Madame Green

When Isaac finally found a job in December, our little family had a lot of adjusting to do. For the last year, we'd been together almost all the time. I was a little lonely. Or maybe a lot lonely. I had Little Boy to keep me company, and that helped, but...he's two. But then my best friend ever, Melissa, in true best-friend-ever fashion, solved the problem. She got me this for Christmas:

Meet Madame Green. You ask the lovely lady a question, then push down on the bubble (kind of like pop-o-matic Trouble.). And then, not only does she answer your question--she also dispenses M&Ms into the tray next to her! Conversation and chocolate--I haven't been lonely or hungry since!

American-Idol-Watching Quote of the Day

Kaylyn [updating me on American Idol from the night before, which I didn't get to watch]: "He didn't wear nail polish or eyeliner, but he was still wearing mascara." Me: "How could you tell?" Kaylyn: "His bottom lashes were very...defined." Me: "Maybe he's born with it." Kaylyn: "No, I'm pretty sure it's Maybelline."

St. Patrick's Day...?

I know, I'm a week behind. But let's pretend that today is last Wednesday. St. Patrick's Day is usually not a big deal to me. I'm a little bit Irish, but green beer isn't really my thing. But any holiday is ten times more fun when a two-year-old is involved. So at our house, even small holidays get celebrated.

We did an activity with shamrocks during Family Home Evening the day before. Little Boy's is easy to pick out.

Little Boy also colored a leprechaun, and I helped him cut it out and glue it together. I made him touch the sticky part of the glue stick. He didn't scream. This is progress.

Green Kool-Aid at dinner. Little Boy thought it was the best-tasting juice ever. The rest of us liked that it turned our tongues green.

Dinner. I know, right? It doesn't look so good. It's (green) scrambled eggs, hash browns, and ham cooked all together. And let me tell ya--it looks horrible, but it tasted amazing.

And then there were brownies for dessert. I forgot to get a better picture of them than this:

Oh well. Normally I would put mint flavoring in the frosting, but Isaac doesn't like mint and chocolate together. So I browsed through the cupboard and found rum flavoring--rum is Irish, right? The rum-flavored frosting with the brownies was so good. Who'da thought? Anyway, my next posts will be more up-to-date. But I wanted to squeeze this one in because, really, what else would I do with these pictures?

Home

Art by Robert Duncan


"A house is built of lumber, brick, and stone. A home is made of love, sacrifice, and respect. A house can be a home, and a home can be a heaven when it shelters a family. When true values and basic virtues undergird the families of society, hope will conquer despair, and faith will triumph over doubt. “Such values, when learned and lived in our families, will be as welcome rain to parched soil. Love will be engendered; loyalty to one’s best self will be enhanced; and those virtues of character, integrity, and goodness will be fostered. The family must hold its preeminent place in our way of life because it’s the only possible base upon which a society of responsible human beings has ever found it practicable to build for the future and maintain the values they cherish in the present.”


-Thomas S. Monson

Half-Asleep Quote of the Day

Little Boy and I are sick again--it's that time of year, I guess. I'll be spending most of the day on the couch. But for now, enjoy the following conversation between Isaac and me:

[Isaac is Type I diabetic, so sometimes his blood sugar drops in the middle of the night and he has to get up to eat something. Usually he goes right back to sleep. But this time, he just sat on the bed without lying down...]

Andrea: "What are you doing?"

Isaac [mumbling]: "I can't decide which way to lie down."

Andrea: "Which way to lie down?"

Isaac: "There are too many choices."

Andrea: "Well, why don't you lie on your back, then."

Isaac: "Okay." [Isaac lies down and goes to sleep.]

Like Father, Like Son

Isaac and Little Boy had a jam session yesterday:

 

Little Boy's uncle and aunt gave him this little guitar when Little Boy was a few months old. We've moved three times since then, and since our last move, I could not find the guitar anywhere. (Our fault--we still have a lot of boxes that haven't been unpacked.)

Anyway, I found it. And Little Boy is IN LOVE WITH IT. So he and Isaac like to rock out together.

Cutest thing I've ever seen.

Angels

Art by James C. Christensen

 "Usually [angels] are not seen. Sometimes they are. But seen or unseen they are always near. Sometimes their assignments are very grand and have significance for the whole world. Sometimes the messages are more private. Occasionally the angelic purpose is to warn. But most often it is to comfort, to provide some form of merciful attention, guidance in difficult times."

-Jeffrey R. Holland