Wawawaughs - Tales of our life with teens

GOOD RIDDANCE...

2012-01-29T09:29:00.000-08:00

One of the few places we had left behind in the 70's in our house is a small bathroom upstairs. (Well, I guess we had painted over the wall paper and replaced the toilet seat) Until yesterday! My husband had it in his head that if we are to sell our house and downsize in the next few years that the little bathroom might turn some people off. Me, I thought it was kind of cool and think if they don't like it they can change it. Hubby won this one, so out with the olive green toilet, olive tile and olive shower stall! And out with the wood paneling that who knows what had splashed on...

My husband barely let me get these before pictures!

It's going out in pieces!

see ya

the stuff that won't fit in the trash can...

Updates to come!

JUST A LITTLE LOWER....

2012-01-27T05:40:00.000-08:00

than the angels! Angels, those mysterious,incredible, powerful, heavenly beings, and we are just a step beneath them. I am special! You are special. We are made by the Lord of everything and we are just a little lower than the angels!

This thought was brought back to me in my reading this morning:

Psalm 8:5 You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.

It takes me back to my high school days and an all girls class we had with a teacher named Phyllis H. She is a really interesting lady, a former missionary, mother, teacher and Mary Kay salesperson. I'm not even sure where she lives now, but she had an impact on me as a teenager. She continually told us, "You are just a little lower than the angels!" It was a thought that gave me a boost and stuck with me. A little healthy shot for my self-esteem. A little bit of scripture that I have remembered all these years.

Have a wonderful day - how can you not when you remember this truth? :)

BLOGGING IS A SPIRITUAL ACTIVITY...

2012-01-25T05:14:00.000-08:00

I learned this listening to a sermon. Actually, the speaker said JOURNALING is a spiritual activity. This was based on II Timothy 4:13 . He was referring to Paul asking Timothy to bring his parchments. Presumably for him to write on....so I would venture to say that blogging can be a spiritual activity! Hopefully most of the time what I write is thoughtful or uplifting.

I've been doing some kind of weird stuff lately. Like scrapbooking while listening to online sermons. I've never really felt like I had the time to listen to things online, but it's great when you are busy cutting and pasting and generally sitting.

Here's some of the resources with sermons I've been listening to:

http://www.desiringgod.org/

http://www.tiptonchurchofchrist.com/

http://www.ccmcdermott.org/ResourcesMedia/SermonArchive.aspx

So two of those are relatives of mine. I just wanted to ~~creep~~ check on them and see what kind of things they are preaching! It's all good, I assure you. Especially the one who says journaling/blogging is a spiritual activity.

So I've gotten two years of photos scrapbooked this last month!!! 2006-2007. Yay! Only 4 years of photos away from being caught up. It just might happen this year, if I stick with it. A big snowstorm would help!

Here's some of my favorite memories/layouts:

Oklahoma Centennial Parade

Easter pics with my family

My daughter's first Prom

Christmas with my in-laws

One of the best productions of Wizard of Oz ever!

A really big VBS production

One of the funniest songs my son ever performed!

Blessings to you today. May your blogging be a spiritual activity! Or at least bring a smile to someone else's face.

SEE WHAT I MEAN...

2012-01-23T07:24:00.000-08:00

BEAUTIFUL MUSIC...

2012-01-21T08:25:00.000-08:00

makes me happy. Sometimes makes me teary-eyed. Especially when you watch a group of people sing that you know. Something really sweet about that. It means a lot more. I don't know how the teacher holds it together sometimes! Wonder if God looks down when we assemble and sing praises and smiles at the words and expressive faces and sweet hearts he sees?

In the Vocal music world around here, we have OMEA convention and several rounds of auditions for performances. It is a lot of work on difficult music and different languages and quite an honor to be selected. Our local boys at Memorial, including our son, were selected to sing for the convention. It is performed at a beautiful church in Tulsa. When you step inside, you might feel like you are in Europe at an old cathedral. Wonderful acoustics but hard wooden seats! We watched several of the groups sing. They performed with passion and it was a great evening.

Not only that but we made an evening of it by eating downtown. I can recommend Elote, an organic Mexican place. Really interesting and fresh tasting food! The icing on the cake was my college roommate meeting us at the concert and going for coffee afterwards. It was a beautiful evening!

Puffy tacos with sweet potatoes cooked in molasses and corn

(I thought the sweet potatoes were cubed meat)

Thanks honey for taking me to Tulsa!
Thanks boys for showing us your passion for music!

YOU'D THINK I'D KNOW BY NOW...

2012-01-19T06:08:00.000-08:00

It's going on about 5 months now for me as a small group leader of high school girls on Sunday mornings. The lesson Sunday was about community prayer. We discussed Acts 2:41-44 and Matthew 18:19-20. One of the suggested activities from the youth minister was a chain prayer of thanks. I have been uplifted and blessed by prayer in small groups with women and was anxious to do this with the girls! I did tell them it was not required for them to say anything during the prayer if they were uncomfortable. I explained it was to be a spontaneous prayer of thanksgiving in which I would start the prayer and they could say any thankgiving they wanted to during the quiet time. Only 3 of 7 girls said anything during the prayer time. Later I was thinking about it and began to feel unsuccessful, questioning my teaching and wondered if I am doing any good at all!

Then I flashed back to 1990, a time when I was a "Big Sister" to a middle schooler without a mother. Every Wednesday for about 5 years I would wake up my napping children and go pick her up from school. We spent time together, cooked dinner together, went to church, then took her home after that. Sometimes it felt awkward. Unnatural. Unfruitful. A beautiful Christian woman who was a neighbor to this teenager gave me some great advice when I talked to her about it. She told me, "Satan wants you to feel that way. You keep doing what you are doing. Teenagers don't always respond the way you want them to." She was exactly right.

Whatever my group got out of our lesson Sunday morning, I cannot be discouraged - that's what Satan wants! Sunday was a great introduction to group prayer of spontaneous thanks for the girls. It was an attempt to build community and caring among young women that believe. It was a little seed planted in their hearts and minds. I'm reminded that is what I'm here to do - plant seeds.

This little LIGHT of mine, I'm gonna let it SHINE!

DON'T YOU JUST LOVE A GOOD SALE...

2012-01-17T06:49:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since we hit the jackpot on sales, but we did this time, at Famous Footwear! All three of these pairs were on the clearance rack, then we took an additional 30% off, then on top of that I had a $10 off a $50 purchase coupon. (I highly recommend the frequent buyer card) So grand total for 3 pair of name brand shoes...$60 + tax! Not bad, huh?
My son was pretty excited since he couldn't decide between the two casual pair and when I saw the prices I told him he could get both. The dress shoes are a little big but he'll grow into them. The REALLY EXCITING THING as a parent is that we are nearing the end of supplying clothes for our kids. Seems unreal. The college kids are responsible for their own clothes purchases now and we'll graduate this one to his own budget within 2 years. So not too much more shoe buying for us! Woohoo!

WHAT'S BLACK AND BLUE AND RED ALL OVER...

2012-01-15T10:23:00.000-08:00

Maybe it was a 70's thing but I definitely remember those jokes...but this is no laughing matter. My DH wanted to get outside and do some yard work yesterday and promptly ended up with this:

so I guess we are just going to take turns recuperating and helping each other out! Aah, life is just full of twists and turns (no pun intended)!

THAT OVERWHELMING FEELING...

2012-01-13T07:19:00.000-08:00

You know what I'm talking about don't you?

My DH has been doing a really good job lately of taking care of me, the laundry, dishes, as well doing his regular job too. And I'm ready to get back into life. And I'm overwhelmed. I really like structure. But I'm struggling with having the energy to get back on task. I'll be fine as soon as I get back into my walking, errand running, Bible study, etc. Having a little trouble wanting to walk with these 20 degree mornings, though! I'm anxious about leading my Bible study through this semester. It is a little discouraging to me, having 1/2 my group drop out last fall. And then there's addressing those 150 letters for my volunteer job at the high school. Hoping an announcement that will be made Sunday about a summer event we are sponsors for will go over well...all of this weighing heavily on me!

Then I opened up my daily devotional guide, Jesus Calling. Don't you love it when the Lord gives you exactly what you need at the right time?

"I know exactly what this day will contain, whereas you have only a vague idea. You would like to see a map, showing all the twists and turns of your journey. However, there is a better way to be prepared for whatever you encounter today: Spend quality time with me."

Exodus 33:14 The Lord replied, " My presence will go with you; and I will give you rest."

Then, I went to my Bible study and it was a really good session! We all shared a blessing that we were given since our last meeting (before Thanksgiving) and it was a really uplifting time. Don't know what I was so anxious about!

Look for His presence today! He's there.

ANOTHER GREAT COMBINATION...

2012-01-12T05:01:00.000-08:00

It doesn't look like anything special, but boy is it good! So moist. I think it was 2 summers ago my oldest son "stumbled upon" this ICE CREAM CAKE recipe. Since then we have made a lot of these cakes. He brought some friends over the other night after spending a fair amount of time in the ice cream aisle to make another one.

This time they used a white cake mix with:

and cream cheese frosting. Let me tell you folks, this was about the best one ever! If you like berries with a hint of cream cheese, this cake is for you!

How am I supposed to lose any weight with all the good stuff we make around here?!

TEENAGE BOYS AREN'T ALL BAD...

2012-01-10T06:51:00.000-08:00

especially when they'll work for you! My son and his entourage happened to walk in Sunday night right as I was getting started stuffing 150 letters to parents about upcoming production meals. I made them a deal right quick:

They stuff envelopes

and I'll make them these!

WORKS LIKE A CHARM :)

P.S. My blonde haired worker friend would like to be mentioned by name: Cameron

LESSON LEARNED...

2012-01-08T11:13:00.000-08:00

Several lessons were learned at our house Saturday. Our college son learned how to operate a chain saw! The other is that our beloved trees that shade our house can also do damage. A roof inspector told us that we would need to repair 8 shingles due to branches rubbing on the roof. And they would not be doing the tree trimming. Thankfully we've had nice weather and the boys are always eager to do "dangerous" chores!

Turned out nice, though. One thing lead to another and we had a spur of the moment weiner roast. I got the dogs out of the freezer and we just had a little down time with our son, which we hadn't had in a long time. Nothing like a hotdog roasted over a real fire!

Also, our daughter returned from her ski trip in Colorado, so we had a fun evening hearing about her adventures. We had gotten a special version of Cinderella in from Netflix, per her request. It's funny how some things you remember from childhood become really special. She's always loved this multicultural version from Disney/Whitney Houston. If you have a little girl she might enjoy it!

Life is good. God is good. Thanking him for the little things today!

10 DAYS LATER...

2012-01-06T10:53:00.000-08:00

after a Total Hysterectomy and I thought you might be curious as to how I REALLY feel. Actually, pretty good! (Don't tell my husband - I'm not ready to do the laundry and dishes) I went through lots of emotions last month before having it and so far it has exceeded my expectations. Read THIS book and spent time HERE. I spent 23 hours in the hospital, having the robotic surgery. Two days later I was walking upright! I've also learned lots of new vocabulary. Words like Oopherectomy, Total hysterectomy, DaVinci Robotic surgery, and HRT. Ask me if you need some educating. I didn't know much about all this, frankly, until it was necessary.

I'm required to take it easy but have actually gotten to do a lot of good things. I have a list which gives me a sense of accomplishment (so don't burst my bubble by telling me what you've done on these beautiful OK winter days):

1. Read a couple of books

2. Watched movies

3. Played on the computer

4. Read the newspaper

5. Cleaned out the address book

6. Wrote down birthdays, appts., activities on the 2012 calendar

7. Scrapbook pics from 2006 - yes, you heard right

8. Clip and organize coupons

9. Played the piano

10. Stamp craft

11. Cleaned out the magazine basket

12. Braided my hair

13. Cleaned out email inbox

So there you go. There's a list for you if you ever have to stay down for a while!

Blessings to you this weekend!

PACK RAT STAMP CRAFT...

2012-01-04T06:10:00.000-08:00

This is one of those "when I get around to it" kind of crafts. But fun if you have the time. I've always liked stamps and collected them since I was a kid. I decorated this wooden box with stamps the other day. For the craft challenged people, here's how it works:

Get out your box of stamps ripped off of envelopes. It does take a while to collect this many! So start collecting today.

Soak in warm water so the stamps will peel off easily. Sometimes I let them sit a while and come back to it later.

Let them dry on a paper towel. Don't let them dry curled up!

Put them on the box with mod podge. I had saved a wooden box that tea bags had come in. If you keep your eyes open, you'll find something similar. Brush a little mod podge on the box, right where you place the stamp. When it's all covered with stamps, do a light coating over the entire box. I also used the big stickers from the stamp package on the corners of the box. They still had adhesive on them so I just stuck them on directly.

The finished project! (Don't forget to sign it inside) This is the second one I've done in probably 5-7 years. What's cool to me is it's like a little chunk of history from the 2000's. Hopefully my grandkids will appreciate it when I give it to them years from now! Maybe I'll put a little cash in there too :)

BETCHA CAN'T EAT JUST ONE....

2012-01-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

This is my new favorite holiday treat! My sister made these out of Famous Chocolate Wafers. Just dipped 'em halfway in almond bark and then into colored sugar crystals. I had never had these before, but they taste a lot like Oreos. Without that nasty cream filling. So simple! I'm thinking pink ones for Valentine's Day, yellow for Easter, green for St. Patrick's, and mmmm...I'll think of some more to get me through the summer.

FOCUS ON THE INSIDE (MY 16 YO'S THOUGHT)...

2011-12-31T07:24:00.000-08:00

We had our annual Christmas card devotional last night, where we pray for all our friends we received cards from. I was afraid that maybe our tradition might have been outgrown by our kids, but when Dad told them we were going to do it last night, all 3 made sure their friends knew they weren't available until 8 p.m. In fact we did have 2 extra to eat pizza but they made themselves scarce because they knew we were having family devotional.

I've been recuperating so I did not prepare any thoughts whatsoever about a verse to encourage the family. My husband went off an idea from our youngest son and it was a really interesting spirit led conversation. The highlights: he read two verses from the Bible and asked what they had in common. One was Genesis 1:1 and I wasn't sure where the other one was found. Turns out it was the very last verse of Revelation. Our son said the point was that life is not about the beginning or the end, but what happens in-between. Which led to many other cliches from the family that we all think are good. A couple I remember:

It's the process, not the product (that counts)

It's about the journey, not the destination!

So I asked if they could find a scripture to back it up. This was their choice:
I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal where God is beckoning us onward - to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. Philippians 3:12-14 MSG

Then a song broke out which surprised me, it's not really a popular song, or one sung by youth much. It's amazing what your kids soak in, in their short lives!

Living by faith in Jesus alone,

Trusting, Confiding in His great love,

From all harm safe, in His sheltering arm

I'm living by faith and feel no alarm.

My kids laughed at me because once again I couldn't make it through our round robin prayer with out crying. But really one thing I just have to thank God for every time I hear their spiritual thoughts and prayers is that I have been able to watch them mature a little more spiritually.

I don't tell you this to say my kids have arrived or that I have perfected parenting. It wasn't some super sermon or a well planned lesson at all. Just a time we gather to share a thought and pray. I tell you all this to encourage parents out there to have some structured times of devotion with your kids. We used to do this much more frequently, but things change when they hit high school and it's harder to find the time. The only way to do it without awkwardness is to do it little by little throughout the years. There was no hint of awkwardness this time - I loved it.

Happy 2012.

BEST TIME TO SCHEDULE SURGERY...

2011-12-29T19:17:00.000-08:00

is right after Christmas. That way, your family will put up the tree and all the decorations! It also has given me the time to read THIS. Great book! Now to find the movie!

SHARING OUR AWKWARD CHRISTMAS PHOTOS...

2011-12-26T14:32:00.000-08:00

He was so excited that his REAL fudge set up this year!

Are we having fun yet?

My little cousin looks like the HOME ALONE kid!

Poor David won the award for the ugliest pajamas at our Christmas pajama party!

This is a picture of me trying to get my kids to stand up and take a picture with me.

I actually love this awkward angle of my daughter showing off her boots!

I always love taking a picture of the Christmas MESS! It actually stayed this way for 24 hours because we went to church and then to my mother's house for the rest of the day and when we got home we were too dog tired to pick it up!

TO ALL MY BLOG BUDDIES...

2011-12-24T14:56:00.000-08:00

FAMILY GIFT...

2011-12-23T05:01:00.000-08:00

Our "family" Christmas gift has transformed from a board game we can play together to much more. Just because the college kids are home for a little while doesn't necessarily mean we are eating dinner together every night or doing a whole lot together. So we had a surprise night on the town - that I think everybody enjoyed!

Started off with dinner at Vito's Italian Restaurant on North May Avenue. The bread and dipping sauce here is worth the trip!

After dinner a little Starbucks! My daughter couldn't be happier about this little espresso cup her Daddy got her!

Time for a little go-kart racing at Pole Position! The boys loved it, but unfortunately it made Dad get a little motion sickness and my adventure girl turned claustrophobic in the helmet! Still was fun though. I had gotten a groupon for this a few months ago, so it was something we hadn't done before as a family.

Best of all we made a stop at Cuppies and Joe, where we got cupcakes to go. Chocolate Rain is pretty delicious! We ate them in the car while watching this fabulous light show on a house at 19th & Ollie. It's synchronized with the music and plays many different songs and different colors. Someone told me they spent $45,000 on this display! Pretty incredible.

Family night - 5 hours of fun together! Love these kids despite the burping and whining (yes, it still happens, jokingly most of the time) Gotta do it while we can!

THE ULTIMATE EVENT PLANNER...

2011-12-21T04:40:00.000-08:00

A blog buddy of mine sparked a thought in me with this verse a couple of days ago:

Hebrews 10:23-25

New International Version (NIV)

²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

She mentioned the fact that the word DAY is capitalized, a hint that it is something special, not just an ordinary day. It will be an EVENT!

I began to think about God as the ULTIMATE EVENT PLANNER. How cool is that? I love planning events, have even thought about it as a possible job option when my youngest graduates high school. When I plan womens' events at church, I think about the setting, lights, sound, even the temperature of the room. How to satisfy the 5 senses. Not to mention the food, decorations, and program! It's impossible to please everyone, but goodness knows I try. When I feed lots of kids at the high school, I try to accommodate their likes and dislikes, make it good nutritionally, and find volunteers to serve and bring desserts. When the college kids come over they get goody bags to take back to campus with them of things I've collected over the month. Details, details, details....To think that God is working on that DAY to make it the biggest event ever, paying attention to every detail, makes me love Him even more!

The end of each year brings many festive parties, and I enjoy them all! But many times there's a let-down after all is said and done. Family members leave (maybe thankfully for some of you), messes are left, decorations have to be put away. Holiday pounds left to disappoint us. But guess what? There will be NO let-down on that DAY. It will be the ULTIMATE FOREVER EVENT!

Are you anticipating the BIG EVENT?

THE DAY?

Applaud God - THE ULTIMATE EVENT PLANNER!

HOMEMADE FOR THE HOLIDAYS...

2011-12-19T04:51:00.000-08:00

Well here we are again for the homemade gift round-up! It's one of my favorite traditions with Waugh Family Christmas! From left to right back row: Santa can, Framed monagram on burlap, Scrapbook paper tree, T-shirt shopping bag. Front row: Shotgun shell Santa ornament, Christmas frame, Made by "somebody somewhere" ornament, Painted ball ornament.

These are my gifts this year - I've been into burlap!

Here are the crafty Waugh women with their goodies! I have to say the most useful gift made was the t-shirt shopping bag. My sister in law in Frisco is making them to be sold to benefit the PATH OF HOPE. It is a foundation to help girls in Central America continue their schooling past the 6th grade. Sweet, huh?

We are so blessed.

Thank the Lord today for your education!

Thank Him for your family!

OH YES HE DID...

2011-12-17T19:44:00.000-08:00

He wore his Dad's lime green leisure suit to the Winter Ball! Just in case you hadn't heard the story before, here goes: When my husband was a senior back in 1978, his grandmother let both he and his twin brother pick out fabric for suits! My DH had impeccable taste back then and still does, of course. She made this suit for him and bought the shirt at JCPenney's. The tie is our only addition to this ensemble!

Here's what the other guys wore just in case you thought maybe they all went retro!

And one of the lovely ladies who did the asking and foot the bill for this one! Aren't they beautiful? Thankfully it wasn't too cold because those dresses are not very cold weather friendly if you know what I mean...

ROUND UP THE KIDS FOR A GUESSING GAME...

2011-12-15T05:20:00.000-08:00

Got this idea for a guessing game the other night with my little neighbors! These are some of the ornaments we have from our travels through the years. Can you guess where they are from?

In order: Stocking with grass skirt: Hawaii
Beer server: Germany
Capitol bldg: Washington, D.C.
Eskimo: Alaska
Blue "eye": Greece
Beefeater: London
Red tassel: Chinatown, San Francisco
Girl with lei: Hawaii
Lighthouse: North Carolina
Man wearing kilt: Scotland
Mounties on horses: Canada
Abe Lincoln nutcracker: Illinois (Lincoln library)
Pinocchio: Italy
Alamo: San Antonio, Texas
Wooden box with scene: Switzerland

Anybody else out there collect ornaments on your travels? Maybe we should have an ornament party and share them!

MAKING A MOVIE...

2011-12-13T05:21:00.000-08:00

was not what I planned on doing Saturday. Goodness, we had parties all weekend to attend! But sometimes mommas jump when they get the chance to do something for their children...

We arrived at home after some shopping to find our college son turning our house into a movie set. Lights, cameras, and his friend with wardrobe changes making a movie. It was for some kind of 48 hour contest.

Imagine my delight when he asked if they could use the bike in the attic. You mean the Cabbage Patch bike? The one I bought at a garage sale years ago? Yes, that one. Now this is the ONLY bike I've saved folks. Because it was the only good quality one we had, and it was 10 years old when my daughter got it. Cabbage Patch, 1983, it says. So we got it down and it's as sturdy as ever! Dad and I got to help with the scene and had a lot of fun with that.

Then we got to the REAL fun - we were in it! Playing parents, what else? We were in a "family eating dinner" scene. Maybe I'll be a movie set decorator next. I got all the old frozen food out of the freezer and made a beautiful meal of ham, grapes, and salad on those dinner plates. You'll have to watch the video to see what happened, but here's a clue -

My son did buy these dishes at Goodwill.

So here's the 2 minute MOVIE. I wish I would've fixed my hair.

HOW LONG IT TAKES TO MAKE A GUMDROP TREE...

2011-12-11T04:52:00.000-08:00

Longer than you think! It was time for my annual Christmas craft night with my little neighbors. Inspired by this, I thought we would make gumdrop trees. This was a home-made gift from my sis-in-law several years ago and it has amazingly held together! I display it every year.

It starts out pretty fun - sorting and tasting each color! I found out from the package those weird flavors are anise and clove.

Dixie the cat had to check out our gumdrop tree making!

12 hours later....JK! But they did take a while. Little one had to take a break.

On to Christmas pennants! These girlies are getting to be experts at sponge painting and hot gluing!

Their burlap pennants hanging on the stairs

The finished products and two little girls on a sugar high!

Fun times! I was also blessed to get to hear the entire 3rd grade Christmas program, song by song. Nothing like hearing two little girls singing!

Have yourself a merry little Christmas!

DINNER WITH THE COLLEGE KIDS...

2011-12-09T07:36:00.000-08:00

We had our final dinner of the semester with our college kids! On the menu:

Country Pot Pie with Cheesy Bacon Crust

Green salad, Fruit Salad

Squash Casserole

Green Beans

Blackberry Wine Cake

Apple Crisp

Ice Cream

I enjoy doing this but it stresses me out a little, too. I seem to do this to myself a lot! The type A personality in me, I guess. I always have fun once we sit down to eat, though. One of these days I will just order pizza.

We were glad to see our nephew and his girlfriend! They just got back Tuesday from the PacRim tour. They traveled the world this semester and I'm sure learned more than we will ever know. They said the best food they had was in Japan.

They're the cute ones in the back!

Lots of pretty girls!

The evening ended with my son getting his friend to model his creation for the Plastic Fashion Show. It's a required project for one of his art classes. You can tell he was really into this...(NOT - no comment on how long he spent). So they all ran out to the fashion show. I was too tired and had lots of dishes to wash but I bet it was pretty good!

Wishing them Happy Holidays and a great Finals Week!

TWO RANDOM BEAUTIFUL THINGS...

2011-12-07T04:14:00.000-08:00

Easter eggs in December! There's a lovely couple in our Bible class that regularly shares eggs from their henhouse with everyone in class. I picked these up Sunday! Aren't they beautiful? Organic, too. I'm sure they could start a business but they choose to give.

Here's something else I want to share with you. I listened to some of her album for a long time yesterday. A beautiful song written by a beautiful girl. She's a year older than my daughter. Her mother passed away from cancer a few years ago, and had taught college math with my Dad. She's poured her soul into this music. Enjoy.

SWEETS AND SERVICE...

2011-12-05T06:53:00.000-08:00

At our congregation we tried a new women's activity we called "Sweets & Service." It was a Christmas brunch/craft/service project. We decided we wanted it to benefit a local nursing home. I racked my brain to come up with a way to keep 140 ladies busy for 90 minutes! The organization and all the materials needed were frying my brain. With a lot of prayer and some help from my good friend and we pulled it off! Had a lot of help from our women's committee members as well.

We had tables for crafts, gift bag decorators, card signing, bag filling, and ziplocing cookies - lot of jobs to be done!

The assembly line of goodies to go into the gift bags!

Lots of Moms and daughters came - loved that!

Sweet ladies signing home-made cards!

Our craft - doorknob hangers! They were all unique!

About 25 of us were able to deliver the gifts to the nursing home. We sang a few songs, handed out gifts, and put the doorknob decorations on their doors. It was a good thing to do for people who seem forgotten by our culture.

Jesus was always reaching out to the forgotten ones. I hope the spirit of Christmas giving touches your heart and you are able to do something similar this season!

"It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35

STILL PLAYING DRESS-UP...

2011-12-04T04:52:00.000-08:00

for a school project they're working on, they say. Right.

Love coming home to this! Another reason to continue my pack-rat ways.

BURLAP CHRISTMAS...

2011-12-02T04:39:00.000-08:00

I've got a thing for burlap! If you would've asked me a few years ago what I thought about burlap I would've turned my nose up at it. It was that ugly rough background of all the bulletin boards at church during the 70's! I distinctly remember olive green and gold colored burlap. But people grow up and sometimes love the things they hated in childhood!

So this is one of my Christmas burlap projects. A simple burlap pennant. NO SEWING NECESSARY. Yep, you heard right. You can do this with just a little scissors, paint and hot glue!

Steps:
1. Cut burlap flags to size desired.
2. Stretch out twine to length desired and space out flags. Leave long ends.
3. Fold over the top to make a "hem" with twine inside, hot glue CAREFULLY.

4. Flip over to front side and sponge paint the letters on it.

5. Embellish with ribbons or whatever you like!

I actually added more ribbon after I took the picture. And if you are really industrious, you could make two of them and spell out "Merry Christmas." I'm keepin it simple.

FUN AND EASY!

CHOOSING JOY...

2011-11-30T04:30:00.000-08:00

is not always easy. Sometimes it takes a while.

After some unexpected news from the doctor, I have to think about it, talk to some friends about it, complain about it, and finally pray about it (which should have been my first response). Then I can think about JOY.

I've been blessed with 30 + years of a normal female cycle and 3 healthy pregnancies. So I guess I shouldn't be surprised that something weird might happen. Without going into too much detail (don't mind sharing in person if you are wondering), I thought I was going through some kind of early menopause. But after problems for nearly a year, the doctor is recommending removal of ovaries and uterus, of course, in DECEMBER.

But, why not? I can see the Lord prepared for it to happen now. A women's event I'm helping with is happening this Saturday. It will be done. Many years I have a Christmas party at my house between the Bunko group, Bible class or family. This year everyone else is hosting - my sister's had the party planned for a year! And the trip we thought we might take between Christmas and New Year's hadn't really materialized yet. So no reservations to cancel or anything. Hopefully my husband and kids will step up and do all the Christmas things for me while I'm physically down!

I don't think it's a mistake that Verse of the Day today was Phillippians 2:14, 15. "Do everything without grumbling or complaining."

So, please, REMIND ME if you don't see me smiling. "CHOOSE JOY."

IF YOU LIKE STARBUCKS SALTED CARAMEL HOT CHOCOLATE...

2011-11-28T05:12:00.000-08:00

you'll LOVE these! I made them as something new to take to Thanksgiving - besides the old standards. I really liked them but I did learn something. You cannot stack them - even between sheets of wax paper! They weren't as popular as Puppy Chow or my sister-in-law's iced sugar cookies, or even pie, but that's okay. Fun for something different. Here's the RECIPE!

A NEW ADDITION TO THE ANNUAL PUMPKIN BASH...

2011-11-26T13:12:00.000-08:00

was gourds! We found out that green gourds are pretty juicy! Click on that picture for a closer look! Nasty.

Other than that, we had a wonderful holiday, filled with all the things we love:

9 a.m. Turkey Trot - The green team!

Lori always surprises us with a different cheesecake to add to the Thanksgiving meal! Chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake is pretty fantastic.

4 different tables of chaos, I mean games, going on at once! We are especially blessed to have my father-in-law still with us this holiday, after a rough year of cancer treatment.

Annual Cousin Pumpkin Bash - wow, are they growing up! (see previous posts under Thanksgiving if you're wondering what a pumpkin bash is)

Their traditional photo on top the biggest pumpkin

Well it's hard for me to pick one favorite thing about this special time with the family but I have to say what means the most to me is the Wednesday night All Church Singing time. Not only do we sing for an entire hour, but each song is led and chosen by a different song leader. Young and old, big and small, and I think if I counted right, 13 of the song leaders were from our family. It's hard to not watch them the entire song, but I'm getting better at worshipping during this time. Love watching these young men growing up getting involved in worship! Yes, we are truly blessed.

HOW TO EAT A FLAMING MARSHMELLOW...

2011-11-23T05:50:00.000-08:00

Without hesitation, of course! This young man and two others from HU recently stayed at our house on the way to Colorado for Thanksgiving break. When we were outside making S'mores, his marshmellow was on fire and he promptly ate it! I about freaked out. When I asked him how he did that, he said he had been doing it a long time. One of the other boys asked his secret, and he said, and I quote, "DO NOT HESITATE." That was it. Then I expressed my disappointment at not getting a picture and he said for me to go get my camera. So he ate a total of 3 flaming marshmellows that night!

Here's all 3 of them acting half-way normal...

They are friends of our daughter from HU and International students. Let me just say that my daughter has some interesting friends.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and a word of caution: DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME. Or anywhere else, for that matter.

SPONTANEOUS SATURDAY...

2011-11-21T04:56:00.000-08:00

I had great plans for Saturday...putting up Christmas lights!

Well, my husband and daughter (who just got home for Thanksgiving break) started talking Saturday morning and one thing led to another, and well, before I knew it they were headed to bike around the lake. Yes, 9 miles around Lake Hefner with the winds blustering at 20 or more mph! Fine, you guys go do that. They asked me to go, to be polite, to which I declined. Then my son decided to go...and well, you know, I felt compelled to join them no matter how it might affect me later. And I got to ride the bike that nobody claimed. Nice! Really, this bike just showed up in our garage and belongs to somebody's friends' family. The seat was as hard as a rock. (I won't tell you how I padded my bottom but you can probably figure it out!)

The first 15 minutes was a KILLER! I considered turning around, just sitting in the car, and waiting on them. Riding into the wind, pedaling that bike, felt like I was going nowhere. But it got better. We even coasted a little at some points. My son dropped back and rode beside me and let my husband go faster for a while. Then my daughter doubled back and rode the last mile or so with me. So I got some time to visit with my college kids and that made it all worth it.

Not only that, our daughter had never been to Big Truck Tacos, so my son really wanted to take her there for lunch. We got some great Mexican food and sat outside at their picnic tables, just enjoying the day. There's something really great about enjoying a meal after a good workout! No guilt whatsoever!

And do you know I still got the Christmas lights up? Hubby helped me. It was a great spontaneous Saturday.

THE EDITOR...

2011-11-19T05:59:00.000-08:00

Homework with a tenth grader

Editing a research paper

Learning more about a topic

A rough draft

Examining the thesis

Gently encouraging

Correcting misspelled words

Taking out yous

Replacing overused words

Checking for plagiarism

Quoting the sources

Citing information correctly

Reading again and again

A final copy

Acceptable

I am a rough draft

Everyday I need editing

Full of errors

Gently encourage me

I fumble my words

Misstep

I need correcting

What is my theme

Take out I's
Replace my wants

Examine the source

Read me again and again

Perfect in me

A final copy

Acceptable

Pure

WHAT COLLEGE KIDS DO IN THEIR SPARE TIME, II

2011-11-16T18:57:00.000-08:00

My husband and I were kicked out of the bedroom and bathroom the other night. Here's what came out of that: ELF reenactment

Next time I hope he will give me a heads up and I'll get all my clutter off the bathroom cabinet! But of course those sweet college girls remind me that my mess makes me MORE REAL.

BE REAL TODAY!

MEXICAN LASAGNA (VEGETARIAN)

2011-11-15T04:54:00.000-08:00

Made this for my family the other night and we had forgotten how good it is! Pretty healthy too, only 4 g fat per serving. Looks like I got it from bhg.com:

2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 14 oz. can chopped tomatoes
3/4 cup picante sauce
2 cloves minced garlic
2 t. ground cumin
2 15 oz. cans black beans, drained
10 7 inch corn tortillas
2 cups reduced fat cheddar cheese
shredded lettuce

In a large skillet, combine first six ingredients. Bring to boiling, then reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in beans.

Spray a 13 x 9 pan with nonstick coating. Spread 1/3 of bean mixture over bottom of dish. Top with half of the tortillas, and half of cheese. Layer another 1/3 of beans, then remaining tortillas and cheese. Finish with beans on top. Cover and bake for 35-40 minutes at 350. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Garnish with shredded lettuce, lowfat sour cream.

BOSSYPANTS ME...

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

I don't often preach on my blog, but I had a crazy week last week with repairmen in my house for 3 days. In fact my husband told me as he went out of town, "there will be a repairman here about 4 o'clock." Fine with me. Well 4 o'clock came and went of course. About 6:20 p.m. I receive a call from the repairman to see if I was expecting him and I told him "yes, but I thought around 4, " to which he said, "4 to 7." So I said for him to come on, realizing it might infringe on my Wednesday night 7 p.m. church class. Meanwhile my son and I dive headfirst into editing his research paper which is due in two days. Long story short, the repair went long and my son and I had some quality time together and got that paper nearly complete. AND I felt terribly guilty over missing my church class. I can't remember the last time I missed. We never miss because of homework, either. Not a good feeling. Then I wondered if anybody missed me. And I started thinking I should check up on people more. Not make excuses why they probably weren't there...

Which leads me to my main pet peeve about parents and Wednesday night church: Not attending because their kid has homework. Give me a break! People make time for what they want to make time for...and I guarantee if you have a policy in your home that you attend your church's midweek service unless you are sick and dying, your kids will find a way to get that homework done at other times. So you see, it will actually help them to manage their time better and become more efficient. In the long run, what really matters? Head knowledge or the heart? If tiredness or something else is your issue, I urge you to make a change so that you can attend. I can't tell you how many times I went when I was dog tired because of the example for my kids. But I was always glad I did because I either gained insight into scripture or was encouraged in song or just talked to someone.

So, I'm telling you now, the next time a repairman shows up at 6:20 p.m. on a Wednesday night, I am sending him away. No matter how bad I want my internet fixed! A little good guilt goes a long way.

"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encourage one another and all the more as we see the day approaching." Hebrews 10:25

FLASHBACK FRIDAY...

2011-11-11T06:49:00.000-08:00

One of my favorites...it's in a frame and I put it out every fall! These are my little darlings, 15 years ago. The baby's sweatshirt was bought somewhere, but the others were ones they made themselves. I assisted with the cutting of a print fabric, Wonder Under and slick paint. You can tell I had nothing to do with the design on my middle son's - who would put a little circle of ghosts off center on a sweatshirt?! This was taken in the Homeland parking lot and I see that beautiful minivan of ours - blue with woodgrain panels in the background. Fun times!

LEAVES OF GOLD...

2011-11-09T04:51:00.000-08:00

While walking the other day, I was just praying about God's beautiful creation and then about how much more beautiful the place He is preparing for us. Streets of gold - hard to imagine - and as I walked a really cool thing happened. I realized leaves of gold were fluttering down like snowflakes all around me. They covered the sidewalk, too. The weird thing was, there wasn't even a breeze. I didn't notice any other trees doing this at the moment. Maybe the overnight freeze made the leaves give up their hold on the tree. But it was really a beautiful moment for me. It would have made a nice poem or song!

I feel like I've had a lot more God moments in my life the last year, and I think it's due to so many of you! So many of you share the joys of being God's child with me. I love your "thankful" posts on facebook and also posts from my blog buddies, EVERYDAY BLESSINGS and SHINE LIKE STARS. They open my eyes to see blessings in so many things! Also, to another favorite site, VERSE OF THE DAY - what a help to get a verse, commentary, and a prayer of application. I go to you guys for daily encouragement and insight. To my younger friends, what a joy to relive those days through your blogs! I can't wait to see what you are posting tomorrow!

LOVE YOU ALL!

MY UNUSUAL WEEKEND...

2011-11-07T04:50:00.000-08:00

About the time you think you've experienced all that life has to give, you get surprised! Lately there's been a lot of blessings with our college kids. Last weekend, my husband and daughter got to be a part of Harding homecoming, this weekend my son and I were a part of OC homecoming!

Homecoming chapel is a longstanding tradition and my son and I both were in it! I was asked to lead the Pledge of Allegiance and my son to lead songs. I figured it might be my one and only chance to EVER be on a stage with my son so I said I would do it. We were one of three alumni parent/child groups to participate. It was a priviledge and honor and I didn't trip or anything!!!

Another fun thing was my sister-in-law planned a Girls Weekend in Texas. They planned to shop at Canton then spend the night at her house in Frisco. Unfortunately I couldn't go down Friday night because of Saturday morning chapel and I had to miss Canton, but I went down and shopped all the stores we don't have here and met up with them Saturday night. We ate and chatted until midnight and got to hear about the earthquake from our relatives back in OK! Then we worshipped together Sunday morning at McDermott Rd. congregation where my brother in law preaches. The shopping wasn't over, however, we hit The Container Store before heading home!

One of my sis-in-laws and fellow blogger SHINE LIKE STARS! Check out her blog if you want to see more about Canton. (Wow, that late night is telling on me!)

Oh, and the perfect weekend has to include this, of course!

I'm sure you would have been disappointed if I didn't have a picture of this!

Great start to my week! Have a wonderful one and count your blessings!

TOO BAD...

2011-11-05T05:49:00.000-07:00

I'm leaving for Big D in a few hours...you've got a job to do, my son.

ALMOST AS GOOD AS A LOVE NOTE...

2011-11-03T04:32:00.000-07:00

TRUE COLORS...

2011-11-01T06:33:00.000-07:00

I see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful,
Like a rainbow

Steinberg & Kelly

Saturday I walked under this gorgeous tree. I had to take a picture. Then I remembered something I read recently about how fall reveals the true colors of the leaves. (Sorry if that was your post!) You can read more about the science behind it HERE. The beautiful reds, golds, and oranges are their TRUE color. Not the green leaves of summer. Those are immature leaves. It made me think how we slowly mature into what God wants us to be. What's your TRUE color? Is your color beautiful? Or are you still a little green?

ADVENTURE GIRL CONFORMS FOR A FEW MINUTES....

2011-10-30T11:09:00.000-07:00

Our lovely daughter - our kayaking, mountain climbing, bike riding girl found herself in a predicament recently. She was nominated for homecoming queen! (YAAAAAA! from the mother who never was...) Anyway, after I quit cheering and making plans to buy some incredible dress and shoes, she informed she did not need that and she would be wearing her Chacos. Maybe I was being manipulated in some way, but she assured me that her Chacos are her signature. That's how everyone knows her...

Needless to say, she conformed to my idea (and the university's email about how to dress for the occasion) and we got a beautiful grey suit AND some cute shoes last weekend in Dallas. The nominees were presented in chapel during the week and she did what she wanted - she wore a thrift store find and her Chacos (so glad I missed that) and got lots of positive (?) comments from her friends. Saturday was the big event at the homecoming football game. Most of the girls were escorted by their fathers, which is a tradition. Her Daddy liked it too! She didn't win queen, but it was a nice honor and a great time for all of us!

The chapel appearance

Homecoming parade

Crazy knights

Delta Nu float with our girl

with Gram at the fountain

No more pictures, MOM!

That's better.

Being escorted by Dad on the football field!

Sunglasses were a must!

WHEN GOD WAS THERE...

2011-10-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

Just a little question for you - can you think of that time? I was recently asked to give a 3 minute testimony (yeah, right!) when we were learning about Jehovah Shammah, God is there. Here's what I shared. Many of you probably have heard part of this, but it's been a while since I reflected on it and thanked God that I've had my husband for 6 more years.

Imagine you are away from home, in a hospital cafeteria. It's a Sunday morning, and the place is deserted. The last 20 hours have been a blur:

A phone call that your husband had been crushed by a tree doing hurricane relief work.
Packing a bag in minutes.
Leaving the 3 kids and jumping on an airplane.
Getting to the hospital and seeing a frazzled friend who had been in and out of ambulances and helicopters with your husband.
Giving approval for 2 emergency surgeries.
Hearing the doctor say he "took care of everything that was going to kill him in an hour."
Taking catnaps on a waiting room floor.
Seeing your husband in ICU, wondering if he would recover.

That was me 6 years ago. It was time for a shift change and I was told I couldn't go into the ICU for a while so I went downstairs to the cafeteria, thinking my morning routine of tea and reading the news would bring me comfort. I had brought my new "Message" Bible with me. Not really able to focus, I turned to Psalm 23 and read the familiar words. I continued to flip the pages, then something caught my eye and I read Psalm 29. Here's what I read:

^1-2 Bravo, God, bravo! Gods and all angels shout, "Encore!"
   In awe before the glory,
      in awe before God's visible power.
   Stand at attention!
      Dress your best to honor him!

³ God thunders across the waters,
   Brilliant, his voice and his face, streaming brightness—
   God, across the flood waters.

⁴ God's thunder tympanic,
   God's thunder symphonic.

⁵ God's thunder smashes cedars,
   God topples the northern cedars.

⁶ The mountain ranges skip like spring colts,
   The high ridges jump like wild kid goats.

^7-8 God's thunder spits fire.
   God thunders, the wilderness quakes;
   He makes the desert of Kadesh shake.

⁹ God's thunder sets the oak trees dancing
   A wild dance, whirling; the pelting rain strips their branches.
   We fall to our knees—we call out, "Glory!"

¹⁰ Above the floodwaters is God's throne
      from which his power flows,
      from which he rules the world.

¹¹ God makes his people strong.
   God gives his people peace.

I was amazed! This chapter talks about storms. It talks about trees! But that last verse, the one that doesn't seem to fit, was what I loved most.

God makes his people strong; God gives his people peace.

It was for me! It was for my husband. I felt at that moment God was there, and that message was for us. Spend some time contemplating "God moments" in your life. And share them.

THE OTHER GOOD THING ABOUT TEXAS....

2011-10-25T15:11:00.000-07:00

BESIDES THIS, OF COURSE...

IS BABE'S CHICKEN!

Where else could you get a picture with cow skulls?

Where else do you get brain food with crazy signs?

Where else can you get delicious smoked chicken, fresh corn off the cob, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans and biscuits - all you can eat? AND superfast service?

It's pretty close to heaven on earth!

P.S. This is NOT a paid advertisement.

HIGHLIGHT OF FALL BREAK...

2011-10-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

was watching our daughter(she's on the back row) and the Harding concert choir performing in Texas! Here's a tiny bit (sorry - my camera battery ran out) of one of my favorite songs they do, "Signs of the Judgement." I didn't dwell on it, but it's probably one of the last times we'll see her perform with a chorus after 11 years of Chorus from middle school through college! She has really enjoyed the challenge of learning and singing choral pieces in different languages and difficulties. One of her favorite places they go to sing since performing with this group in college is a women's prison in Arkansas. They are a really appreciative audience, and then the women prisoners also sing back to them. So sweet!

LOOK QUICK....

2011-10-21T05:04:00.000-07:00

For the beauty of the earth,

For the beauty of the skies,

For the love which from our birth

Over and around us lies;

Lord of all to Thee we raise

This our sacrifice of praise.

Pierpoint, 1864

I love the way my mums are peeking through the sweet potato vine growing in my mailbox. I wasn't so sure the vine wouldn't choke out my existing mums. So nice to have some pretty colors after the intense heat this summer! Better enjoy it now before it freezes!

Happy fall!

MAKING HERB BUTTER...

2011-10-19T04:29:00.000-07:00

This year is really the first time I've grown herbs besides basil. So, I thought I'd better do something with them before it freezes! I also happened to have about 3 pounds of butter leftover from the caterer and feeding the kids in the play last week. So it didn't cost me a thing to make this fancy stuff! There are lots of resources on the internet on how to make it, but one thing I did learn is there's really no right recipe, so you can't mess it up!

Chives

Parsley

Rosemary

For one cup of butter, I added 2 Tablespoons each of 2-3 kinds of herbs.

Roll into a log after wrapping it in plastic wrap. Label and freeze!

NOTHING LIKE DING DONG DITCHING TO HELP BOND US...

2011-10-17T07:53:00.000-07:00

I am excited to say that I think my co-leader and I are making progress with our high school girls! We have been with them for about 6 weeks, but that isn't a whole lot since it boils down to about 30 minutes of group time each Sunday after announcements and songs as a large high school group. Most of us are facebook friends now, and we just did a little activity Sunday evening after worship. But it went really well. Might be something you'd like to try!

We went BOOing! (Ding dong ditching with a purpose!) We decided to bless some people in our congregation with goodies. Each girl brought either a bag of candy or baked goods in ziploc bags. We ate a simple dinner together, then assembled the bags, then decorated the notes to put on them. My co-leader adapted the notes because the original notes say something to the effect of the recipient booing someone else. Ours said this:

You have been BOO'ED

The air is cool, the season fall

Soon Halloween will come to all

We have been looking for something to do

And so we brought these treats to you!

Happy Halloween!

I know the object is to be anonymous, but we did write the name of our church on the note, since we did put a few homemade treats in the bags as well.

We had to split up in two cars, but we "hit" about 25 houses in all! The girls had a lot of fun ringing the doorbells, leaving the bags and running back to the car. We had a few misses, getting stuck outside gated neighborhoods, and then worrying about running out of gas, but it was a good time! We made enough bags that each girl took home one to bless somebody in their own neighborhood and extend the activity.

Getting ready to go!

This sweet senior made the cutest cupcakes for our dinner together! They are hedgehogs and scarecrows!

I'm so thankful for these girls and the opportunity to get to know them better!

HER FIRST TRI...

2011-10-16T04:52:00.000-07:00

athlon, that is! I think I am about the most non-competitive person in our family. But our daughter is getting after it! She placed third in her age group for her first Triathlon in Heber Springs recently!

TAKING THE FOCUS OFF OURSELVES...

2011-10-14T06:29:00.000-07:00

I heard a visiting missionary speak recently. She's from France so I thought surely we'd hear some neat stories about that country! She was given the topic, "Jehovah Shalom, the God of Peace." She was prepared and eloquent and obviously a mature Christian. As she began she ran through a list of times in our lives we especially need peace: divorce, job loss, cancer, loss of home, child lost to death or drugs, fear of an enemy, etc. and at the end of the list she admitted that all of those things had happened to her except for one! BUT what surprised me was she said she didn't want to talk about herself. I HAVE TO ADMIT I WAS A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED... She wanted to talk about the God of Peace and us, the audience. We had some brief times of song and meditation, and then some pertinent questions.

For some time now I have craved personal testimonies from other Christian women. I wanted to know details of how they dealt with whatever life was throwing at them. Maybe I'm weird or maybe I should have been a counselor or something. It was interesting to me that this woman who had experienced so much really didn't want to talk about those things. (She did give us a chance to ask questions later) It was kind of a novel thought to me, very refreshing, actually! Someone who doesn't want to talk about themself? (Blogs exempt, of course!) From time to time I notice the true focus of songs we sing, or how my prayers focus on me and my needs and not the amazing creator. But I hadn't really thought about Bible classes and how much of that time is ALL ABOUT US, rather than God. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of discussion in the Bible of how to live the Christian life, but I think sometimes God gets the short end of the stick.

So today is a reminder to put the focus where it should be - not on ourselves, but on our heavenly Father!

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Matthew 22:37

BETTER IN BURLAP...

2011-10-12T04:57:00.000-07:00

Garage sale bargain

After some spray paint, burlap, and stenciling!

A "THEATER EXPERIENCE" WITH MY BLOG BUDDY...

2011-10-10T05:09:00.000-07:00

So THIS BLOG BUDDY of mine joined my DH and me at the high school play Saturday night! The play was "I Never Saw Another Butterfly," about children of the holocaust. Probably not something I would have chosen to see, except I had fed the cast all week and knew most of the kids in it. We were commanded to line up outside the theatre by Nazi soldiers, and multiple times were told to be "QUIET" as we went into the theatre. It was interesting and intimidating. Search lights scanned the audience as soldiers walked around the sections of seats. It made the lost lives more personal to me. It was somber but I'm glad we went and saw it.

We ended the evening on a positive note! Stopped by Starbucks on the way home for a Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate and chatted a bit. It's amazing to me, the two of us are 17 years apart, but we have made a friendship through blogging. We really didn't know each other before blogging. I think we commented on each others' blogs after I found out she was the neighbor of another blogger friend. Then I found out we went to the same church, then we finally met at a fundraiser auction. My husband couldn't get us to shut up that night! Technology can be pretty cool sometimes!

Blessings to all my BLOG BUDDIES this week!

YOUR FAMILY WILL THANK YOU...

2011-10-08T06:04:00.000-07:00

Chewy Lowfat Banana Oatmeal Cookies

1 c. flour

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. cinnamon

2 c. oats

2 T. unsalted butter

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 c. mashed banana (I put in one small banana)

1/2 t. vanilla

Mix butter, sugars, egg, banana and vanilla together. Combine the flour, baking powder, soda, spices and oats. Gently fold into wet ingredients until just combined. Drop by T onto greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-12 min. Let cool a few minutes before removing from cookie sheet. Can add chopped pecans to the batter or just on individual cookies.

WW Recipe per cookie: 3 g fat, 85 calories

I just found this recipe recently on the web and it's our new favorite! I especially love it because it only has 2 T. of butter in it! My son likes it because it's a quick breakfast on the run for him. Try it out!

BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW...

2011-10-06T04:20:00.000-07:00

I was one of the original "Toddlers & Tiaras!"

P.S. That's my real hair.

A DOSE OF HEALTHY GUILT...

2011-10-04T20:23:00.000-07:00

Be still and know that I am God…

Psalm 46:10

That's what is running through my head...due to my lack of concentration, forgetfulness, WHATEVER that I learned about in THIS book, I got myself in a bit of a pickle this week. I should know better. I've been down this road before. Had to pull over, and do a little self-discipline! Yesterday I went to a great woman's program for 4 hours, came home to start the laundry and try to figure out what was wrong with the trash compactor, only to have washing machine problems too. Realized I couldn't take my son to the dentist because 45 minutes later I needed to be doing my volunteer job at the high school! Well, he's a driver now, so no worries, but I still felt GUILTY not being with my kid at the dentist. Ran to Walmart to pick up a few things for the high school gig, picked up a prescription, and made it to the highschool. This is my volunteer job 3 x year as the Mom in charge of production meals for the performing arts kids. I dearly love them and my kids have been in many of the shows so it's my way of giving back. Anyway, got the 50 kids fed, then immediately went over to another dinner where a blog buddy of mine was speaking! I snuck in the back door and the first words I hear are about cleavage. You know you missed a fun time! I get home ready to relax to which my husband says, "Are you about ready to go to the concert?" OH, YEAH. I knew my youngest was singing with the Men's Chorus (just one song) but had just dismissed it, thinking we wouldn't go this time. It's not like they were the main attraction, but we have just NEVER MISSED ONE OF OUR KIDS PERFORMANCES. Not that I can ever remember, at least. So on we go to the 6th grade music festival, where they also feature a group from each highschool, to show the 6th graders and parents what they have to look forward to. Finally, I get home. Today it started all over again as I took my mother for outpatient surgery and put the lasagnas on time bake and got mother home just in time to take the lasagnas up there for the play meal (In my defense, she just told me about this 8 days ago and I totally forgot it would conflict with play meals!).

Yes, I need a healthy dose of guilt right now. At the women's program, one of the sessions was about being accepted by God. The speaker discussed healthy guilt and unhealthy guilt. Basically, healthy guilt is comparing yourself with Jesus. Unhealthy guilt is comparing yourself with others. I think the healthy guilt I'm feeling is telling me to slow down and don't do so many THINGS! Maybe the unhealthy guilt I'm feeling is trying to be WONDERWOMAN.

So I'm kinda crazy right now. Just thought I'd let you in on it. Reminds me of every day when my kids were in elementary and middle school. :)

COLLEGE FRIENDSHIPS COME FULL CIRCLE...

2011-10-03T04:30:00.000-07:00

There's a neat thing that happens when your kids go to the same college you went to - you hear last names of their friends or acquaintances and you KNOW that name. You start asking your kid, "Is his Dad's name _______?" You get out the old yearbook to see if that kid looks like their parent you know...and it's just kind of surreal. Am I really that old? Well, I knew it was happening with my college roommate who is now a doctor in Tulsa. Her daughter is now a freshman! And we got to have her and several others over for dinner the other night. This time it worked out perfectly, I actually had a luncheon at the house with my Bible study the same day! So everything was clean and there were even a few good leftovers from that I could use for my college kids. On the menu:

Mandarin Orange Spinach Salad

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Mashed potatoes

Honey carrots

Bread

Oreo Ice Cream Dessert

We've been blessed with beautiful weather lately, so we got to eat on the patio! My college boy absolutely HATES eating dinner outside because of bugs. But this night was perfect. A cool breeze, and no bugs!

Enjoy your fall weather!

MY BIRTHDAY GIRL...

2011-10-01T16:43:00.000-07:00

is now 22! Crazy.

We celebrated in a big way last year but this year it is not to be. For perfectly good reasons, of course. She was asked by one of her professors to be in a leadership class, read several books this summer and took a test on them the first day of classes this fall. She is finishing up by attending a conference in Branson on her birthday. So were glad she's getting to do that.

Thankfully she has friends and they got her this:

which she loves because it has her signature shoes on it - Chacos! I did send her a tower of treats that I made myself of different chocolate & peanut butter items. UNFORTUNATELY she reported to me that all the Reese's miniatures had melted that I threw loose in the box and it was a big mess.! But she said she could smell the delicious aroma as she was opening it!

MOTIVATIONAL POSTER CHILD...

2011-09-29T04:32:00.000-07:00

I admit it. I'm a sucker. Got one of those emails from the company that took photos at the OKC Memorial Marathon this year....and my pictures were about to be gone forever! So I did it. I ordered this one because I couldn't help it - there I am in all my cold, wet, cramping glory with the friend I had made the last 3 miles. She was a schoolteacher from Texas and her daughter had left her behind. I had told my friends to go ahead too. We didn't know each other's names until coming across the finish line, and the photograph caught our HIGH FIVE! It was a sweet moment. Just thought you all might like to enjoy the moment with me. :)

STARSTRUCK...

2011-09-27T04:40:00.000-07:00

A really fun thing happened the other day. I was shopping in Hancock's Fabric store and my favorite designer from HGTV's Design Star was also shopping there! I don't watch much TV, but when I found out Kellie from my home town had made it to the show, I faithfully followed her on the series through the summer. She made it to the top four contestants and was eliminated then. But I loved almost everything she did and the way she conducted herself on the show!

So I recognized her immediately but decided I wouldn't be one of those crazy fans. Just let her do her business and get out. Then I heard someone else talking to her about another design show. I got my fabric cut and headed for the checkout. Here she came, I guess she didn't find what she needed and was heading out the door. I couldn't help myself, I had to talk to her! I told her how much I admired her on the show, and she was really sweet. We had an actual conversation! About who should have won (Karl) and theorized why Meg did win, what the show's producers really wanted, then I commented on how tiny she was, etc. I was pumped for the rest of the day! Kellie, who had rubbed elbows with Vern and Genevieve and Candace had talked to me!

Fastforward 24 hours. I'm doing Bible study and reading about a woman hero in Joshua, named Rahab. Yes, Rahab the prostitute. Poor girl, that description follows her around. What an interesting story she had! But you know God must have forgiven her for her past because he allowed her to be saved during the destruction of Jericho! She and her family were integrated into the Israelites. All because she had heard of the God of the Israelites and his mighty acts and feared Him. She had great faith and put her life on the line for it. She ended up being the great, great grandmother of King David! Now there's someone to admire!

So I just started to wonder, how well do we know our Bible heroes? Do we really know their stories like we do celebrities in this day and age? Do we look forward to meeting them? Does it put a smile on your face to imagine turning around and there's Rahab - wow! Or Mary! How about Esther? Will we chat with them in Heaven? I hope so!!!

DON'T EVER LET A CRAZY FOOTBALL FAN SLEEP ON YOUR FLOOR...

2011-09-25T12:56:00.000-07:00

Body paint does NOT come off easily. Yes, I made him clean it up. You may notice my son is supervising his effort. Unfortunately now we have a pink spot still there and the comforter he used is still in the car after one attempt in the giant washers at the laundromat...argh...

WHOEVER SAID BOYS WERE EASIER THAN GIRLS?

PALLET PLANTER...

2011-09-23T04:33:00.000-07:00

Because my daughter lives across the street from a loading dock of a grocery store, she is finding a use for their discards.

Yeah, trash.

She made this planter out of a pallet - just got some potting soil and made little pockets! Now they are growing fall flowers and herbs. Maybe when it grows up it will look like THIS!

I'M A FAN OF A BOY BAND...

2011-09-21T05:08:00.000-07:00

And they have stickers. And t-shirts. And other paraphernalia. They have more goodies than a soccer team!

But they have this really sweet bass player.

And some others as well...

You knew it was coming....check it out

I promise there were a few non-family members there!

It was actually a pretty sweet gig.

NONFAT DELICIOUSNESS...

2011-09-18T10:24:00.000-07:00

Maybe I'm the last one on the planet to notice this, but maybe not! You no longer have to struggle with the humongous pit inside a mango! I was tickled pink to see this in the store. I've enjoyed it through the years occasionally, but really started to like it as a topping at the local froyo places! So now I can get it in the frozen section in bite-sized pieces! Is this a great country or what?

BUSY HANDS...

2011-09-16T13:23:00.000-07:00

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might...Ecclesiastes 9:10a

Just a little sample of my handiwork this week! Got some double-sided paper so they would be pretty on both sides. They have a scripture on one side and an admonition on the other. I'm hoping my group will love them because I'm going to make them say it every Sunday!

MAKE NEW PLANS...

2011-09-15T05:39:00.000-07:00

My Dad with me at college graduation, 1986

Today marks 10 years since my Dad died of colon cancer. Yes, it was just a few days after 9/11 - and I was shocked and saddened about all that, but was in a fog because my own father was in hospice care. After going through treatments off and on for a couple of years, I finally accepted the fact that he was better off going home. But I also remember when he died one of my biggest regrets was that my children would miss out on having their Poppi. I still feel that way. He was a great guy, a Christian servant, a math professor at his beloved Oklahoma Christian, loving husband, interested father, fun grandpa, the family peacemaker. Thankfully, I have many great memories of him!

I thought I'd tell you a little story about THE TRIP THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. My Dad, the math professor and my mother had been accepted as teacher/sponsors for one of the semesters abroad program. They prepared to go on what is known as the PacRim tour, that visits many countries including China, Japan, and Australia. They were in meetings and read about it and bought special clothing and went to events to get to know students who were also going. It was a pretty big deal. My husband and I were very excited too, and begin to hatch a plan to meet them on Thanksgiving break in Australia. We saved money, read books about Australia, got all 3 kids passports and tried to decide on whether to visit the Great Barrier Reef or Uluru. Well, the big ugly C returned, the trip was off for them, and off for us. It was a big disappointment for all of us, but we couldn't be mad about it. We had much bigger issues to worry about.

We had saved up quite a sum over the past year for the trip, so now what were we going to do with that money? Just a few days before Christmas, I had an idea. I'm so thankful my husband went with it! I had heard of the Disney Land/Sea vacation: 4 days in the Disney parks/3 days on the Disney cruise ship. We did a little research and decided to give our whole family, including my sister and her family a Spring Break trip to Disney. I hurriedly printed off home-made gift certificates to open up on Christmas morning. Everyone was elated! Usually we enjoy several trips to the lake together during the summer, but we had never taken this big a trip with all 11 of us!

We got trip insurance just in case. My Dad was on pain medication and was weak, but using a wheelchair provided by Disney, he enjoyed it thoroughly. We had a great time together, sometimes breaking up into smaller groups, but always meeting up at dinner time. The cruise part was a welcome rest from park hopping, but of course, fantastic with the Disney touch and all the great entertainment and food!

So just a little nudge for you in case something in your life didn't go the way you planned. MAKE A NEW PLAN. Or maybe your parents are having aging issues. Do something special with them. I'm really thankful my husband was willing to share with the extended family on this trip. Because six months later, my Dad was gone.

Spring Break, 2001

One more thing, a story on this pic: My sister and I did plan for our families to wear certain colors on the days we were in the parks. Not just to match, but it really does help you find your group! Our last morning there, I wanted to take a family picture and we found this beautiful spot at our resort. The geraniums were already blooming! We just asked a passerby to take the picture for us. It was my favorite picture of the whole trip! I ended up making 8 x 10's for everyone. So glad we did.
We haven't made it to Australia yet, but we don't regret for one moment the time we spent together on the Disney Land/Sea Adventure!

A NEW TRADITION...

2011-09-13T04:41:00.000-07:00

for gift giving! I'm kinda funny about traditions, you know! Love 'em! I decided long ago I would give all my nieces and nephews the same thing for high school graduation and also the same thing when they got married (which is a different thing from the graduation thing - did I confuse you?). It makes it really easy and equal on the gift giving! I started thinking I wanted to do something special for brides I know especially well. So here it is:

Tea towels! I did the needlepoint on them and my daughter actually added the trim on this pair because she knows her way around a sewing machine much better than I do. It may not be the most exciting gift, but they are so useful, and inspired by the ones I received so many years ago.

These are remnants of 2 sets I received when I got married 28 years ago. The fruit ones are actually painted with fabric paint, and seam binding added for color on the edge. The lady who made them knew both my grandmothers and made lots of beautiful things! The Tuesday kitty is one of a set also, made by my Grandmommie Betty. She was an extraordinary homemaker and crafter, entering things in the fair and winning all kinds of ribbons. She taught me how to needlepoint, so they are really special to me.

I tried to find out why they are called "tea towels" but didn't have much luck. Maybe because you would wash and dry your dishes after having tea? I don't know, but I use them all the time! Do you have any special useful things like this you received as a wedding gift?

SWEET CONVERSATION...

2011-09-11T18:37:00.000-07:00

is what you would get with this art project my son came home to work on recently!

Yes, that's right...

He covered a phone in chocolate!

Here's another sweet thing involving my son that happened this weekend: A NEW REIGN farewell concert for two seniors that graduated in May. It was really fun with a great audience who knew them!

SOME THINGS I DID, SOME THINGS I WISH I DID...

2011-09-10T09:48:00.000-07:00

are on this list of 23 ways to RAISE KINGDOM CHILDREN. It's from a new blog buddy of mine, a Christian sister who's a recent empty nester. I'm getting closer to that status and was so glad to find her blog! With kids ages 22 (almost), 20, and 16, my husband and I are now seeing the results of our parenting. We think all of our kids have good character and are proud of them, but they are still young and I'm reminded of:

I Peter 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

So take a minute and check out the list. There are lots of ideas on there to keep that roaring lion away from our families!

DESSERT VOTED MOST LIKELY TO SABOTAGE MY DIET...

2011-09-08T04:36:00.000-07:00

Well, that would be ANYTHING with dark chocolate! We ate with my family on Labor Day this year and my mother made this delicious dessert. She sent the leftovers home with me for "the boys to eat..." and well, those boys haven't gotten any!

CHOCOLATE CHERRY CAKE

1 Dark Chocolate cake mix (oil + eggs)

1 t. almond extract

1 21 oz. can cherry pie filling

1 tub fudge frosting

Prepare cake mix as directed. Add the almond extract. Fold in the cherry pie filling, then bake as directed in 9 x 13 pan. Frost when cool.

This is such a moist cake! I'm not a big cherry fan, but you can barely taste them. I think they just make it really moist. So easy and delicious!

PW WOULD APPROVE...

2011-09-05T04:21:00.000-07:00

of this "COTTAGE CHIC GOES TO THE RANCH" style wedding! The bride's a blog buddy of mine and the daughter of our long-time friends. And she actually won a weekend at PW's ranch a couple of years ago...so of course she deserves a post! You can see all the planning and special touches she added to the wedding at Bridle Creek Ranch this past weekend:

Fun signs pointing the way

The thumbprint tree for guests to "sign"

The gorgeous bride and yes, that's the groom in a teal checked shirt!

The bride's cake and oatmeal pies for the groom

I snuck this shot in with the photographer!

A little line dancing

And it never hurts to send home flowers and cups with the guests!

I love the sweet reminders at weddings of the commitment you make when you marry; the minister did a wonderful job of that. He talked about both the groom's and bride's hands - the hands that will hold yours when you are happy, the hands that will dry your tears, the hands that will get nicked and cut when they fix things around the house (my husband appreciated that one!) the hands that will hold your children, the hands that will one day be wrinkled and old....a tear jerker! Thanks Kayla, for letting us share your special day!

OKRA, OKRA EVERYWHERE...

2011-09-03T06:52:00.000-07:00

Look at this beautiful bounty! I grew the cantaloupe in my little garden, but my uncle gave us nearly 40 LBS. OF OKRA AND SQUASH recently! Most of it I shared, but here's what my kitchen's looked like lately!

So we've had Roasted Okra with rotisserie chicken...

Okra stewed in Gumbo with shrimp...

And I even tried stuffing it with monterey jack cheese to make Okra poppers....

ANYTHING to avoid making it the best way of course...FRIED! Well, I think I'll give in and fry some for a family dinner on Monday. Wish me luck - I'm not an expert fryer - which is a good thing! At least I'll be sharing the clogged arteries with those I love...

P.S. The Roasted Okra is my favorite of all these...try THIS simple recipe!

THE EASY WAY TO TONE...

2011-09-01T06:37:00.000-07:00

I'm afraid THIS will be on my Christmas list if I don't get back into my exercise routine...

PAID IN FULL...

2011-08-31T04:30:00.000-07:00

for taking care of the lawn and pool this summer! I think he's in love...

A NEW CHALLENGE...

2011-08-29T08:41:00.000-07:00

After going on the 9th/10th grade Mission Trip this summer, and having a mountain top experience, I selfishly wanted more of it! I loved the singing every night - long and loud, lifting my spirit. So I thought the rest of the summer about spending more time with these kids, and told the youth minister I would like to be a small group leader. Our youth group has had this class model for a number of years, where there is a large group gathering each Sunday with lots of beautiful singing, of course, and a lesson, followed by a short discussion with their small group. That is what I THOUGHT I was signing up for - getting in on their worship and leading a short discussion about the lesson - but at a recent meeting, I found out the youth ministry team is making a change! Now there will be an abbreviated large group gathering, and we as group leaders are to spend 30 minutes TEACHING the lesson in small groups. WHOA! Not what I planned on doing! But I decided not to renege (I learned how to spell that today) and accept it as a challenge. Boy how God answers prayers sometimes! But it's not as scary as it sounds - we will be given complete lesson plans from the youth ministers, and I will share responsibilities with a co-leader. The main purpose besides teaching, is to be another Christian adult that teens can trust. So I am asking you to PRAY for me today that I will be that trusted Christian adult for these girls. I also found out that many of the women group leaders surprise their girls with treats from time to time; no problem here, I love to do that! But if there is one thing I can leave with these girls after this year, it is this:

I AM ROYALTY

I AM A PRINCESS, A DAUGHTER OF THE KING

I AM GOD'S SPECIAL POSSESSION!

I Peter 2:9 You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

I have decided (with my co-leader's blessing) that we will recite this verse and this affirmation every Sunday in our small group. Going through the teen years myself with low self esteem is what is behind this encouragement. I hope self-fulfilling prophecy works and these girls will remember they are precious, no matter what the world says!

Any suggestions for practical ways to ingrain this in their brains?

THE FORGIVEN CHAIR...

2011-08-26T09:28:00.000-07:00

My daughter emailed me this picture...she knew I'd love it! She just purchased a table with four chairs for her kitchen at a local flea market. Look at the chair on the left: I THOUGHT SHE HAD PAINTED IT WHITE, but she didn't. She just cleaned it! It's amazing what Fantastik and a little elbow grease will do!

I don't know how the chairs got that filthy coating on them...were they sitting in an attic somewhere gathering dust? Were they used for many years but not well taken care of? Exposed to the elements? Whatever their story, those chairs were seen as beautiful and useful by someone, and now they've been cleansed and renewed. We too, were dirty, and God sees through the grime and lovingly calls us to him to be cleansed! Thanks be to God!

PSALM 51:7 Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow!

YUMMY AND LOWFAT...WELL, COULD BE...

2011-08-24T04:35:00.000-07:00

Well, my college son has done it again...he's STUMBLEDUPON another great recipe! Cheesecake-stuffed strawberries. He put this LINK on my facebook recently and I couldn't resist making them! They're so easy and delicious. And I got a thumbs up from him and my Bible class!

And like I said, they COULD be lowfat, IF you used FatFree Cream Cheese.

CURB APPEAL NEEDED...

2011-08-21T12:04:00.000-07:00

Just got to spend some time with my DD moving her to college for her senior year! Both of our vehicles were loaded to the gills because she is renting a small house for the first time! The University was so full they asked some of the students to move out of the campus apartments. Thankfully, she and a friend found a little house - A TINY HOUSE - just one block from school. After meeting the landlord, we made multiple trips to Walmart for food and accessories, Lowe's for a NEW TOILET SEAT and 3 tier shelving, Goodwill for a desk, and Big Lots for the other stuff we forgot. Needless to say, I'm proud of her - that she is unfazed by this tiny, ugly little place. She doesn't care that it doesn't have central heat and air, no washer/dryer (but it does have a clothesline), scratched appliances, and very little storage. Or that her living room view is of a grocery store loading dock. Another adventure awaits!

The back door barely clears the stove

The bathroom looking good with a new toilet seat and shelving

Kitchen dinette consisting of a small table, desk chair and ottoman

Living area with cloth napkin window treatments(my added touch)

It may not look like much, but it's exciting stuff in our little world!

GOT MY CHRISTMAS PRESENTS READY...

2011-08-19T05:44:00.000-07:00

with these CD's that were produced this summer by New Reign! Who really cares if you can only discern my son's voice on one song? (As the Deer, btw!)

The best part is when you open the case the first smiling face you see on it is his...

And another thing, it says on the label: All sounds vocally or anatomically produced. LOL! That's for all of you who hear them sing and wonder where those drum beats are coming from...

TWO BIGGIES...

2011-08-17T05:16:00.000-07:00

Scripture reading in 2011 - they all have iphones except me!

Last night we had some special devotional time with our kids, and it was such a blessing to me. Over the years we have done different kinds of things with our kids such as reading the Kids Daily Bible, devos, prayer time, but it's getting few and far between with them spreading their wings and getting ready to take off! We have usually done a "night before school" prayer time and that's what we did. In the next five days we'll be helping our daughter move back to college in Arkansas, our youngest will start 10th grade, and our son will move back to the dorms at a nearby college. What are the things we are wanting to talk and pray with them about, without lecturing too much? It's sometimes hard to make devotions applicable to each person in our family, but here's what we came up with:

THE TWO BIGGIES: LOVE and CHOICES

LOVE: (John 14:15, Romans 5:8, Romans 12:10)

We prayed that love for God would continue to grow in their hearts! Loving the Lord will change us all - we will want to honor Him and others. Obedience is an expression of that love, and worship and service become joyful opportunities.

CHOICES: (Phil. 4:8, Gal. 6:7-8, Prov. 14:12)

A more tangible concept for all of us, we discussed choices again. God has given us all the freedom of choice - we can accept Him or reject Him. What are the results of good and bad choices? We talked about physical, academic, and spiritual choices.

But the sweetest part of all is hearing them pray. I asked each one to pray for their brother/sister. It's interesting to hear their perspectives - a 21 year old praying for her 16 year old brother. Their prayers have matured so much since they were little ones!

SWEET TIMES

P.S. My son wanted to start off the prayer time with this scripture he read: "Parents, don't be hard on your children," Eph. 6:4 CEV

POOR JANKY...

2011-08-15T05:56:00.000-07:00

Janky has had an interesting summer with our son (the new driver). In just a few weeks he has gotten an awesome sound system upgrade, been stopped by our friendly policeman with a reminder that there should only be 1 passenger in the car (not 5!) with our restricted license laws, and lost his back windshield while flying down Memorial road with all the windows open. Yes, the windshield just popped out and shattered all over the road! Thankfully Janky injured no one in the process...I'm hoping with school starting this week that a little order will return to this household and Janky will behave!

FOR MY QUILTER FRIENDS...

2011-08-13T08:19:00.000-07:00

Just had to show you my DD's finished quilt! She started this in May in her usual style - NO PATTERN - a collection of scraps, many from college friends who knew she liked to sew or did little sewing jobs for. She finished it in about 2 weeks because she wanted to take it with her to Colorado for the summer. I neglected to get a picture then, but here it is now!

SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY...

2011-08-10T20:51:00.000-07:00

We went on a brief but wonderful little getaway with our kids! And the reason I call it a sentimental journey is because we used to go to this place 4-5 times a year from 1984-2001. During that time my parents owned a mobile home near Lake Tenkiller and Fin & Feather Resort. We boated a lot and were within walking distance of the wonderful buffet and other amenities of the resort. It was really a fun time. But, life (and death) happens, and the big "C" got my Dad and they sold the mobile home the year he passed away. We inherited the boat, but it just wasn't the same going to Lake Arcadia near our house, and the kids were getting really busy with all their activities anyway. We sold it about 5 years ago. We attempted to go back to Fin & Feather, and have some extended family vacations, but both times we had bad luck: somebody broke an arm and the boat trailer tires were terrible. Long story short: we recently decided to get a cabin at Fin & Feather and rent a boat for a few days. It was really a sweet time with our big kids after not going for so long. We enjoyed the lake, wakeboarding, tubing, and jumping off big rocks. We ate at the 33 foot resort buffet, Soda Steve's, B & J's, played two games of Disc golf, and played cards every night until late. Oh yes - and we got HOT FUDGE NACHOS. These are something new since we've been there! Take a look at our wild and crazy time!

A familiar sight, they're just a little BIGGER!

I don't think this one had ever gotten up on the wake board before!

OOPS! How did that one get in here? My son is always catching pics of me at my best :)

This is definitely NOT something we did with them when they were little! It was about a 30 foot jump, and I was the only sane one that did not do it (somebody's got to take pictures)!

We love the Indian at Fin & Feather's buffet line! I don't know how many times we have taken this pic!

We are Frisbee golf fans!

This concoction may not look it, but it feeds 5 adults! It's Hot Fudge Nachos at Fin & Feather's newest restaurant, Soda Steve's. We loved it!

MY TREASURES...

2011-08-06T06:19:00.000-07:00

Children are a heritage from the LORD,
offspring a reward from him...Psalm 127:3

So happy to have everybody at home for a little while! My daughter requested good ole meatloaf and mashed potatoes for her welcome home dinner!

KILLING THREE BIRDS WITH ONE STONE...

2011-08-04T04:36:00.000-07:00

I love efficiency. Which sometimes makes me feel guilty for not planning ahead or making mistakes or wasting valuable time. I assure you I am not a perfectionist anymore!
But efficiency happened this past weekend. :)

We needed to retrieve the church Disaster Relief trailer from an Alabama congregation we had loaned it to back in April. So we planned to drive the church truck and get that in Nashville(they brought it up from AL). Then we heard about a friend moving to Nashville the same weekend, so we were able to load the church truck with her possessions and meet up with her at her new apartment there. Finally, we got to be at the wonderful wedding, all in the same weekend (previous post)! Also, I managed (much to my husband's chagrin) to sneak in a little sightseeing. We spent a few hours in downtown Franklin, Tennessee. A cute suburb of Nashville, I would highly recommend it for dining and shopping! Check it out:

Yes, I was wearing a little jacket - it was only 90 degrees there!

Neat old church downtown

Great tip from tripadvisor! We ate lunch here and also bought loaves of Tomato-basil bread and Heavenly Hash brownies from the day old rack.

Yummy sampler platter from Merridee's - Chicken salad, Tuna salad, Pimento Cheese, served with frozen fruit salad and homemade raisin bread. It was awesome!

This is a photo inside a really cool store, Philanthropy - Fashion with Compassion. I understood that everything they sell comes from or benefits a Third World country. Check out some of their products on their BLOG.

I would also recommend The Shoppes on Main, Bink's Outfitters, and F.M.Allen.

Of course, no road trip is complete without a DQ blizzard - Midnight Truffle!

SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT MY GOOD CAMERA...

2011-08-01T20:52:00.000-07:00

for the most beautiful wedding venue ever! Of course, it wasn't in the Oklahoma sauna. It was in the lush green hills of Nashville, Tennessee. We have known the bride her whole life; in fact she was born about one month after our daughter!

It was outdoors with some panel windows from an old church as a backdrop.

I loved it. It was rustic and beautiful against the green space. Floral pieces in birdcages hung in them and huge white flower petals were on the grass.

Other fun stuff...near the entrance of the garden...

Real flowers in the birdcage centerpieces!

I couldn't resist taking this one of the bride's cousin during the reception!

If you look closely you'll see the wedding photographer on the ground...and it was sopping wet! There was a rainstorm 30 minutes before the wedding! Unfortunately the wedding programs were ruined but everything else was salvaged and the wedding just started a little late. (Moral of the story: ALWAYS have a PLAN B!)

Our dear friends - this old truck was a great place for a picture of our guys...

while us girls tried to ride the tandem!

A simple but elegant cake!

We had a great time supporting our friends as their daughter was married. And I had fun traveling and dressing up for it - you know I don't get out much!

GUEST POST FROM MY FRIEND...

2011-07-29T04:48:00.000-07:00

who is officially now an author!

Watching Them Grow Up

I can still remember crying the first time my infant daughter outgrew the Newborn-size diapers. And when she moved out of the 0-3 size clothes and into the 3-6 month size… when she stopped nursing.

I feel like I’ve just blinked and she’s nearly two already. Now she insists on feeding herself (using utensils! not even her fingers!), wants to dress herself, and one of her favorite words is “no.” Thank goodness her other favorite word is “mommy.” :)

And I’m a little afraid to blink again for fear she’ll be off to kindergarten if I do. And then college… I know God has great plans for her, but sometimes I wish I could just freeze time for a little while.

It’s inevitable that we have to watch our kids grow up, and as an author I’ve experienced something similar with my main characters. Officially, it’s called a “character arc”—but the real question is “what does my character learn through the events of this book?”

If they remain static or don’t change throughout the story, how can I expect a reader to engage with them? I can’t. If you enjoy reading at all, you know that the best characters are those that bring you right along with them on their journey and make you root for them, make you hope that they’ll find out what they need to before the end of the book.

For the heroine of my debut novel, MARRYING MISS MARSHAL, her character arc includes learning that she has value just as God made her. You see, she’s a town marshal (a hard job for a woman NOW, much less in the Wild West!), but she struggles with how other people view her. The men in town don’t think she can do a good job as marshal. The women think she should give up her badge and find a husband to take care of her. What she has to learn is what God expects of her—and ultimately that is to use her God-given talents to do what she is good at—a good lesson for us all!

If you’d like to read an excerpt of MARRYING MISS MARSHAL, please visit www.marryingmissmarshal.com . You can also find Lacy on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lacywilliamsbooks .

And thank you so much, Robin, for letting me be a guest on your blog!

I JUST COULDN'T RESIST...

2011-07-27T19:51:00.000-07:00

posting this pic of my hard workin'husband! Can you guess what he was doing?

JANKY...

2011-07-25T06:31:00.000-07:00

is the name my 16 year old son has chosen for his car. Or maybe it's just an adjective describing it. You can probably guess what the word JANKY implies! Anyway, the $300 car my husband and he bought about 6 months ago has turned into a pretty decent vehicle. But the really great thing about it is my 16 year old has learned a lot about cars - or at least old BMW's. Together they have replaced: the hood, alternator, ball joints, air compressor, door handle, console, cupholder, front grills, fog light, and even the right electric window works now!
Unfortunately, my son is already dreaming of his NEXT car. Now he wants a car with a bigger engine. Sorry kiddo, that will have to wait. Or he can just buy it himself. But I think he still loves Janky, the $300 car with the $800 sound system. (Ridiculous. To me, that is.)

Enjoy the before and afters:Before
After: new hood, grills
Before: stolen radio
After: new sound system
Before: no door handle
After: now you can get in!

What everyone should get when their friend turns 16: fuzzy dice!

SO, I GUESS THAT MAKES ME...

2011-07-23T08:04:00.001-07:00

Uh, nevermind! I can't believe two of my children are now in their 20's! We celebrated my son's birthday last night with a little family swim party. Here's the highlights:

A present wrapped in a Velveeta cheese box. Are you weird like me and wrap things in food boxes? I have done it before and he always acts so excited to get "cheese." I think I'll start making it a tradition...
I dusted off my decorating tips and made him a white cake with sturdy whipped cream icing - kinda looks like marshmellows! Pretty tasty, not so sweet like buttercream icing.
A gift - some kind of lens for his I phone camera- I think that's what it is. Obviously I have neither.
With his Gram!

QUESTION FOR MY BLOG BUDDIES ABOUT BROWSERS...

2011-07-21T19:37:00.000-07:00

I just wondered what browsers you all use. I use Safari and my blog looks fine. BUT, twice I've been told that my blog doesn't do well when viewed with Firefox and Chrome. About once a year I learn something new or change something on my blog, so don't give me any complicated answers! :)

Thanks friends!

I AM DONE WITH DRIVER'S ED...

2011-07-20T04:55:00.000-07:00

thank goodness!!! My youngest took the test yesterday after we finally jumped through all the hoops: getting the 8th grade reading proficiency report from the school, buying the AAA kit, sending in the affadavit where we promise to teach him according to the rules, passing the AAA pre-test, passing the OK permit test, 30 hours of book work, 55 hours logged behind the wheel with parent instruction, taking the post-test at AAA, getting up at 6:30 a.m. to the DPS to get in line Friday and not getting an appt., getting up again at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday and getting in - remembering all the necessary paperwork...WHEW! I hope this process gets easier for the rest of you parents out there!

P.S. Ask me if you want to hear about parent-taught vs. driving school - for me parent-taught Driver's Ed. was the way to go since I don't have a job outside the home and my schedule is pretty flexible. It's about half the price. Also, I feel it's one of the last times you get some good quality time with your teen before they leave home, that's why we chose it.

THINKING ABOUT NEXT SUMMER...

2011-07-18T05:58:00.001-07:00

A random phone call from my daughter this morning at 7 a.m. just made my day! Usually she can't get cell phone coverage in the mountains, but I guess this area had it. Nice way to start the week. I just have to tell you that for her this seems like church camp MAGNIFIED. She is so filled with joy and enjoying God's creation so much! You can tell in her speech. She wants us to bring a group next summer. We are seriously considering it, even though I have had a touch of altitude sickness before. And I would definitely need to train to carry that 35 lb. backpack up the mountain each day! But her enthusiasm is contagious! Maybe it's what an "old heart like mine" needs.

ANOTHER FOOD POST...

2011-07-16T06:03:00.000-07:00

because my life is a little slow right now. I've been spending a lot of time reading, shelling pecans, doing needlepoint, and scrapbooking. When I get bored with one I go to the other. But it's nice. Like I told a friend recently, BORING IS GOOD. It means there are no current crisis in your life. Just life rolling along.

So I got a hankering for some crab cakes the other night. Do you know I had never made crab cakes? I usually like them at restaurants but just had never made them. They are kind of expensive, if you buy real crab meat, I found out! Here's the recipes I used:

PAULA DEEN'S EASY CRABCAKES (tweaked a little)

12-16 oz. lump crab meat (no shells)
1/3. c. crushed Ritz crackers
3 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 c. celery, finely chopped ( or bell pepper)
1/4 c. mayonnaise
1 egg
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. dry mustard
1 t. lemon juice
1/4 t. garlic powder
1 t. salt
dash pepper

Panko crumbs
1/2 c. oil

Mix all together except Panko and oil. Shape into 8-10 patties and roll in Panko. Chill at least 30 minutes in refrigerator, to help them hold together in skillet. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Fry on each side 4-5 minutes, only turning once. Serve with your favorite sauce and Marinated tomatoes and corn.

MARINATED TOMATOES AND CORN (tweaked from Red Door Design newsletter)

2 c. frozen corn, thawed
2-3 c. any kind of tomatoes, cut into small pieces
1/2-1 T. Old Bay seasoning, as you like it
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1/4 c. olive oil
1 T. fresh basil leaves
salt & pepper to taste

Toss all together in bowl, and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. (The original recipe called for fresh corn, roasted in the oven, then cut off the ears. That would really be fresh tasting, but I didn't have the time or patience to do that!)

My DH declared this one a keeper! SUCCESS!

WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THOSE TOMATOES...

2011-07-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

I made THIS the other night, and thought I would eat it as a side dish, or salad. But they were so DELICIOUS I put them right on my burger! HEAVEN ON A BUN. If you are a tomato lover or balsamic vinegar lover, you gotta try it!

WEDDINGS AND NEW SHOES...

2011-07-11T06:41:00.000-07:00

I have always loved weddings and even thought I might like to be a wedding planner, but never acted on it. So every time I get to go to an event I always take note of the trends and stash it away in the back of my mind for SOMEDAY...for my kids. At this rate, my lovely daughter will probably be married on a remote mountaintop somewhere, in Northface gear! But to each his own. And that's what I think is the neatest trend of the last few years. I've noticed that weddings reflect the bride and groom's personalities. When I got married, there was a standard format that weddings followed, and all you had to do was choose your color and maybe songs. There was a "wedding sermon" with no hint of anything personal about the bride and groom. Today, I love hearing how the bride and groom met and how their relationship matured. Slideshows are also a neat way of reminiscing, especially for the family. Another observation is that the ceremony is diminishing and the reception is really taking over financially. I'm not seeing a lot of flowers or pretty things in the ceremony, but beautiful centerpieces, bands, food, photo booths, and candy buffets at receptions. Not sure how I feel about that, but it does make it more fun. If you are truly good friends with one or both parties, I think you should go to show your support, not to get a free meal or be entertained. I do like a good piece of wedding cake, though! My husband and I keep saying all we are going to do at our kids' wedding reception is have really DELICIOUS cake! Anyway, I took these pics from 2 weddings we attended this weekend, since they are friends of my daughter and she couldn't attend:
This is Rose Briar Chapel, it reminds me of an old castle in Europe! There was a string quartet that played beautifully during the ceremony. I also loved it that both grandfathers said a prayer.
I LOVED the bride's wedding gown. It had little bits of tulle on the skirt, giving the illusion of feathers.
The second wedding: not the greatest pic, but I was wanting to get the back of the bride's dress. It had layers of tulle down it. This wedding featured both fathers in the ceremony and had a piano player and live singer. The reception had a full buffet dinner at Oak Tree Country Club.
Gorgeous cake! The pink you see was the light reflecting off the fireplace.
And these are the shoes I bought 30 minutes before the ceremony! I put on my dress and realized I had no summer heels to go with it. So I begged my husband to take me by the store on the way, and I found these. (Can't believe I did that! I haven't been that unprepared in years!) I think I did okay, nearly every other woman had this color of shoes on, I noticed!