Making lip gloss

Gram gave Punkin a "Make your own lip gloss" kit for Christmas. After much begging from Punkin, I finally had a day that I could face without a nap, so I let her stay up during her rest time so that we could make it without Little Man "helping."

She had a great time with it. There were 5 little containers to make. I helped with a couple of them, but she did the rest by herself. Well, almost. Since the color directions mentioned something about not coming off kitchen counters, I added the color - but under very strict supervision.

Dividing the base:

Mixing the base with the color:

Transferring to the fun pink container:

Thanks Gram!

What does your desktop look like?

dcrmom at Musing of a Housewife wants to know what our desks look like. (Because Daily Blog Tips asked her. :) )

Here's mine. I didn't clean up a thing because there is no point. It's messy, but it's mine! What is that saying - "A clean desk is the sign of a sick mind." ? Any hope that is true?


You can see lots about my life here! The yellow stack of books on top and the books on the floor to the left of my chair are for school. The binder and stack to the right are for work. There is a pile of things to take for my Sunday School class tomorrow.

I bought my chair from the interior design firm I worked for many years ago - as a purchasing agent, definitely not a designer!! I got the desk on Craig's List for $25 - can you believe that?? It has a been a perfect fit for me.

So, this is where I work and blog and plan. What does yours look like?

Don't you love Christmas?

I love Christmas! Today, I love it because my kids have new toys!

We got the kids a Lea*pster for Christmas, and, my friends, it was worth every cent! Although we will limit it soon, we've been letting them play as much as they want and they've already gone through one set of batteries!

Punkin had her first Level 3 gymnastics class this week. I wanted to stay for her first class anyway, but it was snowing and it took every ounce of courage I have to take her in the first place. So, we definitely just stayed put.

Did I mention that the class lasts for 2 hours? (Twice a week!)

But, Little Man had the Leapster. And he was a happy boy! (I tell ya - worth every. cent. )

Tonight I walked in the family room and found him here. He looks so grown up to me - this picture is a perfect example of why we call him Little Man. Doesn't he just look like a Little Man up there?
And Punkin is near him - drawing away. This is her passion, and has been since she could hold a marker. New markers from her uncle, and another princess picture! Sometimes, I am so filled with love for them that I don't know where to put it.

On their recent visit, my brother's girlfriend slept in Punkin's room. We set up a tent for Punkin in Little Man's room so she could "camp out" with him. Little Man is, not surprisely, completely taken with the tent, so we've left it up and now he is sleeping in it. Tonight, I snuggled with them in the tent and read "Where the Wild Things Are."

It was one of those precious memories that I will remember when they are grown and cry bittersweet tears over.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Ok, so we're a week into it, but I feel like I can finally say it. (Except that the Christmas tree is still up, but hopefully the kids and I can work on that tomorrow.)

My brother and his girlfriend came to visit for a few days. (I'm gonna be so, so sad if they break up. Here's hoping God brought them together. *crossing fingers*) We visited with each other, exchanged Christmas presents, visited the Air Force Academy and Garden of the Gods, and enjoyed each other's company. It was fun!

Yesterday and today, I have finally done my "New Year's thing." I know some do not do resolutions (and I completely understand why), but I find it is a great time to review my life. So, I have updated my 2008 goals, updated my time management schedule to reflect our changes for the new semester, and updated academic/character goals for both of the kids. Now, I feel ready to tackle the upcoming year!

And, for the sake of global accountability, here are the goals I feel comfortable sharing:

2008 Goals

Priorities (in order):
Child of God
Wife
Mom
Teacher
House Manager
Business owner
Church member, ministry
Others

Spiritual
Have quiet times 6 times a week with prayer
Specifically pray about ordering my day in a way that pleases God and reflects the priorities He has shown me.
Attend church regularly
Attend bible study regularly

Family
WeaverDad:
Continue weekly date.
Pray for him at least 3 times a week
Plan at least 4 fun, creative times for us during the year.

Punkin and Little Man:
Have nightly prayer time with Punkin, and nightly bible reading with Little Man
Set academic goals quarterly – January 1, April 1, July 1, Oct 1
Set behavior/character goals quarterly – January 1, April 1, July 1, Oct 1
Pray for them at least 3 times a week.
Continue with gymnastic classes for physical development.
Spend at least 30 min with them every day that is just for them (no school, cleaning, work, phone, TV, etc.)

Housework
Clutter control.
Spend at least one hour each week cleaning out clutter, at least 30 min of that time cleaning out “stored” clutter
Continue with meal planning, try new recipe every other week
Continue following cleaning schedule for items not handled by cleaning company

Work/ Career
Continue bookkeeping business, max avg 10 hrs per wk.

Personal
Exercise 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes
Lose 10-15 pounds – be at a weight where I am comfortable purchasing clothes
Evaluate life “balance” quarterly
Maintain friendships

Other
Host our 2 annual parties
Provide meals to those who need them
Visit family at least once this year
Continue “blog” as communication with family and long-distance friends.
Write thank-you notes promptly!

Do you do resolutions or goals? Share with me so I don't feel crazy!! :)

2007

I got this from Kelli at There is no place like home. Check out her site for others doing the same year-end review.

Thanks, dcrmom, for the referral! This was a lot of fun, and I was surprised how many highlights the first sentence of each month hit! :)

The directions are:

Post the first sentence of your first blog post of each month. You can also add a favorite picture from each month.

January
I've been wanting to start a blog for awhile now - mostly for family and friends who are far away.

(Ah, the very beginning.)

February
The Mint was fascinating

How my Little Man feels about airplanes.

March

My grandma is healing nicely still. There is some talk that she might even be able to go home tomorrow!Frosty Time

April
No April Fool's! My baby is 3

Easter picture

May
I'm a believer in kids having chores, and one of my kids' daily chores is to set the table.

My dad with an 8 month old Punkin.

June
We are finally home after an extended trip to see family.

July
While playing in the sandbox:
Punkin: (running) AHHHHH! Big spider!
SnugBug: Where is it, sister? I want to see the big spider!

That's my boy!

August

Have I mentioned that I have the "try-to-do-it-all" syndrome, frequently combined with the "all-at-the-same-time" syndrome?Enjoying the last days of summer.

September
Punkin started her enrichment program this week.

Punkin learning to ride without training wheels!

October
I think my Punkin got hold of my camera..... Isn't her finger beautiful?

October snow storm

November
Halloween is not my favorite holiday.

Halloween

December
Gosh, life has gotten away from me!

Punkin hanging an ornament during our church's Christmas program.

I feel better now

Today, I caught my 6 year old standing in the kitchen with the refrigerator door open because she forgot what she was looking for.

Maybe I'm not so old!!

Christmas Program

Last week, the kids had their Christmas program at church. The preschoolers, which included Little Man, got to dress as one of the people from the Christmas Story. I'm not sure if he was supposed to a wise man or a shepherd, but he thought his "thingy that went around his neck" was very special. They sang 4 of the 8 songs. Punkin had lines, and, boy, was she excited! I helped her read them enough that she could figure it out on her own, and she worked very hard to memorize them.

Her lines were about how God came to save the whole world,
and she got to hang a globe on the Christmas tree.
She did an amazing job (in my completely unbiased opinion. :) She has such a great time that she actually cried at the end because it was over.