Chick Flicks and the men who Love Them....

ok ladies, we all have a favorite! My absolute favorite movie OF ALL TIME is Sleepless in Seattle. Of course I Loooooove Tom Hanks, he is my favorite actor.( Doesn't matter what he is in!) My second favorite movie may have to be The Notebook. That is worth at least TWO boxes of tissues.
Anyway, Sleepless is the re-make of the original 1957 An Affair to Remember with Carey Grant. A classic! This is what Rita Wilson is retelling when she breaks down crying. For those of you who haven't seen Sleepless, you MUST go see it at once! You'll laugh. You'll cry. Ah...love stories! Of course beside every woman crying on the couch watching a "chick flick" there is a man who is suffering through it.
Or is he? I know that most men have had to watch more than one chick flick in thier lifetime, so out with it! Any of you men who might be reading this... admit it. You know there is a movie that though it is a chick's movie, you think it's really good.(Just don't tell his buddies he said that!)
So spill the beans! And ladies, please share your favorites as well!
I once worked with a girl who said she wouldn't rent a chick flick because she knew it would make her cry. I say pish posh! Crying is therapeutic! It releases toxins in the body!
Jeff will be out late tonight, so I think I will watch Sleepless. When he comes home and sees me weaping, I'm sure he'll just say" Oh, brother. what are you watching now?" To which I will say, " I *sniff* am in therapy right now!"

I STINK!

Yes, life with boys can be very stinky. And having a book about stinky stuff is just par for the course. We recently fell in love with a DVD my mother found of different Scholastic books that were made into cartoon videos. One of them was about a garbage truck who really stinks! It is a great book and the kids love it. It is filled with all things stinky! This truck even tells you A-Z different things inside his trashy treasure: A-apple cores, B-banana peels, etc. The boys especially like the P- puppy poo. This book is even better when it is brought to life in video.

Of course, when we were in the library and Ryan found the book, it was a bit embarrassing to hear him shout out "MOMMY! MOMMY! I STINK! I STINK!" Thank goodness for the rows and rows of books I could duck into to hide from the strange glares of onlookers...

I wholeheartedly recommend this book! Especially if you have boys! It is very cute and funny and what more could a boy ask for than trucks and stink?

ask for it at your local library, or find it here! We have been discovering a lot of really great books recently, so keep checking for our next favorite!

You Give Me Fever!

In the mornin', fever all through the night!

This is what two rambunctious boys look like when they have a 103 fever. For four days. The third also had a fever, yet somehow managed to press on. Must have been the Easter candy.

Just For That........

This one's for you, baby!

Oh, and one more thing...........

Since you're going out to the garage...........

Thanks a bunch!

P.S. Love Ya! :)

For men only!!

Men, are you tired of reading your wife's posts? do pictures of yarn and flowers constantly pop up on your monitor?? Do you need a place to go and talk man talk? Click here to go out to Jeff's Garage. Just make sure you come back to check on the family once in a while!

Women! Tell your man about Jeff's Garage! You'll be glad you did!

jeffsgarage.blogspot.com

HE IS RISEN!

HE IS RISEN INDEED! HALLELUJAH!

Low in the grave He lay, Jesus my Savior.
Waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord.

Up from the grave He arose!
with a mighty triumph o'er His foes!

He arose the victor from the dark domain,
and He lives forever with His saints to reign!

He Arose! He Arose! Hallelujah! Christ Arose!

Easter Egg Hunt

Today we went to an Easter egg hunt at a farm that belongs to a family from our church. This is a major event, and is done up big. In the food department, that is! Eggs shmeggs, Let me see that food! :)
A fantastic spread is laid out of all kinds of hot casseroles, ham, chili, french toast, eggs, turkey, potatoes, sausage and peppers, etc, etc, etc. you get the picture! Then there is the dessert and fruit table. Forget about it! I can't even tell you what's on it! Too much! We won't have to eat for a week! And it is all homemade. Thank You so much, Janet for all your hard work and being so gracious!
OK, so this is really for the kids, right? oh yeah, the eggs. right. So out in the fields lay an abundance of plastic, treasure filled eggs just waiting to be discovered by about 40 kids.
Three rules apply
1: don't spook the cows
2. watch where you step!
3. big kids: if you see a smaller child with no eggs, please share.
good luck everyone!



The toddlers were sent to a smaller field, while all the others were sent up to the big fields.
Of course we have no pictures of them picking up any eggs. Why, you ask? Because by the time we got to the field it had already been raided by the faster, older kids. Thankfully they remembered the rules and were very happy to share their treasures.



here are some pics from the day

Kevin wasn't feeling too well. It shows on his face. Plus, it was pretty cold out, which added to his displeasure

"Sure, I'll smile for the camera. But when they say go, just get out of my way"!

lots of cows means lots of you know what.

This is Gunnar. I took this picture for Nan! He is a gentle old dog, who Sean just fell in love with!

Sean doesn't know how to say "doggie" so he calls him "oof"!

I don't know what this dog's name is, but boy was he extra fluffy!

So needless to say, we all had a good time and alot of good treats, and we can't wait to do it again next year!

PS - I might add that this farm is where we get our beef from, so chances are we'll be eating one of these cows soon. Yum!

"We needed Good Friday"

Jeff here...

A while back, I was on a bowhunting website when I came across a link to a blog that I have been reading daily ever since. Tony, the guy who writes the blog, is a Presbyterian minister out in Kansas. We have a ton of things in common, so I've really been enjoying his blog. His writings cover a whole spectrum of topics, including sports, politics, hunting, kids, movies, and humor.

However, the posts that have been the most blessing, encouraging, and convicting for me are his "pastoral" posts. Click this link to read his Good Friday post. Happy Easter everybody!!

http://reepicheep-ajf.blogspot.com/2008/03/we-needed-good-friday.html

"Hard Cooked Does Not Mean Hard to Break"

So we colored Easter Eggs this past Saturday! That was allot of fun! Of course you realize this was Sean's first time with this. Need I say more? Sean, being only of a 19 month old mind is unaware of the delicate nature of a chicken egg, boiled or otherwise. We did manage to come away with some decent looking eggs, and the boys of course had a blast!

Of course aside from the standard PAAS coloring kit, I just had to pick up this CARS kit as well.

Yes, I realize Kevin is sitting on the table in these pictures, his little arms couldn't reach the cups!

Here they are "resting" in their color baths

Daddy is showing Sean how to make a cross on the egg with crayon!

And now for a little drying time. For the boys this was torture! The eggs had to be completely dry before they could add the final touches! The CARS stickers!! Notice the beautiful shades of The King's Dinoco blue, Chick Hicks green, Mater's rusty orange, and Luigi's bright yellow.

It's a funny thing when you try to tell a 19 month old to be careful or gentle with an egg. Trying to get some of the eggs in or out of the dye cups was interestingly enough, a challenge. Really? Why of course! Seanie who wants to try to do everything ,not to be outdone by his two older brothers, insists on having no help. This can create a small problem when working with eggs.

Nonetheless we managed to work together and Sean's eggs didn't turn out too bad. In fact, I think the crack patterns are beautiful and a work of art. I would even go so far as to say they we intentional! We have an artist for sure!

Not only beautiful, but delicious as well!

Oh, and by the way, We have ultimately decided that our Resurrection eggs need to ALL be opened EVERY day. It was a bit difficult at this stage to try to get the story told one egg at a time and in the right order. So each day, they open all the eggs, and ask me about the different pieces. Inevitably, as I am telling the story about one, it goes into another naturally. They are having fun with it. I just hope I can find all the pieces for next year. Sean has NOT tried to eat the crown of thorns, but he has attempted to eat the dice (die?) from one of the eggs. At least he's not running around poking his brother with the toy sword!

Faith and Begora!

Well, don't ya know, I was lookin' out me front winda and what do ya think I be seein? Twas a leprechaun, it was! And what do ya think his name be, then? Twas Patty O' Furniture!
Ha! My Dad said this to me every St. Patrick's Day.
My father is an Irishman. My Nana (who went home to be with the Lord a long time ago) came over on a boat from Ireland.
(my other grandmother came over from Italy, and I have to say, I would take pasta over cornedbeef and cabbage any day!)
I used to love watching "Darby O'Gill and the Little People". A great movie for St.Patty's Day, about leprechauns, and the search for the pot o' gold, and the best part: it has the very young and very dashing Sean Connery!! You all should really see it. It's very entertaining!I've seen it about a hundred times.
So here's a question: has anyone out there eaten any green bagels or green donuts? green latte's? Have you eaten anything green today that by nature should not be green?
(and I don't mean moldy!)
leave me a comment and tell me! Anyway, hope you all are enjoying your day. Don't forget what can happen to you if you eat too much cabbage. You know.
So for all you fellow jig-dancin', green wearin' Irish folk; HAPPY SAINT PATTY'S DAY TO YA NOW!

A Visit To The Dentist

Went to the dentist today. Got more than I bargained for. A quick fix turned into oral surgery,including a bone graft. Thank goodness the Dr. knew how to use the novacaine!Too bad it eventually wears off. Thank goodness for the prescription Tylenol! I think I'll be having a nice dinner later of pudding.Or soup,maybe scrambled eggs! I asked the boys to pleeeeeease cooperate for me today. So far, so good! I'll have a better post for ya when I'm feeling better!

Signs of Spring!

The weather has been a little warmer this week, and while outside with the boys, I have noticed a few things poking out of the ground!

We are all excited to see what else pops up around the yard! We also had a flock of Red Winged Blackbirds in the front yard! That was neat! Officially the first Day of Spring is next week,the 20th. It's nice to see the signs of the change of season. Of course, the boys can't wait to get rid of thier "puffy"coats!

Me too!

EGGSTRAVAGANZA!

Alright, so I admit I took out the plastic eggs a bit early this year. But how can you resist those colors?

Are they not lovely? For plastic eggs, I mean.
And I can tell you this...if you need something for the kids to do, give them plastic eggs and they will stay busy for a long time. Behold.........

I also went to a local Deli and asked them for some of their leftover empty egg cartons. They were more than happy to give me not only the regular dozen carton, but also a few of the 30 ct. cartons which were way cooler!

Omlets anyone?

Boy, I'll tell ya, $3.00 for 150 plastic eggs at Walmart is an Easter miracle for sure!
By the way, here are Mommy's eggs:

Not to be included in the omlets!

We also have a special Easter egg carton filled with these:

Resurrection Eggs

Each egg has in it a small trinket ( symbol) that helps teach the Easter story to Children. There are bible verses in a booklet that come with it, and as your children open the eggs they learn about the meaning of Easter in a visual and meaningful way. This is the first year we are trying this, and we are excited to open these up and read to them. Our boys already know what Easter is all about, but I think the problem might be more in the way of:

Who gets to open the eggs first on a given day

"He has more than me"

"Seanie lost all the pieces!"

"Seanie ate the crown of thorns!"

I think there are many valuable lessons for ALL to be learned as we embark on this endeavor together!

I'll let you know how it goes!

WRESTLEMANIA '08 !!!!!!

This is what life with boys looks like. No tea parties. No dress up. No pink. Anywhere. But lots of rough and tumble, wrastlin', knock 'em down good fun.
And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Why buy expensive toys?!

The amount of fun that can be had with a newspaper has been terribly underrated! Eat your heart out Toys-R-Us! Quite frankly, I find our local newspaper to be hysterical as well!

Becoming A Woman of Captivating Influence

Where to begin? I attended a woman's seminar at our church this Saturday. It was incredible. We were so blessed to have Erin Campbell from Cincinnati come and speak to us. She is a radio personality and renowned speaker for women's events all over. She can be found here at http://www.waterthroughtheword.com/ .
I can't possibly begin to tell you all the things she touched on. Of course there was laughter and tears( it is a woman's retreat after all.....)
But I can share some of my favorite sayings or quotes that she encouraged us with, in no particular organized fashion:

"It's not what happens to us in life, but how we respond to it"
This is especially important for all of us who are believers and are called live as Christ. We need to remember two things: our every move is being watched.
How many of us have lost luggage on a flight? You know how it feels. What a better witness for Christ than to walk up to lost baggage claim with a smile on your face, and say God Bless you. Thank you for doing this job, and Thank you so much for helping me.
What good does it do to get mad at them?
Second, what happens to us when we give way to that anger, and let our emotions get the best of us? Satan wins. Satan has tightened his grip on our soul.
If someone has wronged us, we are told ( and my Pastor preached this yesterday) in Romans 12, "Do not repay evil with evil". On the contrary, " If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink". Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

I also liked this one from Erin:
"Peace is not the absence of trouble, Peace is the presence of God"
How else can you explain when someone has gone through a trial, or extreme burden that noone should ever have to bear, and see them have complete peace? You know it is the presence of God.
"Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say it is well, it is well with my soul"
Have you you ever seen someone who is just radiant? I mean really beautiful? They seem to have skin that is aglow, they just beam, and your not sure how they do it? It comes from God. It comes from knowing him, spending many hours on your knees with him, resting in him.
"Beauty is a soul at rest". This world is so busy,unrested,anxious. If our souls are not at rest, how can we shine with the beauty of Christ? Our world has so many types of "lampshades" so to speak that will cover our light. If we let it.

Erin mentioned an interview in the past of Dan Rather and someone( forgive me for forgetting who it was), and the question arose from Dan Rather:
"When you pray to God, what do you say?"
the response was:
"I don't say anything, I listen."
DR: Then, when you pray, what does GOD say?"
response:
"He doesn't say anything. He listens. If you dont understand this, I can't explain it to you."
I just loved this. I'm sure it left Dan Rather speechless. I wish I could remember who said it. I'm suprised my brain retained as much as it has. These retreats are full of so much good stuff!

On being a Woman of Confidence: First of all, we are ALL princesses. ( we may not think so when we look in the mirror in the morning....), but as Daughters of the King, we have Royalty in our blood! Because of this we can have absolute confidence in who we are! AMEN! We do not need to compare ourselves with others. Erin said her huband often reminded her to " keep your nose and your toes pointed to Jesus". Don't worry about what everone else is doing,thinking. Stop comparing yourself to others.
I think it's fair to say most of us are guilty of this at times. But we don't have to compete with anyone else. Erin reminded us that "the ground is level at the foot of the cross!" Hallelujah! Praise God for saving me: a sinner, condemmed, unclean.
Jesus tells us we don't need to be perfect, in fact we can't be. We need to come to him, as we are! There is no need to "clean up our act" first, actually we can't do that unless we come to him.
If satan has a hold on you please come to Jesus! Run to the throne room of Christ and slam the door behind you, because when Satan comes knocking, guess who will be opening the door! You have nothing to fear when you are with Jesus, but have everlasting peace.

Erin likes to visit with people who are terminally ill, in their last days/hours. She asked someone, "If you could have changed anything in your life, what would it be?"
They said they would not have let fear grip them so. They said fear cannot stop you from dying, but it can stop you from living!
Staurday we learned to not let fear stop US from living, as well as so many other things. I am ordering a tape of the seminar, and if anyone would like to hear it, I will be happy to lend it out to you!
If you are ever invited to a women's seminar at your church, or a church in your area PLEASE GO! I can guarantee you will not be disappointed. It is a wonderful experince that you will never forget!
Thank you again, Erin for sharing your heart and soul with us Saturday, and for reminding us that we truly are all Daughters of the King!

Here is a song from Alison Krauss that I absolutely love, I just have to share it with you.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9upE_PGJVq8