I love this face

He never wakes up with a crabby attitude.  He's always ready for a party.  Never meets a stranger. 

He sings "Awesome God" loudly.  He does everything LOUDLY.

Five years old forever.  Please.

January in Minnesota - Survival Tips

 Do your best to keep a positive attitude.  This includes large amounts of chocolate....and shopping.

When the temperature actually reaches above 15 or 20 degrees, throw the kids outside - preferably with snow gear on. 

Cheer for the Packers.  Even if they don't go to the Playoffs. 

If they happen to do well, count your blessings and yell things like, "Take THAT Favre!!"

Take Vitamin D.  I have heard it helps those deprived of sunlight.  If that doesn't work, get a doctor to order you to go to California for a couple of weeks.

Cuddle up with your kids an hour before bedtime and look at pictures from when they were babies.  Pretend you actually enjoyed the way they used to hide toys in their pull-ups.

Schedule "dates" with friends.  Meet her at Applebees at 8pm, when the craziness in the house has diminished.  This might just save your life.

Keep a tall stack of books and magazines next to your bed.  Climb in at 8:30 or 9 some nights and just read and read and read....and confuse your husband completely.....

Get a membership to the Y or Snap Fitness.  Actually go once a week AT LEAST...

If that doesn't work, buy DVDs that yell at you to work out, and laugh at them working up a sweat.



recipes from my kitchen (which no one should see right now)

I recently chose some recipes for a class project for Daniel, (they are making a cookbook) and thought I'd share them here.  I was in a quirky mood, so beware. 

Appetizer – Toffee Chip Apple Dip (Props to J. Eckmann, who changed my life at MOPS one day with this recipe)


1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ package Heath or Skor chips (or 3 Heath bars chopped/crushed)



1. Cream the cream cheese, add sugars and vanilla till smooth

2. Mix in toffee chips

3. Chill for at least 1 hour. (Longest hour of your life…)

4. Serve with sliced apples or other firm fruit

5. Share with others and don’t take any home (trust me in this)





Main Dish – Baked Pork Chops  (WORD to my mother who gave me this recipe)

1 package of pork chops
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
Salt and pepper



1. Whisk together egg and water, place in shallow bowl

2. In another shallow bowl, place bread crumbs

3. Dip chops in egg mixture, then in crumbs

4. Place in oiled skillet for a few minutes on each side

5. Place chops in dish covered with foil, bake @ 350 for 30-40 minutes, then uncover and bake another 10-15 minutes

6. Call them “Cowboy Pork Chops” or “Skywalker Skillet Chops” to add excitement for uninterested children….


Dessert –Is Spring Here Yet?? Dessert (or Worms in the Mud)


¾ cup butter, melted
1 cup powdered sugar
1 large box chocolate instant pudding
3 cups milk
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1 container cool whip
1 package double stuffed oreos (Ziploc bags for crushing oreos)
Gummy worms

1. Mix up the pudding, put in fridge

2. Crush all oreos in a bag, then remove about ½ cup to reserve for the topping (kids love this part)

3. Add melted butter to the rest of the crushed cookies, mix.

4. Spread crushed oreos into a 9x13 dish.

5. Mix cream cheese and sugar. Fold in cool whip.

6. Spread this on top of the oreos

7. Spread the pudding on next.

8. Sprinkle that ½ cup of crushed oreos on top of the pudding, then let kids stick in gummy worms to give it that great “dirt” look.

9. Set in fridge for 1 hour.

10. Pretend you made it for the kids, then eat half of it yourself.

Crazy 'Bout a Pigeon

My students have fallen hard for this pigeon.  He is the pigeon written about by Mo Willems.  I randomly brought in a book months ago to read on a Friday.  I knew how much my own children loved it, and although my students are much older than the target audience -- they are seriously obsessed with him.

Here's a link if you want to party with a pigeon:  http://www.pigeonpresents.com/

 I'm a huge fan of Mo Willems, and I've probably gushed about him before, but I just think he's a brilliant dude.  He's also written about the Knuffle Bunny, but our favorite around here is definitely the pigeon.

One of my favorite things to do is read to my classes and sometimes I think I should've been a librarian.  But, being an English teacher is probably more fun because I can speak above a whisper. 

Spelling Nerds Unite!

I love this picture.  No, it's not me.  My hair is much longer.

Misspelled words make me crazy.  I try to give grace and kindness to all mankind, but sometimes I just want things to be RIGHT, not WRITE, catch my drift?  It's all I can do sometimes not to correct spelling on facebook. 

That would get me a lot of friends, wouldn't you agree??

I like to put two or three "challenges" on the board each day for my students.  The English language can be crazy and confusing sometimes, so we help each other figure it out.  For example, what is the difference between principal and principle?  One is your PAL!!  At least, that's how I remember it....

Here's a little English goodness for you today, because I care.

They're / Their / There

They're = They + are (Example:  They're never going to listen!)

Their = Possessive form of they (Example:  I took their dog for a walk.)

There = place (Example:  I sat there for hours.)


Your / You're

Your = showing possession (Example:  Your feet stink.)

You're = You + are (Example:  You're going to burn those shoes.)

ONE Word ....1-11-11

I heard this idea on the radio and just loved it--choosing one word for the year that would challenge and inspire you to stay focused.  It's a little like a New Year's resolution, but peeled down to its' essence.

I asked my students to journal about what their one word would be today, and here are some of the words that flowed out of that discussion:

DELIGHT  SELFLESS  DEVOTION  FINISH  SACRIFICE  SERVE  AUTHENTIC  LISTEN  GROW  THINK   DREAM   IMAGINE  CAPTIVATE  REST  TRUST 

Wait quietly before the Lord...what word does he impress on your heart?  How can you keep this word before you through the year to keep you focused and growing?

My friend, Ellen ;)

I recently sent a message to Ellen Baker, author of Keeping the House.  Sometimes I just have to tell an author how much I loved her book.  I know, I'm weird. 

I was so excited to get a response from her today and I thought I'd share a bit of it with you....

....It's interesting that your husband grew up near Superior, and I'm glad that my book brought that time and place to life for you. (The next one should do so even more -- it centers on a family living on a farm in northern Wisconsin and working at a shipyard in Superior during WWII.)

Check out her website (click on her name in the first paragraph) to read more about her next book, coming out this August!

A Conversation from Christmas

As I watched the kids at the counter, I couldn't help but imagine all the "conversations" going on.  Here was my observation one day:

 Mary Lou (3 years old):  Hope, this combination princess lip gloss/cell phone is so amazing.  I wish I had one of these!  With this ravishing red hair, it's so hard to find lip colors for my complexion. 

 Hope (2 1/2 years old):  I know!  I have the hardest time finding a color that doesn't clash with my hazel eyes.  Maybe we should just try on ALL the colors and see which ones look best. 

What do you think?

Jule (1 1/2):  Aunt Jeannie, I'm glad I'm a boy.

 Mary Lou:  Hope, these lip glosses will change our lives!

Could someone pass me my sippy cup?

Favorite Fiction of 2010

I had a friend ask me once, “How do you find all these books?” The only answer to this is that I have my “book antennae” up all the time. I look for books that are recommended in magazines, books in Target and Wal-Mart (since I’m there practically every week) and scope out the new books in the library when I can.



For example, my favorite this year (see the bottom of the list) was just sitting on the “new books” shelf at my local library, and I gave it a go.


Here are the best fiction books I read this year!



Eve by Elissa Elliot – Have you ever wondered what Eve thought in the Garden of Eden? Elliot (a Minneapolis native!) writes from Eve’s perspective in this interesting novel.



The Hungry Season, Two Rivers, Undressing the Moon all by T. Greenwood – One of my favorite new writers I discovered this year. She is a compelling storyteller and her sentences almost read like poetry.



True Colors by Kristen Hannah – Okay, yes, I fell for Kristen Hannah. I’m pretty sure I’ve read everything she’s written now…Picking up one of her books is dangerous because you know it will take over your life for awhile. Is it excellent writing? No. Not really. They are full of cliches and sappy lines. But are they compelling stories? Yes. Always.



Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse – Newberry Award Winner! This is a novel for the youngins. I’m thinking 6th graders would love this book. I love it because it’s written in stanza form, so every chapter is basically a poem. If you want a quick read and something to share with your kids – this is it. It’s set during the Dust Bowl, so I felt like I got a history lesson at the same time.



Half-Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls – This is more a combination of memoir and fiction. It’s Walls story of her grandmother. I LOVED Glass Castle, her first book and memoir of her childhood, so I had high hopes for this book, but I wasn’t as thrilled with it.



Keeping the House by Ellen Baker – I have already posted about this book, but it deserves another Yee-Haw! Best book I’d read in a long time, hands-down. Enjoy!

Keep Driving

The road to the cabin

Have you ever noticed that long driveways usually lead to somewhere good? 

I grew up on a farm at the end of a long driveway.  As a kid, I hated having to walk back and forth each day from the bus, but now I realize what "deep thoughts" I had time for on those daily treks. 

 But that was nothing compared to Aaron's family's driveway through the woods in Wisconsin.  On my first visit, I actually got a little nervous, wondering if we'd ever reach his house.  Aaron remembers thinking as a boy, "I feel sorry for people who have to live so close to the road." 

And then there's this one (above) that leads to the cabin where we spent Christmas and New Years with Aaron's family....It's so long, it's actually a road, but no one drives it except those going to the cabin.  But the drive is worth it.  Being hunkered down in the middle of the woods for the holidays, one loses track of time.  Games like Nibs and Balderdash become extremely important.  Watching old movies and eating all day....also very significant....

We made great memories this past week with Aaron's family and all the cousins.  We ache for the presence of Aaron's dad and miss his hands on our shoulders, his sense of humor and spiritual leadership. 

We all ache for Heaven more than ever.

I picture Heaven tonight as being at the end of a long driveway, a breath-taking, soul-satisfying destination at the end of this road we walk on earth.  So many of us make much of the driveway, building monuments and planting ourselves so firmly that we never realize it's just the means to an end. 

So this year, I pray you and I can keep driving, enjoying the view and loving fellow travelers, but remembering our final destination may be just past those trees, just beyond this turn.