Conquering My Fried Chicken Phobia

I did it! I made fried chicken! And if you're sitting there thinking "this lady is really running out of blogging material" go read this post.

My family has been bugging me for months to give it a try, and yesterday I finally did it! Thankfully I didn't feed my family raw chicken, which was my greatest fear.

Here's the chicken bubbling away. I'm not sure how to make it so that the part that touches the pan doesn't get so dark. I did cut into the chicken after I took it out, just to make sure it was fully cooked, and it wasn't, but did I panic? No, I just put it in the oven to finish cooking.

Happy Family

I still think it's easier just to pick up a bucket of the stuff.

Sunday Scripture

Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?"

Matthew 16:24-26 esv

I'd Be In Trouble!

On Thursday afternoons I volunteer at my son's elementary school, working with the advanced spelling and math group. They are usually pretty good kids, but today they were awful. They wouldn't stop giggling and interrupting and just being loud.

Finally I said "What would the principle say if she walked past right now and heard how loud you're being?" To which one smarty-pants replied "She'd blame you 'cause you're letting us."

Sad thing is, he's probably right.

WFMW - Cheap Reading Glasses

It happens to us all. You turn forty and like someone flipped a switch, suddenly you need reading glasses. Oh, you try to tough it out for a while, squinting and holding the paper further and further away, but eventually you give in and buy your first pair of reading glasses.

Reading glasses are expensive, and if you're anything like me they get lost easily. But did you know that sometimes Target has reading glasses in it's dollar section? Every time Target has reading glasses for $1, I buy a few. Now I have plenty of reading glasses that I can have strategically placed throughout the house.

They also come in every color of the rainbow, so I can match my glasses to my outfit. (hey, if I have to wear reading glasses and look middle-aged, I can at least color coordinate.)

If you're worried about these glasses being bad for your eyes, my eye doctor (who is also my friend and neighbor) told me that they're perfectly fine as long as they don't give me a headache.

So, if you're over forty, go ahead and get yourself a pair of cheap reading glasses, It works for me!

Check out more great tips at Rocks In My Dryer!

I Heart Winning Books!

I won Katrina's giveaway over at Callapidder Days! The prize was a book called Family Squeeze by Phil Callaway. I'll have to add this one to my list of books for the Spring Reading Thing!

Thank You sooooo much Katrina!

Easter In Wisconsin

Last week in Florida.

Easter Sunday in Wisconsin.

It snowed. Again.

Obviously we didn't bring the Florida weather home with us.

Sunday Scripture

But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified, He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead,"

Matthew 28: 5-7

Spring Reading Thing

Katrina over at Callapidder Days is hosting her Spring Reading Thing 2008. I thought I'd participate because, ya know, it would be nice to actually read some of the books I've bought over the last few years.


So here goes, my reading list for the next three months:

• Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M. Delafield


• Home-Making by J.R. Miller


• French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano


• Building Strong Families by Dennis Rainey


• The Intimate Marriage by R.C. Sproul


• Keep In Step With The Spirit by J.I. Packer


• The Devil In The White City by Erik Larson


• The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey


• Open Your Eyes by Alexandra Stoddard
• The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace
  

Disney World!

One of the fun things at Disney World is getting to meet the different characters. We went to several restaurants where you get to spend time with the characters:

A & J with Chef Mickey.

Notice that A is giving Mickey an extra set of ears!

S flirting with Minnie.

A couple of "goofy" guys.

Pluto and the boys.

Stitch was giving the boys a hard time.

If you are going to Disney World, plan ahead and make reservations for some of the character meals. The characters visit you at your table, sign autographs for the kids, and pose for pictures. The food is great too! The only downside is the cost; these meals are really expensive! We were on the Disney Meal Plan, and that made it a little more affordable.

I'll be posting more pictures of our trip later. Have you taken your family to Disney World? If so, what was your favorite part?

WFMW - Packing For A Road Trip

Having just returned from Disney World I have traveling on my mind. Thankfully we flew to Florida, but a few years ago we drove down to Alabama for my nephew's wedding.

Packing six people for a six day trip staying at four different hotels was difficult. The last thing I wanted to do was lug every piece of luggage in and out of every hotel. So, instead of each person having their own suitcase or bag for the trip, I ended up packing a bag for each hotel.

For example, I packed one bag for our stay in Nashville, one for Mobile, etc. Each bag contained one outfit for each member of the family. When we left each hotel we would toss our dirty laundry into the same bag, now we didn't have to touch that bag for the rest of the trip. I packed a separate bag that contained all our toiletries. This way we only had to carry two bags into each hotel, the bag with the clothes for that hotel, and the bag with the toiletries!

This really worked for me! After all, it's hard enough to spend six days on the road with four kids in the van.

Check out Shannon's blog for more WFMW tips!

I'm Back!

Hello bloggyville, I'm back! Our family spent the last week at Disney World!

We had a wonderful, albeit exhausting trip. The great news is that our daughter's Show Choir took second place at their competition! Yea!

I'll be posting more about our trip later, but right now I have to finish unpacking and tackle the huge pile of laundry. Back to reality.....sigh.

Bloggy Break

I'm going to be taking a bit of a bloggy break this week. I'll be back next week with lots of fun posts.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, we had a great time in Cedar Rapids on Saturday. Sonic was great, we really need to get one here. Our Show Choir got 3rd runner up at the competition, but the kids were upset because their big rival beat them by a quarter point and got 2nd runner up.

Sunday Scripture

Praise the Lord!

Oh give thanks to the Lord,

for he is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever!

Psalm 106:1 esv

Show Choir Update and a Prayer Request

I had a question a few days ago about how our daughter's Show Choir season is going so here's an update.

Our competition season has been going very well! We were First Runner Up at Fort Atkinson WI, and Grand Champions in Brodhead WI! We are going to Cedar Rapids IA this weekend, where we (our family, not the whole Choir) will be eating lunch at Sonic! I can't tell you how excited we are about eating at Sonic. (We don't have Sonic in Wisconsin)

Next week we leave for our big trip to Disney World, and that leads me to my prayer request. We know so many people here who either have had the flu, or currently have the flu, and we are so concerned that one of us will get sick before our trip. So if you happen to think of it, please be in prayer that we (not only our family, but everyone involved in Show Choir) will be healthy for this trip.

Thank You! I'll be sure to post lots of pictures when we get back!

Happy 14th Birthday!

Today is A's 14th birthday! We celebrated by eating out at Texas Roadhouse. Yum! We came home and sang Happy Birthday and had chocolate cupcakes and ice cream.

The kids then headed down to the basement to play Rock Band. It's so great seeing them all get along together!

I am so proud of A. He is a sweet and loving boy, and he is growing into such a nice, Christian young man.

Happy Birthday my son!

In Case You Were Wondering, I Am A Ring Finger

You Are a Ring Finger

You are romantic, expressive, and hopeful. You see the best in everything. You are very artistic, and you see the world as your canvas. You are also drawn to the written word. Inventive and unique, you are often away in your own inner world. You get along well with: The Pinky Stay away from: The Index Finger

What Finger Are You?

I Heart Pink Cuddl Duds. And Pink Slipper Socks.

Aren't these cute? I got them 50% off at Target! This is why you all are fortunate enough to get a third post out of me in one day - There Is A Ginormous Amount Of Stuff On Clearance At Target!

They had Cuddl Duds on clearance for $1.98! I live in Cuddl Duds all winter long, and now I have a set that not only cost me less than $4 total, but they are pink! Pink Cuddl Duds!

So, take my advice and go to Target. Right now.

Isn't She Cute?

My daughter got a new haircut lastnight and I just had to share!

This is before:

And after:

WFMW - Backwards Edition

As you can see from my sidebar, I recently opened an Etsy shop. Now, I don't have much in there yet, but I am hoping to add more items soon.

What I am looking for is any and all advice you can give me on running an Etsy shop. Like, what sells best, how do you decide on shipping costs, what do you do with an item that doesn't sell, and anything else you can think of!

Please leave a comment with your advice, and help me to make this shop a success! Help more ladies with your fantastic advice at Rocks In My Dryer!

Sunday Scripture

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,

to sing praises to your name,

O Most High;

to declare your steadfast love in the morning,

and your faithfulness by night,

to the music of the lute and the harp,

to the melody of the lyre.

For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;

at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

Psalm 92:1-4 esv