Doing Your Husband Good

Just wanted to direct you to GirlTalk, an amazing blog that is doing a series on "Doing Your Husband Good" with comments from readers around the country sharing how they bless their husbands.

We all know different husbands are blessed by different things, but this may spark a new idea for you or refresh your efforts to please your husband by reading these comments. I know that whenever I hear an older, wiser woman who has been married over 20 years, with 11 children (in some cases) saying how her husband is blessed and what works for them, I want to hear all about that!

Pumpkin Patch

Our pumpkin patch experience was last week...what fun we had! Here are my little "pumpkins" in the picture above.

They painted pumpkins, went "fishing" for snacks and played a bean bag toss in a giant pumpkin. The ladies in charge of the "fishing" eventually had to cut Taylor off when she figured out she could get a snack every time she played.

Beckett had a great time just pretending the pumpkins were balls and rolling them around/throwing them.


Taylor Joy painted her very own pumpkin. She was mixing colors like crazy and it ended up almost completely brown by the time we got it home. I know she's only two and a half, but it was almost hard for me to watch (being the craft perfectionist that I am). I just wanted to step in and do it for her! Maybe next year we can work on keeping the colors separated. ;)

Taylor Joy and her friend Ethan painting pumpkins. She couldn't be more pleased with her work. What a cutie pie.

Notice Anything?

I'm beginning to notice a trend around our house.

Do you see what I see?

Beckett-A-Boppin'

Waco Trip

We took a trip to Waco on Monday with a dual purpose in mind:

1. Go to the zoo
2. Meet Cambell Cook for the first time!

So, combined that equals = meeting Cambell at the zoo! How fun!

A group of people from our church were going to the zoo and we decided to join them.


It really was a very easy day trip and the kids were (mostly) good during the car ride. Beckett fell asleep once I retrieved his paci and Taylor Joy watched a movie in the car. Not bad.

Not bad since I got to meet such a sweet little baby. Here she is with her mama and one of my best friends, Storey.

Taylor Joy loved playing in the water on their playground. Who knew that this would be her favorite part of the ZOO! (?)

Her and Asher were holding hands...so sweet!
All in all, such a FUN day!

Chore Charts

A recent craft project I undertook was to make the kids chore charts. As mother to a 2 1/2 year old and a 10 month old, I made them unbelievably simple and adaptable.

The project supplies I used were:

scrapbook paper
cardstock
stickers
word document with the "chart"
laminating paper
laminating machine
magnets (optional - mine hang on the fridge)

Simple, see?

Here is the outcome:




I just used dry erase markers to write the chores and it will easily adapt so I can change the chores as they get older. You can see that Beckett has some intense responsibilities ;)

Taylor Joy was excited that I made something just for her and loves the idea of checking things off of a list (can we say Type A, just like Daddy?). She loves to help and this is a great way to teach her responsibility and to thank her and tell her what a blessing she is as we check it off the list.

We started letting her chip in around the house at a very young age. Around 1 we started realizing that she desired to help around the house and so we would find little things that she could do that weren't too difficult for her. When it came to laundry, we would give her some washcloths and hand towels and let her go to town. She thought she was helping and since then she really has learned how to (messily) fold a towel. When I am loading or unloading the dishwasher, she helps by putting away her silverware, bowls and cups. She also takes her laundry to her room, throws away her trash, helps dust and puts her dishes in the sink. She is learning responsibility in the home and stewardship of the home. I am so pleased with how fast she has picked those things up because we have let her help instead of worrying about the mess she will make or about having to redo what she has done or about the extra time it will take to teach. It is well worth the time and effort to teach your children as you keep your home.

I'm making the document I used available in case you would like to make something similar for your children.

Chore Chart (4 blanks)
Chore Chart (6 blanks)
Chore Chart (8 blanks)

Enjoy!

A 10 Monther!

Our Beckett is 10 months old today.

This sweet boy is racing to one very quickly.

He is an active boy who loves to crawl around and explore.

He puts EVERYTHING in his mouth.

He is FAST! When I am trying to sweep the floor I have to be quick because he’s right there trying to get into all the “yuckies” that I’m sweeping. Then I will move along and sweep another area and he speeds over to try and beat me to it! It’s actually quite a sight to see!

He is such a little smarty pants! He has signed “more”, “all done” and waved goodbye.

He babbles like a madman…we hear “ba ba ba”, “la la la”, “ga ga”, and “ah” all day long and it is such a sweet sound to my ears.

He bops to the beats. Seriously. He stands at his learning table and bops around when he hears a good tune.

He gives good open mouth kisses to his mommy. He just smiles, leans right over and plants a good one on me. And it melts my heart.

What a sweet blessing you are, Beckett Cole.

(p.s. Look at that mischievous face...he got into the recycling when I wasn't looking...)

Fall Traditions

I was reading this article and looking at the pictures thinking several things:

1. I LOVE fall!
2. Although I love decorating interiors I have never really made an effort to decorate the exterior of our house.
3. How can I do this on a budget?
4. What are our fall "traditions"?

I thought I would ask you these questions, too:

• How do you decorate for fall? I want to hear about your interior and exterior and what you do to incorporate those rich fall colors and to bring the outside in.

• How do you decorate for fall using everyday items and what do you use (so I can copy you)?

• How do you do it cheaply? Where do you shop or do you make homemade items to decorate?

• What are your fall traditions?

Some things I am going to try this year or have done in the past:



These are Martha Stewart glitter pumpkins. We are making these in my MOPS group this month and I can't wait to set them out on my table. I'm thinking I may put them up on a cake stand along with some candles and leaves.

It's a longstanding tradition to carve a pumpkin in the Duty house. Allen and I started doing it when we were dating and have continued every year since. I think last year we may have done it at like 10 pm the night before Halloween, but nonetheless, it got done. Here's a picture from 2006:




Another tradition I would like to start (after convincing Allen, of course) is going to Dewberry Farms every Fall. I have heard wonderful things about it and activities include: petting zoo, pig races, singing chickens, panning for gold, zip lines, pumpkin stroll, pumpkin blasting (oh my, any boy would love this), corn maze, campfire, hayrides, a toddler playground, a country store, and more! I am convinced we need to make it out there this year.



A tradition that I would like to eventually get someone to join me in is making and enjoying apple cider. I have been trying different recipes every year and I think I have pretty much perfected my recipe. Me and my sis enjoy this tradition together when she's in town. For some reason I feel so bonded when we are sipping cider together!

I think that's the reality of traditions, actually. Even if they seem silly or cheesy, doing them together is what creates the bond. So, come on, spill your beans about how your family bonds during this season of the year!

Do you like my little d?

Check this out...if you haven't already noticed:


I found out about this lovely little gadget called a favicon. It's the little icon you see in the address bar and then up at the top of your tab if you use Firefox. You can also see it next to my blog if you use a reader. Pretty cool, huh? I thought it was cute, first and foremost. So you're thinking, how do I get one of those little cuties? Well, I'm glad you asked.

I'm going to make this short and sweet. If I have anything else to add, I'll add it in the comments.

1. Make something cute in photoshop or just choose some clipart that will look good really small.
2. Go to this website.
3. Upload your picture, let it create the necessary files and then download them to your computer.
4. Find the ico file that you downloaded and save it as .png in whatever photo editing program you use.
5. Upload that file to your photo-sharing site (I recommend Picasa and will use that as my model). After you have uploaded your picture, go to the right side of the page (in Picasa, at least), select large (800 px) and copy the code where it says "embed image."
6. Log into your blogger account, go to "Settings" and "Edit HTML."
7. Between the head tags in your HTML code, paste this:

<link rel="shortcut icon" href="http://myfavicon.com/favicon.png" />
<link rel="icon" href="http://myfavicon.com/favicon.png" />

8. Now, in place of the highlighted area, paste your location of your picture that you copied in step 5.

9. You may notice that what you pasted is quite a bit more code than what is shown in step 7. You need to delete everything up to the "http" after ".png". Save and you should be on your way to seeing cuteness every time you open your page, too!

Thanks to BlogU for the tips!

Buttermilk Dilemma

I have to be honest, I've only used buttermilk a handful of times before. I used to work at a diner in high school and some old men would come in and ask for a GLASS of buttermilk with their breakfast. I almost gagged just pouring it for them. Who in their right mind drinks this stuff? Isn't it just curdled milk?

Buttermilk is great baked tightly INSIDE of a recipe.

This is where you come in.

I have a half gallon of buttermilk sitting in my fridge just waiting to expire in a few days. I need all of your yummylicious, tightly-shaped, buttermilk-filled recipes. What kinds of things do you make with buttermilk? I've made buttermilk pie, buttermilk pound cake and buttermilk pancakes. That's the extent of my knowledge of how to utilize buttermilk. I need your help! Submit your recipes in the comments section!

Taylor Joyisms

Time for another round of Taylor Joyisms...

I start a piece of paper each time and once it gets full, I sit down, write a blog post and then start a new one. So...it's that time again.

She really has exploded with words, sentences, MONOLOGUES this past month... And you should hear her prayers. More on that later.

Here she is reading her Bible: "Adam and Even were eatin' the flowers and God said, 'no! no!'"

One morning I was making her oatmeal and sometimes I'll put an ice cube in it because it's too hot. She said, " You puttin' icing in it? Okay!"

After I asked her if she wanted a yogurt smoothie one day she said, "Yeah! I want a yogurt 'xcuse me!"

One of the hymns that Taylor Joy knows is "Brethren we have met to worship" and the line at the end of the song goes, "Brethren pray and holy manna will be showered all around." But, when Taylor sings it, she says "holy manners." Ha! Allen and I got a good laugh at that. We LOVE to hear her sing that.

The other day she kept telling me, "I'm your daddy, mommy!" and the only thing I could think of was, "whose your daddy?" What's that from anyways? I can't remember in my old age.

And lastly, I want to talk about her sweet prayers. This little girl has a special gifting when it comes to prayer, I'm convinced. She loves to pray and will pray on the spot when she feels like it. Here are some things she has prayed for lately:

Thank you for mommy and daddy and Beckett
Thank you for family worship
I pray that you bless mommy and Beckett
Thank you for macaroni and cheese
I pray that Beckett no cries
I pray that Beckett eat his carrots
I pray you make Chelsea no sick
I pray you help my hot dog cool off
I pray for Jason and Ashley
Thank you for cheerios

You can see what a treat it is every time she prays. Each time there is something new to smile about. Thank you, Lord, for this sweet girl! What a blessing she is!

9 months...

Our little Beckett boy is now 9 months old (Monday) and just as happy as ever to be growing up and moving around like crazy.

Some things he enjoys these days:

- pulling up on EVERYTHING

-following big sister around (she eggs him on to follow her and he does! it's really cute to watch. On a sidenote, I think we are entering a new era in the Duty house. The era of kids being able to actually entertain each other, where I am not the primary entertainer anymore. Praise the Lord! I may be on the verge of a shower that's longer than 2 minutes!)

-smiling...just look at the guy and he's grinning from ear to ear. Everything is hilarious in his world.

-being tickled (he is SO ticklish and he will get a pretty hardy laugh when you tickle him)

-playing in his crib (this started awhile back, but he will play in his crib up to 30 minutes after he wakes up from his nap. He hasn't stood up in his crib yet, but I feel it coming)

-food! He's finally becoming a good eater and outeats Taylor Joy at just about every meal.

He had a doctor appointment on Monday and it turns out he's stepping down on the charts. In the past he's been either off the charts or around the 90-something percentile for both height and weight. Well, now he's down to the 75th for both. He's weighing in at 21 lbs. and the height is at 29 inches. A big, healthy boy!

O Persistent God,

deliver me from assuming your mercy is gentle.

Pressure me that I may grow more human,

not through the lessening of my struggles,

but through an expansion of them...

Deepen my hurt

until I learn to share it and myself openly,

and my needs honestly.

Sharpen my fears until I name them and release the power they have

locked in them and they in me.

Accentuate my confusion

until I shed those grandiose expectations that divert me

from the small, glad gifts of the now and the here and the me.

Expose my shame where it shivers,

crouched behind the curtains of propriety,

until I can laugh at last through my common frailties and failures,

laugh my way toward becoming whole.



Ted Loder
-Guerillas of Grace-

Hunkerin'

When the Kinnard's told me they were "hunkerin' down" last night, I just had to ask myself...what DOES it mean to "hunker"? Here is the information I found:

It sounds like the most typically American of phrases, but it seems originally to have been Scots, first recorded in the eighteenth century.

Nobody seems to know exactly what its origin is, though it has been suggested it’s linked to the Old Norse huka, to squat; that would make it a close cousin of old Dutch huiken and modern German hocken, meaning to squat or crouch, which makes sense. That’s certainly what’s meant by the word in American English, in phrases like hunker down or on your hunkers.

The Oxford English Dictionary has a fine description of how to hunker: “squat, with the haunches, knees, and ankles acutely bent, so as to bring the hams near the heels, and throw the whole weight upon the fore part of the feet”. The advantage of this position is that you’re not only crouched close to the ground, so presenting a small target for whatever the universe chooses to throw at you, but you’re also ready to move at a moment’s notice.

Hunker down has also taken on the sense of to hide, hide out, or take shelter, whatever position you choose to do it in. This was a south-western US dialect form that was popularised by President Johnson in the mid 1960s. Despite its Scots ancestry, hunker is rare in standard British English.

So what did we do while we hunkered? It turns out our driveway actually doubles as a swimming pool during hurricane weather. Who knew? Can we get that added to the features of our home when we sell it?

Checkout our cuteness!

And by "our" I mean, all the others besides me. I wasn't having the best hair day on our picture day regardless of the fact that it was 100% humidity in the late evening here at George Bush library and we all had sweat running down our faces and backs. Okay, pretend you don't know all that and enjoy the Photoshopping that my friend, Larra, must have done to make us look good. Is she amazing or what? I would recommend her to you in paragraph form, but I think I'll just let her pictures do the talking:



























I'm sorry...I'm not good at narrowing down! Please let me know which ones are your favorite! I want to order some for around the house and I need help! Thanks!