Are you in a pit?

I've been putting off writing this post because I know it will take awhile to write. However, I need to go ahead and do it so I don't forget all that I want to remember! I went on a "girl's weekend" this last weekend-something I never do-and I had a really good time. I was completely worn out by the time I got home though! *whew*

For awhile now, I've been hearing people talk about Beth Moore and what a wonderful Bible Study leader she is. I've heard it from my "in person" friends-you know, people I didn't meet through the Internet: my mom, Tracy, Erin, Jaime. I've also heard it from my "non-in person" friends-you know, people I have met online: Betty, Janice, Elizabeth. I've never really been in a position to participate in one of her studies but have always been interested in doing so.

Back around Christmas, my mom told me that her church was hosting a Beth Moore live "via satellite" women's event on a Saturday in February. I was really interested in attending and asked a couple of friends to go with me. Mom signed us all up and it was great! Earlier in the month, Mom had sent me her Beth Moore "Patriarchs" book that she had used with a study. I've only just begun reading it but am looking forward to getting more into it.

I am not the type of person who goes off on weekends all the time. I have been invited to go on some and I usually drag my feet and come up with excuses: it costs too much, we have plans, etc. This one worked though. I was nervous and anxious-I like being with my family-but I was also looking forward to it. Here's a synopsis:

Friday:

*MB picked me up and we headed to the school to drop off some pies for the teacher's luncheon. Gracie had been sent home sick from school the day before so I couldn't send them with her!

*We went to pick up M.

*Off we went-talking a mile a minute! We had all brought some sort of snack and M had bought Starbucks for us all-yum! We didn't snack too much but we did enjoy the Starbucks. At some point, we had to stop to potty and MB & I then switched to a different kind of caffeine-mine in the form of diet Coke. We continued on our way to Atlanta!

*Since we had left around 7:30, we ended up getting to Atlanta before we were ready to eat lunch so our first stop was IKEA! I had always heard about this store from my interior design friend, Kym, but had never been to one. This is a fairly new store in Atlanta and my dad alerted me to the fact that it was open. I bet we spent 2-2 1/2 hours in it. It is HUGE and waaaay cool! I urge to check it out if you ever get a chance! Did we buy anything? NO! Can you believe it. The one thing I saw that I wanted was only in the showroom. We kept looking for it where you could actually pick it up and buy it and never could find it. Oh well!

*Next stop: food! The Varsity is an Atlanta tradition that you must try if you're ever there. I always get the "Pimento Cheese Burger" (which isn't on the menu...you just have to ask for it), fries, and a fried apple pie. YUM!

*At this point, we decided to head to Lenox Mall. They have some stores we just don't have access to very often: Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Godiva, etc. So we went there and had fun looking around. We were feeling the fact that we are no longer very young and we plopped down on the couches & chairs at Crate & Barrel. While there, someone came up with the idea of getting pedicures. Why not? So we finished up and headed towards Mom & Dad's to look for a place to get them done.

*We found a place that was quite inexpensive and they did a pretty good job. We just felt like they were really talking about us when we left. We kept thinking of the Seinfeld episode when Elaine went to get a pedicure and they would say, "Princess want pedicure? Princess in a hurry!"

*After that, we headed to Mom & Dad's for dinner. Mom had cooked a good dinner-as usual-which we enjoyed. She had made this "Double Chocolate Ooey Gooey Butter Cake" that was soooo good! My dad wasn't feeling well-his voice sounded much deeper than it usually does. We were sitting around after dinner trying to figure out our plans for the next day. We wanted to go eat after the Ladies' Day but we also wanted to go to a movie. It was only about 8:30 so we decided to go to the movies that night. We loaded up and went. We even made a stop at Bass Pro Shop for M to buy something for her husband.

*After the movie, we went back to Mom & Dad's and went upstairs to get pj's on. (Have I mentioned that all of our kids (7 total) are at home with their Daddies?!!?!? It was great!) M had brought the first 2 seasons of Grey Anatomy with her. MB & I are recent converts to Grey's, so we got caught up a little by watching the "Bonnie" episode. I'd had to call M during Grey's Thursday night to ask who she was. After that, it was time for sleep. We each got our own room for sleeping. Mom & Dad slept downstairs in the guest room.

Saturday:

*Thankfully, the thing at church didn't start until 10:30 so we didn't have to start the day too early. Pappy (my dad) made us Mickey Mouse waffles. Dad making waffles is a tradition. He used to carry me downstairs-usually on Saturday or Sunday mornings-to eat them. He sure couldn't do that now!

*Mom was going with us to the Ladies' Day (10:30-4:30) but we drove separately because she knew she would want to go home while we were planning to shop & stuff. Beth Moore's lesson was based on her book, "Get Out of That Pit." It was a really good lesson where she talked about us getting out of our pit-whatever it may be-and how Jesus can get any of us out of any pit. I decided that one of my biggest pits is FOOD! 'nuff said.

*After the Ladies' Day, we went to Garden Ridge. Again, I think we spent over 2 hours there! We did all buy something there. We got the best deals-bakeware, picture frames, party stuff etc.

*By the time we left, it was about 7:30 and we still had plans to go eat. The Cheesecake Factory is absolutely one of the BEST meals you will ever eat. When we got there around 8:00, we were told that there was a 65-80 minute wait. We went over to a shopping center that had some stores we wanted to visit. Well, by the time we got back we had missed being called! Luckily, we only had to wait about 10 more minutes before they got us a table. I bet it was 9:45 before we even sat down. We definitely weren't in our little town anymore! There were some fancy-schmancy people there!

*Once we sat down, we ordered this appetizer: Fried Macaroni and Cheese. Here is a picture that is similar to what they served. Seriously.....you have GOT to try it! I really didn't think it would be that good, I mean good, but not THAT good. Oh goodness! It was fantastic! So, so, so good! MB & I split an entree: shrimp scampi & salmon with mashed potatoes. Again, so good! M got shrimp scampi & steak. We were so stuffed but it's just about impossible to not get cheesecake so we ordered 1 piece to go: Vanilla Bean. If M & MB read this, they will probably note that I left out a little incident that happened on the way to The Cheesecake Factory. Something about me missing an exit, a car really close to the passenger side and a concrete barrier coming up fast in front of us. Hey, all I have to say is "All's well that ends well" right?!?!

*Mom & Dad ended up paying for our tickets to the Beth Moore conference-refused to let us pay-so we used what we would have used for that to buy them a gift certificate to The Cheesecake Factory. A little thank you for housing & feeding us over the weekend!

*We got back to the house-exhausted but happy and it was already smelling good from the roast Mom was cooking for lunch the next day. We let Mom have a taste of the cheesecake before we went upstairs to put on pj's and watch the "Dylan & the Bomb/Bailey giving birth" episodes of Grey's that I had also never seen in their entirety. 8:30 church was going to be there soon enough so we went to bed.

Sunday:

*We got up and got ready for church. It's amazing how much more quickly we could get ready without any children to get ready too! Dad was feeling really badly by this point so he didn't go to church with us which is quite rare for my dad. It's always nice to see people at church that I knew from growing up although there are lots of people there that I don't know now. With a church so large, I guess that happens. We went to class after church which I have to admit is always a little uncomfortable for me: going to class when you don't really know people. I knew some of them but still, it's a little out of my comfort zone.

*After church, we went back to Mom & Dad's and had a wonderful Sunday lunch of roast, carrots, vegetable casserole, biscuits, potatoes, fried apples and more cake! We were all tired but knew we needed to get on the road to get back.

*We left to come home, but "needed" to stop at one of the malls on the way. We probably stayed there 2-2 1/2 hours. We don't shop very quickly. By this point, we were all very tired. We drove for awhile and then MB needed to stop for a minute. We pulled into the gas station/Dairy Queen. She got out while M & I stayed in the van. M & I started discussing how we "could eat" since it was about 6:00. Forget the fact that we'd basically done nothing but eat the whole weekend! We'd walked a lot also so we figured we'd burned a lot of those calories! So, when MB got back, we pulled through the drive-thru and ordered something for M and something me. MB was going to get something at the McDonald's drive-thru.

After we got the food, we pulled over to get some gas. Here is the funny part. I'm sure I will not even come close to describing how funny this was but trust me, it was. The gas station was packed! MB pulled behind this truck and waited. I was pretty interested in eating so I didn't really notice that we sat there for about 5 minutes. It was empty and apparently no one was in a hurry to claim the vehicle. Finally, she said something about it and pulled out to go to a different pump. She pulled up behind a different truck and we waited. After a few minutes, we saw this old man with a cane come out of the gas station. He headed our way so I thought maybe he was coming to move his truck. M & MB said no, that another car had honked at him. Apparently they had done what any decent person would do and actually moved their vehicle while they were waiting to leave rather than just sitting at the pump making other people wait.

Well, the man turned around-slowly-to make his way to the car. Remember he had a cane and was kind of bent over. Well, this woman went up to him and took his arm to help him. Apparently, he didn't take too well to her kindness because he started running! Only this old man running with his cane was really more like shuffling but he was really going for someone so old in his condition. He really looked like he was going to fall a couple of times which really isn't funny but the whole situation was so comical looking. The lady stayed with him until he got in the car-she really was trying to be nice-so I guess he finally realized that she was trying to help him. No one in the car ever got out to help him. I know my writing probably does not do the story justice but trust me, it was one of the funniest things I've ever seen in my life!

All 3 of us are laughing so hard and then we notice this man waiting for a different pump across from us is looking at us and he's laughing at us laughing so hard! Finally, we realize that the truck we're behind isn't going to move anytime soon so we pull to a different pump which we then see is roped off as not working. Then we pull behind a different SUV and the guy walks away from it into the gas station after he looks at us pulling up to wait. Finally, MB found a pump that was available. I think we were probably there for 30 minutes! I don't know why the people in the town never learned how to "pay at the pump" or at least the proper etiquette of pulling your car away from the pump so others can use it. It was so funny!

*Finally, we got home. We dropped off M then MB dropped me off. My family was at Life Group but they got home soon. I was happy to see them and they were happy to see me! Gracie seemed to really miss me which I thought was so sweet. She had her arms around my neck so tight. I heard the van door close when the got home so I went to the door. I could hear her outside saying, "Hurry! Hurry!"

It was a GREAT weekend! It was a blessing to spend this time with these 2 girls. The real reason for going-the Beth Moore conference-made me think about many important things and the fun I had with my friends was just icing on the cake! God has blessed me with these 2 girls who offer such wonderful things to me as friends. I'm so blessed with all of my friends-those who weren't with me this weekendas well-as they also are so valuable to me. I couldn't bring them all seeing as how we were staying at my parents' house which can only hold so many, but I'm thankful for them all.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for my friends M & MB who are such blessings in my life-both for similar reasons but for different ones as well. They were such fun to be with and I'm thankful you have put them in my life. Thank you for my friends who weren't with me as well as they each offer something unique to my life. I'm so grateful for good girlfriends on whom I can lean & depend. I pray that I will be for them what they need me to be. Help me to be a good friend to all of my friends. Please let my girls grow up with good girlfriends who love You and who will help them grow closer to You. Thank you for our sweet husbands who so willingly & lovingly supported us going and took such good care of our children. I know for me personally I know Chris did a great job and didn't look at it as "babysitting" as some men do. He is their daddy and loves spending time with them and vice versa! Thank you for keeping us all safe as we were apart from our immediate families and thank you for my parents who opened their home to us.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen

the dreams I have

You are such a wonder

I danced when you were born

Celebrated every step

And held you through each storm

I've seen your tears

And felt your fears

As your heart broke in two

I only wish that you could see

The dreams I dream for you

I've seen you struggle forward

I've watched you fall behind

Courage only goes so far

When faith and fear collide

But I know what you're made of

And all that you could do

I only wish that you could see

The dreams I dream for you

When you're standing all alone

And you wonder if I'm there

Or why the road seems longer than it should

I am right beside you,

even closer than a prayer

You know I'd walk this journey for you

if I could

I hope you never settle

For less than you can be

For time will test your mettle

But truth will set you free

So spread your wings imagining

There's nothing you can't do

For you could never dream beyond

The dreams I dream for you

Words & music by Anita Renfroe & Jim Robinson

These are the words to one of the songs on the Anita Renfore cd I got today. Most of the stuff she does is just funny & silly, but this song is one of the serious ones. She originally wrote it with a friend about her children. They realized that it could be a song that speaks of the way God feels about all of us. I like it a lot and it makes me think of all the dreams I have for my sweet little girls.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What Katie is into right now:

She is really into "God made.......". She also talks about things being painted. Why? I don't know. She said something about us painting our (kitchen) chairs. I absently said yes. Then I corrected myself and said that no, we didn't paint them. She said, "God painted them." She had a blanket later and said, "God made the blanket." In our bubble bath tonight (all 3 of us girls were in there!) she said, "God made the bubbles." Sometimes I say "yes." Sometimes I try to explain that God didn't actually paint the chair or make that particular blanket but that He made the people who did make those things. I think this started because I would ask her "Who made the grass?" "Who made the birds?" etc. Those are easy because God did actually make those things. When she starts bringing in blankets & chairs....what do you say? Do you just say, "Yes, God made everything!" or do you get more technical about it?

Today I heard Katie singing the Heaven song to Strawberry Shortcake. "Strawberry Shortcake, I want to see you up in Heaven........." I usually ask her if she had a 'sweet sleep' and ask her what she dreamed about. Today she said, "Baby Jesus." The other day when I asked her what she & her friend Dillon talked about at dinner (they sat at a table together after Life Group), she said, "Baby Jesus." Funny! That just seems to be the answer right now....whether or not it's true!

She has started saying, "I love...." She loves Spiderman. She loves Thomas the Train. Yes, this is my little girl. We saw Spiderman u-n-d-e-r-wear at Target the other day and she loved it. I moved on and showed her the Thomas u-n-d-e-r-wear. She loved it too. She said, "Thomas is for boys" kind of sad. I said, "You can like Thomas and you can play with Thomas but you can't wear Thomas u-n-d-e-r-wear." You have to know Gracie to know that this hasn't been an issue until Katie came along. Gracie has always been quite content to play with "girl" things while Katie loves the "boy" things too! Don't get me wrong. I think it's fine for Katie to like Spiderman and Thomas the Train. I draw the line at her wearing the u-n-d-e-r-wear though!

She sings the "Little Einstein" song all the time..."We're going on a trip in our favorite rocket ship; Come on, let's go; Little Einstein." (words may not be exact) Another common phrase to hear her attempt to say is, "Hot Dog, hot dog, hot diggety dog!" from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

She'll frequently say, "Good dinner, Mommy!" Even if all I did was open a can, she'll say it.

She loves fruit snacks and chose them over frosted cupcakes yesterday....crazy girl!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What Gracie is into right now:

She is enjoying her memory challenges in Bible Class. She said the books of the Old Testament this last Sunday and did a great job! She worked really hard on memorizing them.

Today she asked me, "On my calendar it says tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. What is that?" I wasn't sure what to say-and neither was Chris-so I told her I would look it up and tell her about it. Chris & I neither one know much about it. Is that bad that I don't know? Isn't it mainly observed by Catholic practicing people or am I going to look really stupid for thinking that?

She had a sleepover Sunday night here at our house with her best girlfriend and they had lots of fun. Lots of giggling, lots of planning what to do, etc.

She is still reading a lot and doing well in school. She still enjoys it and I'm grateful for that. The other day she parked herself on the couch with a book and Chris told her to go brush her teeth. She sighed and said, "Can't I just have some time to read?!?!" Another time he told her to go do something and she sighed and said, "Okay...but I'm going to read while I walk!"

One of her friends from school has come to church with her the last few Wednesday nights. They were having me call out Scriptures for them to look up before church started one night. When they both found it, I guess they were reading over each other shoulders and Gracie said, "Mine doesn't say the same thing." They had different translations and she noticed that. I thought that was pretty cool for someone so young to notice. We need to show her Chris' Bible he has (parallel Bible???) that has 4(?) different translations in 1 Bible!

The other day I was looking at buying something on Ebay. It was from the United Kingdom. I was talking about how I wasn't sure I wanted to buy it from outside the US and wondering how far away that was. She said, "I'll find out." She ran to her globe and ran back to tell me how many miles away it was! Pretty cool globe where you can touch 2 different places and it will tell you the distance between the 2!

When I took her to the doctor last week (she had strep!) she was still only 36 something lbs. She's 6 1/2 years old! I'm assuming one day she will put some meat on those bones of hers; wish I had that problem!

I love it when she says, "You're the best Mommy." I follow up with, "You're the best 6 year old!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Both of the girls are so funny in their own ways and I love them both dearly!

Will you go out with me?

****updated with pictures now that Blogger is actually cooperating!****

Gracie & Chris had a 'Daddy/Daughter' date tonight. He was so sweet to bring her flowers which she was very happy to get! She picked out her dress to wear and was excited to be wearing jewelry and smelling like Mommy on Sunday morning in the car! (Meaning I put my 'white cherry blossom' lotion on her. I guess I must smell like that on the way to church because that's how she described it..."that's the smell I smell on Sundays in the car." Funny!
Here is Gracie waiting to be picked up for her date.

Chris wasn't sure where to take her. She wanted to go to a museum that she loves but he's already tentatively planning to take the girls there next weekend when I go away for a weekend. She always wants to go to Fatz after church on Sundays. We rarely go because honestly it's kind of expensive and isn't as good as it costs! However, since this was a special date, he decided to surprise her by taking her there for dinner. After dinner they went to Target and she spent some money she's been saving. They also went & played Arcade games at the Putt Putt place. (too cold to play Putt Putt! brrr) Gracie won some Smarties and brought some home to share with me!

Katie and I hung out here at the house. We worked on her Dora puzzle, had grilled cheese for dinner and watched "Little House." She also took a bubble bath and we played her Leap Pad. Now the girls are going to watch the Barbie movie she bought at Target with her saved money.

She told Chris it was the best date she's ever been on!

Here Gracie is showing off her rings. The silver ring was given to her at her baby shower when she was just over 2 weeks old. The gold ring is one that I don't think I've ever allowed her to wear on her finger. She used to wear it on a chain but the chain broke recently. This ring is my grandmother's baby ring! I am under extreme stress from my mother not to lose it! I decided for this special date she could wear it....and she came home with it still on which she very proudly told me (because I put her under extreme stress not to lose it!!!!) It was still a little big even on that finger so I'm not sure when my grandmother actually wore it!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After school, Gracie had a playdate with her good friend, Hunter. His mommy told me they rode skateboards and scooters-that's a sight I'd like to see! They also played 'Dance Dance Revolution' (Chris said she tried it at the arcade tonight too!) where you watch it on the television and have to step on the right things at the right time. I hear it's quite a workout....she had pictures and they were funny. Gracie's dancing kind of reminds us of Elaine on Seinfeld! HA! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Lord,

Thank you for Chris who loves spending time with his girls. As Gracie & Katie grow older, please let them remember how blessed they are to have him as their daddy. Please help Chris & I to be the kind of parents you want us to be and to raise them the way You want us to.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen

all our love

Happy Valentine's Day

from our littlest sweethearts!

IS there a refrigerator in Heaven?

I did something tonight that was lots of fun! I went to one of the churches in town and listened to a hilarious Christian comedian: Anita Renfroe. She was so much fun to listen to; if you ever get a chance to listen to her, GO! Some of it was serious, most of it was just silly fun. I even saw Gracie's teacher there, along with a few people from church, so that nice. I wanted to buy a cd, but the line was long and I'd left my purse in the car. I may order something later. One thing she said that I loved: "If there's a refrigerator in Heaven, you know God has YOUR picture on it." I thought that was sweet!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chris & I went on an overnight date last night: ooh la la! He planned this evening almost all the way by himself-I was so impressed! He planned for our good friend to watch the girls for us, we went & checked in a hotel (not too far away, about an hour), ate at The Melting Pot, slept in late, ate brunch at Waffle House (yummy!), watched "The Pursuit of Happyness," then came home. Less than 24 hours total but sooo nice to get away!

He was very sweet and had planned to have our picture taken at the restaurant and a rose brought to me at the table. He also gave me a silver cross necklace and a pearl bracelet with 2 Swarovski crystals to represent the girls' birth months. I gave him gift cards to a sports store and this other store called 'Lids.' The man has about a million caps but he always feels like he needs more!

We don't usually go on such a big weekend with so many gifts for Valentine's Day but we did a little more this year. It's nice to splurge on each other from time to time; we don't do it very often. Of course, Chris is the type of husband who is sweet each & everyday and is always doing kind & thoughtful things. I'd rather have him be like that rather than not be kind day in & day out and give elaborate gifts each holiday to make up for it. I've certainly been blessed with him and sometimes wonder how I got so lucky!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yesterday, I mailed off Gracie's story for this year's Reading Rainbow writing contest. She was so excited to participate again this year (and hopes to win the laptop computer!) I think she did a great job! Looking at her story from the eyes of her Mommy, of course I think she deserves the laptop. Looking at it from the eyes of an educator, I see where she still needs work and think she probably won't win 1st place. I worked with her more this year on it-helping her plan it out before she actually started writing, etc. I didn't want to give her too much help because it still needs to be HER story. (Last year there were 1 or 2 that certainly didn't seem to be written by the child which was frustrating!) She had a great time at the celebration last year when each child who participated got a chance to visit the studio, listen to the winning stories and enjoy a carnival. I'm hoping we'll get to do this again. She really worked hard on her story & illustrations and I'm proud of her!

where did that come from?

background: Gracie is working on something at the coffee table while I watch "In Style's Celebrity Weddings."

Gracie: Will you come to my wedding?

me: Oh, yes definitely!

Gracie: if you're still alive

like mother, like daughter

As I walked into the dining room this morning, I saw Gracie reading while she was eating breakfast. It definitely brought a smile to my face; that is so much like me! I'll always remember my mom telling the story of me cleaning the toilet with one hand and holding a book reading in the other. When I would get in trouble, Mom & Dad would tell me I couldn't read. I hated that!

Gracie has been reading "Black Beauty." One of her friends gave it to her for her birthday in July. The other day, she said, "He sure was smart to get me a horse one." Horses are her latest "thing" so she's loving the book!

using the Book It "certicifate"

Here is a picture of the girls doing one of their favorite things: playing in their kitchen!

________

*Wednesday~Chris missed work Tuesday & Wednesday due to being sick. He's better now. Gracie invited a friend to come to Bible Class with her Wednesday night so off the 2 girls & I & Gracie's friend went to church. It was pretty cold! Before church, I went and picked up some really good chili at Atlanta Bread Company. It was sooooo good!

________

*Thursday~Gracie had a 3 hour delay for school. The threat of ice caused the delay and it was very nice to sleep in! We actually had mainly just a yucky weather day; no real ice so I guess we didn't really need the delay but I suppose the night before they weren't sure and had to make a decision. Some areas near here did cancel the whole day and actually had some "real" weather. I'm so glad her school district seems to make their decisions early on. I knew before we even went to church Wednesday night about the delay. I read about Malia getting a call at 5:30 am(?) from Sweetpea's school district. She slept through the call and saw it on her answering machine. I don't know that I would have slept through a call and it would have scared me!

Katie & I did go to Wal Mart that morning, getting quite wet & cold in the process! I made 'white chicken chili' for that night; it was pretty good!

_________

*Friday~Chris took Gracie to school so I got to sleep in yet again (one of my favorite things to do!) He was off this Friday but actually had to go in to do something. He at least had a short day. Katie & I pretty much hung around the house until time to go get Gracie from school. That night, we went to a friend's house for a little bit. After we left, we went to TJ Maxx, Ross & Wal Mart. Big night out, huh?!?! At TJ Maxx, we saw Mrs. Hooks who was the full time aide for Gracie's Kindergarten class last year. I see her usually at least once a week when I'm at the school but it's always kind of "fun" to see teachers outside of school. We stood & talked to her for a long time. I will always have such fond thoughts of her! I just truly think she is a wonderful lady & I'm grateful for the time Gracie got to spend with her last year!

We spent the rest of the night just hanging out together at home. We got Gracie's "American Girl" doll ready to go on a playdate with her this morning. "American Girl" is in quotes because it's really an "Our Generation" doll from Target! Gracie & Kathryn were in the same class last year at school but she doesn't go to Gracie's school anymore. We happened to see them at the library last week and they quickly decided they wanted to have a playdate. Today was the day and Gracie has been so excited! In the few minutes we talked at the library, it came up that Kathryn had an American Girl doll and they asked if Gracie had one. I explained that she had 2 of the "Target versions" of one that would work just fine for the playdate. Of course, later I had to listen to Gracie asking why she didn't have a real American Girl doll. I was quick to explain that the one she has is almost just like the real one. She questioned a little more but then kind of left it alone. I think she knew she wasn't going to win out and get a real one. She knows her Mommy is a bargain shopper!

___________

Saturday~I took Gracie, Robyn (her doll), and more than 1 change of clothes for Robyn to Kathryn's house. As I left, they had both run upstairs happy as could be. When I went to pick her up, I had to wait for Molly & Robyn to switch clothes! Even Kathryn's mom had to admit that Robyn & Molly looked almost just alike although I do think Molly had prettier hair. For the price difference, I can handle having doll's hair that's a little more rough!

When we picked up Gracie, we went to look at having a print framed for Chris that I'd bought him for Christmas. Framing things cost so much; it's depressing! We placed the order but I may end up cancelling it and going to another place that will do it for less. I'm not sure yet.

The girls & I ended up napping this afternoon while Chris forced himself to stay awake. He took a nap yesterday and stayed up until 3 this morning! Such a curse he has! Tonight, we went to Pizza Hut and Gracie was able to use her Book-It "certicifate."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I finished reading "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" awhile back. Now, I've started reading Rekindled by Tamera Alexander. My mom & dad gave me this book and also a 2nd book, Revealed, for Christmas. The author went to GAC which is neat. I've just started Rekindled and already I'm really enjoying it.

This next weekend, my husband is taking me on an overnight date. I'm so excited! We're going to eat at The Melting Pot and stay overnight~sans kids! One of my very nice friends will keep both girls for us~how fun for us!