index soars. Leonard Lauder (chairman of cosmetics company Estee Lauder) coined the term when he argued that, in hard times, women seek out lipstick as a small indulgence. Signs that he's right: His company posted a 31% increase in profits last quarter, and cosmetics makers Ulta and Avon recently saw double-digit sales growth. While most department stores' overall sales are down the tubes, Saks and Nordstroms have reported that their beauty revenues are sitting pretty."

i think all us frugal, penny pinchin' moms should go out and treat ourselves to a lipstick in honor of the women who made us strong...YaYa!

happy holly berries.

remember this post? my DREAMS came true twice over!

this is when we told them they had to wait a little longer to open gifts.

i am a horrible at remembering to take pictures... i got very few of christmas 08' (i'm convinced this would be different if i had a more expensive camera)
we had a wonderful time though and of course it's great to be home.
i heart my family.

santa, if you're reading this...

he drank a decaf double short 1 pump vanilla breve no foam nutmeg sprinkles latte.

he tried to tell me i was only getting his eyes and adorable little nose.

Dear Santa,
i want a really good camera for Christmas.
so i don't have to document my family time with a cell phone camera.
you can pick the brand, i've heard good things about nikon and canon, so...whichever is fine. thanks!
-me

word pictures

alexandria wanted candy for breakfast
and i told her she wasn't allowed to ask me again
so she came up with a plan...
and thanks to one of her "i care" books (life coaching for kids compliments of public schools)
she used her "i care que cards" to get her point across.
yes, she really does stuff like this.
i couldn't make it up on my own.

first baking of the season.

red velvet whoopie pies

they were so easy to make . and sooo yummy.

divine appointment.

stetson+ (aunt)holly
12.17.2008

King forever, ceasing never.

i love Christmas music!
i love the great classic songs like
o' come emanuel.
o' come all ye faithful.
what child is this?
angels we have heard on high.
we three kings, etc.

Jesus is the light of the world and these songs capture that light
and love so beautifully.
to be at work or out shopping
and hear these songs playing overhead
i realize...i'm captured, i'm worshiping.
anyone who sings these great songs is worshiping
and they may not even know it.
the thing i want people to know who may not believe is
we weren't given the opportunity to live just for nothing...
we didn't invent ourselves or put ourselves here to live and eventually die.
He gave us life as a gift.

i love this time of the year because the
light of the world can unknowingly creep into people's hearts...
pure love shining down just from the miracle of it all.
the story tells itself and people can feel it.
during the holidays, for a few brief days out of the year
we hear the songs in public places and we see the nativities.
i hope that people get captured by the scene the way i do
baby Jesus, the greatest gift ever.
just waiting for us to love him.

you don't have to be a holy roller, you don't have to be legalistic
you just have to open your heart to him, and he'll do the rest.

We three kings of Orient are

Bearing gifts we traverse afar.

Field and fountain, moor and mountain,

Following yonder star.

O star of wonder, star of night,

Star with royal beauty bright,

Westward leading, still proceeding,

Guide us to thy perfect Light.

Born a king on Bethlehem's plain,

Gold I bring to crown Him again,

King forever, ceasing never

Over us all to reign.

Frankincense to offer have I.

Incense owns a Deity nigh.

Prayer and praising, all men raising,

Worship Him, God most high.

Myrrh is mine: Its bitter perfume

Breathes a life of gathering gloom.

Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding dying,

Sealed in the stone-cold tomb.

Glorious now behold Him arise,

King and God and Sacrifice.

Alleluia, alleluia!

Earth to the heaven replies.

..................................................................................................................................................

carlos' Christmas cd is finished and it's beautiful! i'm so proud of him.

battle of the wills.

Q: how long did it take to get Abraham to take his medicine?

A: 2 hours

Q: how many times did he spit it out?

A: 5

Q: did you threaten him with a trip to the emergency room to get IV antibiotics?

A: yes!

Q: did you threaten to return all of his christmas gifts?

A: yes!

Q: did you threaten to cal the doctor, grandpa dan, grandpa carlos and pastor dave?

A: yup!

Q: did he respond to any of these threats?

A: nope!


yeah that's right, for the first time since he was 9 months old, abraham is on an antibiotic and he's also on a breathing treatment. i guess the flu gunk got settled in his chest and sinuses and got infected. we had MAJOR drama with the medicine. it was a nightmare! but i knew i had to stand my ground and stay up as late as necessary until he took it. he doesn't respond much to threats/rewards/punishments he is VERY strong willed! but in the end i won! he took it the medicine very easily this morning. only 18 more doses to go!