Christmas Travels #1

This is the first of several posts catching up on our Christmas Travels! Then I will write about my rash vows of 2008 and what I am doing now for 2009.

First - we spent a delightful week in Texas with Abby, Greg and kids for Christmas. Here is a photo journal of our time together:

Making Cookies

Fun at the Rainforest Cafe

Christmas Pageant

Reading with Gramma

Beautiful Family

Ring Around the Rosie with Grandpop

Colette and Nosebaby

Cool Josh

Calvin teaches himself to draw perspective

Once again - we think with all grandparents everywhere - if we had known grandchildren were going to be this fun, we would have had them first!!

Christmas on The Compact

Good morning and Merry Christmas. I am having a wonderful Christmas still on the spending "Compact." For those of you who are new to my Blog or have forgotten - it was a pledge I took last January to try to go an entire year without buying anything new (except for food, cosmetics, hand creams etc, medicines, and craft items to handmake things.) I will be writing about the Compact soon as it has been LIFE-CHANGING! First of all - about Christmas. When you can't buy anything new, you get CREATIVE!! I have bought gifts all year at newly-rediscovered Thrift Stores and Good Will. You get a four-fold blessing buying at such stores - first you are using something again (and it did not then get thrown away in a land fill); second, you are blessing whatever charity is benefiting from the store; third someone is getting employment from your purchase and Fourth - You are spending about a 10th or even less then you would have buying it new. I am also sewing again and thoroughly enjoying making gifts. I can't describe the gifts (will do that after Christmas complete with pictures) but I LOVE the feeling of creating something handmade and special for my loved ones! I also love the money savings and knowing that I can truly live (BETTER) on less. My sister just emailed me the following link to a woman who moved her suburban kids to a farm in the middle of nowhere and describes how they are thriving. You will be blessed to read about their progress. http://suzannemcminn.com/blog/2008/12/16/a-homemade-christmas/

Inspired by Andrea! Back to Blogging!

Hello everyone (my two readers!!) After a 6 month absence, I am back to blogging. It has been a very busy time with lots of travel, lots of wonderful family visits and my going into business practicing law as: Arvold Law! I love my new life working about 1/2 time and finally having time again for quiet time with God, time to spend with Bill, exercise (the "E" word) and of course family and friends. I have been inspired by Andrea just posting again and putting some pictures up for your enjoyment. I am going to do the same. First here is a sample of the FUN summer that we had:

Return to Blog Land!

Hi it is me again. I have been (maybe noticeably) absent for awhile. I have been to visit both Abby and Christian's families, done much work traveling and much work at home (per usual!) I will be posting this week so I can catch up before summer and lots of wonderful family visits. Here are some pictures of part of my Spring Vacation - Aidan's 4th birthday. Enjoy and many more picture to come this week!

Aidan's 4th Birthday cake

made by Kate ~ Davis having fun too!

Grammie and Halle at the party!

Rash Vow - the Diet - Update

I have been stuck at a loss of 10 lbs which I know is great but I am just about half way and wasn't ready to give up. However, I was getting really hungry again and thinking about junk food (and just MORE food) all of the time and was getting a little bored - okay a lot bored! But - somehow I got remotivated this past week and am back on the losing path :-)) Bill has been really helpful and encouraging. We have started walking (with a little break for the FINAL - you hear me weather - freak snow storm of the season!!) and now have walked for two nice sunny days in a row. I had my annual physical and my already low blood pressure is now down to 100 over 60 (a drop of 10 points each). My doctor/friend said that even 10 pounds lost can give such a good result. Talk about an incentive!!! So now onward and down!! I will be sorely tested starting on Friday - I will be a Christian and Kate's for a long birthday weekend, then 5 hour drive to MN (I like to nibble in the car out of boredom but have been breaking that habit), 4 days of work, and then flying to Abby and Greg's (time sitting in airports smelling and seeing LOTS of good food and lattes!) and then a week at Abby's. I will let my faithful reader(s?) know how I do. I feel so much better and a little bit more in control of my eating. It also helps that Margie and John are also on the same diet (and were stuck at - 10 bls too.) Marcia has also been a real help and inspiration to me.

Rash Vow - The Compact - Update - Birthdays

Okay - the latest issue. I got through Grandchild Birthday #1 by going in with Abby to redo Josh's bed. I sent some UW Badger fabric I already had :-) and sent money which Abby and Greg used to buy a used bed frame and make a bulletin board-type head board. Perfect! Now it is Aidan's turn - Grandchild Birthday #2. Since Aidan can't read yet (he is a brilliant almost 4 year old but come on it's okay to not be reading Grammie's blog yet!) - I am putting my idea for his birthday this next week on my blog. I am getting him his very own gift certificate to the Milwaukee Brewers!! If his parents are really nice to him, they can go to a baseball game with him. The Brewers are awesome this year - and unfortunately are in the same Division with the St. Louis Cardinals. So this will be a fun (I hope) year of competing with Warren and Marcia's favorite team! Anyway - I also have a bag of candy to take as well - since I can buy "food." And as a Grammie - I am defining "food" rather liberally. Happy Birthday Aidan. Also - remind me to sing Happy Birthday backwards as Bill's Mom did this week at a Birthday Party with her friends in Hot Springs Village!

Politics, Movies and God

Bill and I watched a disturbing and powerful movie last night - Rendition. Without giving away the plot, the basic story line is an Egyptian citizen who is married to an American and who has lived in the US for 20+ years. He is suspected of being a terroist and with the approval of the US CIA, is tortured in Egypt. The bottom line for us - is that there is evil everywhere in the world. It does not really matter which country you are a part of. The only hope the world has is to know God through Jesus Christ. Even the best (and of course the worst) country will disappoint - but only God will never disappoint.

I haven't posted since the bruhaha about Obama's pastor. I, for one, am happy that at least the concept of whites not really understanding racism and what it is like to be black in the US is finally being discussed in the context of a Presidential Election. While I don't agree with all his pastor said, at least we are talking about these things in the open. That is progress. One other point that both Greg made on his blog and an editorial in the Milwaukee Journal also stated is that pastors (especially apparently in the black church) have a duty to speak forth for God and it may not always be pleasant to hear. Perhaps Obama's Pastor was being faithful to a call. Think about it.