Thursday, November 22, 2012

Random Thankful Thursday


Since it's Thanksgiving, but also Thursday, I think I'll share some random things I'm thankful for.

I'm thankful for modern technology.  Because of it, I can be a college student and still be home when my children are home, and I can stay in touch with far away friends and family.

I'm thankful for good cookbooks, so I can make and enjoy super tasty food.  And I'm thankful that I won't have to have my mouth water for too much longer before I get to enjoy today's feast!

I'm thankful for Mythbusters, because they've helped teach my daughters that science is cool.

I'm thankful for a warm bed and a roof to keep me dry.

I'm thankful for chocolate.

I'm thankful that I've learned how to make healthy food that tastes good so I can enjoy the chocolate.

I'm thankful for Blaine and Mel.  It's nice to have family that aren't too far away.  I'm thankful they're here right now to entertain the girls while Chris & I cook dinner (and I'm thankful to hear them tell the girls that they don't associate with kids who fight.)  And I'm thankful for the great-smelling food they brought with them.

I'm thankful for good neighborhood friends.  We are blessed to know some amazing people.

I'm thankful to be a part of a book club.  Over the past two years I've read books I would never have read otherwise, and I've been able to participate in entertaining and enlightening discussion with a wonderful group of women.

I'm thankful for a job that I enjoy.  It's been a long time since I've had a job outside the house, but I get to spend three mornings a week being entertained by a handful of kids.  I hope they get as much out of our time together as I do.

I'm thankful for a bond of friendship that has lasted over 20 years.  I wish we got to see each other more often than we do, but I'm grateful we've been able to keep in touch all this time.

I'm thankful for my parents.  I'm the person I am today because of what they taught me.

I'm thankful for my wonderful family.  I have been blessed with a wonderful husband who loves me in spite of me and three healthy, amazing daughters who make me smile every single day.

Happy Thanksgiving, indeed.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Random Thoughts Thursday


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I would like to know how it is that I managed to get 331 pages into the second book in a series before I realized that the main character is blonde, and not brunette like I'd been picturing her.

I still haven't missed a day this year! (the blog isn't up to date, but the pictures have been taken, I promise!)

I was going to share a video, but apparently it's been pulled from YouTube.  Bummer.  It was really funny.

Christmas break needs to come quickly.  I'm very, very much looking forward to not having any classes at all between Spring Break and next fall.  Happy, happy days.

My brother-in-law in Australia posted a guide to Aussie speech on his blog.  My favorite term is "budgie smugglers", which refers to men's bathing costumes, specifically speedos.

Hey, did you hear about the clowns who went to the KKK rally?  Sounds like the beginning of a joke, right?  Watch this:


Dwight Power for the win.

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Your turn!

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Random Thoughts Thursday


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I had all kinds of things in mind to put in this post today.  I just can't for the life of me remember what they were.

My first baby turned 12 yesterday.  It's very strange.  I loved that little baby so much.  But I love the person she's becoming, so I guess it's okay to say goodbye to the baby and welcome the young woman with open arms.

Ellie and her best friend were each selected to be "Super Student of the Week" in their classes.  They spent the afternoon working on their posters.  It's amazing how big of a deal something that small can be.

I am already tired of school.  The two classes I have this term are killers.  I am very much looking forward to the fact that I won't have any school at all from Spring Break until Fall term starts again.

My brother-in-law Russ is awesome.  He fixed the family picture I want to use for Christmas cards this year so that I'm not wearing sunglasses anymore.  Like I said, awesome.

Wait, is he still my brother-in-law if he's married to my sister-in-law?  As in, his wife is Chris's sister, so not actually related to me.  How does that work?

I wish I had a constant recording of my life so I could always remember the hilarious things Lexi says.  She cracks us up on a daily basis.

Halloween candy is a curse and needs to be exorcised from my house.  Post haste.

I was just told by Vicki's piano teacher to "work with her on a dead hand."  Best piano teacher ever.

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Your turn!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Twelve

I'm proud to say that I voted in yesterday's election.

I'm also proud to say that I didn't vote in the 2000 election.

You see, I was a little busy:

It was before everyone had digital cameras, so I had
to resort to taking a picture of the scrapbook page

And now, that 6lb 9oz baby girl, the one who became the most determined baby and toddler in the world, the one who grew into the most self-confident little girl I've ever met, that little baby is now a smart, cheerful, funny, beautiful, twelve-year-old young woman.

...who can make a perfect paper airplane!

And I'm not just blessed to be her mother.

I'm privileged to be her friend.

Happy 12th birthday, Vicki!  Thanks for making me a mother.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Random Thoughts Thursday (the un-random Halloween edition)

We interrupt this regularly scheduled Random Thoughts Thursday to bring you a Halloween-themed post.  This post is brought to you by the knowledge that there are far-away grandparents and an uncle in Australia who really want to see the girls Halloween costumes, and by the fact that I actually have time to blog today.

Random Thoughts Thursday will return at its regularly scheduled time next week.

About two months ago, Ellie told me she'd decided once and for all what she wanted to be for Halloween.  This is the girl who has fairly readily molded her costume ideas to my will for the past six years.  I should have enjoyed that more while it lasted, because this year she decided to be...a volcano.  I usually make the girls costumes, but even if I'd wanted to buy them this year, I have no idea where one would go to find a volcano costume.  So we got creative with the several yards of black felt that Chris has had stored in our cedar chest for the past 10 years, and here's what we came up with:

Pretty darn awesome, if I do say so myself.  Here's another angle:

And one more, because I was feeling artsy:

Her original plan was to have her hair all ratted up and sprayed red, but we tried that for the church Halloween party, with traumatic results when it came time to clean it up, so we came up with the headband instead.  She got pretty good at explaining to people what she was supposed to be, and was over the moon when someone actually guessed right.

Lexi usually goes for simplicity when it comes to costumes.  Her main goal is to just have fun and get candy.  I completely understand that, and appreciate how easy it is to create her costumes.  This year we just had to hunt down a Viking helmet, and the rest I threw together in a few hours using a couple of t-shirts and some fake fur.

And the "okay, stop taking pictures now" picture:

Vicki originally wanted to create an elaborate steampunk costume, but as much as I would have loved to do that (and make something for myself, too, I just didn't have the time.  So she decided to be "Alberta" Einstein instead.

We had fun fluffing up her hair (you can't really tell, but we sprayed it white), and those eyebrows and mustache were a fantastic find.  This is one of my favorite pictures of her, ever:

Here are all three together:

And it wouldn't be Halloween without Chris and I in our goth costumes:

Scary, no?  We also had tattoos:

(That picture is from a party we went to a few days before Halloween.)

So, there you have it.  Hopefully this satisfies those of you dying to see what the girls came up with this year. The only things that scares me now is wondering what, exactly, Ellie is going to decide to be next year.  What could possibly top a volcano?

One last shot of all three girls:

And thus concludes the Ebert family costume roundup of 2012.  Join us again next year when we discover just how much weirder it can get.
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