First, I am so thankful for everyone’s prayers for our safe travel to Japan.

Honestly, the long flight was easy compared to the progression of train rides from Narita to Aomori. All five children fell asleep on the last train and _would not wake up_ at our stop. They were each like 30-60 pound rocks, respectively.

The “winter mix” of sleet and now made the floor of the train as well as the platform extremely slippery. I literally held my hand in the train door to keep it open and stopped while Tom carried kids out by their shirts (Thomas has a mark on his neck to prove it) and ran back and forth for more kids and luggage. It wasn’t pretty. Tom and I were both fighting tears by the end of the ordeal.

When we arrived at the station, Tom had hoped to get a rental car but the office was closed. Tom determined that taxi availability to Goshogowara was limited, and it would not accommodate the number of people we have in our family as well as the luggage. Realizing how bad the situation was, Tom humbly called the Ghents, the pastor and his wife, from Tsugaru Gospel Church. The met us at the train station at 9pm.

I was warmed to the heart. We barely know them, and they helped us carry children and luggage to the car, drove us 45 minutes to our destination in the middle of a SNOW STORM (even stopping to check on a driver stuck on the side of the road) and then helped carry children and luggage (which had been shipped from the airport to the hotel and was waiting for us in the lobby upon arrival) up to the 10th floor. Tom’s co-worker Mike also met us at the hotel to help. Their love for the Lord was very evident. I can’t wait to go to church!

Back to the long flight.
(more…)

Excerpt from this morning’s argument during Playdough sculpting.

Tab was making horses.

Thomas was making aliens.

Tabitha : I love horses.
Thomas : I hate horses.
Tabitha : You shouldn’t hate horses. If there was no such things as cars or buses, how would you get to church? You couldn’t unless you have a horse!
Thomas: If there were no cars or buses, I’d stay home from church, kill a horse, make Jello and eat it!
Tabitha: [Mortified] Mom!! Does ALL the gelatin in the world come from horse hooves?
Me: No.
Tabitha: See Thomas? You don’t HAVE to kill horses to make Jello.

Yes, it does.

At 3am this morning, my 3 year old woke up. He wouldn’t let me put him back in bed.

Acting as if we weren’t in the middle of a tantrum, I said in a conversational tone, “Hey - lets make pancakes for breakfast.”

He stopped crying. “Can you put strawberries in them?”

“I don’t think I have any. How about Granny Smith apples?” (The green fruit forbidden to children we had bought for daddy when he was home. No squishy 99-cents-a-pound McIntoshes for him!)

“Aw, yeah!” he said, all tough, somehow unaware that he had tears on his face or that he had nearly woke up half the neighborhood or how deathly afraid he had just been of the dark.

“You gotta remind me when I wake up, though. I forget promises I make when I’m sleepy - just ask your dad.”

A few short hours later, I woke up to the “make pancakes, mommy” mantra x 5 x 1000.

Here’s my impromptu, “It Still Feels Like Monday Pancakes” recipe - because it does still feel like Monday. You see, one needs adequate sleep in between the days, or they just become a like long, extended hallway from one day into the next that can’t be traveled through without a headache.

Basic Bisquick Pancake Recipe (4 c. mix, 4 eggs, 2 c. milk)
1 lg Granny Smith, belonging to daddy and coming out of your allowance if you eat one, apple - diced
4 TB vanilla extract
1 TB maple syrup for giggles
1 TB sugar from the sugar bowl - because it’s right there and you don’t feel like opening a new bag
2 TB cinnamon

Scrape up the hardened macaroni noodles off of your burner from some time last week - days are irrelevant because they all blend together anyway - and cook your Monday/Tuesday pancakes on a griddle over medium heat. You’ll know they’re ready to flip when they’re bubbly. (No amount of magic will make the first batch perfect. I’m just sayin’.) Serve with just enough syrup (Tom, it’s pronounced Sir-Rup) for flavor but not enough to get in everyone’s hair when they aim for their mouths and miss. Enjoy!

My superior technique for washing dishes

Tell me your late night kitchen-cleaning tips!

Part 1

Part 2

So just what happens when you use American cheese in a quiche?

Watch my video to find out!

I guess we’re having quiche for dinner!

Leah’s Surprise Quiche Recipe
(Created 9/17 with ingredients on hand!)

6 eggs - no shells!
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
4 slices of American cheese
3/4 c. sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp McCormick Italian seasoning

Pate Brisee , made according to the directions (you can freeze half of the dough or halve the recipe. Either way is a morally acceptable decision). Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees to set.

Blend together all ingredients (except for the Pate Brisse:) ). Pour into baked crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until slightly golden brown.

Thomas is going through a “girls have cooties” phase.

Thomas and Tabitha were upstairs drawing pictures. Thomas drew robotic animals. Tabitha’s drawing was of Dora the Explorer, decked out like a princess.

The following conversation erupted as it came down the steps:

Thomas: “Because I HATE girls!”
Tabitha: “How can you hate girls when THEY ARE THE ONES THAT MAKE YOU BREAKFAST?”

(Hate isn’t an edifying word. We need to work on this! But, I needed to get the giggles out of my system (!) before we address “hate” during prayer time tonight )

“circle, circle
dot, dot
now you’ve got
the cootie shot”