Life and Times of the Sharp Family

For Halloween this year the kids were all letter blocks: Breslin-B, Dharia-D, and Adelia-A.  They were super cute. The Best part of the night was when we started to go trick-or-treating and Breslin said, "Can I be a C block, next year?" Lord, thank your for my little letter blocks. Thank you for allowing me to be able to make it home from XC in time to see them do a little trick-or-treating.

Today's day, 313, is a palindrome.  It's the same forwards as it is backwards. For some strange reason, I really get a kick out of palindromes.  I love them.  Racecar! Xanax! A man, a plan, a canal -- Panama! Too bad I hid a boot! I feel blessed to be so easily amused. Thank God for a palindrome! Lord, thank you for funky things that keep me entertained in the strangest ways.  I really feel as though I know you better when I stop to appreciate some of these small, seemingly insignificant details of our world.  In your name I pray, Amen.

It's a brewery with the most amazing food and atmosphere.  It also happens to be about 11 miles from our house.  It's the Dark Horse Brewery in Marshall, Michigan. If you go, expect to have a hard time finding a table, as it has been packed every time I have been there.  You can also expect a more classy menu than you might expect from a brewery.  My favorite sandwich is the Portabella Turkey, but what I have been getting lately is the Chocolate Thunder Pizza Pie -- pizza sauce, feta cheese, grilled chicken, pineapple, mushroom, red onion, and banana pepper.  Oh, man.  Tonight I ate THE WHOLE PIZZA.  Myself.  That's something special, folks.  I rationalized it by the killer 5-miler I ran this morning.  I'm not a member of the mug club yet, as I consider myself a bit of a beer-sissy when it comes to microbrews.  I've only ever really sampled the Raspberry Ale, which is a self-proclaimed "light-bodied, easy-drinking" beer.  That seems powerful enough fo

Dharia's "Happy Face", AJ's grumpy face (she was a grouch all night), and Breslin's "Big A and Small A" Pumpkins Perfect Fall Night in Five Easy Steps 1. Pizza from Pizza Hut 2. Carve Pumpkins with All Three Kids 3. Surprise Visit From Uncle E 4. "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" 5. Eating Hot Pumpkin Seeds and Drink Hot Apple Cider on the Couch as a Family God, thank you for a perfect fall night.

Kids N Stuff in Albion is a children's interactive museum where kids can play with all kinds of cool stuff.  We have been going to Kids N Stuff since we moved to Albion and are continuallly amazed at the engaging, hands-on approach they bring to play.  On a whim, we decided to go tonight.  It wasn't a normal thing we'd undertake on a school night.  It had been a while since we had been there and the kids had missed it, big time.  They tornadoed through the Post Office, the grocery store, the water table, the garden and farm exhibit, and the messy art room (that's KNS's own word for it, I personally can't believe how clean they keep everything in there).  It was a lovely excuse to get out of our messy (that's my own word for it) house and do something fun at night.  It seems like lately, we barely have energy to do anything but get dinner on the table, get dinner cleaned up, put the kids to bed, and go to bed ourselves.  Instead, we had some moments where we

I love Goodwill Industries. I love taking my outgrown clothes there when I purge my closet. I love finding myself "new" clothes that are perfect to wear to school and that cost next to nothing. I love that taking stuff to Goodwill and buying stuff from Goodwill is environmentally friendly. I love that help people find jobs who would normally have a hard time finding one due to a disability or face another impediment to being hired. Now that is awesome. Thank God for Goodwill! Lord, thank you for this cool store that does so much good for so many people.  In your name I pray, Amen.

Breslin is such a nice boy.  I am so thankful that he is sweet and kind. Tonight I was in the shower (I had run cross-country practice with the girls today) and he came in to use the bathroom.  When he flushed, the water in my shower became scalding hot and I cried out in pain and surprise.  When he heard me, he said, "Oh, mommy, I'm sorry.  I forgot to wait to flush until you were done with your shower." Later on in the evening, he was watching a movie about robots and noticed that I had eaten up all of the bread I had been snacking on.  So he ran into the kitchen to ask Colby if I could have another piece.  Then, he brought a new piece out to me.  When he crawled up on the couch, he apologized again for flushing while I was in the shower. Some kids have to be taught kindness and consideration (hello, Dharia), but tonight I feel so lucky that my son seems to come by it so naturally.  I LOVE being this kid's mom. Thank God for a nice boy! Lord, thank you for m

The love of shoes has a strong hereditary basis.  My mom loves shoes and my grandmommy (mom's mom) loves shoes.  I love shoes. Today I am thankful that my daughters love shoes. AJ woke up in a full-blown hissy fit this morning.  When did she smile and coo like she was the sweetest, happiest baby in the whole, wide world? Why, when I asked her if she wanted to wear shoes, of course! All tears disappeared.  In her cute, tiny voice, she affirmed, "Shoes!" and laughed like nothing in the world could possibly make her any happier.  Other evidence of AJ's shoe love: She has been sticking her feet out in an effort to help me get them on her more easily as of late. One of her very first words that we could recognize was "shoes" (shortly after "no", and "mama"). She frequently tries to get other people's shoes on and walk around (especially funny when she make an attempt with Colby's shoes). She cries when you take her (or a

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Today I am thankful for robots.  Right now they are Breslin's favorite thing (I guess you could say that the passion first demonstrated itself this summer when he made one out of fallen pinecones in our backyard).  He draws them, builds them using the "Bot Garage" app on Colby's iPad, and makes up stories about them (this story brought to you by www.screenchomp.com ... my favorite part being when Lou Lou chimes in about half way through).  I love seeing his creativity surface through all of his activities surrounding robots. Thank God for robots! Lord, thank you for giving my son something to be so excited about.  Thank you for his creativity and his sense of humor.  I feel so lucky to be his mom.  In your name I pray, Amen. 

Have I already posted about the bread machine?  I don't think so, although  it's hard to believe since I do love it so much.  Today when we got home from school, I had the kids help me measure out the ingredients for some pizza dough.  Lately they have been all about "helping" in the kitchen.  So, I would assist them in measuring out some ingredient and they would take turns dumping them into the bread maker.  When we started it up, they were fascinated and climbed up onto the counter so that they could watch the mixing from the little window on the top. It was such a nice way to begin our weekend after a crazy week! We were together, having fun.  My kids are the best. And tomorrow, we get to have some homemade pizza! Thank God for our Bread Machine! Lord, thank you for the fun we had today.  Thank you for my kids, who are so amazingly cool.  Thank you for the chance to make something together and for the enjoyment we'll get out of eating it tomorrow.  In

As of right this second, I am officially all caught up on my grades.  Of course, that will likely change less than an hour after walking into school tomorrow morning, but for now it feels really, really good. Thank God for getting caught up! Lord, thank you for helping me to feel like I can take a breath, knowning that I have done what I need to do for today. Help tomorrow to be productive and lead me into a restful weekend.  In your name I pray, Amen.

Just before Colby got home from school today, a giant tree fell down only a few houses from us, tearing down power lines as it crashed to the ground.  The girls were terrified at the sudden lack of lights, but were okay once we got some candles lit.  Fortunately, dinner was in the oven and almost done, so we got to eat all together by candlelight.  After dinner, Colby gave each of the kids a flashlight and went on a "bear hunt" with them.  I could hear their squeals of delight competing with the howls of the wind. It was a neat night, full of quality time with my family.  There was no TV or Internet to distract us, and it was impossible for Colby or I to do anything school or chore-related. So instead, we played in the dark, cuddled in the dark, sang songs and read books in the glow of candles. For this guilt-free night of fun I am so grateful. Thank God for no power! Lord, thank you for your awesome power as shown in tonight's storm. Thank you for keepin

I'm sitting here on the couch looking at the chair we bought from IKEA several years ago. It used to be kind of a cream color. Then we had three kids. You could sort of tell that it was meant to be cream, but it was also covered in a multi-colored grunge from so many spills and encounters with food/crayons/child bodily fluids. For the last year or so, I have involuntarily cringed every time I looked at it, citing it as yet one more example of slovenliness in my house. Tonight, I am looking at the same chair, but it is covered in a chic floral pattern in predominantly dark colors. At the end of the summer, I found sometime to tear off the old cream cushion covers and make some new ones. So, now there is no cringing anymore, and for that I am grateful. Thank God for the chair cover! Lord, thank you that I was able to find some time to replace our old chair cushions so that I don't have to be stressed out by just being in my living room. Thank you for helping me to find e

Bath and Body Works always makes seasonal hand soaps. As you can probably imagine, I am not the type of person who has the wherewithal to purchase said soaps in time to get use out of them during the current season. In fact, I'd consider myself to be doing fairly well if I had hand soap of any variety in my bathrooms. So when my mom gave me two fun bottles of antibacterial hand soap with Halloween touches, I was thrilled to put them out in my bathrooms. I'd even daresay that I look forward to washing my hands when I am at home because they will smell like cinnamon vanilla pumpkin or marshmallow when I am done. I also doubled the amount of Halloween decorating I do just by putting them out. The kids love the pictures of the jack-o-lanterns and spiders. Such a small thing, really, but nevertheless I am grateful. I am grateful for my mom, who thought of me when she bought the soap. I am thankful that having the soap has made it so much easier to get my kids to wash their

Today was a slow day. Time passed slowly and there were few obligations to fill. It was a feeling that we had forgotten about in the six weeks since the beginning of school. We filled the time getting things done around the house and enjoying each other's company. I was so grateful for this opportunity for rest and revitalization. Thank God for a slow day! Lord, thank you for filling our day with a sense of quiet and peacefulness. Please allow the feelings of today to spill over into the week and to provide us with the energy required to do what needs to be done with an attitude that brings honor to you. In your name I pray, Amen.

My sweetest woke me up this morning with a bag full of goodies from my favorite store, The Green Scene.  It was full of some of my favorite things: bath salts, lotion, cuticle cream, soap, and lip balm.  I didn't even know it was Sweetest Day! I feel so lucky that Colby considers me his sweetest.  I loved that he remembered me this morning.  I felt beautiful and special the rest of the day. Thank God for my sweetest! Lord, thank you for my husband and the way that he made me feel so special today.  Thank you for the blessings you pour out on me daily through him.  In your name I pray, Amen.

The team at Jimmie's Wrecking Service in Jackson, Michigan are my heroes today. After a long day, I decided to take Dharia to the home football game at Western.  We had a great time together watching the game, the band, the cheerleaders, and saying hey to students.  The band, especially, got Dharia's attention tonight.  They walked throughout the stands with blue and green baskets, collecting money in each.  If the blue baskets collected more money, they would play the U of M fight song at halftime.  If the green basket had more money in it, they would play the MSU fight song at halftime.  Additionally, it was senior night, so they had a great show full of crazy antics and dancing.  When I walked out to my car (I was parked about as far away from the football field as is physically possible at Western), I realized that the keys were locked inside.  As was my cell phone and our second set of keys to the Saturn. Seriously? Dharia and I trekked all the way back inside, whe

AJ had a nice nap today at daycare. Apparently, she was so tired, that she fell asleep while she and the rest of the kids were playing. Outside. Is that cute or what? Thank God for AJ's nap! Lord, thank you for this cute story that made me smile today.  Thank you for my daughter.  Help her to get the rest she needs tonight.  In your name I pray, Amen.

Colby got an iPad as part of a grant program he is doing at school.  When it comes home at night, Breslin and Dharia have very much been enjoying it. Dharia LOVES one of the art apps that let's her draw with her finger using paint, crayons, markers, even glitter. Breslin LOVES some of the interactive children's books that Colby has (naturally) synced to it. In addition to the obvious educational value and the fun they have with it, it has encouraged them to play together and share. Tonight, all three of them sat together reading a book.  Breslin navigated as the girls looked on.  I am thankful for the chance it gives them to do something fun that sparks their imaginations and allows them to be creative.  I am grateful for the opportunity it provides for them to play together. Thank God for the iPad! Lord, thank you for all of the fun things my kids have been able to do with this neat tool.  Thank you for teaching them the value of creativity and cooperation.  Thank y

Breslin loves to eat refried beans with taco meat, tortilla chips and cheese on the top.  Similarly, he loves to eat thick chili with cheese and Saltine crackers on the top.  He has given the special name "Beanstalk" to both of these meals.  Whenever Colby or I say that we're having beanstalk, he's instantly all giddy.  Tonight, after polishing off his first bowl of beanstalk, he became the beanstalk monster.  After a long day at school, a student council meeting, cross-country practice, and parent-teacher conferences, it felt good to crack up with my son. I am so thankful that my kids are not picky eaters.  They pretty much eat whatever we set in front of them.  Sometimes Breslin would rather eat on his own schedule, which is fine by me.  I'm just so grateful not to have to fight those types of battles at mealtime.  My kids just dig in.  AJ can sit at the counter for literally hours at a time, just eating whatever happens to be out at a given time interval. 

I've had a number of true nicknames over the course of my life (by nicknames, I am referring to only those that actually stuck and that I would answer to): "Al" -- the most commonly used throughout my childhood/adolescent/college years. It's on my class ring and I still turn around when someone yells it in my general direction. Teachers who were at Western when I was a student there still call me Al, my college soccer friends still refer to me as Al, etc. "Gooser" -- as in, silly goose, as given to me by my mom "Alley Cat" -- a derivative from Al, given to me by my dad "Babe"/"Hotlaina" -- from my husband, naturally But as of last year, I got a new nickname, that I wasn't too thrilled about at first, but that I'm warming up to and that I am genuinely thankful for today: "Sharpie" -- as in Coach Sharp, given to me by the Western High School Cross-Country Teams It started last year and really caugh

I am so proud of my husband. Today he finished his first marathon! He was in a lot of pain pretty much the whole race, as his IT band has been giving him some major problems lately. He was frustrated, exhausted, and unhappy with his time.  He swears he will never do another marathon. But, he finished! I packed up the kids and pretty much chased him around the course all morning, loading up and unloading kids at various points along the race.  We made three signs on obnoxiously bright posterboard that said "GO", "Daddy", and "GO!" Each of my children held a sign as the runners came past.  The "Daddy" sign had "Runners" on the other side, so that made it a little less awkward for the 500-some-odd runners we cheered on that were not Colby.  There were three specific parts of today that I was so grateful for: 1) We found a spot about 10 miles in that boasted a pretty giant hill.  We parked the car at the top of the hill and camped

Dark Horse Brewery + Sleeping Bear Winery + Act III= A Great Date Thank you God for "Date Night".

Today, I am so thankful for my mom. There are so many reasons that she is wonderful, but I am especially proud of her today because she successfully defended her master's thesis at Michigan State University. She has been working SO hard on it for a long, long time. She took it extremely seriously, and dedicated a ton of research that was groundbreaking and innovative to the field of microbiology. Her research was so unique, MSU had to come up with a brand new name for her specialist degree. She was forced to jump through an unbelievable amount of hoops to get here, but she never gave up. I am so thankful for the example of hard work and excellence she has always set for me. And I'm stinkin' proud of everything she has accomplished. She is an amazing person and I am so grateful she is my mom. Thank God for my mom, the master! :) I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, MOM! CONGRATULATIONS! Lord, thank you for my mom. Thank you for giving her the strength to finish up this amazing accompli

Today I finished the Bible in 90 Days Challenge. It took me 88 Days. It was interesting. I learned a lot. For growing up going to church I sure didn't know a whole lot about the Bible. It also generated a ton of questions for me. The challenge was to read, not study, so I didn't have a whole lot of time to really contemplate the answers to my questions. This was a little unsettling. More than anything, I think the biggest impact came from my constant immersion in the word. These 88 days have represented the the most consistency I've ever had with reading the Bible. As a result, I could see a definite difference in my life, especially the last 5 weeks when it has appeared to be spiraling out of control. There was a peace, a calm, a still, small Voice of Truth keeping me better focused. Words that I read the day before would suddenly ring true in a difficult situation. Words of comfort would pop up when I was feeling defeated. I didn't magically turn int

Lately, my seniors taking advanced chemistry have been acting like...well, seniors. They have been playing this game (in their classes and out of classes) where they pretend to blow darts at each other.  If they get hit with said pretend-and-invisible dart, then they are tranquilized and have to lay down on the floor until someone revives them. Sigh. So, as a teacher, that's really annoying.  I managed to get rid of most of the playing in my class (it's happening all over the school in all classrooms, like a cancer), but some of them just kept pushing the subject yesterday in my class.  I left feeling frustrated and defeated.  Usually my advanced chemistry class is one class I know I can look forward to throughout the day.  Lately, however, it seems to be the hardest in terms of classroom management.  Some of my seniors (a vocal minority) just seemed to be significantly less mature than those I have had in the past. Last night when I went home, I made plans to lay down th

I have this cool necklace I wear nearly every day.  It is composed of three pendants, each bearing one of my children's names.  It goes with everything, and I love the feeling that I am carrying my kids around with me through whatever I happen to be experiencing while I am away from them.  I rarely, if ever, take them off.  I even wore them through both of the half-Ironmans this summer.  They make a familiar and reassuring clinking noise when the bounce up and down as I run (although this same noise drives my cross-country girls crazy when I run with them).  I am usually showered with compliments by strangers whenever I wear it.  Even though I have a lot of really cool jewelry, this is my very favorite piece.  I find myself not buying necklaces much because I know it would take a pretty amazing find to replace what I wear on a daily basis. If you are interested in purchasing one for yourself so that you can have something to be thankful for too, this is the lady I bought it from

I managed to get my hands on some liquid nitrogen last week, and I finally worked up the nerve to do some demonstrations in class.  It was SO MUCH FUN. I didn't think the kids would be as pumped as they were about the whole thing.  It was awesome to see them so engaged and give them a chance to SEE what we had been talking about in class. In addition to freezing the typical objects in liquid nitrogen (a flower, a bouncy ball, a rubber band, a hot dog, a grape), I froze graham crackers and then ate them (weird) and a water balloon (which ends up looking like an egg made out of ice, with liquid water on the inside). For the pièce de résistance,  I took about 1 half liter of liquid nitrogen and placed it inside of a plastic 2 liter bottle.  We headed outside, where I capped the two liter, shook it, placed in under a 50 gallon trash barrel...and ran.  The rapidly expanding gas (nitrogen boils at -320 degrees Fahrenheit) creates so much pressure so quickly that it blows the two li

I realize that this might sound really, really, really lame, but I am so happy to have clean bathrooms today.  With the insanity that was this past week, housekeeping feel down the priority list.  That is, no housecleaning was done this week. It's not that I am a clean freak by any stretch of the imagination, but you just feel icky when your bathrooms are in obvious need of a cleaning. Today, I had some time and I scrubbed those babies until they were sparkling.  Ahhh. Thank God for clean bathrooms! Lord, thank you for giving me some time to take care of my house today.  Thank you for the satisfaction of crossing something off the list.  Thank you for the way clean bathrooms made me feel so much better about life, even though I didn't expect them to.  In your name I pray, Amen.

Just a typical night in the Sharp Household...

It's kind of cool living across from Reiger Park, because when cool things are going on, it's hard not to notice.  That was exactly what happened this morning when we looked out our windows to see tents going up and heard the faintest hints of music if we happened to be in the right part of the house and craned our ears in the right direction.  When I asked Colby what was going on, he said, "Fall Festival.  Wanna go?" Dharia overheard us talking and whenever Dharia hears that question, the answer is always yes.  "I do!  I wanna go!" So, go we did.  We saw arts and crafts, civil war reenacters, listened to a story from volunteers at the Albion Library, took a wagon ride, saw the lights on a big fire truck, pet some alpacas, got faces painted, listened to some great live music, and got a hot dog from the Albion Hot Dog man.  It was such a beautiful fall morning.  This was the perfect way to spend it.  The fresh air and friendly faces were abundant and we