tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338254792011-10-10T09:50:59.289-05:00These are the days you'll remember With desire to be Part of the MiraclesBethnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2761100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-86109240556644332182009-02-22T15:32:00.005-06:002009-02-22T17:33:10.135-06:00

As I stated earlier, I have been tinkering with my website. I have also combined this site and our family's site into a new blog. The title of this blog is "Part of the Miracles", and I now have an appropriate address. Please visit the new and improved (hopefully!) Part of the Miracles from now on. If you do the whole reader thing (i.e. Google Reader), be sure to reset the address, or change

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-72280673995973455802009-02-18T14:21:00.007-06:002009-02-18T15:16:33.377-06:00

This sort of explains where I've been lately. I've never owned a computer of my own straight from the workshop. My laptops have all come to me as hand-me-downs.When I was a kid, I thought that was one word, hammeedown. But I've mentioned my hearing issues before.My old laptop had several issues. It was 4 years old and I just knew it was going to crash someday very soon. When a page was closed

Bethnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-32928840259634051772009-02-13T10:56:00.004-06:002009-02-13T23:27:14.461-06:00

I've had several people ask me here and there what kind of dog Winnie is, and I realized I never posted much about getting her, just tidbits here and there.This is Winifred, also called Winnie, Winners, and Win. Her fancy AKC name is Black Bear Wonder Years. She is named after Winnie in the TV show The Wonder Years. I loved that show. Adam named her. She is a Bernese Mountain Dog. They were

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-3880412506569048122009-02-12T15:07:00.004-06:002009-02-12T15:24:44.875-06:00

Doctor's bill. Happy. One of these things is not like the other.Let me give some background. Early December, Addison came down with what I knew was an ear infection. Unfortunately, doctors just aren't keen on mom's self-diagnosing their kids and insist on a visit in order to get those beloved antibiotics.Addison has extremely waxy ears. Gross, I know, but he just does. The doctors always

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-72775923447443021142009-02-12T14:41:00.005-06:002009-02-12T15:07:30.673-06:00

Vietnamese Sour SoupIt was this past weekend's treat!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-5723547589244907802009-02-11T21:22:00.001-06:002009-02-11T21:23:39.256-06:00

My project 365 spot is A Shaft of Light. Check it!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-14827373182192525062009-02-11T13:40:00.000-06:002009-02-11T14:40:45.725-06:00

Yeah, I know what you're thinking: A monkey can peel a banana.I'll bet you don't know how to peel a banana the Korean way, though. Koreans truly knew how to present foods. Desert often consisted of, not pie or cookies, but fruit. Korean bananas tasted different to me, the texture was different was well. I used to hate bananas--hate, I tell ya. Being pregnant in a foreign country though sort

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-69607830819136772862009-02-09T16:09:00.002-06:002009-02-09T22:01:51.581-06:00

It's been a bit hectic lately. I've succumbed to life and have been trying to just make it work. Unfortunately, that hasn't included a lot of blogging. I miss all you all guys! This is a kooky week, too, but only because my husband will be gone several evenings this week. And while that sucks and all for me and the kids, it does mean that I'll have oodles of time to blog! So yea for that!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-10206677822701430722009-02-05T18:18:00.005-06:002009-02-07T12:04:58.441-06:00

This was posted on Facebook as well, but it's a fun post. So, here goes!I've been putting this off. I'm going to try and make these 25 very random things. Possibly things most of you don't know about me. We'll see.........1. I have a thing for dishes. When we moved home from Korea and purged our storage unit, I counted 6 sets of dishes. No kidding. I now have only 3. Yes, "only."2. I

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-83231321061003785972009-01-30T10:27:00.005-06:002009-01-30T11:01:41.802-06:00

Back when I was an uninitiated, small-town girl, I didn't know why a song would have "where the air is sweet" in it. Wasn't all air sweet? Fresh and clean? Then I moved to Seoul, Korea. The air is anything but "sweet" on most days in the Spring. Smog is crazy bad. So bad it landed Owen in the hospital just 2 months after arriving in that city. A story for another day.......New York was

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-41323677283019528392009-01-28T15:35:00.003-06:002009-01-28T15:55:13.690-06:00

Isn't all the hub-bub over this analog-TV-death-thing a little overdone? Is anyone else with me? Ok, granted, we have cable, but that's only because here in the mountains there is no such thing as bunny-earred reception. And we like football. And Sesame Street is pretty cool. Those are about the only things we watch, though, with the occasional Law and Order thrown in for good measure, but

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-49500415432727033142009-01-27T14:02:00.004-06:002009-01-27T14:19:20.480-06:00

I wonder how many blog posts have been titled that? By the picture shown above, you can tell how my Monday was. Fresh snow on the ground, ice underneath, driving under a bridge that never sees the sun......makes for a perfect way to lose control of the car and slam into the snow bank, with a speed limit sign tucked in for good measure. And I was facing the opposite direction that I had come

Bethnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-23671165046639040812009-01-26T21:13:00.002-06:002009-01-26T21:16:33.450-06:00

We've been trying to be more frugal for the past few years. I happened upon this great blog, The Grocery Cart Challenge, maybe a year ago. This gal is amazing (only $60 a week for groceries!) and offers great encouragement for her readers. She's giving away a cool coffee pot, thanks to Keurig, over on her site. Go check it out!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-50496996626024759232009-01-22T21:59:00.003-06:002009-01-22T22:39:40.194-06:00

We started potty training with Addison on Tuesday. I had such high hopes! I think this might be the third time we've tried in the past 6 months, but, honestly, I've lost track. He started out so well that first day. But tomorrow is Day 4 and if he doesn't have any more clue than he did on Day 1, I'll be happy to postpone this milestone a bit longer. I've come to learn that Addison just does

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-13230600607279238182009-01-16T10:57:00.006-06:002009-01-16T11:19:26.854-06:00

"Did you know your clothes make sounds when they rub together?"This was the first question I asked Adam when I first got my hearing aids, almost 7 years ago. "Of course!" he said.Well, I didn't. No more than I knew that wind could be quite loud, foot-shuffling was extremely annoying and breathing heavily through the nose can be plain exasperating.Fortunately, the irritating noises were soon

Bethnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-61273722047560886452009-01-15T16:35:00.004-06:002009-01-15T16:39:22.397-06:00

How we take care of snow in Colorado.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-45478605413778916222009-01-15T15:28:00.002-06:002009-01-15T15:33:25.603-06:00

Project 365. I first heard about it last year, but just didn't have the gumption. This year I may not have any more gumption, but I do have initial desire. Which is how most resolutions start, right? I'm going to give it a whirl over on a blog I created this summer. The original idea behind that blog was for posting photos for any or no particular reason. I didn't get further than two posts

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-16501751388854206642009-01-12T23:03:00.003-06:002009-01-12T23:06:52.119-06:00

Originally posted this past June. I post it again because whenever my parents are visiting, I just don't take time for my blog. I love it when my parents come, and I don't want time taken up with anything else! Enjoy!I give you one of my dad's creations. Any guesses on what this is? If you were to take each piece in it's original form, they would be an old, chewed up piece of wood, a couple of

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-43366709050796930782009-01-07T09:58:00.003-06:002009-01-07T10:14:46.974-06:00

Seven-year-old's question for parents on realizing our Christmas tree is now sitting beside the garbage bin:"What's going to happen to our Christmas tree now?" A slight wail is beginning in her voice. "Do they throw it in the trash?" Hysterical voice quickly replacing slight wail.Think fast, Mom and Dad!"No, honey." Voice calm and mellow. Very reassuring. "They grind it up and use it for

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-74027541574480513212009-01-06T22:52:00.002-06:002009-01-06T22:56:01.098-06:00

Noodle bowls!!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-22758304483877520652009-01-01T15:23:00.005-06:002009-01-02T09:12:10.599-06:00

Our "biggest" New Year's was Y2K when we had a handful of people over to see if everything would still be there at 12:01 am, January 1, 2000. And I use the term "biggest" very liberally. It was fun, relaxed, and very, very low key.This year was a change for Adam and I. Some friends asked us up to a place called Zach's Cabin, up on top of Beaver Creek Mountain (I think it's called). Here's a

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-40762691114098910452008-12-27T15:05:00.005-06:002008-12-27T15:46:47.923-06:00

Ok, I admit it. I'd forgotten how much work puppies were.It's just like when you have a baby. Usually, the first few days in the hospital are so easy. There are nurses to help you. You're still recovering from birthing an entire new being into this harsh world. And, typically, the baby is still in that newborn sleepy state. Tell me you moms out there didn't think, at least once, this is

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-10076652731826001242008-12-22T09:31:00.001-06:002008-12-22T09:31:54.231-06:00

It's something that's been going on for the past 10 years.We should remember, but I think we've officially forgotten more than we've remembered.I even posted something else on the 19th, for Pete's sake!There's just too much going on this time of year.This year was the worst, though. We didn't even remember that we forgot till late in the morning of the 20th!And, let me emphasize the we here.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-45242699441830604802008-12-19T10:35:00.005-06:002008-12-19T10:43:08.438-06:00

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-82638585633444678502008-12-15T15:15:00.003-06:002008-12-15T15:48:59.839-06:00

The scents of cinnamon, pumpkin and chocolate have been floating around my house lately. Baked goods crowd our counter top. It's just that time of year! I discovered the delights of cake balls for the first time this year.I also tried my hand at pumpkin chocolate chip biscotti and my Mom's toffee recipe. This is how I packaged them.Got the baking itch? Check out what's going on From the

Bethnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-26359689853613582302008-12-12T15:05:00.000-06:002008-12-12T15:05:01.159-06:00

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-51533106574239573432008-12-11T14:17:00.002-06:002008-12-11T14:17:00.245-06:00

Owen was watching me make cake for cake balls. I was cracking in the eggs. Conversation is as follows:Owen: "Mom, how do you make gwhite?"Me: "Gwhite?"Owen: "Yeah, the gwhite of the egg."Me: "Oh, you mean egg (pause) white. It's not "gwhite" it's egg-white. And you can't make it, the chicken makes it."Owen: "Oh." Thinking. Then, "Why aren't there chickens in there?" pointing to the

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-12761575485641393512008-12-10T12:00:00.001-06:002008-12-10T12:00:00.798-06:00

We're helping our friend, Penny, by having puppy playdates at our house. It's to get them used to going to other peoples houses. Mm hmmm. Yeah. That and....we love them!How cute are these gals?The love, the love!The fuzziness of it all!!Have you ever seen cuter puppy paws? Have you?Oh my.These eyes speak volumes.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-72977640754252268832008-12-06T15:34:00.005-06:002008-12-06T21:23:07.585-06:00

I'm alone this weekend. Adam is on a hut trip, Emma's at a birthday party and Owen got to go skiing today with friends. He, obviously, is doing better today. (See here if you need an explanation for that one.) It's just me and Addison in the house, and it's his nap time. I have been playing with my blog, as you can see, when I should be picking up my messy, messy house!An extremely rare shot

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-75632681735706988292008-12-05T15:06:00.004-06:002008-12-05T15:11:14.019-06:00

This little cherub hit both his brother and sister today! Unbelievable. And, almost more unbelievable, to my own ears anyway, was what came out of my mouth as punishment."You can't go skiing today." I mean, really? Yep. That's where we live. And you know what? I think it actually sank in. He cried. Hard. And continued to remember for the rest of the day. I can only hope it's a lesson

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-5852732486300401402008-11-27T15:47:00.003-06:002008-11-27T16:01:19.795-06:00

Originally, when we planned on traveling the 10 hours or so from our neck of the woods to our old stomping grounds (a.k.a. Vail to the Midwest), it didn't seem like that big of a deal. What's 10 hours in the car with three kids under the age of 7? We touted it as a "Road trip" to our kids. Road trip!Then I realized that it would most likely be more like 12 hours in the car with three kids under

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-90769839409995063952008-11-16T16:06:00.004-06:002008-11-16T16:21:43.501-06:00

This is not meant to be gross, ok? While this may be a pile of poop, it is unique in that it is bear poop. And it's behind my house. Directly. See that red box in the background? That's where my front door is. This is a crazy place we live in.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-62074066548874387682008-11-13T18:43:00.001-06:002008-11-13T18:45:07.486-06:00

Here's our newsletter for this week.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-5769535593519242972008-11-11T19:19:00.005-06:002008-11-11T19:29:50.883-06:00

I'm taking a page out of Carrie's book, and while things are busy and I have nothing interesting to contribute but want to keep interest in my blog, I'm reposting a little tid-bit from last year. It's actually two consecutive posts, but I thought one wasn't fit without the other. I think I had blocked this out of my mind, because I had completely forgotten about this incident. It's crazy to

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-42349596940376364872008-11-10T21:16:00.008-06:002008-11-10T22:46:29.802-06:00

Way back when, in 2005, before New York, before Korea, before I realized I could live anywhere and eat almost anything, we lived in Iowa. Did you all know that about me? I went from Mid-Missouri, clear up to Mid-Iowa, and thought I would die.I missed my mom. I hated the town, the state, Adam's job, the weather (I must note here, that I did, however meet one of my very dearest friends that I

Bethnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-77450152457614306362008-11-05T11:46:00.005-06:002008-11-05T13:44:31.172-06:00

Eight inches and counting! It sure is pretty, isn't it?31 was a good year.I think 32 will be even better.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-85107080283020922142008-11-03T12:06:00.002-06:002008-11-03T12:07:35.712-06:00

It's hard to tell, but there are 5 of them in there.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-51029756470164007932008-11-03T07:00:00.000-06:002008-11-03T07:00:02.146-06:00

It gets to the point, this time of year, that getting out of bed when it's pitch black is darn near impossible. When I went in to get Emma and Owen up last week at 7:05 am, Emma's exclamation of, "It can't be 7 yet!" was understandable. Just in the nick of time is daylight savings time! Of course we forgot last night that it was that time of year again, and the kids got put in bed at their

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-34851529684179849462008-10-24T14:53:00.003-05:002008-10-24T14:58:40.187-05:00

Here's a hint of what you'll find. From the Stovetop.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-82759798291907034752008-10-24T11:51:00.011-05:002008-10-24T14:02:27.799-05:00

Normal life continues, and that's ok. Actually, it's good. I'm learning to trust God in our normal-ness. Maybe we'll throw a puppy into the mix to de-normalize us a little. Yes, I just said "puppy."We'll see...I don't know if I'm up for potty training two at a time.A friend just recently told me that no one living in Colorado can be normal...it's just too dang cold here for normal. He's

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-62083413034168511832008-10-21T21:42:00.002-05:002008-10-21T23:20:41.441-05:00

Adam was in Colorado Springs today. He took this photo somewhere between there and Vail.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-84640365526851159842008-10-17T15:33:00.002-05:002008-10-17T15:41:04.719-05:00

I've only won one other thing in my life. And that was tickets to Young Frankenstein in NYC last year, which was totally cool, as they were front row tickets to one of the hottest shows in the city.But, I've probably entered a dozen or so online give-aways from my various cyber-buddies over the past couple of years, and I've never won anything. Until today.Oh yeah.I won Carrie's giveaway today

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-86108361319461749262008-10-16T17:00:00.000-05:002008-10-16T17:00:01.108-05:00

Owen's self-named new toy that he loves. This video is per his request.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-61263470460529046052008-10-16T08:47:00.004-05:002008-10-16T08:53:18.764-05:00

I don't have pictures yet, but the last one came last night at almost midnight.Final count:4 boys5 girlsTotal: 9!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-11585840878873401012008-10-15T13:30:00.005-05:002008-10-15T13:53:55.283-05:00

Meet Lulu. She belongs to my friend and neighbor, Penny. This precious dog is in LABOR!! Yep, there should be puppies in the very near future!Labor began this morning with panting. Apparently, there's not a lot of difference in the animal kingdom when it comes to something as basic as birthing. There were no "hee hee hoos", but panting there was. And a lot of it. There was also

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-1560048559442553552008-10-13T22:15:00.004-05:002008-10-13T22:29:35.457-05:00

I think we've hit upon something spectacular and unexpected.Saturday, after a day of hollering for homecoming, Adam came home with a hoarse voice. It wasn't completely gone, but just very weak. He was trying to save it by whispering when he had to talk.Addison started "whispering", too. That's in quotes because he wasn't actually saying anything, just making the "shhh-shh" sound of a whisper.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-52454342516365821962008-10-10T14:28:00.003-05:002008-10-10T14:34:07.519-05:00

There really is something about fall that makes me want to do something, some sort of change. So, instead of cleaning my house or rearranging furniture, or sorting through my kid's clothes (things I probably ought to be doing!), I'm changing my blog layout. Not this one (although I know that's coming soon) but my food blog. While you're there, you can get a yummy soup recipe for this weekend.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-34380543285425606332008-10-08T14:50:00.005-05:002008-10-08T16:47:33.080-05:00

I just have to say that I'm thankful for my cyber-buddies and "real life" friends who have prayed for me and sent encouraging words my way. Thank you, friends. Life is moving on, today was a better day. I'm sure there will be more tough days, but God is drawing me closer to him, closer to my husband and family, making me dependent on Him.Baking has been my therapy these days. Come check out

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-50541170978903978752008-10-07T07:00:00.001-05:002008-10-07T07:00:01.168-05:00

Last night I had one of those long, heart-to-heart conversations with my husband. You know the kind. They usually start with something completely random and not important, and before you know it, you're getting at some really tough issues you didn't even know were there, but were obviously so on the surface you wondered how you couldn't possibly have been staring it in the face for the past 10

Bethnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-83951028889284451342008-10-06T14:06:00.005-05:002008-10-06T14:16:57.746-05:00

Last Thursday I was driving home from the store. I had just curved around the round-about (that's all we have here, I haven't seen a stop light for weeks), when I noticed two guys doing something with some pine trees. There's so much fall-landscaping going on here, that I assumed, at first glance, that this is what was happening.But there were no saws. No hatchets. No pruning shears.What did

Bethnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-3192052090126732812008-10-03T14:34:00.007-05:002008-10-03T17:38:04.185-05:00

I was feeling a bit under the weather last weekend, so we decided to take an easy drive up over the Top of the Rockies. It was beautiful. Adam was so sweet to stop every 2 minutes so I could jump out and take pictures of all the beautiful golden Aspens and Cottonwoods lining the mountains.So I did. And it was every 2 minutes. Poor guy. He had no idea what he was getting into when he told the

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-43491203924491564832008-10-02T11:02:00.002-05:002008-10-02T11:26:15.762-05:00

Yesterday was such a busy, busy day. I'm coming to the unfortunate conclusion that this is just life, especially life with a kid in school. I've always heard moms saying things like, "We're just so busy!" and "We're late for soccer because we had dance earlier then we're off to piano." I never wanted to be like that. Never. But, here we are. A month into school and already I feel like we're

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-45119688047712458842008-09-23T22:10:00.008-05:002008-09-23T22:18:02.258-05:00

Remember last week how I told you all I get to write for this great website newsletter? Well, the sweet gal who runs the website actually liked what I wrote, so I get to keep it up. Pretty cool, I think. (I don't want to make that sound like she's not a nice person, she's very cool and down-to-earth, two qualities I adore in a friend.) I thought you all might be interested in reading what I write

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-18105852093113020362008-09-22T12:47:00.007-05:002008-09-22T13:31:15.151-05:00

Transitions. Why do I dread these things so? Our lives are full of them, each and every day. So why the dread, the loathing, the avoidance? I, personally, don't like change, as my dear sweet husband will readily admit. It's not something I enjoy, but I'm certainly getting better at it.With each kid, comes the transitions: sleeping through the night, potty training, switching from crib to

Bethnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-19135677117796253942008-09-21T15:49:00.003-05:002008-09-21T16:08:10.029-05:00

Rilie Jane JosephineFebruary 27, 1995-September 21, 2008I know she was "just a dog," but those of you who have known and loved a 4-legged family member will understand my sorrow today.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-2063585572103496952008-09-21T14:28:00.003-05:002008-09-21T14:40:34.380-05:00

I realize there's nothing super special about these photos, but they were all taken with my fun new camera, so they ARE special, ok?! Seriously, with sick me and sick kids and numerous commitments at the moment, I haven't had a chance to really explore with my fun new toy, so for now, these are what I've got. But, I have to admit, I think they're pretty cute subjects!This is one mad little

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-20078193584395372752008-09-19T16:03:00.004-05:002008-09-19T17:39:59.173-05:00

Just LOOK what arrived via UPS today!!! I've been wanting a DSLR camera for a long time, and just couldn't bring myself to buy one. So, he bought it for me and surprised me today. I have the BEST husband!!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-22179970491274031332008-09-17T14:19:00.001-05:002008-09-17T14:20:48.579-05:00

Heck no! Thanks to those of you who were concerned. That touches me deeply. I'm not kidding. And Tracy? Way to go!!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-79902455645510268062008-09-16T21:24:00.007-05:002008-09-16T23:29:47.161-05:00

When I first started this blog, I told no one. I was lonely, pregnant in a foreign country and scared stupid about being pregnant in that foreign country. I needed an outlet. I found that in my blog. So, of course, after awhile I told my husband, told a friend, sent a link to this person or that person, and before I knew it I had actual readers. Not many, mind you, but, you know, some. And,

Bethnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-91858721363134654552008-09-13T16:17:00.006-05:002008-09-13T16:30:59.812-05:00

My kids are growing at astronomical rates--how can this be?! Seemingly right before my eyes, my little babies have transformed themselves into people. Here is a look back to a year ago, today, with it's today-counter-part.Emma-Marie, age 5 Dophin Park on Riverside Drive, NYC 9/13/07Emma-Marie, age 6, Beaver Creek Festival, Vail, 8/26/08Owen, age 3, Dophin Park on Riverside Drive, NYC 9/13/

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-79076499526910271482008-09-12T17:17:00.007-05:002008-09-12T22:24:54.194-05:00

Why is it that the older a person gets, the more expensive their interests, and consequently, their "toys", get? Why is that?Adam loves cycling. He rode for years before we left for Korea, but really hasn't had the opportunity since we've been back in the States. When we finally got all our stuff out of storage from Iowa and got it all here, he took his bikes into the shop to be tuned.He was

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-91467569620359956662008-09-11T22:57:00.004-05:002008-09-11T22:59:50.475-05:00

........From The Stovetop!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-14601806839772500052008-09-03T20:07:00.002-05:002008-09-03T20:10:25.250-05:00

I am officially a Soccer Mom.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-10725109374740228572008-09-01T15:35:00.002-05:002008-09-01T15:36:33.173-05:00

And all because I had the camera pointed in his direction.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-2338516009338345542008-08-26T22:34:00.004-05:002008-08-26T22:43:16.183-05:00

And if that's not the longest dad-gum post title you've ever seen I'll eat the laundry shown below.Just kidding about that. My friend, Carrie, does this great series called Moronic Monday Madness. She's very forgiving about fudging on the rules....I mean, if this is what my house looked like yesterday, I certainly didn't have time to post about it!Showing these pictures, makes the neat-freak in

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-80189403589289527132008-08-26T14:04:00.003-05:002008-08-26T14:29:44.930-05:00

I will hold you in suspense no longer (not that many of you were in that state). These are knitting needles from Korea that my precious friend Lis sent me this. Needles are so cheap there that I asked her to buy me one of each size. Isn't she a great friend?And, let me just say that NO, NO, and I say again NO, I am not pregnant, like Colleen suggested. So, if I am knitting little baby caps,

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-47299047832903456332008-08-25T18:00:00.000-05:002008-08-25T18:00:00.446-05:00

This came in the mail yesterday. Any guesses as to what it is????

Bethnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-52718052537343036712008-08-25T15:23:00.005-05:002008-08-25T15:31:39.382-05:00

After I (rather embarrassingly tearily) dropped this beauty off for her first day of school, the boys and I began our walk home. They looked so cute in their little brown, hooded jackets, Addison almost like an Ewok. Perfect photo op!Or, so I thought."Come on, guys, give a hug!""Guys?""Noooooo." Do you see the defiance in those little slitted eyes? Oh my."I love you, Mom." Well, at least

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-33030715730399872872008-08-23T21:59:00.009-05:002008-08-24T16:38:18.991-05:00

As a newly graduated, too-excited-about-teaching, new teacher, I just didn't understand the looks of uncertainty and masked shock on the faces of my new students' parents at that first "Meet the teacher" night. I didn't even know that those feelings were being suppressed. Imagine my horrified surprise when half-way through the year I found out one of the parents had actually requested to not

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-67389073987612605662008-08-07T22:31:00.001-05:002008-08-07T22:33:07.009-05:00

Well, it's cool and rainy where I live. Perfect soup weather. Or chili weather, in this case. Check out what's new From the Stovetop!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-40382196673470406762008-08-07T09:27:00.003-05:002008-08-07T09:38:30.303-05:00

As a follow-up to yesterday's post, this picture was taken about 3 hours after the dark sky picture. The vast and furious changes in the weather here are fascinating. Maybe weather really is one of my favorite subjects.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-47544891673616995772008-08-06T15:13:00.003-05:002008-08-06T15:18:12.425-05:00

Weather is one of those things that people can always talk about. Any two people can shoot the breeze about the weather. Everyone has an opinion. It's a favorite subject of mine. (Just kidding.)Here in the mountains, storms come up all of a sudden. One minute it can look like this:And the next minute, you're ducking for cover!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-30028504284817155672008-07-30T06:50:00.004-05:002008-07-30T06:50:01.648-05:00

This post is not about chicken, as in the feathered variety. This post is about me being a chicken. Coward. Sissy. Yella-belly. Whatever you choose to call it. Basically, I got cold feet.What about?Fish tacos. Yeah.I put it on the menu. I bought the mahi-mahi. I even started to thaw the stuff. When Adam came home for lunch today I told him I was having second thoughts about what I'd

Bethnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-16423301740030856022008-07-29T16:28:00.006-05:002008-07-29T17:50:01.134-05:00

Yesterday was so full of doing (still unpacking and organizing our dig), that today I woke up exhausted. I supposed that a morning full of dodging carts at Stuffmart and Spend-way with 3 kids was just the way to put me in that right frame of mind for....well....whatever it was I was going to do today. I can't even remember. Why was I surprised to come home even more worn out with 3 tired and

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-75476265351173627932008-07-28T23:09:00.002-05:002008-07-28T23:12:06.771-05:00

Something I started long ago is my food blog: From the Stovetop. I haven't updated for so long, but I haven't stopped cooking. Here's the latest, if you need a change from hamburgers (which I love, by the way, and will be sharing a recipe for some suped-up burgers soon!).

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-16407588383384136942008-07-24T11:22:00.004-05:002008-07-24T11:54:05.762-05:00

Owen: Why do those people look different? (referring to the pictures in some newly unearthed Bible story books)Me: They're drawn by different people, honey.Owen: But why do they look different?Me: Oh, well, they didn't have cameras back then, so we really don't know what they really looked like.Owen: They didn't have cameras?Me: No, buddy, they weren't invented yet.Owen: Then how did they

Bethnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-52653349395154450352008-07-22T22:10:00.005-05:002008-07-22T22:20:01.308-05:00

I just spent the last hour fiddling with my blog and various blog layouts and templates. Seriously, and hour! How does that happen?!I found a great site (simply fabulous blogger templates, and they are), thanks to Carrie over at gremlinwrangler, with all these beautiful templates. So I sat down to tinker and ended up just leaving everything the way it is. Is that boring? I don't know. I

Bethnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-60466430866090430252008-07-16T21:43:00.004-05:002008-07-16T21:49:51.662-05:00

Of course, I said this exact same thing about 4 years and 5 moves ago. We've moved 6 times over the last 6 years. Not cool. So not cool. I actually wouldn't have taken one of those moves back, but it sure does wear a person out.The above shot is of my living room this evening. We unloaded the rest of our temporary storage unit here today. I'm glad to have it all here, but MAN, do I hate

Bethnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-76427275381125854562008-07-15T16:05:00.003-05:002008-07-15T16:16:46.718-05:00

It's been a long time since I posted. So long, in fact, that I'm sure I've lost all the readers I had except one (thank you, Emily, for coming back!) So, what am I going to post about after so long a hiatus? Well, let me warn you, it's fabulous, it's shocking, it just might knock your socks off. It's....(dun dun dun dunnnn).....a vacuum cleaner!By now your forehead is scrunched up and your

Bethnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-84050538537588307502008-07-14T17:01:00.003-05:002008-07-14T17:02:25.899-05:00

I don't have time to post anything here, but I do have a lot to share...at another time. For now, come over here to see lots and lots of pictures of our journey and new home!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-5082513726255501342008-06-30T19:25:00.001-05:002008-06-30T19:29:03.945-05:00

We are on the road to Colorado!! I'll post as soon as I'm sane.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-36688660943372680222008-06-18T20:36:00.004-05:002008-07-29T19:00:25.345-05:00

The beautiful lady in the middle is my Grandma. She's 86, but would you believe it? She gets up every day by 5:30 or 6am, volunteers for several organizations, loves the St. Louis Cardinals, is active at her church, and looks this good after making a huge breakfast for our family. This amazing woman is an inspiration to me, and I love her. We had a wonderful visit.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-76700310416133872892008-06-14T15:19:00.000-05:002008-06-14T14:09:47.215-05:00

I give you one of my dad's creations. Any guesses on what this is? If you were to take each piece in it's original form, they would be an old, chewed up piece of wood, a couple of bolts and a really old, notched and rusted paint scraper. But, behold! Put them all together and you have a poop-chuck! Perfect for flinging dog-doo off the bricks of my parent's patio.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-4667763771953338112008-06-13T14:45:00.003-05:002008-09-11T23:00:30.312-05:00

I don't really know much about antiques. Is something that's around 50 years old considered an antique? It's really just about what I like that matters the most to me. I also love the idea of reusing something that's perfectly good instead of going out and buying a brand new, poorly constructed piece of furniture that will probably be worth zilch in 20 years and end up in one of our country's

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-88625596640888671322008-06-12T15:13:00.002-05:002008-06-12T15:18:38.890-05:00

My friend, Carrie over at greamlinwrangler is having a contest. By day she's a funny homeschooling mama, by night, she's a funny homeschooling mama that writes. She writes these great letters each week about her life as a Friendly Cashier, and she's published two volumes. If you want a chance for a couple of free copies (which, obviously, I do), get on over to her site by tomorrow night and

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-43796160307708933672008-05-29T20:15:00.003-05:002008-05-29T20:34:55.099-05:00

I always find it hard to start back up in my writing after being absent for so long. Writing begets writing, so to speak. We have not fallen off the face of the continent. Rather, we are smack dab in the middle of North America in mid-Missouri in my home town. Our days have been filled with walks, trips to the park and store, loving on our dog (who is quickly deteriorating from diabetes and

Bethnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-53948347018360878692008-05-16T13:37:00.003-05:002008-05-16T13:40:40.825-05:00

"Mmmm, the brown crunchy stuff tastes like Grandpa's popcorn. I love it!"

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-60476482187565375072008-05-11T19:06:00.007-05:002008-05-11T21:17:08.336-05:00

I had the immense pleasure of spending the whole day with my precious family today! We started off with a picnic at the park and then headed into the Bronx zoo. We ended at one of our favorite restaurants, which is where my best friend (that's Adam if there was any question, which there ought not be) took the above shot of me with these amazing kids that make me a Mommy!I love you Emma, Owen

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-64225929075023096252008-05-05T18:58:00.004-05:002008-05-05T19:41:41.282-05:00

So. What do you do when you take your 18-month-old son to the hair place and when the gal asks what you want done you shrug your shoulders and look perplexed and say take a little off? with a question at the end of your sentence, just like that, because you have no idea how to say you want a boy's haircut, because you're not a boy and you don't really know what to say and he ends up getting a

Bethnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-91368436308463736242008-05-01T19:02:00.002-05:002008-05-01T19:05:18.088-05:00

Carrie, over at gremlin wrangler, is giving away a custom ink portrait--this is way cool! Go check it out.And while you're all clickin' around and stuff, go and see what's new From the Stovetop.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-78045518900183300082008-04-29T20:38:00.004-05:002008-04-29T20:59:00.890-05:00

Last Thursday, we received a visitor in the mail: Flat Stanley. If you don't know about Flat Stanley, let me fill you in. Flat Stanley used to be just plain ol' Stanley, till one day he woke up and realized a bulletin board had fallen on him squashing him flat, but not dead. Weird, I know. So, Flat Stanley, as he's now called, goes all over the world on adventures. Henry, our nephew, and

Bethnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-1266333273117557072008-04-23T19:09:00.008-05:002008-04-25T14:58:13.883-05:00

It happened like this.Wednesday, April 23, 2008: We're at the museum for a day of family fun. We're taking pictures of every thing because our nephew (Hi, Henry!!) sent us Flat Stanley, so we're showing him the town. (It's quite fun, but more on that next week.)We're in the Met, in the Impressionists section. Claude Monet's gorgeous, huge, masterpiece-worth-millions-of-dollars, "Water Lilies"

Bethnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-39591711002513738782008-04-21T14:02:00.006-05:002008-04-21T14:17:01.880-05:00

Emma: //sneeze// Wow! It really does sound like "achoo" when you sneeze!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-70683945336539749412008-04-15T13:30:00.008-05:002008-04-15T13:59:50.805-05:00

With Spring comes renewal. I also always have that feeling in the fall as well.My love affair with food and cooking had really taken a dive awhile back. I'm not sure why, but I just couldn't get excited about it at all. Possibly, I was fed up with my micro-kitchen. Or shopping with 3 kids in the city. Or the slew of kitchen/cooking-related disasters that descended on me awhile back. I don't

Bethnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-52806148502207618122008-04-14T13:08:00.005-05:002008-04-14T13:19:02.201-05:00

Me: Ok, Babe, what kind of cereal do you want for breakfast?Owen: I want those Weirdos.Me: Uh...."Weirdos"?Owen: Yeah, those (pointing up to the cereal shelf).Me (pointing to various cereal boxes): These?Owen: No.Me: These?Owen: No. Those, Mom. The Weirdos!Me (understanding expression dawning on face): Ooohh. You want Grape Nut O's?Owen: Yeah, Mom. Weird-O's!You know, they are kind

Bethnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-5656225628833252432008-04-11T23:01:00.004-05:002008-04-12T06:41:27.282-05:00

Adam and I just got back from our first Broadway show--South Pacific (which was quite good). But the exciting part of the night was my first ever celebrity sighting. That's right, folks! I now have a story to tell about when I saw David Hasselhoff! Passed right by us. Could have touched him if I'd wanted to. 'Course I didn't. Want to, that is. But I could have.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-52786908875451011252008-04-11T07:59:00.004-05:002008-04-21T13:59:10.524-05:00

This post has been rattling its way around my brain for some time now, but I just haven't taken the time to put those thoughts into words.I love the idea of living in the moment, not hedonistically for myself, but the way Christ lived, for others. The way Paul lived contentedly in whatever circumstance.But the truth is, is that I am usually too worried about the future to live this way. In

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-33024855918954308412008-04-02T13:30:00.003-05:002008-04-02T13:42:05.449-05:00

Life is full of decisions. Just as we make a great choice for one thing, all of a sudden there are tons more other, not-so-fun decisions to make. Why is that?To catch you up, we're moving to Colorado. Terribly excited about this. But the move. Oh...my...gosh...Alright, we live in New York. We have stuff in our New York apartment. We also have a few boxes and a chair at Adam's aunt's house

Bethnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-38038147844554153832008-03-31T11:53:00.005-05:002008-03-31T13:02:41.143-05:00

Ok, if you've come here long, you'll know we've been job-hunting. Adam's latest interview took him to what will become our new home! He was offered the job, and we've accepted. Can you guess where we're going? Take a look:Meet Vail Mountain School, where Adam will be Middle School Head and Emma will attend as a student. I never thought God would put us in Colorado, but I also never thought

Bethnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33825479.post-18093042710527813422008-03-27T21:42:00.003-05:002008-03-27T21:53:43.612-05:00

So there I am, sitting in front of the TV at 10:40pm, watching the final episode of The Celebrity Apprentice. I have grown weirdly fond of this show. I have never watched any of The Apprentice shows, but I think by living in NYC, and the show taking place here, I all of a sudden am so interested in all-things-New York.But at this moment, I am balling my eyes out listening to Trace Adkins sing

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2