Life with the Evans

Birthday Parties

2009-02-26T20:14:00.004-06:00

We celebrated Birthdays in our family this last weekend. We celebrated Andrew's and Wesley's birthday on Saturday at my house and my cousin Lisa's and Andrew's at my mom's house on Sunday. (Wesley's was celebrated earlier with his Grandpa's birthday). We split the birthdays up because my house can't fit everyone! Here's some pictures...

Andrew with his new chair. He loves it! Every day after school he's actually looking forward to doing his homework because he gets to sit in his chair and do it.

It's an Angelina present!!!

Andrew opening getting some clothes from his Aunt Rachel. My sister-in-law Rachel is brilliant. She has some of the greatest ideas for parties and presents. She got Andrew, Wesley, and Angelina coordinating outfits for Easter. They are so adorable. And handsome for Andrew.

Wesley eating the tissue paper. Yum-O!

Angelina and her new cousin Matthew eating sweets at the table. Yes everyone, this is THE Matthew. Our answer to prayer. It's he so cute?!

At my Mom's house. Happy Birthday Lisa and Andrew!

Wesley with his great-uncle Mark.

Bargains

2009-02-17T21:18:00.003-06:00

Hey everyone! I have a great story I couldn't wait to tell!! On Saturday when Brett and I were on our date, one of our stops was Value City Furniture. I saw an ad in the paper for a chair I thought would be great for the kids. It was on sale for $29. They only had the floor model available, so I start looking for stains. ***Side note: If you are buying any furniture that is made of suede, microfiber, or like material, take your hand and swipe the material all in one direction. This will help the material become the same color, and makes it easier to pick out any stains or blemishes.*** I found a really small mark on the bottom of the chair that I could easily get out with zout. When we went to purchase the chair I showed the sales lady the mark and asked if we could get "just maybe $3 off?". She called her supervisor and the supervisor sold us the chair for $19.00!!!!! AWESOME!!! We were so excited!!! The chair was originally $49.99 on sale for $29.00, and we purchased it for $19.00!!! That's my exciting bargain story for the month.

Cinderalla Ball

2009-02-12T21:40:00.004-06:00

Tonight Brett took Angelina to the Cinderella Ball. Angelina had fun getting her hair done and nails done and getting her dress made. Brett had fun trying to fit into his dress blues. All I can say is I've done my job as a wife. I've given my husband children, taken care of the house, and cooked an extra fifty pounds on him. He looked so handsome and Angelina of course was beautiful. Here are some pictures...

How beautiful!

When Angelina saw her prince (aka Daddy) with his dress blues

Angelina & Brett

Daddy giving Angelina her wrist corsage

Angelina telling Daddy "Thank you" for the flowers

Laundry, Bleach, and Crying

2009-01-07T22:32:00.002-06:00

Angelina has the flu. Yeah...REAL FUN! I never thought anything good could come out of having the flu in my house, but I was wrong. The flu makes my house sterile! Not clean, STERILE! You could perform open heart surgery on my kitchen counters. I've bleached anything and everything that could be bleached. Lysoled or vinegared anything that couldn't be bleached - I was very tempted to just bleach my whole house...I like pink. Yes, I did say vinegared. Most people don't know this, but vinegar is also a disinfectant like bleach. It'll kill just about any germ. Better than Lysol, and safer than bleach or Lysol. So, if you have little toddlers or babies, or hey even nine year olds that examine objects by chewing, licking, and/or eating inedible objects like toys, floors, cabinets, refrigerators, door knobs, tables,...the list is endless, you as a mom, don't have to worry about poisoning from a cleaner if you use just plain old white vinegar! It's edible!

Laundry: All of the linens got multiple cleanings...just in case. My kids were changing clothes every few hours. The germs had got to go!

Crying: Poor Angelina. It was so hard for her to understand that she couldn't eat or drink anything for such a long period of time. She cried a lot yesterday. It just broke my heart. I hate not being able to do something that would make it better.

Last note: Pray that no one else gets the flu.

Games

2009-01-03T21:53:00.002-06:00

I hope everyone had a great New Year and a Merry Christmas!!! We had great holiday! God has been so good to our family in 2008. Here a list (very short...I could write for a very LONG time) of some of the amazing things God has done for my family in 2008.

Wesley was born in February
My oldest brother, Brian, contacted us. We haven't heard from him in about 10 years
My husband works for a great employer
We go to a great Church that loves the Lord and has an awesome Pastor and Pastor's wife
We've gotten to know our neighbors better, and made new friends
My family is healthy
No one got into a major car accident
Andrew has a great 4th grade teacher
My brother-in-law and his wife brought home their adopted child, Matthew Wyatt, from China the Friday before Christmas
Angelina isn't having the breathing problems she had when she was younger
I have a loving, wonderful, amazing, godly, faithful, handsome, awesome, patient husband
I have 3 incredible cute children that love going to church
I have loving parents and grandmother

And there are more and more and more and more, but I figured you'd need to do other things besides read my blog. So... Thank you God for such a wonderful year. Thank you.

Computer Problems

2008-12-30T21:28:00.002-06:00

Sorry everyone! Our computer was having malfunctions. It would only stay alive for all of 10 minutes before overheating and shutting down. A new computer solved our problems! YEAH! So that's why the blog has been silent. I'll be coming with new blog posts in the new year!

HAPPY (early) NEW YEAR!!!

Christmas Cookies

2008-12-12T17:51:00.002-06:00

The Christmas baking has started. I LOVE to bake! I have quite a list this year of cookies. Some favorite classics for my family, and some new ones I can't wait to try. I've started on the bicotti. Tomorrow Lisa and I are having our kolache bake-a-thon. We're simplifying our kolaches this year. Instead of overlapping the dough for the traditional koloche look, we're doing thumb print koloches. This will save us SOOO much time. What will we be doing with this time? Making cookies of course! Some new ones we're trying are: Pecan Clusters, Coconut Pecan Cookies, and Double-Chocolate Espresso Cookies. Yum-O! Our old favorites are: Kolockes (of course!), Toffee Bars, Sugar Cookies (I'm SOOO excited about the sugar cookies! I found a whole bunch of cookie cutters, so we're going to have FUN!), Bicotti, and Pecan Swirls. Let me point out at this time that we will not be eating all the cookies. Some will go in the freezer until Christmas for our Christmas dinner, while the rest will start being passed out to neighbors and friends (except the koloches - my family would disown me if I gave those away). I can't wait to have fun doing all this baking tomorrow!

Thank the Lord

2008-12-09T18:32:00.005-06:00

We got a call this morning. Chet and Phyllis have gotten Matthew!!! Praise the LORD!!! I'm so thankful that God has given Chet and Phyllis a man child! Chet and Phyllis have remained faithful to God and His Word, and God has blessed them with this beautiful child! Psalm 66 reminds me of God's great works. Praise the Lord!

Psalm 66

Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious. Say unto God, How terrible art thou in
thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit
themselves unto thee. All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah. Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men. He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him. He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah. O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard: Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved. For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins. Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place. I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows, Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble. I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah. Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.

I'm BACK!!!

2008-12-06T19:11:00.003-06:00

HEHEHEHE!!! I'm BACK!!! Here are some recent pics on what's been going on...

My brother-in-law and his wife at their baby shower.

Here's the cute suit Brett and I got the baby.
Andrew and Daddy cutting our Christmas tree.

Brett and Andrew again...aren't they handsome??!!

Vacation Pictures

2008-08-26T16:50:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone!!! I finally got some of our vacation pictures to show! keep on scrolling down the blog. I think I have about 3 posts of vacation pictures...

Angelina "driving" her Uncle Jack's boat. Jack and my Dad made that boat last year. It's like a mini speed boat. Jack looks kinda funny in it - poor guy is so tall his knees are almost up to his ears when he's in it.

Brett and myself tubing - I was contemplating whether or not to try to push Brett off. I tried...and failed...hehehe...I was the one that ended up in the water...hehehe
Andrew and Lisa tubing
"Go left -left! No! Your OTHER LEFT!!!" hehehe
This is the view we woke up to every morning...I love it!

More vacation pictures

2008-08-26T16:37:00.003-05:00

More vacation pictures...

Andrew knee boarding. Andrew got up on the knee board on the FIRST TRY. He looked as if he's been going on the knee board since he was 4. Great job Andrew!

Andrew knee boarding again
Brett knee boarding. My men were awesome at knee boarding. Brett was "one with the knee board." He was doing 360 and maneuvering in and out of the wake.
Angelina fishing
Andrew fishing
In case you were wondering why there's not a picture of me knee boarding...2 kids and I'm not even going to tell you how many pounds later, is not conducive for hauling - yes hauling - my body up onto the knee board using only my upper body strength while the boat is moving. I was more like belly-boarding...hehehe

Vacation Pictures

2008-08-26T15:40:00.002-05:00

Here are some more pictures from vacation...

Lisa and Wesley

Wesley driving the pontoon with Great-Grandma
Wesley swimming in the lake
On the lake
One of Brett's many fishes

For Trish

2008-08-19T20:15:00.002-05:00

Yes, this blog is for Trish...here are the pictures from Angelina's birthday cake you wanted to see...

Trying to feed Wesley

2008-08-15T23:08:00.005-05:00

Everyone knows that Wesley is a chunky little man...hehehe...so I imagined when we started with solid foods, he'd eat like a champ. Here's a video of Wesley eating peaches...

I think I would have gotten better results if I gave him beef. He's too much of a manly man for sissy food like peaches...hehehe!

Garden

2008-07-30T08:14:00.007-05:00

Yesterday night, Brett wanted me to make poppers - jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese and cheddar cheese wrapped in bacon (Thank you Bro. Bob and Mrs. Cindy for introducing us to these delectable treats!). So, we mosey along to the garden with Angelina in tow. I step over the chicken wire to start picking some jalapenos, and I start checking the other plants to see if anything else is ready to pick...

and there it is...

"Brett! You've GOT to come see this!"

Brett steps over the chicken wire while I push the zucchini leaves out of the way.

"What in the world?!" Brett exclaims.

What did we find?...A bird?...A plane?....................................no................

GIANT ZUCCHINI!!!

Zucchini - Cucumbers - Mixed Sweet peppers & jalapenos

The largest zucchini measured 18" and weighs 5.6 lbs. There were 5 of these monsters (one of which I had given to my neighbor) with more on the vine that are semi-giants. My cucumber's were growing through the chicken wire. I plan on making some cucumber lemonade (ewww...I know that's what you're thinking, but don't knock it till you try it! My neighbor Yessica made it for me and it was very refreshing! It wasn't bitter and overloaded with sugar, VERY good!) The zucchini will be shredded and frozen for some zucchini bread this winter - thank you again to Cindy for the BEST BREAD RECIPE EVER!!!

Blueberry Picking

2008-07-28T20:43:00.003-05:00

Today Angelina, Wesley, and I went blueberry picking with the Borgers at Tammen Treeberry Farm in Wilmington. It was the first time I had gone blueberry picking, and I had loads of fun! I ended up picking 7.78 lbs of blueberries. I can't wait to make some blueberry jam! I think Angelina ate more blueberries than she picked...hehehe...Wesley was kinda cranky, but not too bad. I'll tell you what, blueberry picking makes my children go to sleep...hhmmm...maybe I should go more?...hehehe...Here's a picture of what going blueberry pickin' for a few hours do to Angelina. This picture was taken when Angelina was eatting dinner...

Learning a lesson

2008-07-11T22:24:00.002-05:00

Wednesday night I learned a lesson on parenting. Not some deep spiritual lesson. Nope, just a plan common sense lesson...

On our way to church Wednesday evening, Angelina told us she had to go to the bathroom. Since we were not in the best of neighborhoods at the time, I asked Angelina if she could wait till we got to church. Well, even though she said she could make it, she didn't. As Brett was unbuckling her from her car seat, he "noticed" she soaked through everything. This wouldn't have been so bad, except for the fact that brilliant me thought I didn't need any more extra clothes for Angelina anymore. After all, she hasn't had an accident in over 3 months! Why should I keep extra undies and a dress for her in the diaper bag? Wesley has enough stuff in there! Boy was I foolish. The good news - Jayne lent Max's sweat pants to Angelina, and she wore Wesley's t-shirt (Yeah - WOW - my 5 month old and 3 year old are in the same size - SHOCKER!) - so we didn't have to go home.

I feel like a kid again. You know, when you did something wrong and mom asks, "Did you learn something from this?" "Yes, Mom." The lesson of the story: no mater how old your child is, keep an extra pair of clothes in your vehicle in case of an emergency.

2008-07-09T11:05:00.002-05:00

Pics

2008-07-09T10:29:00.003-05:00

Daddy & Wesley

Angelina singing to Wesley

All 3

How cool am I?

Face Lift

2008-05-27T13:46:00.004-05:00

Please be patient with me while I'm giving my blog a face lift...hehehe. I'm learning all about XHTML and other fun web stuff, and I'm manually giving my blog a face lift. I'll tell you all about it later! If you would like to learn HTML, XHTML, Java Script, CSS, and MORE go to ...

http://www.w3schools.com/

So much!

2008-05-12T22:19:00.003-05:00

There has been a lot going on lately! Here are some recent stories...

Thursday I went over to my mom's house. Mom is going through all of her clothes and wanted to know if I would like the stuff that doesn't fit her...hhmmm...let me think....YEAH I'll take the clothes!hehehe It was lots of fun going through mom's closet. I felt like I was on What Not to Wear. Mom and I were laughing so hard at some of the fashions she still had in her closet. I think we covered 3 decades. We went through her shoes next. There was one point where Mom and I admired a pair of shoes for like 5 minutes! Either way, we had lots of fun!

Saturday I went through my kitchen cabinets. I was putting off cleaning them out because last time I cleaned and reorganized them it seemed to take FOREVER! Well guess what? I organized my cabinets so well last time it maybe took me an hour to clean AND reorganize all of my kitchen cabinets! I was SOOOO excited! I was so happy on how nice they all looked that Saturday, Sunday, and even today I kept on opening random cabinets just to admire my work...hehehe

I had a terrific Mother's Day! I'll tell you more later, but right now I'm about to fall asleep on the keyboard. Ciao!

Before and After

2008-05-07T10:35:00.002-05:00

Wesley turned 3 months old on Sunday. The first picture was taken when Wesley was 1 day old. The second picture is Wesley at a little over 2 months. I can't believe how much he's grown in such a short time!!!

Praise!

2008-05-01T20:40:00.002-05:00

So many praises this week! Praise the Lord!!! He is sooo great! Wednesday night Andrew's best friend, Josue, was able to come to church with us! This is such a praise since Andrew has been inviting Josue to church almost every Wednesday and many Sundays for about 2 years! God is so good! Josue wants to come back this coming Wednesday because he had a great time in King's Kids - thank you Bro. Al and all the King's Kids workers - and to see me get a pie in my face :)

Praise the Lord!!! I found a walking partner in the morning - Yessica - Josue's mom! She just had a baby boy about a month ago, and we both want to get back in shape. We have been going every morning (if it's not too cold for the babies), and it's nice to be walking and just being outside!

Praise the Lord!!! I found a new favorite store. It's called 'Just For Kidz' in Joliet Mall. Their prices are AWESOME!!! They have some really cute outfits REALLY cheap - like thrift store cheap! I went with my mom to the mall today and she bought some clothes there for Angelina.

Praise the Lord!!! Andrew got an A+ on his reading test. The first A+ on a reading test this year!!!! He's been working so hard and I'm so glad he sees the results of his hard work.

Stuff

2008-04-26T11:47:00.002-05:00

Here are the flower arrangements I did...
This is what happens when I'm ironing clothes and Angelina finds my makeup
My children hog the bed...good thing we have a king size or I'd be sleeping on the floor...hehehe
Lisa, Angelina, Jack & Andrew

Not YET!!!

2008-04-16T14:23:00.002-05:00

Not YET!!!! I'm not ready!!! Ready for what? TEETHING!!! Wesley isn't even 3 months and he's trying to cut a tooth already. Sometimes I really wish I could stop my children from growing up so fast....you know? My children are ready for the next step, but I'm not ready for them to get older.

Andrew is growing so fast I can't keep him in the same size pants for more than 2 months. He's turning into such the young man. A few more inches and he'll be taller then me (not that it takes much...hehehe)! He's been so attentive during services; asking questions about what Pastor preached on the way home, and adding his 'Amens' to the sermons.

Angelina's becoming even more independent since she's been using the potty. At night time when we pray she's been aware of what she's thanking Jesus for (not just the same things every night). She'll tell Jesus about what she did each day and thank Him for it.

I'm so proud of the steps they've taken, but bittersweet for the prints they've left behind.

Home sweet home

2008-04-11T13:17:00.002-05:00

Here's what's been going on this week....

I've created some silk flower arrangements - I have one more wreath to go and I'll have my flowers done. I'll take pics and post them later

I've been experimenting with painting my flower pots. I can't decide what I want, so I keep on painting layer upon layer of color...hehehe Angelina and Andrew each painted a pot. They did a wonderful job. Angelina was painting for almost 3 hours. She LOVES painting.

Angelina's potty training is going well!

Andrew had half a day of school today, so he's eating ramen noodles for lunch. Give him pizza, chicken nuggets, ramen noodles, or mac and cheese and he is one happy boy!!!

Wesley is feeling much better after his shots on Wednesday. His right leg still has redness where the needle went in, but he's not so grumpy.

Well - I'll post those pictures later - bye bye for now!

Miracle

2008-04-08T10:13:00.002-05:00

We had a miracle start yesterday. Angelina decided to start using the toilet! Praise the Lord!!! I've been trying to get Angelina to use the toilet for the past six months, but she would refuse to use it (Unless Jayne asked her - she'd go for Jayne). She knew what to do, but just didn't want to get out of her diapers. Well yesterday she came up to me first thing in the morning and told me she had to go to the potty. And she went! ALL DAY she was in her "big girl undies!" I know she finally gets it because she'll tell me when she has to go. I don't have to ask her if she needs to go potty. Today she woke up and has been using the potty and wearing her big girl undies all day so far. I'm so excited!!!! Soon I'll be back to only one child in diapers in my house...hehehe

God's at Church

2008-04-01T22:14:00.002-05:00

Children see things in their own unique way. Anglina reminded us this the other night...

Friday night Anglina was getting her pj's on and she asked me, "Church mommy? Go to church?"

"No sweety, it's night time there's no one at church. Well, God's at church, but God's everywhere."

I went on to tell Angelina how God's in Daddy's heart, and Mommy's heart, Andrew's heart, at our home, ect., God's everywhere.

Well Saturday night Brett was reading Angelina the story of Noah. He came to the part about the rainbow and said, "The rainbow was God's promise to Noah that He wouldn't flood the earth again."

Angelina very seriously told Brett, "No rainbow Daddy. God's at church. Not at rainbow. God's at church."

...

2008-03-29T08:46:00.001-05:00

This week I was surprised by a call from my friend Eliza. I had left her a message about two weeks ago, but she was on vacation. It was really great to catch up with her! She gave birth to a little boy, Caleb (8 lbs and some oz) in January, so we shared war stories on our deliveries ...hehehe... giving birth is something ALL women can relate to! It was a great blessing to talk to Eliza and laugh about birthing, toddlers, and life in general.

Angelina and I cleaned her room. Throughout the week it seems to get worse and worse - I probably have the only 2 year old that tells her parents, "My room is a disaster!" hehehe - she does a great job of cleaning her toys and making her bed, but by the end of the week Angelina needs some help from good old mom to reorganize her things. Watching Angelina clean cracks me up! She'll start putting things away and then gets sidetracked by one of her toys and starts to play. She'll catch me giving her "the look" - you know the one - all moms have it - and quickly pretend like she was cleaning up the whole time...hehehe

Wesley is still a VERY VERY good baby. He spoils me rotten! He gets up usually only once a night and takes nice long naps during the day. It's great! Well got to go!

Favorites

2008-03-24T21:32:00.002-05:00

I thought I'd take a moment to share some of my favorites from the Bible:
Favorite...
Book: James
Psalm: 91
Story: The centurion who asks Jesus to heal his servant (Matthew 8:5-13)
Person: Jesus is a given so...it's a toss up - Peter, Ruth, and Daniel. Why? Peter I can relate to the most, Ruth had a godly feminine spirit I pray for, and Daniel had the faith and loyalty towards God that I want to have.
If you have a minute, please share some of your favorites from the Bible!

Pound Cake

2008-03-21T10:33:00.001-05:00

Does anyone have a good pound cake recipe? I'm making a lamb cake, and they say the best cake to use is pound cake. If anyone has a recipe I'd appreciate it!

More pictures...

2008-03-20T08:23:00.002-05:00

Angelina and Rudolph playing the pianoAngelina deep in artistic creativity
Wesley's first Valentine's Day
Aww...how cute!

Enjoying life

2008-03-19T12:37:00.002-05:00

The Easter eggs went well last night. (I'd put pictures up, but I left my camera at my Mom's - pictures TBA) Angelina wanted to color all of her eggs pink and purple (no surprise there!) while Andrew went for the greens, blue, and gray. The kids plan on putting the camo stickers when Andrew gets home from school today. Brett was rocking Wesley while I supervised the egg coloring. Wesley cracks me up. He might be crying when Brett gets home, but the minute he sees his father the crying stops...hehehe...I think Wesley's so happy that not only is Daddy home, but he's not stuck with only female company...hehehe

I started on my spring cleaning. I've cleaned my room up top to bottom so far, and have started on Angelina's room. I'm just working my way from one side of the house to the next! Since I've become TONS more organized, all each room really needs is a quick straightening up and a really good cleaning job. The only room that's going to require a little more help is the kitchen. No matter how many different times I try to organize the pot and pan cabinet and the tubberware cabinet they NEVER stay organized for long. That's ok...if that's the only part I have to reorganize, I'm doing good! Well, I'm off to eat my lunch - ta ta for now!

Family

2008-03-18T16:27:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone! Here's some updates on what's going on...

Wesley's still sick - we had to go to the doctor a few times and then to the hospital for some tests. Everything came out normal, he's just battling a really nasty virus. Please continue to pray that he gets over this sickness. In the mean time he's starting to smile more! Of course he always wants to smile at Brett! hehehe Angelina is at the end of being sick - Praise the Lord! What ever it is that our family caught is just lingering.

We plan on coloring our Easter eggs tonight. Andrew's really excited because I found this camo egg coloring kit. Angelina has been asking to color Easter eggs for the last three weeks - ever since we purchased them at Wal-Mart.

Well the baby's crying so I'll send off!

New Baby

2008-02-07T08:04:00.001-06:00

Here he is!

Wesley Hudson Evans

8 lbs 3oz

20 1/2"

Born on February 4th, 2008 at 1:30pm

Almost Time

2008-02-02T13:02:00.000-06:00

Well, the time is almost here! Monday is the day for the baby to come! I've been busy doing odd and end cleaning all week, hoping I haven't forgotten anything, and today Brett is busy on the basement. I was hoping to go into labor naturally, so to give my body a 'push' in the right direction, I was out shoveling our driveway. 'Mission: Start labor' ended up being 'Mission: Give myself extreme back pain'...hehehe...that's what I get - I got no one to blame but myself! Yesterday Andrew's school called a snow day, so Andrew and his friends had lots of fun playing in the snow. The boys crack me up. There were lots of huge piles of snow, so the boys were busy digging tunnels and going sledding. Angelina and I are sick - yeah, not fun delivering when my asthma is acting up and my toddler has a bad cold with a wicked bad cough. Brett's finally getting over his cold, so that's really good. Well, I'm off to go pass out on the couch with Angelina! It's nap nap time! hehehe

Cookbooks, Trucks, and Dresses

2007-12-03T21:10:00.000-06:00

Today I started going through my cookbooks in my kitchen. I have a ton of cookbook magazines, and they were starting to take up way to much counter space. I went through all except maybe 5 magazines and clipped out all of the recipes I wanted. I put them in my ever faithful recipe box! I am so excited to get more counter space. Especially with the holidays! I do so much baking, and it will be easier to roll out my doughs. This isn't the most exciting blog ever, but the cooking magazines was something I've been meaning to get around to, but just never did! So I'm excited!

I've been in an organizing mood - the "nesting syndrome" - Today I got a tote for putting all of my wrapping paper and supplies in! I was so excited! No more shoving the wrapping paper into my closet and hoping it's in one piece when I need it...hehehe! It fixes really nicely under our bed, so I don't even have to worry about losing it downstairs!

The difference between men and women:
On Collins St. in Joliet there are several small small dealerships and two dress stores that we pass on our way to church. Every time we pass the dress store, my nose is glued to the window and Brett is nice enough to slow down so I can ogle the formal dresses they have for women (I LOVE formal dresses. I told Brett we should renew our vows every year so I can get a new dress! hehehe). Every time we pass this one specific car dealership they have a truck that's Brett's dream truck, so he always slows down, salivates at the mouth, and makes a comment about the truck. As Brett was staring at his dream truck while we were stopped at a red light on Sunday, I said, "You always talk about that truck when ever we pass it"
"Just like you always talk about the dresses at that dress store," Brett replied "That's why we take this way to church, so you can look at the dresses and I can look at the trucks"
Why am I telling you this? I really don't know, I just thought it was funny that according to Brett, we take Collins St. to church because of the trucks...hehehehehe

Christmas Decorations and Secret Santa

2007-12-01T14:05:00.000-06:00

I got all of my Christmas decorations up (except the outside ones - that's Brett's job), and we had lots of fun as a family on Monday putting the Christmas tree up. We listened to Christmas music, drank hot coco, and just had lots of fun. I always enjoy putting up the ornaments because they bring back memories. I see some that my mom made when she was a little girl, my first Christmas ornaments, ones Andrew has made over the years, Angelina's, and old antique ornaments. No, our Christmas tree doesn't have matching color ornaments each perfectly spaced with a perfectly symmetrical tree. Our tree is a loving tree with lots of character and memories. I wouldn't have it any other way. Growing up our tree was always like that. Each ornament we would put up had a story behind it, and my mom always shared each story. "Remember when you made this in Sunday School?..." "Ohh, this is one of my favorites..." "Your first Christmas ornament. I remember that Christmas..." As kids each story got a little redundant, and we'd humor ma..."Yeah, yeah, we know ma," but as I got older hearing each story just brought back pleasant memories, love, and smiles. As we put up our Christmas ornaments this year, I found myself telling Andrew and Angelina the story behind each Christmas ornament.

Earlier this week I went to my mom and dad's house with all of their Christmas stuff up and it brings back lots and lots of terrific memories. I always look forward to the bubble lights each year on the Christmas tree! I'm fortunate enough that my mom added plenty of Christmas decorations over the years so that when I got married she handed a whole bunch over to me (and is saving others for my brothers). This is particularly special because once again each decoration has a particular memory attached. I'm going to do the same thing so that one day I'll have Christmas decorations to give to my children. My mom would collect Christmas decorations from all over - craft shows (these were my FAVORITE!!!! I still LOVE craft shows, but unfortunately haven't gone to one in over 8 years), garage sales, thrift stores, and after Christmas sales. As a little girl I used to love to look at the doll clothes and Christmas decorations - those were my favorite!

Angelina was so excited when we put up the Christmas tree that the following morning she ran to the tree and gave the tree a hug. It was the cutest thing! Andrew than thought he'd be funny and hug the tree also, but almost knocked the thing down! Boys!

Today I took Andrew to the Secret Santa as his school. This is where they have inexpensive gifts that the children can buy for their parents, siblings, grandparents, and friends. Andrew took his money and got gifts for the three of us. It was a great learning experience in money management. He had $16.00 to spend on the three of us, but only spent $14.00. As we walked to his school I told him how when I was his age I would save up the money I received over the year and instead of using it to my myself things, I would buy gifts for all my family members with that money. It always gave me a feeling of satisfaction that I was able to buy the gifts, and didn't have to ask my mom or dad for money. As I told Andrew this story he decided that he wanted to do that next year - I told him that was a great idea. Andrew and I had a fun time looking at the gifts and freezing as we walked to and from the school.

Cookie! Cookies! Cookies!

2007-11-12T14:10:00.000-06:00

I received an email that had links to all of these cookie recipes. I've lookied at a few of the recipes, and they looked GOOD! Just clink on the name of the cookie to bring up the recipe! I thought this would be a cute to share with everyone, especially with the Ladies Coffee and Cookie Exchange just around the corner! :)

*Side note to family members...if you see a cookie you would like to try email me the name!*

1-2-3 Cookies 7 Layer Cookies Allie Nelson's Famous Snickerdoodle Cookies Almond Crescent Shortbread Amish Sugar Cookies Andies Candies Cookies Angel Crisps Angenets Applesauce Cookies Apricot Fold-Overs Aunt Edy's Molasses Crinkles Auntie Linda's Ginger Gems Bakeless Dream Cookies Banana Drop Cookies Best Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World Biscotti Biscotti Blueberry Cookies Boiled Chocolate Oatmeal Drop Cookies Bronwnies Brown Sugar Shortbread Brownie Cookies Brownie Delight Brownies Buccaneer Snowballs Buried Cherry Cookies Butter Cookies Butter Nut Balls Butterballs Butterscotch Haystacks C.O.P. Cookies Candy Cane Cookies Candy Cookies Caramel Shortbread Cheesecake Brownies Cherry Buns Cherry Crowns Cherry Winks Chewies Chewy Noels Chinese Chews/Haystacks Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Chocolate Chip Cookies Chocolate Chip Meltaways Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies Chocolate Christmas Trees Chocolate Cream Cheese Squares Chocolate Crinkles Ch ocolate Mint Snow-Top Cookies Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (no bake) Chocolate Snowball Cookies Chocolate Streusel Bars Chocolate Sundae Cookies Chocolate Walnut Crumb Bars Choco-Scotch Crunchies Choose A Cookie Dough Recipe Christmas Crackers Christmas Crunch Bars Christmas Ginger Snaps Christmas Macaroons Christmas Mice Cookies Christmas Shaped Cookies Church Windo w Cookies Coconut Cookies Congo Squares Cookie in a Jar Corn Flakes Cookies Cornflake Christmas Wreaths Cowboy Cookies (oatmeal) Cream Cheese Cookies with Apricot Filling Crème De Menthe Chocolate Squares Crème Wafers Crescent Cookies Crispy Crunchies Date Nut Balls Date-nut Pinwheel Cookies Diabetic Peanut Butter Cookies Disgustingly Rich Brownies Doodles Double chocolate chip cookies Double-Chocolate Crinkles Eatmore Cookies Eggnog Cookies Elizabeth's Sugar C ookies Elves Quick Fudge Brownies Emily Dickinson's Gingerbread Cookie Recipe Emily's Best Brownies Famous Oatmeal Cookies Firemen Cookies Fluffy Shortbread Cookies Forgotten Cookies Frosted Peanut Butter Brownies Fruit Cake Cookies Fruitcake Squares Fry Pan Cookies Gems Ginger Cookies< /FONT> Ginger Crink les Gingerbread Baby Gingerbread Cookies with Butter Cream Icing Gingerbread Men Gingerbread Men Ginny's Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Glory's Golden Graham Squares Glory's Sugar Cookies Gramma Chapman's chocolate coconut drops Grandma Elsie's Zimt (cinnamon) Cookies Grandma J's Butter Cookies Grandma Olson's Parkay Cookies Great Grandmothers Sugar Cookies Gum Drop Cookies Gumdrop Gems Haystack Cookies Ho-Ho Bars Holiday Cereal Snaps Holiday Chocolate Butter Cookies< /FONT> Holiday Raisin Walnut Bars Holly Cookies Hungarian Cookies (Little Nut Rolls) Ice Box Cookies Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies Italian Cookies Jacob's Peppermint Snowballs Jam Bars Jessica's Famous Brownies Jessie's Chocolate Chip Cookies Jubilee J umbles Juliet's Peanut Butter Blossoms Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies Kentucky Colonels Kiefle (cream cheese cookies with jam filling) Kifflings Kiss Cookies Lacy Swedish Almond Wafers Lemon Angel Bar Cookies Lemon Bars Lemon Cake Cookies Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies Lemon Squares Linzer Tarts Log Cabin Cookies Luscious Lemon Squares M&M Cookies Magic Cookie Bars Melt in Your Mouth Cutout Sugar Cookies Melting Shortbread Meme's Cream Cheese Cookies Milk Chocolate Florentine Cookies Mincemeat Cookies Mincemeat Goodies Molasses Cookies Molasses Forest Cookies Molasses Sugar Cookies Mom Mom's Crescent Cookies Mom-Mom's Ginger Cookies Mom's Nutmeg Sugar Cookies Mom's Old Fashion "Puffy" Sugar Cookies Monster Cookies Moravian Christmas Cookies Nana's Famous Soft Southern Cookies Nitey Nite Cookies No Bake Chocolate Cookies No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies No Bake Cookies No Bake Cookies No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies No-Bake Cookies Norwegian Sugar Cookies Nut Balls Oatmeal Bars Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Nut Cookies Oatmeal Coconut Crisps Oatmeal Cookies Oatmeal Scotchies Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies Ooey Gooey Caramel Chocolate Dunk Ooey Gooey Squares Orange Slice Cookies Parking Lot Cookies Peanut Blossoms Peanut Butter Bars Peanut Butter Blossoms Peanut Butter Cereal Cookies Peanut Butter Chewies Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars Peanut Butter Cookies Peanut Butter Cookies Peanut butter fingers Peanut Butter Reindeer Peanut Butter Surprises Peanut Marshmallow Cookies Pecan Puff Cookies Peppermint Snowballs Peppernuts Persimmon Cookies Persimmon Cookies Petey's Yummy Spicy Almond Thins Pfeffernuesse Pffefferneuse Cookies Pineapple Filled Cookies Pizzelles Potato Chip Cookies Potato Flake Cookies Praline Cookies Praline Strips Pterodactyl Nests Pumpkin Bars Pumpkin Bars Pumpkin Chip Cookies Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Pumpkin Cookies Queen Biscuits Quick Cookies Raised Sugar Cookies Raisin Filled Oatmeal Bars Raspberry Meringue Bars Really Peanutty Butter Cookies Reese`s Brownies Reese's Peanut Butter Bars Rich Flavor Christmas Cookies Rich Lemon Bars Ricotta Cheese Cookies Royal Almond Christmas Bars Rudolph Cinnamon Cookies Russian Tea Cookies Russian Teacakes Samantha & Kelsey's Chocolate Chip Cookies Sand Art Brownies Santa Claus Cookie Pops Santa Claus Cookies Santa's Butterscotch Melts Santa's Shorts Santa's Special Squares Scotch Cakes Scotch Shortbread Scotcharoos Scotcheroos Seven Layer Cookies Short Bread Cookies Shortbread Skor Squares Snicker Doodle Cookies Snicke rdoodles Snickerdoodles Snow Balls Sour Cream Apple Squares Sour Cream Christmas Cookies Special K Cookies Spice Cookies Spicy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Spritz Cookies Stained Glass Window Cookies Stir & Drop Sugar Cookies Sugar Cookies Sugar Cookies Sugar Cookies Swedish Pepparkakor (Pepper Cake) Cookies Swedish Sugar Cookies Sweet Marie's Swiss Treats Taralle (Italian Cookies) Tea Time Tassies Texas Brownies The Best Shortbread in The World Thumbprint Cookies Thumbprint Cookies Toffee Squares Traditional Christmas Sugar Cookies Traditional Gingerbread Men Cookies Triple-Chocolate Chip Cookies Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies Vanilla Waffer Balls Walnut Butter Cookies Walnut Crumb Bars White Chip Chocolate Cookies Wild Oatmeal Cookies Will's Famous Apple Jack Cookies Yummy Yummy Peanut Butter Blossoms

I'm back!

2007-11-08T20:16:00.000-06:00

I'm BACK! It only took..ohh..forever for this new post! Sorry everyone :( Here's a quick run down of what's been going on...
cleaning
The Spew (We're in between seasons right now...tune in for next season starting...I don't know when...hehehe)
cleaning
cooking
flu
bleaching EVERYTHING!
cleaning
cooking
more cleaning
doctor's appointment (everything's going great!)
cooking

I'll have a more indepth posting later this week (hopefully)!

***A message from Brett: My wife should be labeled the 1st most beautiful wonder of the world.
and maybe next time I'll close my blog before Brett gets ahold of it!***

Brett wrote that while I was reading Angelina's bed time story...it's a keeper and I think I'll end my blog post on that note!

Odd and Ends

2007-10-26T16:39:00.000-05:00

Have you ever gone shopping and realized you didn't know what size, or type to get? I'm talking about your odd and ends like:

The size of your coffee filters
What wattage light bulbs you have in your living room
The special brand and fragrance of deodorant your husband wears
What size furnace filter you need
The type of battery your watch uses

Is there anything at your house that you can never remember what type to get? If so, please share. I typed this up because I needed the furnace filter and by the time I got to Walmart I'd lost the piece of paper I had it on. I have a solution! From now on I will be carrying a piece of paper with these odd and ends tucked into my wallet so I have them when I need them!

Health

2007-10-16T16:31:00.000-05:00

This has been an interesting week for family sickness. Sunday Brett was really sick. When Andrew was dropped off on Sunday night he looked like he got ran over by a freight train. I contributed it to lack of sleep because he said he was fine, just tired. Luckily we went home right after choir practice because Brett was sick. I say luckily because when we got home, we took Andrew's temperature and he was over 103 degrees. He hasn't gone to school Monday or today, and if he's still running a temperature tomorrow I'm calling the doctor. Luckily he's just had a low grade temperature today, but he still feels nauseous and has a bad headache. This is the first time since February that Andrew has gotten sick. He's usually healthier than a horse!

Brett is doing much better, Praise the Lord! I don't know what was going on health wise with him the last week. He's been very nauseous, dizzy, and has been having migraines (the nauseousness and dizziness could just be an effect of the migraines). He needs to get his wisdom teeth removed, which could also be the cause of his sickness. If you have any good dentist to recommend I would appreciate it! Please pray for us this week! I think I'm starting to catch whatever it is Andrew has.

On a happier note, Angelina has kept Andrew and me laughing the last few days. Angelina didn't understand why she couldn't play with Andrew or give him hugs and kisses. When I explained to her that Andrew was sick, she grabbed her blanket, reclined on the pillows and announced, "Nina's sick. Yeah. Do-Do's (Angelina's name for Andrew) sick, Nina sick, Mommy home, Daddy work!" Andrew and I started laughing. She pretty much stayed on the couch all day, just like her big brother while announcing they were both sick!

Ultra Sound

2007-10-15T19:43:00.000-05:00

Today I went to my ultra sound and everything is great! The official due date is...

January 30th!

A Godly Husband And A Wonderful God

2007-10-05T14:16:00.000-05:00

I have a very special story to share with everyone. It happened during the announcement for the Ladies Tea at the evening service of Anniversary Sunday. I was only half paying attention to the announcement because Angelina was acting up, but Brett's attention got diverted from the announcement to a little girl sitting right in front of us when she started talking to her sister. "I'm 10 years old now, so I can go to the Ladies Tea!" this girl told her younger sister. This young girl was obviously excited that she could participate in such an important event as the Ladies Tea! Unfortunately her excitement quickly turned to sadness. This little girl lives with her father and sisters and had no one to accompany her to the Ladies Tea. Her face fell from a smile to a frown, her shoulders slumped, and she sat quietly through the rest of the service.

Immediately after the service my husband asked me, "Rachel, did you see the look on Nicole's face?" "What look?" I replied. After all, I was wrapped up in the little world that is Angelina during half of the service. Brett than told me the story of how happy than sad Nicole was about hearing she could go to the Ladies Tea. "Do you think you could take her to the Ladies Tea with you?" Brett asked me. "That's a great idea Brett! I'll ask her father if that's ok." It was fine with Nicole's father, and than I went to tell Nicole that she was going with me to the Ladies Tea. "Really?" she asked. "Really!" I replied. The smile was back and out the door to go play with all her friends she went.

I've no doubt in my mind that the Holy Spirit led Brett to sit in the pews in back of Nicole's. I say this because we were close to the front when there was no nursery for Angelina that night. Brett sat us there and at first in my mind I was asking myself, "What in the world is he THINKING!!! Angelina is going to act up - I KNOW it! Couldn't he have sat us in the back where I could have grabbed her and left with minimal fuss?" But like the good wife I am (sometimes...hehehe - hey - I'm not perfect, I'm honest!) I didn't say anything, but just went with the flow. I'm just thankful that my husband's heart wasn't hardened against the Holy Spirit, but was open to what He wanted Brett to see. I love seeing God work in our lives!

I've no doubt in my mind that God would have found someone to take Nicole to the Ladies Tea because He has a special place in His heart for children. The best part of this whole story is that this isn't the first time something like this has happened in our church. All the time there are stories of members of our church "adopting for a day" the children that are motherless or fatherless due to divorce, death, or other circumstances. That just warms my heart and makes me praise God for His goodness and His mercy.

The Terrible Twos

2007-09-27T09:53:00.000-05:00

Or not! I was really dreading the big "2" on Angelina. All I heard was horror stories of mothers with children that turn into monsters during their 2s and 3s. Well, Angelina hasn't hit 3 quite yet, but she is a few months over 2, and I'm LOVING IT! She takes 2-3 hour naps daily, she loves helping out with all the chores (when I'm dusting she takes one of her baby wipes and helps me dust all the furniture...it's the cutest thing!), she's entertaining herself more often (I no longer have to entertain her 24-7), and she's a joy to be around!

I would not consider that Angelina was an easy baby...she only took maybe 3 - 15 minute naps though out the day - as a NEWBORN - she wanted to be feed ALL THE TIME!, and she didn't want me to leave her with anyone! So you can imagine after this behavior, I was expecting the "terrible twos" to be a nightmare. Instead, it's the opposite! Of course she's not perfect - getting her to eat her veggies is impossible among other things!

On a side note, now when I leave her at Grandma & Grandpa's, or Great-Grandma's house she doesn't want to come home!!! Not that I can blame her, Grandparents and Great-Grandparents are the greatest people! You get toys and get to go out to eat or have your favorite meal every time you go over, they play all your favorite games and take you to the park...who doesn't want to go to grandma and grandpa's?

Words Of Wisdom When Shopping At Aldi

2007-09-18T10:57:00.000-05:00

Words of Wisdom When Shopping At Aldi

If possible, don't wait till your pantry is empty before going to Aldi. When your shopping cart starts overflowing and food starts dropping out of your cart it's time to go to the check out line.
If you bring a toddler or baby that goes in the front of the shopping cart, make sure you immediately put your child in the new shopping cart in the check out line. Otherwise the clerk will put food where your child needs to be.
Park out of the way of all vehicles so you can get all your groceries in comfortably.
Be prepared to purchase items not on your list
Just because the item is at Aldi doesn't mean it's cheaper than if you went to Wal-Mart
Most generic brand items taste just as good as the original - except the Cheetos
Putting eggs in the cart when you have a toddler is like waving a red flag in front of a bull - if your eggs make it to the refrigerator you deserve a medal
No matter how organized you were with putting items together in the cart and on the check out counter, they will end up a mess when the clerk puts them in the cart
If you think you have enough grocery bags before you leave for Aldi - you don't! - go back and get more
If it weren't for Aldi most of us would be surviving off of Mac & Cheese, Tuna, and Ramen Noodles

***Hope this made you laugh! :) - Evans Family***

Apples on Oak

2007-09-13T14:59:00.000-05:00

On Saturday my Mom, Dad, Andrew, Angelina, Brandon (my nephew), and I went to an apple orchard called "Apples On Oak." This really nice apple orchard had many varieties of apples and the branches were low enough that even Angelina was able to pick apples by herself. The apples were $1.00 a pound and the couple that owns the orchard were very nice. The husband started out the orchard as a hobby that expanded. The owner gave us a sampling of three different types of their apples. There's 10 acres so it's not a job to go picking, but a relaxing fun time whether you have kids or not! I picked a whole bunch of Sweet 16 and Liberty and made 3 apple pies so far. I usually only use Granny Smith apples, but these turned out just as good if not better! My mom said it reminded her of my great grandma's apple pie. Nothing could have made me happier. If you have a chance to go....GO. The price is right, it's not an all day thing, but it is lots of fun! They have 3 different size bags to help you pick your apples. The small one is estimated to fit about 5 lbs of apples, the medium 10 lbs, and the large 20 lbs. Angelina, Andrew, and Brandon all got one small bag to pick what ever apples they wanted and I had a medium bag full of the Liberty and Sweet 16 apples. Brandon and Andrew both loved the Beth apple. All of the kids had a great time and Brandon (Andrew's age) repeatedly said, "This is the best place ever! Can we come here again tomorrow?" To make it even better, they are close! They're on...

16146 Oak Avenue
(not Oak STREET)
Joliet, IL 60432
(815) 726-0386

They're in between Farrel Rd. and Gouger Rd. Very close! For all you Lockporters, that's only a 5 minute drive! My family is making it a tradition from now on to go apple picking at "Apples on Oak." For more information visit their website at...http://peceniak.tripod.com/

Shopping with Grandma & Uncle Mark

2007-09-12T09:49:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Angelina and I went to my grandma's house. I brought a homemade apple pie from the apples we picked on Saturday to my gram's house...my family loves my apple pie. I love baking for my family. It's one of my favorite things to do! Grandma treated Angelina and me to lunch and than we went shopping for some things my grandma needed for her computer. She than further spoiled me by taking me to JC Pennys to look for pregnancy clothes. My Uncle Mark and Gram played with Angelina while I looked. I ended up getting a bunch of shirts for...$2.97!!!! $2.97!!!! I can't even get a pregnancy top at a thrift store for $4.50!!! I was really excited. After shopping we went back to gram's house so I could fix her computer. We stayed for dinner and than went home. I love my gram, and I'm so excited that my children have an opportunity to know their great-grandma. I was really close to my great grandma until she passed away. I love spending time with my family! I think my favorite time is when we play games and eat...hehehe...a really fun game that my cousin Lisa got not too long ago is called "Imaginiff..." This game is hysterical!!! It's best played with family members and close friends. You write down the names of the people that are playing on the board. What ever name is landed on gets to be the "imaginiff" The person's name gets put in a question like, "Imaginiff Rachel was a country. What country would she be? 1-France 2-China 3-Chili 4-Canada 5-Russia 6-India" Everyone picks out which country Rachel would be (without telling anyone, but with lots of laughing) and shows which number they picked. What ever number is chosen the most the people that picked that number get to advance one space on the playing board. This game is great! I recommend it to everyone! The nice thing is that children can participate also either on a team with one of the adults or individually if their old enough (Andrew plays without being on a team).

ATTENTION: Pack-n-Plays & MOLD

2007-09-06T18:33:00.000-05:00

****Please everyone read this and send it on to anyone you know that has a "Pack-n-Play"****

My daughter, Angelina, feel asleep in her pack-n-play and while sleeping wet through her diaper and clothes onto the pack-n-play. My mother, a nurse, was cleaning up the pack-n-play after cleaning up Angelina when she noticed that the urine was being absorbed into the pack-n-play material instead of collecting on the top of the material (the material is NOT water proof prior to popular belief). After cleaning the pack-n-play to the best of her ability, my mother was not satisfied with the results. She decided that she wanted to take out the padding and boards that support the bed, and thoroughly clean them. As you know, the bottom of the pack-n-play doesn't separate into pieces. In order to clean the padding and boards my mother had to cut a slit down the center in the back of the bottom of the pack-n-play and take out the boards and padding. What my mother found was frightening. The padding and boards were covered in mold. I am not a dirty person and either is my mother. The pack-n-play has spent nearly it's entire life at my mother house (who is a VERY clean person), and I purchased the pack-n-play new. I've had the pack-n-play for a little over two years. I don't know if the mold was contributed from accidents, or juice and milk dripping out of my daughter's sippy cups. I do know that if my mother hadn't spent the time to be extra careful to make sure her granddaughter slept in a clean environment my daughter would still be breathing in mold spores every time she slept on the pack-n-play. I'm also pregnant, and planned on using the pack-in-play for my newborn. My mother also checked the other pack-n-play she acquired at a garage sale. That pack-n-play also had mold covering the padding and boards.

My mother quickly threw the old boarding and padding away, and washed the material in the washing machine. She purchased new padding at the local fabric store (Jo-Ann Fabrics, Hobby Lobby, and Hancock Fabrics all have the necessary padding), and used marine wood (particle board would work as well) that she put a double coat of polyurethane on, to take the place of the old padding and boards. The pack-n-play looks just as nice as it did before, but without the mold. Now all I have to do if there's an accident is toss the padding and pack-n-play material in the washing machine and wipe down the boards.

Labor Day

2007-09-04T17:58:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a GREAT day!!! Brett didn't have work, and he REALLY wanted to go fishing. After looking up some places near by, Brett decided he wanted to go to the Des Plaines River out in Wilmington. Brett packed the boat (no, we don't have a 50' yacht - what we have is a old john boat that was a hand me down from my Uncle - it leaks water has more dents on it that I can count, but we wouldn't have it any other way. Brett treats that boat like it IS a 50' yacht...as long as he's happy I'm happy), I packed the lunch, and off we go! We stopped for snacks and minnows and made it to the Des Plaines River at about 10:00am. We didn't come out till 2:00! Angelina was great the whole time! Brett brought Andrew's old broken fishing pole, put a bobber on the end, no hook, and Angelina went to town! She was playing with the minnows and "fishing" with her pole...this means stabbing the pole in the water again and again and again ... it kept her happy! She even fell asleep in my arms for about an hour! I had to wake her up because we had to take the boat out. I caught the only 2 fish...hehehe....One was a keeper, a large mouth bass. Angelina started screaming when we put the fish in the cooler because the fish started jumping and almost got out. All this week she's been saying, "fishy jump! yeah, fishy jump!" When we got home Brett filleted the fish, and then we went swimming for about an hour. After swimming we all got cleaned up and went out to eat at a family restaurant in Morris and came home at almost 8:00! It was a fun filled day, but a relaxing day!

Saturdays

2007-09-01T16:40:00.000-05:00

Well last night's broccoli cheese soup and rolls did the trick. I ended up going to bed at 9, but Angelina slept in till 7:30! After some more cooking this morning, Angelina and I went to the pool for the last time this summer season :( (0ur pool closes on Monday). We were only there for about an hour when Angelina got blue lips and started shivering...time to go home!!! Angelina and Andrew are the same. It can be 90 degree weather with the water at 84 degrees, and they start shivering and their lips turn blue...Brett's the same way...hehehe.

On a side note....

Angelina has been so pleasant to be around lately. This last month she has been talking more. Stringing several words into sentences and learning a bunch of new words. It seems to me that once she started talking better her personality has improved. She doesn't have the temper tantrums like she used to. If she starts acting up I give her an ultimatum like, "Angelina if you keep on crying like that you'll have to go to your room." The crying stops within seconds and she's off doing something else. That's not to say she still doesn't have her bad moments...but who doesn't? The great thing is her bad attitudes are happening less and less. Going shopping isn't the ordeal it used to be.

Monday we went shopping for 5 hours. During that time we went to 5 different stores in the mall, two stores outside the mall, and stopped for lunch at Panera Bread (this is the first time I've stopped for lunch while shopping since I've had Angelina). I didn't bring a stroller with me, and only the last store, Aldi's, had a shopping cart. Angelina walked the whole time except when we went back to the truck from the mall. Instead of feeling pressured to get in and get out, Angelina was a terrific shopping partner. She helped me pick out clothes, made me laugh, and gave me ugly faces if the outfit I picked out was "not for me." I had a great time and shopping was a relaxing treat for me instead of a stressful operation. I'm blessed to have such a wonderful family!

Comfort Food

2007-08-31T18:08:00.000-05:00

Do you ever feel like comfort food? The kind of food you eat when you're sick or exhausted or just plain worn out. My comfort food is soup. Mainly chicken noodle soup, but pretty much any soup will do. Angelina started with the sniffles yesterday, and I've had them since Tuesday. I don't know if it a cold or just allergies or just being pregnant, but I feel exhausted. Either way, I'm in a comfort food mood tonight, so I think I'm going to make some broccoli cheese soup (chicken soup takes me way to long to make - it's like a 4 hour process). I intend to get my pjs on, cuddle with Angelina while the soup is simmering, and stuff myself with soup and rolls. After that I have every intention of going to bed before 8, and if I'm lucky Angelina will let me sleep in till 7 Saturday morning!

If you have a comfort food please do tell!

I Can Only Imagine

2007-08-29T22:34:00.000-05:00

I was sitting here pondering what to write about. Whether I should talk about Angelina wanting hot dogs for breakfast or Andrew trying to con me into letting him and his friends walk to school an hour early (yeah right...they wanted to go outside and play football ... boys). While I was thinking about which story to tell, I caught myself humming the song "I Can Only Imagine." I love this song and wanted to share the lyrics with you. So here are the lyrics to "I Can Only Imagine...."

I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By your side

I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When your face
Is before me
I can only imagine

[Chorus:]
Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine

I can only imagine
When that day comes
And I find myself
Standing in the Son
I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine

Repeat Chorus

Stuff

2007-08-27T17:11:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, I was at my parent's house and after lunch, I wanted to paint my nails. After taking my nail polish off and painting Angelina's nails (she's such a woman - she LOVES getting her nails done), I went to the kitchen table in order to find a good position to paint my nails (the tummy is already getting in the way...hehehe). My older brother Robert asked what I was trying to do. I replied, "I'm trying to get into a comfortable position to paint my toe nails. In another month my stomach is going to be so big I'm not even going to be able to paint them!" "Sit down." Robert said as he took a seat and patted his leg. "I'll paint them for you." And he proceeded to do just that! I was a little shocked, but my brother has always been very sweet (when he wants to - other wise he's beating me up or making fun of me...you know, brotherly love...hehehe) and it was so nice to have someone else paint my nails. And as a bonus, I now have blackmail material on my brother...I wonder how much he'll pay for those nail painting pictures...hehehehe....just joking!!!! You know I love you Robert!!!

Curtains & Closets

2007-08-17T15:26:00.000-05:00

Here are Angelina's cute Curtains & her organized closet

Sunday Morning Update

2007-08-16T21:12:00.001-05:00

I am pleased to announce that I had everything together (everything was ironed, printed, stuffed, organized, and prepared) for Sunday morning by Saturday night! Sunday morning was relaxing to a point where I didn't know what to do! hehehe I don't know why I procrastinate. I'm always so upset with myself when I do it. I'm quickly learning that with 2 kids and a husband if I don't start doing what needs to be done ahead of time I'm in BIG trouble.!

Curtains

2007-08-16T21:01:00.000-05:00

I went shopping today to try to find some pregnancy clothes, Madison's gift, and diapers (very thrilling last point). I got 1 skirt at Good Will, but while I was there I solved a problem I was having. I found curtains for Angelina's room! Brand new and exactly the colors I was looking for. Now, I had already gotten some material for Angelina's curtains, but this is how finding the curtains solved my problem...I can now use the material from the curtains and get some extra material to make a quilt for a twin size bed for Angelina! I was afraid I was not going to find a comforter that would match with Angelina's colors, but now I don't have to worry about it! I can create my own quit for Angelina's room when she goes into a twin size bed (she's now in a toddler bed because she moves around so much when she sleeps the only thing that keeps her on the bed is the side railings and even those sometimes don't prevent her from sleeping half the night on the ground!). Well good night!

Organizing Angelina's Room

2007-08-16T08:02:00.001-05:00

My brother Robert came over on Friday to put Andrew's closet bar in. I was waiting for the closet to be finished before I organized Angelina's room. Why you ask? Andrew and Angelina both shared his closet for their clothes. So, when Andrew's closet got finished, Andrew took all of his stuff out of the closet and put it in his new closet. So, Andrew helped me put the stuff that collected in Angelina's room in their perspective rooms, while I packed up all of Angelina's clothes that don't fit anymore and replaced them with her next size clothes. I also rearranged the furniture and put the knobs I had finished painting back on the furniture. I vacuumed, dusted, and cleaned what needed to be cleaned. All I have left to do is finish with the knobs and hang up Angelina's pictures.

I'm so excited that I got her room organized. Angelina enjoys going in there to play and she actually goes in her room peacefully each night to go to sleep...hehehe! I'm really, really, really excited though because when I organized Angelina's room I left space for all the baby clothes for the new baby. I also already have the baby's bibs, blankets, and changing table prepared in Angelina's room. I'm going to go downstairs sometime this week and get all the newborn outfits I have all prepared in one container, and take out the unisex outfits (you know the greens and yellows) and put those away in Angelina's room. I'll also get out any of the odd and ends out like the baby's bed, car seat, etc. and have those all set to go (I'll have to make sure they're cleaned closer to the baby's due date, but I want to make sure they're all in one place so I don't have to go looking for them later on). Why do this you ask? Because I don't want to try to get the rest of this stuff organized when I'm 8 months pregnant or worse, after the baby's born.

I also have a plan to have the dinner meals all prepared for the family when I go into labor and for about 2 week after birth. When my sister-in-law, Rachel, knew she had to go in for a major surgery that was going to have her on bed rest for about 6 weeks her mother-in-law gave her a book entitled, "Once-a-Month Cooking."I went over to Rachel's house and helped prepare approximately 20 meals in 4 hours! I want to do this around December, that way it's not too close to my due date.

The idea of this book is to take on day and prepare all your meals for a month. You then freeze the meals, and when you're ready to eat the meal the only thing you have to do is put the frozen meal in the oven to cook! The book is so helpful that it even gives you a grocery list of everything you need to buy!

Well anyways, those are the plans I've made and the organization that I've already started. Not a very thrilling blog, but a very well satisfied mother.

Offical Count

2007-08-15T16:11:00.000-05:00

The offical count of Kolachkis was 328. I only got through 2 batch of the dough. I have another 2 still in the refrigerator. Don't worry we 8 them all...sorry all you hopefuls...hehehe...my family are pigs...heheh

Kolachkis

2007-08-10T15:48:00.000-05:00

Today I started to make Kolachkis (I don't know if you can add a 's' or not, but for my piece of mind, I'm going to add a 's'). I make 4 - YES 4 - batches for my brothers birthday party coming up. All I was able to make today was the dough because it has to be refrigerated overnight. I'm going to bake as many batches as I can before I pass out...hehehe...the rest of the dough I'm going to freeze. Kolachkis are SOOOO good, but very time consuming to make. These deserts are a family tradition on my father's side (that would be the Italian side, although why a bunch of Italians are making a polish desert I don't know...hehehe) every Christmas Eve. My Aunt Lori counts how many Kolachkis she makes, and the number goes up each year...hehehe. Last year I think the count was up to something like 914 Kolachkis. Here's the kicker though....there's only 9 people at my Aunt Lori's to celebrate Christmas Eve....hehehe....that's about 100 Kolachkis per person. We finish every last one! I love my family...hehehe!

Coffee in the Morning

2007-08-07T17:05:00.000-05:00

I told this story in Sunday School, but it bears repeating...

Getting ready Sunday morning always seems to be chaotic. This last Sunday as I was ironing, getting cleaned up, brushing Angelina's hair, and trying to find Angelina's shoes since she parades all over the house with EVERY PAIR OF SHOES SHE OWNS PLUS MINE (It's a fashion show 24/7 with that girl!)! BEFORE I started all of this, I put the coffee on right away so I could grab it when I was rushing by it (that seems to be my only breakfast most Sunday morning).

I mentioned to Brett while I was putting the coffee on, "You know sweetheart, I go to sleep Saturday nights dreading Sunday morning. Not because of church, I love going to church, but because I'm always rushed trying to get everything done before we leave (I have mastered the art of putting on nail polish, makeup, and plucking my eyebrows on the way to church - no easy feat considering I use liquid liner...hehehe). It's my fault too. I should have everything ironed and everyone's clothes ready to go by Saturday night. I think from now on I'll ask Andrew to give me his Sunday clothes on Thursday, I'll grab your white collared shirt, pick out Angelina's and my clothes and iron them Thursday. That way I have more time to enjoy my Sunday mornings."

Not more than ten minutes later Brett came into the bathroom while I was franticly trying to get ready, and delivered me my coffee (comeplete with milk and sugar). It was GREAT! Some people might say "big deal, he gave you some coffee" but I say BIG DEAL. I never asked my husband if he could please get me my coffee. I never even mentioned the coffee! That was his way of trying to make my morning easier and telling me he loves me (I never did get to finish defusing my hair before we arrived at church -no electrical outlets in the truck...hehehe - my hair looked bad, but I didn't care because my husband gave me coffee!).

I'll tell you what ladies, I'd rather have coffee delivered to me by Brett once a week than flowers and chocolates from him every day of the week! Point of the story, I love my husband.

Recipes

2007-08-04T12:27:00.000-05:00

I love getting recipe books and getting new recipes from friends. I especially love the "cheap" recipes. You all know the ones I'm talking about. The ones that don't require $50.00 of produce for 5 people (I'm exaggerating a little unless it's crab or lobster) and they still taste fantastic!

I also like to NOT prepare the same thing for dinner every week. Lately I've been finding myself cooking the same meals, so I'm asking for help from all you ladies. If you have a tasty meal that doesn't cost an arm and a leg I'd really appreciate the recipe!

Thanks!

Pregnant Husbands

2007-08-04T07:29:00.000-05:00

The other day I caught Brett eating carrots and peanut butter. Yes, carrots and peanut butter. He took the carrot, dumped it into the peanut butter jar and popped it in his mouth. He eventually noticed me staring at him.

"What?" he asks.

"Ummm, what are you eating?" I replied. (Side note: why do we ask questions we already know the answers to?)

"Peanut butter and carrots. You want some?"

"NO!" I vehemently shook my head.

"What, you've never had peanut butter and carrots?"

"Ummm....NO.....and neither has anyone else I know of except you."

"Everyone has had peanut butter and carrots." Brett announced.

"Sweetheart...I'm sorry to break it to you, but I don't know anyone who has had peanut butter and carrots...in fact, that's such a weird combination I wonder if YOU'RE the pregnant one in this family." We both burst into laughter.

"Maybe I am, because this is GOOD! You should really try it." Brett said as he walked off to his lazy-boy with a bag of carrots and the jar of peanut butter.

As I watched Brett make his way to the lazy-boy I couldn't hold the laughter back anymore. So I guess my question to you all is....have you ever had peanut butter and carrots?

Bills

2007-08-02T16:45:00.001-05:00

Today I had to do all the bills for Gorgeous Lawns. It didn't take me anytime at all so I was really excited about that. I REALLY enjoyed last night's Bible Study. Nothing much going on around here just the usual chores and stuff. We went swimming yesterday for about an hour and a half. That was really fun. Andrew is becoming a better swimmer and Angelina is becoming a little fish. I lathered the kids up with sunscreen before we left, SPF 60, and just from being in the sun for two hours I was a little red (maybe because I was the only one who didn't put on sunscreen), Andrew's face was red, and Angelina has some nice tan lines. I call her my little brown bear because she turns brown even with the sunscreen on....hehehe

Hope you all have a great night!

Thank you

2007-07-30T22:48:00.001-05:00

I want to say thank you to a very special person. Kim. She is always so encouraging to me. Practically every blog I write she writes a special note that's not just "How nice" (I'm not slamming anyone that does just write "How nice" because to read all the blogs and to comment it takes a long time - and lets face it, most of us don't have the time to have nice long comments. I do it myself....Can you imagine what it'll be like when we have 100's of GBC ladies blogging?). I can tell Kim has thoroughly read each post and responded as a great friend, not just as an acquaintance. As I have read other's blogs and comments, I'm always amazed to see that Kim puts the same thoughtfulness and encouragement in her comments to EVERYONE. So I want to say thank you Kim for being so encouraging to me and making me try to have more encouraging and thoughtful comments.

Sizzling Summer Services

2007-07-30T22:33:00.000-05:00

Tonight as everyone knows was our Sizzling Summer Services. The whole family had a great time with wonderful food, terrific preaching, and lots of laughter. Well, this message is going to be short because I need my sleep. Night Night!

Fishing with Brother Larry

2007-07-28T16:03:00.000-05:00

Fishing with Brother Larry was very relaxing. Brett finally got to take his boat out with his trailer (instead of lifting the boat onto the bed of the truck). Anthony, Andrew, and Brett went out on the boat while I walked with Angelina to the beach side of the lake. I set up Angelina's and my chairs right on the water and just watched her and all the other kids around us fish, swim, build sand castles, and just have fun. Angelina was more than content to just wade up to her thighs. Most of the time she just watched everyone, played in the sand, and found rocks. It was very relaxing to me...I just sat there...hehehe Angelina and I got a ride on the boat for a little bit. She really liked the boat. We had a great luch of hotdogs and cheeseburgers. Thank you Bro. Larry, Gerlinda, Bro. Bob, Cindy, and anyone else that helped! Shortly after lunch we left to go home (a whole 5 minutes away). Angelina fell asleep before we even made it to the truck. When we arrived home at about 1:15 Angelina and I went straight to my bed and crashed until 4:00! THAT'S a nap. I guess all that relaxing and sitting sucked all the energy out of me...hehehe...

A special thanks to Brother Larry and Mrs. Gerlinda who made "Fishing with Brother Larry" happen. This was Angelina's and my first time going and we had a great time! I think going to a lake that has a little swim area for the children is a brilliant idea! I know all the kids enjoyed it!!!!

Shopping by myself

2007-07-27T19:31:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a really nice, relaxing day for me. Andrew had slept over at my in-law's house on Wednesday night, and I dropped Angelina over there Thursday morning so I could go to my doctor's appointment. I was super early getting there, so I stopped at Duncan Donuts and got a latte (very big treat for me!!!). The doctor's appointment went very good! I lost another pound, all my blood work came out good, the baby's heart beat was perfect, and my tummy measurement was right where it is suppose to be! I went to pick up Andrew and Angelina because I had some shopping to do, but Cindy said she'd watch the kids longer. I was able to take my time and enjoy shopping!

Let me back track... Andrew is GREAT to shop with, he's such a good helper, he's my list keeper, and he's the other half of my brain, "Mom don't forget we need...." When I don't go shopping with him I forget my list and therefore end up with half of what I needed!

Angelina on the other hand...any mom with a two year old knows that the buckle strap on the cart doesn't hold the child IN the cart anymore because they can either squirm out or just unbuckle it. So I spend my entire shopping experience terrified that she's going to get hurt. Every time I need to turn my back to grab something, my other hand has to be on Angelina because she tries to take a nose dive onto the concrete. It's not that I don't enjoy shopping with Angelina, but once and a while it's nice to have a break.

So while the children where at Cindy's I was able to go to Office Max (didn't find what I was looking for), JoAnn Fabrics (I got the fabric for Angelina's curtains), Sally Beauty (I was excited to get some new hair stuff a friend told me about and it was on SALE $1.99 does it get any better? I also got some of the "deep conditioning" - you know the stuff that needs to stay in your hair for like a half hour - something I haven't done in 4 years - it's so cheep to only $0.99 - I need to do it more often), I also went to some other stores but lucked out. But I really enjoyed Sally Beauty because I've never been in there before. WHY? I don't know...Ladies, you HAVE to go there. Their prices are the same there as Walmart and you get better quality & selection. It's also such a girly place...tons of hair stuff, nails, all the fun things. Try it! I went to the one in Crest Hill (maybe Joliet). It's off of Larkin and Theodore where the Hobby Lobby is.

Well....see ya all at "Fishing with Brother Larry!"

Pregnancy

2007-07-25T14:29:00.001-05:00

I love being pregnant! (Everything except the stretch marks and getting fat part) This pregnancy is sooooo much different than Angelina's. I'm not throwing my brains up, I haven't gone off the hormone roller coaster (ummmm....well as long as you haven't talked to Brett I haven't....hehehe....), and I'm eating much better than I did when I wasn't pregnant.

The only "pregnancy side affect" I'm having is tiredness. I seem to constantly be tired or exhausted. I had forgotten about that side affect. I remember napping all the time when I was pregnant with Angelina. I have learned that if I don't get my nap in, or at least a time where I can lay down for an half hour or so, I'm exhausted. So lately I've been going down for naps with Angelina in Brett & my bed. Andrew either goes down for a nap with us, is at his friend's house, or enjoys the peace and quiet by doing puzzles or reading. I've noticed that Angelina seems to sleep better and longer during these naps times. I'm hoping to continue this so when the new baby comes it will be nap time for EVERYONE in the house. I'm hoping this will help me keep up with sleep.

Water Balloons

2007-07-20T18:46:00.000-05:00

Did you know I can fill 100 water balloons up in under an 1 1/2 hours? I can, but my fingers are kinda sore. Angelina was my big helper and put the balloons in the tote. Nothing much more to say right now...get back to ya all later.

Weddings

2007-07-14T18:17:00.000-05:00

Congrats to the...

"New Sweets" & "New Kennellys"

May God bless these marriages!

I'm BACK!!!

2007-07-13T13:44:00.000-05:00

heheh....

After a long absences I have returned to the blog world. Today was clean up day and odd and end day. You know, odd and ends, ... the stuff that you don't normally get to like:

-making those odd phone calls to check up on your insurance, you got billed incorrectly, etc...
-balancing your check book
-cleaning out the junk drawer (ok...maybe I didn't do that one, but it was a good thought)
-going through your purse
-getting rid of all those receipts...I think I have them coming out of my ears - in my defense you never know what you're going to have to return

Well, I'm going to put Angelina down for her nap! See ya all later!

:)

2007-06-27T21:10:00.000-05:00

Andrew's room got the first coat of paint on it. Tomorrow I'll be painting Angelina's room and the last coat on Andrew's room. I also will be seeing the doctor so I'll tell you what's going on with the newest member of the Evans family...hehehe

We were truly blessed today. Both vehicles broke down (the truck yesterday and the car today), but Brett was able to fix both of them and it only cost under $150. I was worried it was going to be a lot of money for the parts, but it wasn't!!!! ($150 is a lot of money, but not compared to a lot of car problems) I'm so thankful that God enabled Brett to get home safely and fix both vehicles. He's finishing up now, it's 9:15pm, and he started when he got home at about 7:30. I love my husband!

Monday-Friday

2007-06-23T08:00:00.001-05:00

Yes, yes, I know...I haven't updated my blog in a while...sooooooooo...here is what has happened this week:

Monday:
Andrew got sick with the flu. The day was spent watching Larry Boy cartoons and wiping down any surfaces Andrew touched. Entertaining Angelina who didn't understand why she couldn't go "outside."

Tuesday:
Andrew gets to start eatting and drinking....VERY SLOWLY....Andrew has a weak stomach and if you introduce too much liquid or food he starts the process all over again. I've found that the Pedialite Freezie Pops work the best for all kids when you start having them drink something. It forces them not to gulp their liquid and gives their stomach time to adjust to the liquid. I disinfected the whole house so no one else would get sick.

Wednesday:
Andrew's all better!!! Church was great!

Thursday:
Went out to the farm to show Andrew what a real farm looks like and how it function, and Andrew got to drive! hehehe! I remember sitting on my mom & dad's lap driving the car on the gravel roads while they controlled the peddles. That was sooo exciting as a child! So Andrew got his first "driving lesson" on the same gravel roads I did, and he couldn't have been happier. The look on his face when I asked him if he wanted to drive...priceless! My mom took Andrew, Angelina, and myself out to lunch at McDonald's (is there any other place to go when there are little kids?), then went back to my house and had a nice swim.

Friday:
Walmart, Bank, Post Office, GARAGE SALING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE garage saling! I was looking for maternity clothes which are usually hard to find because so many people give their clothes to friends or the clothes you do find are completely worn out and look like they're from the 70's. I asked one lady if she had any, "No" she replied, "Wait, I have a bag of maternity clothes that were my friends. Let me call her and see if she wants to sell them" The nice lady called her friend, and the clothes were FOR SALE!!! I paid $2 a shirt and got 5 nice shirts! I was SOOOOO excited!!! I also found a waffle maker (my husband LOVES homemade waffles)

AND........when I was at Walmart we were leaving and I saw a bunch of trees that said they were $3.oo...No, that had to be a miss print...they must mean $30.00. Nope, they were $3.00. I quickly parked the truck and got 6 trees (about 6' tall) for $18.00!!!!! I was soooooooooooooooo excited. See, we live in a new community. This means we have no shade at all!!! I realize the 6' trees aren't going to shade us, but they will eventually!!!

Bad Knees

2007-06-13T21:37:00.000-05:00

Today was Andrew's last day of school. He had a half day, so when he came home at 11:30 he had lunch and did some chores. Gram came over & watched Angelina while Andrew & I finished ripping all the grass out of my flower bed on the side of the house. I know I've said this before, but pulling out grass is the worst form of torture EVER!...especially at my house. Gram actually asked, "What in the world kind of dirt is this? I've never seen anything like this!" Either have I Gram...either have I. It was like the dirt was bored one day and decided to transform itself into rock. It was so bad that the pressure on my knees from trying to shove the shovel into the ground has my knees all swollen (I have bad knees thanks to taekwando - Jeffery knows what I'm talking about). But alas...VICTORY!!! All the grass has been removed from the ground and all of it bagged for the garbage man to pick up...all 12 lawn bags (won't my garbage man just LOVE ME)...all except a small pile because I ran out of bags. I couldn't have done it without Andrew, my big helper, and Gram, my encourager. While Andrew and I were working I kept on thinking about when I was little helping my mom. It brought back good memories. I'm glad Andrew can help me outside so he can learn all about God's creation...especially His bugs...hehehe

House Work

2007-06-11T15:15:00.001-05:00

Today Angelina and I cleaned all the cabinets in my kitchen, my bathroom, the closet in my bathroom, and cleaned and reorganized all of Angelina's toys. How long did this take? . . . a long time, but not that long. Thankfully, the last time I did all of the cabinets and closets I organized everything to make it easier on the family and myself. Most of my kitchen cabinets just needed to get wiped down and the few things out of place put back. Angelina was very helpful by helping me put everything back away. I'm sooooo happy all of this got done!!! Later this week my Gram is coming over to help watch Angelina while I clean all the screens and the outsides of the windows. It always feels so nice when I completely clean stuff . . . not the everyday putting away, but the CLEAN. I always feel tired but satisfied when I'm done. My house isn't near the completely clean stage, but with the two bedrooms and the living room to go, I'm almost done. The kitchen always seems to take the most amount of time. I'll keep you updated on my "clean week" :)

Catching Up

2007-06-07T10:06:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! Here are some cute pictures of the last week...

The Andrew's friends and Angelina all acting like hams...hehehe...the minute I got the camera from inside they all started posing and trying to get in all the pictures...it was really funny

One of my blooming flowers in the front

Angelina's first french braid.

Appreciation Dinner

2007-06-01T22:46:00.000-05:00

Tonight we had an appreciation dinner at Aurelio's Pizza in Lockport. We had lots of pizza and some fun games. Debbie & Cheryl dominated the game field with Mrs. Julie winning the last game. The last game was my personal favorite. Everyone had a famous person's name on their back. They had to guess who was taped to their back by asking yes or no questions (like the game 20 questions). For example, "Did I live during WWII?" Some of our famous people were:

Cleopatra
Winston Churchill
Dr. Seuss
Henry Ford
Napoleon
Einstein
Mozart
Noah

It was really funny to watch people try to guess who they were. I hope everyone had a fun relaxing time!!!

Happy Birthday

2007-06-01T15:13:00.001-05:00

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY ANGELINA!!!!!

Master Clubs

2007-05-31T09:53:00.001-05:00

Wednesday night was our last Master Clubs meeting for this year. We had an end of the year party with snacks, games, and lots of fun! Thoughout the Club time I kept on thing, "We have finished well." All of us - Brett, myself, and all the Leaders. This Master Clubs year was filled with it's share of trials and stumbling blocks, but through it all the Leaders have continued through their difficuilties with the Lord's help, and came out on top of the mountain. Brett & myself would just like to thank all the Leaders for all their hard work and steadfastness with the program. We would also like to thank Pastor for giving us the opportunity to serve the Lord in Master Clubs. Thank you everyone for your hard work!!!

B-Day's & Grass

2007-05-29T16:23:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Brett & his Dad finished wiring Andrew's room downstairs. They were up early working on it and finished by 11:30 in the afternoon. What a blessing!

We celebrated my Mom's Birthday. We surprised her. She didn't think anyone was coming over and than Brett, Angelina, Gram, Mark, Lisa, and I showed up. We all had so much fun. It was especially nice for my Mom because she didn't have to lift a finger! Rob got all the meat & veggies and made shish kabob (he's the best grill cook EVER!!! I'd rather have his creations on the grill than go to a five star restaurant he's that good!), I made the pasta salad, and Gram brought the desert and fruit. It was a great time! We played games afterward, and the girls won 2 out of 3 games!!! hehehe

Today Angelina and I went to my Gram's house to start fixing up her lawn. Jack and Mom came and we spent a lot of time mowing, edging, weeding, creating new beds, planting annuals, and extending new beds. I'll tell you what,...grass is the worst thing in the world to get out of the ground!!! My finger tips are numb...hehehe...I'm getting a good tan though :) I'll most likely be there the rest of the week working. We still have to finish the sides and backyard and than mulch everything.

Gram watched Angelina and she played in the little pool splashing around, went for a walk in the stroller, and just had a great time with her great-grandma

Ohh yeah...my brother Rob called me at Gram's telling me that the electrical outlet downstairs caught on fire. He was able to stop it, but my whole house smelled like smoke and of course the damage caused from the fire. I get home and go downstairs to see the damage,...and my brother's asks,"What's wrong?"
"What do you mean what's wrong?" I reply, "Where's the damage?"
It was at this time he started to grin...a very mischievous grin...A grin that tells me this was all an elaborate hoax...one of his practical jokes...so I calming told Rob,
"I'm going to smack you"
Of course once it was all over I was laughing, I praised God that there really wasnn't a fire, and I didn't actually smack Rob...aren't you proud?
hehehehehe

Pacifier

2007-05-26T07:54:00.000-05:00

Well it's official everyone . . . the PACIFIER is GONE FOR GOOD!!! Hurray!!! We can official say PACIFIER in our house without a crying fit from Angelina and a headache for me . . . hehehe! Actually, except for the first maybe 5 days Angelina has been great. This ordeal wasn't near as horrific as I was expecting. Praise be to God! I prayed that getting rid of the PACIFIER would go smoothly and it has. Now I have to start on the potty training...hmm...maybe I'll take a break for a week before the next step...hehehe :)

Veggies, Roses, & Trees

2007-05-25T14:28:00.000-05:00

It has been a busy week, but I finally got all my veggies in the garden. I have an assortment of cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplant, cauliflower, green beans, & cantaloupe. I also received my Mother's Day gift in the mail yesterday. I got 3 climbing Blaze Roses (they will have bright red blossoms and they bloom all summer!) I also got 2 quick growing trees. I'm SO excited about all my new flowers and my garden!!!!!! Andrew & Angelina helped me finish planting today. We also took a trip to Big R to get some small pots for my herbs. Andrew's room downstairs is almost framed out all the way, so we now have to wait for the electrician to come and do his thing.

Work, Work, Work, & more WORK

2007-05-22T09:07:00.000-05:00

I've been catching up on all the house work, and I'm almost done Praise God! Our family has a lot of projects we're doing currently, so there's always something to do! Last night I stayed up till midnight sealing the basement walls in preparation for Andrew's room and the play room. Today Angelina and I are going to get the garden soil so we can plant all our veggies! And there's a ton of stuff to do outside. I'm excited though, I LOVE working outside! It doesn't seem like work most of the time . . . I get a tan, exercise-that doesn't seem like exercise, and not have to worry about how my hair looks! Does it get any better? hehehe : ) I love that I can start making new flower beds, going to the park with Angelina, and just having fun! Last night after dinner all four of us went to the park down the street-it was so much fun. Watching Brett try to fit down the slide with Angelina sitting on his lap was FUNNY! I think I lost five pounds from laughing (don't I wish). Adios!

Sailboat Regatta & Pinewood Derby

2007-05-21T09:27:00.000-05:00

The Sailboat Regatta & Pinewood Derby was yesterday (as you all know). We were truly blessed! There was such a large turnout. This was our biggest Race yet with 36 Racers! This is truly amazing because four years ago there were I think 11 Racers. Not only that, but I think almost the whole Church came to watch!!!! Brett & I were so pleased that so many people came to support the children. Thank you to everyone that helped set up, clean up, and everything in between!

Saturday I was able to watch my cousin in her school's production of "Bye Bye Birdie." She was in the chorus and did a teriffic job! I was so proud of her! This was her first musical and she did an awesome job!

I'd write more, but I'm completely exhausted from this weekend!

Aww...how cute!

2007-05-18T12:58:00.000-05:00

Last night it was time for Andrew and Angelina to go "nite-nite." Brett was tucking Andrew in and Angelina wanted to go "nite-nite" with her big brother. As she crawled under the covers saying "nite-nite...nite-nite," Andrew, Brett and myself were just laughing! It was so cute. I quickly grabbed my camera and this is what "nite-nite" time in Andrew's room looks like. Andrew is such a great big brother. Right away he asked, "Can Angelina sleep with me tonight?" He's always so great with her.

Hooked on...Blog?

2007-05-17T16:19:00.000-05:00

That's right, you heard me...My name is Rachel and I am a blog-a-holic. I've been trying to do new stuff with my blog so check out the site...I know there's not a lot of changes, but I'm proud of me!

Deb, her kids, me, & Angelina went to Sam's today to get all the food stuff for the Teen Rally & Pinewood Derby. It's safe to say I got my workout lugging' all the water, pop, and juice boxes. There are no words to describe how much food we had to get. I can tell you this, I had to rearrange my freezer downstairs to make all the hot dogs fit!!! And I still had two packages that needed to go in the upstairs freezer! I had a lot of fun. Deb is always great fun to be around and Kyle and Beth are always so much fun to be around. Kyle, even with this broken collar bone was still trying to put all the packages of water in the cart. He is such a wonderful young man. Beth is the little mother. I don't have to watch Angelina when Beth is around because she watches her like a hawk!!! I know I have found a future babysitter!!! She can give me a full report on what Angelina has done on her watch!!! They both make me laugh. Before we even got in the store Kyle and Beth were both saying, "Free samples! Free samples!"

I'm looking forward to the Derby, Rally, and Bible Study tomorrow...see you all later!

.........?SHOCK?............

2007-05-17T08:26:00.000-05:00

Ok...YOU ARE ALL INSANE!!!! This is like a whole new world this Blog thing. I feel like I'm in junior high passing notes in class. I got on to check my blog and add another post and here are all these comments from you all. It's GREAT!!! I didn't know it was so much fun...why didn't one of you tell me? (please don't throw the rotten food) *wink* Seriously this is great fun.

Well here is a picture of the new/used patio furniture . . . actually only one chair. This is a picture of my front door. The color doesn't match perfectly, but it still looks really good. I'm happy with it. I just have one more chair to do so I'm really excited. Funny story: while I was spray painting my dog was outside playing . . . she now has a pink tinted coat . . . hehehe . . . I tried taking a picture, but it didn't turn out real well. Talk to you all later!

2007-05-16T14:09:00.000-05:00

I got in a while ago from spray painting my new/old patio furniture. My mom gave me her old patio furniture. I'm so excited I painted it a cranberry red...like this color font. I'm hoping it will match the color of my shutters. I just have one more chair to paint, but I ran out of spray paint. If I come to Church tonight covered in red paint...you know why.

Angelina fell asleep for her nap with out the (pacifier) and she only cried for about a minute. I always feel like such a horrible mom when she cries like that. She doesn't understand why she cannot have her (pacifier). She's doing a lot better now than on Monday.

2007-05-16T08:54:00.000-05:00

Well Angelina has been off her pacifier since 11:00 yesterday afternoon. She went down for her nap without it and went to sleep without it. She's doing a lot better today than yesterday. Brett & I have declared that the word PACIFIER is a swear word in our house until the next baby comes. Angelina seems to do fine until someone says that word.

Andrew started painting his race car this morning. He's doing a great job on it. He's so cute...I asked him how he wanted to paint it and sure enough he had it all planned out with with all sorts of colors.

Brett's driving in a semi all day today. He's going to take his test this Saturday so all you out there reading this please pray for him to pass his test.

Angelina is eating all the marshmallows out of her luck charms cereal. She cracks me up.

Well I have like a million things to do today so Later!!

Time Zone

2007-05-15T13:14:00.001-05:00

Thanks to my awesome friend Deb...I now have the correct time...Thanks Deb!!!

1st Blog EVER!!!

2007-05-15T10:36:00.000-05:00

Hello all you beautiful people. This is my first blog ever!!! I have entitled my Blog, "Life with the Evans" It was either that or "Craziness with the Evans" I'm so excited I've finally started a blog. So all you buggin' me to make a blog... :P...no more buggin' me! jk I'm really excited about this. I've never been good at journals, but I'm hoping that since I can type, I'll be better at this.
So...Life...I've started to take Angelina off her pacifier...some one come save me PLEASE!!!...no, it's not that bad...ok maybe sometimes. Either way it will get better..this too will pass. To get her mind off her pacifier we've been spending a lot of time outside. Well, got to go for now. tata

Life with the Evans

Birthday Parties

Bargains

Cinderalla Ball

Laundry, Bleach, and Crying

Games

Computer Problems

Christmas Cookies

Thank the Lord

I'm BACK!!!

Vacation Pictures

More vacation pictures

Vacation Pictures

For Trish

Trying to feed Wesley

Garden

Blueberry Picking

Learning a lesson

Pics

Face Lift

So much!

Before and After

Praise!

Stuff

Not YET!!!

Home sweet home

Miracle

God's at Church

...

Favorites

Pound Cake

More pictures...

Enjoying life

Family

New Baby

Almost Time

Cookbooks, Trucks, and Dresses

Christmas Decorations and Secret Santa

Cookie! Cookies! Cookies!

I'm back!

Odd and Ends

Health

Ultra Sound

A Godly Husband And A Wonderful God

The Terrible Twos

Words Of Wisdom When Shopping At Aldi

Apples on Oak

Shopping with Grandma & Uncle Mark

***ATTENTION: Pack-n-Plays & MOLD***

Labor Day

Saturdays

Comfort Food

I Can Only Imagine

Stuff

Curtains & Closets

Sunday Morning Update

Curtains

Organizing Angelina's Room

Offical Count

Kolachkis

Coffee in the Morning

Recipes

Pregnant Husbands

Bills

Thank you

Sizzling Summer Services

Fishing with Brother Larry

Shopping by myself

Pregnancy

Water Balloons

Weddings

I'm BACK!!!

:)

Monday-Friday

Bad Knees

House Work

Catching Up

Appreciation Dinner

Happy Birthday

Master Clubs

ATTENTION: Pack-n-Plays & MOLD