It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

I loooooove Christmas, but I said I would never be one of those people that decorated my home for Christmas before Thanksgiving. Well, this year I went back on my word. I'm done decorating my home and I am done with my Christmas shopping.
I'll go with my friend Rose's theory and blame it on the early snow.

Ahhhhhh....nothing left to do but snuggle by the Christmas tree with the ones I love and cherish every moment of this blessed season. Happy Holidays my friends.

A Shopping We Will Go!!!

My friend, Angel, and I took a little adventure to a nearby outlet mall with all four children in tow recently. I call it an "adventure" because not only were we towing along all four children, we were also dealing with some pretty nasty weather! We postponed our trip by one day because the weather was not cooperating (the outlet mall is more like a strip mall - all outside). We were both a bit bummed about postponing it (we were really looking forward to it). I came up with a little song about it to the tune of Jingle Bells and e-mailed it to her...little did I know what I started! Angel and I spent the rest of the afternoon just e-mailing verses of the song to each other as we would think of them...and cracking each other up the whole time! Enjoy our song...and a few pictures of the trip!

(To the tune of Jingle Bells)

Verse 1:
Shopping we will go,
Will it be OK?
Were it not for snow,
We would've gone today!

Through the gale force winds,
or' the icy streets
We will be there rain or shine,
We'll even shop in sleet!!

Chorus:
Shopping Bags!
Shopping Bags!
Toys in every store.
It may snow and it may blow, but a shopping we will go! oh!

Shopping Bags!
Shopping Bags!
The time is almost here!
The kids are packed, the snacks are sacked, our day is right on track!

Verse 2:
Look out for that drift,
I'm stuck here in my car.
Supposed to be shopping,
Can't make it very far!

We've got a ways to go,
This rate it'll take all day.
Cause the drift the car is stuck in,
is at the end of my driveway!

(Chorus)

Verse 3:
It may take all day,
The snow keeps coming down.
But my will to shop won't let me stop,
I'll drive RIGHT through that mound!

The guys are getting mad,
The checkbook's getting low
"Oh, but honey, ONE more sale!"
A shopping we will go!

(Chorus)

Verse 4:
I know that cash is low,
We've always made ends meet.
I know that if I buy this shirt
We won't be on the street!

I really love these boots,
This leather bags a must!
Let's tell the guys to deal with it,
It's SHOP TO DROP or BUST!!

(Chorus)

Verse 5 (sing it slowly)
The kids have had enough,
They're even cranky too...
Maybe with just ONE more snack,
They'll let us shop till 2!!!!

Thanks Angel for a fun day of shopping, and a LOT of laughs coming up with our little song!!!

My Photography Lesson!

Photography has become a bit of a passion for me. I've always loved it, but lately I've found that I enjoy it enough that I could probably make a hobby out of it. Last year I asked Matt for an upgraded camera for my birthday (nothing too fancy, but a step up from my point and shoot). I looked into photography lessons, but wasn't too impressed with what I found. I decided that the best way for me to learn was to learn from someone I respected as a photographer.

Through the years I have found that finding a good photographer can be a hard task. One that can capture your family (or child) as they are and not how they posed them. I lucked out when I found the photographer we use for our family pictures. His name is Justin and he and his wife have a photography studio near us (for further info please contact me). I knew we were in good hands when the first time he took pictures of my little ones he just let them be them. He gave them props, let them play, and got down on their level to take the pictures. What he captured were my little ones being themselves...something I will always cherish. In the time that we've used him as a photographer I've just become more and more impressed with his ability...so you can imagine how thrilled I was when he agreed to sit down with me and teach me some tricks of the trade.

After my lesson I learned that I have a LOT to learn about photography, but I am so grateful to Justin for sitting down with a beginner like me to teach me some of the ropes!! I've spent the last few days taking pictures of just about everything and anything in my house and outside...changing the settings...adjusting the light....changing the settings again...adjusting the light again. I'm absolutely loving it, but I can tell I've gone to far when my children nearly roll their eyes when I reach for the camera AGAIN!!! Ha! My hope is that as I continue to practice (and through more help from Justin) I can learn enough about photography that I can capture those every day moments with my family in a more skilled way.

Gotta love a new adventure!

The Act of Giving

My mom taught me, very early, the importance of giving and I will forever be grateful. She was, and continues to be, wonderful at this selfless act of love. As a child I can remember my mom being in line to pay our heating bill. The young lady in front of her was telling the cashier that she was unable to pay her bill. The cashier explained that her heat would be turned off. With no other choice the young lady left. My mom walked up to the counter and paid that young lady's heating bill in full. That in itself is wonderful, but you see, the beauty of the way that my mom gives (and subsequently has taught me to give) is that she does it completely anonymously. When asked by the heating company if her name could be attached to such a generous gift, my mom quickly declined. That takes the beauty out of it. I loved picturing that woman going home that night, totally defeated, and recieving a phone call from the heating company telling her that her heat had been turned back on and her bill was paid in full.

Miracles do exist. They come in the form of angels among us.

In the house I grew up in the spirit of giving was alive all year long, but it was especially strong during the Holiday season. Every year we adopted a family and bought gifts for the entire family...not just the children. We would carefully shop for each person, taking into account any information we could get on them (likes, dislikes, favorite colors, sizes, styles, etc). We would then have someone else deliver the presents so the family had no clue who bought them for them. It is important that I point out that my family was not extremely wealthy, but that my mom planned all year for this shopping trip, carefully setting money aside each week. A lot of heart went into those shopping trips...and little did my mom know how much she was teaching me in the process.

Now that I have a family I have learned one of the best benefits of giving is that bringing joy into the lives of others, actually makes me a happier person! It is easy to get wrapped up in what is going on in your own life...but when you take the time to make someone elses life a little better you are reminded of what really matters in life. I also love how much my children learn from giving to others. It is a value that is best taught by example, and at 3 years old Eva is really grasping it. It is amazing for me to see her detect a need somewhere and suggest we help that person or family out. It is even more fun to see her give...and never expect recognition in return.

The financial crunch our nation is facing is on every newspaper, website, and television show you turn on. Everyone is feeling a bit of a pinch...and it would be easy to decline reaching out to those in need this Holiday season, especially if your own family is struggling.

I encourage you to do the opposite of that. I encourage you to give.

I often feel that God calls me to give during the times that I would rather not...the times that I feel I have enough on my own plate to worry about others. I've learned that during those times it is especially important to care for those around me and step out of my comfort zone. There are so many needs this Holiday season. I encourage you to look in your community to find a way you can make this blessed season just a little brighter for someone else. You never know...it could end up making your Holidays more fulfilling in the end too.

Below I have listed ideas of ways to give...but feel free to comment and leave more.

* Donate to a local food pantry (my friend Sarah suggests donating one item a day)

* Adopt a family (or a child) through your local church, school, etc.

* Pay someone's heating or electric bill

* Pay for someone's groceries

* There is an organization (not sure of the name) where you buy a gift for a child that has an incarcerated parent, on behalf of the parent.

* Pay the toll for the car behind you

* Donate to the local animal shelter

* Purchase a small gift card (gas, groceries, etc) and give it to someone that needs it

* Buy all the fixings for a good Christmas meal for a family that can't afford it

* Go to a nursing home and just spend time with some of the residents there

* Donate your time at a school (possibly just reading to children)

* Offer to clean someones house (this is great when both parents work)


I have found the best way to find a need in your community is to just listen. You will be amazed how often you hear of someone that couldn't pay for something or needs something done.

So, my challenge is this my friends....I challenge you to make a difference. Do it with no strings attached..no name attached...just a loving spirit in your heart.

"Dare to reach your hand out into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light."

--Norman B. Rice

My New Favorite Lunch...

I've been making an effort to eat a more balanced lunch. I had found that while I worked hard to make my children nutritious lunches, I was just munching on thier leftovers or having some tortilla chips and salsa and that was it. Not the best meal plan. I made this the other day and I love it because it's super quick to make and tastes awesome! Just thought I would share...

Just take half of a pita (I toasted mine) and put seasoned turkey breast, mixed greens (healthier than lettuce), and feta cheese in it. I then put a little light honey mustard dressing on top. Nothing too difficult, but it sure is Ymmmmmmm.....good.

Meaningful Artwork

We continue to decorate the walls of our home very slowly. If we don't love it...it's not worth a nail hole! That said, I loooooooooooove photography and could literally cover each and every wall of our home with pictures of our family and my little sunshines! We had family pictures taken this past summer and I did something I've always wanted to do. I had one of our favorite pictures blown up very large, matted, and framed. I love it. It is one of my favorite pieces of "art" I've ever owned...maybe because the people in it are so special people to me!

Here it is in our office...
And close up...

The other piece of "art" that I love is a set of two pictures Eva finger painted when we were expecting Jaden. I picked out finger paint colors that matched Jaden's nursery and let Eva just go to town. I then matted them and framed them. We often receive compliments on those paintings (they ended up looking pretty neat) and people were always FLOORED to find out Eva did it (she was 2 at the time). I love decorating, and over the years I've learned the best kind of artwork is the kind that means the most to you and your family!

Taco Soup

We have an Amish family that we are very good friends with. When I was still teaching the mom of this particular family would always make me something good to eat when I was stuck at school for Parent-Teacher conferences. One year she made me Taco Soup. I had to have the recipe...it was sooooo good. I was pleased to find out just how easy this soup is to make. It's one of the meals that I usually keep everything on hand for so I can make it in a pinch, if needed. As a mom I always enjoy knowing that even if we are in a hurry I can still put a nutritious meal on the table! I hope you enjoy it as much as our family does!

TACO SOUP

1 lb. ground beef

1 package taco seasoning

26 oz. chunky salsa

26 oz. water

Brown beef, drain, and put back in skillet. Add taco seasoning, salsa, and water. Simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, and crushed Doritos.

Note: To make this recipe more healthy substitute ground sirloin for the ground beef and use low fat sour cream and baked Doritos.

Simple Joy #11

Having a loving big sister...

who even takes the time to comb your hair for you.

(I was getting ready when I thought they were being awfully quiet...when I walked in I found Jaden just clinging to Eva and looking up at her with the biggest loving eyes. Eva was combing his hair and explaining how she was going to make him all handsome. Ahhhh...music to this mama's ears.)

The Value of a Compliment

Everyone loves to receive a heartfelt compliment...whether you want to admit it or not. But why is it that a compliment from a complete stranger means so much? Today I was out with my children and a total stranger stopped me to compliment me on how well behaved my children are. This person made my day. I'm trying not to sound vain, but I have received compliments on my children before from people when we are out (grandma and grandpa types are great at this). Why does it mean so much when I don't even know the person? Is it because, as a mom, my children are what I invest most of my time into day in and day out? Is it some sort of validation that I must be on the right path when it comes to raising them and teaching them social norms and manners? I know that at least part of it is because this person could have never said a word to me and I would have never known the difference? But they did say something to me and it did make a difference. They made my smile a little wider and my admiration and respect for my children a little deeper (is that even possible?).

I've thought a lot about that compliment today, as well as the ones I have received prior to this particular one. What I learned is that all people - even the ones you don't personally know - need a little pat on the back sometime. My very favorite commercials are the ones where one person witnesses another person doing an act of kindness, and then they simply pass it one, which causes one more person to commit an act of kindness...and so on. I made a promise to myself today to do that. To simply do my part to pass kindness on, even if it is as simple as a heartfelt compliment. After all, wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness.

"Today give a stranger one of your smiles...it may be the only sunshine he sees all day."

--H. Jackson Brown

Why I love Rachel Hunter

We were joined by a bit of a celebrity on our flight from LA to Chicago last week. Yes, Rachel Hunter - the supermodel herself - was on our flight. I have never been a huge Rachel Hunter fan, quite honestly I've never given her much thought. After this flight I was a bit transformed.

Let me explain why.

I just assumed a supermodel would be a bit of a diva.

I know...it's judgemental and I shouldn't be that way - but seriously, the woman has been on the cover of countless magazines, she works runway shows, and she was married to Rod Stewart! Well, this particular supermodel was anything but a diva during my experience with her. Let me give you a few reasons:

1. She sat and waited for her plane with the rest of us. No special treatment. And it didn't seem to bother her that, while I was trying to be coy, I seriously couldn't stop starring at her.

2. She sat in COACH with the rest of us. Again, I would have thought a supermodel would definitely be flying first class...but not this girl. She boarded the plane with the rest of us and seemed happy to find her seat in coach.

3. She was extremely nice. Although I could not quit starring at her, I never mustered up the courage to actually talk to her. My husband on the other hand had no problem in that department!! As she was boarding the plane she accidentally dropped her sweater and my husband literally jumped out of his seat to come to her rescue. What a knight in shining armor he is! Matt said, "Excuse me miss...you dropped this". Rachel stopped and laughed. She thanked him and made some joke about how she is always dragging things. My starstruck husband just smiled at her and when she walked away looked at me with golfball size eyes and muttered, "I touched her arm" .

4. She waited for her luggage with the rest of us. Seriously, don't supermodels have assistants that do these mundane chores for them? This housewife would have thought so! Nope. Not her. She sat with the rest of us schmucks and waited for her luggage too.

5. After leaving the airport she got on public transportation! OK, I swear I was not stalking her but our comings and goings seemed to be very similar so we were frequently around each other. When we walked out of the airport together I was looking for some big long stretch limo to pick her up. Nope. She boarded a bus! I loved it!

I should tell you all that it looked like she was traveling with her son and his hockey team...but I am fully aware that she still could have played the diva card and requested special treatment. I absolutely love that she didn't.

I'm now officially a Rachel Hunter fan.

AUSTRALIA!

WOW!! What a trip...I don't even know where to begin. You will have to excuse the massive number of pictures! I thought I would do the whole trip in one post so that made for a lot to share! I have to tell you that I'm seriously in love with Australia. The land is beautiful...the people are friendly...and there is so much to do! I tried to put these pictures in order, so I'm just going to give quick explanations as we go. I put a large title with the location for each set of pictures. I want to actually start with the picture above of that cute little baby kangaroo. I was actually lucky enough to see a wallaby in the wild soon after we arrived, but this little guy was at the Sydney Zoo. You could walk around and pet them...they are super friendly. I was surprised to find out that Australians view kangaroos much like we view deer. It's just not that big of a deal to them, and many hunt them. You can eat kangaroo, you can buy kangaroo bags, hats, hides, and even some other kangaroo parts I would rather not mention! HA! Hmmmm....I would rather just love them and cuddle them. Enjoy the rest of the pics....

GREAT BARRIER REEF

PORT DOUGLAS

It took about an hour to travel from the resort we were at out to the Great Barrier Reef. This was the boat we traveled on. It was great because we just layed out in the sun (90 degree weather) on the deck while we cruised the ocean! I have to admit, this particular part of the trip was a big dream come true to me. I love to snorkel, as does Matt, and snorkeling one of the Seven Wonders of the World was unreal.

Just a glimpse of the reef. The best views were underwater!!! We saw amazing fish (some were enormous), eels, giant clams (I wouldn't have been able to wrap my arms around it), barracudas, and that just scratches the surface. Again, I was humbled and awed by the experience.

The change in time (15 hours ahead of us) made for some early mornings for us. I soon got use to the change of time, but while my body was adjusting I just tried to savor every moment I was awake. This is the sunrise over the reef. The view is from our resort.

The beach was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. Completely untouched and uncommercialized....and surrounded by a tropical rain forest.

Ahhhh....this happy housewife is in pure bliss.

This is the resort we stayed at...like everything else in Port Douglas, it too was beautiful. Matt and I enjoyed the pool...it was enormous!!!

I took this picture on our trip back to Cairns to fly to Sydney. We had to travel by bus for about an hour. The view was breathtaking, but we were often literally between a mountain and a large cliff that dropped down to the ocean. I think I might have left permanent fingernail imprints on the chair in front of me as I clutched it for dear life thinking we were headed down that cliff at any moment! Ha! Matt just laughed.

SYDNEY
The opera house and the harbor bridge were amazing to see in person...I had seen them on TV so often, so to actually walk right up to it was crazy! We spent a lot of time at the opera house and explored around it. I was so curious to see the roof of it. For those of you that may not know, it's actually made of tile!

As many of you know, I am a big supporter any charity regarding the support of breast cancer research...so you can imagine my excitement when the opera house was illuminated pink one evening to show support for the cause!!! By the way, this is the amazing view we had from our room.

The Taronga Zoo in Sydney was the best zoos I have ever been to. So many cool animals. Here are two of my favorites, along with the kangaroos and wallabies. We actually did a koala encounter where you could go in with the koalas and get super close to them. We weren't allowed to hold them (it was against the law) but I'll be the first to admit I was real close to becoming a hard core criminal...I mean would they REALLY notice if just ONE was gone?!!! They were so cuddly and I knew they would fit in great with our family and our pet dog! I wanted to take them home with me!!! I would also like to mention that I love how mommy gorillas hold their babies and kiss them like I hold my babies and kiss them.

Our last night in Sydney was one of my favorites. We had dinner with one of Matt's dealers and his wife. This couple has become friends of ours and we always enjoy our time with them. The evening started out at a bar called Minus 5 Degrees. It's actually an entire bar made out of ice!! EVERYTHING in it is ice. TOOOOO cool (literally)!!!

After that we headed to a restaurant that was amazing. It is actually in the same building that Russell Crowe lives in. It cracks me up because everyone there seems to know "Russell" as if they are all personal friends of his! Anyway, the food was unreal...the view of the harbor and Sydney was unreal...and the friends we were with were so much fun. I think it is safe to safe we were all having an amazing night.

After dinner we decided to take a water taxi back to the hotel. This was one of my all time favorite experiences of the whole trip (I know...I keep saying that)! A water taxi is just a speedboat that zips you around the harbor, but our driver must have been a little slow that night because he took us under the bridge, around the opera house, and around the city. The following picture is Matt on the boat with the bridge in the background and the picture after that is of all of us snuggled together on the watertaxi.

MELBOURNE
Our first night in Melbourne was a "Meet the Aussie's Dinner", as the company my husband works for also has a sister company in Australia. What wonderful hosts they were! Our dinner was great, and the entertainment was by a country band that has actually won some country music awards. We were later entertained by a comedian that had all of us rolling! The picture is of our table. I loved the centerpiece!

I was fortunate to spend some quality time with my sister in Melbourne (for those of you that don't know, she was also on this trip with her husband). We had a fun day shopping and having lunch together. We just kept commenting, "Can you believe we are hanging out in AUSTRALIA together??!!" We were a little giddy about the whole thing! Melbourne has all of these "arcades" (which are like alleys that are lined with boutiques and unique shops). Our favorite arcade was on DeGraves street...it was all lined with this really cool graffiti and had more of a punk rocker feel...but was filled with people in business suits!

Lunch with my sis.

OK, you Disney fans out there. Do you know who this is?!! He was the voice for Aladdin! I had heard that this particular person worked in our hotel, and you can be sure I checked this rumor out! It was true!

Last picture....this was taken at our Farewell Dinner.

I was sad to see such an amazing experience come to an end, but I was also ready to get home to my little ones. Matt and I feel so blessed to have had the chance to experience what we did in the land down under!

"Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and I remember more than I have seen."

--Benjamin Desraeli