You're only supposed to be PRETENDING to break the horses

Well, well, well, there's never a dull moment around here, I must say.

Where to begin....yesterday, I suppose :)

During "quiet time" (and I use that term VERY loosely considering what ensued yesterday), the girls were playing in their room...ahem...quietly...as I took a few moments to check email at the hall computer. All of a sudden the "quiet" was broken by wails and cries as Miss A came out of the room and over to me whilst holding onto her left arm. Hmm. Another bump/bruise/etc. no doubt. I took a look at her arm, CKB looked at it and we decided to wait and see after reading online about the symptoms of a break vs. a sprain and so forth. After another look at her arm before bed, we saw some swelling near her wrist and gave her some ibuprofen for pain.

This morning, Miss A said it still hurt and she was holding her arm at her side consistently throughout the early part of the morning and during breakfast. The swelling was less, but still there. We decided we better have her arm checked out so off to the dr. we went. After a brief visit w/the doctor, we were off to radiology a few streets over for an xray (or 2 or 3). After the xrays, we waited and played a few rounds of Uno (Miss A beat me twice!) and finally got word from the radiologist that Miss A had a fracture (compact fracture, I believe was the technical description he gave, the pediatrician called it a displaced radial fracture). Apparently this is the "garden variety" and very common with children in the warmer months as they fall off jungle gyms and the like. Leave it to Miss A to get one in the winter months :)

So, back to the pediatrician's office we go to get a splint. The smallest one they had (a "small") was too big and practically went up to her shoulder...so, off we went to a local medical supply store to see if we could get a child size splint and sling (the pediatrician's office didn't have a small enough sling either, go figure). Over at the medical supply store, a very helpful man got us all set with an XX-Small splint and sling that fit just right (and are too cute and tiny for words).
Miss A chose some candy sticks to bring home for her sister and brothers along w/the extra stickers she was given by the xray tech that she planned to share as well.

Miss A didn't complain one bit throughout the whole day and was in great spirits (especially when winning at Uno in the waiting room). She came home very excited to show off her splint and sling to her brothers and sister. Here she is :)



CKB decided to take everyong out to dinner, Miss A's choice of destination. She chose El Chico because Mr. E likes the jell-o that comes w/the children's dinners. Sigh. She is always thinking of others and is such a sweet and unselfish child.

Now, I'm sure you're just as curious as I was to find out how this all happened....well, I'm told that she and Miss E were playing horses ON THE BED and apparently Miss A fell off the bed onto her MagnaDoodle on the floor and her arm broke the fall, literally.

Please join us in praying for rapid healing in her arm and that it won't require any visits to orthopedics. We'll be checking back in w/the pediatrician on Monday. I'll try to update then on what the next steps will be, if any. Have a great, uneventful in the bone breaking department, night!

Christmas at our house

Here are just a few shots from Christmas day - I decided to just let the camera lie and enjoy watching the children w/my own eyes (not my eyes behind glass...well, more glass than my glasses usually account for, that is) and so we just have a few shots of presents being opened, but that's ok, we have quite a few of the children playing with their gifts afterward and those are precious :)

Here are some highlights -

We have Mr. E, the train boy

Mr. A, the little train boy

Miss E, the Cinderella girl

and Miss A with her new doll


The stockings were leaned by the fireplace gate with care in hopes we'd keep Mr. Baby away from there...ha ha.

and the tree finally all decorated and just before we began to open gifts...


Oh, and just in case you're still hungry after your Christmas Dinner Extravaganza, PLEASE come over and eat all of our leftovers!


There might look like there's a lot of people at this table (minus the one behind the camera), but the 4 children eat like one regular child as far as quantity...well, except for when the pie came out of the oven later on, but we had a LOT of food and still do! Oh, and for those of you who're paying attention, ahem, yes, those are carrots at the end of the table and no, we didn't boot Miss E from the family for suggesting them for Christmas dinner, after all, they are supposed to be good for your eyes, right? ;) (If you don't know what I'm talking about regarding the carrots, then go and read this: Holiday Eating Tips and then come back and say to yourself in proper Larry (VeggieTales) voice and attitude - "it's all so clear now"

hee hee

Our illustrious menu contained the following:

Roast Duckling with onion, carrots, garlic, celery
Mashed potatoes
Sweet potato casserole with pecan crumble topping
Fresh, steamed green beans
Brown gravy
Jellied cranberry sauce
Cranberry sauce with whole cranberries
Black olives
and yes, baby carrot sticks and carrot slices
yeast rolls
and wassail for CKB and I from a little shop we stumbled across recently

CKB pronounced dinner a success and Mr. E said "this orange stuff is tasting good"

;)

Afghan update 1

Ok, here's the first update on the afghan -

Chained 184 (methinks it's going to be a tad too big after lying it across the bed - oh well, better too big than too small)

This pic is about 3 rows of double crochet plus the starting chain row (which is a tad too tight, but oh well, I'm not about to start over - it should be fine in the end and I'll just put that row at the foot of the bed :) )

So, now that you know how imperfect it is, here is a picture!

I'm using Red Heart yarn in Bay Print.

Ta-da!
Oh yes, and last night I timed myself to see how long one row was taking and it took about 40 mn. - ugh - of course, I was a little distracted and paused here and there, but still, next time I time myself, I'm hoping to get a whole row in 30 mn. - still, it's going to take awhile to get this done at those rates! New Year's completion.....maybe not.....

American Girl....or not!

Well, Christmas has come and gone now and I can post about this without fear of a little girl or two coming up behind me and seeing it!

The girls, Miss E especially, have become interested in American Girl dolls after Miss E read Samantha awhile back and then later saw an American Girl catalog that came in the mail. Miss E told us she would like the Samantha doll for Christmas. Hmm. We thought about it and thought about it and were decided just about to get it, then rethought it and decided $87 for doll and first book was just toooo much for an almost 7 year old for a doll - especially with Mr. Baby afoot! Along came the Target ad a few weeks ago and solved our problem!

Our Generation dolls made by Battat - 18" just like the American Girl dolls and adorable, additional outfits galore and some fun accessories like horses, bathtub, bed, wardrobe, etc. Hooray! And, drumroll please, the dolls were on sale for $20! Well, guess what we did? :) Yep, a trip to Target was in order - CKB went to toys whilst the rest of us perused the food section and picked up a few things - CKB found a lovely doll which resembled Samantha and we were set!

Oh yes, Miss A also decided she would like a doll - she has always liked playing with dolls so this was no surprise - the doll she wanted was Elizabeth (friend to Felicity, American Girl) - well, there just happend to be an Our Generation doll that resembled her as well - hooray!

Whew! Saved by Target once again :) And both dolls for LESS than ONE American Girl doll - hooray!

Did the girls like the dolls - YES, YES AND DOUBLE YES - that was alllll they wanted to play with yesterday - changing their clothes, acting out "scenes" as Miss E explained, and so on (and the extra clothes sent by Grandma and Grandpa were a big hit!) They even decided to name them after the American Girl dolls they like - Samantha and Elizabeth :)

All this to share w/anyone with a little girl who might be interested in this type of doll soon - YOU HAVE OPTIONS :) Also, there are A LOT of sites out there where people make clothes for 18" dolls - and they're pretty affordable - we're so thrilled the girls like their dolls - whew!

Here're some pics - you decide :) These dolls are so precious :)

Here's the American Girl doll, Samantha

The Our Generation doll we got for Miss E:



American Girl doll, Elizabeth:


Our Generation doll we got for Miss A -


Well, I've gotta run for now - hope you had a Merry Christmas!!!

Are YOU part of the "chain gang" too?

Well, CKB has been teasing me about being the cobbler's family that had no shoes lately - no, I'm not making shoes on my oh so small amount of spare time - ha ha - but have been learning to crochet. I have made a few afghans of various sizes and given them to friends and family as gifts. I guess seeing me making these afghans and running across a yarn that he liked and saw me making into something for someone else finally caused CKB to ask when I was going to make something for us....so he asked for an afghan for Christmas. Now, as you probably can see, it's Christmas Eve. Yesterday, I chained 184 and began - sigh - but at least it's started and MAYBE it'll be done by New Year's...maybe :) It is going to go on our bed and so it's going to be rather large to be used as a blanket - but I have the fantastic "S" (speed) hook on my side and am using 3 strands of yarn together throughout, so it should go rather quickly.

I'd post a picture of it as it stands right now, but I'm tired and going to go to bed instead - the children will be up early tomorrow and I have to get SOME rest, right? :)

I'll try to post some pics of my progress as I'm able to - I'd love to hear from other members of the "chain gang" and hear about your projects, etc. :)

Merry Christmas to all and to all a GOOD NIGHT!

A little Christmas music to get you in the mood

Thanks to Leah for this fun find!

Boom Boom Aint It Great To Be Crazy

Ok, so we like to be crazy sometimes...not often, but sometimes :)

Every now and then we have what the children call a "crazy dinner" which usually consists of breakfast for dinner or SOMEtimes it's a bowl of whatever odds and ends we can find like popcorn, crackers, raisins, etc.

Well, yesterday we had a crazy lunch - this time it was what the children wanted to have - they asked for a bagel, a marshmallow on top, chocolate syrup (which became choc. syrup and strawberry syrup), yogurt covered raisins, chocolate chips, regular raisins...and I think that's it...no wait, a mini nutter butter bite on top!....what did it look like, you ask? Glad you asked, here it 'tis...




Sing with me....boom boom, aint it great to be crazy....boom boom, aint it great to be nuts....silly and foolish the whole day through, boom boom, aint it great to be craaaaaaazy :)

I am *so* out of it

As I was driving back from a quick trip to the post office whilst Mr. Baby was napping and the rest of the crew were having "quiet time" (and for those who might be concerned, NO they were not at home alone - CKB works at the house and he was on high alert for Mr. Baby sounds emitting from the monitor at any moment because Mr. Baby has some sort of insane baby radar that knows when I leave the house and that is the ONLY time he wakes up early early early from naps!).

But, I digress...I'm driving along listening to the radio for a change (not a Thomas video or the like) and there's some Christmas music on - a "do wop" sort of version of "Let It Snow" came on and I will admit I kind of liked it and wondered who the singer was...our Saturn van has a nifty feature on the radio where you push the "i" button for info. and if the station has the info. available (I'm sure CKB could explain this more technically) then you will see some info. about the song; like the band/singer name and the title of the song.

I saw this:

KSOMETHINGOROTHER STATION RICO

pushed button again to get more info.

CHET LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW

Pushed the button a couple more times to see it again and thought, hmm, what was that name? Rico? Ok, Rico Chet, I'll have to remember that.

The song finishes up and the DJ comes on and jabbers a bit, I don't know what about and then I catch her say "That was Ricochet with their version of Let It Snow!"


Oh, DUHHHHH, I actually have heard of Ricochet, but w/it broken across two lines of text on the radio display, I thought it was some guy named Rico Chet.

I had a good laugh at myself and decided I'm officially "out of it" as far as radio music goes - I never listen to the radio any more - if it's not a CD or a DVD playing in back for the children, I don't hear it. Ah well, maybe if I got back to the treadmill and listening to the radio on the mp3, I might know what was going on a little more in the world of music - we'll see :)

-cab

Hot Cocoa

Inspired by the hot cocoa we enjoyed at our niece's house a few nights ago and a show I saw yesterday, we had hot cocoa tonight.

The show was Barefoot Contessa - if you know why on earth the show is called that, please do share, but I digress - here is the recipe she used:

Holiday Hot Chocolate
Copyright 2005 Ina Garten, All Rights Reserved
See this recipe on air Monday Dec. 24 at 12:00 PM ET/PT.
Show: Barefoot Contessa
Episode: Holiday Surprise
4 cups whole milk
4 cups half-and-half
1 pound white chocolate, chopped
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Seeds scraped from 2 vanilla beans
1/4 to 1/3 cup orange flavored liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)

In a saucepan on medium heat, heat the milk and half-and-half to just below the simmering point. Remove the pan from the heat and add the white chocolate. When the chocolate is melted, add the vanilla, vanilla bean seeds, and 1/4 to 1/3 cup orange liqueur, according to taste, and whisk vigorously. Reheat very gently and serve.



I, on the other hand, didn't have this handy dandy recipe from the web in front of me and improvised :) Here's what I did:

2 cups half n half
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup semisweet morsels
1 tsp. vanilla

Heat half n half and whipping cream - add semisweet morsels and stir 'til melted (or almost all melted as I didn't have tons of time to get this done :) ) Add vanilla and stir. Serve!

Enjoy - it was RATHER chocolately and very thick and creamy compared to what the store-bought mixes are like, but YUMMMMY :) Next time, methinks I'll thin it down a bit - wowee!

Oh yes, and serve with some of those fantastic little cookies you can buy that are little round circles w/cute pictures on top :) We had snowmen cookies tonight - so easy and delicious and perfect for a busy mama!

Holiday Eating Tips

Found this on a friend of a friend's blog tonight....I need to go to bed!
Enjoy!
-CAB

Eating Tips for the Holidays

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can and quickly. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an 'eggnog-aholic' or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it! Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think.

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand-alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple, pumpkin and mincemeat - have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert -- Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Reread tips: Start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

Expelled

Ran across this recently - take a mn. and go and watch the trailer for this movie - looks like it will be interesting. http://www.expelledthemovie.com

Can you pass 8th grade math?

Just for fun -

Care to play and post how you did in the comments section? Have fun!

You Passed 8th Grade Math

Congratulations, you got 10/10 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Math?

Morning math musings

Picture this - family gathered around the table for breakfast - conversation ensues:

Miss E - 1 pound is the same as 16 oz., right Mama?

Me - Yes

Miss E - What is 43 x 16?

Me - Hmm, why do you ask?

Miss E - Just because

Me - Ok, but why? Did you see something that is making you ask?

Miss E - Just because...

Me - (pulls cereal bag over to look at the measurements of weight for the bag to see if this is why, then it dawns on me) Is it because you want to know how much you weigh in ounces? :)

Miss E - (shyly) Yes

Me - ok (cell phone happens to be on the table so I use the calculator) 688

Miss E - Ok, wow, that's a lot! What if we add 5 to it?

Me - Why 5?

Miss E - When we were at Grandma and Grandpa's the scale said 43.5

Me - Ok, but that was in pounds, to get the .5 you need to add 8 since half of 16 is 8, right?

Miss E (thinking)

Me - You would either need to add 8 or 1/2 of 16, which is 8, right?

Miss E - yes

Me - So, that would be 696

(about this time CKB arrives at the table to eat breakfast)

Me - Tell Daddy...

Miss E - (smiling) Daddy, I weigh 696 ounces!

CKB grins

Me - Welcome to morning math!

Dinnertime Math

We're all sitting around the table tonight after dinner talking and CKB asks Miss A if she knows what half of 14 is. She says no. CKB proceeds to explain how to find the "half" of something - the conversation goes something like this:


CKB: "Miss A, if you have 1 cup of something and another cup of something, how many cups do you have?"

Miss A: "2 cups"

CKB: "Ok, if you only want half of them, what do you do?"

From the corner of the table where Mr. E is sitting finishing up his dessert we hear:

Mr. E - "Complain"

:)

CKB and I laugh for a bit as Mr. E continues eating his dessert oblivious to how funny he has just been :)

Miss A got the answer right after she had a chance to give her own reply :)


- CAB

New Niece

Posting to let you all know that our new niece has been born! Praise God for her safe delivery!

Copying in the info. as received from my brother, Matthew minus last names :)
Please join us in a prayer of thanksgiving for this new little one.

- CAB




Naomi Jubilee
"Pleasant" "Joyful celebration/Shout of Joy"

Naomi Jubilee (last name omitted) was born into this world on Friday, December 7, 2007 at 1:15 AM. She weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces and was 20 inches long. As you will see from the pictures, she has dark brown hair, thicker around the sides. Both mommy and baby are fine. We arrived home on Saturday, December 8, 2007 around 5 PM.

She has already brought so much joy into our lives. We are so very thankful to God for our sweet little miracle and can't wait for all to meet her. We deeply appreciate all the prayers that went up on our behalf. We are confident that our heavenly Father up above heard and answered those prayers.


All our love,
Matthew, Rebecca, and Naomi

Ps 139:14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

Oh how the days fly by!

It's been almost a month since last I blogged....we've been busy! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving trip, which I hope to spend a little time writing about later. We've also been sick off and on since about a month ago - I knew it'd been going on for a long time, but it wasn't until I thought about 2nd Sunday coming up and remembered we were sick LAST 2nd Sunday when down in Madisonville. Whew. I am TIRED of being sick, but this too, Lord willing, shall pass. We were getting better around about the time we left for our trip last month, and then apparently after coming in contact w/so many different people along the way, we picked up some new germs and passed them around for the past few weeks. Currently CKB and I are still feeling a bit crummy, but the children are feeling their oats quite nicely :) and are more resilient than us "old folks" I guess.

We opted for a real Christmas tree this year - the house we're renting has low ceilings and our artificial tree would've been touching the ceiling for sure. I have to say, I'm enjoying the wonderful aroma wafting through the house - we may never go back! I'll post a pic once we get it decorated. As of now, it is in the stand, has one string of lights on it and that's all we had energy for last night.

That's all for now - we *are* anxiously awaiting news from TN though - today is the day, Lord willing, that we'll hear news of our new niece's birth! More to come when we hear the news!

- CAB