His Plan for 2008

Okay, so it's the last day of 2008.  (and for my brother and his family in South Korea, it already is 2009!)  I had been trying to think of what I wanted to share from this past year in this post.  I thought of such titles as "Eight Great Things from 2008" or "Ten Lessons Learned This Year".  But it was so hard to really narrow down all the wonderful things that God has blessed us with and some of the tougher things that God has challenged us with.

I decided, after much deliberation and hem-hawing and twice deleting this post, to write about ONE thing from this past year.  It's very personal but somehow I feel I need to share it.

Last year around this time I discovered I was pregnant with Michael.  For a month or so, I had been feeling pretty sick and pretty much the way I did with my other two pregnancies.  I just didn't want to take the test because taking the test would be concrete proof that I was indeed pregnant.  And so when I finally did take the test, I sat there, staring at that big positive sign and wondering how to feel.

We had decided after being completely surprised by David (a very happy surprise I might add!)  that we wanted to wait to conceive number three for a least a few more years.  Times were (and are!) tight financially, and emotionally we were not ready to add a third child to the mix.  But God in all His infinite wisdom had decided that we were indeed ready for another child.  

I didn't know how to tell Chris at first; I was pretty sure he was not going to be excited about it!  This was supposed to be joyful news to share, but here, on Christmas Eve, I didn't feel a lot of joy about my pregnancy.  When I told Chris, he reacted as  I thought he would, trying to be upbeat about it; but I could see the stress and worry behind his eyes.  I myself was selfishly wanting to have even just a little while that I was not pregnant.  For the last three years, I had basically been pregnant most of that time, and they had not been easy pregnancies.

Christmas came, and we couldn't share our baby news with the rest of the family because we still didn't feel "happy" about it.  Top that off with a brother-in-law and sister-in-law who have been trying to have a baby for years...and well, that's when the feelings of guilt started to come in.

My pregnancy with Michael was early on fraught with severe morning sickness and pain.  I had to start wearing maternity clothes almost immediately, since my body had not yet recovered from the past two pregnancies.  But still, a small part of me was already falling in love with this tiny baby inside me.  God made pregnancy to be an incredible bonding experience between baby and mommy, which is why I probably came to terms about the whole pregnancy thing a lot quicker than Chris.  And when I saw that tiny face on the ultrasound screen and learned we would be adding another little boy to our family, I was hooked!  Through the next few months, Michael kept me up late at night with his incessant (and painful!) kicking, but I determined to count all the movement a blessing from God.  I began to have panic attacks - what if I miscarried?  what if God took the baby away because I hadn't really wanted him at first?  God finally brought a peace to my heart through much reading and studying of His Word.

On August 14, 2008, Michael James Foster made his way into our world, one active little guy!  I lay in my hospital bed exhausted yet happy and giddy about my newest child.  I looked over at Chris and saw that familiar look of love on his face.  But he wasn't looking at me - his gaze was fixed on our little Michael.  My heart melted.  Truly God had blessed us more than we ever deserved!  

I can't imagine life without my Mikester!  He is a piece of our family that was missing, and I was just too stubborn and selfish to see it at first.  I am dedicating this post to my dearest and closest friend.  She is one amazing gal - she has been through several miscarriages and is still waiting upon the Lord to bless her and her husband with a sweet baby.  And through it all, she has still found the strength to uplift and encourage me during my PREGNANCY!  I find that amazing and truly Christ-like.

To her and to all my friends and family who are struggling to have a baby, my prayers are with you all.  It is my New Year's "Resolution" to pray daily for you all and to be there for you when you need me.  

Sending a lot of baby dust your way.....

Happy New Year, 

Jeanette, Chris, Gabi, David, and Michael

Tackle-It Tuesday

I haven't participated in Tackle-It Tuesday for a while, so here are two super simple craft projects I recently completed for Christmas gifts.

The first is a set of ornaments that you can make from burnt-out bulbs from a large strand of Christmas lights.  (or you can buy a set of four replacement bulbs for 60 cents like I did!)  I took the bulbs and laid them flat in an empty egg carton. I used gold glitter glue to paint the letters N O E L on them as well as tiny snowflakes on the bottom.  After the glue dried, I turned the bulbs so that they were standing upright in the egg carton.  I then applied more gold glitter glue to the base of the bulb.  (Be careful not to put too much on or it will run down the side of the bulb.) After they were completely dry, I used gold wire to wrap around the base of each bulb for a hanger. (the picture was taken before the hangers were added)  And viola ... four sparkly ornaments for your tree!

My father-in-law wanted framed up-to-date photos of the grandkids for his office; so that's what inspired this next project.  I purchased the three-photo brown plastic frame at Dollar Tree and chose scrapbook paper from my stash to match.  I carefully cut and glued the paper inside the frame.  (in this case, I used a gingham print, which is a little harder than most prints to match up!)  I then used some three-dimensional antiqued stickers that read "joy", "sweetness", and "delight" and applied them beneath each photo.  For uniformity, I snapped each kid's photo in front of a white backround.  Simple enough and greatly appreciated!

I'm looking forward to exploring other blogs for their Tackle-It Tuesday inspiration.  Find them here.  

Motivation Mondays

Mondays should be called "Motivation Mondays," at least for me.  They are the one day of the week that I get the most done and feel the most energy to start or finish all those projects on my list.

So besides the countless loads of laundry and other mundane housework, I took down all the Christmas decorations.  Yes, all of them!  Usually we wait until after New Year's to do so, but I figured since I was in the mood to get things done, I should take advantage of the moment!  The hardest part was letting Gabi "help" me - I prefer ornaments and garlands go back in the boxes the exact way they came out!  But all in all she was a good helper until we got to the Christmas tree.  At first she was quite eager to help take down all the "child-proof" ornaments, that is, until she realized we were taking down the Christmas tree.  And NOT putting it back up!  This concerned her a great deal, because you see, she has been holding out hope every day since Christmas that Santa will come back with more gifts.  And now that there is no tree to put the gifts under...  well, the tears fell and I had to console her as best I could.  Nothing like more candy from a Christmas stocking to ease a child's woes!

I thought I deserved a quick little break from all my work, and so settled in to check a few favorite blogs, catch up on email, and enjoy some coffee and spritz cookies.  I always make spritz cookies for Christmas, but this year I found a new recipe and will never go back to the basic vanilla spritz cookies again!  These cookies are addictive and melt in your mouth!  Here's the recipe:

Cream Cheese Spritz

1 cup shortening

1 package 3 oz. cream cheese

1 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp grated orange peel

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1.  Beat shortening and cream cheese until blended.  Add sugar; beat until creamy.  Beat in the egg yolk, vanilla, and orange peel.  Combine the dry ingredients and gradually add to the creamed mixture.  Add food coloring if you wish.

2.  Using a cookie press, press dough 1 in. apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Decorate with colored sugar if you wish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 9-12 minutes or until set.  Do not brown.  Place on wire racks to cool.  Makes about 9 dozen.

My husband wants me to make these again for New Years' .  He has been eating them like crazy, although I freely admit that I have done my share of the devouring!  Try it out and see

what you think!

New Look

New Year is a-comin', and so I thought I'd start it out with a fresh look for my blog.  I rearranged a couple of things, added some Jeanette flair to it, and here you go!  All ready for 2009!

Can You Feel the Excitement?!

Christmas is a magical time of year, especially when young children are experiencing it for the first time.  This year was particularly exciting for us because it was the first year that Gabi really seemed to "get it."  She knew what was happening, got excited about Santa's visit, and really seemed to get into the Christmas story.  David and Michael just were excited in general, and it made the Christmas celebrations at our place and at the in-laws so fun!  A kid's excitement is very infectious!

So come take a peek into our Christmas festivities:

On Christmas Eve, we baked and decorated piles of sugar cut-out cookies.  Here Gabi is choosing her favorites to leave for Santa.

David chose a cookie with lots of gumdrops on it and then quickly snitched a gumdrop for himself.  Not so smart, there, Davey, messing with Santa...

Michael was awed by all the lights, presents, and screeching of his older siblings.  And doesn't he look just darn cute in his Christmas get-up?

Now, Aunt Missy and Uncle James in Canada were intuitive enough to send the kids LIttle Einsteins dolls for Christmas.  Gabi got Annie and David received Leo.  What happened after opening these gifts threw us all for a loop - David desperately wanted the Annie doll and screamed and cried when he couldn't have her, refusing to open any more presents.  We think he has a crush on Annie - he always smiles really big when she is on the screen!

Here Gabi is displaying her new collection of princess fashion dolls from Uncle Matt and Aunt Lauren.  I believe she took all of them to bed with her last night!

I am thrilled that Gabi shares my love of books.  My mom sends her books throughout the year, and this is one she got for Christmas.  We've already read it ten times together.  David likes silly books, and his favorite this year is a book entitled I Love You, Stinky Face.

Here is David's joyous reaction to a big pack of dinosaurs that Grandpa gave him.  Who knew that David like dinosaurs so much?  Apparently Grandpa hit it right on the mark!

Grandma and Grandpa really wanted to get Gabi a dollhouse this year, and I was so glad that they picked out the Mrs. Goodbee dollhouse.  Here Chris and I are applying all the decals to the cute little house.  You can read all about the wonderful little details of this dollhouse in Mrs. D's review here.

It is Foster family tradition to "decorate" Grandma's angel on top of the tree and see how long she takes to notice it.  Don't worry folks - the face paint is electrical tape and will come right off without harming the angel!

Again, Uncle Matt and Aunt Lauren hit a home run with David's present.  This is a big Formula One truck that opens up into a racetrack for mini cars.  (one of those exciting toys that has to be put together and has tons of stickers to apply.) :)  The kids love it and have been playing with it all day after they received a stern lecture on not putting the tiny cars in their mouths and not climbing on it!

And we got Gabi her first pair of roller skates, which she proudly wore today and is taking to them like a natural!

Chris and I make each other gifts each year.  I got the most fabulous video of pictures and video clips of the kids from Chris.  It really made me cry - I just finished watching it again.  I wrote and sang a love song to him, and then wrote 52 love notes for him to keep at his work desk (one for each week of the year).  

All the love and excitement were evident this Christmas, which I think is perfect for a celebration of Christ's birth, the most exciting event of all!

Toy Overload!

We are suffering from a condition commonly known as toy overload.  I am surrounded by a sea of shiny colorful plastic.  Some of it we even left at Grandma's!

But all is good.  We had a wonderful intimate Christmas with the kiddies and the in-laws, and I felt so blessed.  

I already had everything I wanted, so all the gifts today were just an extra blessing.  But this tuckered out mama needs some sleep - so Merry Christmas to all of you!

Not QUite Wordless Wednesday!

Ok, couldn't resist sneaking in this little video of my angels reciting their Christmas verses and singing.  Even Michael joins in the fun by laughing and smiling.  Hope these little cuties inspire you today, Christmas eve! :)

And check out more wordless fun here.  

Our Popsicle World

"Cocooned in our popsicle house, we play and nibble away time."

We have one of those magnetic poetry sets on our refrigerator.  Chris used it to arrange the quote above, and it quite describes our little world right now.  We have about nine inches of snow covered with a quarter inch of ice, and it is now snowing again!  Craziness, I tell you!  And I am going stir-crazy - haven't seen any other adults now besides my hubby and the in-laws in over a week!  Craziness!!!!

Trying to get back into a "normal" schedule today....

Take a Peek - Christmas Tour at My House

Boomama is hosting a lovely Christmas tour of homes.  I have perused several and seen so many beautiful decorations and timeless heirlooms.  I decided to add my little home to the tour.  But beware - although I love graceful garlands and classic Christmas accents, my Christmas decorating style tends to be a little . . .quirky.  And chaotic.  There is no real theme to my STUFF, but I love all of it.  So come take a peek with me at my crazy Christmas things:

Of course, the children are not the decorations here.  I tried paying them to sit as decor with candy canes, but naturally the sugar high caused them to be even more hyper!  They are however eternally fascinated with our stair railing, which is covered in red tinsel garland, shiny candy canes, and red jingle bells.  ( I love red!)

Then here is our miniature nativity scene.  Obviously the kids were playing with it again, but instead of putting everyone in their "proper" places, I decided to let it be.  Although I must sadly say, the camel suffered a small casualty this morning and is recovering from an ear injury in the craft room.

This of course is our Santa Frog.  For those of you that know me, I am a bit obsessed with frogs and all things froggy.  This little fellow will be placed by the plate of cookies we put out for Santa on Christmas eve.

And naturally because we are such great football fans, the football garland holds a place of honor next to our wedding photo.  Fitting, don't you think??

Ahh, more frogs.  This fellow croaks "Jingle Bells" and has a twin at the other end of the valance.  And yes, the lights are chili peppers.  We found them on our honeymoon in Arizona and well, they go nicely with our Southwestern kitchen.  (See, I told you, quirky!)

This is our little Christmas gnome hiding in our kitchen cabinets.  Note the pencil he is holding - he helps Santa make his "Naughty and Nice" list.  Judging by their recent behavior, apparently my children are not intimidated by this little guy.

I am a fan of all things gingerbread and so have a few of these in my kitchen.  Yes, I know they clash with my Southwest decor and I just don't care.

As I mentioned before, I love red, and so I fastened little red velvet bows to the tops of all my curtains.  

Here are our stockings, waiting for sugary sweets and tiny toys.  Chris and I have the gingerbread ones, the reindeer one is Michael's, David claims the snowman one, and Gabi is still attached to her pink "Baby's First Christmas" one.  Note more frogs on the "mantel" - these are my Christmas king and queen frogs.  :)  

This is how the kiddies decorate for Christmas - casually tossing around festive stuffed animals as if they were throw pillows.  I know, I know, another frog - just can't help myself!

Here is our incredibly tacky mini tree, complete with a birthday card that Gabi stuck in it this morning and My Little Ponies underneath.  

Another nativity scene....

This is our tree topper - very shiny and NOT an angel.  I don't know why but I just didn't want an angel on top of my tree.  As usual trying to be different and succeeding...

And of course, we have loads of ornaments on our tree.  Every one of them has significance to use in some way.  I chose to show this one because it represents the state I grew up in, Pennsylvania.  We purchased this one at Hershey Chocolate Factory (also on our honeymoon).  We try to get an ornament for our tree from every place we ever visit.

Well, I hope you enjoyed that sneak peek at my home.  The decorations may be a little crazy, but they are so homey and fun for us.  And someday the kids will tell their children, "It just wouldn't be Christmas without those silly chili pepper lights!"

Boredom Busters

Well, I got hit with the flu bug again.  I am definitely feeling under the weather and so am "taking it easy" today.  Don't worry - "taking it easy" means just doing the stuff that HAS to be done.  The kids are still alive and all is well.  The boys are also struggling with sinus issues and general sickness.  Here's a pic of me and Mikeroni in all our unhealthy glory:

My brain is also tired and weak, but I wanted to post a little about the projects that the kiddies and I have been working on this week.  With the ice and snow, I have had to get a little creative for new things to do.

First, we did a classic - salt dough ornaments.  We rolled them out and baked them on Monday, painted and glittered them on Tuesday, and put hangers on them yesterday.  With this project, I discovered that my hyperactive, can't sit still for one moment son David has incredible focus when it comes to painting.  My favorite that he did is the metallic snowman.  Gabi was more like an assembly line, finishing off on ornament quickly so she could do another.  She is the one responsible for the neon pink and orange seashell.  For an almost-three-year old and 20 month-old, I thought they did pretty well.

The other project we worked on this week was primarily for Gabi and me.  We used my Sizzix diecut machine to cut out pennants and letters to make a birthday banner for Jesus.  It was a great project for Gabi because it helped her in her gluing skills, sorting skills (getting the colors all in a pattern), and letter identifying skills.  It's a tradition in our family to have a birthday party for Jesus every year, complete with birthday decorations and kid-decorated cake.  This project also gave us a chance to talk about why we really celebrate Christmas.

Sorry about all the clutter below the banner.  It will get taken care of - eventually. :)

Anyway, just put down the last kid for her nap.  So it's time for this sick chick to get a nap too!

Fiscally and Physically Fit

I am excited!  No, make that giddy!  Yet humbled at the same time...

I mentioned in a previous post that my hubby and I are tackling our debt and becoming fiscally fit.  The process is making me excited because:

1)  With our plan, all debt except our mortgage will be paid off in 12 to 18 months!

2)  We are actually communicating better as a couple and all the money is on the table. (figuratively speaking of course)

3)  The prospects of having substantial savings for the kids' college tuitions and for future needs (and wants!) are great.

But the process also is humbling.  It even is painful because:

1)  We are having to admit we made some really bad choices with money in the past.

2)  We are having to sacrifice in all areas of our life, cutting down to the bare minimum in order to pay off our debt faster.

3)  We are learning that it is not ethical or right to be living above our means.  We cannot be buying more things when we still owe money for others!

4)  We are learning that the statement "everyone has some debt" is NOT an excuse!

Some tough decisions have to be made.  We have two vehicles but both are debt because they are not paid off.  Most likely we are going to end up selling the Infiniti to snowball the debt payments even faster.  This is especially hard for my husband, who loves cars and really enjoys driving a "nice car."  But we have to learn to WAIT for the nice things in life and not buy them until we can pay for them.  Completely.  With NO monthly payments.

All this work on our financial waist line has inspired me to work on becoming physically fit as well.  That, and the fact that the little guy turned 4 months over the weekend!  Being pregnant three times in the last three years has definitely done my body no favors!  I am at the highest weight I have ever been (outside of pregnancy of course!)  and in terrible physical shape overall.  Yesterday was my first workout in a long time.  It was painful but I am remembering how much I like to work out when I do it on a regular basis.  So here's to staying consistent today and working out again...

Wordless Wednesday

My Gabi Sue at the Children's Museum in Portland, OR

check out more Wordless Wednesday fun here.

Let It Snow!

Early Sunday morning large white snowflakes drifted lazily down in our driveway.  They soon picked up speed and blanketed our home and vehicles in white fluffy goodness.  Before long, we got the call from church saying the morning services had been canceled.  In this area of Oregon, we don't see much snow;  in fact, we are lucky to get a half-inch or so every once in a while.  So it was a big deal to us and especially the kiddies.  Gabi danced around in anticipation of getting out and playing in the snow:  she vaguely remembered the white stuff from the year before.  David had no idea what real snow was, but judging by his sister's hyper reaction, he knew it must be something good.  

It took me a little while to bundle the kids up in pajama pants and whatever else I could find to keep them warm.  I don't have snow gear for them since snow comes so infrequently, and I had to be a little creative.  Michael (below) opted to stay inside where it was nice and warm and where Christmas music was ringing out merrily from the radio.

Gabi was instantly in love with the snow.  Here she is telling me that the snow is "just like popcorn."  I have always loved food analogies...

Here is the Davester, looking a little like Ralphie from "The Christmas Story".  David is NOT getting a BB gun for Christmas, because he most assuredly WOULD shoot his eye out. :)

David seemed to take great joy in gathering large mittenfuls of snow and smearing it all over his coat.  Whatever makes you happy, buddy...

And course my man and I were enjoying the snow too.  We first kissed during a lovely snowfall in Massachusetts, and so the snow always brings back sweet memories.

Here is a shot of the trees behind our condo.  The few scarlet maple leaves still hanging grimly on stand out in brilliant beauty against the stark whiteness of the snow.

These are the wetlands beyond our condo complex.  Beautiful, peaceful, serene - this little area is in great contrast to the bustling city life all around it.

Despite the inevitable obstacles that the snow brought (no church services, a lot of cookies that didn't make it to the Church Taste of Christmas sale, etc.), I was so glad and grateful for the gorgeous snow that God sent us.  The kiddies went out again today on our back deck and busily drove their Tonka trucks through the crispy snow and spooned more snow in and out of dishes.  

PS.  So sorry that I couldn't make it to the Ornament Exchange, Mrs. D.  The icy conditions in our complex are so bad that I can't even get the van up the hill and out of the complex, let alone all the way to your place. 

Formula Cans Made Beautiful

Last week I mentioned that I had been inspired by another blogger to organize my daughter's art supplies (mostly crayons!) into a better system.  I had thought that reusing formula cans and decorating them for the purpose of holding crayons and markers might be a good solution.  And yesterday I finally found the time to repurpose the cans.  Here's how I did it:

1) First, wash the insides of the cans and lids with a damp washcloth.  Be careful not to get it too wet or the cardboard sides will get too soggy.  Dry them thoroughly.

2)  Next, gather scrapbooking paper and supplies that coordinate with each other.  Pretty gift wrap would work instead of scrapbook paper, if you have it.  Last year I picked up one of those "all in one" scrapbook kits at the craft store for 80% off.  I decided to use some of the things from that kit for this project.  A good glue stick is important also for this project.

3)  Measure the height of your can and then cut the paper accordingly.  I wanted my can to have alternating stripes of flowered and plain paper, so I cute several pieces.  Using a paper cutter helps you to cover the can completely.

4)Glue the paper to the can.  If you are doing stripes like I did, slightly overlap each piece so that none of the original can wrapper shows through.  

5)  Add words and embellishments.  This can is for Gabi's multitude of crayons, and so I labeled it "Create with Crayons."  Use whatever you have on hand - stickers, small flowers, ribbons, markers, paper shapes, etc.  

6)  Next, decorate the lid.  Cut your matching paper to fit on the top of the lid.  I used all the leftover scraps from decorating the sides of the can.  Glue it down securely.  

7)  Finish decorating the lid by labeling it and adding something special along the edge.  On the crayon can, I used large pink rick-rack.  Isn't it adorable? :)

8)  And there you have it-formula cans repurposed!  I made a second one ("Make It with Markers") and have plans for a few more.  This can work for all kinds of cans - coffee cans, cocoa cans, etc. and can be used for so many things!  Chris has a few at his desk at work that are decorated with pics of the kids.  He uses them for Post-it notes, pens, and odds and ends.

And the creativity keeps coming!  I finished a couple of other projects yesterday that I will have to share in another post.  Happy Friday, all!

(fingers crossed for snow this weekend!!)

Super-Mom or Super-Dork??

It has been a long night, but the Christmas calendars are done!  I got into the creative mode and had my craft stuff spread everywhere; so I just decided to stay up until all the pages were finished.  Plus, the kiddies were in bed and sleeping soundly....

At 3:30 am, I glued the last ribbon in place and wearily headed off to bed.  It seemed as soon as my head hit the pillow that Michael woke up incredibly fussy.  Still on a high from actually finishing a Christmas project, I fed him and rocked him and soothed him patiently until he went back to sleep.  "I am such a super-mom," was my last thought before I drifted off to sleep.  

It's 7:00 am, and I dimly hear my little man crying again.  I lie there, unreasonably hoping that he will just go back to sleep.  When it becomes obvious that I will have to get out of bed and deal with the situation or risk having THREE cranky kids, I stand up and make my way down the stairs to fix Michael a bottle.  Through bleary eyes,  I locate the formula and start heating up some water.  I grab a couple of Tylenol to take while the bottle is warming.  Then I drag my carcass up the stairs again to feed Michael.  Being the responsible, "super-mom" I am, I prop the bottle up in his bottle holder and climb back into bed.  I hear the bottle drop to the floor and the crying start again.  Sighing, I walk over to Michael's bed and reposition the bottle.  This happens three more times, and I am getting frustrated.  "I just need to sleep for another half-hour or so, buddy!  Please just drink it!"  But the crying continues.  Resigning myself to the fact that I will not be getting any more sleep this morning, I pick up his bottle and stare at it.  Something is not quite right.  The formula looks, well, very watery.  And then it hits me.  I forgot to put the formula in!  Poor Michael had been trying to let me know that he was not about to drink warm water!

Ahhh, so the illusions of super-momdom quickly fade away.  Stay tuned for an episode of "Nap Poop Art" and yes I promise it is as gross as it sounds.

Wordless Wednesday

Check out more Wordless Wednesday posts by other moms here.