Joanne Heim

Funny, but not "ha ha" funny

When I'm looking for something to do, it's fun to look at stats and see what people typed into google to end up here. In the past week or so, I've had a surprising number of hits based on "Oil of Olay Fill and Seal" or "fill and seal wrinkle cream." Yep, wanna know about wrinkles and wrinkle cream? Come see Joanne!

Anyway, if you landed here because of needing some wrinkle control, I feel your pain. A couple of weeks later I am still pretty pleased with the product. My wrinkles are still there--but not quite so noticeable, I think. Anyway, hope you stick around and come back again soon!

Joanne

The letter Q is up...

...for The ABCs of Living Simply.

And the plumbing is fixed--even though he flooded the basement even worse than we did to fix it. I have the last bunch of fabric in the dryer now. Guess that's what I get for stacking some on the floor--which I only did to get it out of the flood last night. Luckily, it's just bits and pieces.

Gotta go tuck Audrey into bed and get to bed myself. As much as I like getting all the laundry and cleaning done on Mondays, it sure makes me tired!

Mexican chicken

From Ericka:

What is your favorite recipe (I am always looking for good ones and the minestrone soup one you had was great)?

I got this recipe from my friend Marla--and I always keep it on hand for enchiladas, tacos, and burritos.

Mexican chicken

Put as many frozen chicken breasts into your crockpot as can fit. (Nope, I don't thaw them first, though I suppose you could fit more if you did.) Pour a big thing of Pace picante sauce over them and cook on low all day long. Shred the chicken with two forks.

That's it!

I freeze the chicken in small batches and thaw as needed for a quick weeknight supper. My favorite is enchiladas.

Enchiladas

Fill tortillas with mexican chicken and place into a greased casserole dish. Pour enchilada sauce over the whole thing--I like lots so my enchiladas will be nice and saucy. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and hot. Remove from oven and cover with grated cheddar. Put back in the oven until the cheese is just melted. Enjoy!

Only a few more hours...

...until spring break is over.

Bad news is that means the alarm has to be set before bed.

The good news is there's only eight weeks of school until summer vacation.

Countin' down the days...

**ADDED A BIT LATER**

And just to make things so nice, the kitchen sink is backed up all over the place and it's raining in my basement. Yep, you read it right: RAINING IN MY BASEMENT! In the corner where I keep my crafty stuff. Not over the smurfs or Barbies or marbles. But in my corner.

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!

I'm short tempered and nitpicking the girls and tired and frustrated.

Did I say AAAAAHHHHHH?!

Think I need a chill pill...whatever that is....

Schedules

From Lisa:

How [do] you manage to find time for your sewing and other craft projects...what is your daily schedule like? How do you get 'it all done'?

From Sarah:

When your girls where younger...did you have time for all for wonderful cafts/sewing etc.? (Please say no...I'll feel so much better!)

From Stephanie:

How do you schedule your days to get everything done? You probably have a really great schedule and diligently stick to it to accomplish everything. Is that how you fit everything in?

So...schedules. I do have one that I live by.

Here's my favorite weekly schedule from Little House in the Big Woods:

Wash on Monday,
Iron on Tuesday,
Mend on Wednesday,
Churn on Thursday,
Clean on Friday,
Bake on Saturday,
Rest on Sunday.

Since I don't churn my own butter or have much mending, I've modified it a little bit:

Laundry and clean the house on Monday,
Bible study and iron and bake bread on Tuesday,
Whatever comes up on Wednesday,
Prayer group on Thursday with Audrey's eye therapy after school,
Fun on Friday,
Plan menus on Saturday,
Rest on Sunday.

And on the first and third weeks of the month, I add Brownies on Mondays and Junior Girl Scouts on Wednesdays.

So that's my weekly schedule. All my tasks are in my computer (and on my Palm) as recurring tasks and show up each week on the day they need to be done. I LOVE my Palm Pilot (I've just gone back to using one); it's wonderful to have all my lists and tasks and contacts and appointments all in one place.

I enter everything on my computer--including menu plans and grocery lists and every little thing I can think of that needs to be done--and sync it to my Palm. I add errands and random tasks on days when there's not much else going on. After being so sick, I'm trying to keep my schedule more open on those days when there's not a weekly commitment--I really need time at home--to tackle random tasks and to have time to be crafty and do fun things.

Because of my schedule, I never make plans on Mondays--because there's NEVER time on Monday to get anything else done without the rest of the week slipping. And I plan easy menus on days when we have Girl Scouts--something in the crock pot I can do before I leave for school, or something quick like hamburgers.

As to a daily schedule--

I get up at 5:30 and have my quiet time until 6:45 when I wake the girls up for school.

We sit down to breakfast from 7 until 7:30--it's nice to have time to chat and to read (right now we're readingThe Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo; we read at breakfast because I get sleepy at night!).

Toben takes the girls to school at 7:45 and I get ready for my day.

The girls come home from school at around 3--we have a snack and play until it's time to do homework at 5.

Audrey does homework until 6; we eat dinner at 6:30.

Then it's time for the girls to take baths and for Audrey and I to do her vision therapy homework. The girls get in bed around 7:30 to read; lights go out at 8.

Toben usually heads to bed soon after; I've been staying up to read or sew until 9 or 10.

Then it's time to go to sleep until the alarm goes off again!

Sarah, no, I wasn't as crafty when the girls were smaller. I did read lots of books, though. Mostly because everyday we had quiet time from 1 until 4, while the girls napped. I turned the ringer off the phone and gave myself at least the first hour of quiet time to do whatever I wanted to do before tackling any chores that had to be done.

Part of the reason I'm able to do lots of crafty stuff is because I'm in a season when the girls are both at school--and when they're at home, they like to be crafty with me. Plus, Toben works at home, so he hangs out with them a lot. This past week, he took the week off for Spring Break too and took them swimming and golfing a bunch, which meant that I had lots of time at home alone to sew.

I don't know how long this season will last, but I'm enjoying it while it does!

Hide and seek sacks

Remember this?

Here's what that is: Hide and seek sacks inspired by the crafty mom at the MOPS group I visited a week or so ago. I modified the pattern some and made these for Ava and Tyson for Easter.

Tyson is a little young still, but Ava's just the right age. Even Audrey and Emma love to look through the window to find all the items hidden inside. Filled with rice, they have enough weight to sit firmly in a little lap without sliding off. I thought these would be great to keep in the car--something to do while running errands.

The tag has a list on the back of everything hidden inside; the bags themselves are made of a soft flannel.

And of course, I couldn't make just two; I have more made. I thought about putting them up in the shop, but because of the weight, the shipping alone is about $6. Which means I'd need to charge about $20 each to include shipping. But if you really want one, let me know.

Look at the fun fabric I used. You can click on each picture for a larger view.

A quick Saturday morning post

Saw this over at Meredith's and thought I'd be a copycat...

What time did you get up this morning? 6:45--late for me, I know!

Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds, diamonds, diamonds--unless, do the pearls come WITH diamonds?

Last movie you saw in the theater? 27 Dresses

What is your favorite TV show? M*A*S*H

What did you eat for Breakfast? Haven't had breakfast yet, but I'm thinking about a bagel

What is your middle name? Marie

What food do you dislike? Black-eyed peas

What is your favorite CD at the moment? Hmm...I've got a praise mix on my ipod

What kind of car do you drive? Ford Expedition named the Brownie Bus

Favorite sandwich? Toasted bagel with cream cheese, sunflower seeds, cucumber, avocado, tomato, carrot, and alfalfa sprouts--with a pickle on the side

What characteristics do you despise? Lies

Favorite item of clothing? Embroidered and patchworked Miss Me jeans

If you could go anywhere in the world for a vacation, where would you go? Prince Edward Island, Yorkshire, or Paris

What color is your bathroom? pale yellow-y/taupe with red towels

Favorite brand of clothing? anything from Anthropologie

Where would you retire? Carmel, California

Most memorable birthday? 30--went to Paris for a week with my girlfriends

Favorite sport to watch? No, thanks

When is your birthday? March 15

Are you a morning or a night person? Morning, but this week I've stayed up until 10 every night

What is your shoe size? 10

What did you want to be when you were little? Nurse, teacher, fashion model

What are you today? Wife, mom, author, speaker, Girl Scout leader

What is your favorite candy? Kit Kat

Your favorite flower? Hydrangea

What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? May 1--Heidi is coming for a visit and to see Beth Moore

What are you listening to right now? Daisy licking her paws

What was the last thing you ate? Fajitas at Los Arcos

Do you wish on stars? No

If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Red

What is your pet peeve? When people say "wala" instead of "voila"--it starts with a V!

Last person you spoke to on the phone? Toben

Favorite soft drink? Fresca, though not often

Favorite restaurant? In the world? Beaujolais d'Auteuil in Paris; For everyday? Chipotle

Hair Color? Red/auburn

Favorite day of the year? Christmas

What was your favorite toy as a child? Speak and Spell

Summer or winter? Summer

Hugs or kisses? Hugs

Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate

When was the last time you cried? A week ago--Easter music gets me

What is under your bed? Dust bunnies? Haven't looked in a while

Who is the friend you’ve had the longest? That I keep in touch with? Heidi

What did you do last night? Had dinner with my parents, then hung out with Audrey and Emma and worked on some embroidery/applique

Favorite smell? Rain

What are you afraid of? Snakes, airplanes

How many keys on your key ring? 4

Favorite day of the week? Saturday mornings

How many states have you lived in? Four--California, Colorado, Alabama, Washington, But one twice--California; And one four times--Colorado

Do you make friends easily? Yes

How many words did spell check have to correct? None. I self-correct as I go.

***

Happy Saturday, everyone!

Introducing...The Reversible Tote

Here's something else I've worked on this week...the reversible tote. Each bag measures approximately 15 tall x 14 wide x 3 deep inches with a 20-inch strap--great for toting around in hand and slipping over your shoulder.

Great for errands, a trip to the library, a day bag for your children, Bible study, a purse, or whatever else you can think of. I don't know about you, but I can't seem to have too many totes!

Click on the pictures for a larger view.

There are two of each available in the shop while they last.

Favorite Bible verses

From Meredith:

Since you asked... Favorite Bible verse currently and as you have grown up. At different times in my journey I have focused on different verses but I have always had a few that I have relied on. Is that true for you?

Absolutely! Like Meredith, I often focus on a few verses during different seasons of my life. When Emma was a baby and Audrey was a toddler, a friend gave me a shepherd's pie for dinner with Isaiah 40:11 written on the card: "He gently leads those with young." It was one I quickly learned and held on to during sleepless nights and days of managing two small children.

And just recently, I learned that the original Hebrew word for lead is nahal, which means to give rest, to lead with care to guide to a watering place; to cause to rest, refresh; to journey by stations or stages.

I love that last part and have been thinking about it a lot lately--that God leads me through each stage of childhood--early elementary school for Emma and coming into that preteen phase with Audrey. It's a good reminder that I don't need to live in fear of some of the stages that are coming (aaaah! teenagers!) because he will lead me through each stage as he has in the past. We made it through the terrible twos (though I think three was harder than two) and we'll make it through whatever comes next!

Recently I've spent some time in Psalm 23--a familiar passage that I love. It always makes me think of spring for some reason. I've enjoyed going back to the Hebrew and seeing the definitions for the words (you can do this at blueletterbible.org). Seeing the definitions in depth has made the psalm come alive in a whole new way.

I have lots of other favorite verses underlined and marked in my Bible. I'm a huge fan of writing in my Bible--to put names and dates next to verses so I can go back and see how God has kept his Word, answered prayer, and been faithful to me. If I don't mark them, it's all too easy to forget how God has acted on my behalf. This way, just flipping through I see evidence of his goodness and praise him all the more.

Here's an example. Psalm 77:13-14 is underlined: "Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are th God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples." Next to it is written "3/04 for Toben." I wrote that during a time in our lives when we desperately needed a miracle, when we needed God to display his power in a tangible way. Toben had just been diagnosed as being bipolar and our lives had flipped upside down. Each morning, the thought of just getting through the day with some sort of normalcy seemed impossible. I was choked by bitterness and anger and hope seemed just out of reach.

A year later, I was in Bible study when we were told to turn to Psalm 77:13-14. God had indeed displayed his power in our life and I was thrilled to share with my group, "God has done this for us!" The doctors had figured out a good combination of medicines and we could see light at the end of the tunnel of darkness we'd been living in for so long. God had uprooted bitterness from my heart and tenderness was slowly becoming more natural with his help. The women in my group praised God with me and a new entry is penned next to the verse: "3/05, How God has kept his promise!"

Every time I flip past those verses I'm reminded that God hears my prayers and acts on our behalf.

While I've often wished for one verse to be my favorite, I can't choose just one. The great thing about God's Word is that it's always new and fresh and applies to whatever is going on in life. I love it all!

A few more answers

From Puva:

I have...2 questions! 1) What should every knitting/sewing/crocheting person have in her craft basket/kit? 2) What do you do when you have a day to yourself? As in, a day where your chores are all done and you're free to do anything you want. For example, knit and have tea? Something like that...

1. Well, to knit or crochet, it's good to have a couple of sizes of needles and hooks, including a circular needle and double-pointed needles for knitting. Plus some stitch markers, a tape measure, and a clicker counter to keep track of rows on your pattern. And a selection of yarn. My kit has been built up over the years--as patterns have called for different sized needles and hooks I've added to it. And extra yarn gets put into my yarn trunk--great for checking gauge or small projects using what's on hand.

If you're just beginning, I usually suggest making a scarf. And all you need for that is needles and a skein of yarn!

For a sewing or mending basket, I think you need needles, a thimble, and a few spools of neutral thread. Plus a sharp pair of scissors. If you're sewing on a machine, add bobbins and a greater assortment of thread colors, plus good, long pins. And some spare machine needles for when you hit a pin and break one. I also like to have a cutting mat and a rotary cutter with a pinking blade for cutting any straight lines. Plus a good iron and ironing board. And, of course, I like to have a fabric stash for whenever the sewing mood strikes!

Anyone else have anything they think is essential for a knitting/crochet kit or a sewing kit?

2. Hmm...when I have a day all to myself with nothing else to do? If I'm in the middle of a great book, I like to sit and read all day long. Or if I'm feeling crafty, I like to sew--which means being in the basement and listening to music or something on my ipod. I also like to watch a favorite movie--which usually involves knitting, crocheting, or embroidery. One thing I rarely do is nap. I'm just not very good at it! I'll lay down for ten minutes or so, but I don't fall asleep quickly so I end up getting up again.

If I'm feeling social, I think it's fun to call my mom or sister and go wander through an antique shop or two. But my favorite thing is to stay home.

My Fair Lady

My mother picked Audrey, Emma, and me up this morning at 11:30. We headed downtown and had a lovely lunch at Ted's Montana Grill before walking back to the Denver Center for the Performing Arts to see the matinee performance of My Fair Lady. It was wonderful.

After being nearly 70 degrees yesterday, this morning was gray and cloudy and cold. So instead of wearing Easter dresses once more, we put on tights and boots and black dresses--with our heavy coats. Even though we didn't get to wear what we'd planned, it was so fun to get dressed up.

Dressing appropriately is something my mother trained us to do--it was 1986 before we wore jeans to the mall or to church on a Sunday night. And not until I was an adult did I ever wear jeans to church. Growing up, we dressed up to go on an airplane, to go to church, to go shopping, to go out to eat. While I like to wear jeans as much as the next girl, it makes it so much more special to get dressed up for something out of the ordinary--like an afternoon at the theater.

Starting when I was in the fifth grade, our family went to the theater quite a bit. In Alabama, we went to the community theater and saw The King and I and Brigadoon. In London, we saw Singing in the Rain, Snoopy, Les Miserables, and many, many others; in our little town of Harrogate and in nearby York, we saw Oklahoma, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Hello Dolly, Annie Get Your Gun, and others. Musicals are definitely my favorites.

And until recently, here in Denver we had the Country Dinner Playhouse--theater in the round and amazing performances of The Sound of Music, Guys and Dolls, and lots of others. I was so disappointed that it shut down overnight without any warning--because it's minutes from our house and I was so excited to take the girls.

Anyway, Audrey and Emma loved the performance today. It was long--three hours with only a 15-minute intermission halfway through--and there were some moments when Emma asked, "Is it almost over?" But for the most part, they sat on the edge of their seats, peering down into the orchestra pit or completely engrossed in the song and dance on stage.

We came home, put on our pjs, popped some popcorn, and watched The Swiss Family Robinson. All in all, a great day of entertainment!

Audrey's last words to me before bed tonight were, "The rine in Spine stys minely in the pline."

New zippies!

Some of what I worked on yesterday was new zippies for the shop. Here's a peek at what's now available at The Simple Wife Handmade.

Small zippies:

Large zippies:

I especially love the new strawberries, winking owls, and rosy neighborhood fabrics, as well as the London, New York, and Paris fabrics. It was fun to match up fun fabrics for lining too--I like to unzip and find something surprising inside!

As always, all items include tax and shipping in the price.

On a crafty roll...

...can't stop to blog!

**ADDED LATER**

Okay, so I felt bad for being a little short. So here's a sneak peek of some of what I've been working on...

I took some more pictures, but they all turned out way too blurry. They looked fine when I took them, so I guess my eyes are just blurry. Must be time to stop and go to bed!

"Mom, we need a pony!"

We spent the morning with Emma's BFF and her mom at the barn where they keep their pony. Audrey and Emma immediately fell in love with Corey and decided we need a pony too.

The look of a girl falling in love with a pony

(Oh, and we're NOT getting a pony--just in case you were wondering!)

A few Easter pictures

Kristen sent me these pictures from Easter afternoon; just had to share!

Emma and Audrey

Papa and his girls

The letter P is up...

...for The ABCs of Living Simply.

This one made me laugh

From Kim:

Joanne, How do you stay in such good shape and maintain your weight? Since you are such a great cook! I find this is always a battle for me - especially since I love to cook and bake.

Well, that's a funny one, since my latest past time seems to be eating Cadbury chocolate eggs. One right after the other, after the other, after the other...

I do love to walk outside in the mornings with my ipod on full blast--but that can get tricky here in Denver where it's COLD in the morning all winter long--and on those days when I have something to do as soon as the girls go to school. (Somehow I always feel like I have to exercise first thing in the morning--or not at all. Weird, I know. But I can't seem to walk at lunch time or in the afternoon or evening.)

In the summer, I'm much more consistent with walking and playing tennis with Toben. In the winter, I just try to watch what I eat (until Easter, apparently!) and not snack between meals. Funnily enough, it helps to knit or sew--it's hard to eat and do those things at the same time!

When we lived in California, I took a ballet fitness class twice a week that I miss like crazy. I'd love to find a class here--but so many classes are at night, and it doesn't work for our family for me to be gone at night.

So to be honest, I'm not in great shape at the moment, but I'm lucky to be tall (5'10"), which hides a multitude of chocolate eggs.

What do the rest of you do--that you actually LIKE to do?

Still Monday

Just because the girls are on Spring Break doesn't mean that all the Monday things don't need to be done. It just means that Emma did the dusting while I did the vacuuming, that Audrey cleaned her room while I cleaned the bathrooms. That the girls played in the basement while I did the laundry.

But in addition to cleaning, I got some crafting done (which is a little tricky on Mondays, because my house doesn't like it when I run the washer and the sewing machine at the same time--it blows a fuse and all the lights go out!). I think there may even be sneak peek tomorrow...

In the meantime, here's one of my favorite spring things--for when spring is a little slower in coming than I'd like--indoor grass! The color of new grass is just so spring-y and cheerful.

So here's how you do it. Find containers. Fill them with dirt. Add grass seed. Water well. Keep moist. Watch for grass to grow. Pretty simple, huh?

So here's the old enamel pot I planted last weekend:

And here it is today, on the breakfast table:

Glass containers are fun too:

And little, tiny pots make fun gifts:

It does help to use a sun/shade mix--that way you can put them here, there, and everywhere without worrying if it'll get enough sun.

He is risen; he is risen indeed!

Happy Easter!

As soon as the girls come downstairs this morning we'll unseal the oven and break open our Easter Story cookies--which will be hollow and empty just like the tomb. The tomb is empty, because Jesus conquered sin and death and is alive!

Easter Story Cookies

1 cup whole pecans
1 tsp. vinegar
3 eggs whites (room temperature)
pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
a Bible

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Place pecans in a baggie and let your children beat them with a wooden spoon to break them into small pieces.
Explain that after Jesus was arrested, Roman soldiers beat him. Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into a mixing bowl.
Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, he was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to the vinegar.
Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave his life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it, then brush the rest into the bowl.
Salt represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.

So far, the ingredients aren't very appetizing. Add 1 cup of sugar.
The sweetest part of the Easter story is that Jesus died because he loves us. He wants to us to know him and belong to him. Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high until mixture turns white and stiff peaks form.
The color white represents the purity of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in the broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto a lined baking sheet.
Each mound represents the rock tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matthew 27:57-60.

Put the baking sheet into the oven, close the door, and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door.
Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matthew 27:65-66.

Go to bed.
Explain that they may feel sad to leave cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were sad when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20-22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow!
On the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read John 20:1-8.

Easter traditions reposted from 2009

This post from Good Friday in 2009 seems appropriate for Good Friday this year as well!

From Jen:

Would you mind sharing your Easter traditions? I'm struggling to stress the importance of Easter with my kids. Christmas provides lots of opportunities, but Easter isn't so easy. love, jen

In the past few years, our Easter traditions have changed quite a bit. As a person who tends to go overboard (I know, you're shocked!) I used to hide zillions of eggs for my two tiny girls. Which meant hyper girls and throwing away perfectly good jelly beans after a week because the sight of them started to make my stomach hurt after eating too many.

So one Easter in San Diego, I decided to hide only the 12 resurrection eggs. That's it. Each girl got to find six. I was a little unsure of how they'd react, but it was wonderful. Yes, they found the eggs in about 39 seconds flat, but then they sat on the floor with them and worked together to put them in order, telling and retelling the Easter story for at least an hour.

I could hardly believe it!

We also read the book Benjamin's Box that goes along with the eggs to hear the story from a child's perspective. And, one year, we made our own boxes--collecting things that reminded us of the Easter story.

For younger children, go check out my friend Janna and my friend Wendy. They both have wonderful ideas for celebrating Easter with little ones--activities, crafts, and age-appropriate books.

This year, being sick put a crimp in my Lent/Easter plans. I totally got off track with my own Lenten devotional reading and have struggled with feeling like I missed out on some of the things I'd wanted to do.

But we are doing our big Easter tradition tonight. This is our third year of celebrating Good Friday with a Seder. The meal is really for Passover, but Passover and Easter don't always match on our calendars. So we've just decided to do it each year on Good Friday.

Our first Seder, three years ago

Seder plate, last year

This is a long meal and involves lots of reading, so it's really better for children who are a little bit older. (Though I suppose you could just do the Seder plate with smaller children without also having a meal with it. It takes several hours altogether and that's a long time for little ones to sit at the table.)

I have this marvelous book--A Family Guide to Biblical Holidays--that includes a booklet walking you through the meal in a family friendly way. It also includes some recipes and all kinds of other ideas for celebrating Passover.

The thing I also like about this book is that it very clearly shows how Jesus fulfilled each element of the feast.

Having this meal together, more than anything we've done for Easter--has taught my children the significance of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. And because it looks back to Israel's captivity and freedom from Egypt in a tangible way, they also see that all of Scripture points to Jesus.

So this morning, Emma's going to bake a cake so we can assemble a trifle for our dessert later; I'm going to roast the lamb shank for the Seder plate; we need to get out the china and crystal to set the table, chop apples to make the haroset that represents the mortar the Israelites used to make bricks in Egypt, get the roast in the crock pot (Audrey and Emma can't bring themselves to eat lamb--so we've improvised). All that said, I'd better get going!

Today was a good day

Do you ever have those days that are just good? I had one today and I'm just praising God for it. I'm in my jammies, snug in bed. Daisy's stretched out next to me, snoring her little soft head off; Toben's happy as a clam watching basketball; and the girls are getting in and out of the bathtub.

I got up this morning and spackled with my new wrinkle cream. I followed the directions, but decided that if a little was good, more would be better. So I applied three layers--letting it dry/soak in/whatever it does between each one. (See, I know something about spackle and paint--and since three is the number of the Trinity I figured I should go with it.)

I got all ready to go and realized I'd really wanted to paint my fingernails. Since I had a good drive ahead of me, I went ahead and got in the car, fastened my seatbelt, started the engine, and painted my fingernails, resting my hands and balancing the polish bottle on the console in between my front seats. That way the paint could dry while I drove and I wouldn't mess it up with the seatbelt buckle or my keys. Smart, huh?!

I may have mentioned it before, but I love the "Greatest Hymns" CD by Selah. I dialed it in to my ipod (before I painted my nails) and sang the whole way down the road. One of the reasons I love it is that my church doesn't sing enough hymns in my opinion. So I have to sing them on my own. The other reason I love that CD is that I can really sing with it. Do you have songs you love, but for whatever reason you just can't sing along--the key is too high or too low and it just makes you sound weird? Well, I can sing along perfect well with this CD. Not well, but without sounding too weird and off-key.

By the way, one of the hymns on the CD is "It Is Well With My Soul"--a really great hymn for Easter, I think. When I got to the part of "that glorious thought that my sin, not in part but the whole, has been nailed to the Cross and I bear it no more--Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul" I couldn't get the words out. I was just completely overwhelmed and sobbed. How incredible to be loved so much. I can hardly fathom it. But Jesus does love me like that--and he loves you like that too.

(Luckily by that point my nails were dry enough to rummage around for a tissue to wipe my eyes before my mascara ran. I really didn't want to get up and speak looking like a raccoon.)

If it's been a while since you've heard that hymn, go listen to it--especially since tomorrow is Good Friday. You'll be glad you did.

Anyway, it was such a gorgeous day and driving south on I-25 you come around a curve and come face to face with the whole of the Front Range. That's one thing I miss about living in the Springs. The mountains aren't off in the distance, but right there. Like this--ignore the light post, I took it out the window while going through an intersection.

That blue, by the way, is called Colorado blue. If you've ever been here or lived here you know just what I mean.

So, I got to the church this morning and found my friend Kelly. I would have recognized her anywhere. She introduced me to two of her daughters and I realized that it's been 13 years since I'd seen her--because her 13-year-old was a baby the last time I saw her!

I had such a sense of deja-vu that I had to reach up and touch my hair to make sure it wasn't in the horribly tight curls of the awful perm I had when I first met Kelly that summer before ninth grade. It really is good to get older!

(That funny mark, by the way, is where I burned my forehead on Monday while I was curling my hair with my new curling iron. It's been years since I've used one and I had a little mishap. It sizzled when it touched my skin. Youch! It didn't look too bad on Monday, but it's looking a little bit worse as each day goes on...)

Her MOPS group was just wonderful--such lovely women. I feel like I had a chance to talk to almost everyone. It was fun to participate in the discussion and to hang out with everyone while we made the craft. (Which, by the way, is the coolest thing. Trish, their craft mom, is super creative and had the cutest idea for today. I will tell you about it, but not yet because I'm going to totally copy it as an Easter gift and I don't want to give away the surprise! So maybe on Monday.)

Anyway, Kelly and I were able to visit and I'm looking forward to more time together soon!

When I left church I met Holly for lunch at La Baguette--the all-time best French bakery ever. Their French onion soup is perfect. Really. I've had French onion soup in France and La Baguette's is better. We talked and laughed and shared and before I knew it it was time to go home...

...because Audrey and Emma got out of school early today--spring break has begun! The alarm is turned off--for the next ten days--and I may not get dressed tomorrow. We'll have to see how desperate I am to get to the fabric store.

The day just kept getting better. Angie stopped by tonight to drop off a CD for me from when I spoke at her church (and when I popped it in my computer I saw that I talked for 55 minutes--waaaaay over my time allotment--sorry!) and to pick up a copy of Living Simply. She's going to be doing a giveaway on her blog sometime soon--so go check it out.

She had her sweet little girls with her and so our girls got to run around the front yard together for a while. Her Emma and my Emma were delighted to share a name! They compared spellings and thought it was amazing that they both spelled Emma the same way. So cute.

We headed to Buca di Beppo for dinner to celebrate the beginning of Spring Break and to eat too much. We always have the same thing when we go there: caesar salad, fried mozzerella, baked ravioli, and pizza margharita. (Somehow I think I spelled that wrong.) Eating there always makes me miss California. We had one just down the road and ate there often with a bunch of other families. So Carter family and Corsi family--we're missing you and wished you were there to have dinner with us tonight!

Well, I think this post is quite long enough. And if you've persevered this far, well, I'm impressed. Thanks for letting me ramble on. I hope you had a good day too!

Headed down the highway

I'm headed down to Colorado Springs tomorrow morning to speak at MOPS again--this time at First Baptist in Black Forest. (As always, your prayers are welcome! They make such a huge difference and lift me up and encourage me like you wouldn't believe!) I'm really excited for several reasons.

First, my friend Kelly asked me to come and speak at this group--her MOPS group. Kelly and I met at summer camp when I was just starting ninth grade after moving back to Colorado from England. She's a year older than I am, but we became great friends very quickly. I rushed home from school to talk to her on the phone each afternoon since we went to different schools (but the same youth group).

I haven't seen Kelly in years, like waaaaay more than 10, maybe even more than 15. And I'm anxious to see her again and catch up on her life.

Second, this is a small group. Last week at my church, I spoke to about 150 women--I've heard it's the largest, or one of the largest, MOPS groups in the country. It was great, but this will be different. Not better, just different. It seems possible that I'll actually get to meet everyone there and hear a bit of their stories--something I really enjoy about speaking. I'm always amazed at how common our lives are when we love and follow Jesus. Sure, there are differences, but the essentials are the same.

And finally, I'm excited because I'm going to give Holly a call when I'm leaving the church and we're going to meet for lunch at one of my favorite restaurants. God has been so faithful to her in answering a long-standing request and we have some jumping up and down to do together!

Oh, and one really last thing--tomorrow is a half day for the girls and the start of spring break. And it was 60 degrees today and spring is really coming. LOTS to be excited about!

Little birdie purses

Here's what my Junior Girl Scouts made this afternoon. Aren't they cute?

I forgot my camera and took pictures of all the girls' purses with my phone. But now I can't make the phone send pictures to the computer. Ahh. And I promised the girls I'd put their pictures up. I'll have to keep trying.

So this is the one Audrey made. I prepared the birdie shape--cut and backed with Heat and Bond. They ironed them on, chose embroidery floss, and embroidered to embellish. They did a great job--with only about 25 "ouch!"es as fingers were poked with the needles. But they persevered and ran off down the hall to show them to any teachers who were still around to see.

Mish-mash, hodge-podge, this 'n' that and I'm getting old

I just got home from running errands with my mom (I LOVE living so close!). We went to Jo-Ann Fabrics (which is practically across the street from my house--I ride my bike in the summer--I know, how lucky am I?!) and Target, and then stopped by the carpet store to look on more time at the carpet Mom and Dad picked for their house. We totally changed our minds from what we'd picked before. Poor Dad.

I got some little canvas zippered purses for the Junior Girl Scouts. We have a meeting after school today and I'm going to teach them to applique and then embellish with some embroidery. I'll have to take a picture and show you later how they turn out. It's a cute design that I've been playing around with on some baby onesies--they'll be up in the shop sometime next week.

I also bought some fabric (big surprise, huh?) to make some simple totes. Kristen keeps telling me I need some totes in the shop. Next week is spring break and we don't have any big plans, so I'm hoping to get some designed and made and up in the shop by the end of next week. I'll let you know.

At Target I picked up some other supplies I needed, exchanged a pair of shoes for Audrey (the women's size 5 1/2 was too small; she needed a size 6--poor girl, she's destined to big feet like her mama, her auntie, and her Gran!), and bought some wrinkle cream.

I know! Wrinkle cream. But I saw some of my birthday pictures. And I wasn't wearing any makeup (it was my birthday after all, so I didn't have to if I didn't want to). And while I do typically wear makeup on any given day, my wrinkles are out of control.

I have a very wrinkly forehead with a giant crease that goes down between my eyebrows. We call it my "reading wrinkle." Though I love to read, I scowl when I read. And I read a lot. And I have ever since I was a little girl. So I have 30-some-odd years of a massive reading wrinkle that has taken up permanent residence on my face. I have to raise my eyebrows and look really surprised for it not to be there--and that's hard to do for more than about 30 seconds.

Anyway, I saw a commercial for this new Oil of Olay fill and seal wrinkle cream. And I bought some. Even though it cost almost $20. If it works, it'll be worth it.

I have to say, while I was standing there feeling awful for having to buy wrinkle cream for the very first time, I looked over at my sweet mother who was helping me look and thought it must be even harder to have your daughter need wrinkle cream. So I told her so--and she agreed. But then she looked at the box and said, "It's just like spackle--for filling holes in your wall" and laughed. So don't feel too sorry for her.

Alright, I gotta run and pack up the tons of stuff I haul to school for every Girl Scout meeting; luckily I drive a huge SUV.

Growing up Air Force

From Sara:

Joanne, What did you like/dislike about growing up in a military family? My husband is in the Navy and we move often. My kids do ok with the changes, but I've always wanted to know a grown up perspective. Thanks!

I grew up as an Air Force brat. Which, by the way, isn't really a very nice expression. So, let's try that again: I grew up as an Air Force kid. My dad was in the Air Force and stationed in California when I was born. My parents were in Los Angeles for 10 years--their longest assignment. Since I was born four years into it, I lived there for six years--the longest I lived anywhere until after I graduated from college.

At six, we moved to Colorado Springs, where my dad was promoted to captain and taught at the Air Force Academy. That's the only time I remember getting to go to work with my dad. He had an office that we could visit with a huge drafting table, rulers, and good markers. I seem to remember that he also had a chalkboard and this really cool metal thing that held the chalk so you could draw without getting dusty fingers.

I went to half of first grade at the public school down the street from our house, and then went to second, third, and fourth grade at a Christian school.

Then we moved to Montgomery, Alabama, for fifth grade while dad went to War College. I seem to remember rolling into town just days before school began, and then leaving the minute school was over the next summer.

So at age 11, we moved to Harrogate, which is in North Yorkshire, England. I went to British school for sixth, seventh, and eighth grades (or first, second, and third form--think Harry Potter!).

The summer between eighth and ninth grade, we moved back to the States--and back to Colorado Springs. We moved into our same house (which we'd rented to other military couples for the four years we were gone), which seemed much smaller now that I was bigger. I went back to that same Christian school for ninth and tenth grades, which also seemed much smaller now that I was bigger.

By that time, my dad retired from the Air Force.

My junior year in high school, I transferred to public school for academic reasons and graduated from Air Academy High School.

So growing up Air Force meant lots of moves, lots of schools, lots of first days of school when I didn't know anyone. It was hard--but it was the only thing I knew and I survived. And as an adult, I think I adapt pretty easily to new situations and make friends quickly because I learned how to do that as a child. While I've always felt a little envy for those people I know who've been friends through kindergarten and the rest of life, that just wasn't my life.

Other positives? As an Air Force family who moved a lot, I've travelled a lot. Especially living in Europe means that I've travelled to all kinds of places: Greece, Switzerland, Austria, Norway, France, Liechtenstein, Belgium, (West) Germany, Scotland, Wales, Italy... So even though I don't love to travel these days, I'm comfortable finding my way around new places.

One other huge positive is that I have a close family. Because we moved a lot, we never really lived near any extended family. While we did visit from time to time, family to me always meant my family of four--Dad, Mom, Kristen, and me. We developed our own traditions, our own routines. And we had to get along, because we were all we had! (Of course, we had community wherever we lived, but there was very much a sense of us sticking together.)

And speaking of community, the other thing I learned as a military kid was to make friends quickly as I said, but also to take advantage of the time we had in a place. Even though we lived in Alabama for only 10 months--and we knew the whole time we'd only be there 10 months and probably would never come back--I had a wonderful best friend there (hi Janet!). We were involved at church, involved at school. When I think back, we really put down roots in each place we lived--even if only for a short time.

Yes, it meant that leaving was hard, but our lives were so much richer because we did.

All in all, growing up military was great. At the same time, I'm excited to think that we might live here in Denver for a long, long time and that the girls may go to one school for most of their lives. Not because it's better than how my life was, but it's different. And there are advantages to both. I guess what I'm trying to say is that every living situation, every growing up experience has its pros and cons. We live the lives we've been given and make the best of it.

Even more answers...

From Meredith:

I thought of one more question for you! I certainly hope I'm not wearing out my welcome! Does your family read your blog? By family I mean your husband, your parents, your sister, your in-laws, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc?

Let's see...

My sister has always read my blog and was one of my first commenters.

My mom has been reading my blog since Christmas--when she got her first computer.

I don't know about my dad. As to aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws, and so on...I'm not sure. If they do, they don't comment.

All in all, I'm always amazed at the people who read my blog. Sometimes there are people I think would (friends especially), but don't; other times, I'm surprised when someone says they read it every day. I guess it all comes down to comments--that's how I know who reads!

**

From Melissa:

When and how did you become "The Simple Wife"? When did simplicity become something you crave, and how did you put it into action?

Well, I became The Simple Wife when I started blogging two years ago because I was in the process of writing Living Simply--a book whose working title was The Simple Wife. The title changed (which is good, because I really like the simplicity of Living Simply and hear from readers all the time that they were drawn in by the title) but the blog was already in place.

Simplicity became a huge issue for me when we moved to Southern California and when Audrey started school. I felt overwhelmed by the excess of life in a super wealthy community and overwhelmed by all the activities I saw the five-year-olds in Audrey's class involved in. Especially since I still had a toddler at home (Emma was two years old at the time and still napping), I couldn't do everything I saw others doing with their kids--theater, music lessons, dance, sports, and so on. It didn't feel right for our family to pursue those things, but I still struggled with feeling like I was a "bad" mom for not giving her those opportunities.

(I will say that part of what helped me get over that guilt was my mother's best advice: "Do what's best for your family." And that might look different for different families.)

Also, we got rid of a lot of stuff before moving to California (we just couldn't afford a house as big!) and yet, even with so much less stuff, life still felt too full. I realized that simplicity was about more than just stuff. I really wrote Living Simply as part of my journey toward simplicity.

For me, simplicity is primarily about having a simple focus. About pursuing the kingdom of God first--and letting everything else fall into place behind that. As I strive to keep my focus simple, things like our calendar, our closets, and our clutter start to fall into their proper places.

Organize something

The letter O in The ABCs of Living Simply is up! Just click on the button, or on the Free Downloads page link.

I'm not Irish...

...but I'm wishing a you Happy St. Patrick's Day anyway. And I just remembered, I have an awesome vintage shamrock skirt somewhere, but I forgot all about it until just now. Oops. Hmm...where could it be? I think it might be downstairs in the fabric stash...

There's a lot I want to blog about tonight, but I don't think I'm going to get to it all. I've just read an incredible book, there are more questions to answer, Bible study is just awesome and there's lots to share, and we had a great Brownie meeting today. But it is Monday and it's been weeks since I've posted a letter for The ABCs of Living Simply.

Therefore, I'm going to post this real quick and then go put the letter O together and get it uploaded to the downloads page. (That sounds kinda funny to me!) So it's 7:19 p.m. here in Denver; check back in an hour and it should be done!

If I get it done quickly and still have time before getting the girls into bed, I'll come back and tell you about that book. If not, I'll see you tomorrow!

P.S. I love vintage postcards. Isn't this one pretty? I especially love ones that have been written on and mailed to someone. Unfortunately, this one is blank on the back. But I did find a Valentine one that said "Love, You Know."

More answers...

From Megan:

What are the best and worst things about living in Colorado (I've always wondered if I'd love living there)?

Hands down, the best thing about living in Denver is living near my family. My parents are just minutes away, and my sister and her family are about 15 minutes away. I love that. It means lots of last-minute phone calls like "Hey, I'm on my way to the antique store, wanna come along?" or "I made too much food for dinner, wanna come help us eat it?"

It also means when we need a babysitter, the girls are with family.

Other good things? It's beautiful here. We have white Christmases. I look at the mountains every day on the way to school in the morning. It's sunny a lot--even if it's freezing cold. Direct flights to just about anywhere from DIA. Heading to Vail or Breckenridge just for lunch. I have friends here.

Worst things?

Old snow that gets yucky and brown. This time of year when you discover two crocuses blooming in the backyard and then you see the forecast for 5 inches of snow tonight. Wearing a heavy, heavy coat and snow boots with your Easter dress--or worse, a turtleneck underneath your Easter dress. No ocean.

So the good far outweighs the bad--I pretty much LOVE living here!

**ADDED LATER**

My dad just emailed me this picture from Saturday morning...see what I mean?

Audrey, Tyson, Gran, Ava, Papa, Emma

And I almost forgot...

...yesterday was my two-year bloggiversary! I can't say how much I love blogging--it's been so fun to be able to look back on our family over the past two years--to see pictures and what we've been up to.

And meeting all of you has been beyond wonderful.

So, two years, 622 posts, almost 2,500 comments, more than 100,000 page views...WOW!

Happy birthday to me!

...and to Kimberly and Melissa too.

Thank for the messages, the packages, the ecards, the comments I've received to wish me a happy birthday. Ya'll are so sweet.

My friends Shanna and Sandy took me to breakfast yesterday morning after we dropped all of our girls off at school. It was so fun to sit and visit (and eat eggs benedict...mmm!). And even though some of what we talked about was hard (fourth grade girl drama is in full fling and not very much fun for anyone involved), I was just so blessed by these women who are friends and sisters in Christ. It was hard to get up and leave the restaurant!

But I did, because my sister came over yesterday with Ava and Tyson, whom I hadn't seen in way too long. Tyson is toddling everywhere and Ava talks a mile a minute. Little arms giving big, big hugs is one of my favorite things. We hung out and talked while Tyson napped and Ava watched princess movies. "I love princesses, Jo-Jo. I'm a gorl and Bella is a gorl and Jasmine is a gorl and Rella is a gorl and Sleeping Booty is a gorl." Later in the day she told me everyone she loves and everyone who loves her. It was a pretty big list!

Kristen and I also pulled all my knick-knacky accessories from downstairs into the dining room and rearranged them. Not huge changes, but enough to make it so fun to come downstairs this morning and see things in a new place and from a new perspective.

This is my favorite new thing. Mom bought this awesome box for me as an early birthday present a while ago (that day we went antiquing and I promised pictures that I never posted--oops!).

Here's the box:

And here's what Kristen and I did with it:

It now holds the remotes, my glasses, and a bunch of fun game pieces. Emma, in particular, can play with little things like dominos and dice and scrabble tiles for hours.

That day I also bought this display thing-y:

After hanging it up, here's what it looks like:

And here's another treasure from the past month...an old box, thing-y (I seem to have a lot of thing-ys, huh? Sometimes I just don't know what they're called, but I love them anyway!)

So back to the birthday...

Kristen took the girls home with her after school for a sleepover and Toben's in Phoenix, so I came home after school to an empty house. Weird.

I put on some music, continued rearranging, found the present Toben hid for me in the house (a day at the salon--haircut, manicure, pedicure), watched Good News (a great old musical I'd never heard of that was great), started Lauren Winner's Mudhouse Sabbath that Susan sent me for my birthday, turned OFF the alarm, and slept all night in a quiet house. And when I woke up this morning, I rolled over and went back to sleep!

And now I'm still sitting on the couch in my pjs, having had a nice long quiet time (gotta just say again how much I'm loving Stepping Up, the Beth Moore study we're doing right now). Think I'll finish putting things away, do some sewing, and whatever else strikes my fancy. The girls won't be home until after lunch (they're off to hunt eggs with Tyson and Ava). We're heading to Mom and Dad's for dinner later tonight, so I'll squeeze a shower in there too!

Enjoy your Saturday, everyone!

(Oh, and there are two crocuses blooming in the backyard--and my tulips are coming up. Spring is coming--hooray!)

Thank you

Oh ya'll, God is so good. (Something about talking about God always makes me want to say "ya'll," the one thing I've picked up from my Southern heritage!)

Thank you for your prayers--he answered them. (And even though I had a hard time falling asleep and was not nearly ready to get out of bed when the alarm went off at 5 a.m., I just remembered that being tired is something mothers of small children understand! You made me laugh out loud, Rochelle.) I made it through without coughing or losing my voice and I spoke for exactly 30 minutes as asked.

I had to laugh too, because I remember sitting in speech class in the 10th grade just positive that there was no way I could talk in front of the class for three minutes. And yesterday, I was wondering how I could limit it to only 30 minutes!

It was fun and I met such wonderful women this morning and was so blessed by them. I just love hearing from other women about how God has been faithful to them.

Gotta go sit on the couch with my feet up (and see if The Cosby Show is on) until it's time to get the girls from school.

Love you lots!

P.S. Oh, before I forget...

My friend Jen coordinates all the crafts for this MOPS group and today they made yo-yo brooches. She asked me to wear one too. So I made this one last weekend while I sprawled on the couch watching movies. Then, of course, I had to plan an entire outfit around one stinkin' pin! Not easy. But I did it: khaki pants, white shirt, denim jacket with the brooch, and red shoes--'cause you gotta wear red shoes as often as possible!

I usually just make single yo-yos with a button, but love this double one--with all the "fluff" sticking out of it. Let's be honest, who doesn't love rick rack? It just makes me smile!

Quick prayer request

Hey all,

Just a quick request for prayer...

I'm speaking tomorrow morning at MOPS at my church. I'm prepared and ready to talk about creating a godly home, but I'm still running low on energy. I'm feeling worn out tonight...planning to get showered and hit the sack as soon as the girls go to bed.

So I'd appreciate your prayers tomorrow morning...for clarity of thought, for God's message to be spoken, for energy and a strong voice.

Thank you!

More answers...

From Helen:

Hey Joanne, How fun... I love favorites and put favorites on my blog from time to time so... Favorite book(s)... Favorite devotional... Favorite Bible Translation... Favorite book to read over and over... Favorite movie(s)... Okay, that's more than one or two...

I love this because it makes me think of Maria singing about a few of her favorite things in The Sound of Music, one of my favorite movies. Yep, I know ALL the words to ALL the songs by heart. And I can't watch the movie without singing along.

Favorite book(s)
So hard to answer! I love to read, and have since I was a child. My dad and I had a deal, for every five books I'd read, he'd take me to Denny's for breakfast before school and buy me a new book. That didn't last too long before it was every ten books!

So, as a child, I loved to read mystery books: Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, The Three Investigators.

As an adult, I still love to read children's books, as well as historical fiction. But I am very careful about what I read. For years, I read lots and lots of romance novels--something I cannot read any more. As a young girl, they made me aware of things I shouldn't have known quite yet, and as a young married woman, they made me discontent with my life and my marriage. Life just isn't like a romance novel!

A couple of years ago, I gave up fiction for an entire year. It was hard, but taught me to read great works of nonfiction and to enjoy them too. That was the year I discovered Mark Buchanan's The Holy Wild, Madeleine L'Engle's Walking on Water, and Robert Benson's Living Prayer--all books I read at least once a year now.

Favorite devotional
There are two that I use: Robert Benson's Venite and A Guide to Prayer for All God's People. I LOVE these books.

Favorite Bible translation
I use an NIV Study Bible every day--so it's my preferred one. But I also love reading The Message. Toben was the publisher for The Message for a while and so I'm fortunate to have met Eugene and been involved some in the process of The Message. In addition, I use Blue Letter Bible almost every day as part of studying.

Favorite books to read over and over
Well, I spend more time reading my Bible than any other book.

But in terms of reading for entertainment, I read all of the Chronicles of Narnia every year, all of the Anne of Green Gables books every year. I also read The Secret Garden just about every year. I do read The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy every other year or so too. I also read the Mallory Towers books by Enid Blyton every year too. Oh, and all the Little House on the Prairie books get read almost every year too!

A lot, I know, but they are all old friends and I need to spend time with them!

Favorite movies
Hmm...
The Sound of Music, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, You've Got Mail, The Robe, Gigi, Funny Face, Paris When it Sizzles

I could probably think of more, but it's time to make some dinner for my family!

More answers

From Holly:

What would be one of you favorites places to visit and what sights would you have to go see? Also, who would you take? Finally, what souvenier (sp?) would you bring home?

Here's the thing. Though I've had the opportunity to travel a lot (my family lived in England when I was in middle school, so we traveled to Europe every school holiday), I don't much like to travel. I'd rather stay home!

That said, my favorite places to visit are places that feel familiar: Carmel (we honeymooned there and went every year for years), Paris (lived there for a summer after college and know my way around, plus I speak French), England (having lived there, it was home for years). I'd go to any one of those places just about any time!

I'd love to take an extended trip to Yorkshire and rent a house in the dales. We've talked about ALL going--Mom and Dad; Wade, Kristen, and their kids; and our family. I would love that...hiking through the dales, taking the girls horseback riding at the stables where Kristen and I took lessons, picking strawberries, picnicking at Fountains Abbey. But we need to wait until Ava and Tyson are a bit older.

A place I've never been that I'd like to visit? Prince Edward Island. I'm a huge Anne of Green Gables fan, and would love to visit there. The scenery in the movies takes my breath away. I think I'd want to visit in spring or fall, and I'd take my family. But not until the girls have read the books and love Anne as much as they should!

I'd want to see the lighthouse that's featured so prominently in the movies, the bridge where Gilbert proposes and Anne accepts, and just wander through the countryside.

What souvenir to bring home? A set of Anne books and a charm for my bracelet. I do have a Nova Scotia charm--one of my first, that my grandmother gave me after visiting PEI along with my very first copy of Anne of Green Gables.

(And, only four more years until I get to take this trip! Because Toben and I made a deal: For my 40th, we're going to PEI; for Toben's 40th, we're off to Carmel so he can play a round at Pebble Beach. Of course, he's older than me, so we'll be going to Carmel first.)

Time for some answers

From Meredith:

Okay, Joanne, I'll go first. :) If you had had boys instead of two girls, what boy names would you have chosen? And one more--how/when did you learn to sew?

Hmm...Well, I just knew that Audrey was going to be a girl from the very start. And Toben and I both knew that she was Audrey. We didn't really talk about names very much--just one conversation the night I told Toben I was pregnant.

Audrey was a little bit of a surprise, and I found out I was pregnant because I had a bladder infection. The nurse at the doctor's office said, "Oh by the way, did you know you're pregnant?" Well, I didn't! Toben was out of town in New York on a business trip, and we'd already planned for me to meet him. So I kept it a total secret for four or five days, and then flew to New York.

We got totally lost leaving the airport, got stuck in awful traffic, then drove down to Spring Lake, New Jersey, in a bad snowstorm. By the time we arrived, we were late for dinner at some friends' house. "When are you going to have kids?" my friend Ann asked us at dinner. I kept my mouth shut.

Finally, we got back to our hotel (a great Victorian place called The Chateau if you're ever there and need a place to stay) and I handed Toben a "Happy I Love You Day" present. He opened it to find binkies. And that's how I told him.

We stayed up for hours talking and dreaming and I think that's the night we decided she would be Audrey.

Now with Emma, I had a boy feeling. Not sure why, but I did. So Emma was going to be Charles (Charley, for short) after my dad. Until we went in for the ultrasound. There in the room we discovered she was Emma. Again, no other names, she was just Emma.

So I don't have another boy name. Or even another girl name that we almost chose. Though we said if we ever had a third girl, she'd be Jane. People often ask Toben if he ever wanted a boy, and the answer's no every time. And a third? Once Emma arrived, our family just felt complete.

***

So sewing.

I learned to sew when I was a little girl. My mom taught me on her Singer Featherweight machine that she took to college. My mother majored in home economics and is a wonderful seamstress. She always made her clothes, and our clothes too.

I made my first outfit when I was about seven years old--a skirt and blouse from a lovely pale green fabric. I was so proud of it! I continued to sew and can remember spending spring breaks in high school sewing for the entire week and starting school with a new wardrobe.

Dad always told Mom that she could spend as much as she wanted at the fabric store--because it used to be so much cheaper than buying our clothes. (Unfortunately, that's not true anymore so Toben's never given me that carte blanche!)

I do still sew clothes--for the girls and sometimes for myself. But I only choose patterns that have clean lines and are very simple. It's too heartbreaking when something doesn't fit or look right after all that time and money.

But mostly, I like to sew for the home--curtains, bags, pillows--stuff I can make without a pattern. I like to make it up as I go--that way there's no picture to compare it to and it usually turns out right!

A Proverbs 31 kind of guy

A husband of noble character, who can find?

He is worth far more than diamonds (and rubies too, but let's be honest, we prefer diamonds!)
His wife has full confidence in him and lacks nothing of value.
He brings her good, not harm, all the days of his life.

He selects clothes for the children when his wife is sick,
he works with eager hands, combing out tangles and making matching pony tails.

He is like the merchant ships,
bringing chicken soup and ginger ale from the grocery.

He gets up once it's necessary;
he provides Lucky Charms for his children
and toast for his ailing wife.

He considers roses and buys them,
out of his pocket he pays for them.

He sets about his work vigorously;
his arms are strong for his tasks.
In his hand he holds the scrub brush
and grasps the vacuum with his fingers.
He does the laundry and folds it,
he sings a silly song while he works.

When it snows, he has no fear for his children;
he shovels, and makes sure they have their hats and mittens and snow boots and scarves and heavy coats.

He wears a baseball cap,
he is clothed in sweats and and hoodie.

He is respected at the elementary school,
where he takes his seat behind the secretary's desk.

He is clothed with strength and dignity;
he can laugh at the days to come.
He speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on his tongue.

He watches over the affairs of his household
and does eat many boxes of Girl Scout cookies.

His children arise and call him funny,
his wife too, and she praises him:

"Many men do noble things,
but you surpass them all!"

Thanks for taking such good care of me, Toben. I love you.

Back to life...

Well, I'm upright and not wearing pajamas and my hair is done and I even have on a little bit of makeup. While I don't feel quite like myself yet, I think I'm running at about 75 percent. Not bad, considering I spent nine straight days in bed not caring about much of anything.

We went to church yesterday morning, which was my first real outing in ages--if you don't count the hospital or the doctor's office. We came home, and I put on my jammies and spent most of the rest of the day recovering from being out. I'd love some energy, but realize that it's just going to take awhile--and that's okay.

Part of what landed me in bed so sick was overdoing things--not just once in a while when necessary, but on a daily basis to the point where busyness was becoming the norm. Not good.

Sweet Holly called me today, and as we talked I was telling her that I wished I could say that my time in bed was a wonderful retreat with the Father, lots of time spent listening to teaching, or reading the Word. But it wasn't. I watched some movies, but mostly I just stayed in bed and slept.

But as I got back into my quiet time routine this morning, I realize that part of being sick was learning just to rest and do nothing but rest. Something I'm not good at. Yes, I take time to do things I enjoy--reading, sewing, spending time with friends. And those things do energize me and feel restful. But just being perfectly still and quiet? That's something I don't do nearly enough.

So I was feeling tired and overwhelmed as much of the past month of blogging proves--and didn't have any energy left to fight off whatever this crud was. Let me just encourage you: If you are feeling tired, you need to rest. Give yourself permission, because the alternative is not very much fun!

It's hard medicine to take--being up again makes me want to dive right back into my usual Monday routine. But I realize that I can't just go, go, go. And so in between switching the laundry, I'm doing a lot of sitting on the couch with my feet up until the dryer buzzer sounds.

By the way, thanks for all your questions back at the beginning of being sick. I'm excited to start answering them...tomorrow!

And the winner (finally!) is...

Congratulations, Marla! Go check out the fabrics I have available and I'll make a Bible study workbook cover just for you (this weekend, once I can tackle the basement stairs, that is!).

I'm out of bed...

...for the first time in seven days. Oh my goodness. Toben has been awesome keeping the girls fed and up on their homework and running around like Mr. Mom. He has mentioned a time or two that it's hard work. :)

The medicine seems to be working, though it tends to make me feel sick to my stomach if I haven't had enough to eat first--which I haven't because nothing is sounding good yet. I'm very tired of toast and ginger ale. But I had some this morning--and some cookies (anything to fill up my tummy before taking those pills!)--and am hoping that the nausea stays away.

Toben's just left to take the girls to school. I'm actually sitting downstairs and think I'm going to stay out of bed for a while at least. I have some writing I really need to work on--nothing too strenuous since I still don't have much energy once I go up or down the stairs.

I will do the drawing for the Bible study cover giveaway today. Thanks for being patient!

Still in bed...

You all have been so sweet to me...thank you for the get well comments, prayers, emails, and e-cards. I appreciate you!

I'm still in bed...day 5. But I think I've turned a corner--no fever this morning. Toben's taking me to the doctor just to get checked out one more time and I've cancelled the rest of my week in order to rest some more and not infect anyone else.

**ADDED LATER**

Back from the doctor and full of drugs--antibiotics, decongestant, cough syrup with codeine. So looks like I'll be in bed some more...

Nothing like a trip to the ER on a cold, snowy Sunday morning

Remember how I said I really needed some rest? Well, today is my third straight day in bed--except for a little trip to the ER this morning. Fun, huh?

Fever, headache, sore throat, cough--you name it, I've got it. I don't get sick very often, but when I do it's usually pretty bad. I got stuck full of IV needles (and didn't throw up or pass out--though I came pretty close--there aren't strong enough words to describe how I feel about needles--uuuh!), swabbed for strep and the flu, and learned that I have...a sore throat.

Of course, there's a fancy name for it that I can't spell or say or even remember at this point, but it all comes down to this--my throat hurts. Seems like I could've saved myself the trouble of driving over there in the snow for something I already knew.

But I did feel better after those two big bags of fluid--did you know they can tell if you're dehydrated just by your heart rate? They can. And I guess I was because mine was up around 136 when I got there and down to 96 when I left.

I really don't like hospitals at all. But the doctors and nurses were all really nice to me today. One nurse in particular called me honey and darlin and sweet girl and sugar--which made me feel lots better. Isn't it funny that no matter how old you are, when you get sick all you want is your mama?

As weird as it may sound, I have really good memories of being sick as a child. My mom always brought a tray for my bedside table with ginger ale and a bendy straw in the Diet Coke glass, a thermometer, and a bell to ring when I needed her. She'd put a cool washcloth on my head and whenever I got out of bed, she'd straighten the bed and fluff my pillow, so the sheets were cool and crisp when I cam back. She'd put her cool hand on my forehead and just that always made me feel better.

If she and Dad weren't on a trip, I think I'd have to call her and ask her to come over and take care of me!