happy saturday!

Kathryn and I.....

Miss Charlotte Claire will never hate me! How comforting. And sweet. Although I do think in like ten years she will forget this sentiment.

Suri does this all the time....is she not cute?

I made these cookies today....oh yum. Paleo pumpkin cookies....

3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup coconut oil (I was almost out of this, so I substituted butter)
6 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp baking powder
chocolate chips (I broke up a 3.5 ounce bar of Lindt Intense Dark chocolate with orange....and added a handful of Nestle chips)

Just mix the dry ingredients together and add to the other stuff....they are cake-y cookies, really moist, not dry and crumbly like some of my "healthy" baked goods.

I was craving some thing yummy this morning, especially after I made the girls some homemade waffles...oh I wanted waffles! But I ate eggs instead. I had some frozen blueberries too, with just a sprinkling of oats on top, some milk, and microwaved 'til hot and bubbly. I still wanted something good, so I made these cookies. I think they're good.

Today is a headache day. Sinus-y kind of blah headache. I took a few ibuprofen this morning to try to head it off, I know from experience that if I try to ignore these headaches they can get really intense. I took a second dose a little bit ago, and it still is pounding. I can't work out when I have one of these headaches, I learned that the hard way too. I was thinking of the , "No Excuses" poster, and what a mistake. My head was pounding so hard I almost threw up. Anyway. My body is telling me to chill today, so don't mind if I do:)

Paul and Joseph and Sam left to work at the Dome today for the college basketball game (Syracuse is STILL undefeated! 24-0, and ranked the #1 team in the country). I am staying here with the kids, as all the girls are at a weekend church conference, and of course Emily and Evelyn are in Jamaica still. I have just Sonja and Jonathan and Charlotte Claire and Camille, and Jon's friend Toby. It is relatively quiet, they have dollhouse stuff all over the living room and have been playing house in my room. They like to go from thing to thing without cleaning up, because they are never really done playing with anything.

I was planning to take them out and about this afternoon, to pick up my new glasses, and just get them out of the house. It is lovely outside, but can one really send a child with a broken arm out to play in the snow? And no way is Char going out without her. Anyway, I was going to go out, but Sonja K. is sick. She says she is feeling better because she wants to go, but...I just don't know about that.

They are waiting for me to finish with my computer so they can watch a movie on it.

I found out today that a friend who had cancer seven years ago....has it again. I didn't read his email yesterday, so I was blissfully unaware when I talked to his wife last evening, and now I feel like an idiot, she probably thought I knew, and I didn't say anything. Joseph said something to me about it this morning as I was washing dishes....and I just cried. This guy has eight kids. And he is a terrific father. A super nice guy, a very dear friend. He knows that God weighs and measures each and every thing in his life, so that is a great comfort. He has been an excellent example of seriously living the gospel in his battle with cancer, he is an amazingly happy person, for trusting God with his whole heart. So I am praying for him, that the new cancer is small and local and can be cured. His first cancer was very serious stuff, totally miraculous that he has had seven years after that diagnosis. I know there is a time and season for everything under the sun, and not one of us will escape this life alive, unless Jesus comes back in our lifetime:), and I know that each day has enough trials of it's own and we are not to be anxious for tomorrow....this is a testing of faith. It does really hurt to see friends suffer...all I can do is pray, and be good, and help them any way I can....and trust God.

Last evening Sam had some of his friends from church over, one last hurrah before leaving here on Tuesday. I made five pizzas and ten pounds of chicken wings, and had lots of soda and cookies and some candy for those boys. They are going to miss Sam, and I know it is hard for him to leave them. He feels a big responsibility for them...it is hard these days for young boys to stay on the straight and narrow.

It took me a few hours this morning to get my kitchen cleaned all up:)

My headache isn't getting much better, perhaps a nice late afternoon rest on the couch would do me some good. I could snore with the dogs while the kids watch a movie on my computer. Sounds like a win/win to me.....