2. Each year the Coca Cola website has a free game you can play each day to win prizes. So far I've won $25 off at Shutterfly (two of those so I have one to share with someone else if anyone wants one), two drinks at a movie theater, one movie ticket, and one popcorn at a movie theater.
3. Yesterday I tried a new recipe - ham and swiss penne. Nadia and Oliver loved it. WOOHOO! Paul didn't try it because he stopped for fast food on the way home from work. Ian didn't like it, but he managed to buckle down and eat his dinner within about 45 minutes since we were headed out the door at 4:30.I think that Paul will like it, and Nadia already asked me to make it again in the near future. I won't be making the gingerbread pancakes again that I made tonight because the only person who liked it was Ian (Paul never eats pancakes and hasn't come home from work yet so he didn't try any). I know every new recipe won't be a "winner" as my mom would have said, but I'm always thankful when I do find one that is a winner!
4. Ian was baptized on Sunday. PTL! I'm so thankful that Paul's parents, Paul's brother, sister-in-law, Tab, Dan, Micah, and Isaiah all came to Ian's baptism and also Ian and Nadia's Veteran's Day concert on Sunday. Here's a video of Ian's testimony (that was shown in church right before his baptism) and his baptism. They kindly edited the video so it doesn't show how Ian tried to immerse himself backwards before the pastor even said anything, ha ha!
5. The kids and I enjoyed the thanksgiving dinner at Pastor Ken's house on Sunday evening. Yum!
6. The kids and I had the privilege of serving at the Milton Developmental Services on Tuesday morning for about 2 hours. Since many of the residents do not know their numbers, my kids (and other homeschoolers) helped the residents play BINGO. Tab set this up. She does a great job of setting up service projects. That is something we want to do more of in the coming months and years.
7. Last night we enjoyed a concert at Penn State featuring Elevation Worship, Hillsong Worship, and Casting Crowns. I got tickets for the boys and Paul for $10 each, and Nadia and I got in free as volunteers with Compassion. One person that Nadia gave a packet to sponsored a child last night, and four women that I gave packets to sponsored a child last night. PTL!!!! One of the packets Nadia was given was for an eleven year old girl in Bolivia whose middle name was Nadia. We are praying that particular Nadia will get a sponsor. The concert is taking place tonight in DC. Maybe someone tonight will sponsor that girl. It was tempting to agree to sponsor that girl last night, but we already sponsor four children, which is I think all we can handle at the moment on one income. Elevation Worship and Hillsong Worship together performed for the first two hours of the concert. During the speaker from Compassion and intermission the boys slept. Oliver woke up once Casting Crowns started singing. Since it was well past the boys bedtime and a little past Nadia's bedtime, I suggested that we leave a little after 10pm. I'm guessing the concert might have gone until about 11pm, but considering our drive back home was more than an hour (70 miles mostly on Interstate 80), we decided to leave even though Casting Crowns is one of my favorite artists. I drove home because Paul had left for work at 3:30am. We got home around 11:30pm. This is why I always pick a matinee performance whenever possible because performances that start at 7:00pm are just too late for us. The last time I was at a concert at PSU the music was WAY too loud (Winter Jam tour). I was very grateful that it wasn't loud last night.
8. Nadia has really been enjoying listening to the Brinkman Adventure CDs again (a missionary family). She has seasons 1-6. I think I should get her season 7!
9. My sister and her family will be arriving at our house in about one hour! I figured out how to seat 9 people around the dining room table by seating two people on the piano bench and another on the piano stool that is usually in Nadia's bedroom. We can sit five people in the kitchen, which means we are all set since we'll only have 14 people eating together since Paul only eats with us on Sundays. We are celebrating Jenna's 17th birthday tomorrow! I remember holding her when she was just a few weeks old at my doctoral graduation in December 2002 at IUP. They are planning to stay through Saturday morning, and they have come knowing they won't have access to a shower while they're here. The first 8 years we lived in this house we had access to 2 showers (one with a tub) and 3 toilets. We've been down to 1 shower/tub for the past 3.5 years. Right now we only have access to 2 toilets and 0 showers, which is far from ideal considering that fifteen people will be sleeping in our house the next two nights, but at least we have a roof over our heads, indoor plumbing, a warm house, and many other blessings that so, so, so many people around the globe do not have. The kids love being with their cousins! We hope Jenna has a very special birthday tomorrow!
10. I could say it every week, but I am so, so, so grateful for all the hugs and snuggle time I get with my boys. Thank you, Lord!!!
11. I had a coupon for eBay for $3 off anything. I bought 10 Forever postage stamps for $5, which meant I paid $2.00. The seller sent me 20 postage stamps! Considering they currently cost 55 cents each, that was a great deal to get 20 stamps for $2.00!
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