2011: A Year In Review

Another year flew past the Flexible House. We started the year with an emphasis on serving others and ended the year serving our family and friends. It was a year of learning and loss with lots of fun and even more growth. As usual, nothing went as expected but looking back, I can see God's fingerprints all over the past 12 months. Here's how things went down...

January

With winter comes lots of time for crafting, cooking, blogging and blogging about crafting and cooking. It's exciting to see some of my posts from last year up on Pinterest. We exhausted our snowed-in activities and I confessed some things about being a mommy. The highlight of the month was our service trip to the Baltimore Free Store.

February 

We kept on cooking and crafting through February and even made time for a spur of the moment craft night and a girl's night of painting pottery. I made the first of many sweater dresses for Hannah and we had a fun Valentine's Day. The highlight of the month was our service trip to the cold weather shelter.

March

More cooking this month as I stepped way out of my comfort zone and let the kids make pop tarts. I went quilting with The Aunts and tried my hand at stuffed crust pizza. The highlight of the month was our service trip to Philly.

April

Easter was tons of fun! Hannah and I kept on making cookies and I kept on sewing. We did lots of things I never blogged like a day at the park in the rain, an adventure to Fort McHenry and a trip to the zoo. Unfortunately our Adventure Service Club activity was canceled this month due to the weather (no fun camping and cleaning trails in the freezing rain).

May

I blogged a bunch about parenting a strong willed child, Hannah kept up with Ballet and Christopher started track and field. Matt's parent's came home early from their missionary trip to India with Matt's dad very ill. Instead of Adventure Service Club our time was spent mowing grass and trimming trees at their place. This picture of the kids with their Grandpa is from Matt's birthday.

June

The end of school and the beginning the summer. Two of the greatest times of the year! We cooked a little, but mostly we played outside with friends and on the swing set from our neighbor. The kids joined the Oriole's Junior Dugout Club again this year and we had a great time going to the games.

July

Camp, camp and more camp! Camp training was a blast and the first couple of weeks went really well. Christopher was diagnosed with Lyme disease and strep (at the same time) and spent five days in bed. During his more lucid moments I fulfilled a personal dream of reading him the first Harry Potter book. He loved it and is now Potter obsessed. The highlight of the month, other than camp, was definitely our annual July 4th picnic at Michelle's and Hannah and Ella's first fireworks.

August

August was jam packed and full of ups and downs. Camp continued and camp ended. There was an earthquake, some hurricanes and a flooded basement. Hannah turned five and I also celebrated a birthday. We went to the beach and enjoyed some time in the sun. While on vacation we got the terrible news that Matt's dad had passed away only two months after being diagnosed with leukemia and we came home early for the funeral. Two days later the kids started school with Christopher in 1st grade and Hannah in kindergarten.

September
I started cooking again in September and we took a couple of fun trips to the Science Center and Dutch Wonderland. We enjoyed the last warm day of summer and I got to participate in an amazing Stop Hunger Now event.

October

Hosting a belated birthday sushi party for Corinne and myself was definitely MY highlight of October. The kids had fun going to their first bonfire, visiting a pumpkin patch, carving pumpkins and trick-or treating with friends in our local historic district.

November

Christopher went on his first Cub Scout camp-out with his dad, then he turned 7 and we celebrated Lego style with his friends. We wrote a Winter Fun List and had PIE NIGHT!! I went on a service trip with Ember and Thanksgiving was a lot of fun.

December

This month has been pretty crazy. My dear friend Michelle was diagnosed with stage 3a invasive ovarian cancer. It's been hard on all of us but Michelle has been handling it with a grace and strength that makes me proud and I was honored to document her wig adventure. The rest of the month has been spent gearing up for Christmas, enjoying our traditions and celebrating with our families.

So long 2011. I pray that 2012 has far more ups and far less downs. I trust that whichever way it goes God will be right there supporting, loving, guiding and teaching us all. Above all, I pray that in everything we do, see and experience, the LORD will be praised and glorified. Amen and amen.

Books I Read In 2011

I'm pretty sure this list is complete. It's embarrassingly short and lacking in quality. Goal for 2012 is more books with stronger themes!

Favorites were definitely the Hunger Games trilogy, Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow and StrengthsFinder 2.0. Plus the re-reads are always fun!

Strengths Finder 2.0 - Tom Rath
The Sentry - Robert Crais
Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
Mocking Jay - Suzanne Collins
The Mating - Nicky Charles
The Keeping - Nicky Charles
The Finding - Nicky Charles
Switched - Amanda Hocking
Torn - Amanda Hocking
Ascend - Amanda Hocking
*Anne of Green Gables - Lucy Maud Montgomery
*Anne of Avonlea - Lucy Maud Montgomery
*The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
You Can't Make Me - Cynthia Ulrich Tobias
The Explosive Child - Ross W. Greene
My Blood Approves - Amanda Hocking
Flutter - Amanda Hocking
Moon Dance - J.R. Rain
American Vampire - J.R. Rain
Vampire Moon - J.R. Rain
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
Ender's Shadow - Orson Scott Card

Oops, I forgot these that I read aloud to Christopher:
*Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling
*Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling
*Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
*The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

*re-reads

Williamsburg Christmas Trip

On the day after Christmas we took an overnight trip to Williamsburg with Grandma Holly. The drive was long but DVDs in the car kept the kids occupied for more than six straight hours  (what a treat!).

First stop: Busch Garden's Christmas Town!

The whole park was covered in lights and decorated for Christmas!

The kids enjoyed warming their hands by a huge fire.

Singing Christmas carols in the England themed section of the park.

The kids loved that each section of the park had its own color scheme - yellow here.

The Christmas show in Germany.

We stayed at the Staybridge Suites and I've gotta put in a plug. NICE place! Reasonably priced, yummy breakfast (not just bagels and danish), super comfortable beds and an excellent staff. Nice job Staybridge!

Funny story. When we got to our rooms there was a laminated note on our bed from the Staybridge General Manager thanking us for our stay. Christopher immediately found a piece of paper and wrote a reply thank you note, thanking them for cleaning our room. On the way out he asked to speak to the General Manager and, very business like, handed her the note. They LOVED it and treated him with respect (and didn't laugh or even giggle at my serious little boy).

We wanted to take the kids to historic Williamsburg for day two of our trip but it was cold and raining so we went to the Virginia Living Museum instead. Highly recommend!! It was like a nature center on steroids! Lots of things to look at and everything was hands on.

Christopher did NOT want to pose with this statue!

This otter was attracted to Hannah's bright pink shirt and swam past 15+ times!

Posing with the alligator.

Posing with the alligator.

SNAKE!!!

Wooly Mammoth tooth.

Christopher was all about touching the sea creatures. Hannah, not so much.

Enormous fish!

On the way home we came out of the clouds and found this beautiful rainbow. Thanks God!

16 Pairs Of PJ Pants... And A Partridge In A Pear Tree

One of my more recent holiday traditions has been to undertake some harebrained scheme for a crafty gift that MUST be finished by Christmas morning (like Eva's quilt from last Christmas or pictures for my dad two years ago).

This year it was pajama pants for all 11 cousins.

However, since I couldn't decide on fabric for all of them it turned into 16 pairs of pajama pants.

See, way back on Black Friday when I was tweeting about how ridiculous the whole get-up-at-the-crack-of-dawn-and-fight-the-crowds-for-sales thing is, someone replied with info on a doorbuster sale at JoAnn's - flannel for $1.49 a yard. So, I phoned a friend and we busted down that door.

Fast forward about a  month and there I sat, with 16 yards of flannel and a sewing machine.

I didn't take pictures of all the steps. But, I used this tutorial and Nancy over on My Cotton Creations took pictures that are fantastic and made the entire project totally doable.

My kids loved their PJ pants. One of my favorite memories of Christmas morning was Hannah hiding behind the couch to change into her new PJ pants because she couldn't wait to wear them.

The cousins loved their PJ pants. Not sure if they all fit, but the kids will grow.

This project was definitely worth the time I spent sewing. I learned a lot about how to make simple pants and may never buy pajamas for my kids again... especially if I can keep finding flannel on sale!

Christmas Ornaments 2011

Our Christmas ornament exchange is one of my favorite family traditions. Here's what we added to our collection this year.

Dave and Julie made Cat In The Hats out of pipe cleaners.

Chris and Corinne made elves with pine cone bodies.

Drew and Ping made fun foam ornaments.

Our friend Theresa made glittery clay candy canes.

And I used this tutorial to make pretty glass things.

Here are our ornaments from 2010.

Long Road, Light Heart

My dear friend Michelle has been walking a hard road these last few months. An ovarian cyst turned led to a hysterectomy which lead to a stage 3 invasive ovarian cancer diagnosis. It has been a difficult time for us all; most of all for Michelle, her husband Josh and their five kids; but also for Michelle's extended family and friends as we do our best to support her in this season.

Michelle and I do life together; holidays, birthdays, special projects, camp, crafting, regular every day life. Our kids have grown up together and our friendship has deepened over the years; I love her a lot. She balances me out. I am a realist, she is an optimist. I am a creature of routine and habit, she brings exciting adventures to life. I resist change, she is always up for something new and is flexible and adaptable. God has used her to make me a better person. If you get a chance, pop on over to Michelle's blog and read a bit about their journey. She is as authentic, positive and full of faith in real life as in her writing.

This morning I had the pleasure of accompanying Michelle and her mom to try on wigs and get a new spunky hair cut before her chemo begins tomorrow.

Before it all began...

Some of the many wig possibilities...

My personal favorites...

Pausing for a group shot...

Getting a trim on wig #1...

Deciding if she really likes it...

Beautiful! (The other wig was beautiful too... I just don't have a great shot of that.)

And now on to the haircut...

The finished look!

What a great morning we had! Thanks for letting me be your paparazzi.

The Holidays - Guest Post

Today I am excited to have a guest post from my friend Theresa. I love her and her kids a LOT! They live next door to my parents and often join us for weekly family dinner, holidays, parties and vacations. Her daughter Rebecca is one of our favorite babysitters!

This is an essay she wrote a couple of years ago after participating in our ornament exchange. I love her honesty and it cracks me up to read an outside view of our family tradition. While Theresa may not think of herself as a crafter (something I dispute based on her ornament last year), she is an amazing runner, hiker and all around outdoor enthusiast. 

As I enter this week before Christmas I vow to do as Theresa describes below. Enjoy my family; not compare myself to those around me; love the people in my life and truly enjoy this Christmas season.
 ________________________________________

Ah, the holidays. For a working Mom trying to keep a million balls in the air, opportunities are abundant to feel like, well, a complete failure. There’s never enough time to get it all done, there’s never enough energy to do it the way we want, and there are plenty of unexpected obstacles along the way. Like the last-minute business trip the week of Christmas, because the client just has to meet with you right away. Hey, you can find some really awesome Christmas gifts at the airport, right? And don’t try to tell me you’ve never done this. If not Christmas gifts, surely you’ve purchased a birthday gift or two at an airport…

For someone like me, there’s also the issue of going up against the crafty Moms. You know who I’m talking about – the ones who go to the hobby store and they actually know where everything is. They own a hot glue gun, AND they can find it when they need it. They know the difference between the dozens of different kinds of paint. Their art supplies are stored in organized containers. Their kids could be snowed in for a whole week and not get bored. AND the week would be meticulously documented in an elaborate scrapbook.

Let’s just say that I am NOT one of those Moms. I can’t go into the craft store without a deer-in-the-headlights look. So for me, one of the most anxiety-provoking events of the year is a Christmas brunch where there is an exchange of handmade ornaments. A family that we are friends with gathers every Christmas morning and after the meal and the telling of the Christmas story from the Bible, the ornaments come out. All of the adults make about a dozen ornaments, and everyone goes home with a complete set.

This is actually a sweet and touching tradition, and I feel fortunate to be included. Each year, I enjoy putting these ornaments on my tree and remembering who made what. It’s just that some of these people make incredible ornaments out of everyday items, and I can never think of anything good to make.

The first year I attended was probably my best year. When my friends first invited me to their brunch, they forgot to tell me about the ornament exchange until a couple days before. What that meant was that there really was no pressure, and I happened to think of a way to make a really cute contribution out of wire, bells, and ribbon that I already had around the house. It still makes me smile to go to the host’s house around Christmas and see that year’s ornament hanging on the tree.

But as I watched the unveiling of the other ornaments that day, I realized I would have to do better when I had the luxury of more time to prepare. And by the way, it is not an exaggeration to call the event an “unveiling.” Everyone brings their ornaments in a closed box, and you don’t get to see them until they go around the room and explain the meaning of their ornament, how they made it, etc. Past years’ contributions have included a Christmas train made out of a roll of lifesavers, fluffy little sheep, ornaments made from cookie cutters and repurposed Christmas cards, and even a tiny mouse made out of nutshells sleeping in a bed with a wee little felt stocking cap on his wee little head. Really.

One year, I was delighted to find instructions online to make a very beautiful-looking star out of clay, jewelry pins, beads, and glitter. Off I went to the craft store, playing a movie in my head of my triumphant unveiling, with my children by my side and surrounded by a beaming and appreciative audience. So this is where it would have been useful to spend more time doing arts and crafts as a child. I spent an hour in the store, and found what I took to be reasonable facsimiles of all the components, though I couldn’t find EXACTLY what the instructions called for. At home, I gathered my children and all the raw materials, but unfortunately, nothing behaved as expected. The stars were falling apart and they looked more like spiders anyway. Beads were everywhere, and the children were growing exasperated with the whole thing. I had to walk away from the table to figure out what to do. Fortunately, my daughter thought of an alternative ornament we could make out of the existing materials, and the day was saved. At the unveiling, I decided to let her tell the ornament “story” because the offering was her original design.

Unfortunately, there is no way to censor a teenager in real time (without getting arrested), so my face became more and more red as she described my ornament debacle, including the part where, in her words, “Mom stormed away from the table.” I wanted to disappear on the spot.

Then there are all the things we sign up to do because they sound like a good idea at the time, but they don’t go exactly as planned. This year, I volunteered my family to light Advent candles at church, not really knowing what was involved. I didn’t sign up for the first Sunday in Advent, so at least I got to see how it was done a couple times before it was our turn. I observed with dismay that the candle lighting involved public speaking at the front of the church. Really, just reading from a short script, but still, it was way more than I had bargained for.

As the day drew near, I filled the kids in on this plan. My daughter was all for it, my 12-year-old son, not so much. I got more than my share of “next time ask me before you sign me up” and “why do I have to do this?” Until we walked up to the front of the church, I really wasn’t sure he would actually go with us.

Of course, all the other families who did this task managed to appear in color-coordinated outfits. I am sure I told my kids we would be wearing red, but they claim not to have gotten the memo. So there we were, me in red, my daughter in pink, and my son in blue. I told our pastor I was declaring victory just to be there, and she smiled.

We had been given a handheld microphone for the task, so this means there was no hiding my nervousness. The microphone was shaking, I could hardly hold the candle, and of course I lost my place in the reading. I had also forgotten to tell the children which candle to light first, so I had to swoop in on my son as he was about to light the wrong one.

All the way home, we laughed uproariously. The kids re-enacted my mix-up and my shaking hands, and I was hysterical. I told them the great thing about church is you can mess up, and yet you can still feel the love.

Later that day, as I worked on my best ornament ever – a very simple and rustic-looking cross made of twigs and wire with a heart charm – I reflected on the “Advent candle affair.” The part of it that stayed with me was the love – not the trauma of the public speaking or the shaking hands. Just the simple, quiet, beautiful love that is best found in the sanctuary of a church at Christmas time, and the joyful love of the teasing kids.

It may be true that there isn’t enough time to do all the things we think we need to, and we don’t have enough energy to do things the way we think we should. Fortunately though, if we’re willing to take the time to see it, there’s no shortage of love.

Blogging Tips Part 3

Hello Friends!

Now that Blogger has changed their interface I thought it would be a good time for a How To Connect Your Email review.

You like to comment on my blog; I like to receive comments. You like to communicate with me; I like to reply.

When you leave a comment on my blog (and this is true of most blogs out there) I get an email from Blogger with your comment. If you've asked me a question I can answer it just by replying to that email. I can't do that if you don't link an email address to your blogger account!

If you don't link an email address the notification comes from noreply-comment@blogger.com and guess what? I don't reply.

Here's how to fix it in three easy steps.

If you haven't enabled the new blogger look, click here for instructions.

Otherwise...

1. Sign in to your Blogger account. Look at the top right side of the screen and you will see some version of this:

2. Click on it and this will happen: (This will include your username, which I removed for obvious reasons.)

Click on Blogger profile and you will be taken to a screen that looks something like this: (This will include your username, which I removed for obvious reasons.)

Make sure that the first two boxes are checked because you want to share your profile and show your email address. Then you want to put your email address in the proper field.

THANK YOU!!

If you are worried about spam, don't be. Spam filters are really good. If your spam filter sucks, get gmail. If you're still worried about spam, get a separate gmail account just for this purpose and forward the emails from blogger.bounces.google.com to your real email account. 

If you don't use Blogger and the platform you do use doesn't allow you to include your email address there is still hope! If you leave a question in a blog comment and you'd like a reply you can include your email address like this amy(at)flexibledreams(dot)com and the spambots won't get you.

Gorilla Bread Recipe

Gorilla Bread - Monkey Bread's bold and savory big brother.

Looking for a crowd pleasing appetizer to bring to a party? Every time I've made Gorilla Bread it's been inhaled in minutes and everyone asks where they can find the recipe. The long awaited recipe is here!

Ingredients
1 XL pizza dough OR 2 cans refrigerator biscuits
1/4 cup melted margarine
1 bunch (6-8) green onions, chopped
2 cups shredded cheddar or Mexican blend
1/2 cup real bacon, chopped
Garlic salt

Directions
These instructions are all approximate. It's ok if you use more or less cheese, cut your dough into larger or smaller cubes, use fancy cheese that you shred yourself and add weird toppings that I can't afford. Pick a flavor combination you love and the Gorilla Bread will ROCK YOUR WORLD!

Pull or roll out the pizza dough into a large rectangle-ish shape. Use a pizza roller to cut the dough into approximately one-inch squares. If you're using refrigerator biscuits, use the pizza roller to cut them into quarters.

In a large bowl toss the dough bits with the melted margarine until coated.

Add chopped green onions, 1 1/2 cup cheese and bacon and toss until most of the bread bits are coated in toppings. Add garlic salt to taste. (I sprinkle on a bunch and then sprinkle on some more before I put it in the oven.)

Dump your coated bread bits into a shallow baking dish. I use a pie plate or casserole dish depending on how much I'm making. The main thing is to not let it get too thick or the center won't cook all the way through before the top burns. At this point you can cover it and put the whole thing in the fridge for a day or two, until it's party time!

Cook at 350 for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the center is no longer doughy.

Top with remaining cheese and ENJOY!!

Extras!
Try this with any toppings you'd put on a pizza! Spicy sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, bell peppers, olives... just make sure to chop everything nice and small so each bite gets a bit of yummy goodness.

UPDATE:
There are some great questions and answers in the comments.

Also, after posting this I googled Gorilla Bread and found a Paula Dean recipe for cinnamon sugar monkey bread. Well, step back Paula Dean! My Gorilla Bread can eat yours for dessert.