Life As I See It

Learning Lessons

2012-01-10T06:50:00.000-08:00

I've been working through some things lately. Lessons I've learned, but a couple of situations caught me off guard and left me having to remind myself what He's taught me. I'm not a fan of being caught off guard. :) On the week I was struggling the most and spent the most time praying through it, God gave me some great encouragement through the following articles and through a page in the devotional I'm working through. These articles are such precious reminders of His graciousness and His desire to be in relationship with me. He knew what I needed and He provided it. Obviously. Clearly. Through His people who didn't even know they were being used for that task.

This is something that is a little hard to share aloud because it's still pretty personal and I just don't have the right words for how precious it was, but He is so good.

I'm posting these articles here so I have a quick link to them, but also because I've learned over the years that we all struggle with the same kinds of things, we just don't always talk about it. So, most likely, there is someone else that could use these gentle reminders as well.

Boring Christians

Adam and April's Blog

Just Love Me

Day 30

2011-11-30T12:22:00.000-08:00

Today I'm thankful for Santa's White Christmas coffee. I made a pot this morning and it just felt like the Christmas season was here.

Day 29

2011-11-29T06:33:00.000-08:00

"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art.... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.” -C.S. Lewis

Today I'm thankful for friends. Friends that are available, real, funny, accepting, loving and that make my life better. What a true gift.

Day 22-28

2011-11-29T06:23:00.000-08:00

And I was doing so well! Anyway, here are days 22-28.

Day 22- With a little help from my people, we were packed, the house was cleaned and the pies were ready the night before we left for our trip. (That's a big deal around here.)

Day 23- We had a safe, fun ride down to Florida. We found a chick fil a with a clean play area for lunch and were able to meet Todd's mom and dad in St. Augustine (they were there for an anniversary trip) for dinner.

Day 24- My 83 year old grandmother who still cooks everything, except the pecan pies, for Thanksgiving lunch. I try to help every year, but she won't hear of it. Well, she will let me clean the kitchen when we're done. :)

Day 25- A lazy day- we did a little late morning shopping, but for the rest of the day we just visited and watched the kids play.

Day 26- A walk on the beach.

Day 27- Safety on the trip home, good traveling kids and netflix on the droid.

Day 28- Rainboots and raincoat for Gabe- he loved splashing in all the puddles while we were running errands today.

Day 20 & 21

2011-11-21T05:50:00.000-08:00

Day 20
Today I'm thankful for new friends. We went out to lunch with a family that we have met recently at church. It was fun to get together, learn more about each other and watch our kids play.

Day 21
Today I'm thankful for stores are open early so I can make 5:30am runs when we run out of milk. It's so easy for me to take those things for granted. By the way, there are a lot of really friendly, morning people that work at our Walmart.

Day 18 & 19

2011-11-19T19:35:00.000-08:00

Day 18-
Today I'm thankful for a sweet friend who made a surprise "stop by" with treats and to visit for a few minutes.

Day 19-
Today I'm thankful for two teenage girls who gave up their Saturday night to bake lots and lots of cookies for the Firehouse Shelter. It's a blessing to know and spend time with these precious girls.

Day 17

2011-11-17T04:54:00.000-08:00

Today we attended the funeral of our dear neighbor Curt. For the last year, he has been bravely fighting cancer. He died peacefully at home Monday evening, surrounded by his wife, daughters, son and grandchildren.

I was reminded today how thankful I am for good neighbors. Curt was one of those "old fashioned" neighbors. He knew everything that was going on our street- he was pretty quiet about what he saw- not a gossip, but he knew. :) He would call the city or the police, if necessary, to keep the neighborhood safe. He was always willing to lend a helping hand. He loved his family very much. He loved Alabama football and Nascar. He loved visiting with Grant and Gabe. He went to the Waffle House every day- for the coffee and the community. In fact, that was one of the things he missed the most these last few months when he was no longer able to drive. There were several waitresses from Waffle House at his funeral. He loved nature and plants. He would take drives and dig up plants from the side of the road and plant them in his yard. Most of them were what other people consider "weeds", but he thought they were pretty. When he was well, he and Joann would regularly walk through the yard inspecting them. Violets were his favorite.

We have so many fond memories. I am so thankful for the friendship we had with him for the last 14 years. We will miss him greatly.

Day 16

2011-11-16T23:13:00.000-08:00

Gabe's prayer tonight pretty much sums up what I'm thankful for today..."God, thank you for giving us a house that's warm and so we don't get wet when it rains."

Day 15

2011-11-15T14:45:00.000-08:00

Today I'm thankful for the rain. It's been a peaceful and productive day and I think the rain had something to do with that. It's much easier to stay put when it's pouring.

Day 14

2011-11-14T17:48:00.000-08:00

Today I'm thankful for our washer and dryer. Laundry is not my favorite chore, but it would be much less fun if I had to haul clothes down to the river, wash them out by hand, wring them by hand and then hang them out to dry. Yep. I really like those two machines.

Day 13

2011-11-13T11:52:00.000-08:00

Today I'm thankful for our mini-van. That statement may reveal how uncool I am, but that's ok. I love having a vehicle that allows us to transport more people and move mountains of stuff. (You can fit a lot of mulch in that van) I've enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

Day 12

2011-11-12T10:11:00.000-08:00

People that make me laugh, like these guys...

and one more Brian Regan

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Day 11

2011-11-12T03:55:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for all the men and women who have willingly put themselves in harms way, leaving their lives, families, homes for extended periods of time, so that I can enjoy the freedoms that we have.

I'm not a big fan of country music, but country artists pay the best tribute to our troops. So, in honor of my grandfathers, brother, cousin, uncles, sister in law and so many others- here's a good reminder...

Day 10

2011-11-10T07:26:00.000-08:00

Today I'm thankful for our community group. Our group has been together for a long time. It is so good to know that you have friends that have a common purpose, have your back and will be there for you through the big and little things. And it's good to know, that they know the same things about us.

Days 8 & 9

2011-11-10T07:23:00.000-08:00

For day 8...
I am thankful for my parents who have shown me through their lives what marriage should be. They will be celebrating 40 years of marriage this year. They have loved each other through good and bad, through hard times and easy times, raised three kids together teaching us how to love God and other people. Like any other couples, they've had plenty of disagreements during those years, but they sorted them out and stuck them out and loved each other through them.

I'm thankful for the example they are not just to their three kids, but also to their grandchildren.

For day 9...
On a lighter note- I'm thankful for those little Chlorox wipes to clean the bathroom floor when the three year old misses the toilet. Sometimes it is about the little things.

Day 7

2011-11-07T15:47:00.000-08:00

Today I'm thankful for my dishwasher. It sure makes cleaning the kitchen much easier.

Day 6

2011-11-06T14:00:00.000-08:00

Today is Orphan Sunday sponsored by The Christian Alliance for Orphans to bring awareness for the over 140 million orphans around the world.

Even though adoption and orphan care have become the new "hot button" topic in our churches- the care for orphans is not a new need. James told us that it is the very heart of true religion. Jesus told us that what we do to the "least of these" we do to Him. Caring for orphans is not something we do, it is who we are.

But, caring for orphans is not about us. We don't do it to feel better about their plight, we don't do it out of guilt, we don't do it for attention or glory or fame. We care for the orphan, because we were once orphans and the Almighty God rescued us. Now, He has called us to love the fatherless, show them our Father. We do it because we are compelled. We do it because it's commanded and if we love God, we keep His commandments. As David Platt stated Friday night at secret church, "The gospel uniquely drives orphan care. We are not rescuers; we are the rescued."

It's not romantic, it's not glamorous, and it doesn't look the same for all of us.

The truth is simple, though, if we are believers, we are called to orphan care. Not some of us, all of us.

So, I said all of that to say, that today I am so thankful for these organizations that provide opportunities for all of us to live out the love of God to these most precious souls. There are so many great ones, these are just a few of my favorites:

Children's HopeChest

Compassion International

World Vision

Amazina

Reese's Rainbow

Samaritan's Purse

ShowHope

Sevenly

Day Five

2011-11-05T21:36:00.000-07:00

Thankful for Secret Church and waffle house- time in God's word with a gifted teacher and time with friends.

Still humbled by and thankful for the opportunity to worship with believers who joined us, through simulcast, from real secret churches around the world. Thankful for the reminder to faithfully pray for courage, faithfulness, boldness and the presence of God for our brothers and sisters who risk all to serve Him.

Day Four

2011-11-04T04:42:00.000-07:00

And this kid...

Also known around here as "the entertainer", Gabe brings us lots of smiles. I am so thankful for this funny, determined, independent, empathetic, passionate, quick witted, smart boy.

As I think about both of my boys, I love that their personalities are so different. They really balance each other out and will be a good compliment to each other through their lives. I'm so thankful that they love each other so much (most of the time.)

Day Three

2011-11-03T08:50:00.001-07:00

This kid-

The older he gets, the more quickly the time seems to pass. The more aware I become of how little time there is to actually make sure he's ready for "real life." The pre-teen stage is tough sometimes, but I sure am thankful for the gift of this silly, sweet, sensitive, funny, observant, inquisitive, smart, cautious, thoughtful, precious boy.

Day Two

2011-11-02T08:39:00.000-07:00

Today I'm thankful for Todd. He's still my favorite person after 17 years. He's funny, smart, faithful, provides for our family, full of integrity, admits when he makes a mistake and he's just likeable. Oh, I know he's not perfect, but he's perfect for me.

Day One

2011-11-01T08:23:00.000-07:00

Today I'm thankful for the grace of God. In our youth Life Group we are working through the book of Hebrews. For the last few weeks we have learned about the tabernacle and the sacrifices that had to be offered for just the High Priest to enter the Holy of Holies. Every rule had to be followed to the letter, "Lest you die."
It has filled my heart with overwhelming gratitude for the gift of being able to enter into His presence whenever I want to, because of Jesus. No fear, no condemnation, no bulls or rams, no incense, just Jesus. Jesus.

Preschooling It...

2011-09-13T21:16:00.000-07:00

This year Gabe and I are doing preschool at home. I have a few reasons.
-He loves being with mom.
-I love having him at home and am very aware of how quickly the time passes.
-I don't have any real need for him to go to pre-school this year. (I think pre-school can meet real, legitimate needs for some families and can be great fun.)
-I want him to know his ABC's and 123's when he gets to k4.
-It's lots of fun and gives us some scheduled, intentional time together.

We are beginning week four.

So far he's....

Learned L, T, H and I. (Yes, the alphabet is out of order to help with ease of writing- Grant really questioned my sanity on this point- :)

Made a Days of Creation book.

Memorized three Bible verses (and working on a fourth)- one for each letter of the alphabet we've learned.

Painted.

Glued.

Made a "L" is for lizard treat. (well, I did that, but he was really excited about it.)

Colored.

It does seem that he is going to be left handed.
There have been a few times that he has used his
right hand, but it is only when his left hand blocks
his view- like when he is tracing lines.

Wrote letters- in shaving cream.

Played games.

Sorted.

Counted.

Organized by size.

It's been amazing how much he has loved it. He asks me most mornings when we are going to get started. Not every morning- there have been a few couple of days that he really did not want to do it- so we didn't.

I like that he loves learning and I want that desire to stick around.
And he's three.

I've used a compilation of sources. I've used tried and true things from my years of teaching and new ideas from the internet.

A few of my favorite sites follow:

Raising Rock Stars

No Time for Flashcards

Totally Tots

Confessions of a Home Schooler

What I remember...

2011-09-11T20:14:00.001-07:00

It was just a normal morning.

The sky was a beautiful blue, no clouds. A Gorgeous day.

How surreal that fact became to me later.

While Todd and I were talking over coffee, we heard a news story about a plane hitting the Trade Center. It was believed to be a twin engine plane. A crazy, tragic accident. That's how the story started. We didn't even turn on the tv.

Then the second plane hit.

Todd calmly stating- we are under attack. I remember just knowing that was true. We finally turned on the TV.

Gasping when I first saw the holes in the side of the buildings. They were huge. The smoke. The people waving things out the windows begging for help.

The feelings of anger. I wanted justice.

People jumping out of the windows of WTC.

Then a plane hit the pentagon.

A plane crashed in Pennsylvania.

The reporters saying there were still planes unaccounted for.

As selfish as this sounds, feeling a sense of relief that we lived in a state that was unlikely to be a target. I also felt great concern for my family who live outside of Boston- a likely target.

Watching the towers fall. The shock in Matt Lauer's voice.

Sitting glued to the TV almost all day with some breaks for Veggie Tales and taking care of the two year old.

Crying. Sobbing. Not having the ability to process it all.

In mid afternoon, I had to turn the TV off. I prayed, cried and after a brief respite- a walk on that beautifully surreal day- I watched some more.

It was so quiet while I was out walking. It was like the world had stopped.

The next several days details run together in my memory.

The stories of firefighters, police officers, courageous acts of heroism, a few images of people around the world celebrating the atrocity, so many kind deeds by leaders and citizens around the world.

People lining up to donate blood.

Families sharing stories of their lost loved ones.

Dan Rather sobbing on David Letterman's show.

President Bush and the bullhorn at ground zero.

Billy Graham speaking at the memorial service.

Tony Blair and his courageous stand with us.

Seeing the signs at ground zero of the missing and recognizing the beauty and necessity of hope.

Seeing so much good in our citizens.

Getting the call that my brother's ship was leaving to go to the middle east.

A renewed love for my country.

It's been ten years, but in so many ways it seems like yesterday.

"Sing Lord, Come soon"

2011-09-06T20:31:00.000-07:00

I've been listening to this song on repeat...

Tonight I learned of the death of one of my students. My memories of her are as a second grader. She was bright. She loved to draw. She loved to read. She cried when we got to the end of Charlotte's Web. She had hard things going on at home. She had so much potential.

My heart is just heavy, broken, sad and angry.

Angry at Satan- his lies, his counterfeits of love and acceptance, his deception.

She was 22.

She died because of drugs.

At the age of 22.

Random Life...

2011-09-04T13:01:00.000-07:00

1. Now that school is back in session, we are starting to live a somewhat scheduled life again. I don't like minute by minute schedules, but I sure do enjoy a good routine. I love breaking it sometimes, too. :)

Living in routine after a pretty carefree summer has meant re-newed discipline in my daily life. I am a pretty laid back person, that, as Monk my favorite OCD detective would say, is "both a blessing and a curse." (Casey that one's especially for you :))

As I've been praying through some goals and desires for my life and our family lately, God keeps nudging me toward really paying attention to some places that I've just plain lacked discipline in. You know that whole being faithful in the little things concept. Pumping up the self discipline is not super fun, really, not fun at all, but deep down I know it's good. Necessary.

The re-newed areas of disciple have included getting up earlier for an "appointment" quiet time- it helps me to think of it that way. Not a duty, but a date. An appointment. Also, faithfully keeping my gratitude journal, making daily to do lists, monthly meal planning, exercising, drinking more water, paying attention to how much time I actually use on things like facebook and pinterest and disciplined spending in the smaller areas. Those may sound like little things, but I had gotten pretty lazy and I just wasn't living intentionally. Sometimes those small adjustments are the most irritating to me because they have to be deliberate, every day choices. A lot of the time I just don't want to change and I can get grumpy when I have to do something I don't want to do- He's been working on that, too. :) I'm a little slow, but I am thankful for His loving direction.

2. Gabe is officially potty trained. I hadn't really planned to even start working on it until he was 3 1/2 (in November), but he was ready and it just came together. For about a week he woke up every morning with a dry diaper, so we started there and it just took. There is still the occasional accident, but over all he is doing great!

*Be warned, when you see him, he may feel the need to inform you of what super-hero is on his underpants.

3. Grant has moved up into the Logic School-6th grade. At our school, that means lockers, 6 teachers, 8 class changes, longer day and more responsibility. We are three weeks in now and so far, so good. He was pretty worn out that first week. He comes home and wants about a half hour to just chill out in his room by himself- play on his ipod, read, etc. Since Grant gets his "recharge by time alone" personality trait from me, I understand that need. Gabe, who really misses his "bubby" while Grant is at school, does not really understand that need. It has taken some adjusting, but we're getting there.

4. Grant went to his first dance on August 20. Yes. A dance. It was so sweet and gave me another reason to be thankful for the school God lead us to for him.

I'm learning that letting him spread his wings at this age is a pretty important part of parenting. It's hard. I don't trust the world with my child. I want to keep him close until I'm sure he is ready to make godly, wise decisions. While there are things he doesn't need to hear and see yet, he does need some space to grow- in safe places. I'm just thankful for a school that had a fun dance with old fashioned dancing (waltz, fox trot, some line dancing,) clean (but still relevant) music and teachers/chaperones that all want the same thing- safe, fun, wing stretching experiences.

5. My ladies' bible study and our community group will be starting back up again this Wednesday. I've missed consistent community with those two groups of friends.

6. Todd has some looming deadlines at work that have put some pressure on him. He's done a good job balancing it all, but there are days he is really worn out. I'm ready for this big project to be behind him so he can breathe easy.

7. Grant is part of the robotics team at school this year. This is our school's first year to compete at the Blazer BEST Robotic Tournament at UAB in October. It has been pretty time consuming so far, but he is really loving it. Their team has 17 members and will compete against at least 23 other teams in a robotic competition. I was surprised (and excited) that he wanted to join since building/engineering type stuff has never been his favorite pass-time, but he has enjoyed it.

8. In the last few months our church has hired a new youth minister and a new music minister. It is a blessing to see things coming together again.

9. Because of the "renewed discipline" project, I've had some time to really visit with some friends over the last few weeks. New friends and old friends. Lunch dates, coffee dates, play dates at the park with our kids and stay up til 1am solving the problems of the world dates. Friendship is a true gift. I don't ever want to take any of these precious people for granted.

That is the condensed version of the last month. I can hardly believe it is already September.

Lemon Cake

2011-08-14T11:50:00.000-07:00

The picture is not mine, but I can't find a name to credit the photographer.

I got this recipe from Todd's mom- it is his great Aunt's recipe- I don't know that she created it, just that she always made it. It's an easy, light dessert and so far everyone that has tried it loves it. I love Aunt Rachel and baking this cake always makes me think of her.

Aunt Rachel's Lemon Cake

1 Lemon cake mix
1 cup oil
1 cup apricot nectar
4 eggs added one a time
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients together. Bake at 275-300 for 55 minutes.

Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Punch holes in the top of cake. While still warm add the glaze made with 1 cup powdered sugar and 4 TBS of lemon juice.

Today's Five...

2011-08-08T23:00:00.000-07:00

1. Legos. The boys played for hours building with no arguing. Ah, the beautiful of no arguing. They are the perfect toy. Good for little people and good for 12 years old, too.

2. The fact that I live in a country that I can feed my children three meals a day. I never want to take that for granted. And I never want to forget that I can do something to help the mommas around the world who don't have that same ability.

3. Coffee.

4. We got a letter from our sweet Natasha in the Ukraine. She is getting older and doesn't have much time left in the CHC orphanage. Her letters are always so sweet and innocent. My heart aches at what she may face in such a short time.

5. Listened through my old 4him playlists today. So many times over the years God has used them to really speak to me. I love the truth in their songs. There are so many people I know (or know of) struggling with hard things right now. Really hard things. This song just keeps playing over and over in my mind.
He is good. He is faithful. He is real. He is the Ancient of Days. He is our comfort. He is sovereign. He is just. He is merciful. He is our saving grace. He IS.

The things I'm thankful for today.....

2011-08-07T15:11:00.000-07:00

1. The boys and I were able to spend a few days at the beach this week. It was an unexpected and fun trip. There was lots of seaweed, but it was still the beach. Thanks to my friend Liz, I was able to take a walk all by myself one morning. Early morning walks on the beach are one of my favorite things.

2. We celebrated Grant's 12th birthday this week. Time flies. I'm thankful for his gentle spirit, his careful ways and all the other things that make him such a gift to our family.

3. Fresh okra and tomatoes from Poppa's garden.

4. One more week of summer. I'm really not ready for Grant to start back to school yet. The summers seem to keep getting shorter and shorter.

5. The book of Hebrews. Challenging to study, but good.

THE Concert

2011-08-01T22:24:00.000-07:00

The month of July has been a crazy busy one for our family. I've been trying to get this post out for weeks. I've just had a hard time getting all my thoughts together on it all. I'll warn you now it's going to be cheesy, but it's my blog and I want to remember the details. So, read it if you want, but just remember, I warned you. :)

If I had a bucket list, the concert we attended on July 2, would have been on it.

When I was 14, I heard With or Without You for the first time and I was hooked. U2 was my "first musical love" and they are still my go to band. There is just something about them.
The dream to see them live started a long time ago. Around the time I saw this video for the first time.

Well, since I'm being honest here, I'm pretty sure I wanted to marry one of them after I saw the video for the first time (I was 14), but somewhere along the way when my infatuation grew to real appreciation for their music, the dream to see them live took root.

There are lots of reasons these boys are my favorites.

I love that they are from Ireland. I've always felt a connection with them for that reason. (I told you it would be cheesy)

So many of their songs are deep and spiritual and honest.

I love Bono's loud mouth and willingness to take risks for what he believes. He's flawed and he knows it, but he steps out there and he's made a difference.

The friendship and loyalty between them is kind of unheard of in the celebrity world. They fight, have even come to blows a few times over the years, but they work it out. They are brutally honest with each other, yet they defend each other like brothers. (I've read U2 by U2, I know these things)

I love their uniquely U2 sound and I love that they are finally embracing it.

Their music really has been a constant part of the "soundtrack" of my life. (whew, really cheesy) Good, bad, happy, hard- there is a U2 song to go with all of my big moments. David Dark said it best, "I can't explain myself to myself apart from U2."

Maybe part of the reason I've had a hard time getting my thoughts and feelings about the show out is because it was more than just a show for me. It was a moment, an experience, one of those times when you know you need to take it all in and really live it. I did. And I got to go with Todd which made it perfect.

So, here it is....

This was our first glimpse of the claw. We went by the stadium early in the day to scope out parking. We heard the band doing sound check. That made it all feel real.

We went in to the stadium not long after the gates opened. The stage was enormous. This picture really doesn't do it justice. It was fun watching everyone's first reaction to the claw.Lots of big smiles and "oh wows."

Todd climbed up to the top row of the stadium to take this one. It was quite impressive.

In a crowd of over 50,000 people actually finding Chris and Kaley was a special bonus. It was Kaley's first time to see them, too.

Chris and Kaley's best friends, Molly and Jarrod were there, too. My favorite line of the night came from Jarrod, "When I get to heaven this is the music I will hear." I agree.

Steven Curtis and Will Franklin Chapman sat one row behind us. Seeing them choked my up a little. Especially Will. I've prayed for him so often over the last three years. That was pretty special.

Florence and the Machine was the opener. They have a great sound. I could have done without the screaming, but other than that...

Perfect moment. Heart pounding. Trying to take it all in. I love these intro pictures. Brings it all back. Don't they just look like rock stars? And wow! The noise in that stadium was unbelievable.

The opening song was "Even Better than the Real Thing."

Walk On

Where the Streets Have No Names. I really wanted to hear this one live. Amazing.

Moment of Surrender- stadium lit up with cell phones.

Todd snuck this one. I'm glad he did. I'm pretty sure I smiled most of the night. Actually, Todd took all the pictures, which really helped me just take it all in. He captured the night beautifully.

The crowd after the concert. It was amazingly subdued. Quiet even. I think it was an "experience" for a lot of us.

My favorite thing about the whole night was that it lived up to my every expectation. It was all I hoped it would be, and, more.

We got to see this song played for the first time ever in front of a live audience. Bono even did a pretty good imitation of Johnny.

We got to experience the moment that was all the buzz for U2 fans the next day.

If there was any disappointment at all for me, it was that Larry didn't do this at the Nashville show. :)

The Set List
Main Set:

Even Better Than The Real Thing

The Fly

Mysterious Ways

Until the End of the World

I Will Follow
Get On Your Boots

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

The Wanderer

Stay

Beautiful Day - Space Oddity

Elevation

Pride

Miss Sarajevo

Zooropa

City of Blinding Lights

Vertigo

I'll Go Crazy (remix)

Discotheque - Psycho Killer - Life During Wartime

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Scarlet

Walk On - You'll Never Walk Alone

Encore(s):

One

Amazing Grace

Where the Streets Have No Name

Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me

With or Without You

Moment of Surrender

All I Want Is You

2011-06-29T08:31:00.000-07:00

Our church writes our own curriculum for VBS. I am on the Bible story writing team. It's been a really neat experience to work with this team, bounce ideas off each other and pray for and with each other.

My story is based on Matthew 18:1-4. As I was doing my research, I found this blog and found it to be filled with helpful thoughts to make this story understandable to children all while staying true to the text.

I wanted to keep it to refer to, so I figured I'd share it here.

Just stuff...

2011-06-28T21:22:00.000-07:00

1. We have officially entered the challenging threes with Gabe! My sweet little boy has started having times of defiance, the occasional fit (or daily fit- whichever title you'd prefer) and more whining then my ears want to hear some days. My sweet little 11 year old went through this same stage, so this time around it doesn't seem so overwhelming since I had a good feeling it was coming. But, it's still hard to prepare for the changes that comes with each stage. I don't want to wish it away, but wow.

2. Received this email today! Only three days until Nashville and U2. Three days!

3. It was 71 degrees and rainy today. In Alabama. In late June. I could get used to that.

4. I'm a procrastinator. That shouldn't really be news to anyone that knows me. I should be working on VBS stuff and instead I'm blogging. The truth is my brain works better under pressure. There are some things I can plan ahead for, but writing is not one of them.

5. Since we've purchased the new washer and dryer, I have washed every throw rug, sheet, blanket and multitude loads of other laundry. I'm amazed at how much more can fit in a washer without the agitator in the middle. They both run so quietly. I guess if you have to spend so much money on something so practical, you might as well have fun with them.

Randomness...

2011-06-25T21:09:00.000-07:00

1. Gabe and I had a "date" time today. Todd and Grant went and had some guy time. Much needed on both sides. I love these days. Even though I get lots of time with Gabe, there is something about "scheduled alone time." We ate tacos at Habaneros- his choice- while he danced to the music. He made friends or "amigos" of our waiter and waitress. We talked about chips, the fact that "Jesus is God and God is Jesus" (really), Star Wars, how much he loves Sprite and that we should have more dates just "you and me, mama." I think he's right. We should and we will.

2. We were supposed to have our family pictures taken this evening by our friend Sarah from Cookwire Photography. The thunder, lightening and rain canceled that plan. Since we were all ready for pictures, Todd took out the tripod and snapped a few. Here are my favorites...

3. I'm so glad that we have our oft' taken for granted printer. I've given it a work out today printing out things for our Washington DC trip. Exciting. This week we finally received confirmation for a White House tour! Yay!

4. The rain has changed several plans for us this week, but I'm just going to choose not to complain about. We always need it in the burning, hot summers. It's been so nice to see it.

5. For a while now I've been wanting some cute little ballet slipper type shoes. I found these today for a great price. I love TJ Maxx.

6. A friend posted the link to this article on her twitter page the other day. As a realist, it has given me some food for thought.

Today's five...

2011-06-24T19:37:00.001-07:00

1. Sunshine, pool time, friends, rain this afternoon and the most beautiful sunset I've seen in a while. Nice day.

2. Todd and I are getting ready to study the book of Hebrews together. It's the first time we've done a study together. We typically talk through ones we are doing on our own or in small groups, but never have actually done one together. Looking forward to it.

3. Decaf coffee and no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies.

4. Snuggles from a little boy with a dirty face, sticky fingers and the sweetest little heart today. "I dove you, mama." Most precious words ever. I actually got some hugs from the big boy today, too. Those are especially sweet these days.

5. Our friends the Mitchells. They are just a few months away from beginning a two year journey full of unknowns in the country of Madagascar. Obedience. Faithfulness. Trust. What a great example they are.

Farther Along...

2011-06-21T20:16:00.000-07:00

We used to sing this hymn in church when I was growing up. I always liked the chorus. It made sense to my wondering brain. It reminded me that other people had struggles, that faith wasn't always easy. That I wasn't the only one that questioned. It gave me the hope of answers to things that didn't make sense and couldn't easily be explained away. Someday. Farther along.

As I've grown, I've learned (am learning), sometimes the hard way, that the explanations are not nearly as important as the journey. And sometimes, we don't get an explanation, not here anyway.

This song is a gentle, beautiful reminder to me to live, love, trust, rest even when things don't look the way I think they should. God is so good. So faithful. So present.

Farther Along

Farther along we’ll know all about it
Farther along we’ll understand why
Cheer up my brothers, live in the sunshine
We’ll understand this, all by and by

Tempted and tried, I wondered why
The good man died, the bad man thrives
And Jesus cries because he loves em’ both
We’re all cast-aways in need of ropes
Hangin’ on by the last threads of our hope
In a house of mirrors full of smoke
Confusing illusions I’ve seen

Where did I go wrong, I sang along
To every chorus of the song
That the devil wrote like a piper at the gates
Leading mice and men down to their fates
But some will courageously escape
The seductive voice with a heart of faith
While walkin’ that line back home

So much more to life than we’ve been told
It’s full of beauty that will unfold
And shine like you struck gold my wayward son
That deadweight burden weighs a ton
Go down into the river and let it run
And wash away all the things you’ve done
Forgiveness alright

Chorus

Still I get hard pressed on every side
Between the rock and a compromise
Like the truth and pack of lies fightin’ for my soul
And I’ve got no place left go
Cause I got changed by what I’ve been shown
More glory than the world has known
Keeps me ramblin’ on

Skipping like a calf loosed from its stall
I’m free to love once and for all
And even when I fall I’ll get back up
For the joy that overflows my cup
Heaven filled me with more than enough
Broke down my levee and my bluff
Let the flood wash me

And one day when the sky rolls back on us
Some rejoice and the others fuss
Cause every knee must bow and tongue confess
That the Son of God is forever blessed
His is the kingdom, we’re the guests
So put your voice up to the test
Sing Lord, come soon

The Body of Christ

2011-06-05T12:43:00.000-07:00

I started this post in January and it's been sitting in my draft folder. I kind of forgot about it until today when we sang this song again in church. So, I came home and decided to finish it and get it up on the blog.

The first time I heard this song it was being sung by over 3,000 people at the Secret Church event that is held a few times a year at The Church at Brookhills.

It was so moving. The body of Christ singing about what we are, what we do, how we should look. Since that first time I heard it, we've sung it at our church and I purchased it on itunes. So, I've listened it to it many times. It's not just a pretty tune, sung by a girl with a beautiful voice.

It is truly one of the most convicting songs I've heard. These are the questions this song prompts in my spirit...

What if I really believed the words?

What if I really lived this way, every day. With my family. With my friends. With my neighbors. With strangers.

What if I wasn't afraid of death, danger, persecution for Christ because I know He's conquered the grave?

What if I lived without fear because I'm compelled by the gospel and directed by His Spirit?

What if I didn't waste my time on things that don't matter?

What would happen if I really loved the loveless?

What would happen if I really stood for people who can't stand for themselves?

What if we responded in humility to those we don't agree with and loved them anyway?

Do I believe what I'm singing? Am I living it?

What if we stopped telling people that we are the body of Christ and starting showing them?

What would happen then?

We Are The Body
by Mandy Mapes

We are the body of the most High
We are the bride of a Savior
And we fall for the King of the kingdom
As we sing the songs of salvation

And we stand for those who cannot stand for themselves
And we love the loveless
And we go where Your light’s not shining
We are the body of Christ

We shine like a city on a hilltop
We boast in the Spirit living in us
And we march on a road leading to freedom
As we reach out our hands to the fallen

And we bring living water to the thirsty and
We live for the One who was and is and is to come
So our life counts for something greater than ourselves
We are the body of Christ

And our anthem will be a song of praise to the King
“He is worthy, He is worthy”
With one voice we will sing,
“Where oh death is your sting”
He is mighty, He is mighty

Today's Five...

2011-05-31T19:38:00.000-07:00

1. This weekend was very productive. Trim painted, shrubs planted, leaves raked, tons of laundry done, the hallway received a fresh coat of paint and we still had some fun family time. It's been so busy lately, a long weekend at home to get some neglected things accomplished was really nice.

2. A perfect and easy breakfast...

3. I found a new author I'm really enjoying. Michael Connelly. Well, he's written tons of books- so he's just new to me, but I'm loving his courtroom/law enforcement fiction. I've only read a few, so I'm cautiously recommending him.

4. Air conditioning- it's not a true necessity, but I'm so thankful for it.

5. I enjoyed a really fun birthday celebration last week. Flowers, coffee, Bliss chocolate, dinner out at Taziki's, gift cards, lots of facebook posts and messages, donuts, brownies and ice cream, a sweet balloon, a whole morning with a favorite friend, lunch with three other favorites and a chocolate fudge cake. I was feeling pretty spoiled and very loved. It was nice.
And now, I'm back South Beaching it. :)

Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-05-30T09:11:00.000-07:00

This one of our family's new favorite recipes. It has been requested by several friends, so I figured I'd put it here. They are so good!

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream following ingredients until fluffy:
1 stick of softened butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar

Then Add:
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 rounded cup of shredded, sweetened coconut

Beat thoroughly

Separately combine:
1 1/3 cup rolled oats
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Add dry ingredients to the wet and mix well.

Drop by rounded tablespoons on t a greased pan. Bake for 11-13 minutes.

Just thinking

2011-05-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

1. I've been reading through the Proverbs here lately. There is not much of life that's not covered in that book. Now, to live it.

2. Grant is almost officially a 6th grader- one more week in the Grammar school, then we are moving upstairs. Sixth grade will bring multiple teachers, lockers, dances, more freedom, more responsibility. We attended the informational meeting last night and it was exciting for the kids and, if most of the parents are like me, I believe a little surreal for us. As I was looking around at the kid's faces, most of whom I've know since they were five years old, I realized I was seeing the last traces of little kid. They are maturing. They are changing. They are growing up. It's a good thing. It is a good thing. But, wow, it makes me really want to live every minute that I have with Grant more intentionally.

3. I read this blog post last night after the meeting. Perfect reminder and perfect timing.

4. Only 45 days until I see U2 in Nashville. And just so you know, I had to count the days to write that sentence. I really don't have a count down on my bulletin board like a teenager, but I probably should, because I am that excited about it.

One of my favorites-

In Christ Alone

2011-04-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
'Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

Another First

2011-04-20T07:05:00.000-07:00

Gabe's firsts come less often now, but we celebrated one yesterday...

First trip to the dentist! Grant went first and our patient hygienist Amanda answered all of Gabe's many questions. She let him touch all the instruments and learn all of what was going on around him. When it was his turn, she said "OK, are you ready?" He said yes and climbed up in the chair.

I'll be honest, I was all prepared for him wanting no part of this appointment. He usually cries from the moment we pull into the parking lot of the pediatrician's office until we are ready to leave the exam room- at which time he gives Dr. Andy a high five and starts talking and laughing.

But, yesterday he surprised us. He let her floss, brush with the spinning brush- (don't know the technical name), use the water pik, use the suction and even let Dr. Austin take a good, long look. Yay for small victories and no cavities!

Today...

2011-04-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

Todd and I spent all day Saturday in Atlanta looking for a new to us van. All day. We left our house at 6:30am, dropped off the boys to Todd's parents and drove to Atlanta. We visited lots and lots and lots of dealers, but we just didn't find the right van.

When we arrived home at 12:30am, we were both a little disappointed.

In all the important ways, the day had been a success. We had failed at our goal, but sometimes failure is just a matter of perspective. Todd and I had hours of conversation time- which is hard to come by these days. We had an actual "date" eating lunch at the Varsity. No-one (at our table) cried, fussed or tried to get out of their seat. The boys had some good cousin and grandparent time.

Then when we arrived home I opened my mailbox and found this!

No new van, but still a good day.

Sunday Gumbo

2011-04-14T18:34:00.000-07:00

This is one of our new favorite recipes. I made it for community group last night and everyone liked it. So I'm sharing the recipe.

Ingredients

1 pound andouille sausage links, sliced (instead of Italian sausage)
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I omit this since I use andouille sausage)
3 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
2/3 cup uncooked brown rice
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (I omit- I don't like the rubbery texture)
2 cups frozen sliced okra
I usually have Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning on hand for everyone to use in their own bowl. Adds a little extra heat.

Directions

In a Dutch oven, brown sausage and chicken in oil. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm. In the drippings, saute red pepper, onion and celery until tender. Stir in the seasonings; cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, rice and sausage mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender.
Stir in tomatoes, shrimp and okra; cook for 10 minutes or until shrimp turn pink, stirring occasionally.

27 Things about me...

2011-04-13T12:42:00.000-07:00

Real blogging is hard for me. By real, I mean the deep, meaningful, here's what I really think, let the chips fall where they may blogging. It's something I want to get better at. I'm usually just afraid that because there is no facial expressions in blogging, I'm going to be misunderstood or offend someone without ever knowing it. Soooo, when I saw this idea on someone's blog, I thought I'd give it a try. Just a stream of consciousness post...here's some stuff about me, here's what I think. A honest list.

I am a child of God and His friend, too. That thought overwhelms me with gratitude.

I am a mom of two miracle boys- one who made me a mom and one who surprised us all after many years of waiting. Even though Gabe is the one that has the story of infertility behind him, Grant is every bit as much of a miracle to me.

I'm married to my best friend. We aren't perfect. Our marriage isn't perfect. But I'm sure thankful. He makes me laugh. Everyday. I make him laugh, too. We get each other. And he sure is cute. It's nice to really like the guy you live with.

My heart's desire is to live a life that brings Him glory. Sometimes I do, a lot of times I fall short. I'm so thankful for grace.

So very thankful for Jesus. The gospel. Where would we be without it?

I am passionate about orphan care. Sometimes it's a loud passion. Most of the time it's a quiet, what can I do to make a difference passion. It's not just a humanitarian passion. I really believe that we are called to meet the needs of widows and orphans to communicate to them God's love. Though it's pretty hard to share the gospel with someone if you ignore their pain and suffering. The two need to go hand in hand. This passion has opened some doors for me to be involved with some great orphan care organizations. I'm thankful for that.

My toenails are always painted. Very rarely with pinks or reds. I usually use purple, blue or some other fun, unusual color.

I'm glad I made the choice to stay at home with my boys, even though sometimes I still really miss teaching. Especially in the early fall when a new school year starts. I miss the new students coming in, getting supplies ready and even open house.

I love to cook, bake and read cookbooks. I love learning about new ways to cook things. And I really love to share what I cook. Food is a great unifier/ community builder.

I always wear earrings.

I believe, truly believe, that U2 is the greatest rock band. Ever. But, as much as I love Bono, and I do love Bono, :) he's not my favorite band member. My favorite is Larry. The quiet drummer. The one who faithfully does his job and by all accounts is the backbone of the band. There is just something to be said about the guy who doesn't need all the credit, doesn't proclaim all that he does to make things work, but does what he loves anyway. I love that. And the fact that he rocks that Irish accent- and looks good doing it- doesn't hurt either.

Trust does not come easily to me, so once it's there it hurts even more when someone breaks it.

I don't say things like, "Your one of my best friends" easily or take it lightly. And it's kind of difficult for me to truly get the people that have lots of best friends. I'm not saying for them it's not possible. I just think our definition of "best friend" is different.

I love to hike, especially when it is cool and spring is coming.

I check facebook way too often now that I have a smart phone. Even though it is a "social network" I often feel more informed, but less connected when I read it. The truth is most people only post what they want you to see. It's not the most honest way to "know" what's going on. It's a weak replacement for face time. It has it's place, I just need to keep it there.

I value "truth over false unity". Crave it really. If we don't mean what we say and live that way, what's the point. If we can't work through the rough spots and love each other on the other side, we are missing something. If we can't talk about the things we need to work on or our difficulties with each other, are our relationships real?

I love quotes. Collect them. Read them a lot. Use them to describe how I'm thinking and feeling.

Quality time with the people I love is a true gift.

My brother Mark is one of the people in my life I'm proudest of. As his big sister I think I can say that without it sounding too silly. I tried to tell him that the other day and he laughed it off, but I meant it. He started his construction company from the ground up and it is now a successful business, but he still makes time for his family. Pretty cool to see him grow up to be a good man. I'm proud of my little brother, too, who is also a great guy, in case anyone is wondering.(Mom) :) Thankful for them both.

Jelly donuts from Dunkin Donuts are my favorite.

I don't like to exercise, but I do. Almost everyday for over a month now. I feel so much better when I do.

I'm not good at pretending. My poker face stinks. When something doesn't feel right or is bothering me, it shows all over my face. It can make things feel awkward some times, but I just can't help it.

After almost 17 years in the South, I've learned something. People are people everywhere. Southern hospitality is not always genuine. Northern people are not always rude. We are all just people and we would probably get along a lot better if we eliminated all the labels we give each other.

I am an out-loud processor, but I'm pretty selective about who I process with. I think it's that trust thing again.

Working with the youth at our church for the last several years has been one of the best things I've ever done at church. They stretch my faith and my study time with their questions. They keep me accountable to know what I'm talking about. I love to hear what they think, listen to their ideas, watch them dream, pray with them and for them. There is something very rewarding about seeing these kids as they grow and mature into pretty cool people and knowing God let me have just a tiny part in their walk with Him.

I don't like musicals.

If I could wear jeans everyday of my life, I would. Actually, I pretty much do. I love that!

And there you go....

Life is Precious

2011-04-11T20:17:00.000-07:00

Wes King was one of the first Christian artists I saw in concert. I loved his music, his humility and his gentleness that came across in the songs he wrote.

Yesterday as I was praying for a family that lost their two year old daughter in an accident a year ago, one of Wes' songs kept coming to my mind. It seemed strange since I hadn't listen to any of his stuff for a long time (all I had were cassettes.)

Life is Precious.

While I do believe that life is precious, from the bottom of my heart, there are times when the car breaks down or the boys are arguing because the other one is touching/looking/trying to touch them or someone has hurt my feelings or there is so much to do, I do not act like I believe that life is precious. I suck things up and get it done, but not always with joy and gratitude.

Instead, in those moments, I take life for granted.

Every day is a gift. It really is. It's not promised. There are no guarantees. Just right now. I want to live with that perspective. Fully, obediently, joyfully.

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

Life Is Precious
by Wes King

Sometimes I drive too fast
Sometimes I risk it all
Sometimes I'm reckless
An act like I'm made of steel
But I'm just flesh and bones
A product of the Fall
Still I have purpose
And this I know to be real

CHORUS:
Life is precious, life is sweet
like the earth beneath my feet
Though I know I'm passing through
I know I belong to You
Life is precious, life is sweet
And this truth makes it complete
Knowing Jesus died for me
Life is precious
Life is precious, life is sweet

I can't see past myself
When I get depressed
I take for granted
This life You've given me
There are a million ways
I've been so richly blessed
I can't imagine
Not being able to see

CHORUS

And this life I live the body
I live by faith in the One who gave Himself for me

10 Minute Salsa Chicken

2011-04-07T06:25:00.000-07:00

I was looking for light, South Beach phase one friendly recipes the other day and I found this blog and this wonderful new chicken recipe. It's really simple, wonderfully good and everyone in my house liked it! It's a keeper. And you really need to serve it with the avocado cream. They are perfect together.

picture credit Sarah's Cucina Bella

10-Minute Salsa Chicken
serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil (I prefer extra light for this)
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken
6 tbsp salsa, divided
6 tbsp extra sharp cheddar, divided
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Wash the chicken and slice into two thin cutlets. Salt and pepper liberally.
Add the chicken to the pan and cook for about three minutes on each side until cooked through. Place 1 tbsp of salsa on each piece and spread it along the length of the chicken. Cover and cook for one minute.
Remove the cover and sprinkle each chicken piece with 1 tbsp cheddar cheese. Cook and cook for one additional minute.
Serve.
As pictured: Served with avocado cream. To make: peel one avocado and remove pit. Place in a food processor. Add 1 tbsp lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Puree. Serves 2.
Alternative suggestions: You can also serve this over rice or on a roll as a sandwich.

Busyness

2011-04-06T23:05:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been busy. I mean, typically, I have plenty to do, but my schedule stays pretty flexible. However, over the last two weeks, I haven't felt much flexibility. When I've tried to make some, I end up paying for it by staying up until 1 or 2 in the morning to get things done. When I get overly "busy" I tend to withdraw and re-group on my own. Isolate. Pull back.

As a true introvert, here's how I work- I re-charge by reading or writing or drinking tea or driving around in my car- by myself. The key words- by myself. That's how I was made, so I don't feel guilty about needing alone time, but that pull back tendency needs to stay in check. If it doesn't, it tends to make me over-think, be very self-critical and feel alone. That's where I've been lately. Fighting those blahs that come with feeling isolated. I don't like it and it's caused some deep thinking.

Over the past few years God has really helped me sort through my need for "busyness." I've been learning the difference between filling my life with being "too busy" and instead learning to seek the ways to "serve purposefully." Growing in my ability to "just say no" sometimes.

For me, that journey began as I realized that often my busyness was keeping me from doing the things that were most important. It was keeping me from being more relational.

Sometimes real, deep relationships are difficult for me. Don't get me wrong, I love people. Like to be with them. Like to laugh and share life with them. Love my friends and am so thankful for them. But as Derek Webb once said, "Loving people is not convenient." People aren't always predictable. We don't always do what we say we are going to do. We wear masks. We don't fit into a box. We are not always honest with ourselves or with others. We all have our issues. We hurt each other. Real friendships are sometimes messy. Loving people selflessly is hard. But I have seen when the obstacle of busyness is limited, it's a little easier. I'm not as distracted. I can focus on the reason I'm loving them. It's a lesson I'm still learning, but I'm thankful for it.

Soooo, since things have been so busy, I've been doing some evaluating. Thinking through these lessons I've been learning to be sure they are sticking. I've been making mental notes of the things I have to do and the reasons I'm doing them. And funnily enough, there really isn't anything to eliminate right now. It is a season for busyness. For each activity or meeting or coffee date with a friend there is a real purpose.

That realization did bring me peace, but still I was wrestling a little with the feelings of isolation. Why are they here? What am I missing? I haven't even really been alone. At all. :) So, what's the deal?

Then it hit me. A gentle whisper, a reminder. I need Him. I don't just need to know what He wants me to be doing, I don't just need to know how He wants me to serve or where He wants me to be. Not a prayer time that is spent just looking for guidance and direction, but time that is spent seeing Him. Time. Worship. Listening.

Resting in Him. Re-charging in Him. Re-focusing on Him.

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11

Being still- with Him.

Today's Five

2011-04-05T21:28:00.000-07:00

1. Time to sit at the park with friends today. It was breezy and a little cool, but it was nice.

2. Ten minute salsa chicken- recipe to come. So good, easy and healthy. I love that combination in a dinner.

3. A friend who sends video messages from her kids that keep my kid entertained when he watches it over and over and over again. This is Gabe asking to see it again because "it's so stinking cute".

4. Shoes. Today was Tom's One Day Without Shoes. Now I'll admit, I did wear shoes today, but I tried to be really aware of the difficulties so many around our world face simply because they have to be barefoot. Our shoes protect us from stepping in some pretty nasty and harmful stuff. I am so blessed and never want even my shoes to become common-place to me.

5. Tea with a sweet college girl I love so much.

Today's five

2011-04-03T21:17:00.000-07:00

1. Beautiful family day at the park on Saturday. The weather was perfect. All 11 kids had fun. There were only minor injuries- a cheek scuff for Gabe, road rashed knees for Dawson and a badly hurt toe for Todd. Since Todd was racing all the kids on a scooter and took a pretty impressive fall, the fact that he only hurt his toe is really something to be thankful for- all in all a good day!

2. Celery sticks and Whole Food's roasted red pepper hummus. So good!

3. A very successful pancake breakfast for the youth fund raiser.

4. Spending some time cutting towel pieces with some great ladies from church working on a (Cover)ed towel sale. We had a wonderful night laughing, talking, sharing stories, getting to know each other better and helping a family raise money to bring their little girl to her forever family. Check out the (Cover)ed blog to learn about this great organization.

5. Coming home to a clean kitchen. That never gets old. :)

Today's Five

2011-03-25T20:47:00.000-07:00

1. Well, we are looking for a new car. A used, low mile Honda mini-van to be exact. As we were doing our on-line search last night, I just kept thinking about how thankful I am for our 2001 Accord with 188,000 miles. It's been paid for for over six years now. It's full of memories. Grant was two when we bought it. We've traveled all over the country in it. It's been safe, comfortable and really had very few problems. Most of the problems we've had with it have been age-related. The older I get the more age-related problems I have, so I won't be pointing any fingers at my car. :)
I'm going to miss our Accord when it's time to say goodbye. It was my dream car. What can I say- I'm a pretty simple girl.

2. This older, very informative cookbook a friend let me borrow.

3. Coconut Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. Recipe to come in another post.

4. The rain that washed all the pollen away today. My three boys suffering from itchy eyes and breathing issues really needed the clean air the rain left behind.

5.The basketball goal in our driveway. It was the perfect Christmas present for Grant a few years ago. We've had a lot of family fun shooting hoops lately. He told me the other day I was way better than he thought I'd be. He said it with a look of almost reverence- I haven't seen that in a while, since he's getting older and I don't know as much as I used to in his eyes. It made my heart happy.

Sigh...

2011-03-24T08:31:00.000-07:00

A Blank Check

2011-03-21T08:21:00.000-07:00

I'm working my way through a series on Acts being taught at The Church at Brook Hills. This particular sermon was hard hitting- at least to me. I really felt like I needed to share it. How different would our world be if our churches gave God a blank check? If we stopped caring about our agendas, our programs, our buildings, our music program, having the best church staff, competing with each other for the most members, trying to put on the best show for our communities and instead we lived to intentionally share the gospel and glorify God. If we lived empowered by the Holy Spirit that we have inside of us. If we stopped taking Him for granted and started really listening to Him. If we stopped just going to church and we were the church. (that line came from Adam and Jeremy) If we stopped talking about being radical and lived daily making changes that make our faith stand out as radical.

Living for Him. Giving it all up for Him. A blank check. Whew.

Today's Five...

2011-03-20T18:49:00.000-07:00

1. Another beautiful day. Yesterday we hiked for two and a half miles at Oak Mountain- all four of us, even the little man. Today we explored Railroad Park in Birmingham for the first time. I just love quality time with my guys.

2. A great time teaching in the high school life group. They are great kids, full of life, conversation, humor and good hearts.

3. Mocha Frappe from McDonalds while I walked through Target all by myself. Ahh. My paradoxical personality shows through again- I love quality time with the people I love and I love time all by myself, too.

4. Having some time this weekend to read, "Decision Points" by President Bush. I've enjoyed it. Learned some things. It has also renewed my belief that God placed him in the Oval Office at exactly the right time. Whether you love him or hate him (and for most people it's either one or the other- there seems to be no in between) the book is an interesting look at the reasons he made the decisions he made during his time in office.

5. Netflix. I love that Todd and I get to watch old TV shows through the Wii. We are working through Monk right now, beginning in season one. Great show.

What I'm thankful for...

2011-03-17T17:34:00.000-07:00

1. Spring break and a boy who loves to read in his free time. Alyson and Drew came to hang out for the morning and this is how I found she and Grant. It made me smile.

2. Beautiful spring like weather to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. We had a parade with good friends, went to Sonic for half price slushies during happy hour and even had a chance to watch a movie at the dollar theatre. To top it all off, we can home to corn beef and cabbage in the crock pot. Can't really ask for a better day than that.

3. My dad is home from the rehab hospital. He is walking more every day. He told me today that he is using the walker less and just the cane, more. That's a good thing.

4. A sweet little boy who picked lots and lots of flowers for his mommy today. "You like them, Mama?" Me- "Yes, they are beautiful." Gabe- "Your welcome."

5. My washing machine and dryer. Even on beautiful days like these, I'm glad I don't have to do my laundry outside in the river and hang it out on the line to dry. :) Now, if only there were some kind of automated folding machine.

Stuffed Mushrooms

2011-01-24T12:43:00.000-08:00

I love mushrooms. I like them in salads, ravioli, sauce, plain, fried, stuffed- pretty much any way you can prepare them. Unfortunately, Grant and Gabe think they are disgusting. So, we don't have them very often.

I found this great, healthy recipe for stuffed mushrooms several months ago and was waiting for a good chance to try it out. While I was at Costco the other day, I found a big container of perfect stuffing-sized mushrooms. So, I jumped at the chance.

Todd and I thought they were great. The boys ate cereal for dinner that night. Everybody wins!

Here's the recipe.
18 Large Mushrooms
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp bottled minced garlic
1 shredded wheat biscuit (I didn't have these, so I used a couple handfuls of panko bread crumbs)
1 TBS (or more) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp Italian Herb seasonings (salt free)
1/2 tsp paprika
Ground pepper and salt

Remove and finely chop mushroom stems. (Discard the very end of the stem)
Heat olive oil over medium high heat. When oil is hot, add chopped mushroom stems, onion, walnuts and garlic. Saute until onion is tender about 4-5 minutes. Stir in bread crumbs, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper til it tastes right to you. Spoon the stuffing into the mushroom caps. Arrange on the baking sheet. Then sprinkle with Paprika.

When I made them I didn't read the directions all the way through, soooo, I added the paprika early and then sprinkled it on top, too. We liked it that way, so that's probably how I'll do it from now on.

Some of my best recipe adaptations have come from not paying close enough attention to the directions. Some of my finest cooking disasters have come that way, too, but you live and learn, right?

Gabe...

2011-01-21T11:59:00.000-08:00

It's so hard for me to believe that our little Gabe is just a few months away from being a three year old.

These days he just keeps us all laughing. Well, that is when he is not trying to annoy the life out of Grant. He typically is just sweet and funny and full of life.

Right now
He does not love haircuts or doctor visits.

He loves Gordon. Loves to chase him, pat him and snuggle him. Gordon graciously tolerates the love.

He likes to have somebody, anybody "play with me" at all times. If you don't move fast enough toward the play zone you will be met with "peeeze pay with me, peeeeze" in the sweetest, desperate tone that I find quite impossible to resist. He ususally says it while holding his face in both hands, staring at me with those big, round eyes.

He loves to eat grape tomatoes for a daily snack.

He does not like to brush his teeth. At all.

He sleeps only in a diaper- no pjs for him.

He makes people smile all through the grocery store, target, walmart, etc. He smiles and waves to just about everyone. If someone doesn't wave back, he worries about them a little. "Her not see me, mama?" or "He not say hi." (By the way, what's the deal with people not waving or saying hi to a two year old. It really doesn't take that much effort and it makes their day. Please wave to little people when they wave or say hi.)

He loves Grant.

He loves to bug Grant.

He loves to build with legos. It amazes me the things he can already make.

He likes playdough, cowboy hats and anything he can turn into a lasso- belts, dog leashes and pipe cleaners. We are sticking to the pipe cleaners. They hurt a lot less when you get lassoed by them.

He loves to hold on to my ear while he is falling asleep at night. It used to be my belly button. I like the ear so much better.

He does not like to hear the word no. He likes to use it, but doesn't like to have it used on him.

He is very independent. If he wants a drink, he goes to fridge gets the juice, gets his cup from the drawer and brings it all to me. Thankfully he can't open the juice yet, because I'm pretty sure he would try to pour it himself. It's not unusual to see him toting the step stool around to turn on lights or try to get to stuff he can't reach. I like his problem solving mind.

He loves to wrestle with his daddy and big brother. He does not like for me to take part in any type of wrestling. I'm not sure if he's afraid I'll get hurt or if he is afraid I'll make them stop. :)

He loves hide and go seek.

He says the cutest things. Some of my favorites...
"Oh wah" for "Oh yay"
"Me, either" meaning "me, too"
"I love you, too"- That's what he says anytime he's saying I love you, even if no-one has said it first.
"Aldight" meaning "alright"
"anybody" meaning no-body
"Me make you laugh?" He asks that alot. It makes him so happy when he makes someone laugh.
The other day he had been playing with his Buzz and Woody, but was finished and had left them in the middle of the floor. I asked him to come pick up his toys. His answer, "They not my toys." Me- "Whose toys are they?" G- "Buzz and Woody are Andy's toys." Very clever. If you've seen the movie, you'll get it.

He loves super heroes. He likes to "knock over the bad guys". He just discovered Larry Boy. That's his new favorite. At least for today.

He does not like to go to Walmart or Target or any store and leave without buying a toy. Sigh. Since we do not buy a toy every time we are there (I know, mean mommy) we've left with him in tears more than once. It is getting better. Slowly, but surely.

He is the sweetest little snuggle bug. Loves hugs. Loves high fives. Loves fist bumps. Loves to be snuggled.

He can throw a fit. Whew. Can he ever.

He doesn't like to sit in time out. But, he does and it usually works like a charm.

He is loved more than he will ever know. Sweet little boy.

The Ballistic Elvis

2011-01-11T20:13:00.000-08:00

We needed a fun Friday night dinner, so I decided to make a recipe I picked up on our road trip this summer. The famous "Ballistic Elvis Sammich." We found this yummy treat in St. Louis at Iron Barley a restaurant that had been featured on the Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.

It's not something I would eat more than once or twice a year, but it sure is good. And fun.

Here's all you need...

Butter your bread like you are making a grilled cheese.

Peel the bananas. Cut them in half. Then cut each half in half again- This time cut lengthwise.

In a skillet, warm a small amount of butter.

Place the banana in the skillet. Cook until it's golden brown on both side.

Now, go back to your bread.

On one piece spread a layer of strawberry jelly.

On the other, spread a layer of crunchy peanut butter.

Place each slice of bread, butter side down, into a frying pan that has been heated to low/medium heat. Don't put them together yet.

Place a piece of cheese on the jelly side. Sprinkle the cheese with about a 1/8-1/4 tsp of hot pepper flakes. This is important, don't skip it.

On the peanut butter side lay two pieces of banana.

Let the cheese begin to melt, then combine the two slices of bread.

Cut the sandwich into four triangles- that's the way they served and it looked pretty. :)

Snow Day Snapshots

2011-01-10T13:22:00.000-08:00

It doesn't look like much, but it was solid ice. Sometimes it's nice to not have anywhere to go.

13 Bean Chili was made...

Lego Stadium was built.

Gordon napped.

Game day shirts were worn...

Lots of baking and cooking...

Lots of dirty dishes....

Lots of coffee consumed...

Lots of messes made...

And a championship was won...

Not a bad day at all!

Holiday Snapshots

2011-01-09T14:57:00.000-08:00

For the first time ever, our tree was artificial. It was a hard move for me. The tree looked nice, but I missed our trip to Marvins and the anticipation that only comes with a real tree. I did not miss the needles.

This year our church Christmas program was also the "Going-away Service" for our music minister and his family. We'll miss the man who referred to himself as the "King of Awkward and the Captain of Creepy", but we are glad to see them be able to pursue what God has for them.

This was Gabe's branch. It was my favorite.

Sweet Poppa played with Gabe until Gabe was ready to move on. I'm so thankful for the memories that my boys have with their precious great grandparents. What a gift.

Jack the wonder dog.

Cassidy

Sydney

Determination

2011-01-06T19:09:00.000-08:00

This picture caught the moment perfectly. He was so excited to see what was under all that tissue paper. I think it's my favorite from Christmas.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

2011-01-05T06:10:00.000-08:00

I made Green Peppered Steak for dinner last night. I used a well loved recipe that my mother in law gave me when Todd and I got married.

Since it's "Asian inspired" I decided to make the frozen egg rolls I purchased when I went to Costco hungry a few weeks ago. They were giving them out as samples and they were so good that buying a box of 24 egg rolls seemed like a good idea at the time. I'll admit it, most of my impulse purchases are food.

Anyway, once I put the egg rolls in the oven, I realized I had no dipping sauce. Honestly, I'd rather just not have an egg roll with out sauce. So, as much as I didn't want to, I got ready to run out to the store to grab some. But, it was 5:30 and no-one (read Gabe who was happily playing with lego people) wanted to go out. So, I pulled out my favorite cooking tool- the internet- and googled a recipe for it.

The first few recipes I found were labor intensive and since dinner was just about 30 minutes away, I needed easy. Then I found one that looked easy and, most importantly, required ingredients I had on hand.

Here it is. It was pretty good. I used rice cooking wine, because until I looked at the picture I didn't realize it wasn't vinegar, but overall it was a success.

Sweet and Sour Sauce
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:

* 1/3 cup white or rice vinegar (Note: rice vinegar gives better results)
* 4 tablespoons brown sugar
* 1 tablespoon ketchup
* 1 teaspoon soy sauce
* 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 4 teaspoons water

Preparation:
Mix the vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, and soy sauce together and bring to a boil in a small pot. Mix together the cornstarch and water, add to the other ingredients and stir to thicken.

(If desired, you can add 1 green pepper, cut into chunks, and pineapple chunks as desired after adding the cornstarch. For a thicker sauce, increase the cornstarch to 4 teaspoons while keeping the water constant.)

Christmas Cards

2010-12-16T12:07:00.000-08:00

I always feel a little bit like a faker when we send our Christmas cards every year with a great photo of the boys because I know what goes on behind that "perfect" photo. Lots of bribing with m&m's, lots of gritting my teeth and chanting "it's just a picture" in my head, lots of almost going crazy by the photographer (either me or Todd) while two boys do everything, but sit still and smile in a non awkward way. You get the picture. But just in case you don't, here are some of the more than 200 pics we took to get one that we loved.

Ya know, now that I look back through these without trying to find the perfect one, I like them a whole lot more. These pictures really show my boys.

They are not perfect. They rarely sit still. Sometimes they are grumpy. Sometimes they are unbelievably funny. Sometimes they are so sweet it makes my heart hurt. Sometimes they are silly. Sometimes they're stinkers. They are always precious. They are always our two greatest gifts. They truly love each other. They are full of life.

I sure do love them.

And, in case you haven't seen it, here's the picture that we finally chose...

Merry Christmas!

It's been a while, again...

2010-12-16T11:55:00.000-08:00

So, here are a few of my favorite moments from the last few months...

A spontaneous trip to Oak Mountain for a picnic and a hike

Halloween and the face brought on by "cary masks"

Grant, just being Grant.

Spending time with cousins.

Grant celebrating Auburn's win over Georgia.

Thankful.

Coffee and cookies

2010-09-29T14:51:00.001-07:00

Gabe was sleeping. Grant needed a break from doing make-up work from his missed day of school. What could be better than coffee and cookies? Especially these cookies that were filled with warm, melty chocolate. Yum.

Fall is coming...

2010-09-28T14:39:00.000-07:00

Fall is in the air at the Zoo. They are getting all the decorations up and ready for the "Boo at the Zoo" starting next weekend. The boys had fun getting to see everything in advance.

Gabe especially loved this big chair and was up in it posing for pictures in about 30 seconds. While Grant climbed up with him, reluctantly, all while mumbling that he wasn't sure they were really supposed to since technically the Boo at the Zoo had not started yet. My two boys. One, oh so black and white and all or nothing. The other, free spirited and wide open. So different, but so precious in their own ways. I love how they balance each other and how they keep me on my knees searching for wisdom and saying prayers of thanks. What amazing gifts they both are in their own unique ways.

Greek Festival

2010-09-24T14:32:00.000-07:00

The Greek Festival has become a family tradition. This year, since Todd was going to be in Chicago for business on the Festival dates, the boys and I went down for Friday lunch. As always, everything was delicious. And I did bring Todd back a piece of baklava, because I'm sweet like that. :)

Remembering...

2010-09-11T06:09:00.000-07:00

History never looks like history when you are living through it.--John W. Gardner

Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue

2010-09-10T07:44:00.000-07:00

My two favorite parts are when he says "alright" sounds more like "aldight" and when he hits the "button" on his belly to make his "wings" pop out.

Just too cute, this kid.

Freezing Bananas

2010-09-03T21:07:00.000-07:00

We make a lot of smoothies around here. Most of the fruit that I use for them I buy frozen from Whole foods. All except the bananas. I get those at Costco since I can purchase a bunch of 6-7 bananas for $1.32.

That's a lot of bananas for us, since none of us just love to eat them. So I started freezing them. Here's what I do...

Mash them up, place them in one of my food saver bags and vaccuum seal them. I usually put three in each bag. By the way, I love my food saver. It was a birthday gift from my parents a few years ago. Saves so much space in my freezer.

Once they are frozen solid and I'm ready to make a smoothie, I take the whole block out and cut them up into bite size pieces.

Throw them in the magic bullet with the rest of the ingredients- this morning it was peaches, mangos, bananas and almond milk.

This little magic bullet is great. I bought it when my fourth blender died. I've had it for over a year now and use it all the time, more than any other blender I've owned and it's still going strong.

Quick and easy.

Healthy Lemon Bars/ Protein Bars

2010-09-01T20:44:00.001-07:00

I found this recipe on Lindsay Edmonds' The Passionate Homemaking blog. I enjoy reading the things she and her guest contributors have to say. Her blog is filled with healthy ways to care for your family. Honestly, most of the recipes or suggestions are things that require lots of planning and discipline that don't naturally jive with my laid back self. However, when I saw this recipe, I decided to give it a try. It was pretty simple and they turned out great. Next time I might add a little more honey to the filling or a little less lemon, but other than that they were just right for a healthy treat.

There are few others I'm going to try. I'll let you know how they go.

Filling:
3 whole eggs
 1/4 cup honey
 1/2 cup lemon juice 
1/4 cup coconut oil (Choice virgin cold pressed unrefined coconut oil for best nutritional value.)

Filling Directions:
1. Blend the eggs, honey, and lemon juice together in a small sauce pan until thoroughly combined. 
2. Turn the heat on to medium high and add coconut oil, mixing regularly until the oil has melted. 
3. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens and bubbles. 
4. Remove from pan and place in a bowl in the refrigerator to cool and thicken further.

Crust:
1 cup of raw almonds
 1 cup of raw pecans (I used cashews because that's what I had on hand and they were great)
 1/4 cup honey 
1/2 cup of melted virgin coconut oil 
2 eggs 
1 teaspoon sea salt

Crust Directions:
1. Place nuts in a food processor or blender and pulse until finely chopped, but not pureed. You may have little chunks of nuts, and that is fine.
 2. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse again until well combined.
 3. Spread over the bottom of a greased 8 x 8 inch pan. 
4. Bake for 15-18 minutes in a 400 degree oven, until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. 
5. Cool completely before layering the filling over the top. Return to the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Today's five...

2010-09-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

1. A quiet house, granted it is 10:36pm and it took Gabe forever to fall asleep, but I'm enjoying the silence.

2. Grant cleaned, helped keep Gabe occupied while I baked and cleaned the kitchen, finished his homework and guitar practicing all without complaining and did most of that without even being asked. Wow. What a peaceful afternoon.

3. Rain and cooler temps.

4. Homemade protein bars that were surprisingly good.

5. Change- I don't like it much, but it does stretch me and usually turns out being, if not always a good thing, at least a learning experience. We'll see. Most of the time it brings just what I need.

Today's five...

2010-08-24T18:53:00.000-07:00

Today I'm thankful for...

1. My little superhero who walked all the way through Whole Foods, pushing our cart, saying excuse me to people when he needed to get by, making people smile all while rocking his little black cape. He just makes my heart happy every day.

2. Black Hazelnut ice coffee from Dunkin Donuts. Yes, I said black. That's how I drink coffee these days.

3. A beautiful low humidity day.

4. Time with friends tonight. So thankful for the people God has put in our lives.

5. Music.

Grant's new adventure...

2010-08-17T15:18:00.000-07:00

Guitar lessons began today. He's very excited. He gave me a lesson as soon as his teacher left. I love it.

My new adventure will be keeping Gabe away from the guitar while Grant is trying to practice.

First Day of Fifth Grade

2010-08-16T14:55:00.000-07:00

Gabe and I sat outside to wave goodbye. That really helped ease the sadness of "bubby" going back to school.

Rock Stars...

2010-08-14T14:44:00.000-07:00

Mama's favorite rock star looking alot like her second favorite Rock Star..

See the resemblance?

Can't believe it's been over a month...

2010-08-13T12:46:00.000-07:00

I tried to get on here a few times, I'd get started with a post and get interrupted. So, I finally decided to just give it up for a few weeks. Our summer has just been busy. It's been a good busy. Lots of family and friend time. Lots of swimming. Lots of living. But I have missed blogging. I like having a place to put stuff down so I don't forget it. So, I think I'm back now that things are getting back into a routine again.
Here's a glimpse of the last month...

This free picture slideshow customized with Smilebox

Todd's Birthday

2010-07-16T12:27:00.000-07:00

We did something different for Todd's birthday this year. Instead of a cake, we got him a dozen assorted cupcakes from DreamCakes Bakery. Oh my. There were all kinds of yummy flavors. Here's what we decided on...

Curious George- Banana cake with peanut butter frosting, topped with candy bananas.
Lemon Ice Box Pie-White cake with a sweet & creamy lemon filling & icing & topped with graham cracker crumbs & a lemon candy.
Wedding Cake-White velvet cake, almond buttercream filling and icing & topped with pearlized sparkling sugar.
S'Mores-
Caramel Sea Salt Mocha-Chocolate cake with a mocha frosting, topped with a caramel drizzle, a coffee candy & a sprinkle of sea salt.

My favorite was the Caramel Sea Salt Mocha, sounds strange, but it was sooo good!

Have you tried this?

2010-07-09T07:12:00.000-07:00

Chocolate bar with real bacon pieces inside. I'm still not sure whether or not I really liked it.

A new favorite

2010-07-02T16:35:00.000-07:00

What grabbed my attention was the tie-dyed looking package. I was out of gum, so it was the perfect chance to try a new flavor. So, I took a chance on this "mystery" flavor because of the pretty package. (I'm sure there is a spiritual lesson in there somewhere) Anyway, this is now officially my favorite gum. Do you remember Fruit Strip gum with the zebra on the package? My Grandma used to have it at her house all the time when I was a kid. It tastes a lot like that, except the flavor lasts much longer. Yum.

Todd's Anniversary Gift

2010-07-01T15:54:00.000-07:00

Now, I know what your probably thinking. A microwave for an anniversary present, really? No, it's not romantic, I'll give you that, but it was given out of true love.

See, I'm one of those strange people that doesn't really use a microwave. We received one many years ago as a wedding gift. I used it occasionally,usually either to defrost meat if I forgot to take it out in the morning or to make popcorn, but that was about it. Todd used it fairly frequently for different things. When it died about five years ago, we didn't replace it. I really didn't want to. I don't like them. I honestly didn't miss it. They take up a lot of room and I'm just not totally convinced they are good for us. Save the scientific proof, I've heard it all before, but I'm just not certain I believe it. At that time, Todd was OK with giving life without a microwave a try.

Anyway, here lately, Todd has been lamenting our missing microwave. He couldn't re-heat his coffee, he couldn't warm up his occasional donut and he had to use the kettle to make tea and it took so much longer. He is not a complainer, so when he mentions things like that, I know it's on his mind. And I try to pay attention.

As our anniversary got closer, I started wracking my brain for something meaningful to give him. I thought about journaling some things about our past 16 years, making something to sybolize our time together, etc. I just couldn't come up with just the right thing. So, I went out shopping. Grant came with me. As we were walking up and down all of the aisles, searching aimlessly, we came to the microwave aisle. Hmmmm. Grant and I started talking it through. Grant was VERY MUCH in favor of the idea. His favor of the idea was mostly, I think, out of pure desperation to get out of Target, but it was the perfect idea.

While to most people a microwave hardly screams, "I love you" I knew Todd would get it. He did.

I guess that pretty much sums up the last 16 years. We get each other, even when no-one else does and even when we don't make sense, we get each other. And I realize more and more with each passing day, what a true gift that is.

As you head out into the summer sun today, just remember...

2010-06-27T01:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day, Todd!

2010-06-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

I stole this idea from my friend Shannon. We had fun making this gift for the World's Best Daddy.

Little Moments

2010-06-19T09:26:00.000-07:00

Catching Fireflies

Loving Gordon

First Miata Ride

2010-06-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

Simple Pleasures

2010-06-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

Saturday Fun

2010-06-05T09:12:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to downtown Birminham to visit the Pepper Place Farmer's Market. It was a lot of fun. Lots of booths. Lots of puppies. Lots of walking. Not much stroller time.

After Pepper Place, we just drove around exploring the city. Todd spotted the castle. I'd seen it before when my friend Ronda gave me a tour of Birmingham :). She and I had meant to google it to find out more, but I forgot about it once I got home. So, thanks to the magic iphone, I googled it then. Here's what I learned.

While on our way to eat lunch at Taziki's, Todd saw a sign for an art show at Aldridge Gardens. We browsed, then went to feed the turles, ducks, fish and geese.

I love spontaneous days spent with my boys. Does my heart good.

Ahh the Political season...

2010-06-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

I don't really know anything about this guy except that he must have a sense of humor. I think you'd have to if your name was "Young Boozer." The voice over guy saying his name makes me laugh everytime.

The radio ad is funnier, but as the primaries come to a close I thought I'd share...

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T09:10:00.000-07:00

Painting in the yard

Moss Rock

And the perfect indoor s'mores with friends

Great Memorial Day!!

New cookbook

2010-05-29T19:36:00.000-07:00

My mom bought me this cookbook for my birthday. I didn't even know I wanted it until I started reading it. It's a lot of fun to read.

This was our breakfast this morning- Eggs in a Whole. Simple and wonderful.

The End of Fourth Grade...

2010-05-26T20:01:00.000-07:00

Grant's class won the "jump party" for raising the most money for the walk-a-thon. That made planning the year end party very easy for the room mom-- me. We celebrated the summer birthdays with a few sweet treats and they jumped all morning. The kids had a great time.

Miss Mack made fourth grade lots of fun. We are so thankful for the positive influence she has been in Grant's life. Yes, she is the one laying down up front. She's a good sport.

Hanging with the big kids...

The last day of school is also Awards Day. Grant received several academic awards and a couple of classroom awards. What made him the happiest was receiving the "Funniest" award. Miss Mack gave the kids the opportunity to vote for their friends on some fun class awards.

He unanimously received the funniest boy award in his class. The vote for funniest girl was also unanimous (and yes, that does mean they both voted for themselves, but Miss Mack said they could if they really believed it was true.:) He just beamed as it was handed to him and as his friends kept telling him how funny he was.

Lately it has become very important to him to make people laugh. By nature he is analytical and literal, so joking doesn't come naturally, but he has worked hard to figure it out. I told Todd I would like to be a fly on the wall for just one day to see what he does that makes everyone laugh. Todd assured me that it may be better that we don't know since we are not 10 years old and his jokes may not have the same effect on us. It renewed my thankfulness for a safe environment for Grant to learn, develop his personality and spread his wings a few hours each day without me looking over his shoulder.

As Grant grows and matures I'm learning more about him. We are entering a new phase of life and we are learning to navigate through the tween years. He's not little, but not quite big. I still feel like I need to remind him of a lot of things, but he craves independence- and he needs it. It takes lots of prayer and God's wisdom to know what to say, what not to say, when to hold on and how to let go. I love these little glimpses of growth and development. They are reminders to me to be faithful praying for my boys daily that they will grow to be the men God intends for them to be.

Aldridge Gardens with Grandma

2010-05-25T19:52:00.000-07:00

I love, love, love Aldridge Gardens. My mom had never been before, so we packed up dinner and met Todd after work. It was a beautiful night.

It even ended with a rainbow. That was a neat little bonus.

It's the little things...

2010-05-17T20:04:00.000-07:00

Found this on the fridge this morning. It just made me smile. Gabe has a good big brother.

Relay For Life

2010-05-13T23:42:00.000-07:00

Walking in the relay has become a tradition for our family. This year we decided to spend the night. We brought our tent. Gabe did pretty well- only woke up once. It was a fun, family night.

One of the teams had a great fund raising idea. They made lap counters. For each lap you earned a clear bead when you walked four laps you would receive a purple bead signifying one mile. At each five mile point, a white star was awarded.

I bought one for me and one for Grant. They were great motivators. Grant and I had some great bonding moments while walking our 13 miles. The best part of the night (or wee hour of the morning) was walking the last lap of our twelfth mile getting us to mile 13. We were exhausted, but determined. We held hands and cheered as walked across our finish line. It was a small victory, but it was a huge confidence builder for my boy. A precious parenting moment for his mom.

The all night crew...

Our car ride home...

I took this about 30 minutes after we got home after we had our Dunkin' Donuts. They were exhausted. Apparently, so was I since I didn't see the wet diaper laying on the floor by Todd before I took the picture.

"The lady doth protest too much, me thinks."

2010-05-12T08:36:00.000-07:00

Not only was her van decorated in such high fashion, she was also giving witty speeches about the necessities of boycotting. Her main beef was laws against smokers, but it for sure wasn't the only one. I guess you have to admire her dedication.

I wonder if she is on the government watch list??

Haven't done this in too long...

2010-05-12T06:10:00.000-07:00

Here are some things I'm thankful for...

1. The secret church Todd and I were able to attend together. It's been a few weeks now, but my mind is still sorting and processing all of it. Here's the link if your interested. It's 7 hours worth of teaching, but it can be life changing if we let it be.

2. We spent the weekend with Todd's family for Gabe's birthday and Mother's Day. After 15 (almost 16) years I am so thankful for the "in-laws" God gave me. "In-laws" doesn't even sound right. They are my family. I love that we stay up talking solving the problems of the world. We love each other's kids. We enjoy being together. Such a blessing. What's an even bigger blessing is that both sides of my family are the same way. The older I get, the more I realize what a gift that is.

3. Eleven days left of school. Even though that means in less than two weeks Grant will be a fifth grader. We are all ready for some fun in the sun.

4. I've been reading through the stories of the Old Testament each morning. And I have to say, I'm really thankful that I was born in this time period and in our country. It was not easy being a women back then.

5. My Windsor Pilate dvd. I feel so good after all that stretching.

Gabe is Two!

2010-05-10T11:35:00.000-07:00

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Mother's Day

2010-05-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

These were my Mother's Day gifts from Grant-

He made me a whole book of coupons. This was my favorite...

Truly priceless.

Could he be any cuter?

2010-05-03T06:45:00.000-07:00

Sweet Miss Ruby...

2010-05-02T20:18:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated Miss Ruby's 75th birthday. Her actual birthday is May 8th, Gabe's birthday, a fact that makes her happy every time we talk about it.

She is just a beautiful soul and it was an honor to spend this day with her.

Gabe was not all that interested in posing, so this is the best picture I've got.

Secret Church

2010-05-02T15:06:00.001-07:00

This was my second opportunity to go to Secret Church. Once again it was incredible. Todd was able to go with me. That was a bonus. Since I'm an out loud processor, it is nice to have him and my friend Amy to hash things out with. A few other friends were there as well and I plan on having some conversations with them, too.

There were 6+ hours of information covered, so it will take me some time to work through it all. But, there are a few things I know.
I have some things to re-evaluate in my life. Even some that I thought I had figured out. I have some real questions to ask. I have a real God I want to love, serve and make known, not just talk about making known.

After hours of intensive teaching on the gospel, possessions and prosperity through the lens of scripture, the last line of our book closed the night perfectly. It read, "God, may our lives count on earth as our eyes are fixed on heaven."

God, may it be so in my life.