Life as a Leach

Well, Our Favorite Things has been quite busy recently! We had a table at Ladies' Night at our local Super Suppers on Thursday, which went really well. My sister-in-law joined us for the first time and I think she enjoyed herself... enough to make her own craft name and blog! :) For the price of a yummy meal (which was not required but we know the owners and wnated to help them out!), we were incredibly busy for the entire two hours! It was a good night! On Sunday, we had an Open House at my sister's house from 1-5. Our Mary Kay friend and my sister-in-law were there again, and we all did alright. It wasn't quite as busy as it was at Super Suppers, but it was fun to sit and chat with people in a casual atmosphere. We even had some people that NONE of us knew who came because a friend of theirs raved about us after Thursday's show! We have fans!!! :) We have two more shows in April back-to-back on the 18th and 19th. The 18th is a craft bazaar to support a Race...

I absolutely LOVE Freecycle. It has saved us sooooo much money, and some of Caleb's favorite toys have cost us nothing more than the gas it took to pick them up! Some of my most recent finds: * A trash bag full of trendy clothes in EXCELLENT condition. I got a ton of name brands like Hollister, Abercrombie, Old Navy, etc. Some of the clothes weren't quite my style (a little too young/tight for my taste), but I got quite a few "new" pieces of clothing out of it and freecycled the rest! Two loads of laundry later, I am enjoying the new additions to my wardrobe. * Bag of greeting cards. I sometimes reuse parts of greeting cards when I make my own cards. I especially like tearing around pictures and sayings to make them look "Shabby Chic." I picked up a huge bag of unused cards with the envelopes. The envelopes alone were worth it, since the variety of shapes and sizes are always useful when you make your own cards. I got some great cards that I will ea...

A week ago today, I would have never guessed that it would happen...but it did! Caleb sang with the Cherub Choir for the first time today. He was a little unsure when he first walked up on stage and began to whimper a bit, but Sara threw her motherly little arm around him and assured him, "It's okay, Bubba!" The arm stayed around the poor whipped boy through the duration of the song, and then she led him to his spot for the Bible verse. When she saw Matt sitting in the front row, Sara promptly grabbed Caleb's chin and turned it toward Matt, exclaiming, "There's Daddy!" Of course, there were seveal kisses before the end of the performance as well. They were the hit of the show. I took video of the performance, and Caleb watched it twice this afternoon. He gleefully exclaimed, "There's Sara! Look, there's Owen!" He then clapped at the end of the song and cheered for Sara. It was all so cute! :)

Relay is a fundraising event that is near and dear to my heart. My dad is a cancer survivor, and I lost my grandfather and my dear friend to cancer. Currently, I have an aunt and a friend who are battling cancer. I seriously think that it is a disease that has touched everyone in some way. I started Relaying four years ago the year that my friend Lisa died. Our school bonded together in our grief and decided to honor her memory by putting a team together. Relay really is an amazing time to remember those you lost to cancer, honor their lives, and celebrate the survivors. Every year, I have the opportunity to remember how much Lisa and I bonded when we were both new teachers. I can think back on all of the ways that my Pop made me laugh (or fume!) through the years. It's just an amazing time of reflection...and a lot of fun too! This year, RFL will be on June 19th-20th. While I have always been a part of my school team in the past, this year I am helping my dad with our chu...

This has been a slow blogging week. Several times, I've come here with the plan to blog, but I'm going through a blogger's block, I suppose. Here's what's been going on the last week or so: * My sister and I have two craft shows next week (Thursday and Sunday), so I've been busy making necklaces. Click here if you want to see what I've been up to! * Barbara and Carter came to visit last weekend. Ezra's birthday was Monday, so they came up for his birthday party on Saturday. The highlights of the weekend with Grammy and Pop were bowling and dyeing Easter eggs(I can't believe I didn't get any pictures of either one of these activities!) * MSA is upon us! The math MSA was Tuesday and Wednesday, and the reading MSA is next week. No, I can't talk about it!! * Caleb has moved up to the 2's and 3's Sunday school class, which has not been without its challenges. He hasn't seemed to get comfortable yet, and there have been so...

I haven't done this in a long time. Why not today? ;) Fireproof This really is an incredible movie. While it was put on by a church and didn't cost the billions of dollars that a blockbuster might, it was done very well and has such a good message. It's pretty amazing how God has given this church such talented people and the means to put on these types of productions. Most of the actors are volunteers, and they get all of the food on the set donated by church members or local businesses! This is the same group that did Facing the Giants a few years ago, but getting Kirk Cameron to star in this one definitely improved the quality a bit. Matt and I are now doing The Love Dare together (the book from the movie). We're very excited about it! Pomegranates Our family has strong passions for this little Super Fruit! Not only is it an interesting taste and texture, but it is incredibly good for you! It's such a healthy and scrumptious snack. Caleb asks to buy ...

Caleb loves his tractor that we have upstairs in our bedroom. We got it at our church silent auction last year, and it was literally the best $25 we've ever spent! Anyway, he was riding it this weekend and all of the sudden, yells out, "There's a cow in the road!" I stopped doing my hair long enough to ask him what he was talking about, and he explained that there was a cow in the middle of the road and he couldn't get by. I (after laughing for a while) told him to honk the horn and ask the cow politely to move. He did, and the wayward cow allowed him to pass. Well, this has gone on many, MANY times since then (remember, I was snowed in for two days too!), and that darned cow just keeps getting in the way! This morning, Caleb asked again, "What's that cow doing?" Apparently, the cow wondered into the middle of the road yet again. This time, I suggested that Caleb pick up the cow and put it in the tractor's trailer to keep it out of the wa...