Easter Part II

Since we attended the Easter service at church on Saturday evening instead of Sunday, Mark and I were able to sleep in a little. Then we headed to a local park to meet with some of our small group members and with the Bender/Domino group for a picnic and Easter egg hunt. Our group always try to plan a get together for Christmas and Easter that we can include the kids in...and eat!! This year is the first year that we met at a park. It was actually better, I think, because there was really no clean up and the dads took the kids on a search for treasure through the hiking trails in the park using the geocache option on their phone. The kids were SO excited!!! While they did that, moms hid the eggs and chatted! They didn't have enough time to find the treasure before it was time to hunt eggs, but I have a feeling this won't be the last time we hunt treasure!!!

Abi AFTER she ate, that's why she's smiling!! 

Pacey warning me not to eyeball her cookie!

 Luke and Alicia scarfing down their food so they can go play

Kathryn playing it cool

Mark, super cool!!

Powerless and Getting Power Back

One of my new favorite peeps, Sarah, allowed us to celebrate her being cancer free. I have been blessed to watch her on her journey, and even more blessed that I have made a good friend (hear that Sarah, you're a keeper)!! As most cool people do, we celebrated with food. Not just any plain jane everyday chow, but a french cuisine. I made beignets de courgette or in Texan, zucchini fritters.

 this goop doesn't look so tasty....

not sure all the oil will help either... 

Yet, it didn't turn out so bad!!! 

The spread complete with cheeses galore and chocolate fondue

 Party peeps, Warren and Justin

What a cutie pa-toot-y, sweet Pacey

In action, Sarah, Kathryn, Brent, Mark and Jessica

The Best Small group EVER!!! 

After Sarah's party, we headed to the 'after party' with Brandy at St Lukes. Brandy is awaiting a heart transplant. She was in the hospital to be monitored after a rough couple of days. I am once again blessed to have an awesome friend like Brandy. Please be praying for Brandy as she waits on the HT list, she has been restricted to her bed and instructed to be like a statue, I mean not to do ANYTHING...she needs all the prayers she can get!!!

Brandy, Kathryn, Sarah, Dani, and me

Last week, Abi had another science project. The chapter was about force- pushing and pulling. Her experiment was using magnets to see which items a magnet would use force to pull it to itself. I collected several small items in the kitchen, had her right down each item, and then tell weather or not she thought the magnet would pick the item up.

 two regular fridge magnets, and 6 items (3 metal & 3 plastic)

keeping her record 

cooooool beans...

She must have played with the magnets for the rest of the day, trying to pick up everything she could!



This morning I woke up to a phone call from Mark and a the blinking numbers on my alarm clock. The power was out at Coastal Flange. Mark wanted to know if we had power at home. Thus began my powerless day.

I turned on the news and then googled 'power outages in Houston'. I clicked on the link for Public Utility Commission of Texas only to find that the Electric Reliability Council of Texas ordered rolling blackouts for the state of Texas. This was my first experience of rolling blackout that I can remember. About every hour and half, they shut your power off for anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes (or longer). In Texas, we aren't used to cold weather. I consider 50* to be too cold. It has been below freezing today. So, to say that we were a little cold is and understatement. I consider myself lucky to have a gas burning fireplace. Though, honestly, I thought if we needed it here in Houston, it would be seldom. Today we used it almost all day. The kids actually spent their entire school day laying in front of the warmth...sometimes the only warm place in the house.

Superb students...working without electricity...like Little House on the Prairie 

 

 What kind of mother would I be if I let them go without hot cocoa on this freezing day?!

While I cooked a nice big pot of turkey chili and cornbread, the kids used the stuffing that Bandit pulled out of his toy to practice their snowballing abilities should they need them come Friday when it is supposed to snow. I'm holding my breath on the snow, in past experiences it is just the weatherman getting excited to report some thing other than HOT. It is looking like it really might snow... so in preparation:

Throwing the stuffing up and dancing under it as it falls to the ground 

Making mini snowballs while we watch a show together

The power outages did cease around noon, but there is a big possibility that they could return tonight and tomorrow. Stay tuned for SNOW in HOUSTON pics (if the snow ever makes it!)

Happy, Happy Holidays!!

It is my favorite time of year!!! I love the holiday season, beginning with turkey day through the New Year. I love family traditions and time spent with family and friends. One of our family traditions is DecemBear. Mark did DecemBear as a child, and now it is has moved to our home. It is a form of an Advent Calendar. DecemBear, is a small stuffed bear that moves around his house 'looking for Christmas'.

 Mark and Austin doing the first day of DecemBear

Austin and Abi with DecemBear

This year, we allowed Austin and Abi to pick out their own 4ft tree for their rooms. 

 Austin's tree

 Abi's tree

Austin and Mark putting the Angel on the top of the tree

Though we spend days trying to get Christmas shopping done, school is still in full swing. In Austin's A&P class they are learning about the eye. This past week they dissected a cow's eye and made this REALLY awesome diagram of the human eye. 

 The front of the eye, a plastic cup for the cornea, a paper bowl (black on the inside) for the sclera, and brown construction paper for the iris

 The inside of the eye (two bowls tied together): The left side of the diagram shows the back of the iris, the lens (a magnifying lens) and crayola putty formed around the lens as the muscles. The right side of the diagram shows the retina and how the nerves (plastic string) come in through the back of the eye. 

 The back of the eye: a clear pvc tube shows all the optic nerves moving through the tube.

One of the biggest blessing I count of all of my blessings (and boy, are there a LOT) is having wonderful friends to share the joy of the season with. Last night we had our church's annual Women's Christmas Banquet, a benefit for CareNet. I decorated a table with the help of the women in our small group.

 Kim, Lizzie, Brandy, and Sarah

 Naomi and Me

Apparently, I was too busy eating to get a pic with all the ladies! Missing from my pics were Kathryn and Dani.

Our table, we went with an eclectic and whimsical theme 

The place settings that I put together:

 Naomi's place setting

 My place setting

Lizzie's place setting

In our children's ministry, we have been learning about different virtues every month. December's virtue is 'Joy'. This past week we discussed 'Expecting' and defined joy as 'finding a way to be happy, even when things don't go your way'. We talked about joy being a choice with effort put forth, not just a feeling. So, I am choosing to put as much effort into this season of joy as I can. Each new day with my family and friends is a reason to be joyful. Each new day that comes with the opportunity to serve God is a reason to be joyful. 

Easter Sunday 2010

I suppose Easter weekend began like any other weekend-o-fun. Friday night we had Aunt Marie, Deve, Sluz, and Aimee over for burgers and game night to celebrate Mark's 31st birthday. Then Austin and Mark went to a guys movie night while Abi and I stayed home to paint our nails. Saturday morning began with cooking. I made a dessert and potato salad for our small group Easter get together. Unfortunately, I am a dork and forgot to take the camera. Hopefully, someone can forward me their pics! We had a great time; I spent time truly bonding with Pacey- she not only puked on me this time, but peed on me as well! She's so cute, I don't care! The kids and I came home while Mark worked the 5pm service.

Sunday morning was, as every Easter is, a special and exciting morning. Each year I struggle with deciding what that one special thing is that I am going to put in their basket. I love that Easter is a holiday to celebrate, but I hate that it is so commercialized with yellow chickens and chocolate bunnies! I struggle each year with not wanting my kids to feel left out from the candy-o-rama traditions; I want to be sure that they grow up knowing why our family celebrates Easter. It's not just because Walmart says we should. I want them to get some candy, but not for their candy to overshadow the true focus of the season. Last year, the AJB's each got a Bible for their big gift in their baskets. This year I made them each a bracelet with their names and a charm-a cross. Both were excited that they had a cross. We then got dressed in our Easter's best-




the AJB'S finding their baskets


2010 Easter at Copperfield Church

*****2009**********2008***********2007****


Abi at the Easter egg hunt


Austin at the Easter egg hunt

After church, we went home for a little rest. We went to Mark's dad's house for Easter dinner- it was super yummy! Mark and the boys threw the football around while Abi played with Tom's latest addition to the family, Alex.

Abi and Alex- a very lazy puppy!

We ended the day with family movie night- Alvin and the Chipmunks, the squeakquel!
The Brewer Family 2010

Early Bird

This year we had our turkey early; well, kind of! We celebrated Thanksgiving with our small group this past Sunday. I was able to snap a couple pics before the celebration. I am ashamed to say that during the celebration my focus was primarily on the food and not taking pictures. Sorry to fail you my fellow bloggers!

Me and Abi making double-layered Pumpkin cheesecake

Abi the little chef

Mark and Travis extending the table...I missed the part where Mark was laying on his back using his legs to push!!!!

The only boo-boos I had on this special occasion were forgetting that I told Brandy to put her yummy sweet potato pie in the oven to keep it warm. I then preheated the oven for the stuffing, sent Mark to the store for some of the ingredients and then noticed that the casserole was in the oven when I went to put the stuffing in!!! Needless to say, the sweet potato pie was pretty much burnt to a crisp! Poor Brandy probably thought I was out to sabotage her dinner contributions, because I then forgot to put out the deviled eggs that she brought! Other than those miner set backs, dinner was so YUMMY!