Halloween and whatnot

This week has been a crazy week for the Sheets family.   I haven't even looked at my blog since last Friday!

It all started with Vincent getting sick.  He had what we can only assume was a stomach bug.  Tuesday night of last week he started feeling bad.  And for the next five days he was SICK!  Made several trips to the doctor for blood work.  He missed 3 days of work.  And for Vincent, that's saying something.  The man never misses work.  So you know when he does, it's serious.  Finally by Monday of this week he started feeling like himself again.  He went back to work a skinnier man--10 pounds down but a very hard way to come by it.

Then of course this week was all about Halloween.  For weeks I stressed over costumes for the kids.  Every year I try to come up with a cute theme for all of them.  Two years ago, Olivia was Cat in the Hat and the twins were Thing 1 and Thing 2.  Then last year Olivia was Dorothy, Colin was the Tin Man and Fia was Glinda the Good Witch.  But each year it's been increasingly more difficult to come up with a suitable theme that incorporates two girls and boy.  There are tons of things I could have done if I had one girl and two boys.  But alas, I don't.  So I finally decided to have Olivia go as Olivia--not herself but Olivia the pig, the cartoon/storybook character.  The twins went as characters from Yo Gabba Gabba--DJ Lance and Foofa.  And I finally came up with a theme for them, pitiful as it was:  Nick Jr. characters.  So sad.  But it worked and everyone loved their costumes.  DJ Lance was an especially big hit around the neighborhood!

DJ Lance says "Halloween is AWESOOOOOOME!"

My sweet little Foofa--she's pink and happy.

Can't believe they actually held hands

Nick Jr. triple threat!

I co-hosted Olivia's class Halloween party this year.  It was a lot of fun!  I hosted with another mom from her class.  We made it very low-key and even found some ideas of Pinterest for snacks and party favors!  That's about as Martha Stewart as I'll get all year.  But it turned out very cute and the kids had fun!  I was proud!

Olivia as Olivia the pig in the FIC Halloween parade.  She's the second Olivia in the line!  

Her 2012-2013 class and wonderful teacher, Mrs. Liles

Olivia and Daddy

It's a tradition every year in our house for Vincent and I to watch the classic slasher flick, Halloween, on Halloween.  Michael Myers' brutal murders of teenage babysitters brings a special kind of magic to Halloween that no other movie can.  The hideous 70's fashion, sub-par script, raw quality and haunting score are all little gems that add to the movie's low-budget charm.  It's definitely one of our all-time favorites and is on my list of scariest movies of all time.  Well, I had to carry on the tradition alone this year.  I watched the movie Halloween afternoon while the kids were sleeping and Vincent was at work.  It was awesome--even if it was "edited for time and content" since it was on a network station.

Then of course we had trick-or-treating that night for the kids.  This was the first year the twins walked it and they did so well.  They both walked almost the entire way.  We went pretty far, too, and their little legs never quit.  Seeing the grim reaper on the street didn't even phase them.  Well, maybe just a little.  It did me, too.  By the end of the night, candy buckets were brimming with candy.  

Halloween is such a grand time!  It's the holiday that ushers in the fall season.  It marks the beginning of the countdown to Christmas.  You get to dress up and you get pounds and pounds of free candy!   Scaring each other is the order of the day!  It's just FUN!  I think it will always be one of my favorite holidays!  I'm already thinking about costumes for next year!  That and making out the kids' Christmas lists.  

Five Minute Friday--Roots

Go!

When I first think of roots, I think about pulling weeds in my yard.  Why is it that the roots of weeds grow so deep?  Pulling them up seems impossible.  They twist and snap as I tug and yank and pull with all my might.  The dirt flies everywhere.

My children have planted the same kind of roots in my heart.  Impossible to remove.  But my children are not weeds.  They are the sweetest, most tender flowers of my soul.  I'm thankful that roots are strong.  I'm thankful that the rich soil of life is there to nurture them.  To make them strong.  The basis of my family tree.  One that will branch out into eternity.

Stop!


Here's the scoop on Five Minute Friday from Lisa Jo herself:

We write for five minutes flat. All on the same prompt that I post here at 1 minute past midnight EST ever Friday. And we connect on Twitter with the hashtag#FiveMinuteFriday

No extreme editing; no worrying about perfect grammar, font, or punctuation.

Unscripted. Unedited. Real.

It started because I’d been thinking about writing and how often our perfectionism gets in the way of our words. And I figured, why not take 5 minutes and see what comes out: not a perfect post, not a profound post, just five minutes of focused writing.

So now on Fridays a group of people who love to throw caution to the wind and just write without worrying if it’s just right gather to share what five minutes buys them. Just five minutes.

Five Minute Friday--Voice

Go!

Talking
Laughing
Singing
Humming
Mumbling
Whispering
Yelling
Roaring
(Writing?)

No  matter how we do it, God wants to hear our voice.  Loud as a shout.  Soft as a whisper.  As long as we're talking to Him.

Sometimes it's hard for me remember that.  I hate the sound of my own voice.  It's nasal-y.  I could never be an award winning singer.  Forget award winning.  Just carrying a tune is difficult.  Sometimes it's hard for me to speak up, speak my mind, speak the truth.  Why do I fear the sound of my own voice?  After all, God is the one who gave it to me.  He wants me to use it.

Writing is also a way to use my voice.  One that I find a little more safe than the spoken word.  Seeing words come to life in black and white feels good to me--better than hearing them on my lips.  I hope that I can use the words that come through my fingers rather than out of my mouth to glorify God in some way.  Still searching.....

Stop!



Here's the scoop on Five Minute Friday from Lisa Jo herself:

We write for five minutes flat. All on the same prompt that I post here at 1 minute past midnight EST ever Friday. And we connect on Twitter with the hashtag#FiveMinuteFriday

No extreme editing; no worrying about perfect grammar, font, or punctuation.

Unscripted. Unedited. Real.

It started because I’d been thinking about writing and how often our perfectionism gets in the way of our words. And I figured, why not take 5 minutes and see what comes out: not a perfect post, not a profound post, just five minutes of focused writing.

So now on Fridays a group of people who love to throw caution to the wind and just write without worrying if it’s just right gather to share what five minutes buys them. Just five minutes.

Lessons From Breakfast

The twins are really pretty good eaters meaning they usually eat most things that are put in front of them.  Or perhaps they've just trained me so well now that I've learned to offer only the things that they like.  It's probably the latter, those sneaky kids!  :)  But either way, most meals are usually eaten without the "picky kid" drama that we still deal with from Olivia.

One morning I was feeding the kids breakfast and I peeled a banana for them.  I cut it in half for them to share.  I put one half on Colin's tray which he immediately grabbed and stuffed in his mouth.  But when I tried to give the other half to Sofia, she resisted.  I looked at her, raised my eyebrows and said, "No?"  The only response I got was a super-angry frown complete with pouty bottom lip.  That's not like her.  She usually gobbles up bananas.  

"Okay, she doesn't want it.  She must be full now", I thought.  So I put the other half on her brother's tray thinking he'd gladly finish it off.  As soon as I did that, Sofia looked at me, obviously offended, pointed at it and said "I want 'nana!!!"  

Sorry, sweet girl!  I must have misunderstood that bottom lip!  So I tried to hand her the same peeled banana half I had offered before.  Again, I got the angry face but this time she also shook her head emphatically to tell me NO!  And she pointed to the bunch of bananas on the counter and cried out, her voice like a screechy grackle bird, "I want 'nana!"  

Finally I got it!  She didn't want a peeled banana half.  She wanted HER OWN banana, partially peeled, that she could hold herself and eat like a "big girl".  Frustrated, I said to her, "Ugh, Sofia!  Why isn't THIS banana good enough for you?  It's the SAME THING!"  

But it wasn't what she thought she wanted.  And it made me think of  how many times in my life I have done the same thing with God.  He offers me a blessing, but it's not exactly what I want--or THINK I want--and I dig my heels in and tell Him it's not good enough.  I want it the way I want it or I don't want it at all.  I can think back on several times in my life where I did this.  Sometimes I didn't realize I was doing it.  Sometimes I just ignored the blessing or misinterpreted it.  Other times I was just oblivious.  But there were several instances where I fought Him tooth and nail to force things to be the way I wanted them to be.  His plan was not good enough.  And because I refused to see things His way or even entertain the thought that He may be right and I might be wrong, I paid a huge emotional price for it.  But unlike the frustrated parent that I know I can be when my kids are obstinate, God's patience and faithfulness was constant.  He gently nudged me along helping me find my way and held my hand as I stumbled down a path that I was trying to forge for myself.  He still helps me make good of my life today despite all the poor choices I've made along the way.  

Going forward, I know that I'll continue to mess up and make mistakes as I go through life.  But going forward I plan to be on the lookout for God's blessings and receive them ALL with an open heart and open mind.  

An open letter of apology to my husband

Dear Vincent,

Today the November 2012 issue of Better Homes and Gardens came in the mail.  You know, the magazine that's about all things home decor and cooking that just randomly started showing up in our mailbox one day.  Well I had a few seconds of downtime this afternoon (if you can believe that) and decided to read through this issue instead of tossing it or giving it to my mom like I normally do.  Oh my.  Let me tell you about some of the stuff in there!  I saw "37 must-have recipes for a homemade Thanksgiving".  I read about how to make the perfect pie crust.  Also saw some really "creative touches for our holiday table".  What holiday table, right?  Are you laughing at the thought of me reading this yet?  Don't feel bad for admitting it.  I chuckled at myself, too.  I admit that I enjoyed flipping through the pages and seeing what STYLISH homes look like and reading about what it takes to prepare a REAL meal.  And yet with the turn of every page, felt less and less like a good wife.  I am definitely no June Clever.  Martha Stewart would laugh at me.  Carol Brady would be disgusted by me--after all, she's got SIX kids!  I'm less than ideal so I'm here to say I'm sorry to you--sorry that you married a girl:

*who will never don an apron while cooking dinner.  If I spill something on my shirt, I'll just change shirts.
*who doesn't know how to cook a turkey.
*who's known to leave clean laundry in the dryer for several days and just pulls clothes out as-needed.
*who doesn't know how to bake a pie from scratch.
*who doesn't like to bake, period.
*whose idea of decorating is just copying styles out of a Pottery Barn catalog--and even then it doesn't look very good.
*who has about 5 meals in her current dinner rotation.
*who owns a sewing machine but used it one time to make 4 square throw pillows for her couch.
*who told you it was better that you iron your own shirts b/c I might ruin them.
*whose idea of cooking dinner usually involves at least one dish that comes out of a box, bag or Crock Pot.
*who will probably never have a complete set of her wedding china, flatware or stemware.
*who hates to vacuum the staircase so she never does.
*who may never get the twins' room painted.
*who will never be "the hostess with the mostest".

I know that I am hopelessly flawed and I am the complete antithesis of what the model wife should be.  But before you start to reconsider your choice in life-mates, you should also know you married a girl:
*who loves her family more than she loves herself.
*who looks forward to all the Disney World vacations we're going to take with our kids.
*who thinks you are an amazing father.
*who loves that you are her best friend.
*who would rather spend time with you than anyone else.
*who appreciates and admires your work ethic.
*who loves your kind and generous nature.
*who is thankful to God for bringing you into her life.
*who thinks you are very intelligent.
*who prays for you.
*who puts you and the kids first.
*who loves to cook dinner with you.
*who is grateful for your technical expertise--especially when we have a computer crisis.
*who is thankful you never complain against her.
*who will love you for the rest of her life.

So maybe I should publish a magazine for all the wives out there like me--the poor man's Martha Stewart.  Or maybe I should take a cooking class instead.  Either way, I know I'm not the perfect wife, Vincent.  But I'm YOUR wife.  And I couldn't be any prouder.  Thanks for loving me, for being wonderful you and always being there for me!

Love Forever,
Allison