hesse family ceo

"He Reigns"...Reinterpreted

2008-11-01T20:30:00.003-05:00

Before I get into my post for today, I just wanted to say that we made it to NY safe and sound. We've been here almost a month (time flies!), and each day that passes we're a little more settled. The kids are adjusting so well, and Josh and I are both really happy that we made the big move. We're both working from home full-time and reconnecting with each other, the family, and Josh's old friends from high school. Oh...and unpacking! We're looking forward to the holidays with special expectation this year. Speaking of special expectations, I want to give a shout out to my baby brother and his wife, who are expecting baby #2 in July. We're so excited for you guys! Happy, healthy pregnancy blessings on you!

I wanted to share something hilarious that happened today. Josh & Rachel had the kids out this morning running errands, and after a particularly trying morning with things not going as planned, Kaden started singing out his version of "He Reigns" (a worship song by the Newsboys -- full lyrics here). He has heard this song on the radio, but I think he really "learned it" from his friend Hannah's kids' worship CD. (Hi, Yaxes -- we miss you!)

So here are the real words to the chorus:

It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah He reigns,
He reigns
It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah He reigns,
He reigns

And here, in all its glory, is Kaden's interpretation:

When you're not even tryin'
Holy Moly, Holy Moly - a Mess!
Ebay!
When you're not even tryin'
Holy Moly, Holy Moly - a Mess!
Ebay!

In case you're having trouble figuring out which line goes where, I tried to put them together here, the original first, and then Kaden's version:

It’s all God’s children singing / When you're not even tryin'
Glory, glory / Holy Moly
Hallelujah, He reigns / Holy Moly - a Mess!
He reigns / Ebay!

I'm sure it lacks something without the audio, but it's absolutely HILARIOUS to hear him sing this because he has the tune down pat, but none of the words make sense. Well, maybe they make sense, but they're not exactly a worship tune anymore. How funny is it that "eBay" is a regular part of his vocabulary? I think that's a sign to lay off eBay! :-) Anyway, when they got home, Kaden sang his song for me, and Josh and I just laughed and laughed. Kaden enjoyed cracking us up, so he just kept singing it over and over again. Laney gets into the act, too, singing "Holy Moly" over and over again. The two of them together are just too much.

Kids are so much fun [98% of the time]. I highly recommend them. :-)

Moving Part 2

2008-09-30T09:37:00.004-05:00

I wanted to follow up on my first "Moving Story" post with the second part of the story. In short, God sold our house in two weeks . . . and we're moving at the end of this week!

Now for the longer explanation . . . This whole process has been a whirlwind, to say the least. At the end of July, Josh and I started considering a move back up north, but honestly, I was way more committed to the idea than he was. He wasn't so sure about leaving Nashville or his job, but after our visit to Plattsburgh in mid-July, I felt increasingly restless here, sort of like this wasn't "home" anymore. I mentioned to my friend Stephanie that we were discussing the possibility of moving, but I told her that even if we DID move, it wouldn't be until next year. Here we are just two short months later, and we're getting ready to pack our moving truck this week!

Things at Josh's job continued to decline through the summer, both in the amount of hours and the quality of the work environment, and he made the decision to take a leap of faith on August 21st: he quit his job! Up until that point, moving to NY was still a vague possibility in my mind because I knew we both had to be onboard 100 percent and both have peace about this gigantic change in our lives. Josh called me that night after quitting and told me he had good news and bad news. And then he corrected himself: "Actually it's all good news. I quit my job and we're moving to NY!" I was kind of like..."Really?" I was shocked.

Well, we quickly moved into action and got the house "spiffed up" in one week and officially put it on the market For Sale by Owner. We didn't know at that point what God's plan was or if we were even going in the right direction. We decided that if the house sold quickly, that would definitely be a sign that God's hand was in this and that He really did want us to move. So we listed the house on Thursday, August 28th, and we had several people contact us initially. Josh took this on as his full-time job and really did a great job creating a cool website and marketing the house on Craigslist and via flyers around Nashville.

With the way the housing market is right now, we really didn't know how long our house would sit on the market. I was prepared for 3-4 months, at least, but we both believed from the beginning that God had already sold the house and had a special family in mind. We just had no way of knowing how quickly He would bring that family along, and we didn't want to try to put God on our timeline. As much as we didn't want to be stuck in between jobs or face the prospect of moving to NY and trying to sell the house from there, we knew that it was a possibility. With timing uncertain, but sensing that this really was what God wanted us to do, we prayed every day for wisdom and patience in working out the details and waiting for Him to bring the right family along. This process certainly increased our faith greatly, and it was neat because Kaden got to participate in the process -- praying in his own words and seeing God answer our prayers in a big way.

On Saturday, September 13th, the future buyers came to see the house while my sister and I were at the Music City Triathlon course scoping out the situation for the triathlon the next day. We had two showings that day, and several other people called who were really interested in the house. Josh called me to tell me that it looked like both families were going to make an offer, so that was VERY good news! The next day after the triathlon, we talked about the options we had and decided on a really sweet couple that loves our house. They're young and want to have a family soon, which is exciting for us because this home has been such a blessing to us and we've made so many good memories here with our kids. Josh called them on Sunday afternoon, and they were so excited that they wanted to come over THAT NIGHT and sign the paperwork. So we did!

We're doing a 2-year lease-purchase agreement with them, and they were ready to assume the mortgage starting in October. The timing was perfect for us because we never had to make a mortgage payment while Josh was out of work. Again, we had no idea how long we would have to carry the mortgage, but we couldn't be happier with the way God blessed us so abundantly through this whole process.

If it had taken six months or a year to sell our house, God would still be good, but to see Him work out this arrangement in two weeks and for Him to move so swiftly on our behalf has been truly amazing. We're so grateful for the way He is making a path for us. Isaiah 30:21 says, "Your ears will hear a word behind you, 'This is the way, walk in it,' whenever you turn to the right or to the left." We have certainly experienced this during this whole process leading up to our move.

So that's the story. I'm sure there will be more to tell in the future as God continues unfolding what our new life will look like in NY. Our plan is to move in with Josh's parents and finish their basement to make our own little spot for the next year or so while we get their house ready to sell. I'll continue freelancing, and Josh has some money-making ideas up his sleeve, as he almost always does. :-) Josh will be the chief manual laborer in completing the repairs that need to be done to the house, so that will keep him busy, too. Our long-term plan is to move to the family lake in northern PA, but we don't have a certain date set for that second move.

It's interesting to look back and see how God has been developing this idea of "multigenerational living" in our hearts for over a year now. We thought that Josh's parents would be the ones moving here after retirement and that we would buy a piece of property together and build separate homes or possibly one big joint home. God apparently had other ideas in mind, now that WE are clearly the ones relocating, but still, the concept is the same. I'm sure there will be lots of pros and cons to us all living under one roof, but I truly believe we're going to work it out and create an arrangement that works for all of us. This whole interdependence between generations is relatively foreign to us now that lots of families are spread out over the whole country and we've moved away from the model of families living in the same town for their whole lives, but at least for us, reclaiming that interdependence is a very exciting prospect. I have some ideas cooking in my head, like maybe a new blog or even an e-book on traversing some of the pitfalls of multigen living, so stay tuned.

God is at work in a big way in our family, and we feel very fortunate to have experienced this last year -- and particularly the last two months. I've collected some Bible verses that meant a lot to me during this time (and will continue to), and I think I'll post those separately in case they might help someone out there.

Thanks for reading this epic blog post. I know I don't blog much anymore, but I'm on Facebook a lot -- so set up an account and request me as a friend if you want to keep up with us more regularly. The next time I write, we'll be northerners again! :-)

New York or bust! To God be the glory!

Moving Part 1

2008-09-30T09:33:00.002-05:00

**Originally published on Facebook - August 29, 2008**

Several of you have asked about what's up with my status messages ... "What?! You're moving?!" Yes, it's true! Josh quit his job last week, and we just officially put our house on the market last night. It's a long story, but Josh and I came to the conclusion that climbing the corporate ladder, especially living away from all of our family, is not creating the family life or quality of life that we envision and desire. We've considered finding a new job for Josh here in the Nashville area, but the more we thought about it and prayed about it, the more and more sense it made to head back up north. Minus Jess and Stefan, both sides of our family live in PA and NY, and honestly, we're just tired of living so far away!

Josh's dad retires in Sept. 09, and we were making plans for them to retire here in TN, but without Josh's job to hold us here, we decided it makes more sense for us to be the ones who move. Josh's parents have always dreamed of retiring at the family lake in PA (north of Scranton, PA and south of Binghamton, NY), but they were going to forego that dream to be close to us in TN (they say the grandkids are like little magnets). But before they can move anywhere, their house needs a lot of work done to it. Because of Rachel's health over the last 10 years, their house has been at the bottom of the priority list (understandably). Combine their needs with our growing sense that God was drawing this season of life to a close, and voila! -- you have our plan for the next phase.

We are moving to Plattsburgh, NY as soon as we sell our house and/or Josh finds another job in NY. The plan right now is to build an "apartment" in the basement of Josh's parents' house, and we'll live there until we all move to the lake after retirement. We'll be helping them get their house ready, Josh won't be gone for 13-14 hours days (yay!), and we can finally get out from a bunch of business debt. Josh's parents are ECSTATIC, and we're excited to see what life will look like in the next year.

It's a time of healing for us, a time for family, and a time to simplify life and focus on what really matters. God's leading us on another adventure, not unlike our big adventure of moving to Nashville, but it looks different from anything we imagined even a few short months ago. God's giving us peace about this big move, and we're taking each day at a time to see what He has in store.

Well, that's the short story. We'd love to have your prayers with us as we jump out in faith into this multi-generational living thing. Maybe I'll start a new blog. :-)

So...anyone want to buy a house in Fairview, TN?! We'd love to show you around!

Non-Toxic Kitchen Cleaners

2008-06-23T23:54:00.003-05:00

I read a really helpful post tonight, and I wanted to share it. I'm always interested in any household product that's non-toxic, simple, and cheap. Can't beat that combo! Check out this post from The Nourishing Gourmet on her simple, non-toxic kitchen cleaners. She has some great info and "recipes" that I intend to try this week!

I already have some Borox on hand from Soaps Gone Buy (love their laundry kit!), so I'm going to mix up some of the dishwashing detergent that Kimberly Harris recommends. The vinegar/peroxide combo is so cool! I had never heard of that before.

Let me know if you try any of these ideas. Also, I'd love to hear of any simple non-toxic cleaning ideas you have! I've been using several of the "Greenworks" products from Clorox, and I do like those. However, something I can mix up myself is even more appealing!

When A 1-Piece Suit Just Won't Do

2008-06-11T00:22:00.004-05:00

I'm all for modesty, but ... really? A 4-piece bathing suit? I think I'd rather stay inside than wear this get-up in the hot summer sun.

Supposedly, this appeals to "today's religious woman," but this religious woman will stick with my tankini thank-you-very-much.

It's hard to believe they have much of a market for these suits, but I guess I might be wrong! At least you know where to find this little gem if you're ever in the market for head-to-toe swimwear. Nothing says summer fun like heat exhaustion!

Jew-P-S to the Rescue!

2008-06-07T23:57:00.003-05:00

I've been wanting to post this little story for a few weeks, and believe it or not, it's been so long since I blogged that I forgot how to sign into my blog! That's a sure sign that your blog is in a serious state of neglect. But I figured it out, and here I am!

Josh's parents gave us a GPS for Christmas, and we've already used it on several trips. I also use it when I'm going somewhere in Nashville that I'm not familiar with. Kaden thinks it's very cool, and to be honest, what's not to like? A talking computer that knows where you're going and tells you where to turn?! Amazing! We call our GPS "Genie," which is something we picked up from Papa, I think.

Several weeks ago, we were driving along and apparently Kaden thought we were lost or something. He piped up from the backseat, "Mom, you shoulda brought the Jew-P-S!"

When I realized he was talking about the GPS, my first thought was, Man, I bet Moses could have used one of those in the Wilderness. Good 'ole Genie would have gotten the Israelites right to the Promised Land! Get it? Jew-P-S? Hahahaha!

You may not be impressed, but I got a good laugh out of my own sense of humor. :-) The kids didn't get the joke, but hey, at least I think it's funny.

Mad Lib for Mother

2008-05-11T15:33:00.000-05:00

I know, I know...where have I been, right? Well, I'll spare you the gory details, but let's just say I've been spending every spare moment (and a few that didn't feel so spare) in the basement, huddled away at my desk and feverishly proofreading a big project for Thomas Nelson. I've been at it since January, and although it was supposed to be done March 27, we're still going strong on May 11. I'm always happy for the work, but there's also something to be said for wrapping things up and moving on to the next thing. Like maybe a week-long nap?! :-)

Anyway, when I'm really busy, blogging sort of gradually slides off the priority list. Sleep? Eat? Blog? I usually go for the first two when push comes to shove! And any time you get out of the habit of doing something, it always takes a lot of effort to get back on the wagon. I've thought about many things I'd like to post about over the months, but nothing felt exactly right for my first post after such a long absence. That is, until I received Kaden's Mother's Day gifts from preschool on Thursday. I knew I just had to share this little "Mother's Day Mad Lib" because it's just too cute and funny to keep to myself! So here goes...

My Special Mom
My mom is the most wonderful mom in the world. She is as pretty as a mouse. She weighs 85 pounds, and she is 8 feet tall. Her hair is white, and her eyes are yellow. Her favorite food is cereal.

My mother can do anything! I think she's best at taking me to the doctor. My mother has a pretty smile! She smiles when she sees me do special things. My mother is smart! She even knows how to cook. I wish my mom would paint with me everyday.

I wouldn't trade my mother for chips! Happy Mother's Day!

A few observations...
1.) I've never considered a mouse to be pretty, but I guess with white hair and yellow eyes, I could compete with any mouse out there!

2.) Talk about body dysmorphia! I guess in Kaden's eyes, I seem very tall, but 8 feet?! And 85 pounds? Oh my. To put this into perspective, those stats would give me a BMI of 6.5. Underweight starts at 18.5. So yeah...I think I'll be having Kaden's eyes checked again this week. :-)

3.) I thought his answer about painting everyday was sweet because it made me realize how much he loves doing art projects. I knew he loved painting and stuff, but for him to pick that out as a favorite activity (as opposed to something more active or outdoors), it sort of surprised me. I guess we'll be doing more painting!

4.) As far as the chips go, at least I know I rank above the nearest bag of Baked Lays. :-) And that's saying something, folks.

To all the moms out there, and especially to my mom, mother-in-law, and the five grandmas on both sides of the family ... Happy Mother's Day! We love you, we're blessed to have you in our lives, and you are all examples to me of sacrificial love and service. Thank you for loving God and your families with all your heart, mind, and strength. I pray you have a blessed day and know how special you are to me, to Josh, and to the kids. We wouldn't trade you for all the chips in the world! :-) For all the silent prayers you prayed, tireless hours you spent doing the ordinary and unglamorous, and for being our biggest supporters, we say, "Thank You!"

I also want to say thank you to three people who over the years have treated me like a daughter and blessed me with their love and wisdom -- Neila, Jane, and Pam, I love you! I'm forever grateful for you and the time you took to invest in me.

I'm sending my love to all the moms I love and cherish -- Have a Happy Mother's Day!

Thanking Him for Protection

2008-02-10T14:19:00.000-06:00

As you've probably heard, Super Tuesday turned into a night of super tornadoes here in Tennessee. A tornado touched down in Fairview during the first cell of storms that went through, and by God's grace, we survived with no damage whatsoever. Although we weren't that scared on Tuesday night (it really didn't seem THAT bad here), it's been alarming to discover just how close the Fairview tornado was to our house. We had the news on and were watching the radar on weatherchannel.com, but we never heard the tornado or saw anything other than lots of lightning and some hail. If we had known that the tornado was just 1-3 miles south of us, we would have been hiding out in the closet downstairs instead of watching from upstairs! Over thirty homes were destroyed in Fairview, and we drove by this church today on our way to church. (Here are some more pictures.) We drive this way to church every Sunday, and to see the destruction and the path of fallen trees and debris just a few miles away was definitely a sobering sight. It looked like a steamroller drove down over the hill and flattened every tree in its path.

On the positive side, it's been wonderful to see how our church has rallied to help tornado victims, and the little town of Fairview has really pulled together. Tragedy does have a way of bringing out the best in people. The kids and I had the chance to volunteer yesterday, sorting donations and clothing so that everyone who lost their homes can come "shopping" and start to rebuild their lives again. I know that this earth and our belongings are not all there is to this life, but to lose every earthly possession has to be one of the most devastating things to face. Even more so, I think of the thirty-three families across Tennessee who are without a loved one today because of these storms. So many times natural disasters are far away, and while I feel for the people, it's not the same as when the storm is literally in your town. The feeling of "that could have been us" was always in the back of my mind this week.

So we will keep reaching out to those who have been affected, and we will keep thanking God for his protection of our family. Hug your families a little tighter tonight. I know I will be! (Oh, and if they say there are tornados sighted, just go to your "safe place," okay? I wish we had taken a bit more precaution that night. Lesson learned!)

Reward Board Revisited

2008-02-08T21:24:00.000-06:00

The emails have been pouring in (okay, there were three), and I decided to take a minute to clarify a few things about the Reward Board.

I base earning coins on two things. Number one, if Kaden obeys one of the house rules, he gets a coin. For example, if he obeys the first time when I ask him to do something, he gets a coin. If he uses kind words with me or Delaney, he gets a coin. I decided early on that I had to be as willing to see the positive and reward it as I was to jump on the negative and penalize him.

Number two, if Kaden does something I deem positive, he earns a coin. Kaden's very loving with Delaney and is generally a great sharer, so I try to emphasize his strong points by rewarding him with coins when I catch him being sweet to her. He's also pretty good at helping around the house, like scrubbing the tub with shampoo (!) when I'm cleaning or running the handvac. He gets coins for stuff like that b/c I want him to feel good about being part of the team effort that is family. Of course not everything fits into the rules we have listed, but a lot of things fall under nice words or nice hands & feet. We also reward him with a coin for good behavior when we're out and about -- church, the grocery store, etc.

Josh and I decided not to have an elaborate system of points and degrees of rewards. Everything is worth one coin, whether good or bad. I suppose the time could come where Kaden would do something so fantastic that it would deserve two coins, but we haven't had that come up yet. :-)

One thing I'm not sure what to do with yet is when losing one coin doesn't cause Kaden to amend his behavior. Losing one coin works 98% of the time, but there are occasionally times where he just gets it in his head that he's going to be naughty regardless of coins or rewards. In that case, I usually send him to his room to cool down so I don't rifle through all of his coins for one infraction.

Oh, and for Holly B. -- we super-glued magnets on the back of nickels. They've worked like a charm!

If any of you implement this in your home, let me know how it goes. I hope our Reward Board has inspired you!

Kaden's Reward Board - Part 2

2008-02-03T15:39:00.000-06:00

Now that you've all been on the edge of your seat for a good 24 hours, I'll continue my post.

One day in the beginning of January, we were all in the car together, and Josh told me he had come up with an idea that he thought would help Kaden's current behavior issues. His idea has affectionately become known as the "Reward Board," thus instituting the 2nd generation of the "Reward System" -- good choices earn good consequences and bad choices earn bad consequences. As you may be able to tell from the picture, there is a Bank (Mom & Dad's money), a Savings Account (Kaden's spot to stash coins he earns each day), the Hesse House Rules on the left, and the Reward section at the bottom. Every day, Kaden gets to start with 3 coins, and then he earns and loses coins based on his behavior and the choices he makes.

Our rules are:

Nice Words
Nice Hands & Feet
Obey the First Time
Keep Undies Clean (for the potty trainers among us)
Have a Good Quiet Time
Keep Emotions Under Control (no tantrums)

The best part of this for me is that I don't feel like the Lone Discipline Ranger anymore. Not that Josh wasn't involved before, but since I spend most of my time at home with the kids, I was the one here dealing with bad behavior. But now, even when Josh is at work, he's still involved in Kaden's discipline b/c we came up with this system together, and Kaden knows that Daddy's serious about it. In fact, if Kaden gets down to zero coins at any point in the day, he has to answer to Daddy, not me. Kaden has to go to Josh the next morning and explain why he lost all his coins and receive a Daddy punishment (much scarier to Kaden than regular 'ole Mommy). Josh checks the board each night when he gets home from work, and he always talks to Kaden about how his day went the next morning.

We put the white board in the kitchen, the hub of the house, so that we could all see it and remember the rules. Kaden likes moving coins over from the bank when he makes a good choice, but he's not so fond of losing coins. He's already earned two trips to the YMCA swimming pool and one lunch in his treehouse. He loves using his coins for rewards!

So how's it working? Well, we've had about 3 weeks at it, and I have to say that I've definitely seen an improvement in Kaden's behavior -- and in my stress level. I haven't been losing my temper on a daily basis anymore, so this is a good thing! I'm not a temper person, but the boy was literally driving me to tears! Having more structure with clearly defined rewards has made it less of a guessing game on how to reward Kaden when he exceeds our expectations -- both in a good way and in a bad way!

Kaden's really caught on to the idea, too. He's already suggested that Laney have her own board (he likes the idea of being in charge of someone), and he even told me that I need my own board! One night I reprimanded him in a frustrated tone, and he said, "Mom, I think you need your own board because you just lost a coin." At first I thought he was upset with me because I had reprimanded him, and I told him that mommies are allowed to make rules for the kids and expect them to obey. But he further clarified to me that he didn't like the way I said it to him. He was right! I apologized for my tone, and we hugged. He makes me smile when he does stuff like that. My mother-in-law told me one night that Kaden's sensitivity to my tone of voice shows her that we're doing a good job teaching him how to treat others and talk to people. He calls me on it when my tone is anything other than gentle and calm. The kid keeps me honest, I tell ya. Imagine that -- being held to my own rules!

I'm sure Kaden will outgrow these particular rules and rewards at some point, but the reasoning behind the system will keep working. We'll have to adapt the boundaries and the rewards, but I think we've definitely tapped into something that will work for us for many years to come.

Kaden's Reward Board - Part 1

2008-01-23T19:50:00.000-06:00

Back in November, we hit one of those phases with Kaden when what we were doing for discipline simply wasn't working. The older he gets, the more argumentative he gets and it seems, the more strong-willed. I was frustrated, Kaden was frustrated, and Daddy was tired of getting an earful from me every night on his way home from work. So in Josh's usual fashion, he decided to fix the problem! (More on that tomorrow.)

Kaden has such a sweet personality. He's energetic (I'll give you that), but he's always been a cuddler and very giving. He's very determined, though...some might even say stubborn...and maybe a smidge moody. However, he's never been given to tantrums, kicking, screaming, hitting, or the like. So when he suddenly started throwing tantrums, screaming, and slamming doors, Josh and I were both confused about what was behind this sudden change. I knew our sweet boy was still there, but something we were doing at home wasn't working. Not enough structure? Not enough one-on-one time? Not enough ___________? It seemed that a lot of his frustration was aimed at me, which was definitely not easy for me to take. Truth be told, on the inside, I was downright distraught.

One Sunday afternoon, after a rough morning with Kaden, I sat down on the couch with my Bible, and I was feeling totally worn out. I did one of those random, flip-through-the-Bible, "God-please-speak-to-me" things, and He answered. I landed in Isaiah 11, and wouldn't you know it, the heading say, "The King of Peace is Coming." Peace? Yes, please! I knew I needed encouragement from God, but I didn't know exactly what I was looking for until I found it. The chapter talks ultimately of Christ, the King of Peace, and there were a few things that stuck out to me about how this King rules. Verse 2 says that He will rule with wisdom, understanding, guidance, and power, and verse 3 says that He will not judge by the way things look or deciding by what He hears. I like that part because it's important for me to slow down and get the whole story before I jump in and start judging a situation with the kids. Things aren't always what they seem (i.e., sometimes it's Laney who's causing the problem!).

Verse 4 says He will judge the poor honestly and fairly, and back in Isaiah 10:1-2, it talks about "how terrible it will be for those who make unfair laws, and those who write laws that make life hard for people. They are not fair to the poor, and they rob my people of their rights." Now that really made me laugh, because I felt like God was talking directly to me. Because of the fact that I work from home and have limited outside help (a nanny), I do expect a lot from Kaden. He spends several hours in his room each afternoon while Laney naps, so that I can work, and this "quiet time" thing had become a real point of contention for the two of us. I still think that quiet time is necessary for both of us, but because of our new system, the tension and the battle has been taken out of the equation. I had allowed discipline to become a battle, and that had soaked up a good portion of the sweetness in our relationship. We weren't enjoying each other's company anymore because it seemed that we were always locked in battle. I sensed that Kaden needed more tenderness and more understanding from me, and it really broke my heart! I know the situation wasn't all my fault, but as the adult, it was my job to take control and get things back on track. I wanted peace, not battles.

Then I read Isaiah 11:5, and it renewed my hope. "Goodness and fairness will give him strength, like a belt around his waist." Verses 6-9 describe the picture of peace and tranquility that hinge on the first 5 verses -- there is peace because of the way the King rules! I felt like God was telling me that it didn't matter what the issues were or how things got this way. It was my job as the "king" (when Daddy's not here!) :-) to rule with goodness and fairness, and then peace would flow from that. Not bantering, not begging, not negotiating, but goodness and fairness. It's not weaker or softer or touchy-feely. If anything, trying to be my calm and easygoing self had gotten me to this point. We've always had rules, but as I said, the older Kaden gets, the more he tries the boundaries. And when timeouts failed miserably and spankings were creating more aggression, I started to lose my cool. Not pretty. (I'll admit it.) I'm not a screamer (I hate it in fact), so when I found myself raising my voice at Kaden and sounding like a crazy person, I was just as alarmed at my own behavior as I was with his. I wanted to find a way to be firm without being mean or frustrated, and I wanted to find a way to be fair to Kaden as a person while still teaching him how to be part of a family and how to follow the house rules.

So...what did we do?! Check back tomorrow, and I'll share my husband's brilliant solution. Part 2 to follow...

I'm Back, 2008!

2008-01-13T23:16:00.000-06:00

So, um...it's been a long time. I warned y'all that it might be a while before I got back to blogging, right? I didn't know it would be THIS long, but here I am again. I was so busy in November and December! Juggling the kids, the house, a project, Christmas shopping, getting ready for company, and hosting Christmas at our house pushed blogging way off the to-do list. :-) Starting on Dec. 20th and ending Jan. 4th we hosted 2 sets of parents, 3 grandparents, 2 siblings, and 1 niece -- our place was bursting at the seams! (Their stays didn't all overlap, just FYI.) We had a blast, took about 1100 pictures (literally), everyone got along great, we managed to find places for everyone to rest their weary heads at night, and the kids opened presents for what seemed like three days straight. If you're not on my picture list (and you want to see 200 pictures of the Hesse/Wallace Christmas in Tennessee, email me at hessefamily (at) gmail (dot) com. I'll add you to the list if I know you! :-)

So I have a funny story to break back into blogging. I decided over Christmas to back Kaden off of whole milk and start buying 2%. He has always loved milk and would drink it 24/7 if I let him. He's a thirsty little dude, and sometimes I think all those liquid calories are filling him up and then he's not hungry for real food. Anyway, 2% milk doesn't have that many fewer calories, but I thought it might help a bit. So the other morning, on Sunday before church, Kaden was thirsty and wanted to have a second cup of milk before we left. I told him that he had already had a big cup of milk with breakfast and that he could have juice (80% water, 20% juice) instead. I said something like, "Buddy, milk has calories in it that fill you up, and if you drink a bunch of milk you won't be hungry for real food." He didn't question me any more after that, and I didn't think the whole "calorie" thing even registered.

So off we went to church, and several hours later on the way home, Kaden was drinking some milk in the backseat. All of the sudden he sat forward in his carseat, held his cup up to look through it, and he said, "Mom, I don't see any cavities in there. How'd you get them in there -- I don't see them!"

It took me a few seconds to figure out what he was talking about, but Josh and I had a good laugh when I finally translated and explained what Kaden was talking about -- calories! Josh was like, "I can't believe you told him he couldn't have something because it had too many calories!" It may sound weird (I certainly am not trying to freak him out about gaining weight or something like that)...I was just trying to tell him that the milk will fill him up, whereas my very watered down juice will not.

Calories or not, thankfully there are no cavities in either whole or 2% milk! Kids. Aren't the hilarious?!

I HEART BoxedUp!

2007-11-15T23:55:00.000-06:00

I have made a fantastic [online] discovery that I must share with you! It's called BoxedUp -- have you heard of it?!

So most people know you can make "wish lists" on Amazon.com and various other online stores that allow you to pick out your top items for Christmas or an upcoming birthday. Well, I was thinking one day, "Wouldn't it be awesome if there was a website where I could make an online Christmas list, with items from lots of different companies, to share with out-of-town family?!"

I googled "wish list, different companies" and came up with about four different sites that actually provided exactly what I was looking for! I joined two of them and decided on BoxedUp. I LOVE it! I created a separate list for each one of us, and now as I'm browsing online and find an item we want/need, I just click on a little button in my browser, and it adds the item to our lists! Isn't that cool? You can create lists for different rooms in your house, different people in the family, or any way you want to categorize things.

I used to bookmark sites that I liked, and I had them all in a "shopping" folder in my favorites, but this is SO much more efficient. Instead of trying to remember what it was I liked on those sites, I just add items as I find them. No going back, no extra thinking, and no stress trying to think of gift ideas for my family.

So now, when October/November rolls around each year (or a month before any of our birthdays), I won't have to wrack my brain trying to think of gifts when that phone call comes ... "So what do you guys want for _______________?"

Who wouldn't be happy about that?!

"Fall" in Love with a Smoothie

2007-11-09T15:44:00.000-06:00

As I've mentioned before, I'm a lover of all things Hungry Girl. Nothing new there. But a while back she posted a recipe for a pumpkin smoothie, and I've been tinkering around with it for about two weeks now. I haven't changed much, but I wanted to post it here in case anyone else is interested in a little pumpkin pie in a glass. :-)

About a month ago, I took a tip from my mom and started having a smoothie for lunch. At first I thought she was crazy -- how could a smoothie fill you up for lunch?? I've been making smoothies for breakfast for about three years now, but I didn't think it would make a very good lunch. But I was wrong! The fruit, the pumpkin (counts as a veggie for me), and the protein powder make this smoothie very long lasting...and tasty! Play around with it and adjust to your taste buds. I hope you enjoy it!

Pumpkin Smoothie

1 c. frozen fruit (I usually use just under 1 cup. HG recommended peaches, but I've also used a mixed bag of strawberries, peaches, melon, and pineapple)
1/2 banana
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 scoop vanilla or chocolate protein powder
1/2 c. skim milk
pumpkin pie spice, or cinnamon & nutmeg (to taste)
stevia, or sweetener of choice (to taste)
1/2 c. ice chips

Add everything but the ice into your blender and mix until the ingredients are combined. Add the ice and blend until combined. I like a thick, milkshakey smoothie, so you can adjust the liquid amount until it reaches the desired consistency that you like.

I always eat my smoothie with two rice cakes, and this routine has saved me a lot of standing in front of the frig going, "Hmmmm, now what do I want for lunch?" It may seem boring to have the same thing for lunch everyday, but it works for me. Give 'er a whirl (pun intended)! :-)

Oh, and if you don't have Halloween candy lying about and a husband who brings home Godiva chocolates from work, substituting this smoothie for your usual lunch may even help you control your daily calories and shed a few pounds. Or in my case, help make up for one more delicious bite of Godiva...

Don't Miss This Hug!

2007-11-01T21:08:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share a little Kaden blurb from today. Kaden was in "quiet time" (the replacement for nap time) in my room, and I was working on my laptop in the living room. Our rules are that he's supposed to stay in the room and play quietly or rest until Laney finishes her nap. Now of course, he doesn't always follow those rules -- he likes to call for me, ask me questions, request more drinks, make small talk, etc. -- but he's only supposed to call for me for important stuff (like if he jumps from the ceiling fan and breaks his leg). :-)

After several reminders about the rules behind us, he opened the door, poked his head out, gave me an impish grin, and said, "Mommy, I have something to tell you. You don't want to miss this hug I have for you."

Is that precious or what?! Yes, he broke the rules; yes, he tried to manipulate me with cuteness; and yes, he knew it would work.

Get over here, baby, I do need that hug.

P.S. Can I add something here? Don't wait until your child asks you for a hug -- initiate the love!

Low-Carb Noodle Heaven

2007-10-31T10:53:00.000-05:00

Back so soon? Yes, I know. I decided to get in a quick entry on my newest gluten-free noodle find. :-) I first heard about these through Hungry Girl, who sends out daily emails about various food-related products and issues. I enjoy reading her stuff, and she comes up with some great swap recipes for common high-fat, high-carb recipes. She also lists Weight Watcher points, in case you're interested in that kind of thing. She is a HUGE fan of these Tofu Shirataki Noodles, and I looked into getting some from the company I just linked to. However, I wasn't sure I'd like them (tofu and yam flour?!), and to get the best price you have to order 12 or more bags at once.

One day I was shopping at our local Publix, and low and behold -- there they were! Granted, I think they cost me about $2.89 for one bag (almost $1 more than the bulk price), but since I could purchase just one and try them, I allowed them to jump into my cart (this happens a lot to me while grocery shopping -- okay, any shopping!).

After investigating the bag, I confirmed that they are indeed gluten-free. Yay! Here's some other info from the bag:

"What is Shirataki? Shirataki is composed of thin, gelatinous strings made from yam flour from the Konnyaku root and has very low caloric or digestible food values. This traditional Japanese food is enjoyed for its simple taste and unique texture."

Nutritional info: 2 servings per bag. In each serving: 20 Calories, .5g Fat, 15mg Sodium, 3g Carb (no sugar), 1g Protein. Ingredients: Water, Tofu, Yam Flour, Calcium Hydroxide

So here's the scoop on what I thought of them...Yum! Now, I must tell you that I don't have very discriminating taste buds (I think this is hereditary thing -- Sorry, Dad!). I like regular tofu, which I know some people don't. I'm not nearly as "choosy" as Josh is about how things taste (I think he's normal and I'm just abnormally un-picky). Anyway, these noodles have a little bit of a vegetable-ish flavor, more than regular noodles (which of course makes sense since they're made from yam flour). They also have an "al dente" bite to them -- slightly springy instead of your normal al dente. All those considerations aside, they are my new favorite noodle.

If you're at all curious, I encourage you to give these a try. They're not wheat noodles, but considering the carb count and, for me, the fact that they're gluten-free, these tofu noodles are perfect. Put your favorite sauce on top of these babies, and you, too, will be in low-carb noodle heaven!

So Where Have I Been?...

2007-10-29T22:59:00.000-05:00

My faithful readers (all two of you that are still here!) have inquired as to where in the world I've been lately. "Why haven't you been blogging?" they ask. Well, I don't have any big reasons...I've just been busy, I guess! A few days after my last post, I started a long-ish project, and the following week I was offered a short, 10-day project that I just wrapped up on Friday. So now I have some catching up to do on the first project.

In between freelancing, I've been...

...shoe shopping for the kids (they both outgrew their shoes at the same time, plus it was time to get fall shoes anyway)
...switching out the kids' clothes (packing away summer, bringing out fall!)
...planning my Christmas gift list
...doing a little Christmas shopping
...trying to figure out what to tell the grandparents to buy for the kids for Christmas
...working on a new budget now that Josh has a fixed salary
...helping Josh investigate options for our refinance in January
...deciding what the kids will wear for Trick or Treat
...attending a 4th birthday party for Kaden's friend Hannah
...joining the family at Pumpkinfest, a really fun fall festival in Franklin (Kaden's first pony ride!)
...planning a Halloween potluck at our house for a few friends before Trick or Treat

And, uh, yeah...that sounds like most of it. :-) Throw in lots of laundry, dishes, and regular household and family caretaking stuff, and I just haven't had much time for blogging. I have lots of things I want to write about, but I can't seem to find time at the moment. So I'll try to come back soon, but no promises at the moment. I have a feeling the next two months are going to be busy ones.

I hope you all are enjoying fall, wherever you are! :-) Oh, and if you'd like to receive our family pictures for a monthly pictorial update, leave me a comment with your email address or email me at (the name of my blog)@gmail.com.

Thankful!

2007-10-11T21:45:00.000-05:00

I have a few moments to blog, and I wanted to post a thankful list -- I haven't done it in a while! Here are a few notable things making the list this week...

1) I'm so thankful for Josh! I have a husband who loves me enough to listen to my needs and to do his best to love me the best way that he possibly can. It's not always easy to do the give and take that's necessary in a marriage, but it makes me feel very loved when Josh is willing to sacrifice or make little changes just to make me feel more loved. I am very blessed to be married to this man!

2) Opportunities to help my friends -- I love having time off from work so that I can be more involved in people's lives. A listening ear, sorting and loaning clothes the kids have outgrown, or wherever I see a need ... it's a blessing to be able to give to people I love!

3) Fall is in the air, and that makes me very happy. It's my favorite season, after all, and I'm loving the cool mornings, sunny afternoon, and chilly evenings. Time to pull out the fleece jackets, heavier blankets, and long-sleeve PJs. Time to have campfires, watch movies by firelight, and carve pumpkins. There's a crispness to the air this time of year that I just adore.

4) I got the kids' blankets made! They are both snuggled in their beds under their blankets as I write this, and that makes me feel warm all over. :-) As it turns out, making things with your own two hands for the ones you love the most is a very heart-warming endeavor. I'm not sure my sewing skills are quite up to par, but I can cut and tie knots with the best of 'em. (Kaden's blanket is pictured above.)

5) I'm working on a new budget now that we have a more fixed income (because of Josh's job change). I think I'll be consulting my Dave Ramsey book before I get too far into this. We haven't had much of a budget since we lived in Ohio, so I'm going into relatively uncertain territory here. ...But I'm excited!

Well, there are the top five. I hope you're all doing great wherever you are at the moment -- I'm sending love from Tennessee!

P.S. The message I mentioned a few posts back from Ed McGlasson about the blessing of the Father (and how fathers/parents follow that example w/ their children) can be heard here. I failed to link to the message at the time, and I wanted to include it here. I highly recommend checking it out.

Refined?

2007-10-11T21:28:00.000-05:00

I received the following story as an email forward several months ago, and it's been sitting in my "For Blog" folder in my inbox. Well, today's the day. As far as email forwards go, I usually get the same ones about 300 times -- however, this was something new, and I hope it encourages you as it did me. I love hearing natural/physical examples that help me understand spiritual concepts, and this is one such story:

Malachi 3:3 says, "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy. I look for the reflection -- when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you -- His perfect character more fully developed in your life.

Busy Bees

2007-10-06T14:53:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I last wrote! We have been busy bees here in the Hesse house. My parents came to visit for a long weekend (Thursday afternoon to Monday afternoon), and we had a really nice time together. Here are some highlights...

1.) Yard work! Havings helpers here is so nice so we can tackle projects like cutting the hedges, chopping firewood, and planting fall flowers. Unfortunately, only 5 of my 24 pansy plants survived, but I won't point the finger (although I will tell you that it wasn't MY fault!). It seems that every attempt I make at introducing some color to the front of our house is foiled in some way. Besides the bummer of that, another failed flower attempt only darkens my reputation as having a black thumb. I do have 2 indoor plants growing -- and two herb boxes! I swear! I guess I'll have to settle for a little fall scene of already-grown pumpkins. I can't mess those up, right?!

2.) The Zoo! My mom and I went with the Souders to the Nashville Zoo. We haven't been there for about a year, and Kaden was so much more into it this summer. He's become fond of snakes and crocodiles recently, so he especially enjoyed those displays. It was a gorgeous day here in the Tennessee, and we had fun catching up with Erin and the boys.

3.) Homemade applesauce! You can see some of the finished product in the picture above, along with the beautiful posies my parents brought for me. :-) Dad was the apple peeler, and Mom and I were the stir-ers, spice-ers, and jar-ers. It is seriously tasty stuff, folks. I grew up on homemade applesauce, and I'm really happy to have it in my own home now. Plus, I learned how to can! Canning is very simple, but something about it seems uber-domestic, doesn't it?

4.) Dinner @ Daddy's restaurant! My parents really enjoy Italian food, so we took them to Josh's restaurant on Saturday night. We had a tremendous dinner, and we all enjoyed the charming, intimate atmosphere. We took our new portable DVD player for the kids, and it worked like a CHARM. That thing is worth its weight in gold, I tell ya. Both the kids loved playing with balls of pizza dough, too. It was a very fun evening!

5.) A great church service on Sunday! We had a guest speaker -- Ed McGlasson, who authored the book The Difference a Father Makes. I haven't read the book, but based on the message he taught based on the same subject, I highly recommend checking it out. Whether you are a dad or if you just have a dad, McGlasson's book is for you! My parents and I give him a teary two-thumbs up! :-)

6.) DIY Tailoring! Josh got a few new suits for work, and two of them had unfinished hems. Instead of paying for a tailor, we decided that we had enough other potential uses for a sewing machine that it warranted buying one. Neither one of us are experiences sewers, but lack of experience never slows Josh down. (That's one reason why I love him so!) With my mom's assistance, Josh tackled his pants and won! They came out great! Plus, we've already done a pillow for Kaden's room (we being Josh and Kaden). As you can tell, I have not tried my hand at sewing yet (my last experience was Home Ec in Jr. High), but I bought fabric yesterday to make a pink pillowcase for Laney. I also bought fabric to make no-sew fleece blankets for the kids (more on that when I get them both done).

7.) Family Campfire! We enjoyed our first night by the fire for this fall season. Complete with S'mores and careful restraint of Kaden to keep him a safe distance from the fire, we had a great time. Josh and I both love sitting out by the fire, chatting, and enjoying lots of marshmallow roasting. Bring on fall!

Speaking of which, the kids and I are on our way outside to enjoy some of this great fall weather. I hope you all have a beautiful evening where you are, too!

Pink Gives to a Good Cause

2007-09-26T23:19:00.000-05:00

The ladies over at 5 Minutes for Mom are having a great giveaway -- a PINK Dyson vacuum! Even better, Dyson and Target are donating $40 of each vacuum to breast cancer research.

Now, I just happen to be in grave need of a new vacuum (as in, my vacuum deserves to be buried underground, never to see the light of day again)...and since I have grown into a love of pink, I'm adding my name to the raffle. Part of the entry deal is that you blog about the giveaway (or promise to talk about it with other friends if you don't blog).

If you fall in love with the vacuum and don't win the giveaway, you can always buy one at Target (if you have a spare $399). Yay!

Pass the word!

To Share or Not to Share

2007-09-25T23:13:00.000-05:00

I recently read this post about what and how to teach your kids about sharing, and I found it quite interesting. Prior to this, we've always done the "who had it first?" thing. Now my whole philosophy is changing! All because of one post! Well, okay, actually two.

For the most part, Kaden doesn't usually have a problem with sharing his toys. However, the older Delaney gets (and the more interested she becomes in his things), the more territorial he's getting. Oh, and Laney? Yeah, um...not a sharer. She's a feisty one, I'll tell ya. If she has a toy, she does not care whose toy it is. It is hers. And that's the end of the story. She doesn't have a lot of words, but she has ways of getting her point across. So we have a few things to work on with Laney and sharing.

I'm thinking these new ideas on "some toys are his, some toys are hers" -- and that they get to decide what happens with their own belongings -- might help.

Any comments on this one?

The Saint Who Was Also a Priest

2007-09-23T16:30:00.000-05:00

I have another traveling story, for good measure. On our first flight, we didn't get to preboard (as parents traveling with small children usually do), because the plane was very full and, as I mentioned yesterday, we were flying standby. However, they did allow me to board with the kids after all the "A" people boarded. (Yay!) There was one row left in the way back that had three available seats, so we headed for that one, hoping against hope that we would be fortunate enough to secure one of the few extra seats. Laney was technically a "lap child," but since she doesn't understand that concept, it is really helpful if I can score a little maneuvering room for her. That hope for an extra seat was later dashed, but that's another story.

When we arrived in our seats, Kaden quickly spotted a friendly-looking chap in the row behind us, and he struck up a conversation with him. As is his new custom, he started the conversation with this: "Hey, who are you?" This time he added, "You're on my plane!" I could tell this guy was good with kids when he replied, "Yes, well, thank you very much for letting me fly on your plane." Kaden thought that was pretty cool. This guy obviously understood how this was going to work.

The man made small talk with him, asking the usual questions like what is your name (Kaden's answer sounds like "KadaWallceHessee," which usually earns confused looks); how old are you (Kaden holds up three fingers and says, "This many!"); and where do you live (K: "I'm going home to Daddy!" Man: "Where's Daddy?" K: "My home." M: "Oh, where's that?" K: "My home." M: "Ohhh, I see.").

Turns out the friendly guy in the back row was a man named John, who lives in Murfreesboro (near Nashville) with his wife and four kids. John told Kaden all about his three daughters and one son, and he told us how much he missed them and that he couldn't wait to see them. His story of missing family sounded very familiar to us! John instantly recognized the fact that I had my hands full, and he kept Kaden occupied in conversation for quite a long time. He also made silly faces at Laney, which thoroughly entertained her.

The seat belt light stayed on for most of the flight, so we didn't talk to John much through the short flight to Baltimore. However, we reconnected after our landing, and we found out that he was on the same flight home to Nashville. We walked with him for a while to our new gate, and he told me that he was an Orthodox Christian priest and that he grew up in Tennessee, went to seminary in PA a few hours from my parents' house, and then moved back to the Nashville area to serve in a church. He was a very kind, gentle guy, and I could tell that having four kids of his own had made him very comfortable conversing with preschoolers.

Fast forward a few hours. We boarded our second flight, and Kaden insisted on sitting in the last row of the plane, just like his new friend John had done on the first flight. At first I protested, not wanting to walk to the back of the plane with Laney and our 4 carryons in tow, but Kaden had his heart set on it, so off we went. After a while, we saw John coming down the aisle, and he parked himself right in front of us. Thankfully, this flight was very empty, and we got a row to ourselves. John got his own row, too! Anyway, Kaden started talking to John again right away, and they chatted back and forth until the plane took off.

Toward the end of the flight, Kaden decided he wanted to sit in John's row until we landed. John asked Kaden about all of his "favorites": favorite color, food, animal, etc. It was really cute to see Kaden interacting with an adult. He's very talkative at night (maybe he's a night person like Daddy?), and he was really talking up a storm. I was proud of the way he held up his end of the conversation. John told Kaden that he has a son named Jonah, and he asked Kaden if he knew of any other Jonahs. Kaden thought about it for a few seconds, and then replied, "Yeah, I do!" John said, "Is it from a Bible story?" Kaden said, "Yup, he got on a boat and then he got lost!" John chuckled and said, "Yeah, I guess he did. And he had some pretty uncomfortable accommodations for a few days, didn't he?" Kaden shook his head in agreement. I'm not sure he knows what "accommodations" are, but I guess he thought that sounded right.

As I was thinking about our travels yesterday, I realized how thankful I was that John was there on both flights. He didn't do anything amazing, but he was a friendly face, someone who understood the trials of traveling with children, and he found little ways to help me out on both flights. Just talking with Kaden and helping to pass the time was such a blessing. I doubt John will ever read this post, but I just want everyone to know -- I think he's a saint!

P.S. If you see parents (especially one parent!) traveling with kids and you're able to lend a hand or strike up a conversation with a child to entertain them for a few moments, please do it! Father John was a definite God-send to me, and you could be that blessing to someone else!

My Day, MasterCard Style

2007-09-22T23:02:00.000-05:00

I realized a few days ago that I haven't updated my blog in quite a long time. Well, the short story is that I've been in PA since last Thursday night. Here's the longer story...Josh's grandparents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary by renewing their vows in a full-out ceremony, and we decided at the last minute that we could get away. We arrived around lunchtime on Friday and left after the ceremony on Saturday night. We drove through the night to my parents' house and arrived around 2am on Sunday morning. Josh took off after breakfast to drive home (because he had to work on Monday), but the kids and I stayed for the rest of the week. I was planning to fly home on Wednesday or Thursday, but I decided to stay until Friday because my brother's birthday was Thursday and also because I wanted my sister-in-law to take some pics of the kiddos, and she was only available on Thursday evening.

So that brings me to Friday. I was flying standby again (thank you, Luci!!!), and I had quite an adventure traveling with two toddlers. I think it was the truest test of patience I know. And yet -- we made it! No major meltdowns, no injuries other than a scratch on Kaden's leg from the people mover, and best of all, I still have my sanity. To summarize, in MasterCard style, here's my day in a nutshell:

Time we left my parents' house: 9:45am EST
Time it's supposed to take to get to the airport: approx. 2 hours
Letter on my mom's gas guage while sitting in gridlock traffic on a bridge: E
Time when I realized I wasn't going to make my 1:40 flight: noon
Number of times Kaden peed into Oma's empty tea bottle while stuck on bridge: 4
Temperature inside the car with A/C off due to lack of gas: 1000 degrees (give or take a few)
Sign on gas station door after finally making it off the bridge: No public restrooms
Route number we went the wrong way on (but eventually made it back to the highway): 60
Number of times Kaden asked, "Are we at the airport yet?": approximately 85
Time it actually took to get to the airport: 4.5 hours
Number of flights I missed while sitting in traffic: 2
Total number of hours I singlehandedly entertained the kids while waiting for flights: 4.5
The name of my new best friend: Mr. Toshiba DVD Player
Number of times the three of us trekked into the potty for Kaden: 3
Number of chicken nuggets to satisfy 2 hungry kiddo bellys: 8
Number of times Kaden approached a stranger and said, "Hey, who are you?": 10
Number of times I gave Kaden the "some strangers aren't nice" speech: 3
Number of times I said, "Kaden, keep up with Mommy!": 25
Number of times I said, "Kaden, don't run too far ahead of Mommy!": 30
Number of times I said, "Kaden, please just keep your hand on the stroller!": 35
Number of times Kaden rode the people movers with his arms draped over the handrail: 14
Number of Starbucks stops for Mommy: only 1, but the caffeine did the trick!
Time we boarded our 2nd flight from BWI: 9:25pm EST
Number of carryons (not including one stroller and one baby carrier): 4
Number of minutes it took Kaden to fall asleep after takeoff: 3
Number of minutes Kaden slept before peeing his pants by accident: 2
Number of Kaden potty stops on 2nd flight: 3, including the intial panicked, wet pants trip
Number of times Laney puked on herself: 2 (her belly was upset, I guess?)
Number of times Delaney pooped up her back on the 2nd flight: 1
Number of wipes I had left at this point in the trip: 0
Flight attendant who gave me wet paper towels to wipe the bum: Christine (Thank you!)
Kaden's question to the pilot on our way off the plane: "Hey, are you the pirate?"
Number of hugs, kisses, and squeals of delight when we saw Daddy (and cries of utter relief from me!): At least 3 from each of us!!!
Time we arrived home safe and sound (Praise the Lord!): 1am

A day with both of my angels, stuck in traffic, stuck in airports, stuck in confined spaces?

Priceless. :-)

Newsweek on Celiac

2007-09-11T00:33:00.000-05:00

For anyone who's interested, Newsweek just ran an article on celiac disease. It's always exciting to receive national press on the condition/diet that I deal with every day. Check it out if you're interested! Oh, and FYI, I heard the print version has more callouts with lists and other sources of info.

So You Want to Be an Author?

2007-09-10T23:53:00.001-05:00

Have you ever wanted to see your writing in print? I know I have! Well, that dream may be closer than you think. Check out Blurb, a really neat company I found through another blogger that lets you create your own book from your blog. How neato is that?

And it's not just for blogs. They make photo books, cookbooks, portfolios, poetry books, text only books, etc. -- just about anything you could need or want. And the prices are very affordable (especially softcover books). I haven't created a book yet, but it's definitely on my "to do" list. If anyone out there has used this company, I'd like to hear about your experience! Once I get caught up on our family photo books (mainly Delaney's baby book), I'll move on to printing my blog. ;-)

That could take a while...

Super Saturday

2007-09-08T11:49:00.000-05:00

In lieu of Thankful Thursday, I'm bringing you a belated grateful list. I didn't forget, and I didn't have a million things to do this week...I just didn't get it done! We have had a really lazy week. Josh took a week off before starting his new job, I don't have a project, and we've just been enjoying some time at home with very little agenda. I told Josh yesterday, "We should have gone on a trip!" He's going to get very little (if any) vacation for the first year, so it was nice to have some quiet days at home before we start this new phase.

So here are some things I'm thankful for this week:

1) I finally hung up our family pictures in the stairway to downstairs (see the pic above)...and we've only lived here for (almost) two years!! These pics have been collecting dust in a box in our room, so it's defnitely much nicer to have them out where we can enjoy the memories that these pictures represent. I'd like to get a few more frames for some other pictures to add to the collage, but the project it mostly done. Check!

2) We finally bought a new 500G hard drive that we can back up both of our laptops to ... on a regular basis! We lost data from two hard drives last year (including all the pictures from Laney's first 5 months of life), so we have learned our lesson that backing up is important. Especially since we do so much of our personal and professional business on computers, it's important for us to back up all that data. And particularly all those precious pics of our children! Five hundred gigs should last us for a while.

3) My son likes broccoli. This is like the news flash of the century!!! For those who have been reading for a while, you know that Kaden is not a veggie lover. However, we persisted -- we continued putting veggies on his plate and requiring him to at least have one bite. And then, out of nowhere, he decided he likes broccoli. He even asked for seconds! (And there was no cheese sauce in sight!) I'm really not sure what happened, but I'm enjoying it for as long as it lasts. Perhaps we can parlay this success into other veggies!

4) Kaden started preschool this week, and we had such a quiet Thursday with just Laney at home! He has a great teacher, and I'm looking forward to everything he's going to learn this year. I'm very grateful b/c the director was flexible with us in letting us send him only one day a week, which is the perfect amount for me. I like the experience and socialization and learning that's happening at school, but one day is enough for us at this point.

5) Our friend Jeremy came over on Thursday night and it was really, really great to reconnect with him. We hadn't seen him since May, and our visit was long overdue. I was really grateful for the chance we had to sit down and get caught up.

6) We found out this week that Josh's restaurant is discontinuing their Sunday brunch, which means that he will continue to be free on Sunday mornings. We thought that he may have to miss church occasionally in order to work the daytime shift, but now that they're cancelling it, work won't interfere with going to church as a family. That was a big praise this week!

Well, everyone -- I hope you have a great weekend. Josh starts work tomorrow night, so we're about to start this new phase of life!

The Invisible Woman

2007-09-05T15:19:00.000-05:00

I received this story as an e-mail forward from my friend Stephanie, and I really loved it. I'm copying a portion of it here, but since it's from a book, I'm going to post the link to the rest of the story, where it was reprinted with permission (I'm not sure what the rules are on this copyrighted stuff!). The article is by Nicole Johnson, a speaker and author who travels with Women of Faith as a dramatic sketch artist. I believe the material is from her book of the same name: The Invisible Woman: When Only God Sees.

This is a story for all of the invisible cathedral-builders, commonly known as mothers...

It started to happen gradually …

One day I was walking my son Jake to school. I was holding his hand and we were about to cross the street when the crossing guard said to him, "Who is that with you, young fella?"

"Nobody," he shrugged.

Nobody? The crossing guard and I laughed. My son is only 5, but as we crossed the street I thought, "Oh my goodness, nobody?"

I would walk into a room and no one would notice. I would say something to my family - like "Turn the TV down, please" - and nothing would happen. Nobody would get up, or even make a move for the remote. I would stand there for a minute, and then I would say again, a little louder, "Would someone turn the TV down?" Nothing.

Just the other night my husband and I were out at a party. We'd been there for about three hours and I was ready to leave. I noticed he was talking to a friend from work. So I walked over, and when there was a break in the conversation, I whispered, "I'm ready to go when you are." He just kept right on talking.

That's when I started to put all the pieces together. I don't think he can see me. I don't think anyone can see me.

I'm invisible. Read More.

A special thanks especially to my mom and to the other special women in my life who became invisible for me, working behind the scenes and sacrificing to meet my needs and help me succeed. And now, I've taken up my own cathedral-building work. Thanks for inspiring me!

Funny eBay Post

2007-09-03T10:09:00.000-05:00

I saw this on another blog about a week ago, and I just had to share it here. This lady cracked me up! You may have already seen it -- sorry for the repeat if you have!

Funny eBay Post - Mom Selling Pokemon Cards

As a sidenote, this is my 100th post on Blogger. Cool, huh?!

Have a great day, everyone!

EDIT: When the eBay post expires, that link above will no longer work. Here's a link to the author's blog where she has copied the eBay auction text.

Congrats Are in Order!

2007-08-31T22:08:00.000-05:00

We finally got the good news today on Josh's job! Enough with the hinting!
Josh has officially been promoted to Asst. Manager at Ristorante Volare, the other fine dining restaurant at Opryland. We're very excited about this new chapter, and it's been really neat to see how God has orchestrated all of this. Josh has his sights on moving up through the Food & Beverage department, and we're excited because he's going to get a lot of great business experience, since each restaurant is its own profit center in the hotel. The F&B execs hand-picked Josh to take this job, and it was very gratifying to see that other people are recognizing how talented Josh is. I'm very proud of him! He's built a solid reputation at Opryland for being a great people person, gifted salesman, hard worker, and a man of integrity. I am beaming with pride. :-)

If you live in Nashville, check out Josh's new restaurant for your next date night! It's a beautiful Italian restaurant and very romantic.

Congrats, sweetie! I love you!

Thankful Thursday!

2007-08-30T21:39:00.001-05:00

Since I make the rules around here (and since I didn't post for Thankful Thursday last week), I'm doing two posts in one day. Yeah, I know. I'm crazy like that.

In no particular order...

1.) A break in the heat! It has gone back to August weather in the South instead of "we're-sitting-on-the-sun" weather. I'm very grateful. The thin layer of sweat on my brow that has been with me since the end of July is actually gone...at least for now. Our AC has been keeping up, and we bought a window fan to bring in cooler air at night.

2.) I attended a new Bible study last night on the Book of James, and I am really looking forward to it. It's the first thing I've done at our new church, and I enjoyed it immensely. I got a lot out of the study, and we only looked at one verse!

3.) Still no word on Josh's new job, but I'm thankful for the waiting period. It's not what I would choose, but God has been orchestrating this whole thing, so I have to trust His timing in this limbo period, too. One of these days I'll be able to fill you all in on the details.

4.) Kaden was having a rough week last week (due to being off his schedule and not getting enough sleep), but we're back into the groove now. And wouldn't you know it? His attitude and behavior have gotten back to normal, too. He's so good at night (doesn't act tired, is calmer than during the day), and sometimes we let him stay up too late to do something special with Daddy or watch a movie or something. But I always end up regretting it b/c even though he doesn't SEEM tired at night, he really does need the sleep. If he doesn't go to bed by 9pm, I usually have to pay the price the next day! So...I'm thankful that my boy is back.

5.) I think I've said this here before, but I am just so amazed at how different Laney is from Kaden. She's so ... GIRLY! It's great. She has become obsessed with accessorizing. She's totally into dressing up, putting on shoes, sunglasses, hats, watches, bracelets, and carrying purses. She cracks me up with the outfits she puts together. And she's only 17 months old! This girl has personality, I'm tellin' ya. Watch out, world!

Well, I have two files waiting for me to edit them, so I had better get to them. Have a great week!

Oh, Irony, How I Love Thee!

2007-08-30T21:30:00.000-05:00

The same afternoon that I blogged about the witty Miss South Carolina, I received a package filled with clothes for the kids from my grandma. And wouldn't you know it?! This shirt was in the mix:

If you can't read it, it says,

Little Miss America

How funny is that?!

Beauty vs. Brains

2007-08-27T14:22:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I will admit that as a girl growing up, my sister and I used to watch the Miss America pageants each year, pen and paper in hand (so we could rate them ourselves -- we were nerds like that!), eagerly waiting to see who would be crowned the prettiest, bestest, most wonderfulest girl of all. Kind of a Cinderella thing, right? (Minus Prince Charming, but they threw in diamonds, cars, trips, and such, so that kind of evened out.)

Beauty pageant queens have kind of fallen from grace as of late--remember the Donald Trump/Tara Conner debacle? Beauty pageants have long been the bane of feminists everywhere because they elevate the female shape and beauty and pretty much ignore the fact that we women have brains, too!

Unfortunately, in the quest to incorporate more "intellectual" activities into pageants, some girls who are decidedly lacking in that area have been caught tragically in the middle. They have coaches who throw words at them -- apparently "South Africa," "China," and "Iraq" are high on the list -- but what does a girl do when she doesn't know where those countries are or how to speak knowledgably about them? This girl gave it a valliant effort...check it out:

What is she talking about?

Mario Lopez looks so confused. And so am I. This girl is pretty and all, but she's not doing much for the cause of championing beautiful, intelligent women. I feel sorry for her, really!

Boycott China?

2007-08-21T23:19:00.000-05:00

I'm not typically one to champion boycotts ... or jump on the conspiracy theory bandwagon, for that matter. However, the recent recall of 10.5 million Mattel toys has grabbed my attention. Thankfully, we don't own any of the toys that were recalled (because they contained lead-based paint), but it makes me wonder how those toys slipped through the cracks and why our standards aren't more stringent. On a philosophical level, it even made me question how I feel about supporting a country so opposed to democracy, free speech, human rights, and the right to life.

I happened upon a blog called Not China Made, and it's been some interesting reading. (Beware of multiple postings each day if you're going to do an RSS feed.) Amongst all the info and links she has on her blog, she has linked to a site called Toys Made in America that I thought was cool. It's not fancy, but it has a ton of links to small toy companies that produce everything here in America.

I'm not sure that I'm going to be a boycotter, but it is definitely on my radar screen now, and I'm going to look for ways to increase the number of American-made products in our home.

Any other parents out there jumping on the boycott wagon?

Call Me Martha Stewart

2007-08-17T22:50:00.000-05:00

My sister-in-law started the trend. She made these really cool letters for Korben's nursery that were totally baby-chic. Then when Jess redecorated Lilli's nursery in their new place, she used the same idea and made letters for Lilianna's name. So upon my return, I had to take the idea full circle and make letters for Delaney's nursery.

The process was very simple. I purchased letters and paper from Michael's that would coordinate with Laney's bedding. I used an Xacto knife to trace around the letters. Then I used spray adhesive to adhere the paper to the letters. I think you could use mod podge or something similar to seal the paper or give it a matte/satin finish if so desired. Mom H. helped me with the whole process, and she also helped me hang the letters in Laney's room on Thursday morning.

I'm happy with how it came together. I think Laney likes it, too. :-)

Thankful Thursday!

2007-08-16T23:42:00.000-05:00

Well, it's getting late here in central time, but I wanted to take a minute to blog. Here are some things I'm thankful for this week:

1.) I had a GREAT time in CA with Jess, Stefan, Lilli, and Mom. We were in tight quarters (much more roomy than their San Diego apartment), but that didn't matter -- we were happy to be together! The girls had a great time together. They're both very friendly, personable babies, and they became instant friends. In fact, Laney laid a few big kisses on her cuz within a few minutes of our arrival. Lilli decided Laney was a very cool role model, and she liked to sit and watch her -- that walking stuff is pretty amazing! Thanks again to Luci for making my flight possible and to my MIL for watching Kaden for me. It was a memorable weekend!

2.) The perks of Opryland. We've had several free meals at Opryland lately, and I never tire of that place. We were blessed with a going-away dinner for Mom Hesse tonight, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We ate at Water's Edge, which is right next to the huge fountain in the hotel. They do light and water shows every half hour or so, and Kaden was in heaven. There was room to run around (without interrupting other guests), which when you're eating with a toddler is pretty much culinary utopia. It was fun to get the kids dressed up and have the staff fuss over them. :-)

3.) We have had a fantastic time with Grandma! We did a few special things here and there, but mostly we've just enjoyed time at home and lots of playing (indoors). It has been about 5000 degrees here every day. I think Kaden played outside once during the nearly two weeks that Grandma was here visiting (and that's extremely unusual for him). I'm quite certain that I have the best MIL ever, and it's always a blessing to have her with us. We love you, Grandma!

4.) More work coming my way in the next few weeks. I'm excited about a new challenge!

5.) Whole-house air conditioning. I know it's pretty much a given in the south, but I'm still thankful for it! I couldn't imagine how unbearable the last few weeks would have been without AC. We thought our system was broken when the first RRREALLY hot day hit, but then it revived and has been fine ever since. Having a taste of no AC made me extremely thankful and aware of it working properly. When it's 104 outside, AC is a real blessing!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Thankful Thursday!

2007-08-09T23:48:00.000-05:00

This has been a great week. I have a lot to be thankful for (as always!)...

1.) My mother-in-law is visiting! I am very blessed to have her in my life, and it's fun to have her here all to ourselves. :-) The kids LOVE having so much uninterrupted Grandma time. Thank you for coming, Mom H.!

2.) Tomorrow, in approximately 12 hours, I am taking off with Delaney for California to visit my sister and her family. My mom's also there visiting, and it will be really nice to see her, too! I haven't seen Jess since Christmas, and her baby, Lilianna, was only about 3 months old at the time. Now, the girls will be able to play and interact, and I'm SOOO looking forward to seeing the Veldhuis crew! This weekend excursion (Friday-Monday) would not have been possible without the help of my sponsors :-)...My favorite Southwest employees (a certain L&L Perry) who provided a free non-rev ticket, and my wonderful MIL (see #1) for being willing to stay with Kaden and to give up time with Delaney and me. (I know she sees quality time with Kaden as more of a gift than a favor, but still -- it's hard work to take care of a 3-year-old!)

3.) During my time off in between projects I've had time to catch up on things around the house and keep tackling more organization tasks (which I LOVE!). On Monday, I found a new home for a tall stack of boxes and other assorted items that have been sitting in the "family room" downstairs. These boxes have been there since we moved here, so it was high time to find a new resting place. The sad part is that those unused boxes contain tons of Josh's old music, and some of mine...it was a reminder of the fact that music doesn't play much of a role in our lives at the moment. A little sad considering all the time and money we (especially Josh) put into music education over the years. However, both our careers have taken us away from music, and plus, practicing doesn't really fit into our busy lifestyle. :-) We're looking forward to both of our kids getting involved in music lessons when they're old enough. Back to the point -- it's been fun to keep working around the house and getting things in order the way we want our home to be. Little by little!

4.) Things are progressing with Josh's job opportunities at Opryland. More when we know something final! We're excited about the future prospects.

5.) Kaden is developing some seriously tough negotiating skills. This may seem like an odd thing to be thankful for, but I'm actually grateful to see his little mind at work -- growing, learning, and mastering new terms and ideas every day. He's constantly amazing us and cracking us up with the things he remembers, or the way he'll take something I say and apply it correctly to another situation. He also started praying at meals this week, and he is so incredibly adorable when he prays. It's awesome to know that God hears our prayers -- even those of a three-year-old who stops to say, "Dear God, thank you for this day. Thank you for this food...and you love us. Help Jesus not to be scared. Amen." (Okay, I'm not sure why he throws that last part in there, but it's frequently part of his prayers. He's a mystery sometimes!)

Well, people -- I'm off to bed soon and then off to sunny California! Have a great week!

Thankful Friday :-)

2007-08-03T11:54:00.000-05:00

We have had a very busy, very fun week! I have been working WAY less since I finished my last project, and I've been trying to fit in a bunch of fun stuff before I start something new. Based on all that fun, I have lots to be thankful for this week!

1.) On Monday, Josh and I had a FREE date night! Gaylord is opening a few new restaurants in the hotel, and they gave free vouchers to the employees for their "soft opening." We got dressed up, went out for dinner, and had a fantastic time. Our neighbor watched the kids last-minute for us, and the whole night was wonderful! After we put the kids to bed, instead of watching TV and sitting in front of our laptops, we sat out on the deck and talked until 2am! We haven't done that in forrrrrever, but I think we need to do it more often. It reminded me of when we were dating! Having that time with my hubby was definitely a blessing.

2.) On Tuesday, I got my hair cut. See my previous post. A few days into my big change, I'm loving it. And of course, I don't mind the compliments either. :-)

3.) On Wednesday, the kids and I met our friends the Yaxes at a local dinner theater for a kids production called "Snowderella." All four of the kids loved it, and it was really fun to do something very different from our normal day-to-day activities. They came over for lunch after the show, and we all had a great time hanging out.

4.) On Thursday, our friends Luke and Luci Perry were in town for work, and we got to spend the afternoon and evening together. We got to see them in February, too, and two times in eight months is definitely a blessing. We have known Luci since Cedarville and always loved her to pieces, and Luke is wonderful, too! I love knowing that my close friends and family are in loving, supportive marriages, and that is definitely true of my dear Luci. Blessings to you both -- we love you!

5.) And finally, today -- we got to go swimming with our friends the Souders. Up until we moved to Fairview, we used to see the Souders once every two weeks or so, but now we live about 45 minutes away from each other. We don't get to see them as much as we'd like to, but when we do, we always have a blast! Kaden and Blaine have been buddies since they were babies, so Kaden always looks forward to seeing his friend. Delaney and Drake are the same age, too, and they're just learning to be buddies. Thanks for a great evening, Erin!

So...can you tell it's been a busy week?! I'm not one to schedule something every single day, but sometimes it's fun to have something special to look forward to. I have to say, though ... I'm ready for a day at home. :-) Grandma Hesse is coming to visit next week, and I have some special travel plans for next weekend, so there's more fun coming up next week! Stay tuned. :-)

The "Pob"

2007-08-01T00:31:00.000-05:00

If "pob," "pop," and "posh" sound like noises that Rice Krispies make, you may need a refresher course in current hair fashions. :-) Just for being a faithful reader, I'm going to enlighten you (I'm newly educated...as of today!). I arrived at my new hair stylist's salon looking for a bit of fun, summery adventure in the form of a little snip snop. The pile of clothes that no longer fit me keeps growing, which means that it's time to reward myself with a little personal pampering!

After describing what I was looking for, my conversation with my stylist, Linda, went something like this:

Linda: "Hmm...I think we need to go posh spice."
Me: "Posh spice? Please translate."
Linda: "You know -- the pob!"
Me: "The pob? Umm...I'm confused."
Linda: pointing to picture of Victoria Beckham "You know, Posh Spice! Her new haircut is the latest craze!"
Me: "Ahh, yes - Victoria Beckham!" (I'm not sure how I know her name, but I have an amazing memory for useless celebrity trivia.)

And then we were on the same page. Turns out that Linda was trying to gather the courage to give herself a pob and was looking for a willing victim to try out the 'do on. I decided I was up for something wild and crazy. And you can't have a wild hairdo without highlights, right? So I went all out and got the highlights, too.

[Granted, this put me behind schedule, which meant I literally had to drive home with foils still in my hair to pick up the kids and take them back to the salon with me so that Josh could get to a meeting. Her parting words to me were, "Don't take longer than 10 minutes or your hair might fall out!" Oh my. I'm not sure how I get myself into these predicaments. But thankfully, I made it without any hair loss. The threat of frying my hair and subsequent hour of trying to keep the kids under control while sitting in a chair getting my hair cut pretty much ruined the sense of relaxation and pampering. But, I digress.]

So I am now the proud owner of a pob-inspired 'do. I'm loving it! See what you think. :-)

Hair Inspiration:

A Self-Portrait: (sans glasses b/c a girl can dream!)

Thankful.

2007-07-29T14:21:00.000-05:00

We had a really interesting church service this morning. Someone hit the transformer pole outside the church and completely knocked out all the power. It happened during 1st service, so by the 2nd service, things were getting a little roasty-toasty in the auditorium. Good thing I wore a sleeveless dress! Despite the heat, it was actually a great service. We had an unplugged worship service, and it was really neat to hear everyone's voices worshiping God together, totally unaided by any technology. It was "family day," so Kaden came to big church with us, and I always enjoy seeing him experience a worship service. He loves music and loves to clap and participate. We had our picnic lunch after church like we've been doing since the spring, and it was nice to have a few minutes to catch up with Josh b/c he's been working a lot the past two days. Here are some other things I'm happy for:

1.) Laney's kisses - She has developed a love for kissing. She kisses toys, stuffed animals, the couch, pillows, and of course, Mommy, Daddy, and Brother. She has a radar for people (or things) that need a little love. She gets this cute little smile on her face and does a little smoochy noise. It's very adorable. :-)

2.) My wonderful husband - It's hard to pin down one thing each week, but I've been reminded this week of what a great spiritual leader he is for our family. He is such a blessing to me in so many ways!

3.) I had the chance to get together with a friend on Friday night after the kids went to bed, and we stayed up until 3:30am talking! Whoa. :-) I was still going strong at 3:30, but when 8:30 rolled around and I had to get up with the kids, that was not fun. I love getting to know people in a deeper way -- hearing their story, sharing their heart, and feeling that connection with another human being is a pretty amazing thing. We've known each other casually for several years, but it was a real blessing to have a chance to get to know her better.

4.) Wrapping up a project!! I still have a few loose ends to tie up, but we finished the bulk of the work on Wednesday. It was pretty intense from last weekend through Wednesday, and I'm grateful that it's behind me. I think I may even have time to take a nap today! :-)

5.) Wonderful neighbors! My neighbor watched my kids 4-5 times for me while I was working on this last project, and then I watched her kids on Friday for a marathon date with her hubby. I think she came out on the losing end of that deal, but we trade back and forth a lot, and I think it all averages out. It's such a blessing to have friends next door and someone I can rely on to help out with the kids when Josh and I are both swamped. Plus, Kaden and Delaney love going over there!

Well, I better scoot before all my napping time is gone. Blessings to you!

Create Your Own Model!

2007-07-25T15:40:00.000-05:00

I found this cool thing on someone else's blog, and I decided to try it out. If you go to My Virtual Model, you can create a model that looks like you and then put clothes on it and choose a hairdo, etc. It's a fun little diversion if you need one! I made one with my weight now and one for 15 pounds lighter (my current goal). Okay, back to work. :-)

Thankful Thursday

2007-07-19T23:23:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it? I'm actually posting this on the correct day. :-) In no particular order...here are some things that I'm thankful for today:

1.) Bonding time for Daddy & Laney. The past two Thursdays while Kaden's in preschool, Josh has taken Laney with him to the Y, and then they run errands after his workout to give me time to work on my project. I'm always happy when the kids get to spend one-on-one time with Josh because he's such an awesome daddy. :-) Josh said Laney held his hand on the way to the Y. (He has a 2-seater.) Isn't that so sweet?! Ahhhhh.

2.) I always sing to Delaney before her nap and bedtime, and tonight I realized that she has been trying to sing back to me after I finish my song. It's just been in the past few days, and it is so cute. She half talks, half sings, but it actually sounds like "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," which is what I usually sing. It makes me realize how big my baby is getting. She's turning into a toddler!

3.) My hubby got me the most adorable little plant stand for my mint. It looks so nice on our newly painted deck, and I love it!

4.) I'm thankful for my mother-in-law -- who just happens to be celebrating her birthday this week! Happy Birthday to the best mother-in-law in the world -- who just happens to have raised the best son in the world. :-) I'm not biased! Happy birthday, Mom, I love you!

Well, I think that's it for this week. My eyes are super tired from way too much computer time, so I think I better scoot. Hope you're all well!

Need a Laugh?

2007-07-17T23:52:00.000-05:00

Okay, this might not be funny to anyone other than moms who have tried to go shopping with husband and kiddos in tow, but I for one thought this post was hilarious! If you need a laugh, read on.

Besides, what post with this subtitle -- What Will Happen When You, Against Your Own Good Sense, Reason, and Sanity, Take Your Husband and Children to Wal-Mart With You -- wouldn't be funny?!

From the blog Laughter for Days to Come: Oink.

P.S. Break over, back to work. :-)

Balanced Praise

2007-07-16T22:55:00.001-05:00

I loved this post over at Confessions of a Pastor's Wife. I think I first started thinking about this whole idea of true encouragement (instead of cheap praise) back a few years ago when we read Grace-Based Parenting in our small group. [Love this book, couldn't recommend it more highly!]

As Kaden gets older, I think about it more and more, even in the way I talk to him about his drawings, ideas, attempts at something new, etc. I've read several things about the difference between praise and encouragement. I started reading Gary Chapman's Five Love Languages for Children, and he talks a little about this idea in the verbal affirmation chapter. (I also googled "praise and encouragement" and found this article.) I want my words to tell Kaden that I will always love him and support him, but I also want to instill independence, self-confidence, persistence, and a willingness to try new things -- for the times in life when I'm not there to cheer him on.

When I pray with Kaden at night, I often ask God to help Josh and I to clearly see the talents and gifts that he's given Kaden. I want to help him unpack the nuances of exactly who God crafted him to be and to celebrate with him as he finds the path God has for his life. This idea of balancing praise and encouragement is somewhere in the mix of accomplishing that goal. Read the post and let me know what you think.

Thankul.

2007-07-14T10:30:00.000-05:00

I think I might stop committing to Thursdays -- I haven't had much luck with getting my thankful post up on time. :-) Nevertheless, here I am with my thankfulness!

1.) My neighbors are coming back tonight from vacation! It's been kind of lonely around here without them, and I'm glad they're coming back home. Kitty and I help each other out with the kids, like if one of us needs to go somewhere for an errand sans kids, and I have missed knowing my extra safety net is right next door!

2.) I hate to say it, but I'm thankful this week is over. I was juggling two projects at once, and I was a little stressed. I even asked Josh to pitch in to check some Bible verses for me (Thanks, Babe!). One project is due on Monday, and I'm very close to finishing it. Yay!

3.) We got to see some old friends from Valleyview (the church where Josh worked for 3 yrs) on Wednesday for lunch. They were driving through Nashville on their way to Alabama for a mission trip, and we got to spend a few hours together. We hadn't seen them for 2 years, so it was really fun to catch up. They got to meet Delaney and play with Kaden, who was Laney's age when we last saw them. We love you, Mountjoys!

4.) I'm thankful today is payday. Yay!

5.) I'm thankful that each of my children is unique. The older and more expressive Laney gets, the more I see her personality and differences from Kaden. Every day is a new day with her because she's constantly figuring out the world around her and becoming increasingly communicative -- even though we can't quite understand her yet. But let me tell you, I can already tell she has a lot to say. And I can't wait to hear it all!

I hope everyone has a great weekend. :-)

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

2007-07-11T23:45:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I need a ten-minute diversion from work. :-) During one of my recent diversion searches, I found this little quiz through my friend Carmen's blog (via a link to another blog that she reads), and I decided to take it. Here are my results:

You Are a Frappucino

At your best, you are: fun loving, sweet, and modern

At your worst, you are: childish and overindulgent

You drink coffee when: you're craving something sweet

Your caffeine addiction level: low

I think it was mostly right about me (as right as a quiz comparing you to a coffee drink can be)...however, I will plead the 5th on "childish" and "overindulgent." Take the quiz and see what caffeine-laden drink you most resemble!

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

Thankful....Saturday!

2007-07-07T10:27:00.001-05:00

Sometimes it seems my days run into each other...and I miss a few here and there. :-) I had to work on Thursday at a client's office, and then yesterday during the day was a last-minute catchup day for laundry and such before I started my next project last night. I'm back to playing the juggling game!

So here are some things that made me smile this week...

1.) A fun Fourth of July with our friends the Yaxes. The kids and I went over in the evening for some dinner and fireworks, and we had a lot of fun! My whole family was together in PA (Jess & Stefan flew in from CA for a Veldhuis family wedding), so I was feeling a little homesick. It was really nice to have a family to adopt for the holiday. Thanks, Jeremy & Stephanie!

2.) Time off from work. I feel like I got a lot done during my break in between projects. We finished all the white banisters and handrails on the deck, and now we just have some touchups to do on the red stain. I also got the whole garage organized, utilizing our new shelves and wall hooks, and now we can actually park in there again! It's so nice to be able to go to my cool car instead of feeling like I'm cooking when I get in to go somewhere. There's one area of shelves that isn't really organized and a few piles of boxes of books that we don't have room for in the house, but that's the only stuff that isn't organized. Yay! Speaking of organizing, I also spent about 6 hours at my neighbor's house this past week helping her organize her kids' rooms. I went through all of the clothes, separated them out by season and size, and put them into tubs or back in the dresser. It sounds a little boring, but I love organizing and I was thankful for the time to do something that didn't involve a computer. :-)

3.) The way God keeps providing for our financial needs! It's pretty amazing to see him orchestrating projects and giving us the right opportunities at the right time. Josh has some new potential opportunities at work, and I'll write more about that in a few weeks when we know more.

4.) The fact that both of our kids are healthy and developing perfectly -- it's not something I take for granted!

5.) Cool summer nights. Kaden and I had a "popsicle date" on the deck last night as the last rays of sunshine were heading over the horizon, and it was nice to just sit out there and chat with my little guy. Laney was already in bed, and we enjoyed a few moments for just the two of us. And at the end, I got a big slobbery popsicle kiss. Who wouldn't be thankful for that?! :-)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Five Things I Dig About Jesus

2007-07-03T23:04:00.000-05:00

I have been tagged by Carmen at Little Cooks in the Kitchen to list 5 things that I “dig” about Jesus. So here goes:

1.) ...that he made me unique, with special dreams, skills, and personality traits he intended just for me -- and that he has placed me in the exact right spot to realize those dreams, use those skills, and express my personality in ways that help and encourage those around me.

2.) ...that he gave us his Holy Spirit to guide, comfort, encourage, confirm, challenge, and connect us to God 24/7.

3.) ...that he is my Redeemer!

4.) ...that there's always more to know about him. There's no growing complacent or bored when you serve an infinite God!

5.) ...that despite the complexities of his character and mysteries that we don't yet understand, the gospel is simple enough for a child to understand. God loved the world so much that he sent his Son to rescue us from our sin and create a way for us to live eternally with him!

I'm not going to tag anyone else, but if you feel the urge, the invitation's open! Leave me a comment if you do, so I can check out your blog!

Petite Boutique Wares On Sale!

2007-07-03T22:23:00.000-05:00

Calling all my petite friends! My friend Laurie's store, Petite Boutique, is having some great sales on their spring and summer fashions! You can read about it by going to Laurie's blog. If you live in Nashville and haven't checked out the store yet, you should definitely do so. It's located in Cool Springs, and you can find all the location info on her blog.

Happy shopping!

Life's a Bowl of...

2007-06-29T19:26:00.000-05:00

Cherries! Is there anything better than cherries in the summer? I don't remember having these growing up, but our friend Jeremy loves cherries, and he introduced me to them when we moved to Nashville. Now I'm addicted! Firm, sweet, juicy, beautiful color -- the only bad part is the pit, but the fruit is worth it to work around that one little negative. Since I was born in the summer, I remember looking forward to the corn on the cob and strawberry shortcake that was sure to be part of my birthday celebration. It's no different now, but I've expanded my fruit repertoire to include nectarines, blueberries, pears, oranges, clementines, and more -- all of which are readily available right now! Josh and I love peaches and nectarines, and our Publix carries the best nectarines!! I was telling a friend a few days ago that when I go to the store and see all the yummy fresh fruit, I just can't resist trying some of everything! Then we end up having fruit at every meal just to eat it all before it spoils...which of course isn't a bad thing. I'm so glad fruit is good for you! Everything in moderation, right?

In keeping with my bowl theme, here's a picture of some Healthy Broccoli Soup Josh and I made last night. Josh went out to check the garden yesterday morning, and he came back with about 5 heads of broccoli that were almost past their prime (some of it was already inedible -- ever seen flowers on a brocolli head? nope, me neither until yesterday!). We had to come up with a way to use it all in a hurry, so we decided broccoli soup would be the best option. I checked out some recipes and came up with a mixture of a few that we made our own. I'm including the ingredients without definite amounts on some things b/c I tend to do a pinch of this and a pinch of that until it tastes right. Soup may not sound like a great summer option, but this has a nice light base (1/2 stock, 1/2 skim milk), so it's not thick and creamy like a winter soup.

Ingredients:
olive oil
1/2 to 1 c. each of celery, carrots, and onions - chopped
2 small potatoes or a few handfuls of baby reds - chopped
1 package ground turkey breast
equal parts of chicken stock and skim milk (I think we ended with 4 cups of each)
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. oregano (or a little under 1/4c. fresh if you have it)
1/4 tsp. chicken grill seasoning (could use freshly ground pepper here)
3 pinches of cumin
salt to taste
5 c. (about 2.5 pounds) of fresh broccoli, chopped
1/2 to 1 c. baby portabellas, chopped
1/2 c. fat-free cheddar, shredded ("fresh cheese" in Kaden-speak) [We added some muenster b/c we didn't have enough cheddar on hand. If you're flexible, there are many cheeses that would work.]
3 T. parmesan cheese ("sprinkle cheese" in Kaden-speak)
1/4 c. fresh basil, chopped
fat-free sour cream for garnish

Saute the celery, carrots, onions, and potatoes in the olive oil for about ten minutes. Add the turkey breast to cook it with the veggies. When the turkey is no longer pink, add the chicken stock and milk. Drop in your seasonings -- bay leaf, oregano, grill seasoning, cumin, and salt. Bring it to a boil quicky, and then drop it to a simmer until the veggies are tender. Add the broccoli and simmer until tender. When the broccoli's nearly done, add the cheese, mushrooms, and basil. Remove the bay leaf and serve in bowls. Sprinkle with cheese and dollop a little sour cream on top. Eat and ENJOY!

*This would also be a great vegetarian soup. Just sub veggie stock and omit the turkey.

Thankul Thursday!

2007-06-28T14:26:00.000-05:00

It's Thursday, so here I am to be thankful. :-)

1.) Our garden is growing, and it is so fun to eat our own veggies! We've gotten tomatoes, banana & jalepeno peppers, turnips, and one tiny-teeny carrot from the garden so far. I'm interested in "slow food" and locally grown produce, and it doesn't get much more locally grown than your own backyard! This picture of Josh was from the beginning of June, and I think we picked it a little too early. The ones we picked recently are much bigger.

2.) I'm thankful for new life -- I got to meet my good friend Amy's new baby last night! Josiah Silas is one cute little guy, and he was born on Sunday AM at home, which is something I'm considering for the next time around. We'll see how I feel when the time gets closer. ;-) It's always amazing to see how tiny new babies are! Even though I've had two of my own, you forget so fast how small and precious new babies are. God blessed Josiah (or "Sjo-Shiah" as Kaden says) with a wonderful family, and we're so excited for all of them!

3.) I'm grateful that Kaden's "big boo-boo"--a 2nd degree burn on his leg--is healing nicely. He burned it on a task-light globe while Grandma & Papa were here, and Grandma and Daddy nursed it back to health. They were the official bandage changers, designated by Kaden to care for his wound. He's still nervous to get it wet, and he reminds Laney not to touch it, but it's actually healing quite well. It certainly looked ouchy last week! I'm glad it wasn't any worse.

4.) Kaden's back to preschool today. He skipped two Thursdays to spend time with Grandma & Papa, but we're back in the swing of our normal life now. He was pretty excited to go to school today, and I've been enjoying a little quiet time with Delaney.

5.) I got some good feedback on the first book I edited, the project I just finished this week. It always feels good to get a good report from a new client (and old clients, too!).

Well, I have a quick little project to finish up before I start my next big project, which I think will start on Monday. Off to do some reading. Until next time!

The Bliss of Nothing

2007-06-26T23:59:00.000-05:00

I had a wonderful day today. Why, you ask? Because I had nothing I HAD to do. I did work on my project for about an hour, and I FINISHED IT! (Praise the Lord!), but even that couldn't dampen my spirits -- I had the rest of the day to myself! (Around clothing, feeding, and occupying my children, of course.) But days when I can just be a Mom instead of a Working Mom are like a breath of fresh air. Sometimes my work stays at a nice even pace, where I can put in 2 hours a day and stay on top of things, and other times I take on a project that requires me to put in 4-5 hours a day. If that goes on too long, I sort of revert into survival mode -- making sure everyone is fed, clothed (except Kaden who much prefers nakedness), clean, and relatively happy ... but not having any time to doing anything fun, exercise, or keep my house in good working order. Four to five hours doesn't sound like a lot, but somehow, with all the other mothering/basic survival-type stuff, I end up feeling overwhelmed.

I really do enjoy what I do, and I love the extra money, so I'm definitely not complaining. It's just that when I come out of one of these really busy times, I relish a few days of Nothing. No appointments, no to-dos, no deadlines, just Nothing. Now of course, being in a state of Nothing does not include me lying around on the couch eating bon-bons (although I did sit on the couch tonight and organize pictures while catching up on some TiVoed shows -- heavenly!)...but I find that the things that might otherwise be mundane take on a special flare when I'm happy to be doing Nothing. Since I didn't have anything I HAD to do today, I couldn't wait to dig into some laundry, dishes, tidying, and floor cleaning...things that I don't always enjoy, but when I'm in survival mode, I long for days of Nothing to catch up. And today, my Nothing came -- and it was wonderful!

And apparently my happy mood was contagious because Kaden and Laney were quite happy and well behaved all day long. It added to the bliss of Nothing, and I am one happy Mama.

I have a few days of down time, and then I'm starting another project next week. God is so faithful -- my work has been very steady this year, and just about every time I'm finishing up a project (within the last 2 days), someone else calls me up with work. It's been amazing to see God answering prayers for extra funds. I love freelancing because of the give and take -- busy some days and a bit of Nothing here and there in between projects.

Do unscheduled days to catch up recharge your batteries, too...or is it just me? Find some time for Nothing (even a little here and there), and you just might feel recharged, too!

Well, this blissful girl of Nothing is very tired. Time to head to bed.

Camp Grandma & Other Hesse Happenings

2007-06-23T23:00:00.000-05:00

Whoa. What a busy two weeks we've had since I last blogged. Josh's family came into town late on Monday the 11th, and we had a wonderful time together. They just left around 9pm tonight, and I'm not quite sure what to do with myself after going from a house full of company down to just me and my two sleeping kiddos. (Josh started back to work last night, so I'm really all alone!)

In addition to all the fun we had with the Hesses, I have been logging around 30 hrs/week on a book I'm editing. I've had some late nights and lots of time during the day to work since I enrolled the kids in Camp Grandma (w/ Camp Counselors Auntie Rachel and Grammy and Outdoor Activity Coordinator Papa). I still have over 100 pages to read in the next few days, but I know I wouldn't have been able to get this far without all my helpers!

Here's a quick overview of what we've been up to...

The girls had an "ionic foot bath" at my nutritionist's office. Google it if you're intrigued...very interesting and very cool! I was skeptical until I saw the color of my water after we were done. Crazy!

We went boating for two days on Percy Priest lake in Nashville. Josh rented a ski boat from a friend at work, Josh's dad brought all of his skiing equipment, and we had a GREAT time out on the water. We went skiing, tubing, swimming, and also had a great picnic. We all had a fantastic time. The weather couldn't have been better, and we made some great memories.

The guys built shelves in the basement for Josh's tools (we have lots of space in the basement, but we had very little organization going on!). Now we just have to finish finding a place everything, and we'll be in great shape!

The girls went to an all-day scrapbooking party, and we had a blast. I never get to scrapbook, between freelancing and the kiddos, so it was a real treat for me. I'm still working on my sister's wedding scrapbook! (She got married in 2005...sheepish grin...but as I tell myself, we moved and had a baby between then and now, so I've been a little busy.)

Josh arranged for all of us to eat at the upscale restaurant he works at, Old Hickory. We had artisanal cheeses, tasty appetizers like smoked salmon and shrimp, delicious salads, entrees like veal and Kobe beef, sides like garlic mashed potatoes and lobster macaroni & cheese, and desserts like popcorn ice cream (yum!) and cheesecake. (And I know I'm forgetting a bunch of stuff.) They comped a lot of our food, but Josh said our meal would have been at least $700 if we had paid full price. We had a delicious meal that would have been even better if we had been smart and gotten a sitter for the kids. :-) They're not quite up to three-hour meals at fancy restaurants. (Oh, and Kaden got carsick on the way there, and we had to make an emergency stop at Wal-Mart to de-puke the van and buy all new clothes, including underwear. That's a story for another time, but just imagine me pushing Kaden through Wal-mart in a cart with nothing on by his pukey undies. Oh my. I got some serious are-you-crazy glances.)

Josh and his dad pressure-washed and stained our deck, with some help from me, and it looks awesome! We didn't quite finish the steps yet, but we're close. We stained the floorboards a reddish stain and did the railings in white. The white really pops -- the deck looks a thousand times better. The previous owners never sealed or stained it, so after 6 years, it was really looking tired. But it looks awesome now -- I am so psyched! Now we just "need" a fire pit and some deck furniture. :-)

Oh, and amidst all those things, we also celebrated Father's Day on Sunday and my birthday on Tuesday. We tried out the new Marblestone Creamery in Bellevue on Tuesday night, and it was taaaasty. I recommend the non-fat frozen yogurt with cherries and hot fudge. Delicious. (And halfway on a diet!)

As you can tell, we barely had anything going on while our company was here. I mean, we were practically just twiddling our thumbs with nothing to do! ;-)

Thanks to the Hesses for a great vacation (at home)!

Thankful Thursday (er...Friday!)

2007-06-08T18:16:00.001-05:00

I am SOOO crazy busy this week with a project that I haven't had time to blog. It's a blessing, and I'm enjoying it, but I think I bit off more than I could chew! So here's a quick update, by way of things I'm thankful for this week...

1.) We have dental insurance (finally!). Josh and I had our first checkup with our new dentist on Monday, and Kaden had his first-ever dentist visit. We were SO proud of him. He climbed up in that chair, did everything the dentist asked him to do, and the dentist was so impressed! We were too. To contaminate our newly cleaned mouths, we quickly made a trip to Smoothie King. :-) As a sidenote, I have two cavities! I am incredibly bummed about this b/c they're my first ones...ever! But the dentist was nice and tried to make me feel better. He said I have really deep "fissures" in my teeth, and he's surprised I haven't had cavities before this. (It's a genetic thing -- Thanks, Mom!) ;-) Anyway, my perfect record is marred. Oh well. Josh was sure to rub it in since I'm Ms. Oral Health and he's a bit of a slacker. (Well, maybe he's just normal and I'm a little anal about my teeth. You can see why I'm still shocked!)

2.) Our garden is growing! My wonderful hubby spent the better part of two days off outside in the sweltering heat, re-staking tomatoes, re-planting squash, weeding, fertilizing, mulching...lots of work! I've been sequestered inside on my laptop, but I'm very grateful for all the work Josh put into our future bounty of veggies. I have a progress pic but no time to upload it ... maybe next week. :-) Oh, and we got our first baby pepper from the garden yesterday. I don't think it was quite ready, but Kaden decided it was.

Okay, I know that's a lousy list, but I'm telling you, people ... I'm too busy to be blogging at the moment. :-) Until next time!

P.S. Josh's family is coming on Tuesday, so no promises on blogging. We're going waterskiing with Kaden for the first time, so I'm sure I'll have more to report after that! Daddy is determined that he will ski at age 3. They have a special toddler contraption to make it easier (it's how Josh learned), so we'll see...

What's for Dinner?: Gluten-Free Veggie Quiche

2007-06-01T20:46:00.000-05:00

Well, I've been teasing about this recipe for over a week now, so I suppose I should go ahead and just post it already. :-) I used to love Quiche Lorraine, and my mom made a very tasty one. Since my gluten-free days, I've tried quiche with no crust, quiche with a cheese crust (line pie plate with Muenster cheese -- SO GOOD, but SO FATTY!), and now -- quiche with a lentil crust! I think it could still use some tinkering, but I'll post what I did and see if anyone else has any breakthroughs. I made this two times, and I used a variety of veggies in the quiche. Anything in your frig will work, so it's a good leftover/clean-out-the-veggie-drawer kind of meal. Without further adieu...

Gluten-Free Veggie Quiche

3/4 c. lentils, cooked
1/2 c. mozzarella or cheddar cheese, shredded (I didn't measure this, so more or less or taste)
veggies of your choice (cherry tomatoes, scallions, carrots, spinach, garlic)
6 eggs, beaten (I used 3 whole eggs and 3 egg whites -- you may need more depending on how big your pie plate is.)
salt-free herb seasonings, salt & pepper to taste

Spray Pam on your pie plate. Layer in order: lentils, cheese, veggies, and eggs (add seasonings when you whip up eggs). Bake for approx. 45 min. at 350 degrees until eggs are set and top is browned.

It's no Quiche Lorraine, but it's WAY healthier. Great for my vegetarian friends, too! If you make this and have any suggestions, please comment -- I'd love feedback.

As a little something extra, here's a recipe for a yummy Vanilla Frappuccino from Hungry Girl (sign up for her daily email -- they're great!). Josh and I tried this when we watched a movie a few nights ago (Deja Vu -- we recommend it if you like a classic action/romance flick!)

HG's Vanillalicious Cafe Freeze

5 oz. light vanilla soymilk or skim milk
3 tsp. Fat Free French Vanilla Coffee-mate powder; dissolved in 1 oz. warm water
2 flat tsp. instant coffee (The original called for 1 tsp., but we liked more coffee flavor!)
1 oz. Torani Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup
3 packets Splenda (We used a little stevia instead.)
1 cup ice; crushed
2 tbsp. Fat Free Reddi-whip

Place everything in the blender (except the Reddi-whip). Blend on high until all the ice chips are incorporated. Pour into a glass and top with whipped topping. So tasty (and only 2 points if you're counting!).

Enjoy!

Thankful Thursday

2007-05-31T21:18:00.000-05:00

Thursday already?! Wow...time flies. I hope everyone had a great week! Here are some things that made my heart happy this week...

1.) Our small group reunion! Our old small group is getting back together for a summer study on Galatians, and we had our first meeting last night. It was so good to see everyone and get caught up a bit. Two of our families are expecting babies in the next two months, and I'm very excited for them!

2.) My friend Leslie gave us two big bags of girl clothes for Delaney! And SUCH cute stuff! :-) They're expecting a baby boy and not planning to have any more kids, so she divided up her little girl's stuff and spread the love! Thank you, Leslie! Laney just added about 4 pairs of shoes to her current wardrobe, so we had fun trying those on tonight. Okay, maybe I thought it was more fun than she did... :-)

3.) Josh was having some car troubles (it was shaking constantly like he was driving over rumble strips), but it all went away when he got 4 new tires. That's a blessing because we were praying it wasn't something major. Ya!

4.) Two more projects coming my way! Yaaaa! :-)

5.) I had a day to get caught up on stuff around the house. Today was a day of rest from exercise, so it felt like I had lots of time to get things done like laundry and tidying...all the fun stuff. :-)

Well, that's all from here. Blessings!

The Smell of Parenting

2007-05-27T14:58:00.000-05:00

Interesting title, right? I recently signed up to receive free emails from the authors of Premeditated Parenting. I found them through a link on my friend Carmen's blog, and I was impressed with some of the articles I read. Josh and I love the premise behind being intentional in our parenting style.

I got the following article this week, and I'm passing it along here b/c I figure that since these are free articles and posted right on their website, they won't mind if I give a bit of free publicity. :-) If you're a parent, I hope it encourages you today to pour your energy and very life into the things that will help your child become a passionate servant of Jesus!

The Smell of Parenting

Proverbs 14:4 (ESV) - Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.

A novice farmer shows off his clean barn to his neighbor. The ground is spotless, and the manger, or feed trough, looks as clean as new. After shooting the breeze a while the experienced farmer invites his friend to come and see what a barn should look like. The young farmer is a little hurt because he can’t imagine a nicer setup than he has.

They walk over to the neighbor’s farm, all the while discussing the incredible amount of work each of the older farmer’s four oxen can perform. At the barn, hay is strewn everywhere, and the feed trough is covered with dried ox slobber.

“What is that horrible stench?” asks the young man.

“That, my friend, is the smell of money.”

The goal of a farmer is not to have the nicest barn, cleanest trough, or freshest fragrances. His goal is to grow crops and raise animals. To focus on his goal, he lets a few things slide along the way. From sunup to sundown he works hard. He is not lazy or negligent, but he simply has no time to clean troughs and rake out barns. Instead of scooping up every piece of manure, he simply wears rubber boots. (emphasis mine)

A wise parent will take a similar approach. If every meal must be a culinary delight, every toy in its perfect spot, every shelf dusted, and every floor vacuumed, there will be no time left for parenting. With children comes a certain level of messiness. This is to be managed, but also expected. The goal is to raise the children, not eliminate the messiness. As the farmer embraces the mess of the ox the parent should embrace the clutter of childhood. Far more critical things are happening in our homes than keeping our houses spotless. Much good is being produced in a Christian home.

Amen! Now, where did Kaden hide my rubber boots?! :-)

Thankful Thursday

2007-05-25T01:06:00.000-05:00

Even though it's technically Friday morning here in Tennessee, I haven't gone to bed yet, so it's still Thursday to me. That makes this post right on time! Here are some things I'm thankful for this week...

1.) A great anniversary with my sweetie. We were low-key homebodies (mostly because we were sitter-less), but we still had an awesome day ... because we were together! (Sappy, I know.) I love you, baby!

2.) My very own personal trainer! Granted, I'm only going to meet with her once a month or so, but I, Jennifer Hesse, have a personal trainer. This is huge for me. I was once the girl who hated to sweat, but exercise is slowly winning me over. Slowly but surely. And since I want to make sure that sweat is counting for something and working the areas I want to work, I met with one of the Y's trainers to develop a little plan of action. I like action plans. :-)

3.) A day at the lake with our dear friends Jeremy & Kenya. We headed out this afternoon for a picnic and fishing expedition on Jeremy's little fishing boat, which incidentally, Jeremy & Josh bought while we were at Cedarville (Jeremy was the financier, Josh was along for the ride). We had a GREAT time, and the kids loved playing in the water. The fish weren't biting near the shore, so the boys went out trolling right before sunset in search of one trophy fish. This was Kaden's first time fishing, and Josh wanted it to be memorable! On their way back to shore, just as they had given up, they got two bites...and Kaden got to reel in two fish with his daddy and Uncle Jeremy. A pretty memorable night for all three. :-) And just seeing the smiles on their faces made me very, very happy. My little boy is officially a fisherman!

4.) I fit in some pre-pregnancy jeans tonight. Yes, Laney is 13 months old ... Shush. :-) I'm doing the happy dance!

5.) Laney surprises me every day with her spunk and adventurous spirit. She makes me smile! Despite the fact that she's just getting steady on her walking legs, she loves to climb. I thought that Kaden was a climber b/c he was a boy, but it turns out that Josh and I are raising two fearless monkeys. :-) I'm telling you, they did NOT get this from me!

I hope that your weeks have been full of many blessings, too. Until next time!

What's for Dinner?: Pizza

2007-05-23T16:04:00.001-05:00

I love reading foodie blogs (like Gluten-Free Girl and so many others...), and while my food photography pretty much stinks (I blame my camera!), it's still fun to share some of the things that are gracing our table here in the Hesse house.

We made this a few weeks ago, and I'm just getting around to posting it. My disclaimer is that this is not necessarily a recipe -- the amounts are approximate, and in certain spots, it's up for improvements! Let's call this...

Gluten-Free BBQ Goat Cheese Pizza

1 pizza crust ( I used the Gluten-Free Pantry's bread/pizza mix.)
2 chicken breasts
1/4 c. BBQ sauce of your choice (just enough to coat the chicken)
small container ricotta cheese
3 medium onions, thinly sliced
balsamic vinegar
small container goat cheese (2-3 oz.?)

1.) Prepare your crust and spread a thin layer of ricotta cheese. One thing we would improve next time is to add more BBQ flavor. You could do this by adding some BBQ sauce to the crust or swapping out the ricotta cheese and using only BBQ sauce.
2.) Cut onion slices in half and saute over low heat until soft and tasty. Add balsamic vinegar as they cook. This takes a LONG time to cook them without browning them.
3.) Coat the chicken in BBQ sauce and grill (it's okay to be a smidge undercooked since it will finish cooking in the oven).
4.) Add the chicken and cooked onions to your pizza. Then top everything with small dots of goat cheese.

Bake in the oven at 375 degrees or so until the crust is baked and the toppings are heated through. Enjoy!

Let me know if you try it! I'm working to perfect a Veggie Quiche recipe I made up this week. My second try tonight went much better than the first! I'll post that next week.

Wishing you tasty, nutritious meals!

P.S. I have to add that I am mostly just the secretary for this recipe -- Josh was the inspiration behind these flavors. I'm married to a culinary genius! :-)

Thankful Thursday

2007-05-17T21:40:00.000-05:00

It's Thursday again. Time to share a few things from this past week that made my heart happy!

1.) Laney is getting to be quite a talker. She has recently added "ba-bye" (with corresponding wave) and "love oo" to her short list of phrases. It's so adorable to hear her talking in her high-pitched little voice. She loves to snuggle when she gets up from her nap. She leans in for kisses on her forehead, and if I'm really lucky, she gives me a hug, pats my back, and softly says, "Love oo" after I say it to her. It's enough to melt my heart! My baby is growing up, that much I know for sure!

2.) Kaden's "rest with me" scared phase. Okay, I know that sounds weird, but Kaden has been going through this thing where he gets really scared at night. He thinks there are monsters everywhere, and his imagination is going into overdrive. Although I don't like having to go back to his room to re-tuck him in several times, he's been asking me lately to rest with him for a few minutes so he can go to sleep. Even though there's a part of me that wants to rush him to sleep so I can get back to my "me time," I have this awareness that these days won't last forever. Lying in bed whispering about the day and praying to God "for Kaden not to be scared" is a pretty special way to spend my me time. I'm grateful for quiet moments with my normally very busy boy.

3.) I'm reading a fiction book for a freelancing project, and it's a nice diversion from the non-fiction stuff I've been reading. I'm thankful for all the work God's been sending my way -- especially since the beginning of the year.

4.) The Y! I know, it's a standard for me, but really -- it's a blessing. Great childcare, great facility, great classes...YA! Josh and I are in a health-nut phase lately, and we're loving the Y!

5.) Our Anniversary! On Saturday I get to celebrate my sixth year of marriage to my wonderful husband. In September, I will have known Josh for ten years. Gosh, that makes me feel old. :-) But more than that, it makes me feel grateful that God has been so gracious to me. So good to me by giving me this wonderful man to share my life with. I can't wait to celebrate the last six years with my sweet hubby. I love you, baby!

I hope you all have a LOVE-ly weekend. :-)

Fighting Free Radicals & the Energy Blahs

2007-05-15T20:33:00.000-05:00

My friend Carmen recently shared on her blog about this awesome nutritional drink called FRS (which I think stands for Free Radical Scavengers). The company is offering a free sample (you have to pay for shipping), and Carmen gave FRS glowing reviews. Josh and I are into protein drinks, smoothies, blended salads, etc. -- pretty much, if it's healthy and you can make it into a drink, I'm all about it. Naturally, this free drink offer made me pretty excited. :-)

My FREE sample came in the mail while were in Florida, and I just opened it last night. I had one with ice last night, and it was very tasty. I got the low-cal orange concentrate version, and it sort of reminds me of an orange julius (yum)...only healthier. This morning, I mixed in 2 oz. with our blended salad smoothies before we went to the Y. It made the smoothie super tasty (Josh said it was his favorite smoothie ever!), and I didn't feel jittery or or anything like some energy drinks make you feel.

Best of all, this stuff has some great health benefits -- check them out on the site. Lance Armstrong is the official endorser, and FRS is the "exclusive beverage he represents worldwide." Pretty impressive. Since he's one of the best athletes of our time, perhaps ALL time, and a cancer survivor, I know he pays attention to what he puts into his body. Good enough for me! I won't be winning the Tour 'de France any time soon, but FRS just might help me during my workouts. A few more minutes on the elliptical machine!! ...Or maybe as an afternoon pick-me-up, as my friend Carmen suggested. As a fellow mom to a three-year-old, I trust her advice. :-)

Let me know what you think if you try it! Enjoy!

Thankful: The Florida Edition

2007-05-11T07:21:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting here in the Florida room of my parents' timeshare, at least an hour earlier than I anticipated due to Laney's early wake-up call, but surprisingly, I am actually grateful for the time to chill and reflect on the past few days. I can hear some birds chirping, a little creek peacefully bubbling by outside the screened-in porch...oh yeah, and Laney happily crunching a plastic container. Music to my ears! :-) Mom & Dad are at an owner's meeting with the timeshare people and the boys are sleeping, so it's just Laney and me enjoying a little breakfast and some quiet time.

I thought Laney would really sleep in today b/c we were at Disney World ALL day yesterday -- we left here at 9am for breakfast and didn't return until after 11pm (WHOA!), but alas, she did not get the sleep-in memo. She's not a fan of the timeshare crib. My mom and dad have been taking care of her in the middle of the night since she's in their room, but they came and got me at 7am this morning since they had to go to their meeting. Normally she sleeps through the night at home, but like I said, she's not impressed with this crib. Oh well--back home tonight (maybe tomorrow if we stop in Atlanta).

Before anyone else wakes up, I better get to the thankful part. :-) In no particular order...

1.) Time off from the ordinary! It has been really nice to take a little breather from normal everyday life. Before we left, Josh worked 5 days of 15-hour shifts (including his commute), which didn't leave much time for anything else. It was nice to have his undivided attention during our little vacation. We have had a lot of fun in a few short days!

2.) Our kids have been so great...and so much fun! They did great on the drive down, and we have loved watching them enjoy the pool, the beach, the park, and everything in between. We pushed them to the limit yesterday, and they really did great, considering how exhausted they were by the end of the day. I think the fireworks were worth it. :-) (Actually, let me reevaluate that when Kaden gets up and we see how grumpy he is!)

3.) Great weather this week. We had forest fires to the north, a tropical storm to the east, and high winds from the storm that blew the smoke down the Gulf coast. But fortunately for us, Orlando is just far enough inland that we missed all of that stuff! Pretty amazing. We've had a few showers, but the overcast skies have actually been a blessing by keeping the hot temperatures and scorching sun at bay. We had such great weather yesterday at the park, and the day before that we had sunny skies at the beach, too.

4.) A new swimsuit! Josh and I went shopping at Target for a new swimsuit for me. I literally haven't bought one in about 4 years, and I was overdue. I don't swim a lot, so it hasn't made it to the top of the priority list until this week when I realized all of my suits were in serious disrepair or just downright ugly. I found a really cute tankini, and I think it will last me for a few years.

5.) Fun times with my parents. When my parents separated last summer, I wondered if we would ever go on a family vacation again with them. That made me very sad because it's something we've looked forward to doing -- getting all the siblings and grandkids together every other summer for a big family vacation. This week was really an answer to prayer because after having faced the threat of losing time together with both of my parents together, it made these days even sweeter. Thanks to their hard work and God's grace in beginning to heal and change their relationship, we had a great family vacation (but we really missed the other siblings and grandkids)! More than the weather, the down time, or the smiles of my kids, that has made me the most grateful this week. Thank you, God!

More adventures await, so I need to sign off. Sending love from sunny Florida!

Label Your Life

2007-05-06T23:05:00.000-05:00

I love organization! So when I found out about this creative company on another blog (No, I'm not vegan. Yes, the blog is cool!), I knew I had to share the labeling love on my blog.

Check out Mabel's Labels -- I'm in organization heaven! They have everything from iron-on clothing labels to address labels and from shoe labels to allergy warnings for drinks and snacks. Awesome!

If you have toddlers or school-age kids, you know how handy it would be to have your kids' names in their belongings for school or daycare. Kaden goes to preschool one day a week, and we're supposed to put his name on all his clothes, jackets, cups...everything! How much cooler would it be to have a handy-dandy label instead of trying to fit his name on those tiny clothing tags with a Sharpie marker?! I'm sold.

I'd encourage you to pass along the site to anyone who has kids with allergies. Kaden went through a phase of being sensitive to milk, and it would have been really great to have those labels on hand to put on his sippy cups. Food allergies and sensitivies can be so difficult, and it seems like this would make life easier -- peace of mind for the parents and confidence for any caretakers outside the family.

There are a hundred and one uses for these neat-o labels, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

***

As I mentioned on Thursday, we're off this week for a little R&R. I am taking my laptop, but I'm not making any promises about blogging on vacation. Until next time, God Bless!

Thankful Thursday Returns!

2007-05-03T22:16:00.000-05:00

So, I missed three Thursdays in a row. Betcha thought I forgot, right? Well, Thankful Thursday is back. I'm not working on a project this week, so I've had time to catch up on things like housework and blogging. I don't have to tell you which one I prefer. :-) Although, I will say that my hardwood floors are gleaming, and that makes this girl's heart mighty proud.

And here are some other things that have reminded me of how blessed I am...

1.) Healthy kiddos. Both of the kids had their annual checkups this week, and they are both doing great! Kaden has grown like crazy in the last year -- from 30 to 40 lbs. in just 12 months! Oh, and he also grew about 3.5 inches. No wonder he's wearing 4T clothes! Delaney's doing great, too. She's starting to communicate more, still working on her walking skills, and getting two new teeth. Their checkups reminded me of how blessed we are to have two perfectly happy, healthy children. Praise God!

2.) An upcoming trip to Florida. We weren't planning to go, but my parents have a timeshare in Orlando and are heading down for their annual trip. We decided at the last minute to tag along, and we're looking forward to some fun in the sun!

3.) Kaden's constant chatter. I know I've said it before, but the boy can talk! And by talk, I mean this little guy is 3 going on 30. He questions, considers, celebrates, and commentates just about every waking moment. There are times when there's a little voice in my head saying, "Shush!" but I've restrained myself. :-) After all, didn't I spend the first 2.5 years of his life waiting to converse with my little dude? (Not that he wasn't talking before, but just not like THIS.) The fun part is that just about every day, something hilarious comes out of his mouth. On Sunday I painted my toenails, which is very unusual for my post-baby self. Kaden was very interested in my new toes, and after a day of checking them out, he said, "Look Mom! Your big toe is growing up to be red!!" (He and I were talking about how he's growing up to be such a big boy, so that's where he got that.) Anyway, he's a blast, and 99.9% of the time, I love hearing his little voice throughout the [whole] day!

4.) Antibiotics and steroids. This is going back to my recent bout of strep throat, but I just have to say what a blessing modern medicine is. I can't imagine what people went through before antibiotics were invented. And the steroids? Wowee...now those were some good drugs. :-) My throat is happy again!

5.) Our little plants are poking through the dirt! Our lettuce, peas, and corn are all growing from seeds, and the tomato, brussel sprouts, peppers, and broccoli plants are growing, too! We haven't seen any carrots, squash, or turnips yet, but we have visions of veggies dancing in our heads! :-) Stay tuned.

Well, it's time to wrap this up. I'm not sure that I'll be blogging from Florida, so I may be absent again next week.

God Bless!

The Hesse Agricultural Center

2007-05-01T21:42:00.000-05:00

If you've known me for long, you know that I'm not one for getting my hands dirty. My mom used to have to practically force me to go outside and play -- I much preferred reading or inside games like doctor or house or school over anything that involved getting sweaty or dirty. Fast forward about 20 years, and not much has changed. I'm getting over the objection to sweat -- I actually enjoy working out now. But I'm still not a big fan of dirt on my hands or feet. Especially if said dirt is under my fingernails -- eek!! If I do get my hands dirty, I usually plan a quick getaway to the sink to wash up. I don't even like my hands to be messy while I'm cooking!

So what would inspire me to suggest to Josh that we plant a garden? Perhaps temporary insanity, but...mostly, it seemed like a fun family project. One that has great rewards (if done correctly)! The garden is also part of my plan to be a sneaky mom to Mr. Kaden. Boycotting vegetables is part of his three-year-old indepedence plan. But I'm not giving up without a fight -- or more accurately, some team spirit psychology. I'm hoping that somewhere in the process of planting, watering, weeding, and picking our own veggies, Kaden might decide to re-enter the world of healthy eaters. Oh, and if team spirit doesn't work, I'll chuck those veggies in the food processor and resort to some sneaky tricks involving hidden purees. :-)

Despite my anti-outdoorsyness as a child, my grandfather was quite the opposite. He spent many of his growing up years on his parents' farm, and when my parents bought the five acres of land their house sits on, Pap started dreaming about getting back to his roots (literally). As far back as I can remember, he planted and cared for a very large garden up on the hill by our house. He often tried to recruit us to help him weed the garden, but truth be told, I think he and my grandmother took on most of the hard work. So I grew up around gardening, but I hate to say that I wasn't really paying much attention. But now that I'm becoming Ms. Outdoorswoman, I sure wish I had been taking notes during the planting, caretaking, harvesting, and canning/freezing stages!

When we bought our house in 2005 and moved (to the country, some would say), Josh and I both had our eyes on the backyard for some "country" activities. Things like bonfires (Shhh! Don't tell the fire marshall!), tree climbing (not me on that one), room to run and play, and maybe even a little agricultural development.

Last spring, we were a little busy with a 2-year-old and a new infant, so a garden wasn't even on the radar screen. But this year is much different. Life is leveling out and getting into a groove, and we decided it was time to try our hands at gardening. Thankfully, my parents had already planned to be here during the prime planting week. They were eager participants in our garden-planting plans. Phew! It was wonderful to have people here who actually remember some of Pap's gardening tricks of the trade. I wish that my favorite retired gardener could have been here himself, but he sent along some advice and tools with my parents. I like the fact that in some small way, I'm paying homage to something that has always been so important to my grandfather. I only hope our garden is as fruitful as his always were!

Well, you can see from the picture of those cute little pepper plants that we were successful in our quest -- at least the planting part. Now comes the watering and weeding.

Speaking of weeding, can three-year-olds be trained to weed gardens...without destroying the plants, too?!

P.S. We also planted sweet corn, green & yellow squash, peas, onions, green onions, turnips, carrots, lettuce, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and tomatoes. We're looking forward to a bountiful harvest!

What's for Dinner?: Mac 'N Cheese

2007-04-26T21:09:00.000-05:00

When I was growing up, my mom's homemade macaroni and cheese was very close to the top on my list of favorite meals. Mom rotated it through on a semi-regular basis, but I also requested it for birthday dinners and other special occasions. Like most other families in the 80s, regular 'ole Kraft macaroni and cheese was also in our pantry, but it doesn't hold a candle to Mom's mac 'n cheese. A mix of creamy, melty, and stringy cheese perfectly melted in a white sauce and topped with a brown, crusty top = pure cheesy perfection.

I've carried the tradition on into my own family, only now I make it with gluten-free pasta and gluten-free flour. It's my go-to meal for comfort food, celebration food, and even hospitality food -- I often make this when I provide meals for new moms at our church. Nothing says "happy baby, don't start your diet yet" like homemade mac 'n cheese. :-) Most people feel very pampered when I tell them what I'm bringing, and that makes me happy!

Fast forward to last week. My husband is into culinary creativity, and he's always coming up with tasty combinations and delicious sauces. He's been wanting to try roasting peppers, and when I mentioned I wanted to make some macaroni and cheese, he suggested we try adding roasted peppers to the tried and true recipe. Wow! I'm so glad we did! I love the old recipe, and I'm sure we'll make it plain again...but those peppers took this old mac 'n cheese to a whole new level!

Here's the recipe, adapted from an old Betty Crocker cookbook (they don't even print it anymore!)...

GF Old-Fashioned Mac 'N Cheese
3 cups gluten-free pasta
1/2 c. chopped onions (Saute these separately if you don't want a crunch in your dish.)
3 c. cheese (1 each of mozzarella, cheddar, and velveeta)
3 cups thin white sauce (see below)

White Sauce
3 T. butter
3 T. gluten-free flour
3/4 tsp. salt
3/8 tsp. pepper
3 c. milk

Melt butter in saucepan, and then stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Keep cooking over medium heat and stir constantly until it's smooth and bubbly. Gradually stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil for one minute and continue stirring. If you like your mac 'n cheese really thick, increase the butter and flour proportionally, not going above 6 tablespoons of each.

Spray non-stick spray in 2-quart casserole. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta to al dente or less (it will cook a little more in the oven). Make two layers of 1.) pasta, 2.) onions, 3.) cheese (mix all three on each layer), and 4.) sauce.

Bake for a 1/2 hour covered and then another 15 minutes uncovered (or broil for a few minutes) until the top browns. If you want to go full fat, add little pats of butter to the top to help it brown.

Now for the roasted peppers ... we used our gas grill and placed the peppers on the grates until the skins were all charred. After the peppers are charred, place them in a ziploc bag to let the skins soften. Then just peel the skins off, and underneath will be tasty, sweet, roasted peppers! We did a rough chop and added them right into the mac 'n cheese.

I highly recommend trying this recipe on the next rainy spring day. You won't be disappointed!

Quick Update

2007-04-23T18:47:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! Sorry I've been so quiet this last week. My parents came into town a week from yesterday, and I started getting really sick the day before they got here. I kept getting worse and worse until we finally decided I needed to go to the dr. on Tuesday. Turns out I had strep throat! No wonder my throat was so sore! :-) I have no idea where it came from -- neither of the kids had it, and I don't know of anyone else who had it. After one course of steroids for swelling and partially through my antibiotics, I am a new woman. Praise God!

On top of having company, I am working feverishly on a project for Nelson, proofreading a dramatized New Testament script. For the first time, I sub-contracted out some of my work, and it's been fun managing other editors and getting the chance to spread some work around to a few of my friends.

In addition to that, my parents helped us plant our first-ever veggie garden. I will post pics as soon as I can. It's about 15X20...and filled with corn, peppers, squash, carrots, broccoli, brussel sprouts, lettuce, onions, peas, and turnips. We really have no clue what we're doing, but with a little water, sunshine, and God's grace, we should have veggies this summer/fall. We're pretty pumped.

Here's a quick funny story from Kaden. It illustrates how thoroughly the Cars movie has infiltrated our life. Today around lunchtime, Kaden asked me if he could go outside, and I told him no because we were getting ready to eat. He asked me a few more times, as is his custom, but I persisted. He finally gave up and said, "I am SO not taking you to dinner, [Mom]." It's a line from the movie, and it cracked me up b/c that's the first time he's done something like that...taking a line from a movie and correctly applying it in context. Pretty cute.

The Federal Gov't. = My New Best Friend

2007-04-13T14:56:00.000-05:00

You know you're about to get good news when your accountant -- at tax time -- says, "Jenn, you're going to be very happy with the federal government!"

To the tune of a $3000 refund! Whoa! Something about an earned income credit and the child allowances. All I know is that having a baby in 2006 was our best financial decision of the whole year! :-)

Now before you get too envious, just know that you have to have had a pretty lousy financial year for the government to feel sorry enough for you to willingly give up $3000. I wouldn't wish our 2006 finances on anyone, but boy, I'm feeling pretty good today! :-)

Just wanted to share that blessing. It's a huge one! Thank you, God!

The 3-year-old Art Critic

2007-04-11T11:03:00.000-05:00

Funny story. Kaden and I were drawing this morning, and he asked me to draw a playground. I crafted a beautiful swingset, complete with giant slide -- Kaden's favorite. I was proud, but my drawings are elementary at best! :-) A few minutes later, he asked me to draw a baby. I started drawing my impression of a baby swaddled in a blanket, but Kaden was decidedly unimpressed.

He exclaimed, "No, Mom! Not a snowman! I said a baby!!!"

I started laughing and said, "Oh, okay, buddy. Let me try again. I guess Mommy's just not a very good artist."

He quicky reassured me: "No, Mom...you really are. You're a great artist."

I love the truth-telling (because my baby really did look like a snowman!), but I also love how eager he is to encourage everyone around him. It's something that Josh and I have always tried to do with him, and it's exciting to see that encouraging spirit coming out in him already.

Now we're off to our next project -- "cooking" with water, soap, and pepper. I know what's on the lunch menu!

Life is never dull with a 3-year-old. I highly recommend it.

Teavana

2007-04-07T00:03:00.000-05:00

On Delaney's birthday, we were surprised with a free dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. Ya! Very tasty. Before our food came, I whisked Kaden off for a little adventure to keep him occupied for a while. Our Cheesecake Factory is attached to a mall, and we ended up strolling in there for a minute. I spotted a store that caught my eye called Teavana. Josh and I love tea, especially loose tea, so the store caught my eye. So much so that my interest outweighed my common sense of not taking Kaden into a store with intricate teapots on every surface.

But the risk paid off: he was a perfectly behaved boy, and I scored some really tasty tea. Doesn't this tea look like a trail mix or something? It's amazing! This is a blend of Caribbean Breeze and Apple Pomegranate. Sounds kind of crazy, but it is so good -- fruity, sweet, and it tastes like juice! They're all about blending teas, which I think is pretty neat.

I love drinking tea. It's relaxing and such a special treat. I just enjoyed two cups of this tonight, and I had to post a pic. I know summer is coming, but you can also use these for iced teas.

Happy tea drinking!

P.S. I also recommend Upton Tea Company -- we've ordered from them several times, and I think their prices are more affordable.

Thankful Thursday (er...Friday!)

2007-04-05T23:41:00.000-05:00

So here are some things I'm thankful for this week...

1. My herbs. Looking out my back door and seeing those cute little plants growing in their new planter boxes has been a real mood-lifter. Try it!
2. I'm proofreading a book on leadership for a client, and it's very interesting. I see my hubby on every page! :-)
3. Celebrating Laney's birthday has been a real joy. It seems she instantly became a toddler the day she turned one. She's not walking yet, but she's close!
4. I have been so busy with freelancing! Even though I told Josh I feel too busy at the moment, he reminded me that it's better to have the problem of trying to figure out how to get everything done than the problem of not knowing how you're going to pay your bills. True.

I'm looking forward to celebrating Easter this Sunday, and I hope you all have a great weekend, too!

Happy First Birthday, Delaney!

2007-04-03T23:04:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, our children were born exactly 2 years and 5 days apart ... which means that today we are celebrating one whole year with our sweet baby girl, Delaney Rhys. Miss Delaney was in a hurry to enter the world, arriving just 45 minutes after I arrived safely in my hospital bed. [Phew!] But then, a day after her birth, things slowed waaaaaaay down when she was admitted to the NICU for severe jaundice, which lasted for about 5 days. At the time, it was challenging because we weren't prepared to spend so many days in the hospital, but our small group friends pulled together for us to watch Kaden and provide meals. Josh's mom also flew down about 2 days after Laney was born to help out for a week.

Despite an "exciting" start to life (for our next baby, I will be camping out at the hospital!)...and a longer than average hospital stay, her first year has been relatively uneventful. When I think about her being one whole year old, it's just hard to believe. She seems more baby-ish than Kaden did at her age. I'm not sure if it's the second child thing, or that she's more low-key, or that she's a girl...or maybe just her personality. She is less busy than Kaden [Hooray for small favors!], but much more melodramatic. She's a fan of throwing her head back, looking up to the sky, and bellowing out big wailing cries if something rubs her the wrong way. She's happy 99% of the time, but if she gets going, watch out!

Laney's favorite thing in this world is a tasty banana. She eats some at almost every meal because it's a fail-safe choice for me! She also loves her brother -- and he loves her. They play together pretty well. Kaden tends to be a little too "loving" with her, but she lets me know if she needs my help (see above for melodramatic tendencies). :-)

Laney had a great birthday today. She had birthday pancakes - complete with one candle - for breakfast, a nice bath to de-gunk from the syrup, a relaxing massage, her very first haircut, mac 'n cheese for lunch, 2 nice naps, and as a special treat (for mommy and daddy), we were all treated to a wonderful dinner at the Cheesecake Factory tonight. Yummy! Not bad for a first birthday, right?

Our first year with Delaney has been such a delight, and Josh and I are looking forward to many more years of birthday pancakes with our little girl. Happy Birthday, Delaney. I love you very much!

My Baby is Three (Oh My!)

2007-03-30T21:45:00.000-05:00

March 30th is an important day for me. It's the day I first laid eyes on our six pounds and eight ounces of baby boy perfection. Ten toes, ten fingers, and simply wonderful in every way. Looking at him now, there is virtually no trace of that baby I first met. Same ten toes and ten fingers, but they're much more skilled (and busier) than they used to be. He cooks, paints, draws, plays the drums, digs in the dirt, gives great hugs, and so many things in between. He is inquisitive, friendly, sweet, energetic, happy, creative, smart, and downright irresistible. I promise I'm not biased.

Here are some of his favorite things at the moment: playing outside (his constant request), the Cars movie, Bob the Builder, music or instruments of any kind, and anything to do with tools & building. His definite favorite food is pasta. This boy would eat "noo-noos" for every meal and snack if I let him!

Three whole years. [Sigh.] It's hard for me to resist feeling like he's growing up too fast. Three seems awfully close to school starting, and we all know it's over after that. I mean, from kingergarten to marriage in the blink of an eye, right? Okay, maybe not.

But still, I can't help but be reminded today of how important each day is, to cherish the small stuff and to keep enjoying the boy my baby is becoming. On my third anniversary of mommyhood, I just want to say "Happy Birthday!" to Kaden and tell everyone again how privileged and honored I am to be this boy's mama. Josh and I are so blessed to have him in our lives.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Kaden. I love you!

Thankful Thursday

2007-03-29T21:13:00.000-05:00

It seems like I haven't had much time for blogging other than on Thursdays. I have lots of things to write about, but I've been really busy with editing and proofreading. This is a good thing...but my blogging time has dwindled a bit. One of these days I'll be back more regularly.

So here are a few things I'm grateful for this week...

1.) The Office. Hi. Lar. I. Ous. Enough said.
2.) Kaden's funny little commentary on life. A few days ago he said, "My feelings are hurtin'. I need to go to the hospital." Life is never dull with a three-year-old--and often, it's downright funny.
3.) Speaking of Mr. Kaden, our little boy is turning three tomorrow!!! Three years ago, I was about 8 feet wide and playing Uno with Josh in the hospital's L&D department in Akron, Ohio. Yes, Uno. Obviously labor hadn't started yet. :-) I'm beyond thankful for this little guy, and I'm a little sad to see him growing up so quickly. (I'm hopelessly sentimental. There, I said it.)
4.) Time to exercise with my hubby at the Y.
5.) Spring, spring, spring! Loving this warm weather.

Have a great week everyone!

Seeds of Worship

2007-03-26T22:07:00.000-05:00

I recently read about the Seeds Worship CDs on the girltalk blog. They highly recommended the CDs for kids, so I passed on the recommendation to all the grandparents for possible gift ideas for the kids' upcoming birthdays. My mom was short a few gifts for Kaden, so she quickly ordered all 4 CDs, and they arrived in just a few days since they didn't have far to travel (from Nashville).

We've been listening to them for about a week now, and I wanted to pass along a personal recommendation for these CDs. We have quite a collection of "kids' CDs," from lullabies to Bible songs to Veggie Tales, but these are definitely different and definitely cool. Two thumbs up from me, and two thumbs up from Kaden. One thumb up from Delaney...since she doesn't understand the voting process yet. :-)

All of the songs are directly from Scripture, but they're not the Sunday School sounds of yore. No, these are fresh, new, contemporary, and they won't make you cringe if your 3-year-old insists on listening to them repeatedly. :-) If you try them, give me a shout back and let me know what you think.

Thankful Thursday

2007-03-22T23:34:00.000-05:00

It's my day 'o gratitude again. ;-) Here are a few things...

1.) A very interesting project on my desk at the moment -- Proofreading a book about the First Amendment and the separation of church and State in America.

2.) A fun two days off in a row with daddy home. Park, playing outside, and grilling burgers were all on the bill of activities.

3.) Kaden's new phase of incessant talking. Though Josh and I wink and sometimes chuckle at our new motor mouth, it's quite amusing to see him amping up his word count (by the thousands each day, I think!).

I hope everyone is having a great week. Until next time...

Celiac Disease Discussed Again on The View

2007-03-21T21:10:00.000-05:00

Elisabeth Hasselbeck's recent announcement that she has celiac disease has the whole GF community buzzing about it. It's pretty exciting to have such a visible person speaking out and educating the masses -- especially since, of the the 3 million Americans who have celiac, only 3 percent actually know it. People are suffering needlessly, and I'm glad that several prominent people, including a CNN anchor named Heidi Collins, are using their positions to make a positive difference.

Check out the clip of Elisabeth speaking with a well-known Celiac doc, Dr. Peter Green of NYC. It's the best celiac coverage I've seen on TV so far!

Thanks for watching -- you never know when a friend or family member may be able to benefit from your celiac knowledge. :-)

Wow, It's Been 10 Days!

2007-03-18T22:37:00.000-05:00

So, um...I'm alive. :-) It's been 10 whole days since I last blogged...a new record in blog silence for me. I have had SO much going on! Josh's family came into town last Saturday, and they headed home yesterday (Saturday), so we are just getting re-acclimated to our usual little family of four instead of eight.

The whole week was a whirlwind of activity, as usual...and we had a great time!! Papa and Kaden built two planter boxes for the deck, and Grandma and Kaden planted seven different herbs so I can try my hand at being a gardener. [I have a notoriously un-green thumb.] I also want to plant a vegetable garden this year, but that hasn't happened yet. In addition to the planter-building, we threw a little dinner party with Josh's business mentor and his wife, and we also celebrated the kids' birthdays a few weeks early.

In typical Hesse fashion, there were presents galore -- times 2! We also celebrated Josh's birthday, and Papa found a Weber grill on sale at Home Depot that caught his eye for Josh's present. By the time he was done accessorizing, the gift grew into my birthday present, our anniversary gift, and probably flag day, memorial day, presidents' day, and arbor day, too! We've already used it a bunch of times, and we love it! If you saw the pathetic little charcoal grill we used all last year, you would laugh at the drastic upgrade. Thank you, Papa & Grandma! We'll be BBQing in style for many years to come!!!

For Kaden and Laney's birthdays, we took everyone to Chuck E. Cheese on Wednesday for lunch, and I have to say ... it was really fun! I had low expectations, but watching Kaden have such a blast was pretty awesome. He is just at such a fun age. Everything is fun, everything is incredibly exciting, and he has a growing vocabulary to dialogue about all of it! Delaney loved Chuck E., too. With two little teeth barely in, she devoured an entire piece of pizza on her own. Wowzer, this girl can pack it away! Pound for pound, she can out-eat Kaden any day. Yet she doesn't have a bit of chub...she must have a high metabolism like her daddy! Coming in a close second to the pizza for Laney was the nifty balloon that brother got that said, "Happy Birthday!" As if games, pizza, and a birthday crown weren't enough, Kaden got a prize at the end with his tickets, and then -- could it get any better?! -- they gave him a huge ice cream sandwich for the road. [As we were driving off, I quickly realized that allowing Kaden to eat an ice cream sandwich on a hot day in the car was not my smartest move. However, we made it without any major messes.]

To top off this already stellar day, Kaden got another big surprise after his nap: a brand new drum kit! Grandma and Papa got it for him, and it is a pretty sweet little drum set. It looks just like a real kit, only miniature-ized for a tiny person. And he LOVES it!!! Thank goodness we have a finished basement, or I would have a lot of noise pollution going on. :-) Josh and I think he's a natural, and it's fun to celebrate his love for music and rhythm. All I've gotta say is, the boy can groove. What he lacks in formal training, he makes up for in sheer enthusiasm!

In addition to family visiting, I have also been doing a bunch of small projects for Clever Factory in Nashville. The extra work is an answer to prayer! Most of the work has been from home, but I had to make a quick trip in last week to pick up some CDs to audio proof. My MIL and I snuck away in Josh's car with the top down and enjoyed a sunny, beautiful, almost-summer day. Speaking of Josh's car, Josh and I had a little "you-need-to-learn-to-drive-a-standard" lesson last week, kind of spur of the moment, and we decided that I need a new teacher. Any takers? :-)

So between company and work [and a little joyriding], I just haven't had a spare moment to blog. I've been busy enjoying life...and that's a good thing!

P.S. I almost forgot! Josh was in a cooking mood this week, and he cooked up some great dishes: Venison Au Poivre with Grilled Asparagus and Gluten-Free Spinach & Goat Cheese Ravioli; Rotisserie Chicken; and Asiago & Pear Pork Roast. We were eating seriously well. My man can cook!

Thankful Thursday

2007-03-08T14:19:00.000-06:00

Happy Thursday, everyone. I have a proofreading project on my desk and company coming this weekend, so I can't dilly-dally. Right to the thankfulness. :-)

1. We are enjoying a beautiful day in Tennessee. I wore short sleeves and no coat to the Y today! Ya for the sun. :-) I think the winter blahs are past us now, and I'm happy about that!

2. When I went to get my hair cut yesterday, my stylist told me that I had enough to donate to Locks of Love. I was thrilled! I have never done it before, and it was neat to think that some little kid will benefit from my long hair. My head feels light as a feather, and so does my mood! It's amazing what a little haircut can do.

3. Josh's family is coming to visit for a week! We have some fun stuff planned, like getting started on a vegetable garden and celebrating our March and April birthdays: Josh, Kaden, and Delaney!

4. Kaden and Josh got to spend all day together yesterday, mostly just the two of them, and they both had fun hanging out. I love it when they get to have special bonding time.

5. God's faithfulness. In a million ways each day, he is so good to me!

Well, I'm off to work while the kids are napping. Have a great week everyone!

self-portrait

2007-03-07T22:31:00.000-06:00

i am a child of God.
i am a wife.
i am a mother.
i am a daughter.
i am a sister.
i am a granddaughter.
i am a friend.
i am a writer.
i am a scrapbooker.

i am loved.
i am cherished.
i am adored.
i am respected.
i am understanding.
i am missed.
i am loyal.
i am creative.
i am organized.

i am unique.
i am me.

(and I have a cute new hairstyle worth showing off!) :-)

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!

2007-03-03T15:25:00.000-06:00

Could I share a little history lesson on Josh's birthday? Yes? Okay -- I'll try to keep it short. :-) Josh and I started dating in the fall of 1998 while we were both students at Cedarville University, and I've been celebrating March 3rd [with gusto!] ever since I threw a surprise birthday party for him that first year. That was [way] back in 1999...the first birthday we celebrated as a couple. I think it was that first year that "birthday week" was born.

You see, Josh is not shy about telling people it is his birthday. He usually starts warning people right after Christmas is over -- just so they have plenty of time to prepare for the next big holiday. A 90-day shopping window seems adequate, right? Well, that year was no different. He had been preparing me for months with hints and flat-out requests for something special for his birthday by the time March rolled around.

Although I didn't have much of a budget to work with [not much has changed!], I decided to do something special by putting a little gift in his mailbox every day for a week leading up to his birthday. I remember splurging on this really cool lava lamp for one of his gifts. We still have it! Anyway, on March 3rd, I invited him over to my dorm's co-ed lounge and surprised him with all of our friends, a cake, singing, the works. If I remember correctly, I think it was after an orchestra concert. Funny memories! I love surprises, so I think I was almost as happy as him. :-) I have some pictures of that party somewhere around here, but I'm not exactly sure where...Maybe one of these days I'll find them and post one for everyone to see us in our early days. :-)

Anyway, we've come a long way since then, but I still look forward to celebrating my sweetheart's birthday to let him know how much I care about him. We still do birthday week, and I have fun thinking up little surprises for him. Last night, I made him a very special PB&J sandwich [his after-work standard], complete with glowing candle, for him to eat at 12:05am this morning to kick off his birthday.

One year before we were married, I found a poem that I wrote out in calligraphy and framed for Josh. It's now hanging in our bedroom, and I'm going to type it out here because I still love the words.

Love, by Roy Croft
I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am because of you.
I love you not only for what you have made of yourself, but for what you
are making of me.
I love you for the part of me that only you can bring out.

I love you for putting your hand into my heaped-up heart
And passing over all the foolish, weak things that you can’t help
dimly seeing there,
And for drawing out into the light all the beautiful belongings
That no one else had looked quite far enough to find.

I love you because you have done more than any creed could have done
to make me good
And more than fate could have done
to make me happy.

You have done it without a touch, without a word, without a sign.
You have done it by simply being yourself.
Perhaps that is really what it means to be in love.

The line about exposing the "beautiful belongings" of my heart always makes me cry because it's still one of the things I love so much about Josh. He has always made me feel so special, so loved, and so valued. It's no wonder I look forward to his birthday with such anticipation so I can have a week-long excuse to make a big deal about this wonderful man I'm married to.

So baby ... Happy Birthday. You mean the world to me, and I'm so happy to celebrate your life. I look forward to many more birthday week bashes!

XOXO Jenn

Thankful Thursday (er...Friday!)

2007-03-02T21:26:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm a day late, but still thankful. :-) Yesterday was a long day, and I'm just now getting around to blogging. So here are a few things that I've been thankful for this week...

1.) Delaney took a tumble down our carpeted steps...and didn't have a scratch. (Of course, I'm thankful for Part 2, not Part 1!) Josh and I nearly had a coronary, but Laney recovered very quickly after letting us know she was decidedly unimpressed with the steps. Kaden was very sweet and consoled her until she calmed down. Poor little thing!

2.) God has provided 3 proofreading projects for me in the last 2 weeks. Extra money always helps the budget!

3.) In the last week, we've been able to make some financial changes that are really going to impact our bottom line. Hooray!!!

4.) We have great neighbors! I went to a client's office yesterday to do some work for the morning, and I wasn't able to get home before Josh had to leave for work. So Kitty came over to stay with the kids while they were napping. It was a huge help, and she does little things for us many times each week. I don't know what we would do without them!

5.) Finally, I'm thankful that it's almost Josh's birthday. Ya! Tomorrow (Saturday) begins Josh's annual "Birthday Week" celebration. If you'd like to help me wish him a Happy Birthday, send him an email at joshATgrooverootsDOTcom. My sweetie has trained me to celebrate his birthday with gusto, and I enjoy the special occasion for spoiling. :-) Happy early birthday, baby!

Here's to another week of gratitude -- may you find it abundantly this week!

The Naked Chef

2007-02-27T22:15:00.000-06:00

I haven't told many funny Kaden stories lately, so I think it's time to share some toddler humor. Now, to set up this story, you have to know that Kaden runs around with a naked bottom 80% of the time we're at home. We start out with clothes in the morning, but he usually completely disrobes the first time he has to go to the potty. If we go to the Y or outside, we of course reclothe him, but the next time he has to go potty? Yup, there go the clothes again. Even the socks have to come off! It's kind of a never-ending process.

So last night, Daddy was home for dinner, and he made a delicious meal for us. Kaden got tired of waiting for dinner to be ready, so he had a little bowl of cereal to hold him over. While Josh and I were enjoying our expertly-cooked venison, Kaden turned around in his seat and said, "Hey! Look at my butt!" So we looked, and said, "Uh-huh." (Nothing extraordinary to see his naked cheeks.)

But he said, insistently this time, "No, LOOK!" So we looked again and saw a Peanut Butter Swirl peeking out between two clenched cheeks. Oh my. That was enough to earn a few chuckles. [I know, I know, we shouldn't encourage it, but it was FUNNY!] But it got better.

Kaden pulled the cereal out and proudly said, "This one's for next week!!" Our chuckles quickly turned to all-out laughter. We just couldn't hold it back!

Turns out, for toddlers who prefer nakedness, the good 'ole gluteous maximus is the most convenient, perfectly logical hiding spot for after-dinner snacks.

Toddlers have a way of inserting humor into the most ordinary of moments. I love this boy!

Comfort Food, Comfort Friends

2007-02-24T14:15:00.000-06:00

Hugs, smiles, laughter, reminiscing, and making new memories...Thursday was one of the best days I've had in a while. We had so much fun with Luke & Luci (Congdon) Perry, and we also got to enjoy Jeremy & Kenya Whaley's company for dinner at our house. Jeremy & Luci were some of our best friends at Cedarville, and we haven't all been together since Josh and I got married in May 2001. It's been WAY too long! But now that Luke and Luci are both Southwest employees, they occasionally get long layovers in Nashville and even get to travel standby for free for as long as they're employees. Pretty awesome, right?

Josh, Delaney, and I (Kaden stayed with our neighbor for the afternoon) picked up Luke & Luci at their hotel near the airport. We then headed down to Cool Springs to visit Laurie and Petite Boutique. [The pic above is L-R: Laurie, Me w/ Laney, and Luci.] Laurie had fun dressing Luci up in just about every outfit in the store, and Luci had fun being a model. ;-) She even picked out a few things for the road! Delaney was surprisingly sunny and pleasant. Not that she's not sunny and pleasant normally, but I figured she'd get bored without toys. But I think she's already aligning herself with her gender...she was happy as a lark while we were shopping! (Get a grip on your wallet, daddy!) I guess she figured that being 5-foot-4 or under qualifies her to shop at Petite Boutique. :-) She loved admiring herself in the big mirror Laurie has outside the dressing rooms, too.

So after the shopping adventure (the guys went to get a snack while we shopped), we headed back to our house for dinner. Since Kenya is a vegetarian, I wanted to make something that she could eat, and I recently watched a Food Network show called Everyday Italian that had some tasty-looking vegetarian dishes: Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables and Veronica's Veggie Meatloaf with Checca Sauce. In the words of Rachael Ray, YUM-O!

I am very new to this whole food photography thing, and so far, I stink. Josh said, "Hmmm...that dish tasted a lot better than it looks in your photo." But nevertheless, I had to include it here just to practice. :-)

I made the veggie loaf completely vegetarian, but I decided to add some chicken to the baked penne for the rest of us meateaters. I also made this dish gluten-free by using GF pasta.

Gluten-Free Baked Penne

1 package of boneless/skinless chicken breasts or tenders
Olive oil/PAM spray/Broth -- whatever you want to cook the chicken in
2 red peppers, cored and cut into 1-inch wide strips
2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 summer squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
6-8 white mushrooms, quartered
1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch strips
PAM spray
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix
1 pound Gluten-Free penne pasta
3 cups marinara sauce
1 cup cubed fontina cheese
1/2 cup cubed mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/3 cup for topping
1-2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place your rainbow of veggies on a cookie sheet with 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, and the Italian herbs. Spray the top with PAM and lightly toss together. Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes until tender.

While the veggies are roasting, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a separate saucepan, cook the chicken for a few minutes on each side. When it's almost cooked through, cut the tenders into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

When the water boils, add your pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. [You want the pasta to be undercooked so that it doesn't get soggy in the oven when you cook it a second time.] Drain the pasta.

Combine the pasta, veggies, marinara sauce, cheeses, peas, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper in a big bowl. Stir gently until all of the ingredients are incorporated and the pasta is coated with sauce.

Pour this mixture into your favorite baking dish, approximately 9x13 in size. Top the pasta and veggies with the remaining 1/3 c. Parmesan cheese, and dot the top with a bit of butter (or skip this if you're cutting back on fat, like me!) Bake until golden-topped and heated through, approximately 25 minutes. Enjoy!

I don't have a picture of the Veggie-Loaf, but I highly recommend it as well. A couple of comments...I did not make the checca sauce from scratch. I used about a cup of Basil/Oregano canned tomatoes, and it came out great. The fresh basil really stands out in this dish, so if you love basil, you will go nuts for this veggie-loaf. In fact, I would rename this dish "Basil-icious Veggie-Loaf"! Oh, and it's naturally gluten-free (watch your broth, but it's easy to find a gluten-free stock at the market). Give it a try--everyone here gave it 2 thumbs up!

To our dinner party guests: Luke, Luci, Jeremy, and Kenya -- it was a blast. Let's get together again soon. :-) Seeing old friends and sharing life together in a totally new phase is a pretty amazing blessing.

Thankful Thursday

2007-02-22T10:36:00.000-06:00

Yes, folks. It's that time again. This will be short b/c I'm right in the middle of preparing for company...

1.) Luci is coming today!!! Luci is one of our best friends from college, and she's visiting today with her husband, Luke!!! We'll be meeting Luke for the first time, so we're pretty pumped. We're going to stop by Laurie's store, Petite Boutique, because Luci is one of the 5'4 or under people. :-)

2.) Josh is off work today -- we have him all day to ourselves!

3.) I've had some free time to paint some blank frames that we got at IKEA. I also put 5 small prints that we got on our honeymoon in Banff in a frame and hung it up in our room. We've been dragging this stuff around with us from house to house since 2001, and now they (and we) finally have a home that we're settled in. I'm thankful for the chance to hang up pictures and put down roots.

4.) Warm weather. We didn't wear coats yesterday! Tennessee winter weather keeps us on our toes. Sometimes it's in the 20s, sometimes it's in the 60s! It looks like another beautiful day out there today.

5.) Laney's cheeks. :-) They're extremely kissable, and they make me happy, happy, happy!

Well, folks, I'm off to make a delicious dinner so that it's ready to go in the oven when we get back from Petite Boutique. Have a wonderful day, everyone. :-)

Modesty Survey

2007-02-20T21:47:00.000-06:00

I spent part of my toddler-free day today (Tuesday is preschool!) perusing this Modesty Survey, which I first learned about on one of my favorite blogs, Girl Talk. Some of the answers were surprising to me, but I appreciated the thorough questions and the overall intention of the survey. Check it out and see what you think. Here's some info from their site:

TheRebelution.com has launched the results of their massive Modesty Survey. Over 1,600 Christian guys have answered questions on everything from glitter lotion and lip gloss to swimsuits and skirts! It's everything girls have ever wanted to ask guys about modesty, but were afraid to ask. Most importantly, the survey is presented as a resource to help Christian girls (and guys), not a list of legalistic rules, and it is accompanied by the Modesty Survey Petition, which encourages young women to focus on the heart, not the hemline, to honor their parents, etc.

The results were released on St. Valentine's Day as a gift from 1,600 Christian guys to all Christian girls -- and now the survey is being endorsed by people like CJ Mahaney (Sovereign Grace Ministries) and Shannon Ethridge ("Every Woman's Battle")!

Go check it out for yourself at www.therebelution.com/modestysurvey. But also make sure you spread the word to all your friends. We want as many Christian girls (and guys) as possible to see this!

I don't think women, including me, will ever really understand what goes on inside a man's visually-stimulated mind, but I think this project will help its readers balance personal expression in dress with helping guys stay away from temptation. If you read through it and want to comment, come on back and tell me what you think! Did these 1,600 guys get it right?

Foodie Blogs

2007-02-19T22:17:00.000-06:00

Josh and I are embarking on a new project of sorts, and I'm wondering if any of you could help me. I normally don't have a lot of commenters, but if you have some info here, please speak up!

Do you know of any restaurants, chefs, or wine/cheese bars that write a blog? I'm doing some research and would love some feedback if anyone knows of anything!

How about your favorite food blog? Anyone?? ...

Thankful Thursday

2007-02-15T15:25:00.000-06:00

So I woke up this morning and had two realizations: 1.) It's Friday!, followed quickly by 2.) I didn't blog yesterday! Oops. So I'm here a little late, and I'll post date it to make it look like I was on the ball. :-) In no particular order, here are a few things that made my heart happy this week...

1. My very first iPod! My valentine gave me a cute little iPod shuffle for VDay. :-) I'm always bugging him for his when I go to the Y, and now I have one of my very own. The best part was that Josh saved up his cash tips, the money he usually uses for odds and ends, with my gift in mind. I thought that was sweet. :-)

2. Kaden's new nicknames for us: "Honey Mom" and "Honey Dad." (He also calls me "Sir Mom" and "Ma'am Mom," but I prefer "Honey Mom." He cracks me up!) I'm not sure this counts as something to be thankful for, but it does make me smile every time he says it, and since I make up the rules for Thankful Thursday, this one counts. No one in our family actually calls each other "honey," so I'm not sure where this one came from...but it sure is funny. He's always sure to include this nickname when he's asking sweetly for something that might be off limits.

3. This is a bit belated, but I'm really thankful that we made it through the month of January without any financial boo-boos. January's always a very lean month at Josh's job, but God provided!

4. I mentioned this on Valentine's Day, but I want to say again that I am very thankful that my parents are back together. It was a difficult eight months for them...and for all of us. This is a huge praise and answer to prayer for my entire family!! My parents are continuing to rebuild their relationship, so if you think of me, please say a prayer for them. Thanks!

5. My newly reinstalled healthy living plan is going well. I'm getting healthier as we speak! :-)

Well, I think that's good for today. I hope everyone's having a great week!

A Day to Celebrate Love

2007-02-14T21:23:00.000-06:00

Like most of my other blogging friends, I'm sending out glad tidings to everyone to wish you a very Happy Valentine's Day!!!

To my sweetheart, my husband, my best friend...I love you! You're much, much more than I deserve. I'm proud to call you my husband.

To my newest loves, thanks for giving my days (and sometimes my nights!) the greatest purpose I've ever known. Being a mom has taught me all about selfless love, and I'm celebrating that kind of love today, too!

And to celebrate a real-life love story, I wanted to share with all of you some great news I got today: my parents are officially un-separated, back together, and reconciled. For those who didn't know, they have been separated for about eight months. I'm so proud of them for putting in a LOT of hard work during their separation and for showing people that marriage is a commitment worth working on, a commitment intended to last forever.

Mom & Dad...I love you, I'm proud of you, and we'll be praying for you as you continue rebuilding your relationship. Thanks for not giving up.

I hope you have all had a great day of celebrating the people you love and the people who love you. I've had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Unhappy Meals, Unhappy Americans

2007-02-09T17:40:00.000-06:00

I don't know about you, but I have spent many years wondering how to go about eating a healthy diet. The majority of my relationship with food has been unhealthy, confusing, and frustrating. Trying to stay current with whatever food fad or diet craze the scientists were recommending that particular day left me feeling very confused about what healthy really was.

When I was in high school, low-fat was all the rage. As long as it said low-fat on it, you could eat as much as you wanted. Nevermind calories, carbs, or sugar grams. Then during college, the low-carb thing began to take hold as people everywhere breathed a sigh of relief and ate up all the fatty foods they could find -- steaks, bacon, real sour cream & butter...anything but the dreaded carb. But the fads didn't make me feel any healthier, didn't lead to a long-term healthy weight, and ultimately they just made me doubt that there was such a thing as a healthy, nutritious way to eat.

It seemed like every month a new someone was saying something new: "Eat this, don't eat that, eat exactly this much of this _______ (insert super-food X, Y, or Z)." If the experts couldn't agree or make up their minds as to what foods were healthy, I subconciously decided I wasn't going to bother trying to decipher what a nutritious diet really looked like. So what the heck, I thought, might as well just chuck it all and eat whatever I feel like eating.

Enter pregnancy. Enter eating free-for-all (eating for two!). Enter baby weight gain. Enter frustration!

So after we moved to Nashville in August 2004, I was in a new town, a new church, I missed my friends and support system in Ohio, I had a new baby, money frustrations, and oh yeah -- one distinctly unhealthy body. I felt tired, depressed, lonely, and downright yucky. I knew I needed and wanted to figure out what was healthy for my body, but I wasn't sure where to start. The food pyramid? The latest diet fad? A new exercise gagdet or program? With so many conflicting voices, I wasn't sure whom to listen to. I was doubly confounded by my gluten-free diet, which I embarked upon starting in February 2003 when I was diagnosed with celiac disease.

Through the sound recommendation of my friend Laurie, I began seeing a Christian nutritionist, Scotti, and what I have learned in the last 2 years has been pretty life-changing. Since November 2004, I have been on a journey of readjusting and reeducating myself about nutrition and food, essentially attempting to change my relationship with this whole eating thing in general. The road has not been easy, I have fallen off the bandwagon a few times, there was another pregnancy thrown in with another round of baby weight still to lose, but here I am on the other side, still working at not just what I eat, but why I eat.

Okay, so that was a long intro. On to my point. I was reading one of my favorite blogs, Gluten-Free Girl (which BTW is a great read for gluten eaters as well), and she mentioned a New York Times article by Michael Pollan entitled, Unhappy Meals. It sounded interesting, but I didn't have time to check it out right away. About a week later, I noticed that this same article was the most popular article on the NYT's website for the entire month of January. That piqued my interest again. So a few days ago, I finally got around to reading it. Wow! I just had to talk about it on my blog because in my view, this man is so right on the money (other than a few random references to evolution).

The essay is a couple thousand words long, and it took me a few sittings to make it the whole way through, but oh man! was it worth it. I highly recommend reading it. Pollan discusses the American love affair with "nutritionism" -- the idea that we tend to fixate on one ingredient, vitamin, or food group. Finally! A term that partially explains my frustration with conflicting medical advice, diet crazes, etc. Check out this excerpt:

"To enter a world in which you dine on unseen nutrients, you need lots of expert help. But expert help to do what, exactly? This brings us to another unexamined assumption: that the whole point of eating is to maintain and promote bodily health. Hippocrates’s famous injunction to “let food be thy medicine” is ritually invoked to support this notion. I’ll leave the premise alone for now, except to point out that it is not shared by all cultures and that the experience of these other cultures suggests that, paradoxically, viewing food as being about things other than bodily health — like pleasure, say, or socializing — makes people no less healthy; indeed, there’s some reason to believe that it may make them more healthy. This is what we usually have in mind when we speak of the “French paradox” — the fact that a population that eats all sorts of unhealthful nutrients is in many ways healthier than we Americans are. So there is at least a question as to whether nutritionism is actually any good for you."

Interesting, right? If you're not already enticed to check out this article, I'm going to give another sneak peek at the author's final conclusions at the end of the article. These suggestions make up his nine-part answer to changing the way Americans think about food and nutrition, and I say, "Hooray!" (Pollan elaborates a lot more than I have here.) There is something in me that longs for more natural, more whole, less refined/processed, and less artificially fortified. Here goes:

1. Eat food. [As opposed to "food products."]
2. Avoid even those food products that come bearing health claims.
3. Especially avoid food products containing ingredients that are a) unfamiliar, b) unpronounceable c) more than five in number — or that contain high-fructose corn syrup.
4. Get out of the supermarket whenever possible. [Think local farmer's market instead.]
5. Pay more, eat less.
6. Eat mostly plants, especially leaves. [Pollan suggests a "flexitarian" diet -- one that includes meat, but is heavy on plant foods.]
7. Eat more like the French. Or the Japanese. Or the Italians. Or the Greeks. [People who eat according to the rules of a traditional food culture are generally healthier than Americans are.]
8. Cook. And if you can, plant a garden.
9. Eat like an omnivore.

What I have learned thus far on my food journey meshes pretty well with these suggestions, so I'm going to keep mulling them over and incorporating this info into my food choices and lifestyle. I believe it's another stepping stone on my journey. If you read the article and want to post anything about your reactions, I'd welcome your comments.

Here's to happy meals and healthy bodies!

Thankful Thursday

2007-02-08T14:46:00.000-06:00

It's time to share five of the things that made my heart happy this week:

1. Quiet moments with Laney. We have Tuesdays all to ourselves when Kaden goes to preschool, and it's fun to have some girl time. I love it when we have time to look into each other's eyes and get to know each other better.

2. I love it when Kaden says grown-up stuff in his little boy voice. On Saturday AM, we all went to the Y together and then stopped by Starbuck's to keep chipping away at a gift certificate I have. Kaden calls anything from Starbuck's a "special drink," and he loves having his very own. They make a $1 kid's drink called "Vanilla Cream," which is basically steamed milk w/ vanilla flavoring in it. This was his first time having this drink, and after a few sips, he gleefully declared, "This is WHEELY WHEELY good!" It was probably funnier in person, but it made Josh and me laugh. There's so much joy in the little things!

3. The YMCA's free childcare. Enough said.

4. My wonderful hubby who is helping me find time to see my nutritionist again and make time to exercise. Thanks, babe!

5. When Laney and Kaden see each other for the first time in the morning, they both break out into huge smiles. It never fails to make me happy!

What are you thankful for today?

What You Don't Know 'Bout Me...

2007-02-04T22:53:00.000-06:00

Well, I've been tagged by my friend Shelley to post 5 little-known facts about myself. So here goes...

1. One of my growing-up dreams was to be a backup singer. No, really. :-) Even though that didn't come true, I now live in Music City USA!

2. I am tactilely challenged. Some people can't eat things if they have a weird texture, but for me, certain substances make me freak out. As a child, I banned all stuffed animals and dolls from my bed b/c I hated feeling fake fur or hair on my fingers. Weird, huh? Now it's mostly reserved for dirt, sticky stuff, anything germ-y, or anything glutenous. I wash my hands a lot. :-)

3. I'm really anti-pet, even moreso now that I have the never-ending job of trying to keep a house clean and tidy. With two little ones under three, I officially have enough messes to clean up without a puppy/dog, too. (Thank you very much!) Oh yeah, animals sort of fall into that I-don't-want-to-touch-them category...they kind of freak me out for some reason.

4. I'm an East Coast gal. I've only ever been west of the Mississippi twice: Canadian Rockies for our honeymoon in 2001 and San Diego to visit my sister in 2006. Kind of crazy, huh?

5. My husband's suggestions for weird and/or little-known things about me? I sleep with my socks on, and I put lotion on my lips. Little known, but not weird, right?!

As my friend Luci did, I tag anyone who wants to participate... :-)

You + Barilla = Hunger Relief

2007-02-02T22:08:00.000-06:00

I saw an ad in February's "Parenting" Magazine about The Celebrity Pasta Lovers' Cookbook, and I decided to check it out tonight. I also saw it highlighted on one of the morning talkshows, I think it was The View, so maybe some of you have already heard of it. The basic gist is that if you go to the Celebrity Pasta Lovers' Cookbook site and download a free copy of this cookbook, Barilla will donate $1 to America's Second Harvest, the hunger relief organization. I checked out the recipes, and they look really tasty! There's no drawbacks here...FREE yummy pasta recipes and help to those who need it!

Here's some extra info from the site:

Hunger affects more than 38 million people in America today - and 14 million are children. It's a challenge that requires constant attention and support, and food producers and chefs are in a unique position to help raise awareness and money through projects like The Celebrity Pasta Lovers' Cookbook.

Every time you or a friend downloads a copy, Barilla will donate $1, with a total donation up to $100,000, to America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network, a national charity that secures and distributes more than 2 billion pounds of donated food and grocery products annually. America’s Second Harvest is the largest charitable domestic hunger-relief organization in the country with more than two billion pounds of donated food and grocery products distributed across the country annually. Just last year, we provided food assistance to more than 25 million people in the United States. We appreciate your help in alleviating hunger in America, and we hope you enjoy the cookbook!

Thankful Thursday

2007-01-31T15:56:00.000-06:00

Today is the first day of "Thankful Thursday," my new weekly topic that will give me a chance to thank God for the week's blessings. Nothing beats stress away like looking for the positive and finding gratitude there. So here goes:

Cold weather -- even a *little* snow last night! -- the kind of frigid temps we rarely see here in TN, the kind of temps that beg for hot cocoa [or tea...see next item]! Now there's a celebration!
Loose-leaf tea. If you haven't tried it, you are missing out on a tasty, calming winter treat!
Playtime with Kaden. My new napping strategy for him includes purposely wearing him out in the morning. This is no easy task since he seems to have hidden reserves of energy, but I'm up for the task. We've been playing outside, going to the Y, walking in the woods, and having lots of fun while getting ready for a good, long nap. Bonus: exercise for me!
Laney learning new things. She is in a constant state of motion and discovery, and it's fun to see her growing up into more of a toddler and less of a baby. She's getting steadier on her feet, and I think it'll only be a few months until she's walking! She pulls herself up on furniture like a champ!
My uber-industrious hubby. I'm grateful for how hard Josh works to provide for our family and that he hasn't given up despite business start-up stress and working at a job that is not exactly where he pictured himself. I'm proud of you, baby!
Weight loss! I lost 2.5 pounds in the last week, and that is something to be happy about! I think all that naptime exercise is paying off. :-)

Those are just a few of the many things I have to be grateful for, but it's a good place to start for today. If you want to join me in exercising my gratitude muscle, feel free to jump on the bandwagon!

Gluten-Free Chic

2007-01-29T16:36:00.000-06:00

Anyone watch "The View" on TV? Well, last week on Friday, one of the hosts, Elizabeth Hasselbeck, announced that she has celiac disease, just like me!

Here's a link to another blog that talks about the segment: Gluten-Free NYC.

It's nice to hear of celebrities who have celiac -- people who can speak out and bring more attention to the disease. More attention, more research...maybe someday a cure?! I don't spend my days pining after bread, but every once in a while I wish I could just go back to being "normal." Anyway, just wondering if anyone saw the show and thought of me!

Now, if only that size 2 figure of Elizabeth's went along with the celiac package. :-)

Baby Meets Google

2007-01-26T14:47:00.000-06:00

Older "boomer" types (and beyond) often comment to me that they can't believe all the baby gear that we have nowadays. Usually, they speak wistfully of these items, wishing they could have had some of our modern conveniences when their babies were young. I'm talking Bumbo chairs, pack-n-plays, removable infant car seats, Baby Bjorns, ...you know, all the gadgets and whatchamacallits. So then I was thinking, What one parenting tool could I not live without?

In .02 seconds, my mind returned this result: the Internet!

It's true. Take my Snugli, take my Bumbo, take my light-up, sing-out toys (yes, please do take those!)...but please, please don't take the Internet away -- and especially Google! I love having so much information at my fingertips, and when you're constantly treading into new phases of toddlerdom and babyhood, it's nice to know that you can find out what's normal and even find support from other parents who have been there.

Now of course, I use the Internet for non-parenting stuff like email and such, but I honestly do use it a lot as a mom. Take for example some of my recent Google searches:

infant, fever

robeez crib shoes

2-year-old, napping [This is a blog in itself, Dear Reader.]

average formula feeding, 9-month-old

Nuby sippy cup replacement spouts

digital scrapbooking [Laney is baby book-less...poor thing!]

family bowling, middle tennessee

So that made me wonder, if AOL can flub up and release personal search information, what might my Google searches say about me if they were ever to reach the light of day? I think I would be easy to track down based on my frequent use of Google. So what would your Google searches say about you?

P.S. As a side note, I worked for about a year with the author of this article. It was weird to see his name pop up in...you guessed it, Google. :-)

Happy Birthday, Ashley!

2007-01-25T22:16:00.000-06:00

Another family birthday greeting goes out to my sister-in-law, Ashley. Happy Birthday, Rashy! :-)

I think my brother chose an amazing wife. She is a new mom, just like Jess, and she also is going to college part-time to finish up her degree to become a Physician's Assistant. Ashley has always been a hard worker, and she throws herself 100% into everything she does. She has a lot on her plate right now, but she is keeping her priorities straight (and trying to fit in a few hours of sleep around being a wife, mother, and college student). It makes me tired just thinking about it!

To my smart, giving, beautiful, fun-to-be-around SIL...I wish you a great year. I love you!

With a Little Help from My Friends

2007-01-23T23:25:00.000-06:00

Thanks to those of you who commented, emailed, or called to see how you could help to encourage me in my new resolve (see my last post). I appreciate your prayers and support more than you know! God is good to provide the right people with the right words at the right time.

I love to "pay it forward" and lend a helping hand when I can -- and today I got an opportunity to do just that! My good friend, Laurie Roe, is opening her own clothing store here in Nashville that specializes in petite clothing for women. It's called Petite Boutique, and I finally got to lay eyes on her big project for the first time today. It was awesome to see all of the things I've been reading about on her blog in real life. It's wonderful to see a friend realizing a dream.

Plus, I got 5 hours of childfree bliss -- the first of its kind in quite a while. I mindlessly moved pants, skirts, blouses, and suits from plastic hangers to wooden hangers, and guess what?! All that mindless work was quite wonderful, actually. No one asked me for juice, needed a diaper change, or whined at me. I'm telling you, adults are a breath of fresh air. :-) Plus, I got a free lunch from Moe's out of the deal. What could be better?

It was WONDERFUL to see my family after our little hiatus. It's amazing how just a short time away rejuvenates me!

And by the way, if you're petite -- and even if you're not (Laurie's carrying some awesome accessories like handbags, jewelry, shoes, etc.) -- stop by or make a special trip to Petite Boutique! It's shaping up to be such a delightfully fun store. Best wishes to you, Laurie!

Happy Birthday, Jess!

2007-01-22T14:17:00.000-06:00

I am officially two days late in writing this blog, but I'm cheating by post-dating it to show my sister's actual birthday: January 22nd. Sorry for the belated blog wishes!

My sister is such an amazing person, friend, wife, and new mom that I am honored to know and love her. So Happy Birthday, sis! You are one of my closest friends and most favorite-est people in the whole world! :-) I am very excited about 2007 because our two families are going to have a few years of togetherness to look forward to. (Stefan & Jess are moving to Nashville later this year so that Stefan can complete his doctorate in International Politics at Vanderbilt University. YA!)

Well, Jess, I know you had a great birthday, and I think 2007 is going to be a pretty awesome year for you, too. Love, hugs, and best wishes to you! XOXO Love, Jenn

Climbing Outta the Funk

2007-01-18T22:23:00.000-06:00

Ever feel like you're in a rut? Emotionally, spiritually, physically?

I do. I'm a little hesitant (and embarrassed) to bear my soul here, because I think people mostly want to hear updates on the family or tales of Kaden's antics, but I'll just say I've been losing the battle with that one sin that Satan always throws my way (not to say that I only mess up in one area!!). No matter what your weaknesses or what your past, I'm sure just about everyone can identify with a period of feeling too weak to overcome your weakness(es).

What really stinks is that the internal battles I've been fighting are apparently not as internal as I thought. Josh can tell when I'm indulging in "stinkin' thinkin'" (not sure where that phrase came from) or when I've thrown in the towel, giving up the hope that I'll ever have victory again in this area. It bothers him to see me in this defeated state, and I know that this distraction, this emotional drain, affects my effectiveness as a wife and a mom. And that bothers me, too!

So it's time for a new plan. I've been wallowing about in self-pity for long enough, and it's time for the next step! A big part of the plan is discipline, and another big part involves carving out time each week for me, which I have to say is hard. Being a busy mom of two is a rather convenient excuse to push away the stuff I "don't have time" to deal with. But as is always the case, carving out a bit of time for myself to do the things I need to do for my soul and my body always makes me more alive in every other moment of the day when I'm focused on Josh or the kids.

And when it comes down to it, that's what I want to be. Fully present, fully alive, fully on mission in every moment, not distracted and faltering under guilt and shame and self-pity. The best news, and I can't fail to mention it, is that I'm not in this alone. Not only do I have a supportive, loving husband, but I serve a God who is stronger than my weakness. My Father wants to see me succeed in overcoming the flesh and becoming more like his Son. Satan tells me I'm all alone, but it's not true -- God is with me each step! Victory today does not guarantee victory tomorrow, so I must continue being vigilant and making the best choices I can! So, that's me in this moment. Feeling defeated and rather sorrowful in my heart, but ready to try again.

If you want to share, how do you attack your area of weakness...or kick your butt into gear when you're in a rut?

Thanks for letting me vent. I'll try to think of something happy to post about next time. :-)