A post where I try to answer your question ... but, just can't

The question I am asked most .... what is livermush?

I realize I write about livermush often because it has to be Olivia's favorite food on the planet  But, every time one of you have asked me what it is, I have no idea how to answer you.

Because I don't really know.  AND, I've been afraid to find out.

It's something I grew up eating and LOVE.  I'm sure I love it so much because of that fact I have no idea what is in it.  I want to keep it that way, too.

Basically, you slice it and fry it.  I love mine served with slaw and mustard on a bun. (Yummo!) Olivia likes hers plain (fried just right -  not too crispy) with eggs.  It's very popular around here and hard to find anywhere else.  When we lived in Raleigh, we found something similar (called Scrapple), but not really the same consistency. (Bless their hearts :)

To find out exactly what it is, you need to *Google* it.

And, then NEVER tell me what you find out.  I don't want to know.

Deep Love for LivERmUSh

Olivia, what will your wish be ... a new bike? ... to learn to blow a bubble? ... 

world peace? ... a husband?

"Mom, I don't want a husband! I'll never find a boy to cook me livermush every Saturday morning!"

Good point.

Dear Olivia's future husband:  Aside from having a keen sense of humor, a very quiet spirit in the mornings and an intense love for candy, you will need to be able to cook livermush on command - not too crispy, but just right.  God help you if this is not important to you!

Actually, you would never make it past the first date.

Which her Daddy is fine with, by the way.  Truth be known, he's probably the one planting such thoughts in her head.  Plus, he has her totally convinced the two of you will live in our bonus room .... well, YOU will.  She will stay in her own room.

These are the things we talk about.

Bathroom Window Treatment

Our master bathroom window has been a problem since we moved in.  Well, maybe not a 'problem' but a nuisance. 

The previous owners had a small, metal blind over it.  The problem was that the blind was stained, warped and apparently chewed on by their horse of a dog.

I hated it. 

Months ago, without thinking it through, Eric took it down and threw it away.

Easy enough ... except the glass block isn't that thick ... practically transparent.  The afternoon sun shines through and makes the bathroom 10 degrees warmer and VERY BRIGHT.  If I don't get ready by noon, I can forget it because looking at yourself in the mirror is like trying to put on makeup on the beach with no sunglasses.

We priced a new blind and cried.  $200 for a custom fit.

So, we lived with the window uncovered for way too long until I finally decided to face my fears and try a no-sew window treatment. 

By the way, I really wish I could sew!!! I signed up for a sewing class years ago with some co-workers.  Right before the class, one of them asked me if I had a sewing machine.  I said, "No, what do I need that for?"

I'm hopeless.  Never went to the class.

But, I can handle some liquid stitch.  I have looked at so many blogs over the years and vowed to try window treatments, but never have.  I finally took the plunge.

I found some fabric on the clearance rack that would work (I actually wanted a different (more fun) fabric, but there wasn't enough of it.)  Eric went back to H*obby Lobby and found this stripe fabric and sent me a text with the picture.  When I found out the price, I loved it.  (Funny how that happens).

I wanted my treatment to look like a roman shade, but it didn't need to work.  So, I used this method by Richella.  Richella's blog is Imparting Grace - love her blog!)

I used liquid stitch to 'hem' all the sides .... then 'glued' the ends together.

I used 3 tension rods to create the look of a roman shade.

I love the way it turned out. 

It definitely serves the purpose of blocking the sun, but not completely covering the window.

The whole process took less than an hour.  Now, I'm inspired to do more.  I'm going to make some panels for my bonus room this weekend.

Who needs a sewing machine, right?

Give 'Em an Inch and They'll Take a Mile

Emma wants to be a grown up.  I feel completely the opposite, which is normal, right?

She pouts in a restaurant when we make her order from the kids' menu.

She is appalled when we tell the waitress to put a lid on her drink.

She was overjoyed when we had to buy her an adult ticket to an amusement park this week.  (Because of height - travesty! - so much more expensive! I wanted to cry.)

She wanted Eric to measure her the other night to see how tall she is. 

For some reason, he decided to write her height on the door casing in the kitchen (we've never done that before).

Ofcourse, Olivia wanted the same ...

BUT, she decided to decorate hers and leave us a message which we didn't find until later.  (I love you every body)

I have a feeling all of our walls are getting ready to have some artwork added to them.

Pitiful Eggs

I have had some very blonde moments lately.

I'm not sure if it's because I'm always doing so many things at once, or if I'm just that scatter-brained.

Today was a rainy day, so I cleaned out the girls closets, cleaned house, cooked dinner, made a window treatment for my bathroom (pics to come!) and dyed Easter eggs with the girls.  The problem was that most of these overlapped one another and were going on at the same time.

I'm a planner.  I kept thinking all day how I didn't want to be stressed out at the end of the day when it was time to dye eggs.  So, while I was cleaning this afternoon, I boiled 18 eggs so I would be ready. 

And, I was ready.  I put them in the fridge so we would have them after dinner .... and after I finished my window treatment ... and after I cleaned the bathrooms.  I even had the girls get their baths early so no one would be stressed out or pressed for time.  Everything would run smoothly.

When the dinner dishes were washed and everything was tidy, we all gathered around the kitchen island to dye our eggs.  I told Eric to get them out of the fridge.

He got them and then said, "Ummm ... honey?"

"What?"

All he could do was stare at me until I got it.  And, then I did ...

I had peeled all the eggs!!!!!!!

What on earth was I thinking???

I died laughing.  The girls just stood there in shock.  Eric said, "Well, I guess we can have some deviled eggs, some pickled eggs, some eggs on our salad, some hard-boiled eggs for breakfast, etc., etc."

I am a dork.

Fortunately, I had 8 eggs left in the fridge.  I couldn't convince Eric to get anymore from the store so we made do with what we had.  It was the smallest batch of Easter eggs we've ever made.

Look ... how pitiful.

I think I need to slow down.

But, what a perfect opportunity to tell my girls Easter isn't at all about the eggs!

Good thing, right?

The Beautiful Mountains

Eric took the day off yesterday, so we went to our favorite place ... Blowing Rock.

I can't explain why I love it so much ... but I do! It's so beautiful and relaxing.

We stopped at Moses Cone Manor first, which again, is Emma's favorite.

I told Eric to pick us out some land to build our dream home :) ha! (I would totally move here!)

We weren't really sure what the weather was going to be like, so we didn't really prepare to hike.  It turned out to be SO beautiful and perfect.  We just hung out around the house for awhile and walked the paths in front.

Our next stop was the park. 

My girls love the rock wall.  Eric used to put both of them on top of this wall when they were way too little to be there - that used to scare me to death.  Now they can do it by themselves.

Wait ..... or can they?? Ha!

After a little shopping and a delicious meal, it was time to come home.  None of us were happy about it.

Ha! (Actually, Olivia was pouting about wanting some gummy bears - Bless it. )

One day our dream will be a reality and we'll stay there for good  ... and eat all the gummy bears we want, right?

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(By the way, I can no longer allow anonymous comments on my blog.  I realize not all of you that read have a blog, but you can open a simple Google account to leave a comment if you would like.  It's really easy! I hate having to do it, but it's become very necessary.  I hope you understand.)

Library, Milkshakes and .....

If left to my own guilty desires, I would spend our Spring Break cleaning out closets and organizing my out-of-control house.  Seriously.  It's really bad.

I realize that would be torture for my kids, though.  So, every morning, I give myself time to work on one thing before doing things my kids want to do.

Yesterday, they chose the library.

We love the library.  I have taken both of my girls there since they were babies - whether we were joining in on Storytime, Music for Babies or just hanging out to avoid the heat outside.  They still love it today. 

Olivia uses the computers while we're there.

She trusts me to pick out her books for her.  She says it's like I'm her secretary :)

Emma spends what seems like hours choosing books.

She must read the first chapter of a book before she decides to check it out :)

After the library, we went to get milkshakes.  I was trying to wait on my Chiropractor to get back from lunch so I could make an appointment.  We live so far away from everything, I wanted to waste time and stay on that side of town.  I decided to just drive around while the girls read their books and enjoyed their milkshakes.

Well ....

Within 10 minutes, Olivia said her tummy hurt.  That's when the craziness started - she got sick ... ahem ... a couple of times, actually, before I could pull off in the nearest parking lot.

What a mess! Thankfully, I was a block from Eric's office.  Emma called him so he could bring us some towels.  I felt so bad for her.

I'm guessing it was just her getting carsick (never happened before) because she was great afterwards. 

I wasn't.  I hate cleaning that up! Hate it.

But, thankfully, everyone is healthy today.  Eric took the rest of the week off and we have some fun things planned.  I was pouting last week that we hadn't made any plans to go anywhere over Spring Break, but now I am so thankful.  We've enjoyed just catching up on things around here and relazing a bit.

Today, we're heading to my favorite place in the world!!

Lake Day

Talking to my kids on the way to the lake yesterday ....

Me: "Girls, I want us to have fun, but please do not worry Papa about driving the boat.  Let's just relax and enjoy the ride".

No response.

Because they had every intention of driving the boat.

My Dad lets them do whatever they want.

And they know it.

And use it to their advantage.

I was fine as long as Emma was driving.  Emma is calm ... a rule follower.

But, Olivia ....

She knows one speed .... full blast. 

My Dad told her numerous times to wait until everyone was seated to start the boat.

She would wait until I was standing, then give it full gas.

Then, laugh hysterically.

Not funny. (See that smirk on both of their faces?)

I think Olivia was crying at this point, though ...

Actually, all of us girls were screaming because my Dad just had to get right up beside the dam.  He thinks that is funny.

I do not!

We had beautiful weather.  It was so relaxing.  I picked out a house for Eric and me.

Just because I can totally see us sitting in those two chairs.

But, this is more along the lines of what we can afford :)

Doesn't hurt to dream :)

A Book Review

The girls and I are heading out to the lake with my Daddy on this gorgeous, sunny day.  We are so happy about it.  Spring Break rocks!

A couple of you have asked me numerous times to continue my story about the book Your Secret Name.  I first wrote about it here.

I decided to put it on my book blog.  I'm not finished tweaking that blog yet and it's really rough (hate the background), but have no time to do it today.  You can go here to read that specific review (or just click on the previous link to see all of the reviews).

The sun is calling ... I must go.

SpRiNg bReAk

Spring Break has officially begun! I am more thrilled than I can express.  We aren't going anywhere.  We don't have any real plans.  But, the thought of not making that trek across town to school 3 times a day has me giddy.  Well, that and the thought of nowhere to go ... no schedules ... no plans. 

Eric is taking part of the week off to be with us, so until then I thought I would spend a day cleaning out my closets.  You probably think that is torture, and I suppose it is, but for the sake of my mental health, it must be done.  I can't even walk in my closet at this point.

This is the first year my laziness has paid off when it comes to switching out winter clothes for spring/summer.  The weather has been crazy here ... hot one day and freezing cold the next.  The wind has been almost unbearable.  Weird.

We had our church's Easter Drama over the weekend.

(Not a great picture, but I sit in the balcony with the choir.  This is the scene of the last supper.  Evidently, I was too engrossed in the drama to take anymore pictures :)

This is such a major production for our church with so much involved, but it has to be one of my favorite times of the year.  Olivia was in it this year for the first time.  (Truth be known, she only wanted to be in it so she wouldn't have to watch the entire thing every night - the crucifixion scene scares her to death). 

But, she had a blast!!

I tried to get pictures of both of my girls last night, but they were so excited running around everywhere, I couldn't get very many.

Here's Olivia with Lily.

Do you remember Lily? She's my friend Pam's great niece.  Olivia adores her.  In fact, we walked in church last night to get the girls dressed in their costumes and found Lily in the costume room.  Olivia walked up to her and hugged her so tight and said, "I just love you so much, Lily!"

Melted my heart.

Emma has been in the Drama since she was 3.  Look how old she looks in these pictures ...

My girls are at perfect ages, I think.  I want so much to press pause and just enjoy them.  Olivia will be 6 in a few months and my heart almost can't take it.

After a very busy month with soccer and drama practices, we finally have a little break before the crazy end-of-year school stuff starts ... .end-of-year projects, awards days, and my baby will be graduating from Kindergarten.

Ugh.  I don't want to talk about it.

Sunday Letters

Dear Emma,

You played in a Championship Soccer game this week.  Your team ended up losing 1-0 in the last minute of the game because of a penalty shot.  The other team was able to take that shot because the ball hit your elbow.  Whew.  It was an intense game and you and your friends played your hearts out, but in the end, lost. 

Your coach gave out trophies afterwards, called you down front and said you had prayed for your team before every practice and game.  (Thought my heart would explode - I adore you!)

Dear Olivia,

The highlight of your week is no doubt the Easter Drama.  You are just so happy to be in it this year.  I get so tickled watching you run in clapping.  You are the sweetest angel! You get so, so nervous before it starts each night and ask me to pray for you.  I love that you're having so much fun. 

Dear Eric,

It occurred to me while watching the Drama last night that this is the first year our baby has experienced it as a child of God.  We have been SO blessed by our kids, but now that Olivia has accepted Christ, I feel such peace.  Who are we that God would be so mindful of us? I love you so much.

SSMT - Verse 8

Verse 8? Whew - this is where it starts getting crucial for me to step it up and remember all the previous verses.  :) 

I love Psalm 8:4 and probably quote it a million times a day to myself - "Who am I that you are mindful of me, Lord?"  I even catch Emma saying it whenever little things fall into place for her.  I love it.  I wanted to memorize the verses that preceed it, so here goes ...

LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,

the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

What is man, that thou art mindful of him?

Psalm 8:1,3-4

Our church's Easter Drama is every night this weekend.  I would love for you to pray for everyone involved, and mostly for God to bring lost people to the congregation to witness what Christ did for them.  Would you pray?

Have a great weekend!

Same Ole Stuff

I'm in a blogging funk. 

I think it's mainly because my days are so repetitive right now ... kind of like the movie Groundhog Day ... wake up, get dressed, go to school, come home, cook  find dinner, go to a soccer game (or church - our only variation) and rush to get kids in bed.  Then we do it all over again the next day.

Which pretty much sounds like every post I've written for the past 3 weeks.

BUT .....

Soccer ends this week and we have next week off for Spring Break - a light at the end of a very looooong tunnel.

I can't complain too much about soccer.  I love watching Emma play.  Her team won the regular season and is playing in the championship tournament game tomorrow night.  Yippee!

She got hurt last night, though.  She was hit pretty hard in the face with the ball, which is actually her 2nd time getting hit in the past week (last week, she was hit in the face playing dodgeball).  Anyway, she cried for a second and then told the coach she didn't want to come out of the game.  She held it together great until it was over ... walked to the car and then completely lost it.  Bless her heart, she was still crying about it this morning :(

But, she's tough.  I'm so proud of her!

So, other than that, there's not much to tell.  I've been reading like crazy and started a book blog.  I'll show it to you later when I tweak it a little (I know you can't wait ;).  I had to review a book Monday and the whole thing nearly pushed me over the edge.  I love to read, but the thought of having a deadline to finish a book drove me bananas.  I felt like I was in high school English class all over again.  I could not, for the life of me, bring myself to pick up that book until 2 days before I was suppose to have it read.  What made it all worse was I didn't love the book.  Actually, I didn't like it at all, so I complained about it all weekend.

I probably won't do that too many more times.  I like to read for fun and pass on what I've read to other people.  Having to read is brutal.

So, that's it. I'm heading out to run.  I'm going to try to run with Sadie this morning, which means .... actually, I don't know what that means.  You just never know.

Have a great day, everybody!