How Not to Carry a Cupcake

This morning I woke up at 5 AM, ate pancakes with Isaac and Andrew that Dad had made, and then went....hunting. Wow. I can't believe I did. It was pitch black outside, and raining, but apparently the first day of deer season doesn't come UNLESS it is raining. So it rained the whole morning. We traipsed around in the woods, and in the fields, and actually saw about 12 deer (at separate times), and one buck (he was really scrawny though, so we didn't even think of shooting him). Actually most of the deer were tiny. And we didn't get anything. But I counted 30 gunshots that went off all around us during the 2 and a 1/2 hours we were out there!! Still, it was rather fun...in its own way. This morning I definitely got tired though. It was about 10 AM, and I was reading, and my eyes started to feel heavy.....and heavier.....until I really couldn't keep them open. So I went and laid down for 15 minutes, and then felt better. Power naps rock.

Yesterday we went to church for the first time in about a month and a half. We haven't wanted to catch swine flu, so we'd stay here and listen to a sermon online by John Piper, or Francis Chan. But it felt good to go to church--the computer can't stand in for real people and fellowship! One funny thing happened yesterday though....Gina had brought lots of cupcakes with icing on them, and Paul (one of the tallest guys there) was helping her carry them in. We were all starved (it was like 1 pm), so we were semi-jokingly reaching for the plate of cupcakes as Paul passed. So he lifts them up above his head, so no one can reach them, and continues through. But he's laughing, and doesn't realize what he's doing. When he walks through the door, the cupcakes brush the ceiling! So there is now frosting on the ceiling! Hahahaha.....it was funny. We almost made him lick it off, but he just wiped it with a paper towel :)

Tonight we had art. I love art. We made these little figures out of paperclips and foil and whatnot, and then covered them in salt/flour dough. They are now in the oven baking. I hope they turn out. They had to be action figures, so I made a runner, Maryah made a really cute skier, Misha made a butterfly, and Isaac started out making a hulk, or something like that, but his skeleton fell apart on him at the last minute so Mom let him of the hook and said he didn't have to make an action figure. So now Isaac has this interesting looking sculpted head baking in the oven. hm. Sanna made little ginger bread boys with a cookie cutter (she even put cinnamon sugar on them! She was disappointed when Mom said they weren't to be eaten, they were just to look at). Sanna's so cute though. Her new favorite snack is bread dipped in olive oil! She is totally addicted to olive oil its so funny! I think she got it from Andrew, because ever since Italy Andrew is really into olive oil, not surprisingly.

It was nice getting a couple days of school off for Thanksgiving vacation. It spoiled me though. Today, after hunting, I was like....wow....I really don't want to have to do school.....

But I did. Obviously. I would have been in trouble if I didn't. lol Its really not that bad, actually, just everything takes more time then it used to. I remember being 11 and I could get my school done by 9:30 or 10 in the morning! Ah, the life!! Now, at 2:30 pm, Misha will call "Maaaaatteeeeaaaaa!"

Me: "Whaaat?!"

Misha: "Are you done with school yet?"

Me:"uummm....no. It'll be a while yet...check back in an hour..."

Misha: "oh"

HAhaha...I would say I can't wait to graduate, but then there is college....so I am trying to revel in the fact that I can just wake up, roll out of bed, and do my school, and just be accountable to myself and my books. And even if I don't get done till 4 pm, hey, at least I didn't have to leave the house, and there are no weird deadlines and cranky teachers to deal with!! :-D

P.S. have you read and signed the Manhattan Declaration yet? If you haven't, do it, and get your families to do it! Chuck Colson, Joel Belz, and Randy Alcorn have, just to name a few well-known people who believe in it! manhattandeclaration.org