Photo Hunt- "Party"

Being Three...

(The first two pictures are of my oldest, the second of my youngest)!


First Sweetie...




Second Sweetie...




For more Photohunters, join in at tnchick.com

You could call me Goldilocks, except that I'm not blonde

So...back to the bed story...

When the girls and I arrived home on Friday afternoon and walked into my room, the bed seemed strangely different.

If you missed the first part of this tale, a quick re-cap.
I had suffered and travailed through six long years with a sle*p number bed.
I suppose this would be a good bed for couples that never want to get near each other with a 3-foot pole, and therefore, that less than subtle line that divides the bed from "fairly firm" on one side....to "mushy valley hole" on the other...serves a good purpose.

But although -like any married couple- we do have our moments of disagreement...basically, we like being near each other once in awhile. Which was one of the reasons we got married.

And also, if you've ever rolled over in your sleep and found that your right side of your body was ten times lower than your left side (and the next morning, felt like Quasimodo) well, then you might understand my true sleep woes.
I don't know how this could have happened to you, though, unless
a) you have owned a sl*ep number bed now or sometime in your past or
b) you roughed it and slept out in the wilderness on some rocky, sloping hill

So, Friday as I further examined my bed, I realized that it wasn't my bed anymore...but a new bed! I looked everywhere for those wires and buttons to pump it up or deflate it....but gone were these instruments of torture.

Instead, was this simple...yet very thick mattress beneath the sheets.

I tentatively sat on it.

At first, it was very firm...but then...I started to sink.
This was a little discouraging.

And I quickly discovered this was the bed that I had mentioned to my husband that I thought might be the answer for us...
The memory foam mattress.

When my dear husband came home that evening, you can bet it was one of the first topics of conversation!
It seems he went ahead and put our old mattress on c*aigslist, got a buyer while I was gone...and then at the very same time, this foam mattress went on sale big time. So he thought he'd just surprise me!

Actually, I honestly thought this was very sweet...I was beginning to give up hope that we would ever get rid of that bed. So, really, the thought behind this was wonderful.
And because of that, I kept to myself the fact that when I had mentioned the memory foam bed, I kind of thought I would be checking it out first...you know...lying down on it in some store...
seeing how it feels...
pushing at it...
kicking it.

Well, I'm sorry to report that the first night didn't go so well... but I immediately realized that perhaps it was because we still had the "topper" foam mattress on top of it!
(Yes, we had even tried a topper foam mattress over the old bed in hopes of evening it out a bit. Didn't work.)
With this extra foam topper over the new foam bed, I would start to lie down in firmness...then sink...sink...sink...down as if it were some marshmallow quicksand.

It was just simply memory foam overload.

So the next night I removed the topper...and I have to admit, it was much better!

OK, I do find I still start to slowly sink after a few seconds...but then after a moment I realize I'm actually pretty comfortable. There's still a firmness around me. A soft firmness, mind you...but it's there.

Yet, as a gal who likes her mattress nice and firm, with not too much give (my husband might say, "read: anything just a little softer than floor board)...this whole concept of your body sort of melting into the foam is just... different.

But each night I think I seem to like it just a wee bit more.

They say you have to test out a mattress a good week at the very least before making a permanent decision. So I'm keeping an open mind for the next week or two...and I will keep you posted.

It goes without saying that it's at least better than the old system. (But then again, I can't think of too many things that wouldn't be.)

But I know my sweet husband wanted so much to compromise with our sleeping issues...plus wanting to surprise me and all.
So I'm kind of routing for this bed for these reasons alone.

But you know, I really think part of pre-marital counseling should include revealing your sleep number.

What about you? What kind of bed do you have, and are you happy with it?

Acting Lessons

My eight year old has recently joined a children's choir through another church, and today were the auditions for speaking parts and solos for the spring program that will take place in May.

She had told me that she really wanted to try out for a speaking part...so we picked one that didn't have too many lines and she memorized them immediately.
Since being in Awana during 1st and 2nd grade, she has displayed a real ability for memorization (much better than I ever possessed!) so actually, I wasn't surprised here.

Not only that, but she did a couple terms of a fun acting class at the local recreation center in the past year or so... and- I hope it's just not a bias mother speaking- but she was actually....good! Very good! She had the right feeling in her voice and said her lines with confidence. We were simply amazed!

So, this time she, again, practiced saying her lines to me...and I read with her for the part of the other character.
Yep, I thought. This girl can act!

But I do know her well. And although she's pretty animated around family and good friends, she can also be very shy around strangers.

With this in mind, we talked a lot about how this audition might go...and we prayed that she would only get a part if God wanted her to make this commitment right now...we prayed that even if she didn't get a part, she would be OK about it all- and just have fun being in the choir.

As we waited for her name to be called, we hung out in a big room with game tables set up for all the kids and their parents. We actually had a super time playing "Sorry"...
and before we knew it, her turn for auditions had arrived.
I couldn't go in with her...so I grabbed some free chips and kind of paced around.
I was suddenly so nervous for her!

She came back out about ten minutes later, looking disappointed.
Uh-oh.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
To which one of the nice volunteers, asked her how her audition went.
"They didn't even say anything at the end," she replied.
So I asked the volunteer if they tell you right away about parts and she thought it might not be until Wednesday.

But after further conversation with my girl, she told me that she forgot to smile...and she didn't think she said her lines with real feeling.

Oh.
I admit, I felt my heart sink just a tiny, little bit. Hopefully, it wasn't just some dormant stage mother in me that felt disappointed...because I think I really felt bad for her, knowing that she was completely able to do a great job, and yet she froze up in front of the "panel of judges".

We did have a great conversation on the way home, though.
I told her that so many people get stage fright when suddenly they are about to be judged.
I reminded her that we had just prayed about it...so now we needed to trust God for the right outcome.

And the Lord was, in fact, answering our prayers because she quickly began to act as though she'd be just fine- either way.

She was even able to laugh at my silly jokes...
and smile when I described an old rerun of the Brady Bunch when Cindy got to be on a local TV quiz show for kids because she pretty smart, but instead of hitting the button and answering questions, she simply stared at the red light on the camera the whole time.

Yep, she most definitely did better than that little Cindy, alright!

But it wasn't just my daughter that was having a learning moment.
Because, I admit, I had been feeling just a little concerned for her in all this.
As we talked, however, I felt that God was reminding me also to trust Him with my children in all things- big and small. This probably constitutes small by most definitions, but since we took the time to pray and put it in His hands, there I must leave it, the same as she must.

And truly, I was so proud of her for actually memorizing her lines and going for it.
For a somewhat shy girl (with a somewhat shy mom, I admit it!) it took initiative and courage on her part!

And whether she gets any extra role....or simply sings her heart out with the rest of the choir... I think she'll be content enough.

And her daddy and I will be two extremely proud parents in the audience, cheering her on.


For those of you waiting for the continuing story of the bed, I promise to give you the ending on my next post!

Also, Midlife Mom over at Home on the Range is having a giveaway for her 250th post! Two gifts to choose from, but you only have until Wednesday, so hurry on over!

Show and Tell #14

I am almost a day late with my Show and Tell, hosted by Kelli at There is No Place Like Home...
but I wasn't here until this afternoon!

You see, the girls and I just returned from a sleep-over visit to my mom's.

Bless her heart, she misses us so much since we live almost an hour away...but by the time we leave, she is so ready to have a breather!
Now to remind you, she is 80...soon to turn 81. And yet, she cooked up some fish sticks, mac and cheese, with a side order of peas for us all, which are all favorites with my kiddos!

In turn, the next morning, I helped sort through more boxes of old papers, making a huge bag of paper recyclables. We're getting ready to finish putting in new floors for her, so she can finally put her house up for sale (and move closer!)

But as always happens, I found a few treasures mixed in.

Here are two of the cards I found...

The first one is of my dad's funeral\memorial service. I don't know if I had a copy of this before, so am so glad I found it. I still remember the immense grief I felt on that June day in 1988... the tears that would not stop...
yet, a feeling of comfort having friends and loved ones with my mom and I...
and a sense of subtle joy that my father had loved the Lord and that he was now in such a wonderful place...where I'd one day see him again.

The second card is one that I gave my grandmother in 1980 when I was just seventeen. She had just recently moved in with us, which was a difficult transition for her independent spirit.
We had such a close relationship all my growing up years and I still miss her to this day.

Here's what I wrote inside "God bless you. I love you, Gammee, you mean very much to me!"
Simple and to the point...and so heartfelt, believe me!

And one more treasure...



Here I am, about to baptized at the tender age of nine.
I still remember this time very well...and hard to believe that now my own oldest daughter will be turning nine later this year!
She has accepted Christ into her heart so I believe it won't be long before she is ready to also make this public confession of faith.
And I have to say...when I find pictures of myself as a child, I sometimes have to do a double-take...to make sure it's not really one of my own girls! I never thought about them looking so much like me until I see us at the same exact ages!

We had such a nice, relaxing time with "Nammy" and my girls are always excited to sleep in my old double bed every time they come down!



And speaking of beds...when I got home, there was a surprise waiting for me.

For six loooooong years I have endured our sl*ep number bed. I know, I know...they're supposed to be the best thing since sliced bread. And maybe you have one and it works for you.
But let's just say that they don't tell you how it really is going to be when your husband is like an 11 and you're a 79...and you have to cling to your side only or fall into into the abyss....

Well, when I got home (and he was still at work) and we walked into my room, the girls and I noticed something different about the bed. It was...higher.

But more on my next post...to be continued... :)

A day with George and the Duggars

First of all, is it me or does February seems to be flying by?
In a way, I guess that's good...since I always long for spring about now!
However, after weeks of rain, we had a "teaser spring" with sunshine and warmer temps...and it's amazing how everyone pours out of their houses-both adults and kids alike- practically doing cartwheels!

Also, as the month hurries on, it brings us a little closer to our vacation to California!

By the way, I want to thank all of you who gave me some great ideas and suggestions for keeping kids happy on a long road trip. I appreciated that so much!
And in case any of you will planning one in the near future, here's a super website I found!



Alright, I admit it. If you haven't guessed already, we're big on American history here in our little school at home. Mainly because the teacher (that would be me) loves it.
I already blurbed about Abraham Lincoln. But here's some of the artwork we did on President's Day this week:

The middle picture is free-hand drawing by the five year old...not bad! And the one on the right was from my third grader. (They get their artistic side from their daddy!)
And the one on the left...well, gotta' love his do!

Of course, my Kindergartener's civics still needs a little work. I had thought she knew who was currently president, but when I asked her, she had evidently forgotten.

"Remember? His last name starts with "B"..." to which she replied,

"Blincoln!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On a slightly different subject...I don't watch a lot of network TV anymore, so Monday evenings find me watching TLC, with all of the family reality shows.
(And that's how I spent my President's Day evening- notice the tie-in.)



First, there are the antics of "Jon and Kate Plus Eight"
Sure, the couple does squabble a lot...but having sextuplets plus twins all under the age of seven has bound to get a little stressful. Plus, how many of us would want to cameras rolling in our own home, catching all our foibles and times of losing it a bit? Yikes, they are a brave family!

Also, on Mondays is Little People, Big World (OK, so this husband and wife also squabble a bit!)
As many of you know, they don't live all that far from us, so we had the fun of visiting their farm at pumpkin time a year and half ago!

And then the many adventures of The Duggars!




All three of these families happen to be Christian families...yet, amazingly, the family with now seventeen children seem to rarely argue! Oh, I'm sure they are not perfect since nobody is...but wow, I really admire them!

No... more to the point, I am in complete awe of them!

Sometimes I tire just mothering and home schooling my two...just TWO!
Yet, she manages this huge bunch with such love, grace and godly wisdom.

Whether you agree with having that many children or not, it's hard to argue with what you see.
Not only do the children respect their parents, but the husband and wife seem to have a great love and respect for one another, as well.

My favorite episode is where they take their huge motor home along with a truck and trailer and get on the road.
Destination: Disneyland. With lots of stops along the way.
Those kids were literally crammed in there, sleeping every which way...but still managed to have a good time.

And if they can all make it to Disneyland...well, then so can we!

Blessings!

Photo Hunt (Free)

This week's photohunt theme is free. Instead of posting a picture of something I received free, my interpretation is about feeling free.

This past summer I took my girls and my husband back to my old grade school during our Seattle trip (where I also reunited with my old third grade friend!)
I just had to relive old times and play on the monkey bars...and it brought back those old feelings of feeling free!

And if you squint and look sideways, you almost don't see a 44 year old in that picture... but the little girl I once was!

For more theme photos, check out tntchick.com.

Valentine's Week Ramble

I hope everyone's having a good week so far!
You know that little flu bug I mentioned last week? Well, it has just hung on these past ten days, just taking different forms along the way.
This time, I think I really am almost over it at last...but let's just say that the humidifier and I have become very good friends.



Did you all know that it was just Abraham Lincoln's birthday? And did you know they are starting a 2-year celebration of the bicentennial of his birth today, marked by Laura Bush visiting his place of birth? (Next year marks his 200th birthday.)
Needless to say, we were focusing in on honest Abe this week here in our home classroom...and the cool thing is that every time we do something like this, I am the one who always ends up learning something new!
Did you know his grandparents followed Daniel Boone over to Kentucky? And that later his grandfather was killed by Indians?
That's what I learned in school today!



I wanted to thank Hootin' Anni for honoring me with a special Valentine!

Isn't it darling? It's just the kind of Valentine I remember giving and receiving when I was a little girl! Thanks Hootin' Anni!

And to Nadine who honored all of her regular blogging buddies with these two awards...


I am going to follow her example with these, and give them to each of you who I frequently visit. Because if you see me replying on your blog more than once, it is because "you make my day" and because I think your blog is "excellent"!



As for other news, we just made reservations at a couple hotels for our upcoming trip to California this spring! After much consideration and waffling, we've finally decided to drive.
So, now I have to start making a list of things to pack...and high on that list will be things to keep two little girls occupied for a thousand miles!

Does anyone have any wonderful suggestions or tips for traveling on the road with children? We have a portable DVD player and an audio tape player...but we'll need some car-friendly games and art ideas, so if you have them, I'd be so very grateful!


My girls have signed their bunches of Valentines and are ready for their parties this week! One in a Missionette club, and another with our home school group.
The modern Valentines aren't quite as quaint as they once were, but the excitement surrounding the fun is still the same!

Now, as for couple time and romance, I'm not sure yet whether we'll get our dance in this year on the actual day or not. But this year I have a new CD- Michael Bubl*'...so we'll see!

If I don't get a chance to post again before...

A very Happy Valentine's Day to each of you!

Photo Hunt (heavy)

This week's theme: heavy

If this green guy once walked the earth, I am thinking he was pretty heavy.
My girls really enjoyed seeing him at the Pacific Science Museum in Seattle last summer...as long as they knew he wasn't real!

For more photo hunt participants, go here!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My oldest is at a Christian girls' club sleepover and so I must get back to my watching Barbie's Island Princess with my littlest...

I'll be doing a catch-up post soon...as well as trying to catch up with all of you!

(And thank you for the wonderful response to my memorable Valentine's Day post!)

Blessings!

Marriage Monday...My most romantic Valentine's Day

Yes, it's been a week since I last posted. Partly just being busy...and then the flu got me!
I'm on the mend, but on Saturday I was pretty much in bed all day. I kept thinking of that Cosby show episode where he and his wife were both sick with some awful strain of flu and couldn't move out of that bed even for water.
Cliff announced, "My hair hurts."
That was me.
Thankfully, I'm much better but I spent Super bowl Sunday hibernating in my bedroom getting some more rest and watching chick flicks like "Sense and Sensibility". I so love that movie! So romantic...which kind of brings me to subject below.

(And I know, I know...I missed the best Super bowl in years!)

Today is Marriage Monday, hosted by Chrysalis.
The topic is either: Top Ten Tips For the Ultimate Valentine's Celebration or My Most Memorable Valentine's Day Ever.

When I was planning my wedding thirteen years ago, there was a part of me that refused to believe that marriage would be anything but one long, endless dip into the pool of romance.
Oh, I was not some very young girl...I was over 30.
And this single gal even watched all the Oprah shows on marriage and relationships, so logically I knew that marriage took some work.

But I also had been watching those old romantic movies since I was twelve, so when the time of my wedding actually finally came, those stars in my eyes told me that my groom and I would somehow be different than every other couple on the planet.
And in my mind's eye, my fiance would now be my Gene Kelly, dancing around with an umbrella even on those rainy days of life.

Well, enter reality.

Although my husband has many wonderful qualities, he can also have his bad days, act grouchy, simply forget to be romantic, and wash the cold-water only whites with the darks.

And singing and tap dancing? I don't think so.

Besides, the lack of romance sometimes isn't all due to him. Sometimes being a mommy simply zaps any sense of hearts and flowers right out of me, especially at the end of a tiring day.

So when Valentines' Day comes along, as any couple with young children can attest to, even if you're -somehow- feeling some energy by evening, finding alone time can be a bit of a challenge.

But last year, was an exception.
Valentine's Day happened to fall on a night when both of our girls were at Awana. I had told him all I wanted was a to exchange our cards and dance with him to my new Tony Bennett CD.
He obliged...and it turned out to be so incredibly romantic for both of us.
Even though our time was limited to a stolen ninety minutes, it made us feel for that evening just as if we were falling in love again.

It was truly my most romantic Valentine's Day...and I posted about it when it happened here.

No, marriage isn't one long dance in the rain...but it can be romantic if we make time for one another.

And a little Tony Bennett doesn't hurt.