Postcards from San Diego...

Ahh...sunshine! No, unfortunately not here in the Midwest but Blake and I were able to spend last week in San Diego, CA (area) where he attended a professional conference and I, well...I caught up on some writing, napping, reading & other such pleasures :)

Xander stayed with his grandparents, splitting the time between his 'city grandpa/ma' and 'farm grandpa/ma' and has been asking the past several days, "Grandma coming? What grandpa doing?"

We spent a few days in La Jolla which has amazing fish tacos, sea lion sightings, kayaking, Asian fusion fare and somewhat scary hotel service (i.e. our hotel lost the keys to our rental car!). We travelled north to Altadena on Sunday to attend church, driving in a convertible along the coast for a good portion of the drive -- I went with the carefree/wind-blown look :) Afterwards, we were able to spend a few hours in Redondo Beach with our friends, Justin & Robin and family. We took the short ferry ride from SD to Coronado Island later in the week where we walked around the town & the grounds of the Coronado Hotel (wow!).

Instead of posting pictures of Blake & I -- of which there are few b/c we're not nearly as photogenic as our little man -- here are some postcard views of our time together.

A New Playmate...

Our friends, Daniel & Kasey, have returned to the area after spending two years in Switzerland and have recently bought a house relatively close to our own (insert visions of playdates & date night babysitting swaps :)). They have referred to their 1-year old daughter, Alea, as their Swiss souvenier (how cute is that!) and she has become Xander's #1 favorite playmate lately.

Xander 'putting on the moves' with the little lady...

check out those gorgeous baby blues...

$25 Off Any $50 (Diaper) Order + Free Shipping

This is not my usual type of post but I love a good deal and here is one that could make some extra wiggle room in both our budgets :)

Diapers.com currently has a promotion going on, which I learned about from Money Saving Mom. Here's the scoop.

• Get $10 off your first order of any brand of diapers totaling $50 or more using code BCST8609. New accounts/customers only.
• AND you'll get FREE shipping, too.
• THEN you can print & submit the following rebate form within 4 weeks and you'll get $14.97 back. NOTE: The rebate link looks like it’s only a free magazine subscription at first, but scroll down and you’ll read how you can actually just mail it in for a $14.97 check.

And, here's where my savings come in. For a limited time only (February 10th thru February 28th), everytime a friend uses the above code (BCST8609), not only do YOU get $10 off your order but I get a $10 credit. No pressure here, friends :)

I just ordered an extra large case of Luvs in size 4 (for my nephew) and a big pack of Luvs in size 5 (for Alexander). 260 diapers for around = $0.11 each.

Snowy Days...

Our little African boy certainly does not seem to mind the cold/wetness/etc. of a snowy day! I open the window in his room each morning so he can check for snow. Lately, there has been plenty :)

working hard helping daddy shovel the driveway...(as long as the LOUD snowblower stays a safe distance away!)

playing in the snow with momma...(gotta LOVE that grin!) Xander is especially thrilled about drinking 'coffee' when coming in from the cold. (It is, in fact, simply diluted hot chocolate). Once his boots are off, he promptly ORDERS a coffee & straw and then sits on the table in anticipation!
Here's hoping your families stay safe & warm!

Weekend to Remember: The Winners...

FREE registration: Luke, Ann & Boys

$39 per person registration (expiration August 2011): Sarah

$39 per person registration (expiration August 2010, compliments of Rena): Jolynn

Certificates will be in the mail shortly.

Congratulations to each of you! Praying the conference will strengthen your marriages & inspire you to continue serving Him together, for His glory!

One of THEM Days...

My day started out with the best of intentions.

I decided to tackle the day-long task of making pecan-caramel rolls which are one of Blake's favorites. I was up early & had the dough rising by 8:30AM. It was to double in size within the hour.

9:30 AM nothing.

10:30 AM nothing.

11:30 AM. a SLIGHT rising (or perhaps simply my heart hoping).

I called a reliable food hotline number (my mother-in-law) who predicted I had KILLED the yeast by dissolving it in too hot of water. Perhaps salvageable but certainly not the sweet & soft deliciousness I was going for.

Since things were not going well in the kitchen I figured I would tackle the laundry.

I tossed the first load into our washing machine which last week a repairman suggested was safe to use but would eventually (probably sooner, rather than later) stop working b/c of a broken transmission (something about 6-teeth missing from a gear, etc).

The machine worked okay to wash sheets & blankets yesterday so I was hoping that $600+ operation/repair (a.k.a. a new machine) would be in our very distant future.

The washer filled with water, rinsed the clothes BUT then suddenly stopped leaving me with soaking wet clothes inside. I attempted to kick-start the SPIN cycle using a variety of creative techniques but with no success.

So, by this time I have a batch of non-rising bread & soaking wet clothes on my day's record.

Undeterred, I figured that I would at least get the dishes done. We don't have a dishwasher. I don't enjoy washing dishing. BUT my husband very much appreciates a cleared kitchen counter. While trying to keep Alexander from nose-diving into the kitchen sink from his position on the chair which is centimeters from my toes (he demands to be really close while 'helping' in the kitchen!), I began washing dishes.

We were chattering. He was tossing the clean dishes BACK into the sudsy water. I was trying not to become agitated WHEN...I noticed that my slippered feet were beginning to feel a bit soggy. I looked down to discover that the entire kitchen floor was flooded with water! A pipe/drain had become detached beneath the sink & was gushing from the cupboard below.

I ran to the basement to grab a stack of towels (after shutting of the water, OF COURSE) & began mopping up the mess. Alexander stood obediently on his chair and explained, "Whoa! Momma! Uh-oh! Whoa!" Yeah, thanks son!

I piled all the soggy towels into a wash basket & carried it downstairs into the laundry room with the intent of tossing it directly into the washing machine (a.k.a destroying the evidence) but WAIT...my washing machine is non-functional, remember!?!

So, by this time I have a batch of non-rising bread, soaking wet CLEAN clothes and soaking wet DIRTY towels.

Can I PLEASE get a do-over?

A Weekend To Remember

Life has a way of overwhelming a marriage. Jobs, kids, activities, errands. Before you know it, checking your e-mail is more important than carving out a date night. FamilyLife’s Weekend to Remember marriage conference is a chance to make a change. It’s a time to rediscover each other and find more intimacy in your life together.

Some friends have gifted us with FamilyLife Weekend to Remember ministry partner certificates & since we'll be unable to attend one of these conferences ourselves, we wanted to pass them along to a couple who could. We have two certificates. The first winner selected will receive a certificate that waves the entire registration cost. The runner-up will receive a certificate that reduces the standard $129 (per person) registration to $39 (per person). Both certifiates expire August 31, 2011.

To enter, please leave a comment indicating a small kindness you've done for your spouse or something your spouse has done for you that has simply brightened your day & made your relationship stronger. I'll start. This morning as Blake kissed me good-bye I reminded him that I had his lunch packed in the refrigerator. Although this is not an uncommon task I do for him, this morning he said, "Thanks, sweetie!" Made my day!

I will plan on drawing the winners next Monday so please post a comment by 5PM on February 8th. Be sure your comment includes contact information.