Click here for your chance to win a copy of White Picket Fences.

These Days

The empty nest is empty no more. Toys are strewn about, shelves are cleared of books and stocked instead with diapers and wipes. Goldfish crackers are scattered around. The sewing room has been turned into a playroom. We don't seem to sit on the sofa's anymore - you will more likely find us on the floor playing with babies.

There are horses to ride with Poppa.

Frequent cookie and milk breaks are a necessity.

There are leaves to be jumped in.

And snuggle times with sweet smelling babies after bathtime.

Perfect I tell you . . . . .
. . . . .just perfect.

White Picket Fences - A Book Review

Oh I have failed. I have failed miserably. I made a promise to Waterbrook Press that I would read and post about the books they are sending me. I have been good on my word - until last week. And then with the trip to California, and seeing my little grandboy, and bringing them all home with me to live for a while - well, I guess life just got in the way.

And that's not an excuse. But it is a reason.

So I am a week late.

And worse, I haven't even finished the book.

Regardless, I am going to share my opinion of this book because it is a good one. Really.

White Picket Fences is a novel written by Susan Meissner. It is a story about a family that seems to have it all together on the outside. But guess what? They are a lot like my family - and maybe even your family. They have issues.

Now, as I have said I have not finished the book - in fact I am still in the first third of the pages. But I am mesmerized by it. Honestly. It is different. It is attention grabbing. It is page-turning. It is edgy. I am captivated by Susan's writing style - it is beautiful.

Sometimes I hear people say they don't like reading Christian literature because the style is all the same. Goody goody. Predictable. Not gripping enough to stay with. If you are one of those - you will be pleased - really, really pleased with this book. I challenge you to read this book. In fact I double dog dare you to check it out!

One of the most interesting things about it is the way the storyline parallels the story of the Holocaust. I won't say anymore because, well, you just need to read it for yourself.

And WaterBrook Press has given me a copy to give away. So today if you will leave me a comment telling me what YOU are busy with in life right now - I will put you in a drawing that will take place on Monday - after Thanksgiving.

And speaking of Thanksgiving, I am working on a post about making Pumpkin Rolls. Hopefully I will have that up soon, assuming of course that life doesn't interfere again!

If you don't want to wait to see if you can win a copy - buy one here, here, or here.

This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

Trying to Put Into Words That Which Has No Words

We are home. And more importantly, Brad, Michelle and sweet Tyler are home too. What a week! Before Brad and Michelle went to Peru it was very important for them to be able to come back to the States in November to attend Michelle's best friend/college roommate's wedding. The arrangements were made and so all along we have known they were going to be able to come home for a short three week visit in November - one week of that being in California where the wedding was to be held. We knew that time would go fast and would be shared with lots of other family and friends. Michelle's friend, Mary Alice has become like another daughter to us and has been in our home several times. We wanted to go to her wedding. And then she honored Chuck by asking him to do part of the service. So we happily went, knowing that week would be ours alone with our kids. Later on their visit was extended a bit - what happy news!

Anyway we left last Sunday right after church and drove to Bakersfield. We arrived on Monday late afternoon and we were so excited we could hardly contain ourselves. On the way we purchased a balloon bouquet for our boy, having been told previously how much he loved balloons. One of my biggest fears has been that Tyler would be afraid of us when he saw us, because after all it has been nine months since he saw us and he is now 18 months old. Imagine my joy when the door opened and there he stood.

With his arms outstretched!

He came right to us and hugged and kissed us. How I had prayed for the kind of reunion. And the balloons were a huge hit. Later I discovered that Tyler greets EVERYONE with a hug and a kiss! That's okay - that's just the kind of little boy he is - very loving and affectionate.

We spent the whole week with him and enjoyed every single moment of it. He is such an amazing little guy. His eyes are his most noticeable feature - they are huge and blue and he totally knows how to manipulate people with them! He is strong and he speaks words in both English and Spanish. He LOVES balls or anything that is round for that matter! He quickly discovered that Mia's purse contains an endless supply of m&m's and skittles. He cries when you say 'Ciou' because he knows that means you are leaving ( a bit like his grandmother I'd guess!) and he loves walking holding on to your finger.
He is totally and completely a little boy. His hands and feet feel so large to me. After holding sweet Ava Claire's delicate hands - she feels like she might break. He is just so amazing.

On Friday evening Jayson, Andrea, Jess and Miss Ava arrived. I wish I had had the forethought to have a video camera going. They stretched their arms out to each other and hugged and kissed like they were long lost buddies. I guess they were! They play so well together. This is the two of them dressed for the wedding.
Have you ever seen anything more adorable?

The icing on this already overwhelming cake was driving on Sunday to Oakland to see Tara. Our family, our WHOLE, ENTIRE family was together for the afternoon. I am realizing that as we grow older and our family's grow and change (as they are supposed to) that these times of being together are more precious than anything in the world. My heart was just so full that day. I am a quiet person - not really prone to showing a lot of emotion. So my way of enjoying is just observing, watching, and listening to my family. I like to sit back and just watch them. It fills my heart so full. There is something about just being able to lay my eyes on their faces that brings me untold joy.

On Monday we arrived home. I don't know for sure how long they are staying. I don't know the exact date they are leaving. I don't know the plans God has for them in regard to when they go back and how long it will be before I see them again. I do know that right now, for this gift of time, I am going to enjoy every single moment of it.

God is just so good.

Happy Days Are Here Again!!!

I Love Me a Good Scavenger Hunt

Lisa, at The Preacher's Wife is hosting a fun scavenger hunt for ministry wives. So I'm joining the fun. There is a prize at the end - Pioneer Woman's new cookbook! So here goes:


1. First Name. Robin. Hence, Robinznest. I know - I'm clever like that. My mother read the book by Dale Evans Rogers, Angel Unaware, about her little down-syndrome daughter named Robin while she was pregnant with me. That's how I got my name. And I've always liked my name.

2. State and Country of Residence. Idaho - which is in the USA - but you should note that since we cling to our guns and our religion some other states may not want to claim us.

3. Husband’s Ministry Title. He is the senior pastor. Which means he has been the janitor, door-locker, bulletin typer, snow-shoveler, Sunday school teacher, secretary and repair man at various times in his ministry! Everything but the song leader. He gave that job to me. Things are much nicer these days - mostly he just gets to be the senior pastor. And I don't have to lead the singing.

4. Length of time in Current Ministry Location. We have served in this local church for 21 years. Unbelievable. All my life I have moved at LEAST every two years and often times more. It took marrying a preacher to finally put down roots. Atypical for sure - but very much appreciated by this pastor's wife.

5. Children? We have four grown daughters, two of whom have married, one just finished grad school, and our baby is in college. sniff-sniff. But we also have a one-year old granddaughter and a one-year old grandson who are bringing us all kinds of joy and we are discovering that the empty nest isn't a bad nest at all!

6. Number of unique homes in which you’ve lived during your marriage. Well, our first home was a camper in my in-laws back yard. Yeah - that didn't last long! During seminary we lived in a roach infested apartment followed by the dirtiest house I have EVER seen in my life. My sister and I cleaned it for a solid week and then the owner asked us if we had bought new kitchen appliances! Our first parsonage home was a very tiny apartment attached to the back of the church. On Sunday mornings our parishoners would knock on our door, come in and deposit various produce items, and then march out my back door into the church. That was weird. And fortunately that didn't last too long either.

7. Cook Sunday lunch or eat out? Most of the time we eat at home and our kids and their families join us. It is a treasured day of the week for us.

8. Typically on time for Sunday School or not? I am an on-time kind of person. I hate walking in late.

9. Favorite TV Show. LOST and 24 are my very favorite shows. But I am a news junkie so I do watch my fair share of cable news.

10. Something you watch/like/do that you would never tell the church people. (Except now you just did…lol) Ha, ha, ha. I've been in the ministry long enough not to fall for that one!!!

11. Most annoying church-related pet peeve. Singing all the verses. You know what I mean.

12. One thing you need to throw away but can’t bring yourself to do it. My too-small clothes. Surely I will lose weight one of these days. And that time is sure to align with the time in the heavenlies when the 70's styles are in again. And then I will be set! Right?

13. The one food you can not live without. Diet Dr. Pepper. And pasta.

14. Parsonage or have your own home? We are blessed to have our own home - something I never expected or planned on - but something I totally love!

15. Freak when the doorbell rings or always ready for a visitor? Well, if you mean by ready that my house is clean and I am dressed and there are baked goods in the oven - then no. But I got over that years ago. Now it is "take me as I am" and that seems to work for everyone.

Leaving Carolina - A Book Review

Have you ever wished you were somebody else? I mean have you ever maybe wished your family tree had more exotic foliage on it and not just have the ordinary green leaves? Have you ever wanted to leave your hometown and move somewhere exciting where things are "happening"? Do you have a secret from your past that you wished never had happened, but you have never dealt with it, preferring to move far, far away and just ignore it?

Well, these are all issues that Piper Wick, aka Piper Pickwick is dealing with. And she is learning the hard way that even though you might be able to escape reality for a season, the truth will ALWAYS find you out. But even better, the truth will ALWAYS set you free.

Leaving Carolina is Tamara Leigh's latest novel but it is the first one I have read. Written in first person, it is the type of novel that draws you in immediately by teasing you with just enough storyline to make you want to read further and just enough back story to keep you piecing it all together. I truly enjoyed Tamara's writing style of incorporating humor, mystery and romance into one delightful, easy-to-read package. You might be able to take the girl out of the south - but you can never take the south out of the girl! I always enjoy reading about the south - they just seem to be the most fun people!

Personally, I enjoy Christian contemporary novels but I do find a lot of them to be unrealistic and a little too sugary-sweet. Leaving Carolina does not fall into that category and I look forward to reading more of Tamara Leigh's novels. I think this would be a great read for a book club as well, because it would propagate lots of discussion questions.

If you would like to purchase this book you can go here, here or here.

This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

Monkey Business

He is finally finished! And just before Mr. Foster jumps into a box to be wrapped and stored in the closet until Christmas, I wanted to share him with you.







I have mentioned how hard this monkey was - but the truth is, I loved every stitch I knitted in this guy. It was by far the most challenging project I have ever knitted and I learned a ton. His pajama's have a million mistakes in them, the most notable being that the button placket is supposed to be in the front. Don't ask me how mine ended up in the back - that is a total mystery to me! I considered ripping it all out and starting over again. But then I realized these pj's are going to be worn by a stuffed monkey for Pete's sake! Get over it! So I did. And I'm betting that the little recipient of this stuffed toy (a little mister you might have heard me talk about a time or two) will never notice the difference.

If you think you might want to tackle this project you can order right here. And you totally should because it is a fun project. Knit Picks has a knit-along support group that was a lot of help to me. You can also find many Mr. Foster projects on Ravelry as well.


So now I am on to Miss Ava Claire's Christmas present - a bunny wearing a dress. It's already proving to be a much easier project.

And The Winner . . .

. . . of the Progresso soup pack is . . . . . . . . . The Butler's Wife! Yay Becky! Please email me your address and Progresso will have your package in the mail. Enjoy!


Chuck picked the winner this time. I told him to pick a number between one and seven and he picked three.

It's a Good Time of Year for Soup

So recently I have signed up to do reviews on my blog for a couple of publishing companies and an advertising company. I thought I would try it out - mostly because they send me free stuff. This works for me really well because 1) I like getting packages in the mail, and 2) I like getting free packages in the mail.

I am a tad bit worried about it though because I don't want to turn my readers off. I don't want you to click on my blog and say something like, "Oh great, another advertisement." And then you might never come back again. And that would make me sad. Very sad. And it would not be worth even 10 packages of free stuff in the mail on the same day.

Therefore, if my reviews don't meet your taste, feel free to tell me. Or don't read them. But please come back because I promise I won't always be an advertisement. And one fun thing is that you might be a winner and get a free package in the mail too. Like today. At the bottom of this post. And another thing - my reviews will always be the honest truth. If I like it I will tell you. And if I don't - I will tell you.

Today I was invited to review a new soup from Progresso Soups. They are introducing a new line of "high fiber" soups and want to know what people are thinking. So they sent me a can of their new Chicken Tuscany soup with two fun soup mugs with matching spoons.

They didn't know this, but they had me at the words Chicken Tuscany. Doesn't that sound just so, so eclectically Italian? I love it!

My youngest daughter happened to be home scrounging through the pantry looking for something to eat and something to take back to her dorm to stock her cupboards with. She found the can of soup and the first thing she noticed was the words "high fiber" on the label. She follows a low-carb diet and she is a label reader. She made herself a bowl and after she finished it her exact words to me were "Mmmm....mom this is good. If you have any coupons for this you should buy some more."

I was never prouder. I am teaching her to be a good couponer and it sounds like she is catching on.

I brought the rest of the soup to work with me today in my lunch. Along with a tuna sandwich. And I will just be honest with you and tell you that it was very good. Very, very good. The first thing I noticed was that it had a nice thick broth. I don't care for thin broth soups. It also has lots of white beans in it. I'm not huge on beans - it's a texture thing - but these beans were very soft and they didn't bother me a bit. I also noticed and liked the spices in it - it had a very robust flavor that held true to its name - Tuscany.

I will definitely buy it again. When I have a coupon. And there are three other kinds of the new high fiber soup that I will look forward to trying as well; Creamy Tomato Basil, Hearty Vegetable and Noodles and Homestyle Minestrone. But none of those sound as good as "Chicken Tuscany" does. I think you should aslo know that these soups have 28% of the recommended Daily Value of fiber per serving (7 grams).

Now - here is the fun part for you. Progresso would like to send one of my readers the same gift pack they sent me -soup, soup mugs and spoons. So all you have to do is leave me a comment telling me what you very favorite soup is and I will draw the name of a winner on Saturday.

And then it will be you who gets a package of free stuff in the mail. And you don't even need a coupon.

Progresso provided me with the free product, information, and prize pack through MyBlogSparkTM

Getting Closer. . .

The paper chain before:





The paper chain now:


Be still my heart!

Felted Acorns

If there is one thing I have been reading on everybody's blogs this month, it's how much we all love autumn. I think if we took a poll, autumn would definitely be on the top of the list. I love it best for so many reasons and one of those reasons is there is just something about it that brings out the domestic side of me. Cooking, cleaning and decorating my little nest become priorities to me again after a long and hot summer. I had fun this weekend making these sweet felted acorns. They are really easy, although you do have to know how to knit. Nothing fancy, just simple knitting. And it's really quick and easy.

I saw these little acorns on Susan B. Anderson's blog. That Susan, she is something else. I don't think there is anybody who can come up with such sweet little ideas like she does. I have both her books and I hope I'm getting her newest one for my birthday. (Chuck - this is a hint!)

When she made these acorns, she ordered the felt beads from a company. But I wanted to make them this weekend and I figured they would have to be pretty easy to make, so here is what I did.

I have had some 100% wool yarn tucked away for a while. This yarn was Manos del Uraguay, but any wool yarn will do - as long as it not to be washed or dried. I chose a few colors and cut approximately a yard from each one.

I then cut the 3 yard piece into smaller 3 inch sections so it would be easier to handle.

The next step takes the longest. You have to "unspin" the yarn. Just pull it apart until you have a pile of fluff. I know you can buy wool like this, roving it is called. But I didn't want to go shopping to find some. I wanted to work with what I had on hand.

Now the fun part. Fill a bowl with very hot water and add just a drop of soap. I found it worked better to just do one at a time - don't put all the fluff in the water.

When it is all wet take it out of the water and roll it in your hands like playdough. What begins to happen as the water squeezes out is that the wool turns into felt. And it shapes into a ball as you roll it. You want the balls to be about 2 cm so you might have to experiment with how much fluff you start with.

I had a little helper. Do you see her little pigtails? I could eat this little marshmellow up I tell 'ya.

When you are finished shaping the felt balls, dip them int some ice water to "shock" them.

Then set them out to dry.

You can find the simple pattern to knit the acorn tops on Susan's blog right here. They are so simple and take maybe 15 minutes to make each one. I just love them and plan to make a few more.

Wow, as I am sitting here the wind just started blowing about 100 mph and the leaves are blowing so hard there is hardly any visibility. There is a front moving in and there is even talk about some white stuff being on the ground in the morning. What a perfect evening to hunker down and knit some acorns!

Excellent News

So I haven't yet shared my excellent news on the blog. I have been so happy and excited since I found this out.

Last week Michelle gave me an early birthday present and told me that instead of only being able to be home for two weeks in November, they will be staying until January!

I couldn't believe it as this means that they will be here for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. And sweet Tyler will actually get to know us and we will actually get to know him. He will learn that we are not just people that live in a computer. (He talks to people on the tv too because in his little world, these people are all talking to him!). We will get to hold him and snuggle him and read to him and play with him. He will get to play with Ava Claire and how fun will that be to watch those two together?

And the paper chain - the paper chain is down to 17 links. 17!!! I ♥ paper chains.

I am beyond excited as you can probably imagine. So I am in the midst of planning. Planning menus, planning activities, planning room arranging so we all fit comfortably in our home, planning family get-togethers, planning Christmas gifts, planning, planning planning.

It is a good place to be.