The Christofferson Scoop

Forgotten Christmas

2011-12-20T09:55:00.001-06:00

Back in January, my sister Clara and I helped plan for Gospel for Asia’s Forgotten Christmas video. This is the second year GFA has done this project – and its purpose is to challenge the way we think about Christmas. This 2 minute video forces us to think, to look at Christmas differently.

Have we lost the meaning of Christmas? Have we covered it up with “stuff?” Has Christmas become about the decorations, the gifts, and the celebrations, rather than JESUS? We’ve let these things steal our focus. It’s not the way it should be.

As Christians, we are to be in the world, not of it. It’s hard to fix our focus on the one thing that does matter – Jesus. It’s hard to tear ourselves away from this world, and to look at Christmas differently.

Put Christ first this Christmas.

GFA's Christmas Catalog is a way that we can help people who are lost and without hope. The Dalit people group in Asia is the Forgotten people (go to this link to learn more.) We can remember them this Christmas, and share with them the love and hope of Christ. Not only can we tell them of the God who loves them, but we can help them in practical ways as well. With a goat, a sewing machine, a cow, some chickens – these people can make a new life for themselves and learn of the One who died to save their sins. www.gfa.org/gift

New Family Photo!

2011-12-07T13:17:00.002-06:00

When we were all home for Thanksgiving, we had a new family photo taken!

Mom teaching sewing

2011-11-09T21:34:00.003-06:00

Not only does Mom enjoy teaching sewing to the girls in her class, but she's been able to teach several other people how to sew. They've started with these 9-patch pillows, which are simple to make, but look pretty awesome. (We made them in class- they're really nice pillows to have on roadtrips, too.)

Camping at Cooper Lake

2011-10-16T20:33:00.012-05:00

With fall being here and the temperatures being cooler... we went camping, at the Cooper Lake State Park. Because of the drought, the lake was dried up some, but we still enjoyed the nice lake view from our campsite. We "roughed it" in our tent and with our cooking and eating outdoors, but had some comfortable things too, like air mattresses, water, and electricity. There was a fire ban, so we improvised and made smores over the camp stove.

We forgot our broom, to sweep off the campsite and inside the tent, so Clara made one from locally available materials.

Ellie had fun wearing Dad's fishing vest like it was a photographer's vest.

Clara and Ellie did some themed photoshoots in the woods. Here, Clara is about to wake up in a strange place.

We played cards in the evening by the light of the lantern, after the sun had set.

We saw lots of armadillos that were alive.

The lake view from our campsite

In the cold mornings, we enjoyed warm beverages like this hot chocolate.

Delicious burritos for breakfast.

Migrating birds

And our family!

Talent Show

2011-10-03T18:05:00.007-05:00

The GFA talent show was last Friday night. It was lots of fun! Crazy friends being Elvis, and Nacho Libre, and Ellie and Clara were in the Prayer Skit.

Back to School

2011-09-15T08:35:00.004-05:00

Last Friday we started ECC, our homeschool co-op. We've been busy getting back into the routine of things. Ellie is at the beginning of her senior year, and Clara is an almost-16-year-old sophomore. Ellie is also learning to drive! So besides all of that being busy for Mom, she's also teaching a Fun and Useful Sewing class at ECC to a group of girls.

Here is a picture of us after the first day of school. Mom and Clara are with some our friends, Brandon and Sarah.

Hopefully more regular blog posts will be coming soon!

some photo shoots

2011-03-14T20:40:00.005-05:00

I (Ellie) have recently been taking photos for people. This afternoon I did some senior pictures for a friend, and since Melissa has been home for spring break, she came along to. We had fun.

winter weather

2011-02-02T16:18:00.004-06:00

Texas rarely has bad winter weather. But these past few days... well, that's something different. Everything has pretty much been shut down these past two days.

On Monday night we had icy rain, sleet, snow. Basically it froze on the roads, so we're stuck at home. Dad was off of work Tuesday and Wednesday. Probably he'll also be off tomorrow too.

But we've been having some fun adventures! Tuesday morning Dad and Ellie (me) walked to the Asian supermarket for vegetables for soup for lunch. It was windy, and really cold. We didn't fall down on the ice or anything... just slipped alot.

And then today we walked down to the corner again and rented a redbox movie, and also got tortillas at the Mexican store. Amy and Clara and Ginger (our dog) went with us for part of that walk too.

Thanksgiving in New Mexico

2010-12-04T21:43:00.011-06:00

We traveled to New Mexico for 2 weeks this November, for a support trip and to see friends and family.

Our family (minus me-Ellie) in Old Town Albuquerque.

Clara and I made a chocolate chip chiffon cake with Uncle Mark over the weekend for Amy's birthday the next Monday.

On November 22, Amy turned 21 and she was able to fly out to be with us in New Mexico for her birthday.

Clara and I had fun playing with my cousin Asher.

We got to go up to Santa Fe, and see where my grandpa, John James Michovicz, is buried. It was pretty cold and windy outside.

Walking around downtown Santa Fe was fun.

Thanksgiving always involves lots of family, which means a need for lots of plates.

We also enjoyed very big plates of lovely delicious food. A big Michnovicz thanksgiving is always something we really enjoy. And the Canasta afterwards too.

School and Birthdays

2010-09-26T20:42:00.005-05:00

Since school has started we are very busy with getting our assignments done for ECC classes (Ellie with Physics, Clara with Biology and Spanish, Mom teaching Economics and Quilting.)

But here is a quote from doing Algebra this spring - Mom said it to me (Ellie) while she was helping me with Algebra: "You need to challenge your brain. It will become mush if you do not use it."

September 28th (this Tuesday!) is Dad's birthday. This Saturday we had dinner with our friends the Braleys, and celebrated Dad's birthday, and on Sunday (today) we ate delicious barbecue ribs for his birthday. Later this evening some friends brought us a lemon cheesecake pie as a surprise! which was very nice, and we sort of had it as for Dad's birthday also.

Also Melissa came home to visit from DBU, where she is going to school. She brought some of her friends too, and it was nice to meet them.

On Friday night I (Ellie) babysat the Fletcher kids with three of my friends, Emily, Jenny, and Sharlena. Maybe the more babysitters you have, the more fun you have, because we sure had a great time!

On Thursday we went to a birthday celebration for Uncle Kevin with his family and some other friends.

Group Picture from India

2010-08-09T19:24:00.002-05:00

Ellie and Clara had an AMAZING time in India. Here they are with the group (15 people in all) at the gates to the President's Palace in Delhi.

India!

2010-07-13T13:15:00.002-05:00

Ellie and Clara will be heading to India in four days, from July 17 to 31. Please keep them and the whole team (15 people in all) in your prayers!

June

2010-06-27T16:09:00.007-05:00

Daddy at dinner on Father's Day
Amy came home Father's Day weekend and Ellie and Clara had a nice treat at a frozen yogurt shop with her.
Ellie has a job as a swim instructor at the city pool, except this two weeks she's doing morning check-in instead of teaching kids.
The group of us who helped at the carwash
We did a car wash at Chick-fil-A to raise money for the India trip.

After the carwash Ellie and Clara and some other girls swam for a while at friend's pool

Mom and Dad's 25th Anniversary!

2010-06-10T19:51:00.008-05:00

Dad surprised Mom with roses when we came in to GFA! [June 1]
Mom and Auntie Diane. My sisters and I had a surprise anniversary party (with the Powells) for Mom and Dad on Saturday night.
Ellie and Sharlena licking the beater from making whipped cream! We had build-your-own ice cream sundaes with strawberries, nuts, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream.
Our family, the Powells, and interns/students Meghan and Reuben

And recently: we went to a frozen yogurt place [My Cherryo] on Sunday and Dad tried this Pandan Grass flavor.

Melissa's Graduation!

2010-05-31T20:29:00.011-05:00

This Saturday Melissa graduated from high school! It's very exciting and we're so proud of her, but we will miss her when she goes to off to college at Dallas Baptist University! Here are some photos.

Melissa and Ellie

Melissa with some other graduates on the stage

Melissa with Dad and Mom right after she received her diploma!

A picture of our family

Some pictures of the party the day after:

Melissa and a friend, Rachael, made cupcakes that were beautiful and delicious.

Melissa with friends: Christina and Darlene

Paper lanterns on the porch outside

Some guy friends having fun with music and fedoras

Walk with Sisters

2010-05-25T11:45:00.010-05:00

Yesterday Melissa, Ellie, and Clara went on a walk. We found a grassy shady place and took lots of pictures.

Clara and her cute panda shirt

Ellie

Melissa

Clara in the tree

Ellie leaping across the stream

Clara riding Melissa piggy back.

This is a video of Melissa and Ellie doing the dance from the King and I dance.

2010-05-09T18:49:00.002-05:00

This weekend Melissa and Ellie went to a friends birthday party. We brought Mema's square dance dresses, and some of the girls wore them. We learned The King and I dance, and also did some square dancing (hence the dresses.) It was very fun.

Spring at the Arboretum With Friends

2010-04-18T20:58:00.007-05:00

Ellie went to the Dallas Arboretum this weekend with some friends. They had fun walking around, taking pictures of things and enjoying the beautiful outdoors.

Jenny, Ellie, Emily, and Sharlena

Mom's Birthday

2010-04-11T17:18:00.004-05:00

Today we celebrated Mom's birthday. We had quiche and coffeecake for breakfast, and then went to church. Then we had lunch with Butch and Mary Lou Cope. Also, Amy came home again this weekend for the Dallas Acquire the Fire, so we got to see her again.

About to blow out the candles

Mom and Dad with friends Butch and Mary Lou Cope

Amy and Mom

Easter Weekend

2010-04-05T20:14:00.008-05:00

Amy came home on Thursday and was able to spend Easter with us. On Friday we went to see The Blind Side, and had dinner at El Fenix, and went to a bookstore in Denton. On Saturday, Ellie and Clara went with Amy to help a friend with her carwash. On Sunday we made food, and went to church, and finished the food, and ate the food.

At the bookstore in Denton.

Amy is the hose master.

Amy holding a sign.

Ellie, Clara, and Amy after the carwash on the way home.

Easter family picture

This is Lloyd the Turkey. It's become a tradition now, to brine our turkeys in apple cider and to name them.

A plate of delicious food

The apple pie that Ellie made

Spring and ECC

2010-03-28T17:44:00.009-05:00

The ECC semester is over for Mom and us girls. Since it's Melissa's senior year, she won't be coming back to ECC as a student again! It's sad, but also exciting to see what God does in her life in the future.

But what is this picture of snow doing in a post about spring? Well, Texas has pretty crazy weather. It snowed yet again on the second day of spring!

The weather has been warming up though, with wind and sunshine. It's nice to be outdoors again!

Ellie with her friends Jenny, Sharlena, and Emily after the ECC End of Semester program.

Mom with her craft class display table at the ECC End of Semester program.

Ellie and Clara and some other girls worked on weeding in the front and back yards of our house to raise money for the India mission trip they are planning to go on this summer. (If you want to help Ellie and Clara go, contact us for more information.)

The weather has been warmer lately, and the sun staying up later, so Dad has been working outdoors more.

Ellie's 16th Birthday

2010-03-01T16:23:00.010-06:00

This weekend Ellie celebrated her 16th birthday with some friends, Emily, Jenny, and Sharlena.

They explored Old Downtown Carrollton, browsing the antique store and the vintage dress store.

At Vintage Martini, the clothes store.

They made individual pizzas for dinner.

They had frozen custard at Shake's.

They watched The Scarlet Pimpernel, slept, went to church, and to a book sale. Then they had lunch, and cake and ice cream, and opened presents.

Snow!

2010-02-12T10:00:00.016-06:00

Suprisingly, North Texas had alot of snow yesterday! It has been fun playing in it, making snowmen, building snow forts, and going sledding.

This is what we woke up to today- the day after the snow fell.

On top of the little red car.

Ellie shoveled the driveway.

Dad swept the car off.
Our house.

Clara and her snowman behind her snow fort.

Carrots

2010-01-06T12:16:00.001-06:00

This morning we picked all of these carrots from our garden. I didn't even know we were still growing things!

Tea Companies

2009-12-24T22:29:00.002-06:00

Auntie Steph took us girls (Melissa, Ellie, Clara, and Joanna) out to the New Mexico Tea Company, where we bought loose leaf tea, and then to the Boba Tea Company where we bought smoothies. And tomorrow is Christmas!

Christmas and Snow in New Mexico!

2009-12-23T14:34:00.005-06:00

We are here in New Mexico for Christmas, and it snowed! Here are a few pictures of us playing in it.

family christmas photo

2009-12-14T14:16:00.008-06:00

First, without Amy.

Then, with Amy, on Dad's cellphone.

Then us being crazy.

Greg and Dorinda's Wedding

2009-11-16T15:18:00.009-06:00

This weekend Ellie and Clara drove to Kansas for their friend Dorinda's wedding with Auntie Diane, Sharlena, Sarah, and Auntie Di.

Sharlena put curlers in Ellie's hair while they were driving.

Mrs. Betty, the lady who let us stay with her.

Sharlena and Ellie before the wedding.

Our group before the wedding.

Greg and Dorinda

Clara in a funny hat at Cracker Barrel.

Picture of our group outside Cracker Barrel.

gardens & vegetables

2009-11-05T19:45:00.004-06:00

We have not had a lot of produce from our garden this year, but it's exciting when we do! We recently harvested a few tiny carrots and a tomato.

Clara's Birthday

2009-10-24T10:43:00.013-05:00

This Friday night we celebrated Clara's 14th birthday. Her actual birthday was on October 22. Four girls came over and we roasted hotdogs and made smores around a firepit.

^Clara and Dad after their birthday breakfast

^ Clara with her origami gifts

^ Clara's cake had 33 candles on it

^ The girls who slept over made Blueberry Sally Lunn with Clara for breakfast

^ Sunflowers from Alexa

Houston

2009-10-15T19:10:00.004-05:00

We drove down today to Houston to visit Uncle Mark and other relatives. We're staying with Mom's brother, Matt, and his family.

Cousin Randy helping us figure out the wireless internet connection on Dad's laptop.

Dinner, discussing economics and the stock market and cheating in baseball over delicious split pea soup and sausage.

Rainbow

2009-10-07T20:26:00.003-05:00

"God said, "This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh." Genesis 9:12-15

haircuts, birthdays, friends

2009-09-24T16:16:00.011-05:00

Melissa got her hair cut a couple days ago.

We celebrated a friend's birthday and had a great time spending time together.

This is Alexa. She's staying with us for 6 weeks as she is interning at Gospel for Asia. We've really enjoyed having her stay with us.

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

rain, school, rain

2009-09-17T12:04:00.005-05:00

The rain has continued to pour down for almost a week now. It's been rather off and on, but things are staying damp and it's pretty humid. We've enjoyed drinking hot tea and hot cocoa, and dressing for the cooler weather.

Right now Amy is going through the Honor Academy's ESOAL (Emotionally Stretching Opportunity of A Lifetime.) It's hard to explain, but basically the interns are coming to the end of their physical strength, and learning to rely on God instead of themselves. You can read a recent update about how Amy's doing here, at her blog. Please pray for her as she goes through this, to stay healthy and not get injured.

Here at the Christofferson home we're staying busy with school, keeping up with deadlines for our homeschool co-op classes and such. Mom is teaching an Economics class as well as a Learning to Sew class. Melissa is taking Chemistry, American Government, Web Design, and Expressive Drawing. Clara is taking Sign Language, Volleyball, Write Way, Web Design, and Einstein's Lab. I (Ellie) am taking Biology, Dance, American History, and Bach to Rock (art/art history.)

Texas Rain

2009-09-12T21:26:00.006-05:00

We've had fairly steady rain for a couple days now. It's really nice; the kind of weather that's conducive to drinking tea or coffee and curling up and reading a book.

ice cream & family

2009-09-07T13:56:00.008-05:00

Amy came home for Labor Day weekend. She'll leave tonight. On Saturday night we went to our favorite ice cream place, Braum's.

Having our cones dipped in chocolate is a favorite. I did it for the first time this time, and I really liked it. I think everyone did.

The potholders in the house where Amy lives at the Honor Academy are yucky, so Amy wanted me to make her some. So I did. Amy graduated from her first year there, so being a second year intern now, she lives in a house instead of dorms.

[I in all of this is me, Elicia Ruth Christofferson, known to most as Ellie.]

SeaWorld Trip

2009-08-24T16:11:00.008-05:00

Recently our family went to SeaWorld with people from Clara's girl scout troop over the weekend of August 14-16. We stayed in cabins at a KOA campground and spent all day Saturday at SeaWorld. We were tired out and sunburned afterwards, but we had a marvelous time with friends and family!

A show with killer whales.

Sarah, Lily and Claire

Some of our group before seeing a pirate show

All of us in front of the KOA sign before we left on Sunday.

Carwash for Amy

2009-08-03T19:55:00.006-05:00

This weekend we had a carwash to help raise money for Amy's second year at the Honor Academy. A couple of other interns came and it was raising money for them too. At first it was rainy, but then the storm cleared up and we were able to wash 30 cars in all. We are now sunburned, and afterwards we were rather sore and tired, but it was fun to have Amy home and get to know her friends.

Making signs the night before

Amy holding a sign by the road

Lots of friends helped out.

This weekend for us...

2009-06-28T19:55:00.008-05:00

Amy brought 4 of her friends when she came this weekend.

I started painting in Clara's and my room.

On Saturday we went to the wedding of some friends and afterwards stopped at a huge bookstore in Denton.

GoodSearch for Gospel for Asia!

2009-06-06T22:13:00.003-05:00

Using a search engine called GoodSearch, each search you make donates money to the charity of your choice! Download the toolbar or make it your homepage, and every search you make gives money to that cause!

lavender and outdoors

2009-06-03T14:22:00.005-05:00

a friend came over to get lavendar.

mom found this in our garden. it's broccoli. i think it accidentally got planted somehow.

we grew a radish!

Family Photo

2009-06-01T20:01:00.002-05:00

We took a family picture while Amy was here.

Amy is home!

2009-05-22T14:38:00.006-05:00

This morning Mom, Clara and I drove down to Teen Mania to pick up Amy. She'll be staying for 5 days. She'll be here for the ECC graduation, and for the Memorial Day cookout we're having on Monday.

We're really glad she's home. The last time we saw her was in March!

New Mexico Photos

2009-05-13T20:48:00.002-05:00

I made a collage of photos of our New Mexico trip... Enjoy.

Memoirs of our Trip

2009-04-28T17:05:00.027-05:00

So, here are pictures of the rest of our trip to New Mexico and Arizona.

Oh, the title of this post was suggested by Clara, because I was at a loss for a good title.

Mom and Dad with friends.

Mema and my cousin Gabi.

Mema and my cousin Asher.

Melissa with friends Lorien, Carmen, Tori, and Hannah.

We visited Mom's godmother.

We went on a picnic in the mountains with the Getty's.

Rowan and Melissa had lots of fun together.

On Saturday we made Eggplant Parmesan with Uncle Mark.

Mom and Auntie Charlotte on Mom's birthday.

Uncle Michael, Auntie Margo, and Mom

Our family with the Getty's

We drove to Arizona after being in New Mexico to see our grandparents on my dad's side.

Clara picked a huge grapefruit. We called it the grandaddy of all grapefruit.

Some friends of our grandparents took us on a golfcart to get ice cream. It was cold, and at night.

Dad laid bricks for a sidewalk between grandma and grandpa's house and their neighbor's.

The result of Dad's hard work!

Dad grilling hamburgers

Mom, Dad, Grandpa Chris, and Grandma Dorothy

Ourfamily

All of us together.

Clara wanted me to take pictures of her.

New Mexico Trip

2009-04-03T17:43:00.006-05:00

On April 2 we drove to New Mexico for a support trip.

We stopped at a big cross off of Interstate 4o and looked at the statue garden around it.

We got to meet our cousin's son Asher for the first time!

We all enjoyed holding him.

On Friday morning we spent time with Mema and Uncle Mark and made cookies. Date and Nut and then Dark Chocolate and Nut.

Melissa danced with the cookie sheets, waving them around to cool them off.

Mom really enjoyed sewing and quilting with Mema.

Gardening

2009-03-18T13:44:00.011-05:00

So we started planting in our garden this Sunday, and did some more today.

A friend gave us this herb growing kit, so we did that.

Parsley, marjoram and chives.

We put them in these bags so the sponge things they're growing in stay moist.

American backyard. Clothes on the line, gardens, and white picket fences.

Melissa has her herb garden again this year.

Parsley and lavender from last year.

We started doing composting differently: in a wire cage like this instead of a box on the ground, so it is kept away from animals, and has more air circulation. Something like that.

Ellie's Birthday Party

2009-03-10T17:33:00.012-05:00

Here are some photos from my 15th birthday party.

We went to the downtown part of Carrollton, and had a photo scavenger hunt in the antique store there. Melissa did a really good job organizing it all.

We had to take a photo with a photo that looked remotely like you.

Visit from the O'Briens

2009-02-20T16:24:00.010-06:00

Our long time friends, the O'Briens were able to visit us on Thursday and we had a very nice time together. We ate delicious chicken alfredo that Melissa made.

Dad just told me that he used to call us the three musketeers.

Mom and Mrs. Kathie had a nice time, I think. They talked quite a bit.

haircuts

2009-02-18T15:39:00.011-06:00

So today both Melissa and I got haircuts! Our very generous friend cut our hair.

I'm donating my hair to Locks of Love to make wigs for kids who don't have hair.

I have a really short ponytail now. 3 or 4 inches. It used to be like 15 inches long. Like a whip. I would turn my head fast, and hit people in the face with it.

So our hair is about the same length now- just above our shoulders. We both really like it.

Ravioli

2009-02-15T15:09:00.019-06:00

This is for Auntie Steph. Because we finally made ravioli! We used the cutters that she gave us.

We also used this old pasta machine that Mom has had for a long time. It worked really well, though, once we had it figured out.

We used a recipe that we found on the internet, I think, because we lost the recipe Auntie Steph gave us.

It was alot of fun making them. Clara and I eventually figured out a good system, like an assembly line.

We also made fettucine with the leftover pasta dough, when there wasn't any of the cheese filling left.

The ravioli made a really yummy Valentine's dinner!

ice & flipflops

2009-01-31T20:02:00.007-06:00

On Tuesday GFA was closed because of icy weather. On Wednesday Dad went to work at noon; it was even more icy than before. On Thursday we drank tea and hot cocoa to stay warm. On Friday we wore coats to school, but slept without so many blankets. On Saturday, we wore t-shirts and no socks as we cleaned the house.

The weather changes so much. It's strange.

Also on Wednesday, our dentist appointments were cancelled. I was happy about that, because I don't like going to the dentist. But that reminds me... my appointment was rescheduled for this week! [Ellie is now dreading next Wednesday]

Last Thursday Melissa and I took senior photos for our friend Cally.

This is the one that will go in the yearbook.

Tomorrow, Sunday, Texas governor Rick Perry will be speaking at our church, First Baptist Church of Carrollton. It's the "centennial year," because the church was founded in 1909.

And it's also the Superbowl. Who are you rooting for?

Next weekend Amy will visit! For GFA's all-night prayer meeting, and to hang out with her family. She and I might do something for my birthday (the 21st of February) since she probably won't be able to visit but once that month.

Mom, Melissa, Clara, and I went to the birthday party for our friends, twins Jenna and Asa. They turned 3 on January 22. It was fun to celebrate with them.

Tomorrow also marks (among many other things), the end of Girl Scout cookie selling season. If you hurry up and try, you might be able to send an email to Clara ordering your favorites...

tea, glorious tea by melissa

2009-01-21T13:34:00.024-06:00

I want to show you how to make my favorite drink, tea, the best way.

you need: 1 french press

1 teapot with boiling water

several tablespoons of loose tea (the more the better). I am using earl grey this time; earl grey tea with roses from the New Mexico Tea Company.

doesn't earl grey with roses sound like something the bennetts would have been drinking?

pour hot water into french press:

then steep for 3 to 5 minutes:

and steep...

and stir...

and then french press it.

choose a favorite mug and add sugar:

pour hot tea into mug.

and enjoy!

(and this is how it usually ends up: ellie and clara enjoying it as well)

Clara is playing doctor again...

2009-01-14T16:14:00.010-06:00

No, not really. She didn't decide to just wrap up her toe in blue stuff. To make a long story short, and to spare you the ooey gooey details, she got an infection on her toe around the nail and had to go to the doctor to get part of the toenail removed. It got wrapped up and is now probably hurting.

The first picture was inspired by this one.

Now that her toe is famous, it would like to say a few words:

"Please pray for me!"

Just kidding, I made that up.

Actually, please do pray, because Clara is in some pain.

Christmas Pictures & the New Year

2009-01-04T20:34:00.024-06:00

These are pictures of opening presents. And Christmas morning doings.

Dad reading the Christmas story.

Clara had no idea what this present was, and was really suprised when she opened it. It's a huge origami kit.

We all got daily devotional books from Mom and Dad.

Dad wanted to be the elf.

Clara made Mom a pillow that matches our couches, and I made her slipper socks. I didn't have enough yarn of one color, so that is why they are mismatched.

Melissa gave me a watercolor painting that she had done.

All the slipper socks.

Amy the elf. This time, complete with long stripey socks and funny shoes.

We ate breakfast on Christmas morning with our friends, the Powells. Here, we are on the way to their house.

There was lots of yummy food!

Last Christmas, we played a fun game called In a Pickle, and we wanted to play it again this year, so we did.

We had our friend Kim come to our house for Christmas dinner. Our uncle, my dad's brother, gave us some really delicious beef brisket that we cooked up.

Amy and some of her friends at the Honor Academy bought a fun and random game called Quelf.

This is an example of one of the Quelf cards:

No one likes to do the Chicken Dance. But you do... So, set the timer and do the Chicken Dance until the timer runs out. If you don't know it, fake it. Make all poultry proud.

So basically, you roll and move forward, then draw a card and you have to do what it says or pay the penalty, which is moving back several spaces. You win the game by getting to the end of the spaces.

We went over to the Chupp's house in the evening, and we played Quelf there as well.

On New Year's eve, we went to a watchnight service at GFA, and had a nice time fellowshipping and praising God.

'Twas the night before Christmas...

2008-12-24T19:27:00.010-06:00

...and the Christofferson family went caroling.

They dressed up in red and green, with Santa hats for all.

And they each opened a gift, and were thankful.

Okay, my rhyming is done. But this Christmas Eve, instead of opening one stocking present, we opened a present from under the tree. Melissa was given turquoise bracelets, Mom a scarf crocheted by Clara, Dad a screwdriver, Clara a shoe ornament, and Amy slipper socks. And my family gave me a digital camera! I was excited. That's why you can look at beautiful pictures.

This is Clara dressed beautifully for the GFA Christmas Party.

There are lots of presents under the tree!

Melissa and Clara sewed and quilted some Christmas coasters. Behind them in the picture is a Nativity set that Mema gave us.

I spent all yesterday morning baking gingersnaps. They are yummy and we have lots of them.

Have a merry Christmas celebrating Jesus' birth and spending time with family!

Christmas Preparations

2008-12-16T17:48:00.000-06:00

We put up the Christmas tree on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, when Amy was still here.
We have a fake tree, so this picture is putting it together and fluffing up the branches.

Dad made a stand for the tree, because last year I broke the original stand. So here we are making the tree stand straight by putting legos under the stand.

Melissa and I (Ellie) put on the lights, and we all decorated it.

And here the tree is. We have lots of homemade things, like the felt rocking horse on the bottom right. My grandma made each of us girls one, and we each have different colors.

This is a nice picture of Amy with her roommates.

1 Corinthians 13 [Christmas Version]

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another cook.

If I work at a soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity; but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.

Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the spouse.

Love is kind, though harried and tired.

Love does not envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love does not yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way.

Love does not give only to those who are able to give in return; but rejoices in giving to those who cannot.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

Love never fails. Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust; but giving the gift of love will endure.

Author: Sharon Jaynes

I saw this recently and I was really blessed. May you also be blessed!

Melissa has no braces!

2008-12-05T12:19:00.000-06:00

She got her braces off on Wednesday.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-02T14:06:00.000-06:00

We had two other families come over for Thanksgiving dinner for a total of 17 people! There was lots of food, and we had a lot of fun. We ate turkey, rolls, stuffing, cranberry jello, pumpkin and apple pies, and lots of other delicious food. Amy and her roommate Margaret were able to spend Thanksgiving with us, too.

We went shopping on the Friday after Thaksgiving, and went to a Day After Thanksgiving party.
On Saturday we put up the Christmas tree and hung ornaments.

Thanksgiving Food Prep

2008-11-26T16:11:00.000-06:00

Did you know that it takes 15-20 minutes to cook a pound of turkey? I just found that out. So, our turkey, Pepe, being 20 pounds should take 6 hours and 40 minutes to cook. Mom will start the process at 7 tomorrow morning. Right now Pepe is being brined. In a 4 gallon bucket. Uncle Mark gave Mom this recipe for Apple Cider Brine. We tried it last year. It makes the turkey really tender and delicious.

I made almost 3 dozen rolls this morning. We use our normal bread recipe for that. And I started on Cranberry Jello Salad, which is from Mema's recipe.

Thanksgiving Plans

2008-11-24T12:10:00.000-06:00

Amy is coming home for Thanksgiving! She is having one of her five roommates come. Her name is Margaret. She lives far away and isn't able to go home for Thanksgiving. Mom will pick them up on Tuesday. We are excited about having Amy back!
This past Saturday, the 22nd, was Amy's 19th birthday. We sent her a card, and were just planning on celebrating with her when she comes home. But for a suprise, some of her roommates and friends brought her to Dallas! It was quite a suprise when the doorbell and voices woke me up. We were happy to have Amy back! All of us had a big yummy breakfast of burritos that Dad made, and we visited friends, and shopped at Ikea. We had a lot of fun together.

This is Pepe, our young Spanish turkey. Presently he is thawing in the fridge. Last year's turkey was Tommy.

On Friday was ECC registration. So we registered for classes for next semester. Friday evening Clara went to a friends birthday sleepover, and Dad went to a men's night with people from church. Mom, Melissa, Cally (Melissa's friend), and I went to see the play Beauty and the Beast that a local highschool was showing. We really enjoyed the play.

Gospel for Asia's Christmas Catalog

2008-11-15T20:43:00.000-06:00

Something out of Leftovers

2008-11-15T14:37:00.000-06:00

Last night was ECC's End of Semester program. Our family needed to bring finger sandwiches, to help provide for the refreshments after the program. We made up a whole loaf of peanut butter & apricot jelly sandwiches, which we cut into little triangles. This is all well and good, but the only thing is, that because we took so many, we had a bunch left over. I thought we would have some for lunch for a while. But this morning, Mom proposed that we make french toast out of them. We all thought it would be disgusting; after all, egg, vanilla, and cinnamon do not sound absolutely delicious with peanut butter and jelly. But Dad tried making one triangle sandwich into french toast, and to our, at least to my, suprise, it was delicious! It's like bite sized french toast with the syrup inside already.

So, that was our breakfast this morning.

Dream Come True :: Seven Children

2008-11-03T12:17:00.000-06:00

So for this extended weekend (from Thursday to Monday), we have had our friends, the Powells, stay with us. Their parents have been in Florida because the family's step grandmother died.

So Mom has seven sort-of kids.

This is Justin. He is Clara's age.

We have been having a lot of fun with them. It's like having brothers and more sisters.

We were at the park on Thursday. Here Brandon and Sarah are catching minnows in the creek.

This is Sharlena. She's my (Ellie's) age.

Brandon is in 2nd grade, Sarah in 4th grade, and Justin in 7th. Sharlena is a freshman.

Brandon, Sarah, and Mom had fun making cookies.

Sharlena called this one "Ellie with an attitude"

On October 31st, we went to our church's Fall Family Festival. I wore one of Mema's square dance dresses and a petticoat, and Clara wore a hat and a stripey shirt. Brandon was a hippy. Sarah was a princess, and Justin and Sharlena didn't dress up.

We took pumpkins home that were part of the decorations, planning on carving them.

It was nice to have Dad help us. He knows what he's doing.

Melissa did the Dallas skyline. I never would have thought of something like that.

Justin doesn't have invisibility skills, as you might assume at first glance. We used the long-time exposure setting on a camera.

Thirteenager

2008-10-22T18:11:00.001-05:00

When we were going to bed, Clara said that she wanted cinnamon rolls for breakfast. I didn't think that would really happen. But when I wake up in the morning, Mom is making cinnamon rolls! They were delicious and better than any storebought ones I've ever had. Mom is so sweet. :)

We were playing Catchphrase, and I was trying to explain Cream Cheese to Clara.

So Clara's a teenager! She had a tea party birthday party today. I think everyone enjoyed it.

Homecoming

2008-10-22T18:01:00.000-05:00

Our school's homecoming, on October 17th, was pretty fun. A friend of ours did our hair. And my friend taught me how to dance.

This is after, with my friend Sharlena. I went to bed at midnight, and I was tired all the rest of the weekend.

New Mexico

2008-10-16T11:36:00.000-05:00

Just keeping you guessing...

2008-10-05T18:44:00.000-05:00

What does that look like to you? Maybe a hot air balloon?

Well, if that's what you guessed, you're right!

Maybe you're now wondering why I have a picture of a balloon. It's not to test your knowledge, but to keep you guessing.

This next week of ECC is break week. Meaning that we have no school. We do have homework, but not classes. And because we won't be able to travel to New Mexico for Thanksgiving or Christmas (it's the busiest time for Dad at work), we're going to go to New Mexico for five days this week. Hopefully Amy will be able to come with us, but she isn't sure if she can get the time off.

We're planning to leave on Thursday... at 5 am! So we get there earlier. It's a 11 hour drive. Then, maybe we can go to the Special Shapes Rodeo, at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. Because we can always see the normal balloons in the sky all the time.

Mom wants to quilt with Mema, and talk about quilting and everything.

We'll be staying with Uncle David and Auntie Charlotte. We always stay with them. And we're happy that we will stay with them again, because we like them. :)

We want to go to church at Rio West Community Church, to see supporters and people we know there. http://www.riowest.org/rwcc/

And then we'll drive back on Monday.

The Weekend with Amy

2008-09-29T14:47:00.001-05:00

Dad had nine ladies in the house with him on his birthday weekend. When we all were sitting together at church it made me wonder if people thought that we were really eight daughters.

The people in the picture are: Casey, Margaret, Amy, Alyssa, Melissa, Arielle, Jeff, and then Clara, and Ellie.

And here is just Amy and her roommates: Casey, Margaret, Alyssa, and Arielle. There is another girl in the room, also. Her name is Rachel.

The Powell family came over for Dad's birthday dessert on Sunday, and Brandon was happy to see Amy, his friend.

Brandon was about to go to his baseball game.

Clara got out her cups and mat and we were stacking cups. Amy and Clara like to do it where one of them is the right hand and the other one is the left hand. It definitely takes talent to stack that way.

We enjoyed shish kebabs for Dad's birthday dinner, and his cake was an Applesauce Cake with raisins that was delicious. I had the last piece with my breakfast today.

Amy is Home!!!

2008-09-27T10:55:00.000-05:00

So, this weekend Amy is visiting!! When she came (last night) she brought two of her roommates with her, and two more are coming later today. We have had a lot of fun with her. And are going to still.

La pizza está deliciosa.

2008-09-22T13:55:00.000-05:00

La pizza mi hermanita Clara hizo para almuerza hoy fue muy deliciosa. La pizza es de una receta de un libro de la biblioteca. Lo tuvo albahaca, mozzarella, salchicha, y tomates.

In English:

The pizza my sister Clara made for lunch today was very delicious. The pizza is from a recipe from a book from the library. It had basil, mozzarella cheese, sausage (pepperoni), and tomatoes.

Dad has been working on redoing the kitchen cabinets.

2008-09-17T09:45:00.000-05:00

We have most definitely been enjoying the weather.

Pictures

2008-09-11T08:16:00.000-05:00

So these are just a bunch of random pictures that have been taken recently.

Clara is being very studious in this picture.

And I am not.

I wasn't really sleeping though. And my desk is wonderfully messy.

These are a bunch of pictures that I took yesterday at the park in the rain.

This one is awesome.

This one I took when we were down at Teen Mania visiting Amy.

ECC has been going pretty well so far. The classes that Mom are teaching are doing good. And Melissa and Clara and I have been keeping up with all our homework classes. And it's nice to see all the different people we know but haven't seen for a while and to meet new people.

Ahhh!!!

2008-09-04T20:53:00.000-05:00

Evenings on Thursdays once ECC has started are always pretty stressful...
We're busy getting ready for the day ahead.
And making cookies before finishing all homework is not a good idea.

Blustery Day & Soup for Lunch

2008-09-03T17:36:00.000-05:00

Today is has been very windy. It was nice and cool outside, so we had our windows open.

We made Carrot Soup, from the Nourishing Traditions cookbook, for lunch. It was delicious.

Labor Day

2008-09-01T21:22:00.000-05:00

The United States Congress first declared Labor Day to be a federal holiday in 1894. All 50 states celebrate it. It was designed to give the working citizens a day off work, and is now celebrated with parades and picnics. Labor Day is the symbolic end of summer.

I wrote that paragraph because Mom wanted us to find out what Labor Day really was.

We celebrated Labor Day by having a cookout for the folks Dad works with. Not everyone invited was able to come, but we still had a good number of people. We had a pretty good time.

::pictures&words::

2008-08-29T11:14:00.001-05:00

This is a (blurry) family picture at Teen Mania. Before we left Amy. On Sunday we are going to go down there, to Teen Mania, to visit Amy and go to church with her.

And to take her things she forgot.

Our friends the Powells came one Saturday and asked us to go shopping with them. It was after eight, and I had my pajamas on because I wasn't expecting to go anywhere. It was really fun though.

We tried on funny things.

And now that it's cooler, being the end of summer, the morning glories are blooming more. So they're really pretty.

And after church on Sunday we picked a ton of basil, and used some of it to make pesto.

Clara is a Girl Scout, and she bridged from Juniors, so now she's a Cadette.

This picture is not the greatest, but it shows her vest close up, and I don't have to rotate the other pictures. Because I can't figure out how to do that on Blogger.

Melissa made an amazing cake for the Bridging Ceremony.

It not only looks amazing, but it tasted amazing.

So I dressed Clara up as a Cowgirl, and we had a photo shoot.

This first week of school, we have been babysitting alot. This is Emma. She is adorable.

Dad has been doing alot of work on the kitchen. We got some new cabinets, and the other cabinets are getting new doors.

There's also, but not in the picture, a 12-inch cabinet next to the corner one.

Melissa cleared Amy's clothes out of their closet, and she painted it orange with pink splattered on it. It's pretty amazing.

And I babysit these really adorable kids on Wednesdays.

We miss Amy a lot. Dad referred to Melissa and I as the older girls. I guess that means our lives are moving on without Amy! Taking her to Teen Mania went well and everything. Driving home we had some tire trouble, but with Dad's skill, we made it home safely. She had been there for just over a week now. We've been talking to her on the phone, so have been able to know what she is doing. It is really nice to communicate with her. They have corporate exercise 5 days a week. She wanted us to pray for her left knee, because it has been sore and hard to walk on. She hopes that there is nothing wrong, because she doesn't want to have to go to the doctor, and she wants to be able to use it right. And also her assistant core advisor has strep throat, and Amy doesn't want to catch that. When all the interns moved into housing, they were in temporary dorms. A week later, they would move into permanent dorms and have a new core group. But she didn't move, or change cores, so she seemed happy because she really liked all the people she was with in the beginning. We've also registered for ECC this last Saturday. Mom is teaching Guitar and Quilting, and helping in German. Melissa is taking Physics, Debate, Spanish II, and Humanities. I (Ellie) am taking Integrated Physics and Chemistry, Algebra I, Spanish II, and Brain Benders. Clara is taking Einstein's Lab, Spanish Made Fun, Strategy Games,

Hands of Praise, and Archery.

School has started! It's sad but happy that summer is over.

Amy leaves... tomorrow!!!

2008-08-12T11:14:00.000-05:00

It is going to be so sad to not have Amy here. We are going to miss her so much, and it will be really strange with only 2 sisters.

I've been back home in Texas for almost a week now. I flew home last Wednesday. I am glad to be home, but I had alot of fun in Michigan. We were able to go to a few museums, including Greenfield Village, a place where Henry Ford had buildings of historical interest that he had collected. We saw so much history. And we went to the Edsel and Eleanor Ford house. It was huge, and really cool to find out more about the Fords. I'm glad I could go and spend time with Auntie Toni and Uncle John. Doing stuff with Matt and Mary and Ryan and Sarah was nice too.

Yesterday we showed Amy the front of the quilt we are making her. She really liked it. We are tying it, with thread, instead of quilting it, because it goes faster, so she can have it when she goes tomorrow.

So that's what we are busy doing.

I'm not gonna put any Michigan pictures up. But you can look at them at this picture website, http://picasaweb.google.com/squeaknsneakers/MyTripToMichigan. It's easier to look at them on this than on Facebook.

Update from... Michigan???

2008-07-31T17:19:00.001-05:00

Well, I (Ellie) am in Michigan for my vacation and spending time with my aunt and uncle and cousins! I came all by myself. So it was a little bit strange to not be on vacation with my whole family, since that's what we always do. We've mostly just been hanging out. We've gone to the pool, and the library, and today we went blackberry picking.
Right now Auntie Toni is making preserves to can them. Canning in jars is kind of an oxymoron, because why don't you can in cans and jar in jars? I suppose it would be more confusing. Anyway, we picked 9 quarts of blackberries, and ate alot of them too. Matt said he ate as many as he picked. Because the bushes were thorny, we are somewhat scratched up on our legs and arms. I wore flip flops and shorts, which was silly.
Mary and Matt have a mini dachshund named Lexi and she is only 12 weeks old. She is tiny and adorable. It is fun to watch her walk and play, because sometimes her back end doesn't quite keep up with her front end.
Oh, I also got two cards from Mema and Auntie Steph today. It was special to get cards while I'm on vacation.
Tonight we are having steak and potato salad and spinach salad, and homemade Reese's Peanut Butter Cup ice cream! Sarah and I made it today. It tastes pretty delicious, and I bet it will taste better when it's all the way frozen and everything.
Tomorrow we are going to go to the zoo. All of us, Toni, John, Ryan, Sarah, Matt, Mary, and me. We are going to take a picnic lunch and spend pretty much all day there.
It's strange not being at my home for a while like this. They will probably be almost finished on remodeling the kitchen.

Well, that's all for now!

Rebuilding the Kitchen

2008-07-21T17:43:00.000-05:00

This weekend we replaced our countertop and have a new sink.

Our friend Uncle Kevin came over to watch Dad work and to give him friendly advice.

He also helped Dad. Here he is pulling out the dishwasher, but I suppose you could tell that.

Then they discovered that something was still attached. And that there was somewhat of a leak. When they got that taken care of, they ripped off the countertop with their superhuman strength.

They actually did take out the screws before they ripped off the countertop with their superhuman strength.

Then they wrestled the 10-foot-plus countertop through our full-of-corners kitchen, and took it outside.

We put things at the side of the road for the sanitation engineers (not trash men) to dispose of. Sometimes people find our trash as their treasure, and take it home with them. Let's just hope that someone doesn't decide they want a new countertop and take our old one.

This is what our kitchen has looked like. We did put the dishwasher back, so we could use the oven.

We had this one square of countertop left. It had been a butcher block, coated by this nasty plastic stuff that we started melting with our toaster oven. Needless to say, Dad unscrewed it, turned it over, and it was such a blessing to have.

This is how our dining room looks, because we had to take out the things from the bottom cabinets so they didn't get sawdust and mess all over them.

Today, Monday, people from Irving Counter Top came over and installed the new countertop.

Yay!! It is very nice to have a whole countertop. We didn't realize how much we liked and needed having a countertop until we lost it. After all, how else would you be able to make chocolate chip cookies?

Dad took today off of work to be here when the men were working, and he installed the sink. We have a lovely new stainless steel sink with a sprayer and a water filter faucet in addition to the normal faucet.

A sink with running water is a great asset to the kitchen. We really are enjoying it.

So we don't have to do dishes in the bathroom. :o)

We also have a really quiet garbage disposal now. I suppose everyone else's garbage disposals are not especially loud, but ours was probably from when the house was built. So it's a big change, and we like it.

Melissa is gone in Chicago until Friday, the 25th. We are really missing her. The house is very quiet. I don't like sitting in her seat in the van. We are really going to be happy when she is back. But I will be leaving three days after she gets back (the 28th), to Detroit. Then I will get back on August 6th, and then 9 days later, Amy will leave for the Honor Academy for all year! It seems like we will not be home all at the same time for a while! Oh, Clara and Mom are going to go to a Women's Retreat from August 1-3, so Clara will be able to do something special with Mom.

Tile Backsplash and Key Lime Pie

2008-07-18T13:54:00.000-05:00

This weekend Dad has been working on tiling the backsplash in the kitchen.

We were able to borrow a tile cutter from some friends.

We have had to have the stove pulled out so we can work behind it.

Amy, Melissa, and I have been helping Dad laying the tiling.

This is the first of the decorative tiles laid.

On Friday I made a key lime pie because Melissa came home. The group flew in on Friday evening. We are really glad she is back because we missed her.

Demolition of the Kitchen

2008-07-07T21:11:00.000-05:00

This past weekend Dad and our friend Matt replaced the kitchen window. So here are some pictures of that.

We had to peel off all the gold brick tile that was the backsplash in the inside.

And it has looked like this all week- construction amid food preparation.

Dad has been working on the inside now.

Yesterday Dad was gooping on the joint compound. He smoothed it out too.

And we were looking at Lowe's at the backsplash tile. These are the ones we like the best because the accent tiles match what we have in the kitchen and the design is not very strange, like bowls of fruit or something.

And RYP is over now. We were all really tired since we stayed up late both nights.

Melissa will be going with her church high school choir to Chicago on Wednesday, the 16th, for a Choir Tour/Mission Trip. She will be gone until the 25th. The choir will be having concerts at Navy Pier, Sears Tower, and Pacific Garden Rescue Mission. They will also be doing things with Armitage Baptist Church, and doing a VBS.

I (Ellie) will fly up to Detroit on the 28th to spend 9 days with my aunt and uncle there. I am excited to go, and also a little scared of going by myself.

Catching Up

2008-06-30T16:47:00.000-05:00

I haven't written for so long-- two weeks! And I promised myself that I would write every four days! Well, I'm writing now.

Last Saturday, the 28th, our family went to the The Rebelution Tour, a conference by these twins, Alex and Brett Harris, who are challenging teens to rebel against the low things expected of them in this day and age. It lasted all day. We were challenged by it, and enjoyed going to it.

Afterwards we went to Braum's, our favorite local ice cream parlor. Both Melissa and I got Sicilian orange sherbet, so it's red (like Sicilians oranges). It was delicious.

We have been getting ready for the Renewing Your Passion conference that GFA is having soon. It is from July 11 to 13. I think Dad is going to be really busy.

Because we are going to re-do the kitchen soon, Dad took off one layer of the kitchen window. I guess you would call it the storm window? He and Mom did that on Sunday. And the new window we ordered is in at Lowes, and Dad is going to pick it up tonight.

And our garden is producing much foliage. We have gotten tomatoes, an eggplant, radishes, and herbs, but no peas or beans. The pea plants are dead-ish and dry, but the bean plants are doing well, but with no beans, only flowers. I hope that means that there will soon be beans.

Melissa planted beans along the fence here, and she didn't think they would actually grow. But they have been doing better than almost any of the other plants.

And we have been getting lots of morning glories, although recently we haven't had as many.

I suppose I should put a picture of an actual morning glory.

And here is evidence of some produce! A tomato that didn't get eaten by birds. Actually, the tomato in the 'protecting' cage was the only one that actually got eaten, I think because there were wires for the bird to stand on.

You can sort of see the eggplant in my hand. I look really excited about it. But it's not like my sisters and I hate eggplant, because Mom cooks it up a really good way, so it's delicious.

Later this month, from July 16 to 26, Melissa is going to go to Chicago for our church high school choir mission trip. So she is busy going to choir practice.

Tonight we are having 4 young adults over for dinner. Mom is going to make lasagne and I am going to make lemon bars.

This afternoon Mom had her friend over. Usually we sew together, but this time we talked and ate lunch together. It was nice to see her, because we haven't gotten together for a while.

Father's Day

2008-06-18T21:44:00.001-05:00

On Sunday, Father's Day, Mom and I made cocoa applesauce muffins, with the homemade applesauce. They smelled like chocolate, but didn't really taste like it, so that was decieving. They tasted good though.
After we went to church, we came home and had chef's salad for lunch. Then we were just helping Amy get ready for the church camp she left for that afternoon. We took her to the church around 3:30, and after she got signed in, we hung around some, then said goodbye and left.
Around 6, some friends came over for dinner, and we ate shish kabobs. They were so good! We enjoyed spending time with the family. They have three boys, and I was playing with them in the backyard and it was really fun.

Mom got dad this skillet that you can cook vegetables and things in on the grill.
He was excited.

He did a great job grilling the shish kabobs.

These are them on the grill. There was meat, tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, onions, and mushrooms on the shish kabobs.

We had a nice time visiting together.

We also had a fun time.

From the applesauce making, we have 3 full quart jars that are in the fridge. We didn't can them, we just stored them in jars.
We have been going to the pool lots this week. Mom likes to go so she can swim laps, because it helps her back, and she also likes us to go so we can help pay off the passes, and so we can get exercise. When we went on Wednesday, we had a nice time swimming, but we also met a nice lady. It's always nice when we meet nice people or see people we know.

On Wednesday I found this really interesting morning glory. The seeds we bought were for royal blue flowers, but the one I found was white with purple and blue streaks. It was really different, and pretty.

Gardening season in Texas is so different from everywhere else. We have been getting tomatoes, but no beans yet. We have lots of morning glories; we had seven this morning, and lots of grass. Our apple season is finished because we have an early apple tree. We have a lot of zinnias growing in the beds around the mailbox.

This morning there were 7 morning glories.

There are also quite a few ripe tomatoes.

Clara has been completing lots of badges. She just finished the "Making" Hobbies one, and last week did the Wildlife one. Tomorrow night she and Mom are going to a Mother Daughter sleepover at the troop leader’s house. They will complete 4 badges there. The badges are "Looking Your Best," “Lets Get Cooking,” “Theater,” and a scrapbooking one.

Clara has completed 21 badges.

No More Apples :( But Applesauce!

2008-06-14T18:36:00.000-05:00

We picked all of the apples off of the apple tree today. Or at least we think and hope that we did. The only ones left are really small ones, ones that are completely eaten out by birds, and two that are covered by netting that Clara is trying to grow really big. It's working, because they are pretty big.
We also made applesauce tonight. It is really delicious, especially when we eat it warm. We used the Victorio Strainer that Auntie Toni gave us. It's pretty awesome because you only have to quarter and boil the apples, then it separates the seeds and peel from the applesauce. When we eat the applesauce, we usually put cinnamon and sugar with it.
Today we went to the pool. It was fun.
Mom and Dad also went to Lowes and ordered a new countertop and a window and got a sink for the kitchen.

So here are some pictures about apples.

This was posed; Clara had already picked that apple. Oh well; it's a good picture.

This is a kind of far away one of Dad.

All the apples.

The empty apple tree. If you can see one there that we missed, you can come over and pick it and eat it, if the birds and squirrels didn't get it first.

These are pictures of applesauce making.

This is before we started doing it. You put the boiled apples in the big white hopper, mush them down, and continually turn the crank so the applesauce comes into the big bowl and the peelings go into the small bowl.

This is Clara putting cinnamon sugar on her applesauce.

The finished product.

This is Dad's mountain of applesauce-making dishes. Amazingingly, it hasn't fallen over,

as of yet.

Since tomorrow is Fathers Day, you might be wondering what we are going to do for Dad. Well, we are hoping to have another family over for an early dinner and have shish kabobs.

School is Out!!!

2008-06-09T12:50:00.000-05:00

Well, school is out for public schools, but my sisters and I will all be finishing this year’s school through the summer. I have English, Biology, and Literature. It is actually my third literature this year, so I am doing it mostly because I like literature.
On Friday Clara led a badge for the Juniors in her Girl Scout troop at our house. And there was also a surprise. Girl Scout officials came, and brought balloons and cupcakes and congratulated all of them for selling the most cookies in the entire council. So that was pretty neat.

This is when the cookie sellers were posing for a picture.

The badge Clara led was called Art in 3-D. While they ate lunch, they made a list of 3-D art in the community. After lunch, they made origami cranes, then made abstract sculptures with legos. After building with the legos, they made a 3-D design with pipe cleaners by twisting, cutting, and coiling them. Following the activity with pipe cleaners, they made clay sculptures and did soap carvings. And all of the Juniors earned the Art in 3-D badge.

Making things with pipe cleaners.

In the fall Clara will be bridging to be a Cadette, to be in the next level up. But before doing that, she has been earning the Bronze Award. Her troop adopted an assisted living home, and they have been doing things with the residents. Clara has to do 15 hours of service to receive the award, so she can get those hours by spending time with the people at the home, or making things to give to them. So today she was doing that.

On Saturday several families came over to pick apples from our apple tree. It is an early apple tree, and it blooms and produces early, so that would explain why we are picking apples in May and June!

We had a nice time visiting with everyone, but one family stayed longer, and then their children stayed and watched a movie with us and ate popcorn for dinner. It was fun.

Picking apples from the alley way

Last night Dad and I cleaned the keyboard for our main computer. He had said that some of the keys were sticking. So I looked up how to clean a key board and printed off a whole bunch of stuff. We ended up popping of the keys, then vacuuming the inside, wiping down the keys and the inside, reassembling the keys on the counter using one of our other keyboards as a guide, then putting all the keys back on in hopefully the right places. Right now we are using an older keyboard so that we can make sure that the other one is dry.
Some of the search results that I came up with were pretty interesting. Some said to just vaccuum and wipedown the keys, and others said to stick the whole thing in the dishwasher. The balance we chose was to just take off the keys and clean it.

Our garden has really been growing well. I found the first morning glory today! It was beautiful and bright blue.

Here is another one next to it that was just starting to open.

When all the tendrils from the morning glories were short, they had nothing close enough to climb on so they were climbing on each other, then they grew long enough and could climb up the fence.

This is one of the first flowers on our bean plants. I hope they start producing soon.

We also have had some radishes. Here is Clara with one she picked.

On Thursday afternoon Clara and I babysat some kids while their mom worked at GFA. It was really fun. They are all really cute.

They all really like reading, so we read to them a lot. Clara is with Jenna and Rylee.

Asa is Jenna's twin. Here am I with him.

The Start of Summer Swimming and Other Things

2008-06-02T20:35:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we went to the Rec Center to get our pool passes, having in mind that we would go to the pool afterwards. While we were there, we found out that the summer-long swimming started next Monday, not yesterday. So we got our passes anyway. We then took Melissa to someone's house so she could clean for them. After we went home, we went to a friend's apartment pool. It was nice, because no one was there, and also nice because it's a great pool, with a waterfall and both deep and shallow areas. And there was also a baby pool with a fountain. It was great to be able to still go to a pool, because Clara was disappointed at first that we wouldn't be able to swim.
So here are some pictures of us at the pool. You might be wondering how I got so close to them while they were in the water, but I'll confess that I 'borrowed' Melissa's camera and went in the water with it. Now Melissa is fine with it, but she said I should be careful. But it was safe and didn't get wet at all.

Clara coming up from the water.

Mom under the waterfall.

Amy wearing goggles.

A self-portrait of myself, not realizing it was on zoom.

Clara about to hit the water in a cannonball.

Clara's expression here is so funny, it's like she thinks she is about to get sprayed in the face.

Clara was happy that we were able to swim.

June 1 was Mom and Dad's 23rd anniversary of being married, so I thought it was fitting to put some pictures of them.

These were taken when Uncle David, Auntie Charlotte, and Jason were taking pictures with us.
For their anniversary they went out to dinner at an Indian restaurant called Ruchi Palace. I had Dad's leftovers for lunch today, Goat Biriyani, and it was really good, although it was spicy. But I guess that is to be expected.
I didn't make them a card, so I said that the apple pie I made was their gift.
We made quiche from a recipe that Melissa made up. It was really good. Since the pie crust recipe made two crusts, I had a crust left over. We were going to make a raspberry pie, but that needed two crusts and we had never made it before, and had nothing to top it with, like cream or something. So I made a French Apple Pie from the Betty Crocker cookbook. It only uses one crust, and there is a butter/flour/brown sugar topping on it. Because our oven cooks hot, I didn't need to cook it so long, so it was a little burnt. It was still good! (Delicious, says Mom!)

Amy had been working as a barista at the Starbucks in a Kroger, but was transferred to being a cashier at Kroger, but now is filling in at the Starbucks and is hopefully going to be transferred back to being at Starbucks. This is really an answer to prayer because cashiering is hard on her shoulders, and being a barista is really what she enjoys more.

Here are also some garden pictures.

Some tomatoes

The beans as they climb

Melissa's dill

a radish

A cucumber flower

Melissa smelling the basil she picked. We made pesto with it and it was really good.

On Friday Clara is leading a badge with some Juniors. It is Art in 3-D. So we made some abstract sculptures with legos, and she was making clay for them to mold. They will also make soap sculptures.

Wow, that was a really long post. I have been working on it for several days, and keep taking pictures I want to add, so maybe that's why.

KABOOM!!

2008-05-29T21:23:00.000-05:00

So we are getting our alley redone, and on Thursday morning they were tearing it up right behind our house, and we could see it from our backyard. Sometimes the house would shake, and sometimes the booms would sound like thunder. Work continues to go on further down the alley, so we can still hear the bulldozers and everything.

This is when they were right by our driveway.

He tried to pick it up, but dropped it.

And he picked it up again.

Here is a picture of the door and window by the family room. It has been finished for a while now; sorry I haven't put a picture up.

Last night we had a graduation party for Amy. Lots of people came, and we were glad about that. Here is Amy with our friend Dorinda.

Melissa made amazing cupcakes.

Oh, I made lemon bars, and there were 54. We ate them all. I think I ate six.

Amy has Graduated!!

2008-05-29T08:46:00.000-05:00

On Thursday our relatives, Uncle David, Auntie Charlotte, and cousin Jason, came out. They spent the night, because they were staying with us.
Jason slept in mine and Clara's room, and Clara and I slept in Amy and Melissa's room with them. It was fun to have 4 girls in one room.
On Friday morning we went to the church where the graduation was going to be and set up Amy’s table, with pictures and scrapbooks and things like that.
We went to GFA too. Our relatives got a tour of the office, and we ate lunch there. After that we helped set up things for the GFA picnic.
Some people dressed up as superheroes for the picnic, but some people didn’t. Clara was Magma Girl.

Magma Girl

The parents eating lunch at GFA

The cousins eating lunch at GFA

They had a water slide and a bounce house set up. Lots of people also played Capture the Flag with water balloons.
There was also lots of food. We took onions, fruit salad, and lemon bars. The lemon bars were put in one of the refrigerators at GFA under a container of salad so they were never taken out. We wondered what had happened to them until Dad found them on Monday. We were all happy to have them back and we shared them at a Memorial Day party.

After we ate dinner, some of us went on the water slide a few more times and then we went home to get ready so we could go to the church.

Melissa, Clara, and I, with other underclassmen, were in the candlelight processional. We walked in at the beginning and lined the center aisle, and then the graduates walked in.
The pastor of the church the ceremony was at was the one who spoke. It was a good message, and was about the DNA of leadership. Slideshows of pictures of the seniors played. Near the end of the slideshow Dad came up and gave Amy her diploma and Mom turned the tassel on Amy’s cap.

Receiving the diploma.

Mom turning the tassel

Graduated!

Lots of people we know were able to come to her graduation and stay for the reception afterwards, and that was really special.
At the reception there was food and each senior had a table that they displayed pictures and things on.
It seems so weird that Amy has finished high school.

On Saturday we slept in, which was very nice, and then our relatives drove to Fort Worth to visit some of their other relatives.

On Sunday we went to the church of some of our friends in Fort Worth. Afterwards was the churches spring picnic, and we stayed for that. It was nice to visit with them, and we also met several nice families. We especially enjoyed the tamales they had.

On Saturday, besides being lazy, we actually got some things done. Dad replaced the toilet in the master bathroom. He was going to put on a new wax seal, but when he got it up, there was a crack on the back, so he decided to replace it completely.

We have been getting the house ready to have a graduation party for Amy tomorrow night. It will be after dinner and we'll have desserts and things like that. I'll be making more lemon bars.

Garden Update

2008-05-19T10:59:00.000-05:00

This morning I planted some ginger that we had that was sprouting! We also have beets that are sprouting, but Mom isn't convinced that we should plant them. I tried to tell her that we should plant them, and she said that we would only get beet greens, and I said that I didn't mind not having to eat the beets.
One of our garden beds I have dubbed the 'roly-poly garden' because there are a bunch of roly-polys that are eating the small plants. So this morning I put cayenne pepper in it, hoping that that would make them go away or explode them or something. Mom told me that she saw one that was kind of hesitant to walk in the cayenne pepper.
We used to have a problem with ants in one of the other beds, and I looked up natural ways to kill ants, that wouldn't hurt the soil or plants, and there were a bunch of funny ways. Cayenne pepper was one, but we tried the cornmeal one that was supposed to make the ants "swell up and go to the big ant hill in the sky." I think it worked, because there aren't ants now.
We also have these squirrels that keep on eating the apples. Ginger (our dog) always tries to drive them away, but she doesn't always realize they're there, and the squirrels fight over apples. It's really funny to watch them. Ginger sometimes 'stalks' them and it's really funny too.
We have continued to be busy with senior stuff for Amy, and getting ready for her graduation. On Tuesday we went to a senior banquet for the seniors from our homeschool group, and on Thursday we went to one with our church. On Saturday we went to a friend's graduation, and this Friday is Amy's graduation. In just four days!!
My uncle and aunt and cousin will be coming for Amy's graduation, and they'll be staying with us. All of us four girls plan on sleeping in a room together, so that will be fun.

Mothers Day and Pictures

2008-05-12T15:00:00.000-05:00

My sisters and I had this scheme to have a restaurant dinner at home for Mom and Dad for Mother's Day.
On Sunday afternoon Dad took Mom to go shoe shopping and to Sprouts. They were gone all afternoon, so we were able to get ready without having to worry about hiding everything. We had decided on an Italian theme, and we named our restaurant Per Amore di Cucina which we hope means For the Love of Food. We had tortellini, spinach linguine, pesto sauce, marinara sauce, sausage, salad, bread, gelato, lavender lemonade, cookies, iced tea, coffee, and hot tea. Melissa made raspberry ice also, but after eating the gelato together we were all too sweeted out to have more sweets.
Clara and I were the servers, Amy was the host, and Melissa was the main chef.
When Mom and Dad got home, they went to their room to "freshen up." Then Amy escorted them to the dining room, where we had moved aside the table and set up a card table. We had set the small table all pretty, and on the other table we put up candles. After they had looked at the menu for a little bit, Clara and I came out and got their orders for drinks and salad. Then we brought out the drinks, and then the salads. After they were almost done with their salads, we took their orders for the main dishes. When those were ready, we brought out the plates and took away their salad plates and forks. Then after they were done with the main dishes, we brought out the cookies.
We decided we would open the presents and wait for the gelato to freeze, because it needed to be in the freezer as long as possible.
We opened the presents and also played Balderdash, and "took a tour of the garden" so mom could discover the day lily we had bought her.

Here are some pictures of the evening.

The menu

The inside of the menu

What I took Dad's order on.

We wore square dance dresses.

The tortelliniWe burnt the bread, but we had some of the untoasted loaf
left so we made that into what we gave Mom and Dad.

The sign I mad for the day lily.

This last Monday Clara's best friend Natalie came over. Clara isn't able to see her often so it was nice for them to be able to get together. We make movies together, and they were wearing some of the costumes. I took a lot of pictures. It was fun.

Scrapbooking and Pictures

2008-05-08T21:52:00.000-05:00

I have been making Amy's senior scrapbook, and this morning I realized that I have 10 years left to do, and I have just over two weeks! It's kind of overwhelming. But this morning I did all of 1997, and I've started on 98. I have been scanning in the pictures, so we can have duplicates. There are some nice ones, and some interesting ones I came across. So I'll put them up here.

These are all in 1998. This one is with our cousin Kelly.

Notice how all four of us are on a teeter totter built for two?

And in this one, notice how we're all sort of blowing?

I think this one is hilarious.

And this one is the greatest. Dad is so strong, he can hold up Colorado boulders!

I thought y'all would like these pictures.

We have been pretty busy getting ready for Amy's graduation. We have two senior dinners coming up- one with church and one with ECC. It's scary how Amy being completely done with high school is so soon!

National Teacher Appreciation Week

2008-05-07T19:24:00.000-05:00

This week is National Teacher Appreciation Week, so we decided to appreciate Mom today. We made lunch. It was enchiladas, salad, chips and salsa, and apple crisp for dessert. It was fun to do that. We decided that May 7 would always be teacher appreciation day for us.

So here are some pictures of us at lunch.

This afternoon we went shopping. We went to Joann's and got scrapbook paper, and Old Navy and Marshalls for clothes. We also went to the library and got books, and took some apple crisp to Dad at work.

We are almost done with the door/window project. On Sunday we put the primer on, and tonight we'll put on the paint.

Some of our relatives will be able to come out for Amy's graduation, and we're excited about that.

This is a friend doing the texture with Dad.

On Sunday Melissa had a bake sale for church, and she made cookies and cupcakes to sell.

This afternoon Ginger was stalking a squirrel. It was on our fence, and she was taking small steps to go toward it. It was really funny. She never got the squirrel though.

Cinco de Mayo and Muffins

2008-05-06T10:33:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Cinco de Mayo day. There is this "legend," more like a tall tale, about it that I'll share with you.

Traders brought mayonnaise to Mexico one year, and the natives loved it. The demand was so great that the company had a huge ship bring a large supply from Europe. Because the load of mayonnaise was so heavy, during a storm in the Caribbean the ship sank. This happened on May 5, and the Mexicans made the day a holiday of mourning. They called it Cinco de Mayo. Because that sounds like Sink o' de Mayo.

That made me laugh when Clara told it to me. I hope you don't mind that I kind of filled in the details, like the shipping company and traders and such.

I don't really know the real Cinco de Mayo story. We were going to go to a thing about it at the library, but we got there late, and we saw that it was only little kids, so we didn't stay.

Yesterday it was pretty rainy. Today it was rainy and stormy, and the power went out for a minute. I had been making muffins, and they were baking, and I was like "No! "because the oven had turned off. But the power came back on, and the muffins turned out okay. They have the wierdest ingredients. They're called Breakfast in a Muffin muffins, and there is wheat flake cereal, orange juice, powdered milk, bananas, and eggs in them. Really like breakfast. They sound so wierd, but they were good. I am going to give you the recipe.

Breakfast-in-a-Muffin

1 c. wheat flake cereal
1 c. orange juice

1/2 c. nonfat dry milk
1/4 c. vegetable oil

1 egg

2 sm. bananas, mashed

1 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. raisins (optional)

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin pan. Mix cereal, orange juice, and dry milk in a large bowl; let stand about 2 minutes or until soft. Mix in oil, egg, and bananas. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into muffin pan. Bake 20 minutes, or until top springs back when touched lightly. Makes 12 muffins.

The recipe is from Mom's 'The Great Southwest Cookbook' that I love. We have so many recipes we use in there.

Both Melissa and I have been working on research papers. Hers is a whole author project, so she also has to do a book review. The author she chose to do her paper on is Nathaniel Hawthorne.

I am doing mine on the Black Death. It was kind of a bad topic to pick, because some of the info I have been looking at is nasty.

Today

2008-05-04T12:52:00.001-05:00

Today after we went to church, Clara went to an interactive movie with her Girl Scout troop. It was the Wizard of Oz movie. From what she's told me about it, it sounded pretty fun. Like whenever a character came on the screen, they would say or do certain things. For the good witch Glenda, they held up the wand and said "Oh, what a nice witch!" They had a swap meet afterwards, and Clara made little scarecrows.

Here are some pictures.

Clara and Melissa with the little scarecrows.

Dad did the texture this weekend, with the help of a friend, and here Mom is helping him tape off the ceiling.

A neat picture I took at the railroad crossing.

Amy, Clara, and I went to see National Treasure 2, and we went to Sonic afterwards.

The lilies before the opened.

The lilies after they opened.

Pictures of this morning

2008-05-02T11:05:00.000-05:00

I am going to try to get Clara to write something about her going horseback riding so I can put it up here.

A big construction machine just went by through our alley, to do the alley work they are doing, and it was so loud. It shook the whole house.

I have some pictures I took this morning, of the garden and outside.

The snail in our front yard

The peas

The peppermint

The zinnias and dianthus

The columbine flower.

The apples

Clara making bookmarks for Girl Scouts.

This Week

2008-04-30T19:26:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of this week.

Drying garlic hanging in the garage.

The cucumbers

The apples on our tree

The morning glories by the garden fence

Melissa's herb garden. She has some thyme, rosemary, and lavender plants, with basil, parsley, dill, green onions, and chives planted.

The other garden with eggplant, marigold, rosemary, and tomatoes.

My iris, and portulaca and other plants.

Clara went horseback riding with her Girl Scout troop. She was a cowgirl.

On Monday Clara and Mom went horseback riding with Clara's Girl Scout troop. They both had a great time.

They had some goats at the horse ranch, and they sounded pretty funny. Mom lost her chapstick, and here's the story about it.

Paula: I think I dropped my chapstick, beacuse I can't find it.

Diane: I really think one of the goats ate it, because I saw one choking a little while ago.

Mom found her chapstick though. She had had a hole in her pocket.

Tonight we were watching Fiddler on the Roof. It's a great movie. I like all the songs. Mom knows all the words because there was a school play when she was in high school.

Tonight Melissa made lavender cookies and lavender lemonade. They were really good. The lavender gives the lemonade a really nice flavor. She used the lavender that she is growing in her garden.

On Sunday Melissa had a Chicago Roundup dinner thing with her church choir, to raise money for the missions trip they are going on this summer.

Also on Sunday we were able to visit with some friends who had moved away, but were able to come back for a little while. It was nice to see them.

It's late, almost 10. I need to get off the computer.

Aftermath of Prom

2008-04-27T15:09:00.000-05:00

Amy and Melissa got home at 2 this morning. And they actually went to church later this morning! They have both been really tired, but they enjoyed it. The theme for the prom was Once Upon a Time, so the decorations and everything was medieval. The adults who helped were all dressed up too.
Clara, at the Badge Workshop yesterday, earned two badges, the Sweet Shoppe badge and the World Neighbors badge. She was able to make candy, also. Right now she is working on the Drawing and Painting badge. Tomorrow she and Mom, and others from her troop, are going horseback riding.

Mom, Dad, and I went to dinner last night, since everyone else was gone. We went to Fuddrucker's and got hamburgers.

Here are some pictures of the Prom, and other things.

Amy and Melissa's Prom

2008-04-26T15:57:00.001-05:00

Right now Amy and Melissa are getting ready for the Christian Homeschool Prom they are going to tonight. Amy's friend Jessica has been doing Amy's makeup. She got her hair done by a friend from church. Melissa had our friend Pam do her hair. They both look SO beautiful! I am going to have to take lots of pictures.

Right now Clara is at a Girl Scout badge workshop. She will be doing two badges, and maybe start a few more. She has been busy earning badges, and every other Friday going to troop meetings.

Earlier today I was performing at a nursing home with my singing group. We meet every other Friday, and then once a month perform at a few nursing/retirement homes. We're all homeschool girls. A mom is the leader of it, but she was gone this week.

On Wednesday we had a family, the Powells, over for dessert. I made a chocolate chiffon cake, and it turned out really well! I put chocolate icing on it. We used a friends recipe, and the icing was delicious. And so was the cake! We also had strawberries and homemade whipped cream. We all had a great time visiting afterwards. I played games, and others talked.

The cake

Last weekend Clara, Mom, and I went to a Maidens Quest Retreat. The first day we had to dress up in formal clothes. So here we are, all ready to go.

I'll put up more pictures of Amy and Melissa later.

I did it!

2008-04-24T14:55:00.000-05:00

I did it! I made a chocolate chip chiffon cake all by myself! The only help I had from mom was what bowl to whip the eggs in. And to take out some of the water if I put to much. The cake is baking right now. I really hope it turns out. It would kind of be awful if it didn't.
I guess I'll be off to do the dishes. :)