Overheard

Last night on the way to church, the kids were discussing what Jesus really looked like (as opposed to how He is often pictured).  Joel decided He had a really good beard, just like Phil Robertson's.  Then one of the older kids brought up the Nazarite vow.  Jude asked, "What's that?"  When it was explained to him, he yelled from the back of the van, "Mom!  I don't want to take the vow!  I like my hair short!"

Something Fun

I recently entered an article for consideration to publish on one of my favorite blogs, One Hundred Dollars a Month.  The author of the blog, Mavis, has offered her readers $20 in Amazon credit in exchange for pictures of their pantries.  If she decides to feature your pantry on her blog, she will also donate $20 to a local food pantry.  Food!  One of my favorite subjects.  I couldn't resist.  Mavis posted my pantry today.  Rachel is happy that another bag of her dog food is on the way, thanks to the $20 Amazon credit.  (Kudos to Grace for taking all of the pictures for the article).

Puppy Update

Rachel Raspberry the Puppa Wup is getting bigger by the hour, or so it seems.  She's getting used to her routine.  About an hour before each meal time, she sits down on the floor and looks up to the top of the fridge where her chow is stored in an old ice cream bucket.  Then she looks at her bowl (way on the other side of the kitchen), then she looks at you.  She might even let out a few yelps to make sure her point is made.

In between meal times, Rachel loves to run around the back yard with the kids and to take naps.  Her favorite snooze spots are the ever present pile of clothes in front of Lydia's dresser and the rug by the sliding glass door.

 The day we brought Rachel home, my mom gave her a big bag of doggie toys that her dogs were no longer using.  Honestly, I thought some of the toys, especially the squeakers, where dumb.  However,  Rachel loves them all.  My mom also brought a doggie pillow which Rachel adopted as her own from the very start.  I'm pretty sure Rachel would not tolerate her kennel at all if it weren't for that pillow.  Lesson learned-- never question Grandma the Dog Whisperer.

Lydia is 10

Lydia had a birthday at the end of January.  She got to enjoy a couple of celebrations before her big day including hosting a tea for one of her friends and getting to go on an outing with mom.  She had a great time fixing the hair and painting the nails of her friend. What better way to enjoy tea time than with a fancy outfit, pretty fingernails and a new hair do?

The first stop on Lydia's birthday outing was her big sister Grace's school.  Lydia got the full treatment from Grace with a lovely new hair cut and princess colored nails.  Then I surprised Lydia by taking her to get her ears pierced.  She's been talking about it for months, but after having beauty treatments at the cosmetology school, she didn't expect it to happen.  It's pretty hard to pull one over on Lydia, so it was a good surprise.

On Lydia's actual birthday, Grace made homemade spaghetti and meatballs for dinner and Elizabeth made a low carb, low sugar cheesecake.  She made the same cheesecake for three different January birthdays because it's that good.  Even the little boys have wanted seconds each time it's served.

As my Grandma Dorothy would say, "You'll never have a birthday with single digits again."  Lydia has the same middle name as her great grandmother--Dean.  So, I guess it's fitting that I end Lydia's birthday post by remembering her.  Grandma was a woman of strong character and Lydia definitely shares more than her middle name with her great grandmother.  Lydia recently shared with a friend of ours that when she grows up she  plans to either get married or be the president.  She's a Dean alright.