Valerie on November 27th, 2008

“There is nothing more depressing than mopping the floor in the morning and it needing it again after lunch.” “Write down that I’m thankful for Daddy’s iPod, and for the green iPod…Just say ‘iPods’.” “I can’t wear this! We are supposed to ‘dress up’ and this is not a costume!” “Don’t get into my Bible; [...]

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Valerie on November 26th, 2008

I love Thanksgiving. There are lots of fond memories I have of Thanksgivings past, and none of them have anything to do with what we ate. It was the people with whom we shared these times that mattered. Make sure you cherish the day with those you love- it may be the last this side [...]

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Valerie on November 22nd, 2008

Dear Mother, My thoughts start at the beginning- before the beginning, even. From the moment I learned I was to become a mother, my life has not been the same. My first pregnancy ended in miscarriage, so early I hadn’t even had a chance to really feel what pregnancy was like. Conventional wisdom told me [...]

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Valerie on November 20th, 2008

I forget how I came across it, but we’ve gone wild about Cinnamon Bear around here. The Cinnamon Bear in the Adventure of the Silver Star was a radio program first broadcast between November 26 and December 25, 1937. Six nights a week, there would be a short installment. The story begins with two children [...]

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Valerie on November 18th, 2008

I’m drawing up a list to give Grandmas an idea of what the kids might like for Christmas, and thought I’d share: The Mini Masters Board Book Series by Julie Merberg and Suzanne Bober- this is a beautiful collection of the works of some of the greatest artists, a perfect size for those little chubby [...]

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Valerie on November 16th, 2008

I’m still pleased with my yogurt, and my bread, and now I’ve got one more thing to make with all my frozen pumpkin puree- pumpkin pie ice cream! I saw the recipe a while back, but forgot about it since coconut milk is not something I normally have in my pantry. Lo and behold, there [...]

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Valerie on November 14th, 2008

I spent all evening one night this week getting caught up in Todd and Angie Smith’s story of losing their baby, Audrey, last April. A friend of mine has had a similar experience, and I have seen the power and grace of God especially evident to these people through hard times. There is an irony [...]

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Valerie on November 11th, 2008

I wish any other time of year it was customary to pop a cd into the machine, and not only be entertained, but MOVED, you know? I suppose this kind of thing should be reserved for certain celebrations; the experience is temporary, therefore precious. Here’s a list of my favorite Christmas albums, with plenty of [...]

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Valerie on November 11th, 2008

(This was originally posted last December.) Delightful. Lovely. Heart-warming. Majestic. These words come to mind as I think about Michael W. Smith’s latest Christmas album, It’s a Wonderful Christmas. Having enjoyed his other Christmas album, I looked forward to hearing this work. It did not disappoint. The recording opens with a sweet anthem sung with [...]

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Valerie on November 7th, 2008

So much going on, so little time to type. I’ll try to hit the highlights… I saw on A Year of Crockpotting where she tried making yogurt. This was really interesting to me because I have already been thinking of ways to boost baby C’s immunity, and yogurt is one. I tried it over the [...]

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