HO HO HO!!

Andrew & Savannah with Mr & Mrs Claus.

Andrew & Savannah on their way down the stairs Christmas morning

We're hanging out in Brownsburg, IN for a couple of days celebrating Christmas with my-side family. Doing a lot of relaxing, story telling, laughing, watching football and eating way too much... attendance at Gold's will be extremely important the next couple of weeks.

Due to working on the bathroom the last two weeks (WHY does a one-week home improvement project turn into a 2+ week project for me!?!?) I haven't been to Gold's at all since I started in on the bathroom, and I'm beginning to really feel it. But, I've got to get thru this project first before making time for anything "fun."

Laurie's family will be coming over to our house on Sunday... I made my personal secret chili Thursday evening (full strength) for her family to enjoy (hopefully).

Christmas morning was a lot of fun at our house... Probably the neatest thing this year was watching Andrew and Savannah really get into wrapping gifts... probably about 40 total. These weren't gifts purchased, but odds and ends they "found" in their rooms that they decided they didn't need anymore and wanted to "give away"... they were presents for Laurie and I and "Tangie" (Andrew's stuffed teddy bear). I've never seen two little kids so furiously busy wrapping presents like they were on Saturday and Sunday... they kept running up and down the stairs placing more and more gifts under the tree. Most of them were opened, but there are still a few that remain unwrapped 3-days later. Below is Laurie opening a mini-Clifford that one of them wrapped and gave to her and a children's Bible, which was Laurie's when she was a child; what goes around comes around :')

One of the cutest gifts was a book that Andrew wrote during the weekend before Christmas: Star War's X; A Reversed Memory. He made two copies... one for each of us.

We never did find a Wii for the kids... we were SOOOOOOOOOO close to getting one at Toys R Us... but, we didn't ask when we walked in. As we were leaving we saw someone picking one up at customer service... I asked him, "Did you just buy that?" He smiled and said yes. I asked them if they had anymore (in a whisper, of course) and the employee said, "No, we only had one and we didn't even know we had that one." GEEESH!!! Timing... Timing... Timing... After that we made it a priority to at least ask when we walked into each store. Which got us no where. But, that's ok... our kids didn't miss it.

Bathroom Update

Getting ready to drywall over the opening of the old medicine cabinet and where I have placed the electrical innards for the bathroom. Scary thought to cover it :-) Hope i don't need back in!!

Electricity!!!

That right switch up [ON] is a good thing!!!
I did it:-) i really did it!!

Bathroom Status

I've learned a few things while renovating the bathroom this week...

1. Never assume wires in a wall are attached to anything; sometimes, they're just... there
2. Installing drywall on a ceiling should be a two-person job
3. One of the greatest electrical tools ever invented was the "fish tape"
4. There's always a MUCH easier method to do something than how I chose to do it
5. Drywall mudd doesn't taste very good
6. Books only tell you half of the information you need to know
7. Wood used to frame our 100 year old house is the hardest wood ever created by God
8. During a renovation project pray every 15-minutes
9. Don't touch the tip of a drywall screw after the bit has been spinning on it unsuccessfully - IT'S VERY HOT!!
10. Paint stripper clears your sinuses very nicely
11. Paint stripper makes you very happy (VERY happy... )
12. It's more fun to use the word "stippling" in a sentence than to actually do it to the ceiling.
13. Be prepared to find studs in the most unusual places in a wall in an older home
14. It takes twice as long to do everything than I originally estimate... even the time it takes to buy materials.

It's going well, but I won't be done by Friday :( Probably Sunday now... The stripping of the paint on the built-in cabinet and window is taking longer than expected. Also, the stippling of the ceiling was a little more time consuming than I thought it would be.

The mirror and storage cabinet are purchased, and we found sink/shower/tub fixtures that match a light (gotta love Lowes). All wiring is ready to be hooked up... just have to paint first (probably Saturday & Sunday). I'm very proud of the installing the new light box and outlet box... the first ones I've ever installed :')

Anyway... going Christmas shopping Thursday so won't get too much done, which means I'll probably be up late working instead... have to get the cabinets/window ready to be painted.

Mike Baker Reflects on Imagine 2007

Please read Mike Baker's blog as he reflects on IMAGINE 2007... very touching :)

It's all about the flowers

Savannah had her dance recital this past Saturday afternoon... she did wonderful!! She looked so beautiful in her Christmas outfit.

On about Wednesday of this past week she asked Laurie if Papa Sexton was going to be able to come to her recital (he was in the hospital this past week after his appendix ruptured). Laurie explained that he can't travel because of his surgery he just had. So she thought at least Mamo would be able to still come. But, Laurie explained that she needed to stay home with Papa Sexton to take care of him. (They weren't planning on coming anyway because they had made previous plans to see a niece of ours in her madrigals up near Chicago).

Savannah then said... At least Nanny and Papa (Kammin) will be able to come still. But, Laurie explained that because Papa had to work they wouldn't be able to come either.

She was heart broken... BUT... while talking with Savannah, Laurie discovered that it wasn't so much that they couldn't be here to watch her dance, but she wasn't going to receive FLOWERS from them like she did at her last dance recital.

But... she had a plan :') She instructed Laurie that she should receive two flowers from Andrew, two flowers from Mommy, and two flowers from Daddy... that should make up for not receiving any flowers from the grandparents. From there she continued to remind Laurie and I almost hourly not to forget to order her flowers. Thursday morning, I think that was the first thing she said to me, "Don't forget to order my flowers, Daddy." Thursday evening... same thing. Friday morning and evening... same thing. She even shared with Laurie Friday morning that she couldn't sleep at all Thursday night because "I can't stop thinking about the flowers."

Guess what... we didn't disappoint her...

She received a pink bouquet from Mommy, a purple bouquet from Daddy and yellow bouquet from Andrew :)

Savannah and her dance instructor, Miss Elizabeth

Extreme Giving

I'm at our church right now (Eastview Christian Church)... Andrew has Tae Kwon Do, and I have the opportunity to watch our church do EXTREME GIVING...

Hundreds upon hundreds of people/families are showing up to receive free coats (approx 1200, toys (approx 1800) and food boxes (approx 1000) collected by our church over the past three Sundays during our Imagine campaign. Food boxes would have been a greater number, but we had a nasty ice storm last Sunday that cut our attendance at church almost in half ... "only" 2000 rather than regular 3700 :)

This started last year with a four-week sermon series presented by our two teaching pastors

1. Imagine if no child went without a toy for Christmas
2. Imagine if no person was cold (coats given)
3. Imagine if no person went hungry
4. Imagine if no person went without Christ (baptism service... it was awesome)

It was extremely successful... so successful that they decided to repeat the campaign (no sermon series this year). It's an awesome way for Eastview to reach out to the portion of our community that is in need of assistance. It's neat to see our church reaching out in this way.

Through the years Eastview has been seen as "the white collar church for the eastsiders." But that is changing... we're becoming much more focused on reaching and serving our WHOLE community and their needs... physical and spiritual. We love our church :)

Home Improvements.... EWWW!!

I hate doing home improvements... HATE IT!!

I spent the greatest past of my day analyzing the wiring in our house, our WHOLE HOUSE, just to begin renovating both of our bathrooms. And the real frustrating part is... I'm STILL confused by it all!! I really must say... whoever rewired this house must hav been drinking something really strong before they started!!

The plan:

1. Install a new medicine cabinet with mirror and a new storage cabinet above the toilet (both need to be purchased still... Sunday hopefully)
2. Install a new light over the mirror (also not purchased yet)
3. Rewire for the new light and install a new outlet receptacle using a light switch box from another wall that has never been used but has two (yes 2!!) hot wires coming into it (???????)
4. Wire for a future exhaust fan (there's no way I'm installing THAT this next week with everything else I want to do... Actually I'm probably leaving it to surprise a future owner who will wonder what in the world I was doing) :)
5. Remove large storage cabinets and put into
6. Install new fixtures for the sink and tub/shower (of course, not purchased yet)... however this might be completed by someone else; i.e. a professional!!
7. Install a new ceiling with trim (believe it or not, this should be the easiest part of the project!!)
8. Remove old paint from trim
9. Prime and paint ceiling walls and trim
10. New simple decoratives replacing some butt-ugly large cabinets that won't let the door open all the way (this is Laurie's area of concern... at least she gets 1 of the 10... just kidding, she's concerned about all of it... OH IS SHE EVER!!).

All needs to be done by next Friday... Hmmmm... we'll see. Considering most all of my home improvements that I work on take 2-3 times the amount of time they're suppose to take...

There is alos the upstairs "closet" bathroom that I will be doing, too. But, that doesn't have to be done by next Friday the 21st. However, I do want it to be done fairly soon. It's a much simpler job than the downstairs bathroom. Now why did I say that?!?! That just jinxed me and now it will become more difficult and frustrating probably.

Ok, so... otherwise... let's see, what else is going on in my life? Ummmmm... nothing. Nothing at all. Work is done for the year.

However, the kids are keeping us pretty busy...

Andrew & Savannah had their winter music program at school on Tuesday night... it was so cute!! We video taped most of it, but no pictures :( The digital camera doesn't work very well in situations like that :( Also, Andrew's church choir performed their musical last Sunday evening. He LOVES doing that!! Savannah loves music even more than Andrew, but it's hard for her to be involved because of how late it goes on Wednesday nights. She is an early-to-bed type of girl, and with choir not getting out until 7:45 she wouldn't get to bed until 8:30-9, and that's WAY too late for her on school nights.

Laurie is pretty much done for the semester, except for a little grading here and there and posting grades. In all, she had a very good semester. There was one point that the traveling was a little out of hand, but it was short-lived. She's glad to have the next four weeks off and to be able to spend it with the kids and me (we're very excited, too!!).

Illini in Rose Bowl (So What!!)

Ok, correct me if I'm wrong, but... the only reason Illinois is in the Rose Bowl is because Ohio State has to be in the BCS championship game. So, in other words, Illinois was the alternate, the substitute, the backup, the other choice, the standin.

It just cracks me up that all of these "Illinois fans" are so happy that Illinois was "invited" to play in the Rose Bowl... HA!! Consider it this way...

You're looking for a date to take to the prom. You have already purchased two tickets and made the reservations for a very nice dinner. You've already rented the tux and even already made the corsage order and an order for a dozen red roses (have to keep with the "Rose Bowl" theme somehow). You have your eye on a cute girl... she's all you have been thinking about and you get so excited for the chance to be with her for a whole evening.

You call her up, have some small talk first then you finally ask... "Ohiostate, will you go to the prom with me?" You hear a giggle... "Oh, I really wish I could give you an answer right this second, but... I have to wait a see. There's a much larger more important dance that same day that I might be invited to. I'll let you know."

And of course she gets asked to the "more important dance." So... such a quandary, what do you do? Who do you ask... you already have the tickets, the reservations, the flowers, the tux. Well, of course, the 2nd prettiest girl in school... the backup, the second choice, the substitute, the alternate... Illinois. And the whole time you're at the dance with "her" you really want to be with your first choice... Ohiostate.

Will I watch the Rose Bowl... you bet... I watch as many of the bowl games as I can. Will I root like a made man for Illinois, just because I live in Illinois? You've got to be kidding!! That doesn't mean I'll be rooting for USC, though, either. It's just not in me to cheer for Illinois just because I live in Illinois. Growing up in westcentral Illinois, I knew many more Iowa fans than I did Illinois fans.

I've never been one that cheered for a team just because everyone around me was cheering for them or because my geographical situation put me close to a certain team. In the summer of 2002 I made a very important decision... one that I have not regretted or been ashamed. After getting to know an executive with the Chicago White Sox and attending a couple of games, I made the slow and difficult transition of becoming a White Sox fan. I grew up a Cubs fan, everyone in my family are Cubs fans. But, I just got tired of Cubs management having what appeared to be a lack of interest in truly managing a major league baseball team and having more interest in managing a "beer garden" for baseball lovers. So... I made the switch. And yes, that was well before they became world series champions. In fact, they weren't all that good in 2002.

So, back to my original point... the Fighting Illini playing in the Rose Bowl. So what... I'm sure USC isn't very excited about the matchup either.

Tebow Wins Heisman!! Woo Hoo!! Go Gators!!

From www.heisman.com

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow made history Saturday night when he became the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy.

Tebow this season became the first "20-20" player in Division I-A football history
Dec. 8, 2007

Tim Tebow is the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy. Tebow this season became the first "20-20" player in Division I-A football history: He both ran and threw for at least 20 touchdowns. He finished the regular season with 3,132 passing yards and 29 touchdowns (against six interceptions), and he also ran for 838 yards and 22 touchdowns.

His 51 total touchdowns were more than 87 Division I-A teams.
Tebow received the most votes from a nationwide panel and is the first Southeastern Conference player to win the award since Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel in 1996. Tebow also is the first player to win it whose team is not playing for the national title since USC quarterback Carson Palmer in 2002.

The other finalists were Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan, Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel and Arkansas tailback Darren McFadden.

Tebow and the Gators (9-3) meet Michigan in the Jan. 1 Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Fla. He will try to become just the third Heisman winner this decade to win a bowl, joining USC quarterback Matt Leinart (2004) and USC's Palmer (2002).

Tebow, a first-year starter, is the third Florida player to win the award, following Wuerffel and Steve Spurrier (1966).

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3146714

End of my season

With the snow and cold weather comes... the end of my work season. I was holding out hope that I would be able to work all this week, but... mother nature had other plans for me. I still have a little cleanup to do at a couple of houses, so if it warms up next week (they say it's suppose to) then I'll be back out finishing up.

But, until then... garage cleanup, laundry, grocery shopping, busing around the kids, home improvement work (both bathrooms, lots of trim painting around the house, duct work), woodworking projects to be started (bookshelf for Andrew, CD/DVD cabinet for family room, shoe cubbies for entry).

Speaking of woodworking... I've had a router for like five years and have never used it. With these new woodworking projects on my list, I'd like to use it finally. I bought a dovetailing kit to use with my router yesterday and set it up. I've never used one and have no idea how to use it. Of course, I could read the instructions, but... wouldn't that be the easy way? Needless to say, NOT reading the directions yesterday didn't get me too far :P. So... that's on my to-do list for today. I have a feeling they'll be helpful to me.

The Christmas production at church (eastviewchurch.net) went well last Saturday and Sunday evenings. The icy weather on Saturday kind of limited the attendance, but... it is December.

Tiime to get the kids breakfast and ready for school. It's a cold one this morning (7-degrees when I woke up and still only 10... BRRRR!!). We're suppose to get 1-2 inches of snow tonight... that will make the kids happy.

Wii Stress

We've decided to get a Wii for the kids for Christmas... YEAH RIGHT!!! I mean, we'd love to, but... let's see... Target - OUT, Walmart - OUT, Meijer - OUT, Kmart - OUT :(

SOMEONE HELP ME!!! If you see one, call me or text me ASAP.

Kmart has a "limited supply" available for Thanksgiving morning (they open at 7) and I'm sure I'd be the only one showing up to try and get one. HA HA HA HA!!! But, I'll go and try. We'll see what happens. Maybe I'll get lucky.

I just asked Laurie... why didn't we buy one back a month or two ago when we saw them everywhere??? But, then again, at that time we didn't know that's what we were going to buy them.

A little while ago I sat on Ebay and watched the price of one Wii located in Danville, IL go from $102 to $236 in about 10-minutes time... only about an hour left on the sale of it... who knows what that one will end up at.