Trip to the Zoo and Conservatory

In February, on a surprisingly warmish Chicago day, we took Tyler to the Lincoln Park Zoo and Conservatory. Here are the highlights:

Lazy Lion

Bird up close

Creepy Critter

Cute Critter

Longhaired Critter

Beautiful Sight - inspires us for spring gardening!

Jasmine - the smell was intoxicating

Celeste and Paul

Tyler and "Da"

Nana and Tyler

I am a Student Again!

Part of why I have been scarce lately is that, besides having been sick for so long this winter, I am also taking online courses to complete my BSN in nursing. My hospital is in partnership with a college that offers this. There was a discounted rate per credit hour and hospital tuition reimbursement. Completing my BSN was something I have thought about for a long time. So I jumped in! So far so good. I have completed one class, and am in the midst of another. I have to take Statistics next. Worrisome since math is not my strong suit. But I have a built in tutor here at home - Paul!

Embroidery

“For a needlewoman embroidery is like the poet taking up the pen; it expresses her deepest longing.” Ruby Pratt, Lark Rise to Candleford

My Tea Ladies and I have been watching the wonderful series, Lark Rise to Candleford. Which is a story about two nearby towns of very different types of people, and the interactions they have with each other. It is set in the 1890's, with stunning costumes, and a really fun story. We watched an episode last night while having our tea and late dinner. The quote above is spoken by one of the characters regarding a mysterious piece of embroidery that was found in a graveyard.

I have been thinking I would like to embroider again. It is a useful art when parked in front of the TV. But I never thought of it as romantically as Ruby Pratt does!

Where On Earth Have I Been?!

My poor neglected blog. There is a good reason, however. I became ill mid-January, and am only now coming out of it. I have named the illness the Infinity Virus. The whole family got one form or the other. The worst part was losing my voice all these four weeks. For almost a week and a half I could not speak at all. I can speak now, rather rasp-ily, but cannot sing. I hope to post more now that healing in happening. At least I hope it is. This has all been going on so long, I feel as though it will never end.

Scenes from Christmas 2011

We had a lovely Christmas! A wonderful blend of church and home. Here are the highlights:

We baked together.

We put sprinkles on cookies.

We decorated the house.

We acted in the church pageant.

We played harp at church on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

We ran downstairs on Christmas Morning!

We opened packages.

We got a fish tank!

And a dinosaur to go inside.

We ate an awful lot of chocolate!

"There shall a star come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel" from one of the hymns our choir sang. It was a lovely time all around.

Making a Gingerbread Man

To begin our Advent season, Paul got a Gingerbread Man kit for Tyler. He waited excitedly for a day when we all could get together and decorate him.

Planning his design with mama. We ended up buying white frosting separately from the grocery, as the icing with the kit was not yummy or easy to work with.

Finished! (Mama and Da helped.)

Yum!

Paul Saves the Day!

Our oven suddenly stopped working. We did all the trouble shooting the manual said. We weren't sure what it was, but most internet searches mentioned ignitors needing to be replaced under these circumstances. We were afraid to buy the new part and have it not be that, as the ignitors cost around $75. What if it was something else?! We called to arranged for the appliance store to come fix it, but they would take a week to get here. And they would charge $150, not including parts. So Paul rolled up his sleeves and got to work. He opened it up, took a look at everything, determined it would be a safe bet to try a new ignitor. Voilà! We have an oven! We also gave it a super cleaning. I love having a handy husband. He is a blessing!