Kelsey's Confectionery Review

I should be editing the whopper of a file that is sitting here on my desk, waiting to be sent to the printer, but I needed a break from the book and thought I would opt for a little light writing. I can hardly keep up with all the confectionery delights offered in our fair city these days. In the spirit of servanthood, I have visited several new, trendy dessert establishments and am here to offer my review. After all, it's for the children.

Would love to have your comments as well, chiming in with the places I haven't been able to get to. I do have 7 kiddos and can't seem to get to every ice cream joint in town, although it is on my to do list.

1. PACIUGO GELATO - I give this 5 stars, 2 thumbs up and throw in a big toe. This place rocks my world. The flavors are intense, they don't use yuck sweeteners (no HFCS found here!) and it's 70% lower fat than ice cream, so you don't feel like you just ate a stick of butter. I feel happy when I leave here and so does my stomach. Free samples offer a first taste before you commit. My favorites are: Amaretto, Irish Coffee, Wedding Cake and Dark Chocolate (oh, man, my mouth is watering). Fresh flavors and friendly staff make this my #1 summer treat for 2010. Located at Towne Center across from Ingredient. Get there this weekend!

2. CUPCAKES AlaMODE - 5 stars for cute and yummy, thumbs down on price, this trendy cupcake cafe makes me want to dress up in pink heels and gather the girlfriends for a fun afternoon treat. The cupcakes themselves are hands down the best I've ever put in my mouth. Atmosphere is adorable and very girly, all in pink and black. But at $3.25 per cupcake, this will be a once a year thing for my girls and me.

3. OVER the TOP CUPCAKES and YOGURT - Zoe loved this place, and if it were up to her I might come back, but overall I was completely unimpressed. The cupcakes totally tasted like a cake mix with that horrid chemical aftertaste. The decoration part was a mere sprinkle bottle at the "Creation Station", but I suppose that was enough to garner a 3-year old's attention. The yogurt was a ton better than Peachwave, although just as expensive. Very creamy and tasty - I recommend the PineappleCoconut if you have to go. I wouldn't suggest this as a date night, but if you have toddlers and a Spreesy coupon it might be worth the trip.

4. PEACHWAVE - I guess I'm getting old. For all the hype and the masses of people in line, I expected some kind of dairy nirvana. I didn't get it. Aside from the "do it yourself" aspect (yes, I always go thru the self checkout), the whole experience didn't "wow" me. The yogurt was bland, and I sampled every single flavor. I will say the topping bar was very fresh and nicely stocked. I see these going up all over Kansas City -- I suppose I am just not catching the wave.

5. MOCHI-YO - In a word, YUM. Love the original tart flavor. Makes me think I'm eating something very healthy, which I'm probably not. It's definitely a different dessert than gelato or ice cream, but it's hip and next door to the Apple Store, so I call it a win.

6. TCBY - 135th and Roe. This is as old as I am, but it's a faithful friend. White Chocolate Mousse is the standard and needs no topping for it to please.

OK, I could go on, but I really need to get back to work. On another note, the Five Guys at Ward Parkway is just about to open and I hear that Trader Joe's is coming to Prairie Village. Just kidding about that part. We can only dream, huh?

Going in Circles

Today did not play out how I had planned. It was a day jam packed with bullet points that needed to get checked off the to-do list, starting early in the morning until tonight, when everyone would get tucked back into bed. Piper decided the day needed to begin before the birds started to sing, so I was a bit tired before the sun even came up. Looking at the schedule and the pantry, I knew I needed to get the the grocery store and would end up taking all four girls. For those who don’t understand the enormity of this endeavor, imagine taking four beagle puppies to WalMart, no leash, putting them in carts and shopping for a family of 10.

Before we even pulled into Target, Zoe was throwing a full blown temper tantrum in her car seat, feet kicking the side of the big white van. I looked back and Anna was crashed asleep in her seat, head drooping and snoring. Piper, who still had not napped, was beginning to squeal. Jackson, who was with me to help guard my sanity, had to be at work in a little over an hour. How was I going to cart in a grumpy 3 year old, sleeping 18 month old and her twin, along with a sleepy 9 month old? If we made it in, would I even get through the first aisle? At this point, we needed at least 2 carts, if not 3, and Zoe’s kicking convinced me that I did not have the energy for this little adventure. As soon as I parked Big White, I started her back up and pulled back out, taking the back way to Jackson’s office.

With Zoe screaming, “I wanna go to TARGET!!”, we drove down the highway while I pondered my next move. Plan B was now well in motion. I would take them to the McDonald’s playland for 30 minutes until it was time to take Jackson to work. I would be a hero mom and all the children would rise up and call me blessed. As I pulled into the golden arches to the yelling of “I want a CHEESEBURGER”, I realized none of the girls had socks on. They would not be allowed to play in the playland. Fail, fail, fail. We pulled through the drivethru, in full sight of the slides inside and Zoe loudly exclaiming, “The playground, Mommy! We will play at the playground!”. Ugh. I broke the news that we were driving through and it would be so fun to eat our cheeseburger inside the fun van (at 10:30 in the morning, no less!). Cheeseburgers seemed to pacify all concerned and Anna woke up just in time. Now everyone loved me again and I figured I could make up for the lack of nutrition with some chewables later.

We dropped Jackson off at work earlier than he had to be there because I had run out of steam. We had now just made a huge loop of the city, burned a bunch of gasoline and ate scum food, none of which was in my iCal. I thought to myself, “I have just gone in a big circle and wasted the entire morning!”. As soon as the thought formed in my mind, a tiny voice spoke to me and said, “No. Sometimes the circles are just an exercise of the heart.”

I pondered that phrase......and realized that in the 2 hours of riding around, dealing with screaming toddlers and fussy babies, the Lord was exercising my spirit. It was not a waste of time in His book. I had prayed 90 second prayers for friends, family and national leaders. I received mini-downloads from Holy Spirit that I knew He would be faithful to expound on in a later, quieter moment. I had conversation with my 17 year old, who won’t be riding in my big white van forever. I prayed over Grandview as we drove, asking the Lord to pour out His Spirit and transform this city, claiming landmarks and buildings for His glory as we drove. In fact, these two hours had been quite productive in the scope of eternity. I don’t want to call it a “test”, but it certainly was a “workout” of my inner man.

So, the next time you feel like you are simply going in circles, getting nothing done and wasting your morning....remember...sometimes the circles are actually an exercise of the workings of your heart.

Don't faint. This is an actual blog post. I know, you all thought I disappeared. I have not. I have been in an educational period, enrolled in the school of kids and life and a few other surprises. I can't promise a daily or weekly blog post. But over the last year and a half, there have been many written on my heart. The next post will be one of those lessons learned from spending time with four children under the age of 3. A good rule of thumb is that anything you plan will always take 4x longer than you think and some things truly are impossible. Being the eternal optimist, this has been a hard rule to accept, but I am coming to the realization that I will NEVER get everything done that's on my to-do list. There will always be a bathroom that needs cleaned, a wall that needs painted, something I forgot at Target, someone who needs a ride, an email that needs answered...you get the picture. Times seven....and all their friends. So, as much as I have had it in me to write, well, I didn't get that far down on my list until now. And only now because I didn't clean the kitchen or paint that wall tonight.

So the next post will be about my day and what I learned. In the natural, it doesn't look like I got much checked off my list, but in the spirit, much was accomplished and that's what keeps me going, day by day.

Intercessory Shots

Last night I started my Lovenox shots - a twice daily injection into the abdomen to help blood flow during pregnancy.  It's no fun, but having done it before, I thought I would get into the groove of it pretty quick.  I let Zion watch and he was unimpressed.  I guess he was expecting more blood and drama, not a tiny little needle submerged into Mom's belly roll.  I didn't expect the burning sensation that followed the initial prick.  Lovenox is a different medication than I have used before, so I didn't know it would burn so bad.  I almost passed out.  Randy found me crumpled on the kitchen floor with cold sweats and seeing black dots.  As he helped me up to the bed, I cried like a baby.  THIS HURTS!  And it is the first of 600 more!!!

Today's shots were a little better, although it still made me queasy.  Tonight, as I sat waiting for the burning to pass, Jackson came over and asked, "Mom, can I pray for you?"  Of course, that was a no brainer.  "YES!"  He went on to pray with more wisdom than I thought a 15 year old could hold.  He prayed for strength and said, "God, this is her intercession right now.  In a weird way, this is her act of intercession, taking these shots and carrying this baby" and he asked that God would see it and bless me in this season.  What a kid!!

So today, maybe you are in a season of taking "intercessory shots".  It burns and you cry alot because it doesn't seem like you are doing much, but deep inside there is something growing that will be an inheritance for Jesus when He returns. 

Just call us Abraham and Sarah

Yes, it's true.  If you've followed the twitterati and facebook, you will know that I am indeed, PREGNANT.  We have never laughed so hard for so long.  

Now, I don't have long to blog because I have a hundred facebook messages and a bunch of instant chats going on from people who think this is as incredible as we do.  And in just a few minutes I have to go feed our 2 month old twin baby girls who are soon to be BIG SISTERS. But I wanted to take a minute and give the update for both of you who still read my blog.

In case you haven't done the math, we will have more kids than seats in the Suburban.  4 children under the age of 3.  And 3 children who can't walk.  (Just putting it in perspective).

Oh, and did I mention that we will have SEVEN children?  Barring twins or triplets, the 7th Bohlender will arrive sometime in July 2009.  

We told Lou and Therese -- they cried and laughed and said, "You caught up with us!"  Ha!

So, it is now time for me to make the bottles and feed babies.  And I guess I will be doing that for, oh, the next two years!!  hahahahahaha!!  Hopefully I will be able to keep up the blog like so many of my superhero mom friends.  Pray that I can.  I have a couple posts that have been brewing for quite some time.  Now I just need some down time to myself for a  couple hours to process thoughts and write.  And maybe a foot rub.  And a homemade chocolate cake.  

More to come...I promise

I know, I know. You thought since I was sitting around waiting in the Florida sunshine I would have a ton of time to keep everyone updated and post pics. I had that romantic notion too for about, oh, a minute.

We fly home tomorrow and I am counting the hours! Not that I don't love Sarasota (and Kilwin's -- Mint Chocolate Chip, baby!), but I am so looking forward to having all SIX children in one spot. Ha!! If I faint, just leave me for awhile. I will be fine.

When I come up for air, I will give detailed updates on the babies, their story, and the state of the Bohlender tribe.

Pray for lots of sleep!

Up in the middle of the night.....

I know this will get to be routine again, but it never feels normal to get up 4 times in the middle of the night. At this moment I really could go back to sleep. Babies are fed and back down, cuddled together in bed. Hubby is snoozing. Except I can't go back to sleep. I suppose my brain is on overload trying to process the events of the week.

How could I have known when I woke up on Thursday that my nice, quiet weekend would be turned into a whirlwind and life would be forever changed with two little bundles of love? Who knew that God had divinely orchestrated every single step, from our home study being finished the evening before or a planned meeting with our adoption experts that very morning? The Lord knew.......He wrote these days before even one of them came to be.

I am tired, but cannot imagine how a nice, quiet weekend could have been more fulfilling than this great journey. It's been kind of like planning to enjoy the glacier at St. Mary's and finding yourself climbing Quandary Peak. Exhausted, yet exhilarated. Out of breath, but full of life.




Good night......if you are up in the middle of the night, remember that your days have been written in His book too. Sweet dreams.

BABIES! (Yes, that was plural!)

We are at the hospital, waiting for the mounds of paperwork to be signed.  The Lord has divinely orchestrated this day in such complex ways that it is blowing my little mind!  Today, we will have legal custody of beautiful, twin baby girls....a double portion to celebrate the 9th anniversary of IHOP.  Wow!

Obviously there is quite a story.  I wish I had time to write it all now, but I don't.  We are literally waiting for the attorneys to come out and hand us the babies.  It could be any minute.  

They are beautiful.  An Asian heritage gives their skin that beautiful glow and dark eyes.  We thought we had names, but in the short moment we held them, we felt they weren't quite right. Hope to announce the decision later today!

Pray for us, for Aemi the birthmom and for the little babies that they would know their stories were written in a book before they were one day old.  

More updates soon......I promise!