New Recipe

I realized that I hadn't posted a recipe in quite a long time. I found this one in a magazine a couple months back and I made them this past Thanksgiving. They were a big hit so I thought I'd share it here with all of you.

Candy Bar Cookies

Prep time: 35 minutes Bake time: 10 minutes Cool: 2 hours

1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup butter
1/4 cup dark or light-color corn syrup (I used light b/c that's what I had)
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
1 cup butterscotch chips
2/3 cup peanut butter
1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

For oat layer, in medium saucepan, stir together brown sugar, butter and corn syrup over medium-low heat until combined. Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in the 1/4 cup peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.

Place the rolled oats in a very large bowl. Pour brown sugar mixture over oats, stirring gently until combined. Press oat mixture evenly onto bottom of an ungreased 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let oat layer cool slightly in pan on wire rack.

In the same saucepan, stir together chocolate chips and butterscotch chips over low heat until melted. Stir in the 2/3 cups peanut butter until mixture is smooth.

Sprinkle half of the peanuts over oat layer in pan. Slowly pour chocolate mixture over the peanut-topped oat layer, spreading evenly. Sprinkle the remaining peanuts on top of chocolate.

Cool in pan on a wire rack for several hours or until chocolate layer is firm. Cut into 1-inch squares. Makes about 115 pieces.

To store: Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.

YUM-O!

Charlene

I met Charlene Larson back in October of 2001 when she started Small Wonders Preschool and Daycare. I will never forget the first time I met her! That smile, that laughter... it was contagious! I knew I had found the right person to take care of my only child, Chloe.

I cannot begin to put into words the kind of person Charlene was and what she meant to our family. Words that come to mind that describe my friend include... joyful, caring, loving, trustworthy, funny, outrageous, courageous, thankful, gentle, spontaneous, wonderful, crazy... the list could go on and on. I loved so many things about Charlene. She changed my world. She made me want to be a better person. I feel privileged and honored to have been able to have her as part of my life for 7 years!

So - here's to you, my friend...

Thank you for living an authentic, transparent life.
Thank you for loving my child like she was one of your own.
Thank you for your hugs.
Thank you for the Small Wonders back rubs.
Thank you for living selflessly.
Thank you for teaching us about forgiveness.
Thank you for teaching us about finding the good in everything and everyone.
Thank you for your courage.
Thank you for your laughter.

Thank you... for you. I love you my dear friend and I will miss you every day this side of heaven. But I rest in the knowledge that we will be together again one day in paradise. Today... the angels have one more reason to celebrate and I can just hear the words of our Savior saying... "WELL DONE, my good and faithful servant."

You will live in our hearts forever!

Dance on, Charlene! Dance on!

I know it's gonna be worth it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQVmR0jV52A

Feeling Thankful...

This year I thought I'd jot a few of my thankful thoughts down as this Thanksgiving day quickly approaches.

I'm THANKful for...

My wonderful husband who makes my life complete!
My beautiful daughter for giving me a reason to want to be a better person!
My mom and dad who gave me life and who stand beside me no matter what!
The awesome work I get to do every day of my life!
My friends who know me well and STILL love me!
My dog who teaches me every day about loyalty!
The volunteers I have the privledge of serving alongside of each week who teach me what it means to truly give your life away!
CHOCOLATE! This one goes without saying, right?
My mother-in-law for living such a selfless life!
My great nieces and nephews and all the smooches I get from them!
SNOW! I LOVE SNOW!
Coca-Cola - the drink that's gotten me through many a mornings!
My health.
My trusty Trail Blazer. It's not the greatest, but it's reliable and always gets me where I'm going.
My small group. They pretty much ROCK!
Email! What would we do without email?!
God! For sending His son, Jesus Christ, to die on a cross for ME! For His grace, mercy and love!

What are YOU thankful for this year?

Happy Thanksgiving!!

She's 8...

Had an interesting conversation with Chloe tonight while cutting her nails...

Chloe: Don't cut that one too short, that's my special nail.

Me: Why, is that the one you use to pick your nose?

Chloe: NO! I use my middle one for that.

Ha! That kid cracks me up!

It's Coming...

... mark your calendars! December 5 & 6. More info coming Sunday at Crossroads!

Here's last years video (you'll want to put my play list on pause so you can hear the music with the video).

Paying It Forward... Pass it on!

So.. I'm normally not a breakfast eater, but this morning when I left the house I realized I needed to take some cold meds and the side of the bottle strongly advised that I eat something when taking the medicine. So - I decided to stop at Mickey D's for a breakfast of champions... an Egg McMuffin Meal.

When I got up to the window to pay the woman said to me, "No need to worry about paying - the gentleman ahead of you paid for your breakfast this morning!"

WHAT? Who does that?

She went on to explain that almost every day this particular person comes through the drive-thru and he "pays it forward" by paying for the car in back of him. She even said that there are days that it's a little more expensive than normal - but it's okay by him. She said he feels honored and humbled to be able to do for someone else.

Again - WHAT? Who does that?

Well - this man does! And I was quite inspired by that! I have to say - it made my day and it caused me to pause during the hustle and bustle of my day to thank God for this man and to thank Him for all of the blessings He has given to me in my life.

When I got to work this morning, I received a note from a friend. She, too, was "paying it forward" by forwarding me a note she'd received in the signature line of another friend of hers. It said:

"You have not lived a perfect day, even though you have earned your money, unless you have done something for someone who cannot repay you."

Priceless! A perfect ending to my blessed morning.

I'm going to pay it forward. I'm going to encourage my teams to pay it forward. Together - we can change lives by demonstrating Christ's love. Let's be His hands and feet. Start today.

Pay it forward... Pass it on!

Fall Time Fun!

Took the kids to the Clinton Fall Festival last week. We had a nice time. I think the kids had more fun. For the first hour or so that we were there - it was all about them. We ate - what they wanted, visited the booths - they wanted to visit and did things - they wanted to do. What's up with that? :)

One of the first booths we came across was face painting. This was NO ordinary face painting either, let me tell you! This woman was incredible! So - with their own money... they picked out and purchased their own face painting. Take a look...









Happy Fall!

Wherefore Art Thou Toothfairy?

I'm ashamed right now to even admit this.

I blogged earlier in the week about Chloe losing 2 teeth right?

So... She goes to bed on Tuesday night and decides that she should tape the envelope with her teeth in it to her bedpost so that 1.) It doesn't fall behind her bed and 2.) So to make SURE that the Tooth Fairy sees the tooth (after all she's very small, you know?!). I have a pretty smart kid. :)

Wednesday morning she wakes up. Envelope still there. Teeth still inside. No money.

Darn that Tooth Fairy must have forgotten all about it!

Wednesday night Chloe decides to tape it to the very top of her bunk bed ledge. This time "she's sure to see it" my daughter cries out!

Yep - for SURE she should have seen it.

She didn't.

She forgot.

Again.

So... we will try again tonight.

Must be the Tooth Fairy is getting old.

And forgetful!

;)

Losing Teeth!

There's an epidemic going around Chloe's third grade classroom! Everyone is losing teeth like mad! This week Chloe lost 2 teeth. Other kids in her class have also lost multiple teeth too! Good thing picture day was LAST week!

Here's my very own jack-o-lantern! :)

Complete Randomness

I haven't posted in a while. I know most of you will believe me when I say this... it's NOT because I haven't had anything to say. Just not enough time to say it! :)

So - here's some complete randomness...

~ School starts next week and my baby's gonna be in the THIRD grade! I can hardly believe she's that old already! Heck - I can hardly believe I'm that old already!

~ Trevor and I passed a sign hanging in a store today that said, "50% off everything today only!" Not very unusual. But the store was closed. Hmmm...?

~ I just saw a sign that said "Obama-Biden" and for a moment I could have sworn it said "Osama Binladin". What??

~ It's the end of summer and I realized the other day that not only did we NOT finish the projects we had planned... some of them we didn't even start! It's been a busy summer! Guess those summer projects will turn into fall projects... and so on. ;)

~ Went school shopping the other day. Was successful on clothes - but found absolutely NO shoes that were decent! Not ONE pair. Seriously. It was weird. It's slim pickens out there for shoes! Does anyone know where they actually have cute shoes for 8-year-olds?

~ Every morning this week - I've woke up at 4:20 A.M. and couldn't get back to sleep. Weird? Is God revealing 4:20 to me for some reason?

~ Went to lunch this week with two of the greatest people I know. I'm blessed to have such wonderful friendships!

~ I spent 2 hours on an online project this week that I accidentally deleted and LOST in it's entirety! ARGH! That's 2 hours I can't get back! :0

~ I'm addicted to party planning. I know, it's weird. I've already started planning Chloe's Fall Party in October.

~ Have you been grocery shopping lately? OMW! I was in Wal-Mart yesterday and was so disgusted at the rising prices of things! Things I noted that were SKY HIGH are... cheese, milk, produce, peanut butter, butter and bread. And that's just because those are the basics I needed. WOW! Dropped $140.32 like it was nothing!

That's it. That's all I got.

Hope to get back to posting more regularly soon.

;}

The Lead of Love

The other day I was sharing my story with someone who had some questions about the my life's journey. During the course of the conversation, I found myself, several times, saying, "looking back I see God's fingerprints all over my life!"

The person I was talking with was questioning this... asking, "What do you mean by 'God's fingerprints'?" And so I continued with story after story about the times God had me in just the right place at just the right moment and how His love has been so evident in this journey of mine.

I decided to post some of these "Fingerprints of God" in my life...

~ The time I was in a severe car accident that should have ended my life. I shaved the side of a tree with my car. An onlooker would later recall the incident as "amazing"... "like someone "lifted your car and moved it right out of the path that was leading directly into a tree!" No - that was God' fingerprints.

~ Blessing me with a wonderful man in which to share my life with. Someone who is not only my husband, but my best friend. Someone to laugh with, cry with and love. God's fingerprints.

~ The love and support I received from friends and family following the death of my best friend my freshmen year of college and the lessons learned about God's grace and mercy even in times of great sorrow. God's fingerprints.

~ For God's perfect timing on the conception and birth of my daughter, Chloe. I waited and waited to have her - begging God for a baby in my timing. I learned that only His time is the perfect time. God's fingerprints.

~ For giving me special friends and mentors who aren't afraid to speak truth into my life - even when it hurts - because they care about me that much. God's fingerprints.

~ For a sprained ankle back in 2005 that kept me down and out for close to 3 weeks because God needed to get my attention and tell me to slow down! I slowed down and was able to really hear God during that time. God's fingerprints.

I could go on and on about the times in which God was leading in my life. Times that I can look back on and see Him at work and it's absolutely amazing!

I love the song by Caedmon's Call entitled, "Lead of Love".... Enjoy it!

A man is more than the sum of his deeds! Thank you, God, for your lead of love!

My Daughter Cracks Me Up!

So - - Chloe sat in the service with us yesterday. (She does that far more than I like to admit!) And she's become a pretty good note-taker. She pays attention and even though I know she doesn't always "get it" she always seems to take something away from the service she attends.

I'm afraid this is not so true for yesterday.

Pastor Scott's message yesterday was entitled Shadows. He talked about the valleys we go through in life and how even in the midst of those valleys we should fear no evil, because as Christ-followers, we can rest in the knowledge that God is always with us. He said that all dark valleys are inevitable... we're either just coming out of a really dark valley, we're currently in a dark valley or we're getting ready to go into a dark valley. Either way - valleys of the shadow of death are unpredictable, impartial, temporary and purposeful.

Pretty good stuff.

As I look down at the fill-in's on my eight-year-olds paper, here is what I see...

Valleys are COOL
Valleys are WIRD (supposed to be WEIRD)
Valleys are DISASTERS (surprisingly spelled correctly!)
Valleys are INSTANT
Valleys are TENTS

What to do in Dark Valleys
Refuse MOM (what?!?)
Remember LIFE
Rely on DIEGO (what can I say, he's one of her best friends!)

3 Important things about Shadows
Shadows are always WIRD (there it is again!)
Shadows cannot SKIP
There is no shadow HERE

I'm not even sure what to think about this...

:)

My Purse Is Too Heavy?

So - I went to the doctor yesterday. Been having some pains that were worrying me a bit, so I went to get them checked out. Things are okay. HOWEVER, my purse, apparently, is not okay.

It has to go on a diet!

Yes - I was scolded by the Physicians Assistant and told that my bag was "way to heavy" to be carried around!

IN FACT - - the P.A. actually put my purse on the SCALE to be weighed!

7 lbs!

I carry around a 7 lb bag! I couldn't believe it.

BUT - I use everything in there on a regular basis. I'm a mom, for crying out loud, I HAVE to be prepared.

The P.A. wasn't haven't it! She told me to go home and empty the purse out and get rid of all the things I didn't ABSOLUTELY NEED! In fact, she even made Trevor carry it out of the doctors office!

So - - it's a day later and my purse is still not cleaned out.

I'm having a hard time defining "NECESSITY".

Here's a peek inside my bag...

















Help! What do I get rid of? Here's just some of the items I'm having a hard time letting go of (because, you never know, right?)...

2 pair of sunglasses
Tylenol Bottle
Excedrin Migraine Bottle
Bayer Bottle
Camera
iPhone
Scrunchies
Checkbook
Writing Tablet
Pocket Planner
Pens
Chap stick
Rolaids
Tide to Go Pen
Mini Lysol Can
Mini Container of wipes
Tissues
Cold Sore Treatment
Prescription Meds for Migraines
Keys
Ankle Brace
Wallet

HELLO?? What could I possibly get rid of?

What about you... what's in your purse?

Vacation Recap Days 4-7

Wednesday morning we awoke to this really weird sound coming from what appeared to be next door to us. It wasn't next door - it actually turned out to be outside. It was hail! FORTUNATLY it only lasted about 20 minutes with a little bit of rain and then gorgeous again by about 10. That was, literally, the only rain we saw all week!

So - we decided to head out around lunchtime from the hotel towards the U.P. It was long drive - but one I didn't mind too much - because the sites were incredible! Saw much of Lake Michigan on the trip to Escanaba. Beautiful weather, easy traffic and country tunes crankin'! :) Doesn't get much better! (Did I mention that the ONLY 3 channels we got for 3 days were country stations. I learned how to appreciate country music all over again!)

We ended up in Escanaba at around 5. Nice little town. Checked into our hotel room and then headed to the lake for some pictures. Got some really cool lighthouse pics and scenery shots (all on Trev's camera of course). Nice, relaxing night.

Went to dinner at a place called Hudson's. Cool little burger joint - kind of like a greasy spoon-type place. After dinner, visited their Wal-Mart (guess this is just a must on vacation) and got some things we needed and then it was back to the hotel for the night.

End - Day 4.

Thursday morning we woke up early and headed toward Mackinaw City. It was a gorgeous day! We stopped a couple different times along the water to stop and look and of course, take pictures. Trevor loves the water and HAS to be as close to it as he can be when he can be. :)

Arrived in Mackinaw City in the mid afternoon of day 5. Weather was PERFECT - about 70 degrees! I'm just gonna say right now that it could never get a degree past 75 and I would be ONE HAPPY person! :)

Ate lunch in Mackinaw City and then did some shopping. Played putt-putt in the early evening. Trevor won. Of course he did! But only by one stroke! It was funny - Chloe had forgotten that the LOWEST score wins and so was happy each time I told her daddy got a 2 and she got a 5. Needless to say, at the end hearing she got a 60 and daddy got a 42 and that daddy one, it did not make her very happy. She did get 2 hole-in-one's, though, so I was very proud of her! :)

Walked through downtown, Mackinaw Crossing, in the evening. Got Ice Cream and then watched a pretty cool laser show before heading back to the hotel for the night.

End - Day 5.

Friday morning, Trevor and Chloe headed to the hotel's continental breakfast while I stayed back and took my shower and got ready. Pretty crazy - while they were gone I set-off the fire alarm with my hair dryer! (Now maybe Trevor will believe me the next time I tell him that I literally SWEAT getting ready in the morning because that darn dryer is so hot!) It did finally go off by itself, but it was a little scary there for a moment!

Took the Ferry to Mackinac Island on Friday. Another BEAUTIFUL day! Literally - not a cloud in the sky! The Ferry Boat to the Island was very fun. Windy - but fun. Here's a picture of Chloe. She didn't much care for all the wind.



Got to the island and did lots of walking. Took a pretty cool Horse Carriage Tour that took us all around the Island - including a stop to Fort Mackniac a stop by the Butterfly Conservatory. Trevor got some AMAZING pictures at the Conservatory! I'm not kidding - some of these pictures need to be in magazines! (Insert: Bragging up my hubby here!)

Ya'll have to ask Trevor about the Haunted House that we toured while we were there, too. Talk about scary! I did learn that my family and I are all whimps! Big barks, with little bites! :)

Learned some really interesting facts about the Island. VERY imformative Tour Guides. Check this out for a a little more touristy stuff about Mackinac.

Got back to the main land about 6. I had a pretty intense migraine so I went back to the hotel to lay down while Trevor and Chloe went to the beach just outside of our hotel. They were able to get KILLER seats for the fireworks, too!

Decided on pizza for dinner. Pizza on the beach was pretty sweet! When I came back down from resting from my headache - this is what I saw...



Sweet set-up. My hubs rocks!

We did get yelled at by some guy who accused us of stealing "his chair" from his room (the one with the cooler on it). It was pretty interesting since all Trev had done was get it from the beach when he first arrived and no one was around. We told him he could have it - but he just said, "N0 - whatever!" Guess he was pretty mad. Oh well. We didn't let it ruin our evening.

Fireworks on Lake Michigan were incredible to say the least. They were literally setting them off just a piers-length away from us. It was pretty increible. They also lasted longer than any I've ever seen.

Here's some pics of Chloe's time splashing around in the lake...

















We even did some sparklers. Everyone loves sparklers, right?



Ended the day about midnight. Got to bed late, but it was good. Well worth it for all the fun we had! :) Great memories!

End - Day 6.

We took our time getting up on Saturday. The last day of vacation is never fun - so we just took it slow. Checked out of hotel and grabbed a bite to eat at a really cool family-style restaurant before getting on the road again.

Filled gas tank - $4.27! WOW!

We decided to stop at West Branch at the Outlet Malls. Now my husband is one heck of a guy. He only stops at these places for me. Isn't he the best? He even did some shopping with me in Bath and Body Works. Now that's love, right ladies?

Ended up texting my friends of ours who were staying in a cottage up in Hale, Michigan, near Tawas. Knew we were pretty close - so called to see if they wanted to come over and shop with us. They ended up inviting us over - so we decided to make a "pit stop" for a little bit to hang with them. Ended up eating dinner and before you knew it - it was late. We still had 4 hours of driving home to do. So... we did what any sane person would do - - we stayed the night - adding ONE MORE night/day to our vacation. It was unexpected - and very fun! We laughed with friends, watched a movie and was able to spend some extra down time relaxing before heading back the next morning at 8 a.m.

Overall - it was a wonderful vacation! Expensive - yes. Longer than we had planned - yes. Well worth it - ABSOLUTELY! I love getting time like that to unplug and connect with my family. They are THE BEST and I am one blessed wife and mother!

Days 4-7 Highlights
~ Singing country tunes in the car with Chloe.
~ Driving across the bridge in Mackinaw (SCARY!)
~ Laying on grass next to Lake Michigan on the Island.
~ Fireworks on the beach.
~ Sharing some unexpected time with great friends!

Vacation Recap Days 2 & 3

Got up early on Monday morning, June 30. Not sure why - - I'm guessing it was the time change (one hour behind us). Whatever the reason - we were up and at 'em by 7 a.m.

We took some time to contemplate whether or not we should stay in Chicago for a little while - but as soon as we got on the road, it was very clear that Chicago traffic is NOT for us! So - we started headed north.

Ended up eating lunch at a really cool little bakery called Corner Bakery. Pretty neat little place! Got a Baby Bundt Cake (chocolate on chocolate of course!). YUM-O!

Then it was off to Wisconsin Dells. Gotta be honest - I fell asleep as soon as we hit the road. Must have been that the chocolate put me in a coma. I honestly don't remember much of the trip. I do remember waking up to the GPS lady's voice saying, "You have reached your destination". Oops.

Got the the Dells and this place is unbelievable! There must be well over 20 water park resorts - not to mention all the other large pool hotels! It was one right after the other! We ended up here. The main reason was because it was the largest water park in the Dells. 125,000 square feet indoor park, not to mention a killer outdoor park complete with over 7 big water slides, a lazy river (gotta just love the name of that when you're on vacation!) and a family raft ride. I'll tell ya what's a blast to watch is the Flowrider Surfing! These kids (sometimes younger than Chloe) are amazing to watch! Definitely something I'll always pass at - but fun to watch none-the-less. :)



After checking in to our hotel, we decided to do have dinner and then go play in the water park. Did I mention Chloe had her swim goggles on practically the whole ride to the Dells from Chicago? She was ready!

Following water park fun, Chloe got some Dippin' Dots and we headed back to the room.

End - Day 1.

Tuesday morning - another GREAT, beautiful day! The weather in the Dells was PERFECT... between 70-75 the whole time we were there!

We decided to take a one of these tours on Tuesday morning. An Army Duck = An Amphibious Truck that can run on land and water. It's a truck and it's a boat! :) It was fun. The 1-hour tour took us through parts of the Wisconsin River and by some pretty cool rock formations along the river. Got some pretty cool pics (Trev's camera, not mine). Had an awesome Tour Guide named Zach. He was funny and gave us some pretty informative information about the Dells... like the city used to be called Kilbourn City until the late 40's when the name was changed to Wisconsin Dells and there are over 3 million visitors to the Dells annually. The Dells certainly is place to plan to get to if you've never been. Especially if you have children who enjoy water parks! :)

Following our Duck Tour and lunch, we headed to the outdoor water park at our hotel for the day. This was probably our favorite afternoon. Just swimming in the pool - getting some sun and sliding down some incredible slides. Great day spent with my 2 favorite people on the planet!



At around 7 we decided to leave the water park and head to the city to look around. Before heading into town, we caught a horse carriage ride from Kalahari that took us for a 20 minute tour around the resort. It was fun. Our horse's name was Jake. Chloe thought the ride was pretty cool!

After getting into town around 8, we decided to eat at a place called Crabby's Seafood. This place was pretty neat! All-you-can-eat seafood buffet including salad bar and dessert bar. They actually bring you plate after plate of crab legs - as many as you can eat. Well worth the money you spend and a little entertainment from the pirate crew while you're eating. It was fun!

Following dinner, we headed into town to see what was "happening". LOTS was happening! The town was bustling! People everywhere. Stores open late, even during the week, to accommodate all the tourists.

We went into a couple stores for some souvenirs. Fun stuff - mostly all the same things in each store. Went into a really neat candy store that had every kind of Pez Dispenser you could ever imagine!

Got back to the hotel late, but had an awesome time! GREAT day! Lots of memories! Definitely will want to return someday to the Dells!















Day 2 and 3 Highlights
~ Seeing Chloe overcome her fears of the water slides!
~ Hanging by the pool with Trevor watching Chloe have the time of her life!
~ Hearing Chloe say "Chula Vista Baby" (inside joke you'll have to ask me about!)

Vacation Recap Day 1

Oh vacation, vacation - where have you gone? :0 Seems like it passes just as quickly as it came. No - let's face it - we wait and we wait for it and then it's gone in a blink of an eye.

This year's summer vacation was a great time! There's something to be said about 3 people trapped inside of a car for over 1,300 miles! I don't think I've ever laughed as hard as we did on this trip!

The first day was the windy city... Chicago! This was actually an "added" stop in our trip around Lake Michigan. And I have to admit - it was an expensive add-on. But none-the-less, time well spent!

We arrived in Chicago on Sunday, June 29, at around 2. Even at 2 p.m. on a Sunday, traffic was pretty heavy. We later discovered that it was partly due to the fact that the Taste of Chicago was going on right on the water. We contemplated going, but decided that it looked way too chaotic. (Yeah - duh! Everything is chaotic in Chicago!)

First we checked into our hotel - The Hard Rock Hotel. It was nice. It was TALL! Chloe loved being on the 23rd floor! I have to tell you - the most impressive thing about our stay was the bell boy service and the concierge! It was amazing! These men were amazing! Talk about customer service! These guys have been well trained - and they get it!

Following our check-in at the hotel, we decided to make the trip to this place. Chloe would say - this visit made it all worth it!



I am not sure who liked this place better - her or me! I'm not kidding! I was like a little girl all over again! "Get this one, Chloe! Get this one!" I kept saying. It was pretty sad when one time she commented back to me, "Mom, if you want one, you should get one!" :) Sad, I know! But these dolls were amazing (oh, and the prices were amazing too! NOT!) Here's Chloe by some dolls that I wanted.. (:))



(oh my - look at the blue tongue!)

And these ones were cool too!



We ended up with Kit. As in Kit Kittridge... the new movie that's out. Haven't seen it - but I suppose that the doll will be in tow when we do! :)

All-in-all, The American Girl Doll Place was a great experience! And I'm pretty sure we will make regular trips back there in years to come!

Next, following our doll place experience, was the Shedd Aquarium. Pretty neat place! If you haven't been - I suggest a trip out there! Well worth the money you pay for tickets! Unfortunately, the 4-D show was down when we were there - but I hear that's pretty cool, too! We spent about 3 hours at the Aquarium. Saw some amazing fish and turtles and sharks and lizards! My favorite, by FAR, were the Sea Otters and the Penguins (those little guys are amazing!)

Some of the most "curious" experiences about our trip to Chicago were the taxi rides. Unique to say the least. Chloe thought they were pretty "weird" as she later admitted following her inability to breathe due to an "unusual odor" in one of the cabbies! These were experiences.

At about 6:30 p.m. it was off to Fogo De Chao. WOW! For those who follow my on Twitter, I promised an entire post dedicated to my experience here. It's coming! All I will say is that I was certain following dinner here that I would never eat again. I've since re-evaluated this comment, but have decided that if I'm ever blessed to go again, I will fast for 2 days first. :)

At the end of the day, we were exhausted! It was raining and we had a nice night of sleep. GREAT first day!

Day 1 Highlights:
~ Getting off at an exit that advertised a store that no longer existed. :)
~ Hearing Trevor give the GPS lady "the business" when she was improperly directing us!
~ Eating lunch at an old-fashioned drive-up restaurant where they serve you your food on the trays that they attach to your car window.
~ Singing along to the radio with Chloe!
~ The Chubby Trout (gonna have to ask Trevor about that one!)
~ Taxi rides in downtown Chicago!
~ Eating at a Brazilian Steakhouse.

Turning Eight!

My BABY turned eight years old on June 27! It is down right crazy to think of her as that old! It doesn't seem possible! I swear to you that it was JUST yesterday that we loaded her up in the car to come home with us for the first time and I wouldn't even let Trevor drive on the highway because "What if we get hit or something?" Now here we are celebrating one more year closer to double digits!!!

For the theme this year, Chloe picked out "Under Water Sea Adventure". How cute was that? We had sea shells and sand, blue and green cupcakes, fish table skirting and some neat birthday gifts for her friends in plastic blue fish cups. :)



We invited 3 friends to join her for a celebration! We started off the evening with a trip to see Wall-E. What a cute movie! If you haven't seen it - I highly recommend it! Then it was off for pizza at Basil Boys in Tecumseh. This was her choice - she loves the bread sticks (so much like her mom). Then it was back home where she opened presents from her friends, ate cupcakes and watched Air Buddies. All was pretty quiet when I went in to check on them at 1 A.M.!! :)

Happy Birthday Chloe Jean! :) We love you so much!

Home -- at last!

One week ago today we embarked upon a vacation journey that took us through 5 states, 1,350 miles and today, it's all over. I have to admit - I'm a always a bit sad coming back to reality - but we are all glad to be home. Happy to have had the opportunity to have seen so many different things (and tasted some terrific food!). We are blessed.

I'll be blogging my vacation highlights soon. Pics coming soon too!

Got Me Thinking...

Been seeing this advertisement a lot lately...



I like it.

I get it... I'm a mom.

And it got me thinking a bit.

Our kids are on loan to us by God. They're really not ours. They don't belong to us - they belong to Him. We have them only for a little while.

As a believer, what if God told you to do something that felt "uncomfortable"? Would your response be, "Anything you want from me, Lord." Even when it concerns your child.

Do you really mean that?

I think about this sometimes when I'm riding the fence. You know... you've been there. Thinking about your life and asking God what it is He wants from you. Asking Him where He wants you to go. I do this all the time... "God - what do You want from me? Where would You have me to go? Send me! I'm ready."

Do I really mean that?

I better mean it and I'd better be ready to go where He wants me to go and do what He wants me to do. It may be hard. It may not feel good at the time - but I must trust Him.

After all - He's in control, not me!

My Daughter Rocks!

I had one of those VERY proud mom moments today on my way home from picking Chloe up from summer camp.

Her Eighth Birthday is Friday, June 27. We leave on vacation Sunday, June 29, so we didn't have a whole lot of time between to do a big birthday party as I have in the past (yeah... I'm one of those moms and we're one of those families that REALLY do-up birthdays!) So - I told her she could have 3 girls over for sleepover. The plan is - we are going to do Wall-E at the movie theatre and then going for pizza. The girls will then sleepover and go home by 11 a.m. the next morning. She invited three of her BEST friends in the world - Hannah, Samantha and Maya (who is actually her friend AND cousin). Hannah is her VERY best friend! She's been her bestest bud since they were only a year and a half old - and so she was the FIRST invitation that went out. Until today - we had received an RSVP from everyone but Hannah. Today, we got the news that Hannah wasn't going to be able to make it - she will be out of town on vacation with her family. BUMMER! I was NOT looking forward to relaying the information to her... I knew she would devastated!

I was right. She was. She cried. I wanted to cry for her. Hannah doesn't attend school with Chloe and we have only rare opportunities to see her - so this was total sadness.

After some tears and a bit of silence (I could tell she was really thinking), she finally said something to me, I don't think I will ever forget. She said to me,

"Mom, even though I'm really sad that Hannah can't come to my party, it's probably a good thing ... because I would just want to play with her the most and then the other girls would feel badly and I wouldn't want them to be sad."

I could feel the tears well up in my eyes. I knew that she was sad, but through her pain, she was able to find the GOOD in a bad situation.

God taught me a lesson through my child today. To find the good... the blessing... in each painful experience.

I love you Chloe!