The Three Wise what??

Garrett and I were married in January, so we had a December shower. Since we also had Hunter at the time, one of the ladies in Garrett's church thought it would be fun to give us a veggie tales nativity scene. In the last 7 years baby Jesus (the pea in the wagon) had put on enough miles to actually make a pilgramage to Bethlehem.

We put up our Christmas decorations yesterday and the kids were ectatic to see the manger scene. So, I didn't think much of it when I saw them all huddled around the plastic play set last night. After I had put the little ones in bed I started puting some finishing touches on the other Christmas decs. And that's when I noticed Larry (the king) and his trusty camel laying down beside an oddly FULLER manger scene.

I couldn't believe my eyes. My children had replaced Larry with three "Wise Men." And oh, what an ironic selection! I think Mary fainted when they showed up with their gifts of a nuclear rod, Santa's Little Helper, and Duff Beer!

Butt Cake no more!

Finally - after years of shedding tears, throwing cakes, and humiliation - I have finally baked a successful layer cake. Every time before, no matter what technique I tried, my cakes would split down the middle - looking more like a fault line or a plumber's rear end than a beautiful birthday surprise.

Now, I have to be honest - several of those butt cakes were made for an ex-boyfriend of mine. And I honestly believe God was trying to tell me something with the outcome of those cakes. :)

I attribute my current success to several things:

1. Persistence - I have made dozens of butt cakes, but I didn't loose heart
2. Careful study - If there was ever a recipe in my Taste of Home or a segment on Martha Stewart about layer cakes, I payed careful attention (and got lots of good advice)
3. The right cake mix. My cousin (or 2nd cousin once removed by marriage, or something like that) makes cakes professionally. Rumor has it she dropped one of her cakes on the ground and it didn't even break - Betty Crocker brand. (She will remain nameless to protect her good reputation despite using box cake mixes and to prevent the person who ate that cake that had been on the ground from spewing chunks!)
4. Good frosting - I made it with Crisco and a little stiffer than usual - less sliding that way!
5. Lori's fancy cake holder thing. One of those wedding gifts that rarely, if ever, gets used.
6. Since I'm doing the 60/60 experiment I stay in constant conversation with God instead of the bursts of colorful conversations that happen during the typical layer cake episodes. :)

So, Happy Birthday Andi. I hope you enjoy your cake - because there will probably never be another one quite like it!!!

The Madhouse + 2

We watches two of our friends' kids today. They recently added number 3, so we thought we'd give them a little break and take their 3 yr old and almost 2 yr old. When you are chasing around 4 what's 2 more, right?

Wrong! I can't imagine having 6 kids every day. We had lots of fun and I would absolutely help them out again, but every day? How do people manage 6 or 8 or even 10? That's crazy. I didn't get anything else done. Although, now that the extra 2 are gone my house does feel a lot less crazy.

Today confirms my motto: 4 and NO MORE!

Check out my WeeMee...

60/60 Experiment

Several weeks ago Garrett and I started a new bible study together. We've tried lots of the couples devotionals and quite honestly, they are all cheesy. Anyone with half a Sunday School background can skim through them with little or no thought.

So when I found Soul Revolution by John Burke we thought we'd give it a try - mostly because it wasn't geared towards couples and it was a new idea.

The whole premise is to do a 60/60 experiment where you re-connect and converse with God every 60 minutes for 60 days. You set a timer to remind you that God is with you and listening. He wants to be in constant relationship with us.

Garrett has decided to do the experiment with a group of guys from church, too (which I think it pretty cool) although it means I'm on my own (so much for couples devotional).

So, I'll be writing some thoughts here...we'll see where it transpires.

Getting into the spirit...

I rearranged a little of the house today, I was itching for a little change (and less clutter). We moved one of my cedar chests into Leigha's room and the other in the family room. It freed up quite a bit of space in the living room ... just enough for a Christmas tree maybe.

With the weather turning cooler and the days getting shorter I'm beginning to think holidays. I have an itch to bake and decorate the house, but that will have to wait for another day. Moving furniture and vacuuming was quite enough! :)

And not that it has anything to do with anything, but here are some funny pics from our recent "Chubby Bunny" Contest!!

Walk down memory lane

Last weekend Garrett's grandparents came to town. His Grandma wanted to surprise her husband by visiting the air force museum in Rantoul (just south of us) where he did his basic training back in the 50s. We had a great time learning about the air force and the base. I think I enjoyed hearing from Garrett's grandma about how she met Grandpa and how they planned their wedding in one week!

Enjoy the pics...