Family Tree

This is my new thing.

Just the other night I was talking with my Dad about our roots. What is our blood, the national heritage of those gone before us. I am, as are many Americans, a mutt. You know, a mixed breed. This information I already knew. I am English, a tiny bit French, and a lot Dutch.

What I did not realize is that my one set of my Great Grandparents immigrated from jolly 'ol England. I guess I assumed they were farther back that--the original immigrates. Anyway, I was intrigued with the fact that my Greats were English, drank tea, and were Catholic prior to moving to the jolly midwestern US.

Later that evening I hoped online and started to do some research and started a family tree. I have a long way to go but I hope to learn about my ancestors, uncover photos of these folks, and most importantly see with new eyes God's grace from one generation to the next.

Has anyone done this before? I could sure use a few tips. Just think of what I may discover...

Meat and Potatoes

I can't seem to get the homespun aroma of beef roast out of my house today. It smells so good when you walk in the door hungry after a long day or in today's case following church, but when my hair and clothes still reek of onions at 7pm, I am kind of over it. With every turn of my nose I am reminded of today's lunch, which I am extremely thankful for. I am reminded of all the meals prepared for me by my mother's loving hands as a child--the lunches packed with Little Debbie snack cakes, and the casseroles for supper. The highlight of the week being the meat and potatoes Sunday dinner.

Why am I blogging about food? I'm not quite sure, maybe because I'm pregnant, maybe because so many family memories are made around the dinner table or perhaps I am curious how many people out there still take up the tradition of Sunday Dinner?

Really how can I get this smell to leave the building? I don't think my kids want to goto school tomorrow smelling like meat.

Coffee Addiction Test

Take the quiz. How addicted are you? I predict a few 99percent addicts out there!
Click on the Coffee Cup to take the test.

I am 44% Addicted to Coffee

fabulous 'ol fashioned family fun.

Since the children were off a few days of school, we decided to pack it up and head 15 minutes away from home to a hotel for some indoor swimming enjoyment. I just love hotels. Something about not having to pick up after yourself, having coffee and breakfast foods ready and waiting for you is just pure luxury. Sleeping in a room with your family of 5 and not in the same bed as your husband--not as luxurious, but still pretty darn fun.

A nearby hotel boasts of a water slide and a kiddie play pool, deluxe breakfast and in room DVD player---let me tell you--it did not disappoint! What did disappoint was the fact that the water slide was only open on weekends--oops. I guess I didn't read the fine print that stated this small fact. The kids didn't care though. As the photos will show, playing in water 8 inches deep beats sitting in school any day. As Dewey so accurately stated: "Mom, this place is much funner than our home!"

I'm Back!

There is much more to that statement than just my return to blogging.

I am back from NYC, I am back from the funk of early pregnancy, I'M BACK and
Thanks be to God!!!

Since many of my friends and family check in on this blog now and again, I would like to say word of thanks to those who helped me push through the first trimester of this pregnancy. I so appreciated your kind words of encouragement when I doubted, your prayer when I was down and out with migraines, and your tolerance of me when without warning or just reason I became a hormonal shrew. Thank you, a thousand times thank you!

The last week has been memorable. We had an unexpected early ultrasound of our little one:



Last weekend I was blessed to take a whirlwind trip to NYC with 7 beautiful women to visit Dana in NYC. Thanks to Holly for the photos, a few I will share here, For more check out Tina's blog. I could probably write a whole post about New York City, about the beauty both obvious and obscure, and maybe I will at a later date. For today I just want to give praise to God for restoring me, even if just a bit back to my "old" self. Next stop, Fall.
Some NYC pix. (Thanks Holly!)