Happy New Year!

We had plans to have some friends over to celebrate the New Year, but we are all sick. The boys and I have been sick since our trip, but Steve just got sick, so we decided that someone is probably contagious. Since one of our guests works with sick babies, we thought it best to quarantine ourselves. (Okay, really we let her make the call.) So, my plans for making chex mix and fudge with the boys, cleaning for our guests, and playing games all day went out the window.

We started out the morning with some baked French toast and a little sparkling juice. There were party hats and blowers set out on the table for breakfast, too. I really should think these things out more, though. I should only give the blowers out when I want them blown. Because if they are out, they will get blown ... loudly. And it will hurt the adults' ears - a lot.





Anyway, after breakfast, Evan and I played a couple of games of Connect Four and watched a bit of the Rose Parade. Then he played a lot on the Wii with the rest of us joining in occasionally. Then we watched the Gator Bowl. Steve and Joel were doing their own thing during the bowl game. I fell asleep toward the end of the game (but did see that the 'Noles won!) and then all of the guys were playing on the Wii again.

I am not a traditional New Years Day food kind of cook, but today I tried something new. I made a crockpot version of black-eyed pea soup. It smelled so good cooking all day, and it tasted great, too. What a great soup for a chilly, lazy day like today! We had cooked cabbage and cornbread to go with it. I always loved my mom's cabbage, but I don't know how to make it like she did. This was my first attempt and it wasn't like hers. It was edible, though. Overall, I would declare the dinner a success. (You don't have to don't ask the boys for their opinion, though. They would probably just talk about the gingerbread house that they ate after they endured the other food.)

So, it was a pretty good day anyway, even if it didn't go according to my plans. I am getting more used to things not going according to my plan. I think that means I am growing a little. I hope that trend continues into the new year. This is my prayer, taken from Paul's words to the Ephesians:

No prolonged infancies among us, please. We'll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love. (Ephesians 4:14-16 - The Message)