21 Rules of This House – Rule #2

If you are recently joining me on this series, here’s a link to all 21 Rules.  And here are my thoughts on Rule #1. 

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Rule #2 – We love, honor, and pray for one another.

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This one is huge.  Basically, the first two rules are the foundation of all that follows.  We love God (Rule #1), and we love others (Rule #2). 

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”  Luke 10:27

I guess the first thing to point out is that Rule #2 is about others.  Not ourselves.  It’s a hard concept to explain in our self-obsessed society.  Instead of worrying about what others do or don’t do to make us “happy”, we should strive to put others first by looking for ways to serve each other. 

Can you imagine what a home would be like where every family member looked for ways to show love and serve?  Where we always showed respect and consideration, and prayed faithfully for each other? 

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.  James 5:16

Webster’s Dictionary defines honor as:  “to regard or treat someone with admiration and respect.”  From a young age, we should be teaching our children to treat family members in this way.  Not just parents and other adults…but siblings as well. 

We should strive to make our home a haven from the world…a place where we speak kindly to each other, consider each other’s needs, and look for ways to show love.  What a wonderful legacy to leave our children!

Here are some practical suggestions for how to implement Rule #2:

• Insist that everyone (including parents) speak to each other kindly and respectfully.
• Nix the sarcasm.  Especially the kind that is belittles others.  (I’m surprised lightening didn’t strike when I typed this…I need to work on it.)
• Share prayer requests with each other during family devotionals and/or mealtimes.  Pray together.  Consider helping your kids keep a prayer journal.
• Recognize and reinforce kindness.
• When we sin against each other, apologize and show forgiveness.
• Don’t hold grudges. (Second lightening strike.)
• This one is OH SO IMPORTANT, and it’s for parents:  Don’t discipline in anger.  Discipline in love.  Anger and indignation have no place in a discipline situation.  Take a minute…pray…then come back and handle things calmly. 
• Make a game out of doing kind things for each other.  Secretly do something nice, then have fun guessing who did what!
• And, finally…express your love to each other.  For some people this is easy.  For some people it’s very difficult.  The bottom line is we need to hear the words “I love you.”  Children, especially, need to hear these words from their parents.  Just because you say it a lot doesn’t make it mean any less!

As always, I welcome your thoughts on this post!  The first two rules are pretty heavy.  Really, if we truly understood and obeyed the first two rules, there would be no need for Rules #3-21!

Why I Haven’t Blogged Lately

The past couple of weeks have been pretty full, and I wanted to share some of the things I’ve been up to! 

My mom came to visit, and like we do every time she comes, we crammed our days with shopping, crafting, and redecorating.  What started with, “Will you help me paint the family room?” ended up with complete makeovers in five rooms of our house! 

Ever since Todd and I got married in 1996, I have enjoyed rich jewel tones and autumn-y colors.  My kitchen was a deep purple and dark green.  My family room was dark green, brown, and burgundy.  My living room and dining room was brown and burgundy.  My bedroom was gold and dark green and burgundy.  See a pattern?  After almost 15 years, I came to the conclusion that I am TIRED of fall colors. 

I wanted to brighten everything up!

I got an awesome set of new dishes for my birthday…

So now my kitchen is teal and green!

I sewed new drapery and mom reupholstered my chairs.

Then…I painted my family room light blue.

And got a bright, happy new picture for the fireplace.

I hung new drapery in a pretty green for the living and dining area, but you will have to use your imagination because right now it is a homeschool/craft room/sewing room/playroom/piano lesson room…warzone.

But what I am most excited about is our bedroom makeover.  Before, I had an eclectic mix of hand-me-down furniture and dark colors.  Now, I have this.

It is so restful and peaceful!  We painted the walls a silvery gray.  I changed the bedding to all white with black/white/green accents.  A new headboard and picture pulled the look together. 

We painted all the furniture black and added new hardware.  I think it looks brand-new!

Thanks, mom, for all your help the past two weeks! 

21 Rules of This House – Rule #1

Thanks for all the feedback via my blog, Facebook, and e-mail.  It looks like a lot of you share my interest in Gregg Harris’s 21 Rules of This House!  My husband already publically committed to work on following #14-19, bless his heart.  He’s not the only one…I struggle as well.  My prayer is that by working through these rules, we will be on the road to a happier and more peaceful home!

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Rule #1 – We obey God.

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I love that the first rule is the foundation on which the other 20 rules are written, as well as the foundation of the first four 10 Commandments.  In order to obey God, we must acknowledge God as our creator.  He made us and is the author of our life. 

“You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For you created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.” Rev. 4:11

In His great mercy, He takes care of us.

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” I Peter 5:6

This doesn’t mean that we only love and obey God when things are going our way.  God does not promise that our lives will be free of trials!  This is what He promises:

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

How can we NOT want to love and obey God when He gives us the gift of eternal life?  Even though we don’t deserve it!  The hardships of this life are but a moment in the expanse of eternity.  {Lord, help me remember this.}

Because of these truths, we should have a heart that seeks to understand God and obey Him more every day.  It’s a whole new way of thinking!  Everything we do, say…how we act, speak…what we spend our time doing…how we spend our money…our WHOLE LIVES should be lived in a way that seeks to obey God simply because we love Him and are thankful for the gift of eternal life. 

When we shift our way of living from how to please ourselves to how to please God, it gives us great freedom AND happiness!  Instead of being slaves to our own sinful desires, we can finally love others, forgive others, experience contentment, and have true joy in Christ.  It is the journey of the Christian life…and it always ends with the joy of eternal life with Christ.

Practically speaking, here are some ideas of how we can implement this rule in the home:

• Read the Bible.  Read the teachings of Jesus, read Proverbs, do a word study on the word “obey.”  There are some great examples in the Old Testament of kings of Israel who did not obey God…and the destruction that followed.  Conversely, there were kings who did obey God…and were blessed.
• Have a regular time of family devotions.  What better way for our kids to learn how to love and obey God?  When we spend time outside of church studying Scripture, it communicates to our kids how important God’s truths are! 
• Think before we speak/act. (“What does God teach about this?  How would God have me respond?”)
• Make obeying God part of our conversation.  Talk out loud with our kids about different choices and which choices are obedient to God.
• Post these things around the house:  10 Commandments, verses that talk about obeying God (Acts 5:29, Rom. 6:17, Heb. 5:9, etc.), 21 Rules of This House.

Thanks for following along.  I would LOVE to hear from you!  Perhaps you have comments, questions, or additional ideas about how to implement this rule in your home.  I welcome all feedback!

21 Rules of This House

A while back, I attended a small group fellowship for young families in my dad’s church.  My dad, as pastor, was working through Gregg Harris’s 21 Rules of This House.  I was struck by the wisdom and simplicity of the rules.  They just make sense.  This list was posted on the refrigerator when I was a kid, and the lessons have stuck in many ways.  I’d like them to stick in more ways!

I decided at that time to work through the rules on my blog.  I want to do this to expose people that might not otherwise have seen them, but also to work through them for my own family’s benefit!  All comments and feedback are welcomed from anyone who wants to follow along with me!

Of course, it’s important to remember that the ultimate rules for living come from the 10 Commandments and the teachings of Jesus Christ, but these 21 simple rules are a practical application of how we are taught to live in Scripture. 

What I would like to do is take one rule per week and just give my thoughts on how to apply it to the home.  I want to correlate it with the 10 Commandments and other verses in the Bible.  I want to share how Todd and I plan to teach the rule in our home.

Without further ado….here are the 21 Rules of This House!

1. We obey God.
2. We love, honor and pray for one another.
3. We tell the truth.
4. We consider one another's interests ahead of our own.
5. We speak quietly and respectfully with one another.
6. We do not hurt one another with unkind words or deeds.
7. When someone needs correction, we correct him in love.
8. When someone is sorry, we forgive him.
9. When someone is sad, we comfort him.
10. When someone is happy, we rejoice with him.
11. When we have something nice to share, we share it.
12. When we have work to do, we do it without complaining.
13. We take good care of everything that God has given us.
14. We do not create unnecessary work for others.
15. When we open something, we close it.
16. When we take something out, we put it away.
17. When we turn something on, we turn it off.
18. When we make a mess, we clean it up.
19. When we do not know what to do, we ask.
20. When we go out, we act just as if we were in this house.
21. When we disobey or forget any of the 21 Rules of This House, we accept
the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Happy 6th Birthday Grace!

I can’t believe our sweet girl is six years old today.  Wasn’t it just yesterday that we were opening jars of baby food and lugging around a diaper bag?  What a joy these years have been.  What a joy Grace is to us!

We celebrated today with a simple dinner at home with friends and family.  Dad grilled burgers and hot dogs while mom and I fixed some baked beans and chips and dips.  We had a Hello Kitty strawberry cake for dessert!  The Towns’ joined us….Will and Grace played together the whole time.

For months, Grace has been asking for an hourglass.  Weird, I know, but she was SO excited to receive one of her very own tonight.  She sits and just stares at it!

She was also excited about getting a Crayon Maker.  Kudos to Crayola’s marketing campaign for making every kid who watches PBS Kids want one for Christmas.  Todd found the last one in Fort Worth!

Grace, your daddy and I love you for so many reasons.  We love your sweet and gentle spirit.  We love your eagerness to learn new things.  We love what a good helper you are around the house and to others.  We love to watch you dance and sing.  We love to hear you talk about Jesus.  We love playing games with you.  We love that God gave you to us after so many years of asking for a child of our own.  How thankful we are for you, dear daughter!

Night On The Town

This weekend we had an awesome family outing in downtown Fort Worth. We ate an early dinner at Uno Chicago Grill. It was delicious and the first time for me to taste Chicago-style pizza.

Next we walked around downtown and enjoyed the huge Christmas tree and all the beautiful lights. There was a band playing Christmas tunes in the square, and we let Grace visit with Santa.

We wandered around a huge Barnes and Noble bookstore and finished our holiday shopping, then we headed to Bass Hall for the annual production of The Nutcracker. Due to a generous gift, we scored box seats on the first tier! We felt very high class with a private waiting room and beverage service. Grace had a clear, close, unobstructed view of the stage. She loved every minute of it! The production was AMAZING, and the ballet dancers were incredible. It was so fun to watch her face as she gazed in awe at the show. During intermission she entertained the other couple who shared our box by trying to imitate some of the ballet moves she had observed. So precious.

After the show, we capped off the evening at Starbucks and went home happy. It was an amazing night, and we are so thankful that we were able to have such a fun holiday outing. We hope to make The Nutcracker ballet an annual family tradition!

Tennis Date

I let my sweet friend Joy talk me into dusting off the old tennis racquet for a few shakes around the court this morning.  Of course Grace had to come along for the ride, and she was perfectly happy to show off her pink tennis racquet and new pink tennis shoes.  She also made a decent ball girl.

I made a very clear disclaimer to Joy and my other two friends who joined us that I had not played since I took a college tennis class in 1993.  And back then I was more concerned with flirting with Todd than working on my swing.  But, thanks to Wii Fit Tennis, I did recently refresh myself on how to keep score.

Joy and I went to a separate court to “warm up”, which is code for “chase balls around the court”.  Joy is much better than me, but we were both beginners compared to the two other women we played.  They mercifully split Joy and me, so we had a seasoned player and a newbie on each team. 

When it was all over, I was actually quite proud of myself.  Sure, I missed a lot of balls, but I also hit a lot.  I even had a few great returns and volleys.  I definitely want to do it again soon, if they’ll have me!

Hurricane Harbor

To celebrate Todd’s last day of summer vacation, we went to Six Flag’s Hurricane Harbor this week.  It’s hard to believe he’s already back at work!  Summer seems to get shorter every year.  Anyway, we’ve been promising Grace all summer that we would go to a water park, and it ended up being a fun day.

Of course, anything compared to Dollywood’s Splash Country is a letdown….that place is awesome.  I think I’ve figured out why Dollywood is so clean, well-run, and inviting.  It’s the employees.  The average age is about 70…mostly retired folk.  They actually care about doing their jobs well and have a sense of responsibility.  Even the lifeguards are older and more experienced.  At Hurricane Harbor, the 87-pound, 16-yr-old lifeguard is more interested in flirting with the bikini-clad crowd than actually watching kids in the wave pool.  Just sayin’.

Anyway, Grace didn’t know the difference…she just had fun!  We didn’t take any pictures because we didn’t want to risk getting our camera or phone wet.  They ended up staying in our rented locker all day. 

I’m quite adventurous when it comes to roller coasters, but not so much with water slides.  I don’t even like the smaller ones.  My idea of a water adventure is floating down the Lazy River, preferably with a cold beverage.  However, Todd finally managed to talk me into going on the Roarin’ Rapids “as a family”. 

After waiting in line for an hour, we grabbed our floats and started climbing the stairs to the top.  Grace was tall enough to ride by herself with a life jacket.  Despite my nervousness about the whole thing, Grace was thrilled to be on her own.

Sure enough, something happened.  A woman was injured on a sharp protruding object and the ride was stopped for the paramedics and rescue team.  A cheeky lifeguard jumped over a wall and stopped the progression of our floats to the bottom of the ride.  For a long time, we waited and waited.  You might think that floating on an inner tube for an hour could be relaxing, but I bet you’ve never done it with a 5-yr-old who is in constant danger of falling through the hole and wants to ride to finish. 

Todd was fed up with the waiting game and started eyeing the side of the ride and looking to the ground below.  He actually asked the lifeguard if he could jump over and get off the ride, and the lifeguard shrugged his shoulder and said, “I can’t stop you.”  So, Todd vaulted over the wall.  I pushed Grace over the wall, then started trying to figure out how I was going to do it.  About 15 other riders were watching us with interest, as well as the lifeguard.  No pressure.

I tried to boost myself up with my arms, but when I pushed up, the roaring water and undercurrent of the ride shoved my body off the wall.  It was hard, people.  I finally managed to do it (thank you, Jillian Michaels).  After the three of us were safely over the side, the lifeguard decided to evacuate all the other riders.  I guess we were the guinea pigs.

And that, my friends, is the final chapter in my life experiences with water slides.

Trip To Clinton

Grace and I got to spend some time at my parents house visiting with them and all the cousins!  I got to meet my beautiful niece Keira for the first time!  Grace was helping feed her little cousin.

The kids loved playing together and it was thoroughly entertaining to watch them pick right up where they left off the last time we visited. 

Even though they don’t see each other very often, they feel very comfortable together.  I think it’s because my brother’s families and I talk about each other all the time and share internet pictures as often as we can.  Although we are so far apart, I want Grace to feel close to her cousins.

This was my favorite picture from our visit.  My parents with all the grandkids!

Youth Camp 2010

Hello internet!  June has been a crazy month, full of travels and family visits and lots of fun!  We started off by traveling to Orange Beach, Alabama for youth camp with my dad’s church.  We weren’t quite sure what to expect with the oil spill. 

When we first arrived, there were itsy-bitsy tarballs on the shoreline.  Unfortunately, it got worse during the week and it prevented us from swimming in the water.  The Coast Guard was hard at work the whole time we were there.

The tarballs didn’t stop us from enjoying the beach, though!  Grace loved playing in the sand and searching for seashells.

 

The lessons at camp were wonderful and the kids were great!  It’s always such a pleasure to go every year, worship, and enjoy the beach!

This year two of Grace’s friends were able to be there, so they stuck together like the Three Amigos:   Claire, Sophie, and Grace.

 

On a serious note, it was heartbreaking to see the devastation that this spill is causing the Gulf economy.  Hotels, restaurants, and shopping centers were bare.  Several business owners and waiters/waitresses thanked us for not cancelling our trip and helping the local economy.  It was so saddening to see first-hand what the Gulf communities are experiencing.  I pray that the clean-up efforts go smoothly and fast so things can get back to normal!

Keira Malie

 

My sweet little niece was born yesterday on Mother’s Day!  She came a little earlier than expected, but perfect nonetheless.  Keira is 7 pounds, 11 ounces, and 19 1/4 inches long.  She has a beautiful head of long, dark hair and is very healthy.  Mama is doing great, too! 

Jon is a proud daddy! 

Ballet Pictures

Yesterday, Glamourcraft Studios came to Grace’s ballet class to take pictures.  She was thrilled to be able to wear her recital costume for the first time! 

Her ballet instructor asked us to put a little make-up on the girls so they wouldn’t wash out in the photos.  Actually, they instructed us to put on eyeliner so their eyes would “pop.” I challenge any mother out there to put eyeliner on a five-year-old.  If only I had thought to take a picture of Grace’s face after I attempted the impossible…  She looked something like this:

Not fun.

So I scrubbed her up and started over, sans eye liner.  A little blush, pink eye shadow, lip gloss, and she looked fine.

Here she is waiting patiently in the hallway with her peeps.

The photographers (wisely) wouldn’t let any parents in the room during the photo shoot.  I would have paid money to see them take the group picture with 15 miniature ballerinas age 3-5.  Grace also had individual pictures taken, so I’ll be really interested to see what they look like and what kind of poses they did.  I’ll post them when I get them!

Surprise!

Last Friday, I got a phone call from my little brother, Jon.  He had an unexpected layover in Dallas on his way home from Afghanistan!  We were SO thankful and excited to have him spend a few hours with us.  He looked great, and we enjoyed the visit.

Jon was extremely tired and jet-lagged, but he was craving Gulf Coast shrimp, so we headed to our favorite Mexican restaurant, Pappasito’s.  It was delicious and Jon assured us it was a great improvement over M.R.E.’s!

When we got home, Todd and Jon planned on catching up on DVR’d episodes of their favorite show, Burn Notice.  Jon laid down on a mattress for the first time in several months while we got Grace ready for bed.  He was out for the night!  We’re so glad he got some good rest on a comfortable mattress before he boarded the plane home to Hawaii. 

Todd took him back to the airport the next morning, and he arrived safely home to his family!

I love you, Jon!

Every Little Girl Wants to Be A Princess

Our much-anticipated trip to see the musical Cinderella finally arrived!  Grace woke up extra-early and donned her special dress!
I even let her wear a crown and put on an itsy-bitsy bit of make-up!  

First, we picked up her sweet friend, Natalie, who spent several hours in the ER last night being treated for a broken arm!  She wasn’t letting that stop her from today’s extravaganza!

We ate lunch in a beautiful tea room.  The girls sipped pink lemonade from a silver teapot and ate sandwiches and fruit.   These girls entertained everyone with their excitement, laughter, and dancing!

Despite the rain and bad weather, everyone still looked beautiful when we got to the theater!

 

After the show, the characters signed autographs for our little princesses!

Despite Grace’s disappointment that Cinderella had dark brown hair, it was a FABULOUS show, full of very talented actors and musicians.  The girls loved every minute of it, and we’re already planning our trip to see Peter Pan in a few short weeks! 

Zoo Day

Grace has been suffering from seasonal allergies, but she was feeling better, so I took her and Kie to the zoo!  It was a perfect day…sunny and warm.  They had so much fun!  Grace paid for it later after being outside in the pollen and around animals for several hours, but they were so sweet and had a blast!
 

I don’t think I had to tell them once to take turns or share.  They made sure each other could see the exhibits and obeyed me when it was time to move on or leave.  So precious!

We rode the train around later in the day when we were tired. 

I am really going to miss Kie next year when he starts school!  What a blessing he and his sister have been to our family over the past two years!  Grace will miss him horribly!

Preschooler Story of the Day

The other day, I was driving home with Grace and the little boy I babysit, Kie.  It was a beautiful day….blue skies, warm breeze.  All of the sudden, literally out of nowhere, it started hailing.  It was so weird.  At first, I thought someone was throwing rocks at our car.  No rain, just hail.

The kids got a little scared, but I calmed them down and told them it was just a crazy Texas storm that would soon pass.  This is the conversation I heard between them while I was driving:

Kie:  “Grace, we’ve GOT to pray.  This is terrible.  Pray with me.”

Grace:  “Okay, let’s pray.”

Kie:  “Dear God, PLEASE stop this hell (i.e. hail).  Please make it a beautiful day again so we can play outside.  We don’t like hell (i.e. hail), so please make it go away.  Amen.”

Grace:  (looking out the window at the worsening hail)  “Well, that didn’t work.”

New Cake Blog

Check out my new cake blog! It's called Cakes By Joanna. Original, huh? I decided to dedicate a separate space to my cakes so I can organize my pictures and refer people easily who want to look at my work.

I created this cake for our Easter luncheon with the sweet Thompson family. Since we don't have any family in Texas, they always include us as part of theirs if we aren't traveling during a holiday! This cake has a subtle peach flavor with peach buttercream filling and cream cheese icing. Grace had fun helping me cut out fondant flowers and butterflies!

As I fulfill cake orders, I'll take pictures and add them to my new cake blog! If you live in the D/FW area, feel free to contact me if I can make a special creation for you!

Spring Break

Normally, we travel as often as we can during vacation time to visit family.   However, this year we decided to stay home during Todd’s Spring Break and plan a “staycation” of sorts!  We tried to do something fun and different every day.  It ended up being the best week we’ve had together in a long time!

On Monday, we played golf.  Actually, Todd played golf while I drove the cart and tried to explain to a 5-yr-old why we had to be silent when players were teeing off.  It was a gorgeous day and so nice to be outside in the sunshine!  Grace was the official “flag mover.”  It was hilarious watching her try to lift and maneuver the awkward pole while daddy putted.

On Tuesday, we went to see “Alice In Wonderland” in 3D.  I know, I know.  Probably not the best choice for a 5-yr-old.  There were some pretty intense scenes.  I took her out to the bathroom during one particularly scary part.  She loved it, though!  All the animals and creatures delighted her.  Thankfully, we haven’t heard word one about the scary dragon or river with decapitated heads.  She’s been sleeping as well as usual and talks about the movie happily.  Just sayin’….

On Wednesday, we rode the Trinity Railway Express to the Dallas Mavericks game.  Grace loved the train ride more than the basketball game!  It’s a double-decker train, so we sat on top and enjoyed the view!

 

The Mavs game was tons of fun!  At first Grace was overwhelmed by the loudness, the height of the nose-bleed section, and the screaming fans.

But she soon warmed up and ended up dancing and entertaining everyone around us when the music played.  She also informed me that she wanted to dance “just like those girls.”  (The Mavs Dancers).  Um…..no.

On Thursday we went to Six Flags, along with every other human being in the D/FW area.  I’m not kidding when I say it took us 2 1/2 hours to go one mile on the interstate, park, and walk into the park.  We waited in line for about an hour for each ride we rode.  Good times.

On Friday, Todd took Grace on a daddy date.  Anytime Todd takes her out, you just never know what they’ll come home with.  After a couple of hours, she proudly arrived home with this:

Her first bicycle.  And daddy succumbed to the “Snow White” model because, of course, the most important thing about a new bike is the princess purse that is attached to the front, which conveniently holds lip gloss.  That’s my girl!

And what was I doing while Todd and Grace were painting the town?

I was painting my kitchen!!!

And re-upholstering my breakfast room chairs!!!

And sewing new draperies!!!

  

In addition to painting my walls, I sanded and painted our cabinetry white.  It was a LOT of work, but totally worth it.   It really brightens up the room and makes me feel happy when I cook!

We thoroughly enjoyed the week together, and Grace was sad to see daddy go back to work on Monday.  Back to reality!

Home Again

Grace and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip down to Louisiana to visit my family.  It was so good to see my sis-in-law and nieces before they traveled back to Hawaii.  Grace and the girls played together the whole time they were together!  And time with Mimi and Granddaddy is always exciting for us!

Unfortunately, when my sis-in-law arrived home to Hawaii after a long plane flight over the Pacific with two little ones, she discovered that her home had been infested by rats.  Several things were eaten up and ruined including:  a leather couch, mattress box springs, kitchen cabinetry, toys, shoes, and many other things.  Apparently, paradise has it’s drawbacks.  After Terminex, a cleaning company, and several nights in a hotel, they are safely back in their home…sans creepy critters.

The 9-hour drive back to Texas was uneventful, and I came to realize that long periods of time spent alone can be beneficial.  (Grace was virtually invisible and stayed quiet with her movies and books).   In addition to counting all the dead animals on the side of the road…109 to be exact…, I had time to ponder and think on things.  Some of eternal significance, some petty.  One of things I thought about was the direction I want to go with this blog.  In addition to being a written scrapbook of sorts for my family, I’d like to do another book study or series of some kind…something about family, home, and/or parenting.  I’m still trying to decide what to pick!  Suggestions are welcome!

It took me several days to unpack and get back in the swing of things.  I’m taking a Wilton cake decorating course right now which requires a lot of homework.  Ironically, I’ve also gotten a sudden influx of cake requests.  As we speak, I’ve got a cake the oven for a church anniversary party on Sunday.  It’s the biggest order I’ve gotten…a sheet cake to feed 100 people!  Next week I’m making a fancy baby shower cake and a 3-tier fondant cake!  It’s a lot of work, and I’m not sure yet if this cake decorating endeavor will be worth the money, but it sure is fun!  I’ll post pics as I finish.

Grace is under the weather.  She woke up today with a nasty cough, fever, and vomiting.  She also literally fell on her face yesterday while pretending to be a kitty cat and injured her front tooth.  There was so much blood that the boy I babysit turned white and ran in the next room!  After I got her cleaned up,  Barbie and the Three Musketeers took her mind off the trauma while I called the dentist.  Basically there’s nothing to do.  Since the tooth is now pretty loose, it will probably fall out soon.  She’ll get an x-ray in a couple of weeks at her next check-up to make sure there’s no damage to the permanent tooth underneath.  I’m really looking forward to the sideways glances in the McDonald’s playground, “Don’t you take care of your kid’s teeth?”  Ahh, parenthood.

This morning, despite the coughing, fever, vomiting, sore tooth, and swollen lips, she was the most dramatic about a hangnail.  A hangnail.  After she threw up for the third time in an hour, I asked her how she was feeling, and she said, “My finger still hurts, mama.”  Bless. Her. Heart.

A Lesson In Shoplifting

Yesterday I witnessed a creative shoplifting technique at my local dollar store.  Grace and I were in the back of the store perusing the Jet Dry Rinse Aids when a young man came over to look for an employee. 

The kid was nervous and awkward and he started babbling about a neighboring dollar store that had just been robbed.  We heard a detailed description of how the store had been closed and there were several cop cars in front.  He had been trying to go to the other store to buy a microwave.  (Yeah, right, the dollar store carries microwaves…) 

Anyway, because of the sensational story he was telling, the front two employees wandered to the back to hear what was going on.  The manager got out her cell phone and started trying to call the store that was (supposedly) being robbed. 

With all the employees in a huddle in the back, the kid made his way back to the front of the store.  I followed him and saw him walk up to the battery display and start stuffing his pockets.  Then he slipped quickly out the door and ran off.  I turned around to go back and tell the employees and I saw the manager walking up behind me.  She had seen him take off through the window.

Grace and I heard all sorts of colorful descriptives from the infuriated manager…it was a classic “distract & rob” technique.  I’ll admit that part of me wanted to take off running after the kid and drag him back to the store by his ear…it’s the band director coming out in me…or my Nana.  Anyway, I just stood there and watched.

You have to admit the kid is pretty creative.