Veggie Tales

I have so many different Zerbik thoughts going around in my head right now, this is just the most recent and easiest to get down. I am planning a series on Ayurveda to share with the world the cool things I've learned about that, but it's taking a bit of preparation and research.

We were watching, "A Snoodle's Tale," from our Veggie Tale collection and I loved how the little Snoodle came into the world with wings and a back-pack with paints and a horn. The message of the show was that God loves you and has a plan for your life, and that although others use the gifts they've been given to hurt others, God gave them those gifts to enjoy life and bring glory to Him.

I was thinking about that little Snoodle coming into the world with his paints and horn and wings, and got thinking about what gifts God gave me. I could give you a million reasons why I don't draw, paint or sing much these days, but this little Veggie Tale reminded me that whether or not I'm any good at these things isn't the point, it's using them to glorify God that matters. So, why can't I paint a picture just for Him and not worry about what anyone else thinks? It's hard to make time sometimes, but that too is another excuse I've given for not getting around to it. I share this in hopes that you'll consider making time or gather the courage to do something you know you're meant to do (make a joyful noise, a craft, cooking, baking, scrapbooking, writing letters, photography, you fill in the blank...) just for Him, because you love Him.

Old gnews, but good gnews

Welp, I tried to upload a video from our camera to share, but it took over two hours and still wasn't done, so I gave up. We just received a CD of pictures from the past year from our friends, the Glessners, and wanted to share some of them.

This is Ben with Chris Glessner at the Queen concert last year. I love the beard on Ben!

Our little aviator in his Snoopy doll's goggles.

A group shot of our trip to WV a couple months ago. From left to right, our little WigFam, the Glessners, and the O'Briens.

So, I bought some roller blades at a garage sale over the summer and yesterday I finally tried them out! It was so fun! My friend, Melinda, goes roller-blading while she pushes her stroller around her town. I'm still a bit wobbly on brick side walks and hills that lead into a road, but I think I'll be able to join her someday! I'd have taken a picture of myself, but I was a bit busy keeping myself upright! Just imagine knee pads and wrist guards on a 30 year old woman roller blading around trying to gain confidence in her stride!

Update

Hey! Our Mommy Group went really well, we had six Mommies show up and nine kids betwixt them. We made a list of topics we want to cover in future meetings while the kiddos played nearby. Unfortunately, my update about the biter biscuits isn't as happy. Since I made them less chewy this time, Z has not been as interested in them. I took them to the Mom's Group, and since there were sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies there, the kids were NOT interested in "good for you" cookies, to say the least, let alone hard ones. We'll wait until Z starts a teething bout again to make sure, but I'm thinking this batch might get relegated to the dogs.

Today, my ambitious plan is to make a Christmas list of everyone we plan to buy for, and try to identify what we want to do for them. I have enough gracious family members (on both sides) that I may be able to get away with some homemade gifts again. I have too many crafty ideas to count, we'll see what pans out. Usually I don't get started on all this until Thanksgiving when there's totally not enough time to make crafts for people. Since we're trying to pay Ben's school loan off in one year then mine in the following five (tee hee), we're on a budget, so the creative juices are flowing! I've got pottery dreams, knitting thoughts and a stitching/watercolor combo idea that just might be presentable. Less talky, more doey!

Addendum: Go figure. When Ben asked Z to give the dogs their treats tonight, he ate them, so I'm glad I made them and know they're actually biter biscuits without the sweet stuff added. Perhaps the dogs and Z will swap biscuits. So far, no barking from Z (I think we're ok, thanks for the concern, Grandpa).

Buddy Biscuits

Guess what I did today? I made biter biscuits and doggie treats all in one fell swoop. No, I'm not feeding my baby a dog biscuit. I'm feeding my dogs a baby biscuit (minus the maple syrup and vanilla). I got the recipe here and tried it once and liked it enough I decided to go all out this time and make cut-outs. I cooked them longer this time so they'd be less chewy and more of a challenge for teething babies (and dogs that need their teeth cleaned.) The airplanes are sweet for Z and the bones are plain for the dogs, both are very wholesome and good for you!

After watching from his high chair, Z decided he knew how to cut out cookies,
and climbed up on the kitchen chair and proceeded to show me how!

Watched the most devastating movie I've seen since The Passion, and for totally different reasons. It's called, "Downfall" and is about Hitler's last days in the bunker before the end of the war. It totally sucks you in and makes you feel like you're right there, surrounded by evil. That's the part I didn't like so much, but historically it was a great movie, and I'm glad I watched it, even if it haunts me a bit.

On a completely different note, my first Mommy's Group is today at the church. I'm very excited about it! Thanks to all those who gave me feedback last time I mentioned it. I think we'll meet for a few weeks before deciding whether to stay informal, become a MOPS group or something else! Still open to suggestions and ideas!

Also, I'm trying to memorize I Corinthians 13 (the whole chapter) and am starting with little chunks of it. I heard on Good Morning America a while back that memorization is the best key to warding off early onset dementia and Alzheimer's, especially memorizing dance moves as it involves the whole body. Perhaps I can do an interpretive dance to the passage and that will do the job. Oh the things my mail lady sees through the window...

Blood

Last Friday night we had some friends from Indiana over, and our little guy took a tumble down the back steps (they're cement!). It was SO SAD! It was the worst spill we've had yet and first bloodshed. It's already healing, I just took all these pictures today, so you can see for yourself.

My sister-in-laws, Missy and Debbie came over today. Missy brought her three. We went to the park, bought some squeaky shoes for the kids (Mary Janes for me) and played dress up. This is Ally (aka Al Pal and Ally-gator) in her splendid silliness.

The beautiful, Jenna-bug.

My nieces!

And my nephew, Owen. Such a cuddler! Z calls him "Owee"

I'm so thankful to have gotten to be with family today. Growing up I despairingly thought I'd never be an aunt. God definitely had other plans when I married into the WigClan! Ben being the oldest of five, we should hopefully have as many nieces and nephews as there are stars in the sky. Well, at least a whole bunch.

Good book alert! I read it in a week, and with all the time I have to read anymore, that means it was pretty short. Entitled, "For the Children's Sake" by Susan Shaeffer Macaulay I was enthralled. Thanks to a tip from fellow blogger, Jana, I checked the book out from the library and am now a changed woman. It was so wonderful to read a book based on 100 year old educational theories (by Charlotte Mason) that validate my own intuition and desires in parenting and educating my son! I've asked Ben to read it as well. Such a common sense approach to teaching children, loved it! Click on Jana's link for a good synopsis of the book.


Finally, I had a funny thought and wanted to share it. I was thinking, how interesting it is how money and diet have so much in common? If you're overweight the best plan is to move more, eat less. If you're in debt or feeling "tight" you need to either make more money or spend less. You must eat to survive and you really can't live financially on nothing, so there are minimum needs, but then it's so easy to over eat and to overspend! Finding a balance in these two areas is crucial, I just wonder how interconnected they are in people's lives. I know they are in mine! For instance, I vacillate between being pretty balanced most of the time in both eating and spending money, but then I have my periodic bouts of eating tons of sweets and spending too much. Having half the income in our family has helped fix the shopping sprees, and I can't help but wonder since our money is so much better managed now that we must measure it so closely, that perhaps my sweet tooth would be helped by some calorie counting.

Our new living room, finally!

I promised to get these posted, sorry it took so long! I really should have taken the pics at night so there wasn't back lighting, but this is when I had the place clean enough to post on the world wide web! The biggest change is that the wall in the middle of this living room is gone, making it much bigger. Second we (meaning Ben) painted the living room and dining room and got carpet rugs for both rooms (free floating so we can go back to hardwood easily).

You can barely see the green we painted the dining room (see Z in there?). We have a big mirror in front of the fireplace to keep him out of it. Someday I'd like to get some amber glass sconce shades to replace the faux candle shades (who thinks of these things?)! We got new blinds to match in the dining room and the big windows in the living room.

Some random cuteness! My neighbor Betty found this potty chair at a garage sale for $5, it has a book rack on one side and a TP holder on the other! Z copies Mommy and pretends to go to the bathroom (only he gets it a little backwards!).

A little blurry, but I had to snap a shot of Z trying on Daddy's shoes!

So, I've gone and made an effort to meet my needs. I've discussed the matter with my church and they're allowing me to start a Mom's group to meet at the church (with our kids). I'm excited to get some much needed fellowship with other Moms and start socializing little Z! If anyone in the area is interested in joining us, call or e-mail me for details!

Rolling Ridge Ranch

Last Saturday Z and I went to Rolling Ridge Ranch in Berlin, Ohio (heart of Amish country) with my friend, Melinda, and her little two and a half year old, Maddi. First we had fun in the petting zoo area, then we took off in a horse drawn carriage (yes our guide was Amish!) through the woods to feed the animals. We went early in the day which meant the animals were hungry and they would run to us, we thought we'd get run over in a stampede! I definitely didn't expect to get as close to all the animals as we did and have so much fun!

Yes he nibbled Z's fingers after we fed him an animal cracker, but he didn't cry, so it must not have hurt.

Feeding the water buffalo off the back of the carriage. Since we're such big Veggie Tale fans, this was extra special for us..."Everybody's got a water buffalo, yours is fast but mine is slow..."

Melinda and Maddi feeding the ostrich

Here they come and boy are they hungry!

See the one looking at us!?

I thought it would be cool to take a black and white picture of a zebra.