Home Despot Elly

It’s back!

If you like A&E’s Pride and Prejudice, English mini-series type shows in general, or Upstairs/Downstairs stories featuring the English upper class and the servants who make their lives possible – you might like Downton Abbey. And if you DO like Downton Abbey you will be happy to know that it’s back for it’s second season, [...]

Good Books

I know I’ve been absent from the blogosphere for a long time, but I’ll jump right back on with a couple of book recommendations of books I’ve read since last I blogged.

Loving the Little Years by Rachel Jankovic needs little recommendation in my usual circles – I heard lots of good things about it, which is [...]

Hurry! Scurry!

Michael worked late every night this week, except Tuesday (when we had company for dinner) and Friday (when we had a church Christmas pageant). Thursday night I took the kids to the dress rehearsal, so they were up late that night. Friday night, after the pageant we brought two boys home to spend the night to [...]

And Judah is Eight!

Happy Birthday, Judah!

His favorite food: French Fries

His favorite activity: Playing Age of Empires on my computer

Doesn’t that all sound so healthy? For the record, he very seldom has french fries, and his computer playing is strictly controlled.

Honestly, I don’t know what I would do without Judah. He can vacuum, clean windows and mirrors, actually pick [...]

Happy Holidays!

Thanksgiving baking! Pumpkin pie from scratch. Monica gutted the pumpkin and Judah pulled off all of the pumpkin skin after it was baked, so it wasn’t too onerous for me. But I don’t think we’ll do it again unless we grow our own pumpkins. It didn’t taste any better than the pumpkin pies I made from [...]

Phinehas at 18 Months

There is such a huge difference between 12 months and 18 months! That must be why people differentiate, rather than just saying “He’s one year old.” He wasn’t quite walking at 12 months, and now he’s running. Fast. He couldn’t really manipulate his surroundings, and now he can open drawers and cupboards, push chairs into more [...]

Rock Hard Butter?

You could microwave it – and pull out a cube with hole melted through it – some if it still too hard. Or you could postpone your baking project until it softens – by which time who knows what will be going on? (Anybody else had sick kids lately?!) Or you could follow this tip: How [...]

Happy Thanksgiving!

We all have so much to be thankful for! I’m thankful to be spending Thanksgiving with my in-laws, always a treat. I’m doubly thankful that my parents are also coming to the feast! As I sit here in my blue bathrobe (thanks Mom), and drink my thrice-blessed coffee, I’m also thankful for clear winter mornings (we [...]

True..

The Old Wives’ Program for Thanksgiving Week:

MONDAY – Wash TUESDAY – Scour WEDNESDAY – Bake THURSDAY – Devour! – [...]

Second Anniversary Date

Second as in, second date, not second anniversary! In point of fact, we were able to celebrate our 10th Anniversary twice this year, the first time with a dinner date and the second time, just the last weekend, with an overnight stay in downtown Portland. We’ve never left the kids overnight, (since Judah was born nearly [...]

Sunday Update #3?

And a good Sunday it was! Hope you all had a blessed Lord’s Day as well. We went to church, as usual. Today Michael substituted for an absent Sunday School teacher – so he got to teach Judah’s class full of 6- and 7-year-olds. I asked Judah how Dad did, and he said he did “fine.” [...]

Ezra turns SIX!!

Ezra had a rather extended birthday celebration this year. On his actual birthday, he went out for his early birthday breakfast with his dad. They discuss goals. He received his Spiderman suit from Grandma Rachel in the mail that day, so I let him open it right away. On Saturday, he had a friend, Paul, and [...]

An Abundant Harvest

Here’s my recipe for a (mostly) clean linoleum kitchen floor:

Ingredients:

All-purpose cleaner, diluted, in a spray bottle Old handtowels All-purpose cleaner in a basin with warm water Old bathtowels Several willing children

Step One: Spray spots on the floor with the spray bottle.

Step Two: Give children the handtowels and basin of soapy water and instruct them to wipe down the whole floor. [...]

Sunday Update #2

And now for another Sunday update that I did NOT promise….

This last week was blissfully uneventful: after the plumber came on Monday and unclogged the downstairs toilet and shower. Praise God for plumbers. And working indoor plumbing!

Judah had a soccer game out in Hubbard on Tuesday night. For those of you who don’t know where Hubbard [...]

Daily Chuckle

You know your children have been eating [...]

Sunday Update

I thought this afternoon, that it sure would be nice if I could post on my blog at least once a week and I thought perhaps a weekly Sunday newsletter would be a nice approach. But I make no promises….

To my surprise, I have become a “soccer mom.” By which I really mean a karate AND [...]

Ten Years Together!

I thank God for this decade we’ve had together, and I’m looking forward to the next ten years! God [...]

Sunriver, OR

Uncle Zane, Ezra, and Judah in Sunriver, OR. Photo by Grandpa Howard.

Yes, we went to Sun river for 4 nights last week with my in-laws, and my husband’s brothers (one 20, one 7). We had a splendid time! The weather was perfect, we stayed for just the right amount of time, the kids all had a [...]

Internet Recipe #5: Beer Can Chicken

Since one major goal of blogging is bragging about sharing your successes, I had to make a post about this culinary experience: Beer Can Chicken. It was an unmitigated success, probably the best chicken I have ever made. Given that I’ve been trying to roast chickens for 10 years, that’s more of a statement of ineptitude, [...]

It was time…

Monica was born with a lot of hair.

I’ve never cut it.

It was time.

7/27/2011 right before Monica’s first haircut. (at 3 years old)

She wasn’t wildly enthused about the project, but I think it looks better. I’m pretty sure it’s straighter across the bottom than it looks in [...]