Go Love Indy

Today our church had a kick off day for a community outreach service concept called "Go Love Indy". The idea is to DO something. Don't just throw money at a problem or say you want to help. Actually go do something. Actually go help. Leaders at the church organized nearly 800 volunteers into several community service projects. Read more about it here.

I volunteered for "HOSTS Equipping." My shift was 12pm-3pm and I was told that I would be hole punching, collating, assembling, etc. the vocabulary cards and project kits for the HOSTS program that services local elementary schools. The HOSTS program takes community volunteers and pairs them up with elementary school children who struggle to read. The volunteers go to the schools and read with the kids and work to build their confidence and skills.

So anyways. I dropped Robbie off with Jack and it was about 11am when I got back to Indy, so I went ahead and went to the church thinking I could start my shift early. Unfortunately, the HOSTS equipping room was emptying out and they were heading out to lunch. Soooo... I went wandering around the building. I came across a group working on the "Quilting with a Purpose" project. I told the leader that I had about an hour until my shift started and asked if there was anything I could do to help.

"Can you sew?"

Um... kinda... a straight stitch... nothing fancy.

And sew (hee hee) I was put to work sewing bean bags for weighted vests.

The "Quilting with a Purpose" group was working on weighted quilts and weighted vests for a local special education program. The vests have pockets in them for various weighted bean bags. The weighted quilts and the weighted vests are very expensive to purchase (over $100 each) and the school doesn't have enough money to purchase any more, although they are needed. The weighted vests and quilts are apparently very calming to children who have certain special needs.
At noon, I went and worked at the HOSTS project, but we finished up everything in about an hour, so went back to my sewing machine and worked until every bean bag was complete! This was a great day and I'm glad that I went and did something. What are you going to do?

Welcome to Indiana Basketball!

I love my son.

I may be biased, but I think my son is ridiculously adorable. I also enjoy being able to post to the blog using my cell phone. Can you tell?

He is risen!

Hope everyone had a great Easter Sunday. Robbie was super excited about his Easter basket and refused to eat breakfast. So of course by the time we got to church he was starving! We ducked into the fellowship hall before dropping him off in the 2 year-old's room for a nutrigrain bar. The preschool Sunday school theme this month is "Jesus wants to be my friend forever." Aren't you glad Jesus wants to be your friend forever, too? Happy Easter! He is risen, indeed!

{Insert Egg Pun Here}

I hate hard boiled eggs. I think they are gross. Slimy bland outside, chalking dry eggy inside. {blech}. So while it is rotten that Robbie is allergic to eggs, it really doesn't hinder our life too much as we are not big egg eaters. If he eats eggs, he gets hives. Too many "egg ingredient" meals in one week causes him to get rough rashy patches on his legs and torso.

But! I LOVE TRADITIONS. And darn it, if the Easter holiday calls for egg decorating, by golly, we are going to to do it. Enter the salt dough ornament. We made salt-dough ornaments at Christmas and gave them away. Robbie had a blast, so I thought we'd do it again. I used a different recipe this time, which I ended up not liking as well. Next time, I'll go back to the one I used at Christmas.

Salt dough: 2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 1.5 cups warm water. Mix/knead to form a smooth dough. Add more flour if dough is sticky. Roll onto floured surface. Cut with cookie cutters. Bake 300 degrees for an hour or until 'dry'.

Enter the biggest problem. I only roll and cut cookies at Christmas. So, what to I do for an Easter shape? I have circles, hearts, stars, stockings, trees, men, etc. I have other holidays like a turkey, a four leaf clover, a palm tree, etc, but no oval or egg. I have a cross... but I am weird about food being "religious" which is a whole other blog entry. So hunting through my cabinets, I found this:
This is a tool used for chopping nuts like pecans or walnuts. Egg shape! Awesome. So we rolled the dough. We cut out the eggs and we used a straw to poke holes in the top for hanging. (The straw poking was Robbie's favorite part.)

Into the oven with you, my little eggys.

Once they had cooked dry (about 45 min) and cooled, I mixed up some of my acrylic paints, adding white to lighten the shades and make them more "Eastery." I find that the ice cub tray is a handy little paint tool for my budding artist. I like to leave several cubes empty so he can mix his own colors.

Big concentration.

Every artist should blend, blend, blend!

At the end, everything was sort of multicolored and splotchy.

Perfect!

Adding a sprinkle of glitter makes for a shiny springtime.

Robbie was a bit heavy handed with the glitter, but hey, it was his first time and a kid's gotta learn somehow!

After the paint dried and Robbie went to bed, I pulled out the trusty clear polyurethane varnish and gave the eggs a coating. This dough doesn't last long if you don't seal it. If there is moisture in the air, they sort of swell and crumble. (creepy) Tomorrow after the varnish is dry, we will decorate them with ribbons maybe and hang them around the house. We may also mail a few out to relatives... the recipe made 16 eggs... that's a lot of eggs. Hoppy Easter! (Almost made it through without a single pun!)

A Good Friday

Rob's daycare was closed today for Good Friday and Sam had to work 2nd shift, so I took a personal day from work. We went to the children's museum for a couple of hours. I love living so close and having a membership. It was such a great investment!

Loving Spring

Enjoying weather playing outside with Sam and Rob. *happiness*

Count Your Blessings!

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,

1. When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
   Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
   And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
   • Count your blessings, name them one by one,
     
     Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
     
     Count your blessings, name them one by one,
     
     Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.
     
     
     
     Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
     Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
     Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
     And you will keep singing as the days go by.
2. Count your blessings, name them one by one,
   

   Count your blessings, see what God hath done!

   

   Count your blessings, name them one by one,

   

   Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

   
3. So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
   Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
   Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
   Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.
4. Count your blessings, name them one by one,
   
   Count your blessings, see what God hath done!

   

   Count your blessings, name them one by one,

   

   Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

   

Phone photos, too?!?
#happyday

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Ok. Now my BlackBerry is also linked to the Blog. My cup runneth over.

Dinner and a Movie with Mommy

by Robbie

as dictated to Mommy

Tonight Daddy had to work, so Mommy and I decided to go on a date. Mommy picked me up from my school (daycare) and we got to drive all the way back to her work because she had forgotten the check for my tuition on the desk in her classroom. I like mommy's work. She has a giant smile face on her wall that I like to take off and carry around. Sometimes she lets me run in the hallways and climb all the staircases. Sometimes we watch sports and music and all kinds of fun stuff. Sometimes she lets me draw on her dry erase board. Today was not one of those days... we had to hurry back to my school to drop off the check so it wouldn't be late.

When we finally got home, Mommy changed her clothes while I played with my favorite cars... Lightning McQueen, Chick Hicks, and "The King." Mommy said I could play for a few minutes and then we were going to dinner and a movie! I played for a little bit and Mommy sat real quiet with her eyes closed. Sometimes she gets real tired, but I don't know why. I was trying real hard to fit my cars into this little slot in her dresser, when Mommy said it was time to go.

Mommy said we were going to McDonald's and that I could get a happy meal. I told her that I wanted chicken nuggets and apple dippers. We went inside and she ordered her food. I was real good and held her hand. She let me sit in the booth beside her and we watched the cars in the drive through while we ate. Now after we got our food, I decided that I didn't want my chicken nuggets and that what I really wanted was Mommy's quarter pounder with cheese. I maybe started to cry a little, so she traded me. I have such a good self-sacrificing mommy. I'm sure I will remember the kindnesses well into my teen years... anyways.... after our dinner I got to play with my happy meal toy. It was a bird on a skateboard and when you pushed the wing it played REALLY LOUD exciting music. I pressed it several times to make sure it was working but Mommy asked me if I would stop. Can you believe that? Maybe she doesn't like music?

Soon we got back in the car and drove to our church for "family movie night." We spread our our blanket on the floor in front of the projection screen. I got my very own bag of popcorn and juice box. We watched Veggie Tales "Twas the Night Before Easter" and learned that when we think of Easter we should remember God's love. The French Peas dancing the "Hop-erana" were pretty great too. I really really liked the giant mechanical rabbit, too.

At the end of the movie, I was getting really sleepy. Mommy called me a crab-apple, but I was trying so hard to be good! They passed out an Easter Egg to every kid in the room and asked us to open ours. Every person around me got a Hershey Kiss in their egg, but my egg was EMPTY! I maybe started to cry a little and Mommy kissed me and told me not to worry, that she would get me some candy. Then the lady in charged asked, "did any one get an empty egg?" Mommy told me to raise my hand and wouldn't you know, the lady said that I won a SPECIAL PRIZE!!! I got so excited I ran to the front of the room and got my prize. When I turned around, I couldn't remember where my Mommy and I were sitting, and I maybe started to get a little upset. Good thing there were some nice people who helped me see my Mommy who was waving her arms and calling to me! I looked in my bag and I had won a Veggie Tales DVD! Wow!

On the way out the door, a girl in bunny ears gave me a sticker, a Jr. Asparagus silly band, and a Veggie Tales poster. Mommy and I had a real good night and I hope we go again. Mommy kept muttering about being in bed an hour past my bedtime, but I didn't mind. She told me that I did a real good job tonight and that she was proud of me! I'll have to ask her where she put my noisy bird toy, though... I haven't seen it since we left McDonald's... hmmm....

Current Little Dude Stats

Robbie 4-8-2011

* weighs about 30 pounds and seems to get taller every day

* wears a 2T outfit (sometimes 3T) and a size 8W shoe

*is sleeping in a "big boy bed" -- goodbye crib!

*is wearing pullups... and sometimes underpants...

*favorite new word: "Why?"

*reminds mommy and daddy not to use words that are "not polite" when we are driving...

*loves to watch "Dora the Explorer," "Go Diego Go," and "Max and Ruby."

*loves to play with cars and to play outside

*has mommy wrapped around his little chubby finger...