Weekend Update

Friday morning, I found this picture in the book I was reading.  I love, love, love it.  I am going to put it in a frame and set it out.  It just makes me smile every time I look at it.  How adorable is this dog?  We've affectionately named him Blue.  Ginger is only slightly jealous, but very thankful that we would never dress her up in all that garb.

Yesterday, I started my round of Sunday laundry.  It didn't last long. 

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

The diagnosis is that (likely) the transmission went out.  It was nearly 13 years old, but I must admit I am quite sentimental about my washer.  It was the first major appliance Brandon and I bought, and it ended my days of doing laundry in yucky laundromats.  When we lived in Maryville, I did my laundry at a gas station & people could smoke there.  So gross, but it was the cheapest and we had to watch our quarters!  So sad to see this one go, but so thankful for the many happy hours of laundry I've been able to do in the comfort of my own home.  Laundering will continue on Thursday with the arrival of my new washer. 

Luke got to do a first with Grandma & Grandpa Jackson last night.  They came and got him and took him roller skating for the first time at a skating party with their church.  We warned Luke that there would likely be lots of falling down, so he couldn't get mad or upset about it.  It sounds like he was finally sort of getting the hang of it just when it was time to go home, but he had a great time.  Here's a picture Grandpa sent us of him in action.

(I think he must be nocturnal - look at those shiny eyes!  Or maybe it was just the disco ball...)

Tonight, we're settling in early since it's once again a school night.  Luke and I have been reading the Little House series.  I don't know if those are necessarily "boy" books, but they were a childhood favorite of mine & I have all of them, so why not.  Luke really enjoys listening to Laura's adventures and learning about what life was like in the late 1800's.  As we were reading tonight, we discovered evidence of a well-loved book.

Uh oh - better dig out the tape!

Just in case you were wondering - we're about to finish On the Banks of Plum Creek.

Happy last of the 3-day weekend to you all!  Or if you didn't have today off - happy end of Monday to you!

Fun Reads

Looking for a quick and fun read?  I've got 3 goods ones for you. 

First up, Austenland, by Shannon Hale.  I read this book awhile back...maybe last summer (not that it matters when I actually read it), but it is a good one.  It's about a 30-something girl named Jane who is obsessed with all things Jane Austen.  Her great-aunt dies and leaves her an all-expense paid vacation to Pembrook Park, a resort in which the guests spend 2 weeks living as if it were still the Regency era...corsets & all.  The guests interact with actors who represent the people of that time.  Jane is determined to have her vacation, then leave her fantasy of the perfect, "Mr. Darcy" behind her.  It's pretty amusing reading about a modern woman trying to live in an era of old and finding love in the midst of it all.

Next up - the reason I remembered Austenland...because I got Shannon Hale's new novel, Midnight in Austenland at the library and read it this week!  I wondered how the author would create a new novel out of the same scenario, but I enjoyed this one as much, and possibly more than the original.  In this novel, we return to Pembrook Park with a new heroine, Charlotte.  She's recently divorced by a husband who left her to marry another woman, and she's just wanting to get away from it all.  After her divorce, she discovers Jane Austen books and then hears of Pembrook Park and decides to spend a couple weeks there while the kids are staying with their dad over the summer.  She solves a mystery and falls in love and everything works out just swell for her.  A few of the characters from the original Austenland return, and it's just a fun, feel-good, easy read.

Finally, I also read Mindy Kaling's, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) this week.  Another short, easy, and very entertaining read.  If you're a fan of The Office, you'll enjoy Ms. Kaling's memoir of life growing up as an "androgynous" nerd and how she became a writer and producer on The Office.  She's very entertaining and this book is laugh out loud funny in several parts. 

So, there you have it.  It's been nice to actually have time to do some reading this week.  The snow day helped!  I'm hoping for lots more good reading time over the 3-day weekend!  Happy reading, friends!

True Story

I shared this one with friends at lunch today as we were reminiscing of Valentine's past.  When Brandon & I first moved to KC, we lived in an apartment.  On Valentine's Day (which we don't really celebrate), we decided to go out for dinner, because we didn't want to cook anything.  We had this great idea - we had received a gift certificate (yes - they were still in certificate form then) for Outback Steakhouse for Christmas and decided it was the perfect time to use it.  So, I went to my handy coupon organizer where I kept gift certificates in those days and started digging around for it.  I went through my organizer once...no gift certificate.  I went through again & again with the same result.  Then it hit me...I had cleaned out the coupon organizer earlier that day.  I must have thrown the gift certificate away with the old coupons by mistake!  And...I had just taken the trash out to the dumpster probably not even a half hour before this.  So...I marched my behind out to the dumpster - climbed in (note - our bag of trash was the only one in aforementioned dumpster or I probably wouldn't have), opened our bag of trash, found the gift certificate, climbed out & went to dinner.  My friends said they wouldn't have climbed in after it.  I say, I am way to cheap to let a free dinner go to waste over my stupidity. :)  And I did wash real good after my excursion into the world of dumpster diving.  Don't you feel better about your Valentine's Day now?

Snow Day...Hopefully the One & Only!

It's our official first snow day...there is not much snow on the ground, but I'm thinking that those in a position to call the day were like, "What the heck, we haven't had any snow days yet!  Why not?  Let's make the kids happy."  I'm sure that was the conversation.  Despite Luke's grumbling last night that he didn't want a snow day, he seemed pretty happy about it this morning & is currently out in it having a great time.  I don't know where he learned grumbling about snow days from?  If this is the only one, I'm okay with it - not thrilled, but okay.  I want my vacation days in the summer - not when it's snowing & gross outside, but it is a Monday, and I do like Mondays off, so I'm okay with it.

I've been crippled for the last few days, as well, so it probably doesn't hurt anything for me to have another day of rest, as well.  I did something to my lower back last Thursday sometime, but I don't know what.  All I know is that there were a few times Thursday night that I was shedding a few tears because it hurt so badly.  We were going on a field trip to see a play Friday, so I didn't want to take the day and do that to a sub.  I managed okay (and I still have perfect attendance for the year - yay me!) and my friend and next-door-room neighbor taught me some stretches he does for his lower back because he's had problems with his lower back in the past.  Anyway, I've been doing my stretches & I'd say I'm about at 90% today.  If I don't sit too long, I feel pretty good.  It's probably good for me to be at home and rest it for another day, though.

On the agenda today - start a new book - Midnight in Austenland, by Shannon Hale.  I read Mindy Kaling's (Kelly Kapoor from The Office for those of you who watch it) memoir (Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? And other concerns...) yesterday (sorry for all the interruptions in parentheses).  It was pretty entertaining.  I also have work I could do for school.  Maybe a balance of both would be good today.  We'll see which one wins out!  We're also tossing around the idea of pizza buffet for lunch...a favorite snow day past time.  Yum!

Catchup

I haven't made a really substantial post for awhile, so I'm going to try to make up for that today.  I've been so busy with work since coming back after Christmas that I've been short on time, as well as ideas! 

First off, it's interesting the things you find when your child becomes able to write.  I find things he's written on his desk that just crack me up.  This little gem was found on my bedside table last week:

When asked why he felt this way, he said it was because a friend at school told him that they put poison in the food at fast food places.  It's not like we eat fast food all the time or anything, but I'm pretty sure Luke has never complained about a fast food meal.  We'll see how he really feels next time we eat fast food.

As mentioned in the previous post, we got to meet my new nephew, who does have a name now, by the way.  Tucker Wade is a sweetheart.  Luke really enjoyed getting to meet his new cousin.  I can't wait to see this sweet little guy again sometime soon!

I've been trying to stay caught up with my reading, but I've been so busy lately, it's been tough.  Here are the books I've been reading for the last few weeks. 

First up, probably my favorite...Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand.  I'm not typically a nonfiction reader, but this book...just. wow.  It is the story of Louis Zamperini, who started out in life as a bit of a thief, discovered running in high school, went to the 1936 Olympics, then ended up fighting in WWII, which led to him being a Japanese POW.  It's the story of the hardships of his life and his ability to remain, well, unbroken, in the face of unbelievable circumstances.  This author also wrote Seabiscuit.  I've never read the book or seen the movie, but the book is definitely on my list.  Though, it was nonfiction, it didn't read like it.  I couldn't put it down.  There are plans in the works to turn this book into a movie.  If so, I'll definitely be seeing it!  Thanks to my friend, Rachel, for recommending this to me!

Next up, another nonfiction book recommended by my friend Shea. This book was a fascinating look at the World's Fair that took place in Chicago in 1893.  It took you through the planning and building of the fair, which was accomplished in an amazingly short time.  It gives you a look at things we use today that were developed and part of the fair.  The fair was called "The White City"...the "Devil" was a doctor who ended up murdering a number of people during the time period of the fair.  It's a fascinating look at one of the first documented serial killers in the US.  This book is definitely being made into a move - to be released in 2013 starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Dr. H.H. Holmes, the killer.  I'll definitely be seeing this one too! 

I love VI Warshawski.  She's a tough as nails private eye in Chicago.  She's getting older, but she doesn't back down from a case.  If you haven't read books in this series, I'd recommend any of them.  VI fights for what she believes is right and doesn't let any threat or danger get in her way.  In this case, she works to solve a murder in a cemetery where a group of girls were holding a vampire club meeting.  There are no actual vampires (can't do those types of stories - too weird for my blood), so no worries there if you feel the same! 

Unwind is a young adult novel I read for work.  Some of my kids may be reading this as part of lit circles coming up in the near future, so I wanted to make sure I had read it.  To be honest, I wasn't really that excited to read it, because I had categorized it as "weird" in my mind, because it's futuristic and science-fiction-like & those aren't really my favorite kind of books.  In this novel, a 2nd civil war has been fought over abortion and the result is that parents can make a choice once their child is 13 to "unwind" their child if he or she doesn't turn out the way they'd hoped.  An unwind will basically be taken apart and every part of his or her body used to replace worn out, broken, etc parts in other people.  In this way, they'll live on and never exactly die.  It was actually a really good story and raises lots of questions.  I can see young readers really getting into this one.

And finally, I joined the world of Pinterest a few weeks ago.  It's kind of interesting to see what other people are "pinning", but to be quite honest, I still really don't get it.  It's just not my thing.  I've mainly pinned books I've read or want to read.  I don't cook, I don't decorate, I don't do crafts...and a lot of other stuff I see pinned.  I guess I'm happy to say I don't find it to be a time waster the way other people say they do when they really love it. I don't really find a need to spend much time there at all!  So, to those of you who love it...that's great...it's just not for me. :)

Introducing...

My new nephew...who doesn't have a name yet, but that's okay, because he's so darn cute!  Just had to give a shout out to my sister, who is the mother of now 3 little boys!  This little guy is her smallest at 8 pounds, 13 ounces...yep, I said smallest.  Number 1 and 2 were 10 pounds and 9 pounds, 15 ounces respectively.  Did I say my sister was amazing?  She is. :)  I can't wait to meet my new nephew (and find out what his name will be!) soon!  Congratulations, Kristen & Dusty!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

The football obsession continues...

Finally!

That tooth has been loose for over a month and if he had really wanted to, could have pulled it 2 weeks ago.  But he didn't want to pull it...and today, thanks to a drink from his juicebox at lunch it finally gave up the fight and fell out on its own.  The one next to it is almost gross to look at it's so loose.  Especially now that the other one is gone.  I'm trying to convince him to get #2 out, because the tooth fairy is running a special and will leave more money if she can get 2 teeth in one trip.  We're only 42 minutes away from bedtime and I don't think he's convinced.  Oh well...maybe the juicebox will take care of it for us again tomorrow?

Breaking News Update:

Tooth #2 - OUT!  Tooth fairy special...coming up!

Post-Christmas Photo Overload

I hope you all had a very merry Christmas!  Isn't it hard to believe how quickly it is over after a month (or more) of buildup and excitement?  I spent yesterday dealing with the aftermath - sorting and putting away the way too many gifts we received and taking down and putting away all the Christmas decorations.  I am thankful I only put out seasonal/holiday decorations once/year...that's enough for me!  However, my living room looks so drab and bare without all the pretty Christmas things.  But I digress...I know all you really want is to see my Christmas pictures.  I'll just torture you with my favorites and not every one (though it may seem that way) that I took. :)

Every year, Brandon wraps only one present for me.  The rest he puts in bags.  However, the one he wraps, he wraps with scraps of paper leftover from other wrapping jobs.  This year, he even made a scrap bow.  I had to open this present before we even ate dinner on Christmas Eve - why - because it was a new camera...he figured I'd want that for the rest of the gift festivities later in the evening.

Here is Luke, anxiously wanting me to hurry up and take the darn picture so he could start opening his presents.

Ginger liked her present too.

Brandon and Ginger posing so nicely so I could try out my new camera.

This one is Luke taken - so a little shaky, but we were so excited about the present he made us for a gift, that we wanted a picture.  It's a tree ornament with reindeer painted on...so cute.  That's one I'll treasure every year when I put up the tree.  Have I said how much I love his teacher this year...this is yet another reason.  How sweet and thoughtful to help the kids make a present for their parents.

Luke posing with his new real football that Santa brought.  Thanks to the nice weather, he got to spend some time out in the yard throwing it around with whomever he could talk into going out with him.

Brandon's brother went all out in buying us gag gifts this year.  First up, was a "Best of the Brady Bunch" CD for Brandon.  His brother had to apologize...he'd already opened it up & listened to it before giving it.

Next up, was a family-themed gift - Bullhaulers.  If you read my blog about when we traveled to Colorado in July, you might remember that it is a Spaeth family tradition to count bullhaulers when we travel anywhere.  This is Brandon's - "American Bullhauler Assoc. - Ain't No Feelin' Like Cowmobilin'"  Nice.

Me - I'm a "Bullhauler Extraordinaire"

Luke - "My Daddy Says...Ain't No Feelin Like Cowmobilin" and his very own bullhauler (and $20).

Moving on to my parents' house, here is the best picture I could get of the 4 grandkids.  I can't imagine how hard it's going to be next Christmas when we have 2 more to include!

Luke and Brady - future trash collectors?

Ellie and Cooper could not get enough of Ginger.  I thought this picture was just too cute of Ellie trying to love on Ginger.  All day, she and Cooper probably said "I being nice," about a million times when it came to getting some Ginger time.

Kristen forgive me, but this just made me laugh and think of a conversation you had with Cooper earlier in the day: 

Kristen - "Cooper, don't pick your nose." 

Cooper - "Why?"

For some reason, we decided to try to get pictures of the kids together again later.  I'm not sure why - this was the best of my bunch. 

In addition, my parents are also celebrating 40 years of marriage this week!  Happy anniversary, Mom & Dad! 

A final shot from our last Christmas celebration at Brandon's grandma's house.  It was a long, but very exciting and fun-filled day for all of us.  We are so blessed with wonderful families!

Go figure...

Last year, I gave you a little taste of my "festive" holiday attire for our holiday assembly at school.  As part of the teacher group performing as carolers, we all agreed to wear ugly Christmas sweaters.  When I put out a plea for something ugly to wear, my friend and now teammate, Valerie, produced this:

This year, I got to don the shirt again.  The best part of it was that both last year and this year, I had so many kids tell me how much they liked my shirt.  Brandon thinks they tell me this because they are embarrased for me that I am wearing something so ugly.  I think it's because they like sparkly and shiny things.  This year, though, I had the perfect complement to the shirt, a pink skirt & belt straight from my Grandma's closet.  When she gave it to me, I'm not sure her intention was for this, but well, I'm not sure I have any other ocassion to wear it.  See for yourselves, the glory that was my outfit for today:

 I'm not going to lie...I looked amazing today.

Merry Christmas from the Spaeths!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

We don't do Christmas cards anymore...we JibJab.  Merry Christmas from us to you!

You Be the Judge

Case Study #1:
So Brandon and I were getting ready to walk yesterday...everyday, we walk before we pick Luke up from the bus stop.  Sometimes, Ginger is excited to go when we tell her we're going to go walk and get her brother.  Sometimes, Ginger goes straight to one of her beds and curls up and looks at us like, "Look at me, I'm so comfy and cozy...don't make me get out there and walk."  Yesterday, we got ourselves all bundled up and start looking around for Ginger.  She's not in any of her usual spots.  We're hollering all our encouraging words that, depending on her mood, may or may not excite her..."Let's go walk!" "We're going to get your brother!" "Let's go outside!"  We're wandering around the house looking for her when I finally walk into Luke's room and see this:

There she is all snuggled up in Luke's comforter which was stuffed in his closet while the sheets were being washed.  Later in the evening, again, we can't find Ginger in any of her regular favorite spots.  What we forget is that she has another favorite spot when Luke isn't home (he's at Grandma's for the weekend)...

Luke's bed!  She just makes herself right at home.  So, you be the judge...does she miss her brother or is she just staking out his territory for her own?  I choose to believe that she misses him. :)

Case Study #2:
Before Luke leaves for Grandma's, I see a homemade Christmas card on the floor in his room.  I'm all, "Oh, what's this?" and pick it up.  Luke says, "It's a Christmas card I made for you in art today."  And I'm all like, "Oh...that's so sweet."

Then I open it up and read what he wrote on the inside.  And at first, my heart is melting because I've got just the sweetest little guy.  I keep reading and I'm not sure what to think...here is the inside:

"Dear Mom and Dad, You are my favorites. (Awww)  I do not know why. (huh?)  Merry Christmas.  Love, Luke" 

I could not stop laughing, but I've got to be honest that it made me just the tiniest bit sad that he couldn't think of one reason we're his favorites.  So you be the judge...are we really not his favorites, or was he just too lazy to think of a reason?  I'm going to go with #2 because I want to believe that we'll always be his favorite people in the world...haha!  Regardless...this is a definite keeper that I will enjoy pulling out and re-reading for many years to come!

Football Fanatic?

As I'm clearing the dinner table tonight, I find this: 

Side 1 - Results of the 1st game watched today.

 Side 2 - Game currently in overtime...no final score yet!

And when I just went to lay out clothes for school tomorrow, I find this on his desk chair:

Eagerly anticipating the 3rd and final game of the day?  I'm pretty sure so...unfortunately, bedtime will come calling at 8:00 since it's a school night.  There's going to be one disappointed football fanatic in the house tonight.

Ready for Christmas!

Thanksgiving

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One tired buckaroo who hasn't taken a nap in I don't know how long!  (Please excuse the bare mattress - sheets are in the dryer!)

Happy Thanksgiving

When Luke was born and still in the hospital, one of our pastors gave me a book called, Whisper a Prayer for Moms. It's a sweet little book with many different prayers in it and for my last Thanksgiving post, there is one that I just think says it all:

 

 

"O God,

 

 

I have enjoyed such an abundant harvest in my life, I can scarcely ask for more, because you've already given me so much. A warm home. A family. Good food. and many other blessings.

 

 

But my greatest joys are not in a harvest of material possessions or grand accomplishments. My deepest joy is found in the wonderful experieences that are mine as a mother, as a wife, as your child.

 

 

No wonder you tell us in your Word to remember your mighty deeds and thew ays that you have worked on our behalf. I won't forget the ways your presence has blessed my life, and I will continue to thank you for the siple memories that last a lifetime."

 

 

I hope this day finds you enjoying all the blessings that God has given you. Happy Thanksgiving!

Giving Thanks

It is unbelievable to me that Thanksgiving is tomorrow! I have so much to be thankful for and it has again been so good for me to stop and remind myself of all I have. One thing I know I take for granted a lot is my health and that of my family. We are blessed to be a pretty hearty group and none of us get sick very often. I'm also thankful that I can be active and walk and exercise, which even when I'm tired rejuvenates me and keeps me going. What would my life be like if I couldn't? I don't even want to think about it!

I am so very thankful for my husband, too. He is the one who keeps things in this family running smoothly. Since he's been working from home, he's taken over so many things that I used to do, and quite honestly, made me a little lazier than I already was! Even though I know he doesn't enjoy it all (cough*cough* vacuuming), he does it with a generous heart. I don't know what I'd do without him...he is, as one of my good friends likes to say, simply amazing!

It's bound to be a busy day here as we're hosting Thanksgiving tomorrow. It's for a very small group, so I think it should be fairly low stress, but the house isn't going to clean itself if I don't get started. The man cooking the turkey (and several other items) gets the week off from the housecleaning duties!

Sister Act

Here is a picture from the halftime show last week (finally)! I know you've all been waiting for it! Heavenly, you say? Why, yes!

Woohoo!

It's a 2-day week...need you really ask what I'm thankful for today???

Brrrr...Was it really nearly 70 degrees yesterday?

This morning, it's sure hard to believe it was that warm yesterday. We went to church at 4 last night, walked in with comfortable temps around 60 and walked out to a cold wind and a car thermometer reading 43. Which leads me to being so thankful that we went to church last night and didn't have to leave our nice warm house this morning! I sure do love being all snuggled up in my bed with my cup of coffee. I love lazy mornings! And I'm thankful that the rest of my day will continue to be a lazy one (with the exception of laundry), because I didn't bring any work home this weekend. I'm planning on spending a lot of my day curled up with a new book I started yesterday. Sounds like the perfect day!

I'm also thankful for good friends. We enjoyed a good time hanging out after church with one of our favorite couples and their kiddos. I'm so thankful for their friendship and for the good times we have together.

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is only 4 days away! We are hosting Brandon's family and it should be a fun day. Luke is anxiously awaiting the day after, because he can't wait to get the tree up. He's been talking about it about since he took off his Halloween costume! I've been sneaking a little Christmas music (just a little!) here and there. I was so disappointed to see/hear that Kansas City doesn't seem to be having any Christmas music radio stations this year. However, was thrilled when I heard my XM radio now has a Christmas station. Starting Friday, I'll be tuning in regularly whenever I drive somewhere. I have barely thought about Christmas shopping...I know this might be hard for a lot of women to believe, but my husband is a way better gift shopper than I am and takes care of most of our shopping. He always has good ideas for people (my family included!). I'll come home from work and he'll say nonchalantly, "Oh, I took care of your Dad's (or Mom's or Grandma's, etc...) Christmas gift today." I know...I am so lucky!!!! I can't even think of things that I want for gifts, much less what to get for others. I would be in big trouble without him!