Dream Job

I chocolate!

My thoughtful husband just sent me the link to this article.
For the first (and probably last) time in my life I wish I was post menopausal, under 70 and had type 2 diabetes.

Could you imagine...CHOCOLATE...

Everyday...

for an entire year...

in the name of science?

I think older ladies all over the world are looking a little happier!

Whole or...

...Skim
After a recent discussion in our household Allen asked a number of people which type of milk they prefer and why.
It all started with a brownie that was just too rich for Skim milk, so I tried the girls' whole milk, and enjoyed it with my dessert.
I happened to suggest to Allen that maybe in the future I would buy more Whole and less Fat Free, since I hardly drink milk (I know, I know, I should drink more, but I don't so there).

Anyhow, I was amazed at how passionate people are about their milk.



So, what is your preference? Do you prefer blue water(fat free), white water(1%), light milk (2%) or straight from the cow(whole)? Not, just what do you drink, but what would you drink if you never had to count calories or grams of fat?

Perfect Visit

It was amazing to see my friends from home, Sherah and Jenn and to visit with baby Andrew and new daddy Scott. We spent a couple days in Boston exploring parts of the Freedom Trail, seeing the Boston Tea Party Ship, getting Cannolis at Mike's Pastries...you know, the important things :-)
It was great to spend time with them, but as with most visits from family and friends, it was far too short.
I of course miss them already, and am looking forward to seeing them again.

So who is/are our next visitor(s)?
Good question. It is a race between the parental units, with neither one having set a date as to when they are coming.

Allen's parents will more than likely be first since they are considering July or August and my folks are thinking maybe October.

Anyone want to put a bet in for who will be next?

Or does anyone want to volunteer to be next? :-) We know some good places to stay, and great places to see. Just give us a week or two warning!

I Love Surprises...

Do You?

I was very pleasantly surprised this week, with a visit from a wonderful, close friend from home, Jenn. She came unexpectedly with our other friends from home (Scott, Sherah and their new addition to the world, Andrew) who we knew were all coming for a visit.

Just the thing I needed to cure my homesick woes.

And now that she is flying home, I am feeling a little down. But no worries, I get to spend the remainder of the week catching up with my other great friends from home. And Sherah and I will get to spend time together. I can't wait.

What an amazing week. I have such awesome friends. And they came at the perfect time to take away my homesickness, by bringing home to me!

Working Hard

Allen is working hard on his work-work, so I thought I would do some blog work while the girls nap. Check out the Links on the side bar (Under Family, Friends and Photos). These are some of my favorite blogs. If you have a blog, send me the link. I am always willing to add another blog to my repertoire.

Oh, and hint, some of the names are not people's real names, but some version of what Lizzie has named them. In case anyone was confused :-)

Check Out the Updated Wishlists If You Dare

So, no one has a birthday coming, but since Auntie Nono (my sister, Melissa) is leaving for Hawaii and then Alaska and then Romania and back to Alaska, all back to back (literally, she returns from Hawaii and leaves the next day for Alaska), she was asking what Lizzie wanted for her birthday (June 22 she will be 3, I can't believe it). We (Lizzie and I) spent sometime working on her wishlist, so without further ado: (just scroll down, her's is the second post)
Lizzie's wishlist

Shhhhhh, Don't Tell Anyone...

But, I think I am a little homesick.

Honestly, it doesn't happen often. I don't mind being far from home and way out of my comfort zone. It is always tough and challenging in many ways to go to a new place where you don't know anyone and try to start all over, but being uncomfortable makes it so much easier to be moldable.

God has taught me a lot in being in New England (for a year now this June). And He has provided many great friends for me to listen to and share with, but sometimes I miss my old life, and old friends. This week, more than others I have wished I had a friend from back home to sit and talk with for hour upon hour, just because. Nothing is wrong or stressful , or anything like that. In fact, things are quite even keel, which is probably why I miss my friends so much. I have actually had time to think about something more than what I have to do for the week, day or even hour.

I miss friends who I can talk to about anything and everything, without wondering if I stuck my foot in my mouth. I miss going to the cabin with my girl friends ( I love you ladies, Audrey, Jenn, Lisa and Sherah) and drinking tea while we talked for far, far too long about deep things, about silly things, and about us things. I miss having friends around that I have known so long that they just know the right thing to say/do when I need it. I miss knowing the right things to say and do to love my sisters. I miss being able to encourage my friends in ways that they need it most. I miss birthday meals together where we chat until one of our husbands calls wondering why dinner is taking multiple hours.

I miss spending an entire evening, and into the morning hours talking with the Brewsters about life and dreams and more until someone finally gives in and admits being too tired to function anymore. I miss feeling like family, more than just knowing we are family in Him. I miss trips to the Oregon Zoo, where you just can't see everything.

I miss watching my friends' families grow in size and watching them grow in Him as a result. I miss being there to give hugs, or jump up and down rejoicing together. I miss going months without seeing someone and then getting together every weekend for a month or two, just to get caught up.

I miss my sister (love ya Lissa) and hearing about single life and what God is doing in hers, and getting to see her face as she says things with her facial expressions that can't be communicated over the phone or in an email or letter. I miss going to coffee or lunch or shopping for the next birthday we have or Christmas gift we can't seem to figure out (usually Mom, love you Mom). I miss family gatherings, and laughing together about things from when we were little, or the quirkinesses of Dad and Mom.

I miss my brother. I miss knowing how to pray for him best, that only spending time with him would reveal.

I miss visits from the mom's where I get to share the latest in what the girls are learning to do/say/not do... and watch the girls bond with their grandmothers as only grandchildren can. I miss watching the grandfathers morph into these strange puddles whenever they see the girls, making me instantly want to film them to laugh later when the girls are older, and past "that age".

I miss being in a place where everything is green, from the landscape to the practices of the majority of the people. I miss the rain and the smell that it sends out just before it comes, and just after it leaves. I miss being around a people that don't believe in umbrellas, but hoods, or just getting wet. I miss polite drivers being more common than rude ones, and roadways that make sense. I miss having to specify which Starbucks I am meeting someone at by saying things like "the one on the south end of the parking lot, not the north".

I miss...

...home.

I've Been Tagged

I’ve been tagged by my friend Sarah at My Peace and Joy. And my task is to come up with 6 words that describe…me! So here we go. In no particular order (and realize I have a major head cold, so if I chose a word that seems unclear to you, maybe it isn't you :-) )

Creative

Thoughtful

Determined

Compassionate

Quirky

(I repeat:)

His

Here are the rules:

1. Write your own six word memoir
2. Post it on your blog (or e-mail it to the person who tagged you) and include a visual illustration if you’d like
3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post
4. Tag whoever you want to, or leave it open to onlookers
5. Remember to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.

Anyone who enjoys Memes, please feel free to join in on this one.

GCTS Easter Egg Hunt

On Easter the seminary had an Easter Egg Hunt for the kiddos. The girls were in the under 3 category with only a handful of other kids. Needless to say Daddy and Mommy were very glad to find that the massive amount of eggs the girls collected were not all full of candy, but stickers and fake tatoos as well.

Mommy helping Lizzie:


While Daddy and "JuJu" help Ellie:

Stone Zoo on the Bunny Day

We recently got a membership (with another family, so as to save money, and yes it is okay with the zoo that we combined families) to the zoo. Actually we got a membership to a New England Zoo joint thingy whereby we can enter any of the 140 zoos nationwide (including the zoo in Portland, OR!) for free or half off (though most are free). This was the first of many trips we will be taking, and it was bunny day since it took place the day before Easter.
Here are the girls having fun:

Lovin' the Moon Bounce

Lovin' the DJ and loud music to Rock Out

And More Dancin'

Our Tired Littlest Bunny

Bad Blogger

I know, shame on me. I have not blogged for sometime and especially all the Easter and Passover activities. But that is exactly why I haven't blogged. We have been so busy that I have hardly had 2 minutes to think, much less time to write coherently about the goings on here in South Hamilton.

Here are some random pics. More posts to come. Our hotdogs :-)

Lizzie sporting Daddy's pants

Ellie with her classic cheesy grin

The double wide bun that came just this big:

Melaleuca

At the start of the week I went to a dear friends home to watch a presentation on a company I had never before heard of in any context, Melaleuca. A company based out of Idaho, I had to travel to the other side of the continent to hear about it. Intrigued by my friends raving review and the way her face lit up whenever she had the opportunity to talk about the company, I was eager to hear the presentation.

Like many companies that rely on word of mouth advertising and short demonstrations to convince the onlooker that this is THE product to purchase, this presentation was filled with information that would frighten any good parent, pet owner and/or environmentally conscientious consumer into emptying their cleaning supply cupboards and every other area that may have "toxic" items stored (shampoo, hand soap, etc.) as well as getting rid of your generic vitamins (which according to the presentation typically don't properly digest in the human body and so end up in the sewer system) to all be replaced by Melaleuca's safe, all natural products that don't even have child locks they are so safe for children/pets to drink (not that it is recommended, but you get the idea).

As poor, seminary wife, mother of two, I have been to more at home parties than I care to admit and typical buy the least expensive thing in the catalog that will make me a supportive friend, without making us broke. But even this cynical woman found herself unable to even clean without feeling guilt. So, now, in addition to being a poor, seminary wife, mother of two, cynic, I am also the proud owner of a 1 year Melaleuca membership, by which I will be making my minimum purchase each month to keep it going and feel better about what my girls are exposed to every time I clean the house or them.

Why did I sign up you ask, after all the skepticism?

It is simple, when Allen and I looked at the facts of the cost per month, the fact that these are things we already buy from other companies, and now we don't have to panic if the girls decide to guzzle the glass cleaner or take a bite of the bar soap when we're not looking, it made sense.

In the coming months I will be slowly replacing my cleaners, soaps, vitamins, etc. with these products, and will let you know if they are everything they claim to be. For example, will the Sol-U-Mel cleaner really take out the Sharpie Lizzie so decoratively used all over my desk? Or, will Allen feel any different from taking Replenex their Glucosamine supplement? And maybe I'll even let you know what happens when a 1 1/2 year old eats the soap in the bathroom (though I don't promise anything :-) ).

I am excited to be keeping our home safer and helping the environment as well as supporting an exclusively US based company, by using my membership.

If I forget to let you know how it is going, give me a gentle reminder in the comments!

Okay, I am now done shamelessly advertising for this company.