it's Sunday...

have you noticed that any amount of clever wit I had has vanished? I can no longer come up with zippy post titles....Oh well...

My Life has been busy enough lately to keep two people hopping.....Prep for the holidays, Christmas shopping, tae kwon do, and more tae kwon do....I am not complaining. We literally signed up for this! Adam was allowed to test early for his next belt and I'm proud to report that Adam is now a GREEN BELT. And while we are away from VA, he'll be able to train at the sister school in Anchorage!

This weekend, we photographed his school's Masters. Adam has so much admiration for these individuals, as do I. The physical prowess of TKD is constantly amazing...And the further Adam goes, I can see him becoming more confident and proud of himself. Not boastful, but proud of what he's accomplishing....

And Micaela has joined in! She's working her way up from the beginning White Belt. It's so cute, watching her irrepressible bubbliness on the mat. They start playing the music and she automatically starts dancing! Too bad you can't get a belt status for dimples, eh?

(just for the record, my kids nor Master Huang are THAT orange....I am in a hurry and don't have time to go back to correct the over-colorized look :)

So we are definitely a Tae Kwon Do Family. When we move, I'll probably take it, too. Adam has already promised to teach me the forms....We estimate that Adam might have his Black Belt before Greg deploys if he keeps going strong...

Now, I must get to the laundry. Apparently, people want clean clothes to pack in their suitcases. Go figure.....

Two more days.....then I'll be reporting from Alaska. We'll be on vacation but still doing school. In between snowboarding, skiing and snowman building. And we've got a few "surprises" for the kids. It's gonna be good.....so if I don't post for a few days, at least you know I'm having fun!!

do some good...

1. Life has been a blur this past week. I sometimes wish it had a pause button.....

2. Yesterday was Greg's birthday...How come he gets older but doesn't look older....?

3. Just a few more days then I'll be waking up in Alaska, baby! I am really looking forward to the downtime. It'll be our life in another place, not really downtime really, but it'll feel vacation-ey...

4. With this Christmas being somewhere other than home, we won't have a tree. We won't have a house decorated with our traditional Christmas stuff. It'll be a little bland. But I would like to focus on the MESSAGE and the MEANING of Christmas....which leads me to the "do some good" part.

5. My heart aches for those families whose loved ones are deployed, far from home, missing the Christmas routines....and I know that many of you have giving hearts. So please won't you consider giving to a military family...? Or a deployed service member?

Everyone always tells the waiting wife (or husband) "call me if there's anything you need.." Well, Spouses don't always ASK for help. They just carry on....so please consider doing a nice thing for a Military Spouse or service member. There's probably one in your church or on your street. I know of one ARMY wife, who a Facebook friend of mine, who was stunned by the generosity of someone in her church who knew her husband was deployed...The person gave her a Christmas card with a Papa John's gift card in it, saying to use it one night when she didn't feel like cooking! That one little thing made her day and meant the world.

If you'd rather give directly to the service member, please consider giving to the USO.

Help the USO & Support Our Troops

You can even give through MyPoints and get 5 points for every dollar you donate for Phone Cards! (that's what I chose, and also donating packaged good to the airport waiting lounges..)

My family will be using the USO lounges as we travel next week. Waiting between flights can be exhausting and trying on a Traveler's patience, so we hang out in the USO-Military Lounge and grab a drink or snack and let the kids unwind and watch TV. It's a Godsend. So if you want, go to the USO page and find a local airport with a lounge and donate some sodas, cookies, or needed items. There are several in the Washington DC area....The USO rocks, plain and simple...

There is something for all of us to do. Let's do some good...

contest giveaway

Christmas Planner Giveaway!

if you win, you'll be blessed by this :)

......Christmas presents...

My kids are making their Christmas lists right now, as I type this....
Won't they be shocked to find out that we've actually completed our shopping :)
It was a sneaky way to work in handwriting exercises.
They are MOTIVATED....
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What's on YOUR Christmas list......?
My wants are many but my needs are few.
What I really want (and need) is that I want our house to sell in a timely fashion so that we can stay together as a family and move to WA together as a family. That's all I really want. But it'll happen in God's time, not mine.

That being said, I have a long list of "stuff" that I want.
But I am trying and praying to turn away from that. I don't want to WANT.
I don't want to suffer from the "gimmes"....

I want the warmth and fellowship of Family.
I want the memories.
I want photos of smiles and hugs.
I want to embrace the true meaning of Christmas.
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So tell me, in the comments, what's the ONE THING that you'd really like to find under the tree this year? And don't say "world peace"...you know how hard that is to wrap?

If I could only have one gift that you could put in a box, I'd choose a photo safari in DC in the Spring. And a babysitter so Greg could go with me :)

freebie

you know I love the freebies, and I love CurrClick....so I share this with you....
Night at The Museum MiniBook Unit

..this non-stop, action-packed life...

1. Life has been very busy lately. So busy livin' life that the blog has not been updated much. I'm good with that!

2. Thanksgiving is over. I'm glad. Next year, we'll have Thanksgiving somewhere else, another house in a different state. I think part of me is already gone...

3. Only 9 days left until we leave for Alaska!! I am already packing mentally. The whole family is terribly excited about the trip. We went to L.L. Bean yesterday and got some winter stuff. I love LL Bean. Adam is looking forward to trying out snowboarding.

4. While at Tysons yesterday, which is our big Mall here (It's the 5th largest Mall in the Nation, big woop-de-doo) we visited a free-standing Wii kiosk. It's so clever to have one, to rope in the last people who don't own a Wii. My kids were SHRIEKING with delight.

Out of all of the games, Wii Fit Plus is the one that *I* wanted. Although I didn't try it out in the Mall with 50 bazillion people watching, the kids assure me that it's fun. Even Greg said it was fun....We'll see.... If you look carefully, it apparently makes Micaela levitate. After we get back from AK, I'm going to join GameFly (through MyPoints, earning 1,000 points!) and try out games before we actually BUY them. If you have a Must-Own Wii game recommendation, please let me know in the comments....

5. We'll still be homeschooling while on vacation. And Greg will be helping out with the teaching. *I* am looking forward to that! I love the portability of homeschooling.

thankful

Today, I am thankful.
For lots of things in my life..
I am blessed. Blessed beyond measure.
We all are.


Thankful and Blessed.
by His grace alone.

my sweet kids....

1. My kids were very sweet today...

2. They allowed me to take a nap.

3. So they could eat ALL of the homemade cookies that I'd left out for visiting Realtors.....

They are so sweet......

I have to share this photo I took of Adam the other day. I was walking around the house, taking photos for The House Blog and he flashed those amazing green eyes at me. He has eyes like his Daddy :)

Now, I must go to TKD... With both kids enrolled, I will be there 6 times a week.....Micaela is super jazzed and convinced her muscles are bigger now....

Hi, I'm Suzanne and I'm a tae kwon do Mom....

It's official....We now have TWO kids in tae kwon do....
Micaela joined her brother at Dragon Yong-In.
If you're local, I can't say enough good things about this school: We really do feel like we're part of the TKD family with them. Adam loves it and Micaela is excited about it, too.

You know what I like about this picture?
In the foreground, we've got Micaela, on her first day, learning one of the forms.
And in the background is Adam, instructing other boys on the proper form. It was the first time that his Master allowed him to be a "kid" instructor. He was SO happy to be chosen.

Greg and I are looking forward to this TKD experience being good for Micaela. Like many girls with fragile x, she's a bit on the shy side. Social anxiety is always an issue. So are transitions....(On the morning of her 1st class, she was unglued with nervousness. She couldn't even get dressed. Once we got through that transition, she was fine...)

And TKD might empower her....We're hoping...

If not, she'll be able to kick some butt.....

update on a Friday

1. Life has been busy. I am mostly busy keeping the house clean, show ready....So much fun..

2. File this under "Things I Don't Care About"- Oprah's show ending....don't care. I will admit that I DVR'ed her show with Sarah Palin but I have not had time to watch it....Oprah annoys me. I know I am in a minority here....'cause she's OPRAH....

3. Tonight's easy dinner: Ravioli Lasagna....Check this out....(not my idea, but a fellow TKD Mom)..

a. Pour some sauce in the pan (I doctored up some jar sauce), stack frozen ravioli $2.50 a bag at Wegman's.... (I chose Cheese filled because Greg is all about cheese)

b. Then pour some more sauce on top....

c. Then add layers of whatever cheese. For Greg's meal, I added Parmesan and mozzarella..

I am serving this with Homemade Foccacia Bread. Which is super simple to make...I should make it more often but I get stuck on other breads...if he likes this, I'll be fixing it frequently. It's super simple and pretty inexpensive. He's not a picky eater :)

4. Started working out again. My trainer is trying to kill me slowly. I didn't think a human could be this sore and still breathe. But apparently, it's possible....The key here is consistency. If I could just work out a little each day.....I wouldn't be so dang sore. But I feel guilty pushing the kids' school schedule to accommodate my health. Consequently, I don't feel at all guilty when the laundry has to wait.

5. Hoping to occupy a space on the couch and watch a movie tonight.

6. If you're a local Baker, Harris Teeter has my Beloved King Arthur Flour on sale for 2 for $5.00. I was jumping up and down as much as my sore legs would allow as I loaded my basket...It doesn't take much to please me. Cheap Flour does it....

7. I am compulsive and can't cut my list off if I am near #7....

the adventures of Mohawk Boy....

For MONTHS, Adam has relentlessly nagged Greg and I for a mohawk....
(Greg cuts both boys' hair).....
I was against it because I don't want my sweet lil boy to look like a ruffian.

But he got one!

This past weekend, when I was headed out to the Ladies Retreat, Adam knew he'd be getting a haircut, so he asked once more if he could have a mohawk....so I said, "If you can convince your Daddy, then it's fine with me..." Apparently, I misjudged his ability to convince his Daddy,,,,

Skip ahead in the story a bit....I'm sitting at my Ladies Retreat, studying Proverbs 4:23 and checking my e-mail during a break...and what do I see...? These photos!

All of the ladies at my table got a kick out of it....I couldn't stop giggling....

At least his head will be covered mostly for the next month or two, while we go through winter. We did tell him that this is his ONLY mohawk, so he'd better enjoy it while it lasts. It is a bit disconcerting to walk through the stores and have people stare at me and at Adam, and the judgement on their faces is clear. It's ONLY HAIR, people.....

Thinking about getting him some pointy elf ears......I don't care, he still looks cute to me :)

my house has its own blog.....

Because I am a wild compulsive blogger...
Because I get to tell the stories...
Because I read somewhere that a girl started a blog for her house and it was what sold it :)

http://lovelivesinmyhouse.blogspot.com/

Yep, my house has its own blog......We'll see how it works out from here...
We've already had a good deal of interest :)
I pray this house blesses someone in the way it has blessed our Family!

Wish List Meme

TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?
a. an iTunes gift card
b. a Wal-Mart gift card
c. a Bose iPod docking type station-clock combo
d. a DC photo safari
e. a laptop
(with my budget, I prefer A. or B..... :)

2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?
a beautiful scarf....

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?
handmade frames.

4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?
I was REALLY spoiled as a child and rec'd soooo much. But the one gift that I remember losing hours with was my Simon toy.

5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?
Jonathan wants a trumpet and a girl (not necessarily in that order). Micaela was an iPod, and Adam wants a basketball hoop thingie. And they ALL want a Wii....

6. What is your favorite holiday food?
I cannot name just one. The list is LONG......but I love dressing and cranberry sauce. And Peanut Butter Oatmeal Fudge. And hot chocolate. And Coconut Cake.....and a million other things.

7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?
I will be making cards for a Veteran's Home. I love making cards! And these sturdy men, who've served our country, are so grateful. It's very tender to watch them as they open a box of cards that they can then mail out.

8. What is your favorite holiday movie?
"It's a Wonderful Life." of course.....but I also love "Elf", "Polar Express" and "Love Actually"....

9. Favorite holiday song?
every single Christmas carol. I love love LOVE singing Christmas carols...just don't tell anyone :)

10. Favorite holiday pastime?
napping. No explanation needed!

Our “sleigh” is a Madsen Bike filled with gifts and goodies from Provo Craft to help you create those handmade projects including a Yudu screen-printing machine, a Cuttlebug, a Cricut Expression Machine, a Your Story thermal book binder, and a Knifty Knitter loom set. That’s not all - we’ve got treasures galore - a Dyson Blueprint, an Easy Walker Sky stroller from MamaBargains.com, two Sidekick baby carrier bags from Kemby and an Amber Alert GPS unit and a full year of service.

That’s over $3,800 in gifts!

So copy this meme (you know you wanna) and Send a link to your post via email with “Wish List Meme” in the subject line. You can even tag a few friends to participate in the meme.
How cool would it be to win?? I actually gasped when I saw the Dyson, I'll admit it....
Someone has to win, why not me?

ten more days.....

Do you realize that Thanksgiving is only TEN DAYS away....?
I love Thanksgiving....
I have great memories of Thanksgiving from my childhood.
My mom was, and still is, an amazing cook. She could put Paula Deen to shame. :)
I love the whole deal: the turkey, the stuffing, a few pies, WAY too many dishes to wash, full tummies, napping on the couch.....and above all else, being grateful.
No matter what's going on in your life, you have a lot for which you should be grateful.
The list of blessings in my life is long. I am lucky. So are you.

Now.....I have to start planning and gathering recipes. I was just telling someone at the Retreat what a great frugal addition a turkey is to your menu...I can get about 20 different meals out of one turkey..but truth be told, I fix the same three recipes. Maybe this year, I'll make the full 20 to the delight of my husband :)

What are you most thankful for this year?

I am most thankful for perspective. It's constantly changing and shifting but I am changing with it. I am thankful that God is opening up my heart to be more welcoming to whatever changes He has in store for us. I am thankful for my beautiful family. So thankful.

Veteran's Day

My favorite Veteran is of course my husband.
He, like countless others, has served -and is still serving- his country admirably.
So to my husband and all the others, thank you for your service.
We are the Home of the Free because of the Brave.