7 Quick Takes (Volume 215)

Since Ladies Man and Princess Dawdle wrote the Quick Takes last week, I thought I'd take my turn at it this week. Yeup...Drama Queen here. But between me and all of the readers out there, you can call me Queen Awesome. (Can't you just see Mom rolling her eyes?)

1) After dinner one night I was showing Dad and Ladies Man a super cute youtube video Mom and Princess Dawdle had found earlier this week. Here's the video. Watch the way these twins look at each other as their dad starts playing the guitar.


After watching this video...

Ladies Man: That's what my kids will look like.

Me: No it's not. Your kids won't fit in a high chair.

2) Earlier this week Dad tried a new cookie recipe. Cookies and cream cookies made with oreos...but he used the oreos with red filling instead of white, so the cookies turned out in this pukish looking pink color. Despite how nasty and strange they looked, they actually tasted pretty good.


3) This afternoon Ladies Man and I were upstairs in the attic being super boring and lame. He was messing on his xbox and I was sitting next to him on my laptop. Earlier in the day he and Princess Dawdle were talking about making a cake, so I asked him what kind of cake they wanted to make.

Ladies Man: I don't know. We just want to make a cake.

Me: Ok, so what kind of cake? What do you want it to look like?

Ladies Man: I don't know. I want it to taste like Christmas.

Me: How do we do that?

Ladies Man: Just look up Christmas cakes on Pinterest and maybe if we make one that looks like Christmas-y things, then it will taste that way.

Yeah...because that's how it works.

4) Onto the next cooking adventure in our house today. As Ladies Man, Princess Dawdle and I were in the kitchen trying to figure out everything we wanted to include on our "Christmas cake," Ladies Man was making his own little treat of chocolate covered mini candy canes. Here's how he did it.

First, he took a small ziploc bag and put Hershey kisses in it. Then he sealed the bag and held it under the boiling water spigot until the kisses were melted. He then poured the melted chocolate onto wax paper, and (using his dirty hands) rolled the candy canes around in the chocolate. Super nasty.




5) The last cooking project that took place in our house this week took me, Princess Dawdle, and Ladies Man a total of about 4 hours and was a total bust. We had a wonderful image in mind as we went to start. We were going to have a two tiered cake, each tier with two layers. In between the layers we would have green and red homemade frosting. Then we would frost the entire outside of the cake just in white, and on top of the whole cake we would put our master piece. This would consist of a Christmas tree, little presents and a walrus all molded out of rice krispies and homemade fondant. It was going to be amazing...

Princess Dawdle had issues opening the cake mix...


Making the fondant...


Making the rice krispies...


Green fondant for the Christmas tree...


Everything was going great until we tried to get the cakes out of the pans...


Admittedly, the first time we put cakes in we forgot to spray the pans. But the second time we did and they STILL turned out like this when we flipped the pans over to get the cakes out! Everything went downhill from there. Our rice krispies wouldn't harden enough for Ladies Man to mold them, our fondant wasn't working very well and all of our spirits were being crushed. We decided to work with what we had.

This is our attempt at trying to patch a few layers of cake and frosting together...


And the final product (complete with a nasty looking fondant tree in the middle)...


Yes, it's edible. No, we're not proud of it. Maybe sometime in the future we will try again...just not in the near future. What a disaster.

6) Since Princess Dawdle and Ladies Man had a snow day yesterday we spent the day doing a lot of random things (I promise there will be no more cooking stories). We decided to color some festive Christmas penguins. Of course, Ladies Man just had to outdo everyone and paint his own picture. Pretty good though, right?


7) The last thing I'll share with you all is Ladies Man's project of making a miniature trombone for a little boy at our church. All he has to do is add a kazoo for the mouthpiece and put the boy's name in the bell of the trombone. Completely homemade! Again, more impressive work by Mr.Artsy-Fartsy.


That's all for this week! Wishing you a Merry Christmas from the Boesiger household!

Isaiah 7:14 ~ Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Catch more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.

7 Quick Takes (Volume 214)

Hey! Whats up?! Ladies Man and Princess Dawdle here. Today we are taking care of the Quick takes for our mom.

Numba 1: So it's almost Christmas and here are a couple tips how to shop cheap for that special person in your life.

-Make a bird feeder out of wood (optional: for the extreme people you could make a squirrel feeder out of wood)
-Wrap them a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a note attach to it saying "I love you more than peanut butter loves jelly."
-Put coupons in their stockings. Over time that will save them a lot of money.
-Dollar General.
-Tie dye old underwear to make them think it's new!
-Tell them they were on the naughty list and get them nothing.

Numba 2: Over the holidays you get a lot of family time, so here's a couple family bonding activities you can do over your Christmas break.

-Hunt Squirrels.
-Bake cookies with love.
-Have a quilt sewing party.

Numba Tres: Now you have probably heard that I, Ladies Man, am pretty tall. But I have found someone bigger than me. He is a friend of our brother's.


Boom! I am 6ft and 5.5 inches tall. Guess how tall this guy is? He is 6ft and 8 inches tall!

Numba 4: There is an essential part of celebrating any holiday and that is pranking family and friends (Always remember pranking is fun until someone gets hurt, then it's just plain hilarious, but in all seriousness be safe and always wear your seat belt.) Here are some pranks you can pull during the Holiday Season.

- Wrap EVERYTHING in their room.
- Wake them up on Christmas Day by throwing a snow ball at their head.
- Fill their room with packing peanuts and turn the A/C down to make a winter wonderland.

Numba 5: There are a lot of arts and crafts stuff you can do over this holiday break but they are getting old and boring now, so here's some new ideas of what you could make for Christmas.

- Instead of a gingerbread house make a gingerbread mansion.
- Instead of baking Christmas cookies go all Cake Boss style and make a 3 tier cake with candy canes on it.
- Instead of making the traditional popcorn and cranberry string make an apple and McDonald's chicken nuggets string.
- Instead of making homemade ornaments make a TREE.

Numba 6: This one is for the kids. Do you have an awesome teacher that you would like to give a gift for Christmas? Well here's some ideas.

- You can always go the safe route and give them an apple but better yet just give them a watermelon.
- For music teachers get a kazoo.
- You could draw a portrait of them with Santa Claus.
- You could give them that homework assignment that was due 3 weeks ago.
- Make a mini Christmas tree out of macaroni noodles.

Numba 7: We couldn't think of a another quick take so we would like you to enjoy this picture of a bulldog in a baby swing.


Thanks for reading all the way through this post it really means a lot to us, and...."We Wish you a Merry Christmas" (you're supposed to sing what's in the quotes)
Have a Great Day!

Catch more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.

Beauty in Sadness

Pain resided in the room, both from recent trials and difficult pasts.

Worry, concern, questions flooded. Bad memories stirred. Tears fell.

And answers were hard to come by.

But amid the hardness, a glimmer appeared in the form of shared experience.

I know what you mean.

I never understood that either.

I know God's in control, but . . .

And a group of ordinary women, whose hearts were pricked with compassion for each other, not knowing what else to do, joined together to appeal to a God they've chosen to follow no matter the cost. Though nothing was solved, His Spirit united. Sadness mixed with the knowledge that God can use it for good even when we don't understand, gave hope to press on, to keep believing. God reminded His ways are not ours.

We felt His love through each other.

Sweet realness.

Pure beauty.

A sense we've been in the presence of God.

Momentary transcendence.

Precious.

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2

What do you face this day, my friend? What burden do you bear alone? Might God want to help you carry it by sharing it with a trusted person? What realness, what release, what beauty might you experience by having the courage to do so?



Photo Credit: wtl photography

7 Quick Takes (Volume 213)

1) It's been a busy week, getting everything done for our church's musical. We opened last night to phenomenal, spectacular, glowing, decent reviews. It's not too late to catch a performance. Come see us!


2) A local television station ran a piece about the musical on Wednesday and Thursday. Check it out.


3) Sensing my declining mood after a long morning, my husband appealed to my delicate side.

Kevin: What would you like for lunch, my love?

Princess Dawdle: Aw! That's so sweet. You called her "my love."

Kevin: What else should I call her?

Princess Dawdle: I don't know. You could just call her woman.

Apparently she's spent too much time around middle school boys.

4) It's easy for me to get depressed this time of year. We are SO BUSY getting everything done for the musical and going to dress rehearsals every night on top of our normal responsibilities. There's no time for Christmas shopping or decorating. Seems like everybody else has their Christmas tree up, some even have all their gifts bought and I'm happy if the dishes got in the dishwasher.

And then after months of hard work, actors get sick, threatening their ability to perform to their best. Technical difficulties frustrate. We're scrambling to get the set done. Bizarre accidents happen--this year Kevin fell into the orchestra pit! (Thank the good Lord he landed like a cat in the only open area and wasn't hurt.) Sleep is hard to come by as you wake thinking of another little detail.

There are days I wonder if it's worth it.

But then the show opens and we see little miracles every night. God's Spirit swoops in and I am mesmerized at how He works. And we, a bunch of ordinary people, are smack dab in the middle of it! It's such a privilege to be involved and associated with these faithful people. God reminds me the best work takes time, involving sacrifice and perseverance. If He's willing to do it, shouldn't I give it my all? Why wouldn't I want to be a part of it?

5) Every December, our high school show choirs and jazz band do a little elementary tour, visiting all the elementary schools in town. Ladies Man got to go along for the first time this year. One of his jobs? To be the tree in "a partridge in a pear tree," holding up his friend the partridge.


He thought this would be great fun until he had to do it half a dozen times for 12 stanzas of the song! This guy is SORE.

Oh, the price of art.

6) We were just sick when we found out the Cornhusker Marching Band Highlights Concert is tonight, on one our musical's performances. Usually it's the week following the musical and our whole family loves going. Attending has become a tradition of sorts. This will be Drummer Boy's final concert with the marching band and Drama Queen's first. It was TOUGH deciding how to handle it. We didn't want to miss either thing! With Kevin directing, Princess Dawdle in the chorus and me and Ladies Man playing in the pit at church, we had a huge dilemma.

We decided to split it up. Kevin and Princess Dawdle will do their thing at the musical while Ladies Man and I duck out of the orchestra to attend the concert. (Big thanks to Greg for subbing for me!) It'll work, I guess, but Kevin will be wishing he could be in Lincoln and I'll be wondering what's happening on stage in Beatrice. Sigh.

7) After watching the efforts of nearly 50 people at our opening night I must end this post by saying God is good. I am captured at the way He works, mysteriously, often in ways we don't understand or even like, yet He works. And when our eyes are open to His hand, when we let Him do what He wants, we will be amazed with a glimpse of His beauty. I don't understand it. I can't explain it. But I know it. And am in awe.

I pray you see His beauty this weekend too, friends, in whatever comes your way. Catch more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.

7 Quick Takes (Volume 212)

1) It was super to have Drummer Boy and Drama Queen home over Thanksgiving weekend. There's nothing quite as heartwarming as having all the chicks in the nest together.

Proving that boys will be boys, on Thanksgiving night I found Drummer Boy and Ladies Man in the "man cave" (aka, the attic) playing, not Xbox as I expected, but with their old Bionicle figures. Later they got the Legos out. The next morning I found this on my dining room table.


They stayed up until 3:30 AM playing Legos! These guys are 22 and 17!

But hey, I could think of a lot worse things they could be doing at that hour.

2) Kevin ran through the Burger King drive-thru and ordered an original chicken sandwich meal with onion rings.

BK Worker: Would you like cheese or bacon on that sandwich?

Kevin: No thanks.

We pulled up to the window and got his food.

Kevin (to me): I'm going healthy today.

Me: Oh yeah?

Kevin: I passed on the cheese.

Kudos, Mr. Healthypants. I'm so proud.

3) Drummer Boy and Drama Queen are headed to Indianapolis today for the Big Ten Championship game. One of the perks of being in the band is fun trips like this. Makes those cold mornings for 6:30 a.m. rehearsals worth it. It's a grueling schedule, though. They travel all day Friday. Leave for a rehearsal Saturday morning at 6, have a few hours of down time in the middle of the day and then it's off for performances before the game around 4:PM. They're gone until after 1:AM Sunday. They sleep a little and get back on the bus for the long ride home.

This is the stuff college is made of, isn't it? I must be getting old. Sounds exhausting to me.

4) I read a book this summer called Born to Run. I bought it thinking it would teach me something about better technique and help me like running. Sadly, it didn't help. I actually gave up running because the people they talk about in this book just LOVE it. They say you should run for the sheer joy of it. They think the longer you go the better. I am not one of them. I apparently was not born to run.

But one positive DID come out of reading this book. The author discusses the issue of shoes a lot. He studies a remote tribe in Mexico who run for like 50-100 miles every day wearing only flat pieces of leather like a sandal. When "professionals" fit them with shoes, they started having more injuries. The theory is that our feet are too comfy. We aren't training them to naturally adapt to the surface they are on. Our shoes prevent our feet from finding the proper footing. I thought it an interesting idea, so I started exercising this summer without my shoes. I was doing the P90X video series with a couple of friends and it was easy to not wear shoes in each others' houses. I noticed my balance got a little better. My arches and knees didn't bother me as much either.

But this fall I started mixing up my exercise routine, working out at the gym and attending jazzercise, and I noticed the knee and arch pain returning. At jazzercise I start with my shoes off, but only make it through a few songs before I kick them off. It just feels better! One morning I was working out at my local YMCA on a new stairmaster/crosstrainer kind of machine and my shoes were bugging me, so I took them off. There were ridges in the foot pedals that kinda smarted at first, but I got used to it and didn't think anything of it until I got home and my foot was killing me. When I checked it out, I found a blood blister the size of a dime!

What is a person to do? Wear shoes and have knee and arch pain or wear no shoes and pulverize the bottom of your feet? I'm at a loss. I wish I could find some athletic shoes with a super thin sole, something that basically protects the skin of your foot. My boys have those toe shoes I've considered getting. I don't know. Any suggestions?

5) The whole family is getting into my Aqua Notes. It's the gift that keeps on giving, I tell you. I found this message left by Drama Queen.


The next day I found this note from Princess Dawdle (formerly known as Miss Innocent One).


Know what I think is weird? How similar their handwriting looks!

6) We had a super fun media frenzy last night at our musical rehearsal (yeah, it was something like that). First a reporter from our local paper came over to interview us about our upcoming Christmas musical. A few moments later a television reporter from Channel 10/11 in Lincoln was down for his own interviews. Both stayed and snapped some pictures and videos of some scenes and will be doing a feature on it.

So look for us in the Beatrice Daily Sun some time in the near future (maybe even today). Then catch us next Wednesday evening on the 6:PM Channel 10/11 newscast for a segment called Lance's journal. They will also be airing it Thursday morning on their 5 and 5:30 AM newscasts.

Don't worry if you miss it. You know next week's Quick Takes will contain links!

7) And speaking of said musical, it's that time of year again. We open in less than a week. If you live nearby, won't you think of coming to see us?


Have a super weekend, friends and read more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.

Oh, Mr. Fix-it Man!

My bathroom faucet was dripping, or rather, running. I didn't want to spend the money on a plumber or bug my husband with one more thing to do, so I turned off the cold water supply and ta da!, no more dripping. I fixed it! Okay, well sort of. It's not much of a fix when you no longer have cold water, but if you turn on the hot water and use it really fast you can make do.

The real solution would take more time. I need a new faucet, which requires shopping for one and installing it. But first I'd like to replace the scratched up sink underneath the faucet which requires more time and money and frankly I'm already feeling ill about the harried Christmas season and its accompanying price tag.

The situation reminds me of my prayer life. A problem appears. Life takes an unexpected turn. A parent gets sick. A child struggles in school. I can't seem to conquer the same problem I've had forever. I don't know what to do. I know it's out of my control so I pray. I'm very respectful, being sure to add "Your will be done," yet my urgency for relief reveals something. I want the problem taken care of. The sooner the better. What I'm really asking for is a quick fix.

Basically I'm saying to God, "Oh, Mr. Fix-it Man!"

Hmmm . . . something about that sounds a little disrespectful, doesn't it?

Yet I catch myself doing it all the time. I've prayed way more times than I care to admit, "God, can't the solution be easy just this one time?"

I want easy.

God wants permanent.

So when I call out, "Oh, Mr. Fix-it Man!" He knows what's best is a long-term job, a fix-for-good, not a band-aid to cover the wound, but actual healing. He's not shutting off the cold water supply. He's doing it right. And doing it right . . . well, it takes time, something God isn't bound by, but we are.

I want relief. Now, please.

God wants transformation. Forever. That doesn't happen overnight. Or even this year or maybe not even ten years down the road. It may take a while, but it lasts. It's better in the long run. Much better. You get hot AND cold water.

So when I get frustrated that God's time frame is not mine, I remember His fixing is permanent. I hold out hope that He is indeed working. I believe what I cannot see.

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Philippians 1:6

He IS working, friends. He's just doing it right.

Do you get frustrated with how God works? How do you keep the faith?



Photo Credit: geoffeg

7 Quick Takes (Volume 211)

1) I've decided to change Miss Innocent One's name to Princess Dawdle. This girl can make an easy task like fetching socks take twenty minutes. Every morning she wanders around the house getting ready, paying no attention to time at all.

Me: Your ride's going to be here in 15 minutes. What do you need to do?

Princess Dawdle: I just need to get socks and brush my teeth.

She runs upstairs to get socks and ten minutes later I'm launching a search party, finding her in MY bathroom putting on the same makeup she put on downstairs already.

Me: They're going to be here soon.

Princess Dawdle: Yeah.

She peers into the mirror, messing with her hair.

Me: What else do you need to do?

Princess Dawdle: I just got to brush my teeth.

She stops to give me a hug.

Me: Let's get on it, sister!

She starts down the stairs.

Me: Your socks?

Princess Dawdle: Oh yeah.

Pray for our sanity, people.

2) Drummer Boy had his final home game in the Husker drum line last Saturday. One of his friends got this great picture of he and Drama Queen.


I've sure enjoyed watching him over the years and especially this year with both of them doing it. So proud of you guys.

3) While Princess Dawdle and Kevin went to the game last Saturday, Ladies Man and I stayed home. He slept pretty late and decided about 1:30 to make himself some lunch. Not just any lunch, mind you. He made mock chicken fried steak and homemade french fries.


The fries reminded me of the ones my grandma used to make when I was a kid. A taste of childhood, as Ladies Man would say.

4) Our kids still had a half-day of school on Wednesday and Ladies Man was not too happy about it.

Ladies Man: Half the kids are gone already for Thanksgiving. And with the shortened day we don't do anything.

We didn't sympathize with him so he decided to bite the bullet and get to school.

Ladies Man: Well, good bye then, parents. Here I go to waste a day of my life.

I'm perfectly fine with that as long as there are no concussions.

5) And speaking of concussions, look what Ladies Man's aunt brought him on Thanksgiving!


It's a giant gift bag full of bubble wrap! Nice one, Jaime.

6) I am thoroughly enjoying my Aqua Notes. They are super handy as inspiration strikes. I also found a fringe benefit--notes left like this from my husband.


There's something about a "Hey Sexy!" that starts your day off right, you know? I've decided to keep that page on top forever. Love it.

7) We had a fantastic Thanksgiving with my family yesterday. As our kids get older, it's tougher to get the whole gang together, but we did it. I got to meet my nephew's new baby (SO precious!) and Mom actually found a photographer to take family pictures Thanksgiving morning. I can't wait to see them. Taking pictures together reminds you who your tribe is. The bantering that takes place during the posing, the silly inside jokes you tell to get each other to smile, the personalities that react predictably--it just warms my heart. We are a family. We are part of each other. It's not always pretty, but we love each other. We belong to each other. What a beautiful way to spend Thanksgiving.

I hope your holiday was as heartwarming and you enjoy a lazy weekend. Take a little time to read more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.