My Valentine's/Birthday/Christmas Gift!!!

I had a fun Saturday! For the holidays and my birthday, I had asked for a jewelry armoire thingy and had not been able to find one that I liked. Well, that changed on Saturday. We went to an Amish furniture shop and found one I'm really happy with. Those who know me well may wonder why someone who has no jewelry would need a big old jewelry box, but I must confess to harboring jewelry armoire envy for awhile now. Plus, I have some nice jewelry that I inherited from my cousin Helen this last year and it's had to sit in a bag on the dresser. It deserves a classier environment and since I don't intend to give it away, this is the best I can do =)

The Amish store was really cool - a big warehouse with no electricity - it was heated by a potbelly stove in the center and lighted by sky lights. The primitive effect was thrown off a bit by the cordless drill I saw in the corner - so they have power somewhere - sneaky Amish. Regardless, they had a ton of stuff and it was all beautiful. It was hard to choose. The one I picked is a little smaller than I originally thought I'd get, but the ones that sit on the floor were $800, too much and too big for me. This one is about 20" x 20" and about a foot deep, and it sits on my dresser. I really like it. It's red oak in a honey colored stain and it's lined in purple velvet. It's got 6 drawers plus the two on the side that swing out for necklaces. Paul was laughing at me because I was hanging my macaroni and bead necklaces the kids have made me over the years. I realize that the jewelry box is probably not supposed to cost more than the jewelry inside, but that's how it be =) Besides, I love my pasta and bead necklaces. The kids were flattered that their creations had a place of honor. I even had room for the kids' plastic rings, though it does look a little funny to see them lined up on the velvet ring roll - especially the black spider ring, that one looks a little freaky. I did draw the line at Chasquida's bottle cap collection, but I surrendered my old jewelry box for that purpose. All in all, everyone (most of all me) is a happy camper.

Kids in Church

For the last 10 years or so, my church experiences have centered around "oh no, what are those kids doing now". We've been attending our church since Chasquida was 2. When we first started going there, we sat behind a very refined elderly couple thinking that they might be grandparently types who would tolerate some of Chasquida's less desirable behaviors. At that time, the church had nursery for only babies up to 2. I never understood that, because at 2, they're just getting started with naughtyness. After 3 of my kids, the church now strongly recommends, in fact stops just shy of demanding, that children stay in the nursery at least till 3 and preferably 4. The refined elderly couple stopped attending just a couple weeks after I caught Chasquida flicking the lady's dangling earrings and making them swing. Coincidence? I think not.

I could write a book on the my kids' misadventures in church. The dear lady who teaches the 3-6 yr old Sunday School has had at least one of my angels in class for the last 7 years. She recently told me that she was pretty sure she knew more about our family than anyone. If she weren't so kind, I'd swear I heard a blackmail threat in there. Apparently, the kids really enjoy confessing mommy and daddy's sins.

Last Sunday, Gimli had two separate incidents both involving the bathroom. He's recently been baptized and we now allow him to participate in communion which has fast become his favorite part of church. We only do communion once a month and he's only gotten to take it twice so far so it's a pretty big deal to him. Right before communion this last Sunday, he had to go to the bathroom so went by himself - he's a big boy now you know. Well, he heard the communion music from the potty and was so afraid he'd miss out that he came tearing out of the bathroom and running down the center aisle of the church (we sit near the front) with his shirt untucked, his zipper down, and carrying his belt in his hand.

His second incident of the day came that evening during the Bible study service (by the way, this is a study for the adults, we just don't have anywhere else to send the kids). He left for a few minutes to go to the bathroom and we were just finishing up when he returned. The pastor was taking a few last questions and he asked if anyone else had anything to ask. Gimli raised his hand (I always cringe when our kids do that) and asked very politely, "Could you please tell me what I missed while I was in the bathroom?" Sigh...

I don't even want to think about Huck's exploits right now. There's only so much one can take.