Ew, Gross.

Today,I made the most disgusting cupcakes EVER.

I've been wanting to make this recipe for a long time. It's called "ice cream bread" and it's a super simple recipe that I've eaten a few times (at other people's houses) and liked. The recipe I quickly looked up online called for 2 cups of soft ice cream and 1 1/2 cups of self-rising flour. I was in the mood to bake something and thought it would be nice to send something in Colin's lunch, but I wasn't in the mood to go through a lot of trouble. So I thought ice cream bread, only made into cupcakes, would be perfect! And I had a gallon of Breyer's Triple Chocolate ice cream in my freezer, and self-rising flour in the pantry, so I was good to go!

Unfortunately...

The "batter" (I put it in quotation marks because it can hardly be described as such) looked like tarry, gooey globs of glue. Hmmmm, I thought, maybe add a little bit more ice cream? Then I tasted it, and it tasted HORRIBLE. Might this taste better baked? I wondered. I added a little bit more ice cream, to make the "batter" more batter-like and the taste more appealing. Then, taking a leap of faith, I greased a muffin pan, filled the tray, and baked it at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

And wow. What emerged from the oven is inedible. It looks like a cupcake. But it doesn't smell like a cupcake, and sure does NOT taste like a cupcake! I get a little sick just thinking about the grossness of the final product.

Maybe this wasn't a good ice cream bread recipe to use. Perhaps someday I'll be courageous enough to try it again using different ratios. Right now though, I'm just trying to work up the courage to scrape these muffins out of the muffin tray, which is about the last thing I feel like doing right now, given their strange odor and texture. Ick!

In an Effort to Sleep at Night...

...I've kind of stopped paying attention to the news.

And it worked like magic. The nightmares stopped! Hurrah!

HOWEVER you can't go anywhere or do anything or even log onto the internet without hearing the word "bailout."

It's unnerving.

That's why I thoroughly enjoyed reading this letter over at Amy's Humble Musings (one of my daily reads, by the way, and one that I think would be worth anyone's time). Her husband is ticked off and I'm glad SOMEONE is trying to do SOMETHING about all of this madness.

Here's a snippet:

I’ve read now that Merrill Lynch took $10 billion in TARP money, and paid $15 billion out in bonuses. I cannot even begin to express in writing the rage boiling within me at this iniquitous arrogance. It is nice to know that the Federal taxes I have paid and will pay into the system over my whole lifetime will not even begin to cover the bonus check for just one of these executives. I’m very glad to know that taxes taken from my 60 hour work week checks will help some executive pay for his nice mansion I could never afford, expensive car I’ll never drive, fancy dinners at restaurants I could never see the inside of, and very comfortable retirement that I will not have since I’ll have to work until the day I die.
Please tell me what you will do to hold these crooks accountable for these reprehensible deeds done at taxpayer expense and what you will do to prevent future abuses.

If I were you, I would just read the whole thing.

Go Amy's husband!

Boo bailouts!

Me, Late? Never!

I've been intending to post my "New Years Resolutions for 2009," but I haven't quite gotten to it. This is not because I am chronically tardy, though I am chronically tardy. This is because I am not a good decision maker. I cannot decide what to resolve to DO this year!

There are the two things I WANT to do this year. I want to learn how to knit baby's hats and shoes, because they would make great gifts and just be a good skill for a mom to know. My mom just learned how and she's knitting Micah slippers and I'm a little jealous. The other thing I want to learn to do is to sew. First, I'd like to sew bags, because bags are oh so cute, and if I can do that, then I'd like to figure out how to sew lounge pants. Because check out these lounge pants. I bought them for way too much money last year and I never want to do that again. Instead, I'd like to sew a pair. Wouldn't you?

But then there are the two things I NEED to do. Which are simple but NOT easy. Be on time (I am regularly about half an hour late everywhere I go, which is acceptable if you live in Italy, not so much here in the good old USofA), and go to bed on time. Which is about two to three hours earlier than I currently go to bed. It's not an easy habit to break!

And then there are the two resolutions that I'm already doing. The first one is to read through my chronological Bible. And I'm going to be easy on myself here - the goal is to read through the Bible, not necessarily to read through the Bible in a year, though I intend to try. This is one of the thirty things I am going to do before I'm thirty and two-and-a-half years goes by faster than you think.The second thing I'm already doing is simply embracing this season of life, even though if I could have it my way, I'd change a few things. Instead of focusing in the things I'd change, I'm going to focus on the special opportunities living in this season of life brings. It turns out it's a lot more fun to live that way, and I think in the end, there will be fewer regrets!

So, yeah...I could do ALL of these. It wouldn't be that ambitious of me. But I do hate to set myself up to fail. Being on time AND going to bed at a decent hour just seems like too much change for one year, what with all the other changes upon us.

(Speaking of...I'm not writing much about the inaguration because there isn't much to write about - the media is bubbling over with joy and ecstasy to the point of embarrassment and there's little more to say. President Obama can give better speeches than he gave today, but oh well, apparently it will still end up etched in stone. His daughters looked absolutely beautiful and oh SO happy, it actually did bring a smile to my face, and Micah, who watched with me, positively had a crush on them. He kept pointing out the "girls!" every time they came across the screen. I didn't so much get the poem, nor did I enjoy the final prayer. BUT...all that aside, I will pray for our new president, because, democrat or republican (or, ahem, neither), black or white, capitalist or socialist or somewhere in between, we will all stand before the one true Judge someday and be held accountable for our actions. "The king's heart is like streams of water in the Lord's hand; He turns it wherever He wishes" (Prov. 21:1). If we really believe this, than none of us have any reason to 1) worship the ground that poor man walks on, or 2) despair. We are in good hands. It's 2009, and all is well.)

Why I Get up in the Morning.

I Want the Ketchup Fights

"I want the house, Jan. I want the picket fence, I want the ketchup fights, and the tickling and the giggling." Michael Scott

Ah, don't we all?



Just about a week ago, after my lovely sister-in-law and brother-in-law left our house, a very serious tickle fight between Colin and I ensued. I say it was serious because I feel like I put up a really good fight! Strength was coming from nowhere! My husband can usually hold me where he wants me with one hand and tickle me with the other, and so the fact that I was actually getting a tickle in here and there meant that I was on fire! We didn't hear the texts on our phones notifying us that brother-in-law left his phone at our house and was coming back to retrieve it. Nor did we hear the knock on the door the first time. I'm not sure how long he stood out there, but when I finally heard it, jumping up to go answer it, I was a sight to see - hair all messed up, out of breath, and a wee bit sweaty. I opened up the door and he stood there, looking at me with an AWKWARD look on his face. "Um, I left my phone."

It suddenly occurred to me what it must look like. "We were having a tickle fight!" I blurted out.

"I just need my phone," brother-in-law said, and when I gave it to him he awkwardly said goodbye and hurried off, far, far away from whatever was going on inside my cottage.

It was so funny! Colin made so much fun of me for saying we were having a tickle fight. He says I sure do know how to make for an awkward moment, and he's right!

Anyway, three years ago from today, I married the man I now get to tickle (or I at least attempt to tickle), and I must say that though I've made a lot of dumb mistakes in my life, marrying Colin is the BEST decision I ever made!

I met him while leaving Braums one night with a group of friends, and while I'll spare you the whole story, I must write that as soon as I met him, a tiny, little voice in my head said, "You're going to marry that man." Colin says I pay way too much attention to that little voice in my head, but hey, it was right about him! And for the record, Colin heard a little voice too. And he doesn't usually have a little voice. Somehow, he knew he was going to marry me too. Go ahead and call us CRAZY - I like to call it love at first sight!

Colin is one of the warmest and friendliest people I've ever met. He always has a smile in those big brown eyes! When a little boy from my church was watching Pride and Prejudice with his mom, and Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley galloped in on their horses, he said, "Mom, these movies always make me think of Mr. Colin." And he's right! Colin is a kind-hearted gentleman, which was one of the first things I noticed and loved about him.

He's also strong and confident, a man who knows who he is and is not afraid to be himself around anybody and everybody. He will be anybody's friend, and can see the good in people, but he doesn't change himself for people. He is who he is, take him or leave him. I love that about him too.

It doesn't matter what the day holds; Colin approaches it with calmness and wisdom. He is cheery even when life asks a lot of him. He never complains. He makes me laugh! He truly seeks to love and serve the Lord in all things, and he is an amazing father to our son. We have had three years of ups and downs, but I am so thankful to be going through this life with a friend and a love like Colin - a man who reminds me of Christ. I don't deserve him, but I do accept him as a wonderful, unearned gift from my Heavenly Father, who must love me a whole, whole lot.

Wow. Really? At ONE?

Today I was stripping the sheets in the master bedroom only to look up to find my pile of sheets gone. Hmmmm. Where could they have gone?

In the washing machine of course. A one-year-old passing by the door saw what mommy was up to and, knowing what needed to be done, did it himself, without even being asked.

I had started the hot water in the washing machine and that's where I found the sheets - chugging their way into the warm, soapy suds - put there by little hands who knew just what to do.

Wow! He really DID help me!

I didn't really know what to say! I was like, "Thank you Micah! Really! Thank you!!!" Oh how I love that precious boy!

art museum

glass art

percussion art

(which obviously led to a dance party)

floor art

Micah totally dug the floor art

maybe Micah was being moved by the floor art?





so, we came home, and? sticker art!

Fine. Go Ahead and Call Me a Hypochondriac.

Today I went to the ER because my leg was turning blue.

It reminded me of the day I went into the doctor's office - for the second time, the first time having been misdiagnosed - with a brown recluse spider bite. Of course, by the time he actually got the diagnosis right, it was too late to treat it. "But doctor," said I, "my leg is turning blue." Yes, yes it is. "Might it fall off?" He didn't know. (That's when I went to the naturopathic doctor, was hooked up to an echinacea IV, was prescribed insane amounts of Vitamin C, and put charcoal powder on the bite. In a day or two, my leg looked as good as new. Whew! Crisis averted!)

Anyway, this is the memory that came to mind as I nervously surveyed my leg this morning, noticing it's apparent blue-ishness. HOWEVER, I did just dye my hair on Tuesday. And I took a shower on Wednesday morning. And sometimes the dye from your hair comes off in the shower, and I guess it could stick to your skin. Of course, in this case it would just be on the inner part of my right knee and calf. It seems a little isolated, don't you think?

I went to Friday morning Bible study, despite the blue, but did call my doctor and leave a message. While at Bible study, I showed the girls my leg. There were gasps and worried expressions. My friend Julie told me to go see a doctor. I told her about the dye. She said it could be a blood clot. That scared me. She said, "Christine, you need to go to the doctor. Micah needs his mother. It's better to be safe than sorry." Thank you Julie. (I know it's just because you love me!)

My doctor's nurse called back and said that my doctor is sick today and all of the other doctors are full, but I must definitely go the ER.

SO it was shaping up to be a stellar Friday!

My mother took Micah, and it was a good thing too! Because it wasn't ten minutes after I got there (Jerry Springer raging in the background), that a very angry lady and a very angry nurse stormed into the waiting area. They were yelling. The angry lady threatened to beat up the doctor, because "he's a bad doctor!" They went outside and angry lady cried. Then they came back inside. The angry lady picked up the phone and threw it! Hospital workers rushed in to her side, speaking in much too chirpy tones,"Could you come with me?", big frozen smiles on their faces. Then they got angry themselves and said that they were going to call the police. "Call the police!" angry lady yelled. One nurse came up to me and told me I was going to have to be a witness. I just sat very still and hid behind Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. Finally, angry lady stormed away and left. The nurses began to freak out and talk among themselves. I thanked God that Micah was safe at Nona and Papa's! Then, an hour-and-a-half later, though no one else was in the waiting room, they finally saw me, after I went up to the front desk to remind them I was there.

Then I waited an hour in my room for the doctor. They had a machine that automatically took my vitals continuously as I waited for him. When he finally came in, he left five minutes later, "diagnosing" me with hair dye on my leg. At this point, I felt like the biggest moron on the planet, and all I wanted was Micah!

I waited another hour before I was released. The machine kept automatically taking my vitals. I came out every now and then to remind them I was there and ask if I could leave, but they just smiled at me, said "we are working on your paperwork," and patted me back to my hospital bed where I belonged.

Finally, I was tired, hungry, and feeling very idiotic for having wasted four hours at the ER on hair dye. I could hear the nurses talking excitedly in the hallway about the angry lady. I went outside and said, "I've been waiting to be dismissed for an hour."

A nurse looked at me, surprised, and said, "Oh! I thought you left. Here." She opened up a manilla folder. "The doctor diagnosed you with..." (embarassing pause) "...hair dye on your leg. You just need to sign here. If it gets worse in the next 24 hours, please come back and see us. Otherwise, here's your doctor's number."

I'm sure my face turned redder than my leg was blue as I signed the paperwork and tried not to make eye contact with the group of nurses and doctors behind the counter. I don't know if I was ever happier to leave a place in my life!

So girls, IMPORTANT INFORMATION TIDBIT: Sometimes, when you get your hair professionally dyed, some of it may come off on your leg (or arm, or whatEVER)in the shower and make you look a little blue. Don't go to the ER, or I guarantee you'll feel blue too!

Meet Elinor

Meet Elinor Faye Gensch, my beautiful niece! She was born on the 23rd of December and we are so happy to meet her!

Her proud parents! What a wonderful mom and dad they make!

I knew I'd love her, but I wasn't prepared for how much.

She was lookin' good in her Uncle Colin's arms!

Auntie and Uncle



Of course, Micah had some major fun too. Not only did he get to meet his cousin, but he got to play wild and crazy games with Uncle Brian!

And it turns out Uncle Dan is just as much fun as Uncle B!

Cuteness.

Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of Micah and Elinor together on my camera, but someone did! I'll get one soon, because Elinor has come for a visit. (Now you know why I haven't been posting!)

While we were in KC visiting Daniel, Meg and Elli, we got to spend time with my Aunt Carla, Uncle Rob and their five kids. It was SO much fun! I didn't take any pictures, but that's because I was too busy sitting next to my Aunt Carla and soaking up her wonderful wisdom. I just love that family so much! They are one of the most loving, curteous and kind families (not just to others but to each other) that I have ever met. My aunt and I talked until 1 a.m. about marriage and family, and I left feeling encouraged and renewed all over again to build a grace centered home alongside Colin (who thankfully is naturally a very gracious man!). Their family is such a precious family, and Colin and I are so thankful for their example as we begin our own family. I felt like I had been on an overnight marriage retreat! It was great and just what I needed!

We Had Him Home for Two Weeks...

(Pretending to sleep, dontcha know?)

The days quickly began to revolve around Colin. It didn't take long for Micah to figure out that Daddy could build a pretty nifty choo choo track, and soon his first word every morning was, "Daddy?" Maybe it won't always be this way, but as of right now I think it's safe to say that Daddy is Micah's best friend.

They Don't Call it the Most Wonderful Time of the Year for Nothing!

We've been going non-stop! It's been so much fun. There's nothing more fun that spending time with the people you love. However, going back to regular naps and somewhat normal bed times feels like the right thing to do. I guess that's why we only party like this once a year!

Luckily, through all of the hustle and bustle, my husband and son gave me a break every now and then. Colin wrapped all of our presents this year (what a man!), with Micah's help of course. Micah was ever so SERIOUS as he helped his daddy tape. It was precious!


I took some great pictures of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but unfortunately I didn't put the memory chip in my camera and I don't have a chord that hooks my camera up to my computer. SO, those lovely memories are between me and my camera. We spent the night at my parents' house on Christmas Eve, and I felt like a kid again waking up on Christmas morning in my childhood home! It was super fun. Plus, there's something about having a child that makes you feel like a kid again around this time of year. Micah loved the trees and the snowmen and the lights that decorated people's houses, and I had tons of fun introducing him to all of these things!

For Boxing Day, I brought my memory chip. If you want to read about Boxing Day, you'll have to read about it here. The truth is that I really don't know what Boxing day is at all - I've been told, but I guess it went in one ear and out the other. I know it involves crackers (which, by the way, are AWESOME!), and in these crackers you will find little toys and crowns that you later wear on your head. So Boxing Day consists of popping open your British crackers and wearing the paper crown on your head. My favorite part was seeing my husband wear his crown.

I just love seeing the little boy come out in him!

Dinner was wonderful, and the table was just beautiful. Jonna worked really, really hard!



Check out this special Boxing Day cake, which Jonna started MONTHS AGO. I know that it sounds gross, but I wasn't afraid. I ate it, and it was good!



But definitely the highlight is when we hummed Christmas carols with the whistles that came in our Christmas crackers! I can't remember what song we hummed, but we totally nailed it. Score!

Grandpa conducted... the rest of us concentrated.




Jeff and I had an ongoing battle to see if I could take a picture of him playing his little whistle. He put up a good fight as I failed many times, but I definitely won in the end, did I not? Two whistles!!!



AND of course, the highlight for Micah was not so much the whistling...



...as was the old, electric choo choo Grandpa lovingly set up around the tree.



Although there was definitely a portion of the night with NO Micah under the tree, just a Grandpa, a Daddy, and a choo choo. Like I said, kids bring out the kids in us all!



All in all, it was a fun December 26th! What a wonderful family I married into. (And this is just the half of it! I forgot my camera at the other festivities.)


This, by the way, was the THIRD picture we took. There was just too much silliness for Jonna to keep a straight face. And of course, I just now, whilst uploading this picture, realized that Erin was giving Jonna bunny ears. NERNA! After all that trouble!