Sunny, Sunny, Sunny Days!

I love the sun!  This winter has been great for those who don't love the snow and cold!  I actually don't mind some snow, but much prefer the sunshine. Jamie and I have gone for a few walks, and on Monday he rode his tricycle all the way up the road to Grandma's!  We enjoyed the sunshine and the surprises the barn always has to offer!

 
Last week was Valentines. I had bought little treat bags and filled them with some fun loose candy for my guys.  I usually take Jamie's candy with me when we go grocery shopping and allow him to pick one or two to eat while I shop...it keeps him busy for a few minutes!
 Randy and I went out for dinner...which was an experience in itself!  But first we took a look at a couple of used vans.  We are in the market for a newer vehicle as Randy's old Dodge Spirit is on its way out.  So we took a look at a Honda Odyssey Touring (which was nice, but almost sold) and then a 2008 Toyota Sienna...which didn't have all the bells and whistles the Touring did, but was a lot cheaper.  We haven't made any decisions yet, let me know what you think in regards to the make and model of a van.

Randy took a couple snaps of Jamie with the old Spirit, that way he can see what one of his 'first' cars looked like!

A Snowy Day and Valentines

Jamie and I have been busy decorating for Valentines day.  We have hearts on our windows and heart mobiles in our doorways.  We've also been eating heart candies, heart shaped biscuits, and heart shaped cookies...yumm!

Today we had tea with Grandma and a couple friends and enjoyed these cookies along with some peperkoek (Dutch Spice Cake).  It was a very enjoyable day!

This past weekend we got some snow...a rare occurrence this winter!  So Jamie and I bundled up...which is always a long process, and headed outside.  I pulled him around in an old sled, exactly like the one I can remember my dad pulling me around in as a kid.  We dug a few tunnels in the drifts, felt the painful sting of snow on your wrists, made some snow angels, and hopefully created some great memories!

"Bringing Up Boys"

     I just recently bought the book Bringing up Boys, by Dr. James Dobson.   Randy and I started reading it together at night.  We had some good chuckles at the stories told in the first chapter about the outrageous things boys do...just because they're boys.
    I grew up with two younger sisters, no boys, so their antics are new to me.  Randy has two older sisters, but he got into enough trouble on his own.  I'm learning as I go!
    I'll leave you with the words from a song "That Little Boy of Mine" which concludes chapter 1.  I'm not sure who wrote it, but it's dear.

That Little Boy of Mine:

Two eyes that shine so bright;

Two lips that kiss goodnite,

Two arms that hold me tight,

That little boy of mine.

No one could ever know how much your coming has meant.

Because I love you so, you're something heaven has sent.

You're all the world to me.

You climb upon my knee.

To me you'll always be,

That little boy of mine.

Dominos

I first started playing dominos when I was teaching in the Bahamas.  The cab drivers there loved to sit and play and really slam them down!  I often went to friends house with my parents and we ate a delicious meal, enjoyed a glass of wine, and played a couple rounds of Mexican Train Dominos.  The evening usually wound up with Dave and my dad singing old songs...it was a lot of fun and made for some great memories!  I bought my first set of dominoes soon after that, but haven't pulled them out to play a game in quite awhile.

I did pull them out the other day for Jamie boy to play with.  We had fun making 'tracks' for the little trains to run over.  I pulled out some of the Monopoly houses to set up around our town.  I'm sure with a little imagination you can create all sorts of fun things with dominoes!

Something for the girls

Well I don't have any girls of my own.  But I do enjoy sewing and crafting and I wish I had a little girl to make things for.  I found a simple crochet pattern for some cute hair pins for your little darlings on Valentine's day.  I figure you could make these hearts and attach them to just about whatever you wanted, a cute hairband, or put a pin on the back and put it on their coats.  I'm going to surprise my cousins little girls with these cute hair pins. Check out the blog <gratefulprayerthankfulheart.blogspot.com> for the pattern.  Hope you enjoy!

Gingerbread

Mmmm....the aroma of gingerbread wafting through the house on a cold winter day is absolutely lovely!  Jimmy and I made up a big batch of cookies the other day, well I made the cookies and Jimmy had some fun using the cookie cutters and decorating a few of his own.  It was a great morning together.  The recipe is simple and makes a lot of cookies.  I made some for friends and neighbors and wrote their names on the gingerbread men. Here is the recipe, enjoy!

Gingerbread Dough

1 cup white sugar                           1 tbsp. ginger
1/2 cup water                                 1 cup margarine or butter (room temperature)
1/2 cup dark corn syrup                  4 cups flour mixed with
2 tsp. cinnamon                               1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cloves

Bring to a boil sugar, water, corn syrup, cinnamon, cloves and ginger.  Pour over margarine and stir until melted.  Cool to lukewarm.  Stir in flour mixture and mix well.  Refrigerate.
Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
Roll out dough to approx. 1/4 inch thick and cut out.  Place on parchment lined baking sheets and bake in oven for 5 min.  When cool, ice with royal icing.

Royal Icing

2 large egg whites
Icing sugar (judge by stiffness)
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

Mix egg whites until just foamy.  Add about 1 cup of icing sugar, mix on low speed until blended.  Add icing sugar, a bit at a time mixing on high after each additional.  Beat well until icing is at stiff peak stage when touched by finger.  Add cream of tartar and a few drops of clear flavouring (if you wish).  Mix well.  Cover surface directly with plastic wrap and keep covered during use to prevent drying.

Just saying hi!

People are paid to greet others in stores, we ask for volunteers in our churches to be greeters...wouldn't it be nice if everyone greeted each other without being enlisted to do so?  I started thinking about this the other day in the grocery store as I pushed the cart down the aisle and little Jimmy said hi to everyone we met.  I overheard one woman say she thought that little boy must have said hi to everyone in the store.   Another couple stopped to chat with him and then thanked him for saying hi, it seems to have made their day.  Wouldn't it be something if we actually greeted each other in the stores, took the time to make someone's day instead of hurrying on our way, lost in our own little worlds.  Perhaps we need to look at the world through the eyes of a two year old who has no fear of rejection and the only incentive is the joy he gets when someone responds and returns the greeting.

"Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus"  Philippians 4:21a