It’s not that I don’t like the weekends.
But they’re just different.
No rhyme or reason sometimes.
Kids needing to go here, there, and everywhere.
Squeezing in all the errands we didn’t do during the week.
This may seem counter-intuitive to you.
But somehow in my head it all makes sense.

This weekend was no different.
Busy as ever.
The main event?
A dance recital.
Now we are newbies to the dance world.
The older girls weren’t interested.
Alyson took it for a couple months back in the day
And then decided maybe soccer was a better fit.
(Turns out it wasn’t.)

But this year Hope decided it was time for ballet.
Inspired by her 17 year old ballerina cousin,
We signed her up.
Two classes a week.
We jumped into the deep end.

We bought leotards.
And tights.
And ballet shoes.
We learned how to make a bun correctly.
There were positions to be learned.
And lots of new french words
Which I don’t understand,
But it seems as if Hope does.
Good for her.

All year the dancers work towards a goal.
The end of the year recital.
Each class has a choreographed number.
There are glittery costumes.
And dress rehearsals.
And makeup.
Lots of fun makeup.
This is not lost on a 10 year old.

So this weekend was the big show.
The whole family had tickets.
Sam only complained about going a little bit.
And then I reminded him about all the basketball games.
And soccer games.
And football games.
And track meets
That his sister had attended.
Without wanting to.
Now it was his turn to go and cheer her on.
This seemed to make sense to him.
That and, possibly, some threatening looks from his mother.

By the day of recital,
Hope was ready to go.
A little nervous,
But up for the challenge.

And don’t know if you realized,
But striped tennies always give you a little more confidence in a new situation.
It’s true.

The recital went off without a hitch.
Lots of sweet dancers
Doing their thing.
Lots of proud parents and siblings whooping and hollering
in the audience.
Oh wait.
Maybe that was just us.
Hope was a little bit mortified,
But we didn’t care.

After the festivities ended,
There were flowers.
And congratulations.
And photo ops.
And then there were cheeseburgers and fries all around.
Because that’s the way we roll at our house.

And now that it’s all over and done.
I’m thankful for a Monday.
With kids back at school.
I think I’ll take a little time to drink a cup of tea.
And plan for the week.
And take a breath.

I was trying to think why it’s such a fun day.
And this is what I came up with.
Being a Mom is great.
Sure.
But it’s also really hard work.
Laundry.
Dishes.
Making beds.
(Well, every so often this happens at my house)

Running errands.
Driving kids to school.
And sporting events.
And practices.
And piano lessons.

Getting up in the middle of the night when they’re newborns.
Getting up in the middle of the night when they’re sick.
Getting up in the middle of the night when they have nightmares.
Getting up in the middle of the night when they’re teenagers to make sure they made it home.
You get the picture.

Nobody really knows what Motherhood will entail when they have that first baby.
At least I didn’t.
I was just thinking, “Man, I bet my cute husband and I would make some adorable babies!”
And they were.
Cute, that is.

But when the euphoria of new motherhood wore off
And all the work kicked in
(I think that was around day 2 when I went home from the hospital)
I knew one thing for sure.
I was in way over my head.

But kids are a funny thing.
You love them and they love you.
And that’s kind of wonderful.
And somehow you have moments where you forget just how much work they are.
And you think, maybe it’s time to have another.
And another.
And another, in my case.

So all that to say,
When a day comes around
Once a year
When your children are encouraged to tell you how much they love you,
And why they love you.
To pamper you and give you gifts
(All with a lot of help from that cute husband of yours)

That’s a day to soak it all in.
To revel in being a Mom.
Because you know for sure
This day’s not coming around again until next May.
So it’s time to live it up!

Last night when I laid down on my bed,
I felt thankful.
For four beautiful children.
I am blessed to be their Mom.

This cookie quite possibly changed my life.
I am not kidding you.

My sister Sue made them for me last fall for the first time.
And they are delicious.
Let me tell you, when you have to eat gluten-free,
You do not turn your nose up at a delicious wheat-free cookie.

Not only that.
This is a cookie that doesn’t take any crazy ingredients.
Like sorghum flour.
Or potato starch.
Or xanthan gum.
Seriously, people.
No one should have to bake with xanthan gum.
I don’t know why,
But it just seems wrong.

These cookies are made with ingredients you have in your kitchen.
Right now.
And they are so good you are going to want to make them every night.
Not that you should.
Or that I have.
Let’s move on.

So as a shout-out to all my celiac peeps
(My children are cringing right now, because I just typed the word “peeps”)
(And that kind of makes me want to type it over and over)
Sorry. I digress.
To all of you who are gluten-free or gluten intolerant,
You’re going to want to kiss me when you taste these.
Or at least slap me a high five.

So here’s the recipe:

Gluten-free Peanut Butter Cookies
2 C creamy peanut butter
1 C white sugar
1 C brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Roll into balls, place on cookie sheet and criss-cross with a fork.
Bake at 350 for 9 to 10 minutes.
And that’s it.

If you feel like it, you can even add 1/2 bag or so of chocolate chips.
Yumm.
Your family will be happy with you.
There may be even be some singing and dancing.
Oh wait, maybe that’s just my family.
We do love our cookies.

If you’re really fancy, you could even make a sandwich cookie.
With peanut butter filling.
Think Nutter Buttters.
Or Girl Scout Do-si-dos.

Oh my.
These are a little bit naughty.

Well, that’s my gift to you this weekend.
If you make these, I will promise you one of two things.
You will either be singing my praises.
Or cursing me, because you are in a peanut butter cookie coma.
I should know.
I’ve experienced both.

Happy baking!

Again, we have so many wonderful custom options for Mom.
By far our most popular mommy charm is our Mother’s Heart.

It’s a charm that’s 3/4″ in diameter.
Stamped in the middle with a heart.
Surrounded by the names of your kids.
Or your pets.
Or some of your Mom’s wonderful characteristics.
Be creative!

You can wear it alone.
Or pair it with another of our handmade charms.
Like the sugar drop.
How sweet is that?

And we have a great deal for you.
If you order today or tomorrow (by April 27, the deadline)
You can get the Mother’s Heart Charm
for a screaming deal!
Enter the code MAMA at checkout
And you will receive $7 off.
That’s a $29 charm for only $22.

This deal is only good for two days,
So get over to the website now
And place your order!

Now, this is not a new revelation.
But it continues to astound me.
And make me chuckle.

Because it’s like this.
I have three girls.

And one boy.

When I had the boy, I thought
Maybe we can just adapt the stuff we learned with the girls
And apply it to the boy.
Umm, nope.
They are totally different creatures.

This last week for me was just another example of that.
Sam turned 13 last week.
In our house, 13 is a big year.
We don’t usually throw huge birthday parties,
But we do tend to go all out on the 13th birthday.

There have been two girls who have already passed this milestone.
For each of them we had a fancy dinner.
Three courses.
Served by waiters/waitresses (Mom, Dad, and siblings)
On the patio.
Twinkle lights.
Everyone was dressed up.
Pretty fun.

Well, I knew that was not going to fly with Sam.
No shocker there.
But we still wanted to do something fun.
And maybe meaningful.

So I’ve been peppering him for weeks.
What would you like to do?
What would make it really special?
Something you would always remember?

So, for any of you that might wonder what makes an occasion special for a boy.
A long-lasting memory that your son will never forget,
I am here to let you in on the perfect combination.
You might want to take some notes here.

The combo is this.

Basketball.

Burgers with all the fixings.
By the way, the tomatoes are not for the boys.
Definitely not.
But the bacon?
That was by special request.
The theme here is meat.

Next comes ice cream sundaes.
With several candy toppings.
Plus chocolate syrup.
Plus whipped cream.
There is no photo of this.
Because it was devoured before I could get to my camera.

You also need to add some video games.
Late into the night.
And possibly the wee hours of the morning.
Again, there are no photos.
Because Mama was sleeping.
You all have fun now, you hear?

And lastly,
After you have been fueled up by some waffles the next morning
(Because the burgers, ice cream, and huge bag of Doritos have left you a little hungry)
You just need to add in some target shooting.

With guns.
And ammo.
Lots and lots of ammo.

So there you have it.
The perfect boy birthday.
Special.
Memorable.
Who knew?

It’s a busy weekend at our house.
Weekends are always busy, living with a Pastor.
But Easter weekend?
Crazy.
Pair that with birthday parties, kids’ schedules, a track meet, and house guests,
and it can almost un-do you.
Not that I speak from experience or anything.

But today I’m thoughtful.
In this week of the Passion,
Good Friday and Easter Sunday are always highlighted.

We went to a Good Friday Service last night.
It was a somber time.
To remember.
And to be thankful.

Tomorrow will be a joyous day.
Busy.
We will commence our day with a service at Sunrise.
Outside.
This is no small commitment in Oregon.
But we will bundle up and go, blankets and all,
To rejoice at daybreak.

Then there will be food, and Easter baskets, and new Easter clothes.
And another celebration service at church.
With all of our friends, and maybe some new friends.
Songs and dance and a message of grace.

But for some reason, I always ponder this day.
The day in between.
What were the disciples thinking?
Were they hopeful or discouraged?
Sad or excited?
It must have been a hard day.
And I am empathetic.
Because I find myself in this “in between” place a lot.

Needing to trust in something I can’t quite see.
Hoping for an outcome I want to believe will happen.
But unsure.
And tired of waiting.
A little bit hopeful, but mostly discouraged.
Wanting to trust in someone else,
but feeling like I need to have a backup plan.

I guess I would probably just camp out right there,
if it was up to me.
If not for the finish of the story.
Promises kept.
The truth revealed.
Once dead.
Now alive.

And this is the hope of Easter.
The reason why it’s a privilege to celebrate every year.
On the very day of the Resurrection.
It’s why I will get up tomorrow at 5:30 am to brave the weather.
And see the sun rise.
Because hope lives.
For the disciples.
And for us.
And that’s something worth getting up for.

(photo credit)

There was a little partying at our house last night.
Some eating.
Some singing.
Possibly even a little dancing.

It was my husband’s birthday.
My idea for a celebration was a quiet dinner for two.
A little cake afterwards with the kids.

But no.
He had other plans.
A Nacho Libre party.
And the menu would be…nachos, of course.

If you haven’t seen this Jack Black classic,
You probably should.
You might have to turn your head away in shame a few times,
But it will be worth it.

We had a crew.
I think I counted 27 of us.
And here’s a little word of wisdom for you.
It’s not smart to let the teenage boys go through the food line first.
Because there’s not much left when they’re done!
Note to self.

What is it about being together with friends that’s so good?
Refreshing.
Life giving.
Belly laughing.

Add in a fake moustache or two.

The Lord’s cheeps
And some stretchy pants,
And you’ve got yourself a party.
I decided to save you all the visual on the stretchy pants.
You can thank me later.

It was a great night.
I believe fun was had by all.
And now we take a breath
And move on to the next celebration!

Just minding my own business
When a customer mentioned she had seen Bonbon Charms mentioned.
In a book.
A book by a well-known author.
A book that is sold in an actual bookstore.
I know!
Crazy, huh?

This is the book.
It’s by Debbie Macomber, as you can see.
It’s her story about choosing a word as her theme for each year
And her journey.
What a neat idea.

Last summer, a good friend of hers purchased a charm bracelet for her.
A bracelet something like this.
Each charm was one of her theme words from the last several years.
It happened to be a bracelet from Bonbon Charms.

When I heard that it was mentioned in her book,
There might have been a little yelling that went on.
A few shouts of joy.
And maybe some jumping up and down.
And I promptly made my husband take me to Barnes and Noble.
To see the book in person.
And read it with my own eyes.

It was exciting.
And surprising.
What a good day.

This is Sam.

He’s 12 (almost 13).
Can you tell?

He holds his own in a family of girls.
(Three sisters)

He is getting ready to have a growth spurt, I do believe.
Because he has decided that he needs not 3, but 4 meals a day.
He’s added a 4th meal right after school.

I don’t know how all you folks with multiple boys in your family
keep your head above water during the teenage years.
It seems to me that I need to have a special budget line item
for pasta.
And string cheese.
And granola bars.

Oh, and milk.
Seriously…this kid drinks about 4 gallons a week on his own.
I think his bones are stocking up on calcium before the growth comes.

Needless to say, there are often times when milk is in short supply around here.
That’s usually not a problem.
Just make a quick run to the store to get more.

But a few days ago, Sam realized right before bed that the milk was about gone.
And mornings without milk are no fun.
Dry cereal.
Pancakes with no milk to wash them down.
You get the picture.

So I had to smile when I got up the next morning
and saw this.

A gallon milk jug with about an inch of milk in the bottom.
Sam had scratched out in Sharpie
a message warning everyone away from using the last precious drops,
knowing that I would need it for my tea in the morning.

I guess he knows not to mess with Mama until she has some tea!

That’s my boy.

It’s a slushy, snowy day outside.
The kids were desperately hoping for a snow day
and they were sorely disappointed.
Not a good way to start the day.

I am sitting at my computer
looking out at the weather as it changes
from rain to snow and back again.

Bundled up on the couch is my youngest, Hope.
She is recovering from a bug that took her down yesterday.
She would tell you from personal experience
that it’s no fun to be sick when there’s a snowy world just out the front door.

So lunchtime rolled around.
And she was hungry, having not eaten much in the past 24 hours.
When she asked if it was okay to make a sandwich, I said yes.
I try to encourage independence in the kitchen whenever possible.

I came back into the kitchen a few minutes later.
This is what I saw.

I think she may be feeling better.

But it got me thinking.
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner.
I mean, the stores have had the pink and red out
Since December 26.
If not before.

Maybe you have a sweetie that needs a little token of love.
Or maybe it’s your kids.
Anyone wanting to give a little love this Valentine’s Day
can surely find a gift at Bonbon Charms.

Our Valentine’s Day line is up and ready to go.
Orders must be placed by February 1st,
in order to arrive on time,
so there’s not too much time.

And for all of you who are on the ball
and order right away,
I’ve got a special gift for you.
A 15% discount on your entire order.
Just enter the word VALENTINE (all caps)
at checkout.
The discount will only be good
through Saturday, Jan. 21,
so don’t forget.

Well, that’s it.
That’s all I had to say.
Except I’m thinking about maybe asking Hope to make me a sandwich.