Ummmm....yeah.

Domestic Goddess

So...of the things I'm known for, being anything like Martha Stewart is not one of them. It is a given in our family that I'm not real gifted in the home-making arena. Thank God my husband loves me anyway. Give me a large event with speakers, attendees, and activities to organize, I'm your woman. Give me a house and a kitchen to take care of...well...not so much.

But, it is my hearts desire to grow some in this area. I doubt I will ever be "that mom" that has all the perfect gifts bought and cookies baked and the decorations up for Christmas...but I do want to create a wonderful environment for my family to enjoy during the holidays...and all year round actually. And so, I have been picking certain very meaningful things that are important to our family and trying to learn how to do them.

Recently, I have had a few things turn out pretty good...and considering the track record of the woman who is attempting these activities...well...the mere fact that the house is still standing is reason for celebration.

I have the Christmas tree up and decorated....

...I made a batch of Doug's favorite cookies....

....and I learned how to make Gluten Free Coconut Cream Pie from Dolly McLallen! (This is a picture of my first solo attempt. I made that pie Christmas Eve...and I was VERY proud of it!)

I recently announced to Doug that I am a domestic goddess. :) He laughed. But at this moment, I feel like one...because even if this may not seem like a lot to you, for me this is pretty doggone amazing!

Now if I could only keep up with the laundry....

Family Photo Time

Well...it took me a while to get around to it, but I finally took photos of my kids and our little family.

These were taken in December...John was 4 1/2 months old, Danika was 2 weeks away from turning 3, and Doug and I are older than that. :)

Hope you enjoy them!










We love you all!
The Bierer Family

We laugh

This is another entry that is more for my kids than for you blog readers, so sorry. :)

Doug is just the most fantastic man...I know I say that a lot, but I mean it. :) I just couldn't be more grateful to be married to such a wonderful man. And he makes me laugh ALL THE TIME. I love that. If I were to think of the one overriding emotion that I have experienced since being married to him, it would be joy. Happiness, laughter, good stories, good friends, good kids, good church, good life...it all revolves around joy. Even in the midst of really bad yucky stuff, that man makes me laugh. And then it all seems manageable again.

About 3 1/2 years ago, we got cell phones with cameras for the first time. I was pregnant with Danika, and I received this text/picture message from my husband:

Subject: The father of your child
Sound clip: (Doug's voice, dripping with schmooze) "You are the LUCKIEST woman in the world!"
Photo:

I about fell off my chair at work laughing.
I love that man. :)

Here are a few more flattering and recent pictures of that fantastic father of my children. :)

Christmas Tradition

There is a little town about an hour from Erie called Franklin, PA...and we LOVE to go there. It is a beautiful little place and holds fantastic little festivals and events. Doug and I both like going there because we get the hour ride in the car to talk and catch up, and the events are "small-town" fun that we both enjoy. The events there are always creative and well-planned enough for my enjoyment, and yet small and un-crowded enough for Doug's enjoyment.

The year I was hugely pregnant with Danika and just WAITING for her to finally show up, we decided to attend the Christmas parade in Franklin for the very first time. We had so much fun that we decided to make it a yearly tradition. So, this year we invited my parents to come out and go with us.

What a FANTASTIC fun event that parade is! The unique thing about this parade is that it starts after dark. That is super fun because every float is decorated in tons of christmas lights and all lit up. The parade is long and well-attended, and all the entries are great. And when the parade ends, the parade route closes in on itself and everyone walks down to the town square next to the courthouse. All the people who were standing on the sidelines are now standing in the middle of the blocked off street in front of the "grand-stand." And then the grand finale for this event begins. They set off fireworks from the town square, and they are all set to Christmas music that is playing over the grand-stand speakers. There are ground fire works, low-level fireworks, and traditional full-blown fireworks way up in the sky...all exploding and sparkling in perfect timing with music. It is SO MUCH FUN!

It always seems like the Christmas season is ready to begin after this wonderful "kick-off."

Here are a few pictures from this year's parade. I can hardly wait until next year!

Berniss turns 8

Grandma Berniece Andrews, affectionately called "Gramma Berniss" in this house, turned 80 on Monday. Have I mentioned that she is absolutely amazing? She is.

So, Sunday we celebrated her birthday by going out to lunch and coming back to Dana's house for cake and ice cream. What a fun, wonderful day!

Happy Birthday, Grandma! I hope we get to celebrate at least 20 more!

Doug preached. :)

He did a great job this past weekend!


If you want to hear his sermon, it is titled [Re:] joice and can be found here.