A Baby!!!

Can you guess who this is?

You all know about Needy Evie, she was number 2. Have I mentioned number 1? The Lizard King was married twice before finding perfection me. The first time was at 20, the second at 22...so young. Now while Needy Evie has worked her magic, manipulating their two kids to have nothing to do with us, Number 1 did not.

Yes, LK has a son from his first marriage. Let's call him Tatt-Man. Tatt-Man is 27 years old and married. LK was the only one to attend the wedding, almost 2 1/2 years ago, because well...we just didn't have the money for all of us to go. Then there was the "falling out" after the wedding.

A few weeks ago, thanks to Facebook, Tatt-Man's wife "friended" me. We started talking and working on the men. LK was easy. Tatt-Man was a bit more of a challenge. It worked though. I have spoken to Tatt-Man and his wife twice on the phone. Things are looking good!

All this back story is leading up to the answer to the question above. Tatt-Man and his wife are having a baby!!! I am going to be a grandmother. Princess is just tickled that she is going to be an aunt at age 6. LK, well he is just over the moon that he is going to be a grandfather.

I just wish that Tatt-Man and family didn't live so far away. Sometimes distance isn't such a good thing. We'll have to do our best to be involved, long distance grandparents. Baby is due March 5th. We can hardly wait!

Mommy, there's only Christmas...

At Target the other day, walking past the card area Princess looked at the banner above and said, "Mommy, there's only Christmas. Where's Hanukkah?" I found the little section of Hanukkah cards and pointed them out. This, however, was not good enough. While there is a Hanukkah section, there is no Hanukkah anywhere in the banner above.

Yesterday at Michael's we walked in and Princess said, "Mommy, there's only Christmas." I told her that they probably don't know how special Hanukkah is. Princess still felt sad.

It is so sad that a holiday we feel is so special doesn't get any recognition in the abundant decorations in every store we enter. Princess feels sad and I feel sad for her. How do I explain that this is just the way it is? Why is it okay that this is the way it is?

A few years back I was shopping in a small local store during the holiday season. After paying, I wished the clerk "Happy Holidays!". The snotty b*#@h clerk responded with a very pointed, "Merry Christmas." What the heck? Was my sentiment not good enough?

Don't get me wrong, when people wish me a Merry Christmas I take it in the spirit that it is meant. But, why must people assume that everyone celebrates Christmas? Where are all the Hanukkah decorations? Does this only happen here? I swear I remember Hanukkah decorations 14 years ago in the Philadelphia area. Why does our holiday, my daughter's holiday, get no representation?

Now, hoping that my sentiment is good enough, Happy Holidays!!! And here is a little bit of Hanukkah...

Early Chapter Books

Meet Mercy Watson, an entertaining little pig. I have been on a quest for simple chapter books for Princess. This quest is not an easy one. We have read all of the Young Cam Jansen books, some of them more than once. 

Princess enjoys the experience of reading chapter books of her own. There are some chapter books that she is almost ready for and truthfully she could read them, but she is intimidated by the length.

Mercy Watson by Kate DiCamillo (the one who wrote The Tale of Despereaux) fits the bill. The chapters are short, there are lots of pictures and the story is very entertaining (not at all dark like Despereaux). Princess was laughing out loud.

There are six books in the Mercy Watson series.

• Mercy Watson to the Rescue
• Mercy Watson Goes For a Ride
• Mercy Watson Fights Crime
• Mercy Watson Princess in Disguise
• Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig
• Mercy Watson Something Wonky This Way Comes

 Check them out! They're fun!

Wardrobe Wednesday

I love Famous Footwear. There are so many great, quality shoes at bargain prices! It's even better during the "Buy One Get One 1/2 Off Sale". I took advantage of this little sale to get myself a cute new pair of shoes.
 

My half off pair? I decided to get myself some slippers that won't wear out after one or two seasons. I hate throwing things away. I got the most amazing Sorel slippers and yes, they were half off.

  

To learn more about Wardrobe Wednesday check out The Heathen Family Revival!

Where to begin?

It has been such a long time since I have posted anything, blogger went and changed on me! It's all new and they didn't even check with me first! Sheesh! For one, I'm a spell check junkie and I can't find the flippin' spell check! Help!

Thank you to all my bloggy friends who have emailed to check on me. You guys are awesome! I've decided it's time to claw my way out of my hole and find my way back to the bloggy world. There have been so many things along the way that I have wanted to share, but the thought of back-tracking, well...it is not going to happen. I will start fresh from this point forward.

As is so common in our little family, things have changed again. LK feels safe at the FOB in Afghanistan and we have decided that he will continue to work there. Our plans to spend 7 weeks with him in South Carolina have changed. The new plan: we are meeting in Orlando at Disney World to spend 5 wonderful, fun-filled days. After Disney, we fly back to Portland and will have a week and a half together before he deploys again. Unfortunately, my plans to meet up with some bloggy friends near Greenville just can't happen. :(

For now, we are very much looking forward to seeing each other at Disney on December 4th. Disney twice in one year! How cool is that?!

And now I will leave you with a few photos of our beautiful Princess.