A Day in My Life

Social Networking

2011-08-08T12:44:00.000-07:00

What is your social networking site of preference?

Once upon a time, we were limited to either MySpace or a blog, then came Facebook, and then Twitter, and then Linked-in, etc., etc...Some people only use one, some people use them all! What do you use and how do you keep them all straight?

When I had a MySpace, I also had a Xanga, but couldn't really keep up with both, so I gave up Xanga. Then I got a Facebook and it was so much better than MySpace...and again, I couldn't keep up with both, so MySpace died off...(I never closed my account, though--I have tons of pictures on there). I have had this blog the longest, but even then, I tried having two blogs (this one, and one specific to homeschooling), but I couldn't keep up with both of them AND a Facebook, so I combined the two and closed the homeschooling blog. I have resisted getting a Twitter for years--I have a Facebook, and everyone I know who tweets also has a Facebook, and *clearly* I cannot handle more than one account based on my past history (and the fact that this blog is so neglected)...LOL It seemed pointless.

However, I have noticed that Facebook is getting slower--I can read it all in one sitting at the end of the day, and that is a sign that people are going elsewhere. And much like Ariel, I wanna be where the people are (isn't that the point of "social networking"?). So, I got a Twitter. I took a risk...and so far, I don't know what the heck I'm going to do with another social networking account! And then there's talk of a Google+? What is that? *shakes head* I'll never keep up...LOL

So, I'm genuinely interested in how my fellow (and more adept) social networkers do it--what is your secret and what is your favorite go-to site?

Thursday is Off-Limits

2011-08-01T10:59:00.000-07:00

Life has been busy lately--I have been pushing my boundaries for the last few weeks, and not only am I tired, but my house is suffering as well. So today, on this beautiful Monday, we have to clean instead of do fun stuff. :ugh:

This is how life used to be all the time, but I'm so glad that this is just a temporary thing now. I can't handle "non-stop" anymore...so, I found a free night on my calendar this week and it's going to remain that way. I have filled it up with "appointments"--and they simply can't be rescheduled. I will be cooking dinner and spending time with my husband and kids that night. Sorry--no meetings, no church, no friends (as much as I love you all). Maybe we'll watch a movie...or maybe we'll watch The Cosby Show...who knows? :)

Crossing the Threshold

2011-07-25T08:23:00.000-07:00

A little over a week ago I had an amazing opportunity to attend what I hope to be the first of many classes to help me improve on some skills & gifts I'd like to hone. As I rounded the corner and pulled into the parking lot before the first session, I had this feeling of incredible excitement--like I was crossing the threshold into the future God has planned for me! It was a 2-day class, and I have some studying to do now that I'm home. It's not easy to fit another thing into my schedule, but this is one of those things that is worth working in...

At the beginning of 2010, I wrote this:

When she talked about the benefit of peace, I was blown away. In discussion, we talked about how we always tend to envision "peace" as being tranquil, calm, still, maybe even like someone sitting in a relaxed yoga pose or something. But the truth is, the Bible says peace is like a river! A river is fast-flowing, bumpy, exciting...we can have security and tranquility even in times that are less than serene and calm. =)One thing that really jumped out at me was this sentence:

Peace is submission to a trustworthy Authority, not resignation from all activity. Remember, however, any activity that cannot be brought under the umbrella of God's authority will prove to be a source of turmoil and exhaustion.

This really struck me, because I have had experience in this area! Many people know that last year I was feeling really overwhelmed with all the things I was doing in my life, between church ministries, co-ops, homeschooling, etc. I submitted it to prayer and asked God to please take this from me. I didn't know what I could drop, because it was all urgent and necessary--it wasn't just something that I was doing because I felt like it. I had obligations! But my life was chaotic and I was exhausted...in a bad way.But God, through prayer, was gracious and helped me to make decisions that helped me prune my "list". Looking back now, I've been comparing my schedule at present to my schedule this time last year, and I'm just as busy--if not even busier--now than I was then. But what's the difference? I'm under God's authority, so I have peace that I didn't have before. I'm still exhausted at the end of the day, but it's a good exhaustion. The kind that feels like, "Well done..."

I have to say, I have been putting this into practice for about 18 months now, and things are going well. First, I added a job to the mix...now, with adding "school", one would think this would be the tipping point for me--however, because I've really prayed about this, and I have the full support and encouragement from my husband, I have a peace that goes beyond all understanding (not that it means I'll never be tired, though! LOL). I'm looking forward to what the future holds!

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-07T18:00:00.001-07:00

I'm probably one of the most blessed people in all the world--I have 3 mothers. One gave birth to me and had every opportunity & reason to give me up so she could have a better life for herself--and she didn't. I love you for that, Mom. One reunited me with my father and raised me during the toughest time of my life--my teen years. I love you for that, Debbie. And one has been with me since I married my sweetheart 12 years ago, and has taught me about being a wife, a mother and a woman of God. I love you for that, Lindsey.

Thank you to all of these women--without you, I wouldn't be the mother I am today.

<3

He is Risen! He is Not Here!

2011-04-25T08:56:00.000-07:00

Another Easter has gone by, and I'm amazed at how blessed we really are!

Old Dog, No New Tricks

2011-04-04T10:25:00.000-07:00

So, last week I had to take our dog Abby to the vet for a sort-of emergency visit. We have all noticed that she has been getting slower when we walk her, and she has been struggling to jump up on furniture or even jump at all. Well, it all came to a head when I went to take her on our normal morning walk and she refused to even budge. We got to the bottom of our stairs and then she just sat down and nothing would move her. I had to get Emily to school, so I put her upstairs and continued on my way with Emily. When I returned, we tried again with no luck. Well, by this time, I needed to leave for work soon, but she hadn't gone to the bathroom yet. I couldn't leave her alone in the house all day without using the bathroom! I just knew something was wrong, so I took her to the vet an hour later.

By the end of the day, we found out she may be older than we previously thought. When we adopted her, we were told she was about 3 years old, which would make her almost 5 now. But, according to the vet's opinion on her history (she had fatty tumors removed a couple of weeks before we adopted her), and her current situation (a bulging disc & a degenerating disc), he feels she was probably 6 or older when we adopted her, which would put her at around 8 or older today.

The vet says that she needs to lose a couple of pounds--how she got overweight, I don't know...we have followed the shelter's instructions carefully--she gets 1 1/2 cups of food a day and only gets a few treats a week (if we have to leave her alone for more than a few hours, we'll leave some around for her to hunt while we're gone, which the vet said is fine). We DO NOT feed her people-food. She has a sensitive stomach and will vomit, so that helps deter the kids from sneaking...LOL

But, if she's gained 9lbs in the last 2 years, either she was underweight when we adopted her or she's eating too much. He said the extra weight isn't helping her back, either. So, we're going to drop her down to 1 to 1 1/4 cups of food a day until she is feeling better, and then when she is feeling better we'll have to walk her more. But, walking is hard for her. This morning, I took her on her normal walk for the first time in 5 days, and she didn't make it. She had to sit and rest every half block...poor dog. She is such a trooper, though. She takes her anti-inflammatory medicine like a champ and she never whines or whimpers--although, that's part of the problem, because I had no idea she was in pain at all until the day she just refused to move! She is too quiet for her own good!

So, as silly as it may sound, could you pray for my dog when you think of it? She is such a good dog, and I feel bad that she may have to live in chronic pain for the rest of her life. And that we may have lost 3 years already, if she is indeed 8 now instead of 5. :( In the meantime, she's our little old lady. <3

When Life Feels "Like an Avalanche"

2011-03-29T11:15:00.000-07:00

I just have to remember these lyrics by Hillsong United:

Beautiful God
Laying Your majesty aside
You reached out in love to show me life
Lifted from darkness into light
Oh

King for a slave
Trading Your righteousness for shame
Despite all my pride and foolish ways
Caught in Your infinite embrace
Oh

And I find myself here on my knees again
Caught up in grace like an avalanche
Nothing compares to this love love love
Burning in my heart

Savior and Friend
Breathing Your life into my heart
Your word is the lamp unto my path
Forever I’m humbled by Your love
Oh

Take my life
Take all that I am
With all that I am I will love You
Take my heart
Take all that I have
Jesus how I adore You

And I find myself here on my knees again
Caught up in grace like an avalanche
Nothing compare to this love love love

"LIES!"

2011-03-28T13:56:00.000-07:00

Here is the music video we were a part of! You can see us in a few of the crowd shots and then we have a scene where we are watching tv--it goes by quickly. This was filmed at our church with a green screen. It was a lot of fun! (It's a loud song, so if you are watching this at work, you may want to plug in some earphones...haha)

Mountains & Mole Hills & Music Videos

2011-03-01T19:57:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had a pity party? You know, the kind where you mull over stuff for days on end, with a pitiful poor-me attitude...you want to talk to someone about it, but don't get the chance or really even have the time? Your life is HARD! *whine* It's like climbing Mt. Everest every day!

And then, God smacks you upside the head? You look around and see tragedy and natural disasters and everyday people struggling with extraordinary problems and realize...your issues are really just mole hills.

Perspective is an answer to prayer. :)

In other news, Jason & I spent a fun day with the kids on Sunday being extras in a music video! My co-worker's husband is "in the business" and is directing & producing a video for a (new?) Christian band called Silent Nine. He needed a lot of people for a church scene and then a few families for a couple of other scenes, so we stuck around and did both. Even though it was a long afternoon (it was a few hours right after church), the kids really got into it and we all had a good time. It was fun to do it as a family, too! Jason & I have done stuff before, like be seat-fillers or be on A Baby Story, but this was really a first for the kids. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all turns out! If it gets posted online, I'll put it up here. :)

Another Valentine's Post

2011-02-15T07:48:00.000-08:00

Everyone is posting about Valentine's Day so I might as well join the club! haha

On January 31, 1997 Jason and I decided to change our relationship from "just friends" to "officially dating". He came over for dinner that night and ate with the family. But, we didn't go on our first official date until Valentine's Day. He brought me flowers and a teddy bear.

The plan was that we would go to a new Italian restaurant in the area and then see a movie. We thought we had more than enough time to eat before the show, but of course, being Valentine's Day AND a new restaurant, the waiting list was out of control. So, we went to Olive Garden instead, which suprisingly had a short wait--probably because everyone else and their mother were at the new place!

If I remember correctly, it was my first time eating there. I was only 17...LOL I had no idea what was good and the waitress said, "Do you like chicken?" and just picked something for me. I remember liking it--I must have because we went there again and again after that. We even had our wedding rehearsal dinner there (although in a different state). LOL

After all that, we went to see Dante's Peak in the theater. Jason & I like the occasional rom-com, but you know, it's awkward on a first date! So action it was! It was super cheesy, but it was just fun to watch it with him.

No first kiss, though. We were youth leaders at our church and wanted to take things slow in case it didn't work out--that would have been even more awkward. LOL We didn't even hold hands until a couple of weeks later at Winter Camp! hahaha

So, fast-forward 14 years:

On Sunday night, we celebrated at our church with a couple's banquet. There was childcare included, so it was a fun night for all of us! We ate dinner, laughed with friends, played the Newlywed Game (we failed...LOL We got 12 points out of a possible 28!), and all-in-all had a good time.

Yesterday, for Official Valentine's Day, it was like any other typical Monday. But, I bought a couple of special things at the grocery store and put the kids to bed early and had a "fancy" homecooked dinner. To start off, we had an apple & cheese tray and shrimp cocktail. Then, for our main course, we had bacon-wrapped chicken breast, loaded baked potatoes & my version of the PW's rolls--I used Thyme instead of Rosemary because it's all I had. It was still good! Then for dessert, I thawed out frozen whole strawberries & mixed them with a little sugar and topped a store-bought cheesecake. Yum!

We ate in the livingroom in front of a roaring fireplace (a VHS tape I bought when we were dating ROFL), and watched The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time on Netflix. It was really fun! Poor Jason was in a food coma, though, and missed the end of the movie. LOL But what can I say? He's still my man after all these years! hahaha

This is for you, Denise

2011-02-01T12:24:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I'm posting again, per Denise's request...LOL

I tried Zumba last night--it was really fun! I'm am extremely uncoordinated, and I canNOT dance...so basically I failed. But, I survived and had a good hour-long laugh at myself. I hope to go back next week. LOL One thing...it's based on a lot of Latin dancing...so you are supposed to "be sex-ay"...which I am definately NOT. I am awkward, to say the least. LOL But...did I mention it was fun? If you ever join me, feel free to laugh...I will be! hahaha

I met with a personal trainer today, too. If you join the Y, it's free! They basically set you up to the computer system and teach you how to use the machines. They evaluate your fitness level and your goals, and give you a plan. Anytime you work out, you log into the computer and it will send messages to the trainer. If you need to change things up, you can schedule another appointment, but pretty much the machines do all the work for you--your profile is in there, so when you sign onto a machine, it will tell you what resistance level to be at and stuff like that!

I'm excited...I lost 20lbs during 2010, but I never quite reached my goal. I fluctuate 5lbs up and down now, and I know it's because I have stayed the same or even slipped a few times back into old habits. I'm hoping to kick things back into gear & finally reach my goal!

Random Update

2011-01-31T20:21:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged in soooo long, but I just felt like giving a random update. Since my last post, my phone still works fine, although dust has gathered under the screen and is annoying, and my basil plant died--twice. I bought a second one when the first died, and it died too. I give up. LOL

More to come eventually... :D

A Week in Pictures

2010-12-07T08:41:00.001-08:00

Last week started out like so many others, but somehow I was so much more productive! LOL I started working out...I wonder if that helps? ;o) Here is a recap of a few of the things I accomplished:

Well, as most of you know, right before Halloween, I busted my Iphone 3GS by dropping it on a tile floor, where of course, it landed face-down.

Yes, I wanted to cry. It worked fine--everything was normal except the screen made small text hard to read, and sometimes it would scratch my thumb while I was scrolling or texting. I had the option of spending tons of money have Apple fix it, or I could call a guy that this guy at the AT&T store knows who could do it for half that in an afternoon...I didn't have the money to have it fixed, but my contract isn't up until next December, so to get a new phone would have been the most expensive option. That was out! I was told you could find videos on how to fix it yourself online, so I went back and forth with the idea for awhile and finally ordered parts. I figured, if I can fix my laptop, I can fix my phone...right?

So, I ordered the parts & repair kit for less than $9 on Amazon (be sure if you do this that you double check your parts are for the correct model--3G & 3GS are NOT the same parts...I read a lot of people made that mistake, so I double & triple checked when my package came!):

(this is what was left of my old screen after blowdrying and picking it off one shard at a time)

After a little trouble reconnecting the cables (it took 3 or 4 tries to get it right), I finally got it working, and I put a new case on it, too! It's not perfect--in fact, now I have a small deadspot on the left edge of the screen, so I have to turn my phone to use Q, and the adhesive isn't sticking in the top left corner by the earpiece...so I may have to order new adhesive & try to apply it. I keep pressing on it throughout the day, but after sitting on my nightstand all night, in the morning I can put my whole fingernail behind the glass and pry it up if I want. That's not good--moisture can get back there if I'm not careful. But...it looks good and I don't have to buy a new phone--yet! LOL

I also helped decorate our church for Christmas...I didn't get any pictures yet, but here is one I took of one of the massive wreaths before it was hung up:
We decorated our home, too, only to find that a whole section of our beautiful gold tree is dark--and of course we couldn't find any white lights on white wire in the stores, because they are all sold out! So I had to improvise with what I had, and as long as the lights are on, it looks good! But if the lights are off...just don't look, okay? LOL And last night I noticed that another section looks like it's about to blow, too...it's significantly brighter than it used to be, especially compared to the rest of the tree, and some lights are already out. This may be our last year with a gold tree. :/

One thing I'm really proud of is this:

"Sweet & Spicy Brown Sugar Scrub" There are a lot of different recipes for sugar scrub on the C&H website, but this is the one I decided to make because it smelled so good! I wanted to give a special gift to each of the women on my ministry team at church, and this seemed perfect (just don't use it on your face or on sensitive areas...hahahaha)!

So, I made a dozen of them to give to my team and a couple extra for the secretaries I work with and Emily's teacher. They all loved them and they were actually really simple to make! The website even includes some tags, which I went one step further with and printed on photo paper to make them really nice. :D And they smell so good...I might make some for myself! haha

I also bought a basil plant...random, I know, but I needed fresh basil for a recipe and this was all they had at the store. I think I might already be killing it, but I don't know how...I have it in partial sunlight, and have made sure not to over or under water it, but it's wilting after 3 or 4 days (this pic was taken when I got it):

A neighbor gave me some starter for Amish Friendship Bread, and I survived & even made 2 loaves with it! We ate one and I took the other to work the next day. It was so good that I kept another starter for myself to do it all over again! A tip: I posted a picture on Facebook and asked if anyone wanted a starter, and now I have a waiting list! LOL So, rather than give it to random people who may not even want it, try asking around! You'd be surprised! haha Another tip: check out this woman's idea to reduce the recipe and keep only enough starter for yourself if no one wants any.

So, last year after Christmas, I bought a turkey on sale and put it in my garage freezer. I thought I'd get around to cooking it but I never did! So, inspired by all the turkey stock I made the week after Thanksgiving, I thawed it out and cooked it last Tuesday! It was so yummy! And, I even made pan gravy--I thought it would be too hard and almost skipped it, but I knew the stuffing & mashed potatoes would be dry without it, so I reluctantly gave it a try...it worked! I'll be doing that more often!

And, last but not least, I made this homemade spaghetti sauce with beef & Italian sausage...yum! Tonight I'm going to make skillet lasagna with it!

Making Stock

2010-11-27T09:11:00.001-08:00

I've been so inspired by this new Fresh From the Freezer class to fill up my freezer AND not let anything go to waste! I am notorious for letting veggies go to rot because we don't use them fast enough...and of course who uses a whole package of celery? No one! One or two stalks, and the rest wilts. But not anymore! I bought two packages at the store last week, because I was ready to try to make stock for the first time ever...and I used some and washed, chopped & froze the rest (2 stalks per baggie, just perfect for a recipe)!

Well, episode 14 of this class talks about how to make stock out of the leftover chicken pieces/carcass from a previous dinner. The teacher freezes her carcasses until she is ready to make the stock, so you don't have to do it all at once. So, I asked Lindsey to save her turkey carcass on Thanksgiving, and I took it home and popped it in my garage freezer, because I planned to make stock this weekend. Well, I couldn't wait and made it all yesterday! LOL

Well, I was also planning to make chicken & drop dumplings for dinner last night, so I picked up a rotisserie chicken and tore it apart for later...and of course, I decided to make chicken stock, too...LOL

I followed this recipe, roughly typed out from watching episode 14 of the cooking class:

Homemade Chicken Broth
· Chicken Carcass or Raw Pieces
· 2 large carrots
· 2 stalks of celery
· 1 small onion
· 1 bay leaf
· 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns or ground pepper
· 4-6 cups of water

Put the leftover carcass (frozen is fine) into a large pot.

Add 2 large carrots (unpeeled, quartered), 2 stalks of celery (leafy middle pieces are fine, quartered), a small onion (root removed, but skin on is fine, quartered), a bay leaf, and a teaspoon of whole peppercorns or ground pepper.

Add enough water to come about half way up the pot (it doesn’t have to cover the carcass--I used 6 cups). Set it on the stove on high, until it comes to a boil. Stir to break up the frozen chicken parts. Then put the lid on and turn the heat down to simmer for 90 minutes. (If you are using raw/uncooked chicken parts, add 30 minutes to the cooking time.)

Drain the broth through a strainer into a large bowl or another pot. Throw out the solid bits, and then pour the broth into containers to freeze. All of the fat will rise to the top and freeze in a solid layer. When you defrost the broth, you can lift the layer off easily!

For Turkey Stock:
Double the above ingredients and that’s it! I used about 18 cups of water, and it took almost an hour to begin to boil, and after that I cooked it for 90 minutes...so this takes some time!

(I also added some salt to taste, and a handful of garlic cloves...I didn't measure either of these, I just put in what looked good. I use garlic a lot, so I sort of know what is strong for us and what is not...use your own judgement in this case! LOL)

Here's my turkey stock in the pot:

Here's my chicken stock after it's been cooking for a while:
Double duty! LOL

When the chicken stock was finished, I got about 5 cups of stock, which wasn't enough for my dumpling recipe...so I used up the canned in the cupboard and a little of the homemade stuff, and then I froze the rest in 2 seperate containers, which equal about 2 cans of broth.

When the turkey stock was done, that was a different story altogether! I made so much that I had to run to Target and buy more containers while it cooled! LOL I didn't even have a pot big enough to strain it into, so I had to borrow this roasting pan from Lindsey:

Here is *most* of the turkey stock all ready for the freezer (the chicken stock was already in the freezer, along with 2 1-cup containers of turkey stock, so this isn't even all of it! Each of these holds 2.5-3.5 cups of broth):

And...maybe I'm crazy, but I have a turkey thawing in the fridge as I type this...I hope to cook it on Monday or Tuesday, and guess what I'll be doing with the carcass?? LOL I think I need to buy more containers because I used up all of the ones I bought last night. We had some leftover chicken & dumplings that I had to store, too. LOL Pretty soon, I will be able to take the frozen bottles of water out of my garage freezer and have REAL stuff in there to keep it all cold! LOL

By the way, my parents sent me a giftcard to Amazon for my birthday, and I used it on Black Friday to get a bread machine. Can someone say YUM??

Free Sale?

2010-11-16T19:03:00.000-08:00

I have decided that the declutter-a-thon I did over the summer just wasn't enough. We still have TOO MUCH stuff! I have been pretty good at keeping up on housework for the most part, but I realized that most of my stress comes from cleaning and cleaning, but 5 minutes later it's a mess again. I came to the conclusion that half the stuff here doesn't have a home.

I was thinking of having a yard sale after the new year, but I really don't want to worry about haggling and all the hassle of that. Ebay and even Craigslist don't appeal to me, either, because that requires shipping or driving stuff around to get rid of it...and what if no one wants it? It will continue to sit here.

Then I remembered an idea I heard somewhere--have a yard sale, but don't charge anything! Just have people come along and take what they want. It will bless others and it will bless me, because I don't have to deal with it. And THEN, what little I have left, I can either throw out or take just ONE trip to the thrift store instead of millions. LOL

So...I'll let you know when this actually happens. I need to start decluttering first, and that will take some time, because I only have little bits of time to spare anyway. But, I'm confident that 15 minutes at a time, I will have enough to fill up our courtyard and invite the neighborhood to come shopping!

Sunday

2010-11-14T20:17:00.000-08:00

So, I'm finding I just don't have as much to blog as I used to...or perhaps, my perspective on what I should or shouldn't put "out there" has changed. Once upon a time, this was a great place to keep my family & friends updated on my daily life and my growing family, but we all have Facebook now, which we all update at least once a day without thought. Now that the kids are bigger, and especially now that I'm back at work, things have settled into a routine and it's not that exciting to blog the same thing every day: get up, school, work, church, go to bed. Repeat.

I don't want to give up my blog, by any stretch of the imagination. But, what could I possibly write that is of any interest? It's pretty bad when you are even boring yourself...haha

Weekend Wrap-up

2010-11-13T09:51:00.001-08:00

Yesterday Jason got home early and dinner was ready in the crockpot, and it was dark already...so we decided to eat and put the kids to bed and crawl into bed to catch up on some tv shows. We thought this was a great idea...until we realized it wasn't even 7pm yet. LOL

Either way, we attempted our plan, only to fall asleep by 8:30! Unfortunately, Jason got called into work at 11pm, so his night was interrupted. :p

Today we are going to the park to celebrate my nephew's 1st birthday. We also have some errands to run, and hopefully we can catch a sale at a certain kids store to pick up some things for Christmas!

Wednesday + Blogging = Not Gonna Happen

2010-11-11T18:05:00.000-08:00

So, basically, it appears that between work, schooling the kids, and getting everyone to church on time, Wednesdays are not good blogging days. I've missed 2 in a row now. But, the good thing about Wednesdays is that occassionally there is dinner at church, and last night we had some awesome chicken and potatoes...which I will make on my own sometime soon!

Tonight I'm eating chips with homemade guacamole. I'm reheating last night's leftovers for dinner...but I'm really enjoying this guac right now. Yum!

I learned that I'm going to be an aunt again! My sister Kelly & her husband Casey will be having another baby in June! Yay! (I hope that's okay to put out on the blog...she put it on Facebook, so I think it's okay...haha)

Let's see, what else? Man this guac is good! I think I should stop blogging till I eat...I haven't had anything today except for some coffee, yogurt and a granola bar (besides candy at the office), so I guess I can't get my mind off of food right now!

I Froze Something!

2010-11-09T09:22:00.000-08:00

So, I got 98% of my to-do list done yesterday! Score! My carpets are being cleaned as I type this, so the plan is to go to my mother-in-law's house and do school with the boys while it dries. After Emily gets out of school, I'm taking the kids to get their flu shots. None of them are happy about it, but this is one of those rare moments when I'm glad I have 3 gallon-sized baggies of Halloween candy laying around. LOL

Also, after watching all those "Fresh from the Freezer" videos yesterday I was dying to freeze something! So, this morning I noticed a bag of sliced apples I bought on Saturday expired yesterday. I'm sure they would have been perfectly fine to eat today, but there's no way I could eat them all by myself. So...I dug out my beloved Better Homes & Gardens cookbook (that my grandma gave me for my 18th birthday), and looked up a simple applie pie recipe. I threw the apples in a ziplock bag, squeezed some lemon juice in there, and added flour, sugar, cinnamon & nutmeg and shook it all up. I squeezed the air out and put it in the freezer. So...we'll see if that works! All I have to do now is buy a premade pie crust and viola! I'll let you know how it goes!

Cooking for the Freezer

2010-11-08T13:41:00.001-08:00

So, here is my to-do list for today:

2 loads of laundry (mine & Jason's)
dishes
fold & put away the clean towels that have been sitting on the chair all weekend
vacuum
mop bathroom & kitchen
clean the bathroom
change bedsheets
pick up Emily's room in preparation for our carpet cleaning appt. tomorrow
put stuff behind the little couch in the garage (our couch is at an angle with a sofa table behind it, and under the table, I store boxes of homeschool stuff I am saving for Emily...it works, unless we have to move the couch for things like movie-watching parties and carpet cleaning day)
educate my boys: bible, history, reading, poetry, CA history, language arts, spelling & a couple of new concepts in math
make an agenda for tonight's Women's Ministry meeting
pick up Emily from school at 2:30
get my flu shot at 3pm (find address to the Dr. office, which has moved since the last time I had a check-up...)
leave for my meeting a little early to stop by the office and pick up the necessary paperwork for said meeting
meeting at 7pm

What have I accomplished as of 1:46pm? Breakfast. Oh, and I applied a flea treatment to the dog. And, I found a great resource for filling up your freezer and making shortcuts in the kitchen, and it's free!

http://freshfromthefreezer.com/

These are short video classes on what freezes, what doesn't, and a few recipes. She just started this last month, and she has promised that "coming soon" she will show us how to prepare full meals for the freezer. Today, I learned all about what she calls "bits" for the freezer, which are basically stand-alone ingredients--fruits, veggies, dairy, etc.--that you can put away and use your freezer like a pantry. It's been very informative, and I have to say, I have enjoyed sitting on my rear for the whole morning...it's been awhile since I've done that! Haha!!

So, now I'm off to shower and get ready to get Emily and get my flu shot (first time since I've been married, I think...). Then, somehow I will squeeze in everything else here and there and get it all done. It always *somehow* gets done.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday

2010-11-07T17:12:00.000-08:00

This has been a busy weekend!! This is pretty much the first time I've had to sit down at my computer since Thursday morning, when I blogged last.

Friday, I got to the office and opened up just in time for a small earthquake. The whole office lurched and I swear I thought the copier jumped. The rest of the day was pretty normal, except Jason surprised me by getting off early and bringing me lunch! Then, he took the kids to a movie so I could stay and help my friends decorate for their upcoming wedding reception. We had the rehearsal that night (Emily was the flowergirl), and then by the time I got home, it was almost 11pm and I crashed.

Saturday was a whirlwind of activity. Since I've gone back to work, Saturday morning is my grocery shopping day, and is pretty much the only time I can go do it at all. If I don't make it priority #1, we don't eat that week. LOL So, in addition to everything I normally had to do like grocery shopping and errands, I had to make sure Emily was completely ready for the wedding and at the church by 3:30pm. Once we arrived, off-site pre-ceremony pictures began and then the wedding was at 5:30.

The wedding was amazing! It was so sweet and so beautiful and so fun, and just so THEM. <3

When it was all over, I stayed to help put the church back in working order in time for service this morning, and when I left at 11:30pm, there were only a couple people left finishing up a couple last things. I joined some friends at a restaurant for a Shirley Temple and some potato skins, and then gave the maid of honor a ride home. When I got home, it was 1:30am...but thank the Lord it was time to turn our clocks back an hour!! So, even though I still got up at 8:30am, it was like I slept in. :) We barely made it to church though, because I still felt like I had been run over by a Mack Truck. After church, Jason made an executive decision to go to Chili's for lunch, and then I came home and died in bed. I didn't move for two solid hours...and now here I am...blogging and eating oreos. The day isn't over yet, though, because I have bible study at 8:00pm!

Oh, and by the way, our car won Honorable Mention (aka 5th place) for Trunk or Treat! :D

CONGRATULATIONS SHANNA & PHIL!

Whoops

2010-11-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

I had every intention of blogging last night after church, but I got distracted with a project I was doing for a friend, and then I just just forgot! LOL

Na(Bl)WriMo

2010-11-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

So, a lot of my friends and fellow homeschoolers are participating in National Novel Writing Month, and as much as I like things that bring people together to meet common goals, I am just not a novelist. And, I don't really have a lot of time to devote to writing thousands of words every day for a month. But, when I was goofing off yesterday in my downtime, I found this journal that is similar in concept, but is a different medium: The Word Count Journal. It's basically a blog that you write specific amounts of words every day, starting with one word, then the next day, two words, and so on...for an entire year.

This got me thinking...it's been awhile since I've blogged regularly, and I really forgot how much I enjoy it. Maybe, during this month of my birth, I can find a few spare minutes to blog each day, even if it's just one word or just a picture (yes, I firmly believe those count as blog posts...a picture is worth a thousand words afterall!)...

So, here I begin (on day 2) my very own National Blog Writing Month. I did this successfully a couple of years ago, but my schedule is significantly fuller now, so this will be a challenge for sure. :) Tomorrow I work and then come home with just enough time to fix dinner before going back for bible study...so on days like that, I will have to put in a lot of effort to make the time. But, I think I can do it!

(Disclaimer: I cannot guarantee that all my posts will be worth reading...LOL)

Trunk or Treat

2010-11-01T10:25:00.001-07:00

Last night we had our church's annual Trunk or Treat event, and it was a lot of fun! I think these get more fun each year, as everyone tries to out-do the previous year's decorations and themes! This year, our car was a beach theme, complete with a cute little yellow submarine:

The kids had a good time, dressed as a Ghostbuster, a pirate and Cinderella, respectively:

I was at one of the storytelling stations and just kind of helping around all night, so I didn't dress up this year. But there were some pretty amazing cars and costumes this year, so I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with next!

A New Season

2010-10-19T09:07:00.000-07:00

Fall is here, and with it comes changes. :) School is in session, and Emily is still in public school this year for first grade. The boys are still homeschooling and are in 4th and 5th grade now. It's amazing how time flies and they grow up in a flash! And, after eleven wonderful years of being a full-time stay-at-home mom, I have gone back to work 3 days a week at a real job. It's been a smooth transition so far, and for that I'm grateful. I'm really excited because we have completed Step 1 of Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University (establish a small emergency fund), and we are $44 away from paying off our first credit card. This would not have been possible without the extra income. The Lord has provided faithfully for us through these tough economic times! In just a year and a half, we will be completely debt free, including both of our cars. I can't wait!!

But to be honest, I still feel like a stay-at-home mom...LOL

A couple of recipes!

2010-08-01T14:02:00.000-07:00

Oatmeal in the Slowcooker (8.5 hrs or overnight)

This is a recipe I got from a Homeschool message board over at Sonlight. It is so good! It also feeds a family of five, or has enough for leftovers for a few days! My CrockPot cooks on the hot side an has been known to burn recipes even on low. So, I used the warm setting. If your's is an older model, changing the "warm" to "low" and the "low" to "high" when appropriate should work fine!

2 cups steel cut oats, uncooked
6 cups water **corrected (I accidently typed 4 on my phone and just now realized that! Sorry!)
1 cup milk
3/4 cup brown sugar (optional)

Put the oats and water in the slowcooker on the warm setting for about 8 hours. Add the milk and brown sugar and turn the heat up to low for 30-40 minutes until the oatmeal is hot & creamy. Enjoy!

Pasta Salad for After Church

1lb garden rotini, cooked & cooled
1 package cooked chicken breast, chopped
12-14 grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Italian salad dressing to taste (about half a bottle)

Mix it all together the night before and chill it till lunchtime the next day! It can be a little dry after sitting so use a little more dressing as you feel is needed. Yum!

So, now you have breakfast & lunch prepped for a nice leisure Sunday!

(I am blogging from my phone while the kids swim, so forgive me for any formatting errors!)

(5/2/11 Posted over at Eat At Home Cooks)

Don't Throw the Baby Out with the Bathwater!

2010-07-12T08:49:00.000-07:00

Spring cleaning hit me in full force, albeit a little late. However, in my defense, it still feels like winter here (imagine shivering at the park in the middle of July)!

Anyone who knows me, knows I am not a cleanie by nature...LOL I have gotten better over the years, slowly but surely. Over the last few months, I have gotten a routine down and I have been able to get my cleaning, cooking/menu-planning & grocery shopping done on a regular basis! I'm a regular Susie Homemaker (after 11 years of practice)! LOL (Trust me when I say I'm not bragging...I'm filled with relief!!)

Unfortunately, I was able to keep the surface of my house clean, but if you so much as opened a cupboard or even my daughter's bedroom door, it would be like those old fashioned trick peanut cans...

A few weeks ago, Jason and I cleaned out our garage, which you couldn't even walk in. It's a one-car, but not wide enough for a car to fit in, so we just use it for storage, and I have a freezer in there. We threw out so much stuff, we filled a dumpster!! But, it helped get me started on cleaning the apartment...I didn't have anywhere to put stuff with the garage so full, so having it emptied out was so motivational! I felt like I could breathe again, and we don't even live in that space...LOL

My bedroom was really bad...stacks and stacks of piles...it became my place to throw everything when we were having company or if I didn't feel like going down to the garage (it's not attached). It has been that way for years, but every now and then, I would clean it. It had been awhile, though, so after dreading the task--which would surely take all day--I went at it last Monday and lo' and behold, it only took me 30 minutes to go from "Hoarders" to HGTV style! LOL It was almost all trash (papers, magazines, etc., not food trash), except for a couple of things that went down to the garage. It helped that a couple nights before, I spent an hour folding and putting away all the clean laundry that had been on my floor. I'm getting better at doing that, too...Oh, and who knew it would be so much easier to dust a cleared off dresser?? ;o)

Emily's room was the worst, by far. I couldn't open her door all the way, or even close it without getting stuck on something, for that matter! Forget about walking around in there! Her room is also the smallest, so that doesn't help matters. She is jam packed with furniture (twin bed, school desk and chair, dresser, folding table with 3 more chairs, a fan, plus toy boxes, clothes basket...and half her closet is used to hold our old computer which is on a desk so we can get music and files from it as needed).

We threw out about 6 bags of trash and a couple boxes, then a big pile of toys went to Granna's house so she'd have something to play with over there (and to share with Penelope, who is over there a couple days a week). When it was all said and done, she has very few toys now, but she is so happy because she can actually play with them! And they are all the ones she loves. My secret? I took apart her bed & stored it in the garage, because I couldn't even get under there to clean it out! I needed to do it anyway, b/c my sister Tiffany & her husband are sleeping in there while they are visiting, and we needed the space for the queen air mattress...but still...I'm tempted to just leave it that way so she has more room to play! ;o) LOL j/k

I've also tackled a few odds and ends, closets, shelves and whatnot. Reorganized my school shelf (magazine holders and file boxes on sale at Target for $3!), put some books on http://www.paperbackswap.com/ (I get referral points, so look me up!)...and speaking of books, I found a huge pile that I haven't even read yet! Same with movies...LOL Apparently, we have been buying "good deals" at Target and not even opening them. We should stop that, especially now that we have Netflix.

It feels SO GOOD to get rid of stuff! I hadn't realized our little apartment was bulging at the seams, but I did feel stifled, and now...I feel so much lighter! If only it was this easy to lose weight! LOL I haven't even looked through my kitchen, yet...but it's so hard for me to get rid of dishes and stuff, so I might put that off a bit longer. I actually use all my little gadgets and stuff, but I have a lot of stuff for entertaining that I rarely use...not that we don't entertain, just that we don't entertain fancy. LOL But I just can't part with it!

So, my sister and her husband are coming out to visit, and I told Jason...we should have family come stay with us more often, and he just laughed! ;o)

Happy Birthday Abby!

2010-07-07T13:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday marked the 1 year anniversary of adopting our doggy! She was estimated to be 3 years old then, so we just decided that each year, that would be her birthday. So, yesterday she turned 4! She's gained about 5lbs, but as you can see, she needed it! When we got her, she had been recovering from surgery to remove fatty tumors on her shoulder, but that gray area has completely grown back in as fluffy ivory fur. :D She is so cute! The picture on the left was taken yesterday morning on our bed. LOL

Summer!

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

Emily has officially completed Kindergarten! Yesterday was her last day of school. :) We are so excited to start homeschooling, and I've been diligently working on putting her curriculum together.

We have a couple of fun things planned for the summer. Next weekend, our church is doing a 3-day "Kid's Crusade", where there will be free dinner each night and then a story/performance by various puppeteers, magicians and storytellers. It is going to be a lot of fun.

Then, next month, we will be celebrating Grandma's 80th birthday with a family reunion. Jason's extended family from across the country will gather here and I'm sure Grandma is going to have a blast. In addition to Jason's family, my sister Tiffany & my brother-in-law, Kolby, are coming out at the same time! I haven't seen them since their wedding 2 years ago. We are already planning a ton of fun stuff to do with them!

In August, our church is doing a 2 week Creation Science Camp for the first time. The way I understand it, it will be a day camp with a couple of classes and activities and field trips. I'm looking forward to our kids going--they are really into science and stuff.

As for any trips or anything, we will not be taking a vacation until October. More on that when the time comes. =)

Last weekend, we went to the La Brea Tar Pits for the first time, with a couple other people, and both of our boys were mesmerized by it all. Joey wanted to go from one exhibit to another in an orderly fashion...whereas Matthew was like popcorn--here and there and there and here and EVERYWHERE! Emily just kept bouncing back and forth from me to Jason, but overall, we all enjoyed it.

Minivan Repairs

2010-04-07T08:55:00.000-07:00

This is a direct quote from my repairman, a list of things they have been working on since Monday:

Customer states there is a water leaking from top center windshield area and also leaking onto right front passenger floor board area, check and advise
Customer states rear center seatbelt is jammed, check and advise
Customer states left front blinker bulb stops working after bulb is replaced, check and advise
Customer states left rear brake light bulb inop, check and advise
Customer states sunroof does not slide open and is making a clunking noise

The last one is my favorite...LOL

By the way, if you have the ability to take video of any of your car issues, the mechanics seem to really like that. Apparently I'm not a geek for capturing my leaks on my phone...LOL

Spam Blog. Grrrr.

2010-04-06T07:48:00.000-07:00

I had been noticing some weird blog in my feed for awhile now, and a) I never subscribed to it, so I don't know who this person is, and b) whenever I'd click on a post, it would redirect me to some weird "widget" page. Annoying. However, nothing was showing up on my dashboard to "unsubscribe" to, so I didn't know how to get rid of it.

This morning, I was looking at the blogs on my sidebar, and I noticed an old friend had posted some "childhood pics". Yay! Oh, wait...I thought they closed that blog? Hm...weird...well, I'll click it anyway--BAM! Widget page. UGH! But, at least I found out the culprit! Sneaky spam blogs. Grrr.

So, I manually typed in my friend's old blog address, found his new blog and updated my feed. Viola! No more spam blog.

If you happen to notice that any of my links are broken or redirect to anything weird, please let me know. I try hard to keep my sidebars updated, but there are a lot so I don't always catch it. Just leave a comment on the newest post that day, and I'll fix it. Thanks! =)

Broke Free

2010-03-30T13:06:00.000-07:00

So, I haven't blogged all month, and that wasn't really my intention. But I really didn't have much to talk about other than all my bible study stuff, and I didn't want to bore you. LOL

I still don't really have much to talk about other than that, but since today was the last day of the study, I just wanted to post something--anything! I'm so excited that we get to do this study with my church in May. This has definately been an amazing 12 weeks, and I was so grateful that I had the opportunity to share it with a wonderful group of women. But, I'm even more excited to do it with my "home girls", as Beth would call them. LOL The women at my home church, the ones who have travelled though so many bible studies with me! This one is going to rock their socks off, and I can't wait! The timing is amazing, too. Right now, we are doing Beth Moore's Inheritance study and it correlates so well with Breaking Free (updated edition)! It's amazing that we have the privilege of doing them back to back. And, if that's not awesome enough, our last week of Breaking Free falls on the calendar in just the right spot to kick off our ladies' retreat this fall! God certainly had a plan when He put these ideas in our heads, because I never would have been able to figure that one out on my own! LOL

A Week of Firsts

2010-03-04T10:08:00.000-08:00

Matthew is on his first trip away from home this week...he left on Tuesday night to spend the night at my MIL's house,because they had an early morning flight on Wednesday to go to Pennsylvania. As most of you know, we have family there. Well, Matthew has expressed a desire to go almost every time Lindsey and Grandma go out there (which is at least once a year). So, the deal was, he could go when he turned 10...well, now he's 10, and now he's in PA. He has never spent the night away from home except for spending weekends or maybe a week at my MIL's house while Jason and I are on trips, or if we go on a family vacation together. But to just go somewhere without his parents has not happened before now. I'm sure he's having a blast, though!

Joey is home alone for the first time ever. Jason works, Emily spends her days at school and Matthew is on the opposite coast...that just leaves Joey and me. And Joey is soooo sad that his brother is gone. He misses him terribly. Matthew wasn't even gone for a full 24 hours yet and Joey was already teary-eyed and lamenting about his loss...As he put it, "We've been together our entire lives!" They really do get treated like twins...so I imagine this seperation is really hard for him. Matthew, however, is less emotional and less affectionate, so poor Joey...it's a one way street for him. I am trying to keep him busy, but I can't say he's having a blast...LOL

Emily read some words at school yesterday! She has been struggling in this area and has been discouraged. They have a rainbow system, where they group a set of words together and assign it a color of the rainbow. Each color gets harder and harder, and as you complete a set of words, you get a raindrop to put under your rainbow. She was one of the last--if not THE last--to have a raindrop on the board. It was really stressing her out. =( But yesterday her teacher told her to tell me the good news, and Emily happly reported that she got TWO raindrops yesterday! That means she was able to read about 10 words! So I took her and Joey out to dinner before church (Jason was working late), and we celebrated. I'm so proud of her. Her smile was priceless. =D

Heartfelt

2010-02-25T09:18:00.000-08:00

It's been a long week...

I'm exhausted, but it's such a good feeling. =) Why? Because I've been working hard on some stuff...not my house, obviously...but important stuff nonetheless! I'm currently in a bible study at another church, as I've mentioned in a previous post. It's such a good study. It's one of the hardest studies I've ever done...ever. Apparently, I have some junk to break free from, but I didn't realize it. I thought, "Oh, I've been there done that and it's over!" But nope...God has been saying, "Well, not all of it..." It's like whenever I open my workbook to do the 15 minute (daily) homework, I'm preparing for two hours at bootcamp or something. And then Tuesday comes--the day to discuss and watch the next video. The last couple of Tuesdays have been real doozies for me...I mean, I'm having a good time studying with a great (and fun) group of women! But I'm always a little emotionally raw for the rest of the day. This last Tuesday was when I really noticed it for the first time...but I put it all together and realized it's happened every week so far. LOL I can't wait to see what God will do with me at the end! I'm sure I'll feel 100lbs lighter! LOL

In addition to that, we've spent the last month doing something special on Wednesday nights at our church. Usually on Wednesdays, we split up into groups: men go to men's bible study, women go to women's bible study, the teens go to youth, and the little girls go to girly classes and the little boys do boy stuff. But because it's February, our Pastor had an idea to split the youth up into gender groups, and the boys go with the men and the girls go with the women to talk about love, purity, modesty, and all that good stuff.

Our women--our wonderful church women--opened up their hearts and literally stepped out of their comfort zone to leave our sanctuary & go upstairs to spend a month in the youth room with the teen girls. We talked about everything under the sun, from thongs to masturbation--I kid you not. It was a wild ride, to be sure! But it was so awesome! I got to meet some wonderful young ladies and share my heart about how loved they are by their Prince and how special they truly are. We have some really intelligent girls at our church. They had the opportunity to ask questions (we set up an anonymous text service--so they had permission use their phones during church! LOL) and the questions we got were very heartfelt and down to earth. Well, last night was our last night with them, and today I'm just feeling a little tender--again! I really REALLY enjoyed my time with them. And not just with the teens, but the dynamic of having multiple generations of women sitting together and learning together and ministering to one another--it was so wonderful on so many levels. I'm seriously getting teary just typing this...LOL

Maybe I was the only one affected in this way, but now that it's over, I just can't help but reflect on the whole month...I still have a long journey ahead of me with my Tuesday bible study, and I will continue my journey with our girls through prayer. If any of the girls who were there this month could read this, I would just want to say how much I love you guys! I will be praying that you allow God to protect your tender hearts, and go to Him in your vulnerable moments. And, while I know you guys are probably super relieved to get back to your regular youth schedule, I think it's also important to know that your youth pastor missed you and is just as excited to be back with you guys again!<3

Credit Where Credit's Due

2010-02-23T09:03:00.000-08:00

This morning I was woken up by three very excited children yelling that there was a rainbow in the livingroom! I needed to come see it right away!!

They had discovered a make-shift prism, and were having fun turning the morning sunlight into beautiful refractions of light all over the walls, floor, and ceiling. I'd like to think that I woke up to spontaneous science experiments..."Look at how brilliant my children are!" (LOL)

But the truth is, they recently watched Pollyanna for the first time...and they are just excited to see something from a movie come to life. ;o)

I ~Think~ I'm Really Goin' Places

2010-02-11T12:36:00.000-08:00

This is called The Bogart.It means you're really going places, Baby.You'll still be blogging about your great adventures 10 years from now,and I'll still be reading them.The Rules:Link back to the blogger who sent you the award.Post where you would like to be in 10 years.Pass this on to 10 other special bloggers.

I was tagged by my lovely sister, Tiffany...

Sooooooo....hmmmm....where do I want to be 10 years from now? This sounds like a familiar topic...I might have blogged about this before. I think I'll go check when I'm done. LOL

Ten years from now, I'll be 40 years old, and my children will 20, 19 and 15.

*faint*

Okay, I honestly don't know. Is that bad? I don't know where I want to be in 10 years, much less predict where I might be. I hope that by that time, Jason & I have managed to raise our children to be Godly, responsible young adults. I hope we have had the chance to travel a bit, maybe even outside our national boarders. I'll either be thinking about wedding funds or college funds...(I got engaged at 18, so it's entirely possible that my sons could be ready...) We may or may not be homeschooling Emily at that time (homeschool/public school: never say never, right??) Either way, she will probably have her drivers permit! Eek!

Maybe I'll go to school? Once I have 2 graduated and (possibly) out of the house, I should have more time, right? ;o) I assume I'll still be a stay-at-home mom. I don't think that just because Emily will be a teen that I should assume she won't need me like that anymore. However, I don't know what God has in store for us, so would I need a job? Would I possibly be in full-time ministry? (That's my heart, for sure...but never before family, if God wills it.)

I'm at this place in my life where 10 years down the road means MAJOR changes. I mean sheesh, Jason and I will be on the eve of our 21st wedding anniversary! LOL I may even be...*gasp*...premenopausal by then! LOL

Boy, my 10 year blog is looking a lot different from my sister's...LOL

Benefits & Obstacles

2010-02-10T15:04:00.000-08:00

Our church is amazing. We have been plowing through Beth Moore DVD studies and learning so much that after we finish each one, I just can't imagine my brain has anymore room left in it to fit even one more piece of information. Don't get me wrong--we're not rushing through them, we're PLOWING through them...we are definately getting our hands dirty, taking our sweet time through each one, spending 2 weeks on each DVD/Discussion session. LOL Yet, we hungrily devour another study, and another, and another...

Right now, we're taking a break from Beth (we just finished her 11 week study on Esther, which took us almost 6 months LOL). Our church as a whole is spending the month of February talking about purity issues. Our women and teen girls are meeting together to go over Lisa Bevere's "Kissed the Girls and Made Them Cry" series, and our men and teen boys are doing a few lessons from the Valient Man series. But, in March, we are starting up again...with Beth Moore's Inheritance set. (This one doesn't have homework, so we'll just go through it in the 9 weeks as it was intended! LOL)

However, there is a study that came out about 10 years ago called Breaking Free, that Beth Moore revamped and recently released again. I want to do this at our church, but like I said, we already have a line-up planned, so we can't do it in the near future. I'm hoping to do it in the fall, but we'll see what God has planned for us! Meanwhile, two other local churches are doing this study right now. I thought it would be a great way for me to preview the DVDs before we decided to do it or not! So, I've joined a group that happens to meet right next door to where I live and do the study.

**Side Note: I didn't buy a book, so I'm using the old Breaking Free workbook--which works fine, except the viewer guides for the DVDs are totally different, so I had to print those off from the Lifeway website. The pages don't match up word for word, obviously, but the main discussion questions are the same. So, as long as I come prepared, I can keep up with the discussion just fine. =) (I'll get the new workbook when our church does this study, and I'll go through it with the ladies.)

In the first couple of weeks, Beth Moore talks about benefits of knowing God and obstacles to knowing God. She does an amazing job of matching them up so that you can see a direct corralation to how your obstacle can prevent you from enjoying a specific benefit.

For instance, one obstacle is prayerlessness. She says in the workbook that avoiding prayer is a sure way to avoid peace. What's the opposite of peace? Anxiety! Who would knowingly choose to be anxious over being peaceful? Our pastor has often said something like, "You can't do more than pray until after you've prayed." Beth Moore puts her own spin on this same point by saying that often times, we would rather do something--anything--that's more tangible than prayer. These things can seem like good things: studying the Bible for answers, going to church, talking to a pastor or friend for counsel...but our first act of war should always be prayer! Without prayer, we can't enjoy the benefit of peace from knowing God.

When she talked about the benefit of peace, I was blown away. In discussion, we talked about how we always tend to envision "peace" as being tranquil, calm, still, maybe even like someone sitting in a relaxed yoga pose or something. But the truth is, the Bible says peace is like a river! A river is fast-flowing, bumpy, exciting...we can have security and tranquility even in times that are less than serene and calm. =)

One thing that really jumped out at me was this sentence:

Peace is submission to a trustworthy Authority, not resignation from all activity. Remember, however, any activity that cannot be brought under the umbrella of God's authority will prove to be a source of turmoil and exhaustion.

This really struck me, because I have had experience in this area! Many people know that last year I was feeling really overwhelmed with all the things I was doing in my life, between church ministries, co-ops, homeschooling, etc. I submitted it to prayer and asked God to please take this from me. I didn't know what I could drop, because it was all urgent and necessary--it wasn't just something that I was doing because I felt like it. I had obligations! But my life was chaotic and I was exhausted...in a bad way.

But God, through prayer, was gracious and helped me to make decisions that helped me prune my "list". Looking back now, I've been comparing my schedule at present to my schedule this time last year, and I'm just as busy--if not even busier--now than I was then. But what's the difference? I'm under God's authority, so I have peace that I didn't have before. I'm still exhausted at the end of the day, but it's a good exhaustion. The kind that feels like, "Well done..."

I don't know if this will help you at all, but I really hope it does. I hope that if you are feeling frazzled all the time and feeling like something just isn't working but you can't put your finger on it...consider prayer and experience peace as a result of it! Maybe you're like me, and you just can't possibly fit another thing on your to-do list without exploding...is there something in your life that you feel is urgent, so you just can't let go of it...yet you feel turmoil and exhaustion because of it? Maybe you're not supposed to carry that burden of responsibility...at a recent conference I attended, we talked about how it's quite possible to step into a role that you were not meant to fill and rob someone else of the blessing that would have come to them for taking it up instead of you--because they are meant to fill it, not you. So, consider everything you do and take it to prayer...don't just sign up for something because no one else is doing it. Maybe God has someone specific in mind...but that person needs a little more nudging from the Holy Spirit!

<3

A Day of Celebration!

2010-02-02T13:59:00.000-08:00

Tonight is the premier of the final season of LOST. I am trilled beyond thrilled! I also found out some good news regarding my husband's pay: one of the 4 paycuts he's recieved in the last 6 months has been reversed! Praise God! It's not going to fill in all the gaps, but I'm sure I don't have to tell you that every little bit helps! Also, our friend Denise got a new job! She was already joining us for dinner and LOST tonight, but now we have something extra to celebrate! So, I'm making this (pictures courtesy of the Eat at Home Blog):

and this:

And, I made a batch of diced tomatoes drowned in basil, oregano, balsamic vinegar and red wine vinegar to go on our salad...I can't wait!

I don't want to do it...

2010-01-19T12:43:00.000-08:00

I don't have 10 things to say, even though I've been tagged by at least 2 people now. LOL Okay, here's my attempt at 10 Honest Things About Myself:

1. I had such a big pile of clean laundry on my floor for the last week that it's now turned into a big pile of dirty laundry. I'm not sure what is clean and what is dirty anymore, so I'm doing laundry. I hope the power doesn't go out in all this rain, because my family needs clean underwear. LOL

2. I drink 2 cups of coffee a day. I like flavored creamer (vanilla coffeemate) AND a lot of sugar. Go ahead...judge me. ;o)

3. I'm terrible at keeping in touch with people. I used to really make an effort, but it was always one-sided and I got busy with life, so now, if it wasn't for Facebook, I'd never know what was going on with half of the people I love and care about. It's not like I don't want to call or don't think about people, I just run out of time. And living on the west coast makes it harder because of the time differences across the country--usually by the time I have time to call someone, it's bedtime where they live. LOL Please forgive me. <3

4. I have 3 Grandmas that I dearly love (one has passed on). They are all named Pat.

5. Regardless of how messy my house gets, I never put anything under my bed. I like having that space clean and cleared out...I don't know why. If I use it for storage, the whole room starts to feel closed in to me. So...no under-the-bed boxes for me!

6. Speaking of my bed...my bedroom is the only room I haven't redecorated in my entire marriage. We have redecorated every room in the house a million times in the last almost-11 years...but our room always gets put on the back burner and we never get around to it. I'd really like some new furniture, but we have good quality furniture so I don't want to get rid of it, either. Can I have two bedrooms? LOL

7. I laugh at Spongebob and Phineas & Ferb. In fact, if Phineas & Ferb is on, you will probably find me on the couch watching it with the kids. Look it up on Youtube if you ever need a smile. =D Sometimes I get this song stuck in my head (LOL):

8. My Christmas decorations are still up. Even my tree.

9. I love movies...but, I don't watch as many as I used to. I used to work in a video store and lived a block away from a Blockbuster...it's all Jason & I did when we were dating--go to movies and go to concerts. In fact, once we had watched all the movies in the movie theater, watched all the new releases at Blockbuster, and started renting classics. LOL I stopped watching so much for two reasons: 1) I had kids, and getting a sitter isn't always possible and 2) I started to feel convicted about some of the things I was okay with watching in movies. My standards changed, and watching some things in movies makes me feel uneasy or uncomfortable now. I'm also a lot more skittish and can't watch a scary movie anymore if my life depended on it (thrillers are fun, horror and gore are not--and this is a person who loved the Scream movies...LOL). The problem? I still like the stories...so sometimes if a movie intrigues me, yet I know I'll never watch it, I'll read about it on spoiler sites. I know...it's bad. But I really do love movies, and I feel like that's the best way...LOL I avoid sex and gory images yet still get the jist of the story. hahaha

10. I can't sing, at all. I don't have the ability to hold a tune and I can't keep the beat, either. But does that stop me? Nope. I will sing along if I feel like it, and I sing loudly during church. If it bothers you, or if I've become that lady that is made fun of for singing off-key...I'm sorry. But I will still sing. Haha!

Christmas Cars

2010-01-10T08:19:00.000-08:00

Our church is having a pine derby car race next Saturday, and it's a Christmas-themed event. Now, these don't have wheels yet, but here's a sneak-peek at our cars:

My Car (Silver Bells):

Our cousin Taylor's car (I painted the holly berries & leaves):

Matthew's Car:

Joey's Car (it's a pile of gifts! I did all the stripes and details for him):

Emily's Car (again, I helped with gluing the sequins on, and the detail painting):

These are all our cars together:

I Could Burst

2010-01-06T17:40:00.000-08:00

So, it's no secret that money is tight for us--I mean, who isn't feeling the squeeze in this economy, in this part of the country? But, our cellphone contract was up for renewal, which means we can order new phones for free or at a discount. Most people who know me know that my current phone is always on vibrate, and it's loud (which is how they know it's on vibrate LOL). I have a Samsung Blackjack II, and it's a good phone, don't get me wrong. But, this particular phone, my phone, decided it didn't like ringtones anymore after a little less than a year of owning it. For whatever reason, my ringtones claim to be corrupted, yet, I can use a couple of them for my alarm (thank goodness!). So, anyway, I was really excited to get a new phone!

Well, I really wanted a phone with a touchscreen and a keypad, and I wanted it to be affordable...I've never spent more than $50 on a phone before (the one I have now). Before that, they were always free...but alas, I became spoiled with my QWERTY keyboard. I am a textaholic now. I admit it. I was looking at the Samsung Solstice, because I could get it for $10!! (Refurbished, of course.) But, after talking it over with Jason, he was like, "You should get an iPhone." And I was like, "What?? Do you know how expensive those are??" But we looked anyway, and they have refurbished iPhones that are significantly cheaper...but still, I was afraid of the all-touchscreen-all-the-time aspect of it...I've never had a touchscreen before.

Anyway, he was going to get some cheapy phone, and if you know my husband, you know how WRONG--utterly WRONG--it would be for me to have an iPhone and not him! He's not really a techie, but he is a music junkie for sure. His current 5th Gen 30G iPod is almost full. He has like 4Gs left. Seriously...and that's not even half of his collection, and imagine if he found a new artist? *shakes head*

So, we did some math, and it's going to be tight for us, but we figured that he has worked a lot at his per diem job, which means we're getting a few extra dollars this week. So, he told me to go ahead an order my phone. I got an iPhone. iDid...iCaved to cultural pressure (it seems everyone I know has this phone), iCaved to the apps. I looked up some of the apps, and I'm already drooling.

Jason is going to order his when he gets paid again this weekend. I can't believe it. But the best part? It's supposed to arrive in the mail today!!!! I really hope I can get used to the touchscreen...

The Biggest Loser (Round 2)

2010-01-03T21:12:00.000-08:00

Last fall, I joined up with my fellow homeschool moms & dads on the Sonlight Forum for a Biggest Loser style challenge. We worked together in teams of 5 to lose weight over the course of 12 weeks. Out of 15 teams, my team came in 6th. Not bad, not bad...I lost a total of 11lbs out of my goal of 24lbs! Unfortunately, due to the holiday season, I gained back a little...LOL

Anyway, this week begins Round 2. We are on new teams, and since the teams are made up of more people (10 people on a team, instead of 5), we only have 6 teams...meaning if we come in 6th again, that's actually very bad. haha! So, I want to work hard at making sure I beat my personal goal of 6th place.

I'd really like to get down to a healthy weight--I'll never be as thin as I was when I got married/before children...I was 19 for heaven's sake. But I've followed a pattern of keeping on 10lbs from each pregnancy. Then, I started gaining "just because". It's the first time I have gained weight without being pregnant, and it was a wake-up call. I was only 15lbs from my all-time highest weight ever, which was when I was 9 months pregnant!!! When I did the math and realized that, something in my head clicked and I said, "No more."

So, down 11lbs feels great. My clothes fit better and I'm on the last notch in my belt and it's still too loose! But, I saw some recent pictures of me, and well...yeah...I was remotivated to say the least. LOL Why is it you look totally fine when you're looking at yourself in the mirror, but when you see a picture of yourself (from the same day, even) suddenly you can see every flaw? LOL It's one of life's greatest mysteries, I suppose. ;o)

Here's to being 30 and healthy!

2009-12-30T15:51:00.000-08:00

A few random pictures...I uploaded most of the pictures from this Christmas on Facebook, but I hope to someday put them on a slideshow to put here. I will also update about my birthday cruise...finally...LOL

I am a Copycat

2009-12-30T15:44:00.000-08:00

I have wanted a signature in my posts for a very, VERY long time! I have found places that would tell me how, but I didn't have the proper software to create transparent backgrounds...and a signature in a white box isn't very attractive on some of these really cute layouts! So...I stole this idea from my sister, Tiffany. She found a great website--just click on my name and you can create your own! Follow the instructions to create an HTML code, and then copy the code. Go to your blogger dashboard, click Settings, then Formatting, and scroll to the bottom where you can add templates to each post. Paste the code in that box and save. The end.

A New Decade, A New Me?

2009-12-10T10:08:00.000-08:00

I was talking to someone on Facebook the other day and I made a realization that one's twenties is all about discovering who one is as a person...therefore, it seems that one's thirties is all about putting that knowledge into action. Less than a month into this new decade of my life, this is already proving to be a challenge. Without getting all emo on you all, it's been a hard time recently for me. A lot is going on internally that I'm trying to sort through, and a few things externally (like paycuts and full schedules) are only adding to it. But, I have hope and without God, I would be a pile of mush. =)

Besides all of that, I have a ton of things I need to update on, but I'm squeezing in a couple of projects this week so I won't be able to do that just yet. But, I plan on eventually posting about our cruise, Emily's latest haircut, and a few other random things that I've already posted on Facebook (albeit truncated versions...)! So, without further ado, I'm going to log off, and just count this as an update in itself. ;o) Maybe I'll put up a Christmas layout or something...LOL

Buying a Camera Can Be Hazardous to Your Dog's Health

2009-11-15T10:45:00.001-08:00

Well, Jason got me a new camera for my birthday! He's been saying for the last how ever many months (since our Las Vegas trip...?) that he'd get me one for my birthday, and since my old camera would only take 6 or 7 pictures before the battery would die, it was practically useless. I'm hoping that since I have a camera now, I'll get back into the habit of blogging!

In other news, Abby, our dog, got into the trash while were at Best Buy buying the camera...she ate so much stuff (napkins, coffee grounds, bell peppers, possibly even meat packaging) that after we all got home and got it cleaned up, she started throwing up over and over again. After more than a dozen times in an hour, we took her to the emergency vet clinic and they said that it could be anything from just eating too much to a blockage or a failed pancreas. *yikes* So, they kept her overnight on IV and gave her medication to help and we were able to pick her up last night. She was so happy to come home! Before we went to pick her up, we went to Target and bought a metal trashcan with a lid (the kind you step on to get it to open), so hopefully this will NEVER happen again.

I Miss Blogging!

2009-11-04T13:10:00.000-08:00

It's been almost 2 months since I blogged last. Apparently making my blog private had a bigger impact than I thought it would. LOL My main fear was that I was revealing too much info on here and it freaked me out that a total stranger might be able to see enough information to find us or something. But I went through and did a keyword search and fixed a few things. I don't know if I got it all, but it wasn't as bad as I thought...I guess I hadn't relaxed my guard as much as I had imagined! Maybe I'll revamp soon and go back to being public again...and maybe that will inspire me to blog more!

Long Awaited Update!

2009-09-09T09:04:00.000-07:00

So, since I made my blog private, I've gotten out of the habit of posting! Sorry about that...the good news is, I have lots to share with you all! Including a video of Joey's Jr. Black Belt ceremony! Check it out...we're super proud of him!

Also, yesterday we went to Disneyland & California Adventures for the last time until we renew our passes sometime next year (hopefully). Emily is starting Kindergarten today, so I'll be posting pictures of her later. It's also Jason's birthday, so it's a busy week! LOL

Joey's Jr. Black Belt Test

2009-08-17T08:42:00.000-07:00

Joey did so well on his test! There were a few times when he was getting frustrated with himself, and a few things he could use some extra polish on, but I cannot be more proud of him. =) He worked really hard during the weeks leading up to the test, practicing almost every day. There were a few things he couldn't practice at home, like sparring and breaking boards, but I know he tried his best during the test. He gets awarded his belt tomorrow, so we're really excited! I'll take pictures and video (with the proper camera--see notes below) and post it here later this week! Here are some pictures I captured from the video clips I have:

Sidenote: I know I promised a video of Joey's test, but I made a mistake! I used the wrong camera...*sigh* See, I have 2 cameras--a Kodak and a cheap digital video camera. The cheap one doesn't produce the best videos, but it's compatible with Windows Movie Maker, which is all I've got now. The Kodak produces slightly better quality videos, and has rechargable batteries...however, it only makes Quicktime compatible videos, and while I can play them on my computer, I can't edit them anymore. Once upon a time, I had Quicktime PRO on my desktop and my laptop ($40 EACH!) and then both computers had to be wiped clean and I don't want to pay for another subscription. *grrrr* So therefore, forgetting this little fact, I recorded a bunch of clips of Joey's test with the intention of putting them together into a slick video with music and descriptive slides and putting it on my blog...but on the wrong camera. So, until I can afford the right software again, I can't edit the movie. (And the sound is bad because everyone's talking in the background and at one point I was on the phone with Jason, so you really don't want to see the raw footage! haha)

Summer Stay-cation

2009-08-05T07:06:00.000-07:00

Last year, we made plans to go to Lake Tahoe with all the extended family (inlaws and all), so Jason asked for this week off of work. Well, a few months after we made our plans, Russell & Jennifer announced they were pregnant and, knowing her history of bedrest with her first pregnancy, we cancelled our trip plans "just in case" while we could still get most of our money back. During the year, we tried to decide what we wanted to do during this week, but we could never really come up with anything. However, Jason was still going to take a week off of work!

So, we are now on a stay-cation. =) We've been having fun as a family so far this week and have have more things planned to come! Monday, we had a family barbeque here at our place to celebrate Lindsey's birthday. We had a great time visiting with everyone (except Grandma, who is out of town visiting her sister this week)! Yesterday, on Day 2 of our stay-cation, we got up super early and went to Disneyland for the morning!

We wanted to save a few bucks, so we got up early enough to eat breakfast here at home, and I made homemade iced white mocha's for the road (we usually go thru the Starbucks drive-thru on our way to DL...LOL). We left here at 7:30 in the morning, and the park opened at 8. By the time we arrived, parked, walked to the park (we skipped the tram), went through security and got in line for our first ride, it was already 9am! Unfortunately, we were on a time schedule because we had to be back home by 2pm because I had an appointment at 3 and Joey had Karate at 4:30 (which we don't want to miss because he's testing next week). So...we each picked a ride so we wouldn't waste time wandering around or fighting over what to go on next.

Jason picked the Matterhorn. This was a big deal, because since having our passes for almost a year, the kids have never been on this ride. A long time ago, they saw a kids show about rollercoasters and it gave an inside look at the Matterhorn...and they saw that there was a "monster" and that was that--they resolved never to go on it. After a few tears, we finally convinced them to give it a try. We waited in a short line and the whole time, they pouted--especially Matthew. They do not like "scary" rides... Well, to make a long story short, they loved it! Matthew yelled and laughed the whole time and wasn't even scared of the abominable snowman, and at the end he said it was "awesome"! Before we even got unbuckled, Emily said she wanted to go on it again. =D Joey didn't really like it, because, as he usually does the first time on rides, he closed his eyes and used he hands to plug his ears. So...since he wasn't holding on to anything, he was bounced around quite a bit. LOL That wasn't very fun for him, but if he had listened to me...hahaha

Joey picked Star Tours. This is a family favorite. We all really enjoy this ride, and as a bonus, I really enjoy watching Emily's face during this ride. LOL She is so cute. For the first time, we requested front row seating. It wasn't very crowded yet, so it was a short line, even with our special request. We got front row seating, and the kids loved it. Emily likes "Captain Rex" and the boys like going into light speed and watching the gun fights. I didn't really like sitting in the front, since you feel the least amount of motion up there--I think I prefer the back, or maybe the middle since you're surrounded by people enjoying the ride. But it was fun to do something new!

Emily picked Space Mountain. Even this early in the day, there was a 45 minute line...and we knew it would only get longer. Since we were on a time crunch, and well...since we *could*, we got fast-passes. Now, usually, the boys wait for us at the Exit. They have no interest in this ride whatsoever (remember, no "scary" rides). But, Emily has been on this ride 4 other times and this would make her 5th...so she's a pro. =) However, we really wanted to do this as a family today, so I asked Jason to go ahead and get 5 fastpasses, and I talked to the boys while he was away. I convinced them that it was just like going into light speed on Star Tours, and it's really cool! There are no big hills, it just goes around and around in a spiral. I also told them that if they went on it, they could have leftover ice cream cake for lunch. hahaha Well...we'll get to that...

Matthew picked Casey Jr's Circus Train. Since our fastpasses for Space Mountain weren't for a couple of hours, we went on this after Star Tours. The only other time we've been on this ride, it was dark, so Matthew was looking forward to sitting in a different car (the Wild Animal's cage) and seeing everything during the day. It was a cute little ride. Emily & Matt sat together, Jason & Joey sat in the back on the Caboose, so they rode it backwards, and I sat alone on a bench and looked on Facebook during the ride. LOL

Finally it was my turn to pick--and I picked Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. =) We went on it a lot last fall when we first got our passes, and we took a break, so it had been awhile since we'd been on it. Again, it's not one of Joey's favorites because he closes his eyes and plugs his ears--meaning he flops around the whole time, which is uncomfortable to say the least. LOL But he was a trooper and went on it. Everyone else loves the ride, so it was really fun. And, except for Splash Mountain, we pretty much conquered all the "mountains" that morning. =)

After Thunder Mountain, we had some time to kill--about an hour or so. So we went on the Mark Twain and Matthew tried to get us in with the captain, but he already had a family in there with him. One thing about Matthew--he has no fear when it comes to asking for special privileges at Disneyland. LOL It was a nice quiet ride.

By the time we got off the boat and walked around a bit, it was finally time for Space Mountain! Matthew & Joey decided they would try it, and by the time we got to the line, they were actually excited about it. I could tell Joey was more nervous than anything, but he was a trooper. Emily & I sat in the very front row, with Jason behind us and Matthew & Joey together behind him. The ride went perfectly, except for one little snafu--usually Emily has her eyes closed, but this time she kept them open the whole time...and when she saw the camera flash it kind of freaked her out and she started to cry! Poor girl...I couldn't figure out why she was crying at first, until we got down to the picture displays and I saw her face--she always has her eyes closed tight and kind of scrunches down in the seat, but this time, she was sitting up straight and her eyes were wide open--she had a look on her face kind of like, "What the????" hahaha! She wasn't crying then, so she must have started *after* the flashes. Poor girl! LOL

The boys, on the other hand, were thrilled! Matthew said he wanted to go on it again and again--he loved it! Joey liked it too, but if you asked him, he'd tell you that he thought it was too windy...he said his cheeks were flapping around. LOL But he had his eyes open and his ears unplugged so that he could hold on, so that's a good sign! hahaha Overall, they had a lot of fun and after 2 new rides (3 for Joey, who hadn't been on the Mark Twain before), they earned that ice cream cake lunch. ;o) By the time we left the park and got home, it was only 1:30, so we did pretty good for being there for only about 4 1/2 hours! The kids had ice cream cake for lunch as promised and Jason & I made a chicken salad out of some leftovers from the BBQ the night before...it was sooooo good!

Today, the kids are going to Granna's house while Jason and I go see some movies, tomorrow we're going back to Disneyland for another morning of fun, and Friday night we're going to a Dodger game. Overall, we're having a great time. We live in a great place for "stay-cationing"!

Food Inspiration

2009-08-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

A couple of things we've made this week:

Instant Chocolate Pudding Popcicles

Homemade Iced White Mochas...yummmmm

A plate of meat....mmmmmmm (burgers, chicken kabobs marinated in Lawry's Hawaiian 30-minute marinade & hot dogs for the kids)

I just watched the finale of The Next Food Network Star and I'm so happy with who they chose to be the winner! (Actually, Jason & I were torn between both of the 2 finalists...we would have been happy with either, but I think I'll be more likely to watch the show they picked.) With this season over and the movie Julie & Julia coming out next weekend, I'm inspired to cook! We've been trying to cook at home more and eat out less, so this is good timing. We ate out a bit more in July than I would have liked but it's the start of a fresh month, so now is as good as time as any to get back on track. =)

Tomorrow we're going to have the family over for dinner, to celebrate Lindsey's birthday (my mother-in-law). We are going to have Bodacious Grilled Ribs (take 2...we tried this before and overcooked them, but they were still good!!) and we're going to make this awesome bacon-wrapped grilled Chicken sandwich recipe that Jason found this morning. After shopping all afternoon for the ingredients, I'm soooo excited. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I'm going to make a simple salad and I think Jenn is going to bring a potato casserole to add to the menu. I can't wait!

We Are Smitten

2009-07-07T14:44:00.000-07:00

So, as most of you may know, I love dogs. Joey loves dogs. Jason loves dogs. Matthew & Emily even like dogs, if they have time to get used to them first. But I didn't think one would say they "loved" dogs until this weekend...*sigh*

Friday night, we went out to dinner with the family and then to the grocery store to buy stuff for our 4th of July party. When we got home, a lost/stray poodle mix was across the street and ran over to greet us. At first, we tried to ignore her because we didn't want her to think we were going to feed her or anything, but she kept coming over to us and at one time, she jumped into the back of our minivan while we were unloading the groceries! She followed us all into our apartment, despite our objections, and so after a quick talk, we decided we'd keep her until we found her owner, if she had one.

Well, since it was so late at night, I knew all the shelters and everything would be closed. I posted a "found dog" ad on Craigslist and found an emergency vet clinic that would be open the next day, even though it was a holiday. We wanted to see if she had a microchip or anything (she didn't have a collar or tags). So, Saturday morning, we trekked out to the vet and had her scanned, but no luck. No microchip...however, as we were pulling into the parking lot, I checked my email on my phone, and someone had contacted me via Craigslist. They described the dog to the tee, and explained how she had gotten out. And as it turns out, the owners live just down the street and one of them works across the street, which is why the dog was over there when we found her--she was looking for her owner.

So, after the kids finished crying (sad face), we took her back home and waited for the owner to come pick her up. They had some time to say goodbye and the reunion was bittersweet. A few hours later, I was messing around in the kitchen and caught myself looking out for where I put my feet and realized that I missed the dog! I talked to Jason and we decided that we all needed a dog now. It was the right time.

We immediately started looking for a dog. After taking an online quiz to find out what breed would work best for our family and lifestyle, we looked online at http://www.petfinder.com/ and described the type of dog we wanted. We found a few we were interested in, so we emailed and called a few shelters. On Sunday, we took a trip down to the pound and looked at the dogs there. Unfortunatley, they mostly had chihuahua mixes, and I've heard they are not too friendly with children. We wanted a small dog, but not a toy dog, because with kids, we wanted a dog that was "sturdy" and not too fragile. We went over to a pet store where they had an adoption event going on and there were only 2 small dogs left, and one of them was "unstable" because he had a history of abuse, and the other one had too long of hair and shed too much.

So, out of the 3 shelters I had contacted online, only one got back to us (still now, 3 days later, the other 2 never got back to us, so it's not just that I was being impatient...haha!). Bichons & Buddies specializes in the rescue of small dogs, and they really want to make sure the dogs go to safe homes, so I had to fill out an online application. We took the kids to Disneyland on Sunday night to watch the fireworks and Fantasmic, and while we were there, I was emailing back and forth with the person in charge of the shelter. She said we were approved and out of all the dogs they had, she knew of 2 we could choose from that she said would fit our profile: small, little to no shedding, quiet, good with children, preferrably female, affectionate, housetrained, slightly older so as not to chew on everything in sight...we weren't picky at all, right? ROFL

We set up an appointment to meet the next day at 10am, so the kids and I drove out to L.A. to meet the 2 possibilities: Gulliver and Jessica. Gulliver was a cute little boy dog, but he didn't show any interest in us. We took him for a walk, and he whined the whole time and looked nervous. When we went to a grassy area and just stood next to him, he was more interested in the bushes than getting our attention. I squatted down to his level and he didn't want to come even when I called to him. So, we took him back to the clinic and asked to meet Jessica.

Jessica came out a little more excited, because she had just came in from playing with the other doggies, and that scared Emily a little bit. She didn't want to go with us to walk to the dog, but I couldn't leave her alone in the clinic either, so I made her come. She walked behind us and cried the whole time...not really a great first impression! But the boys loved her, and they walked her this time. They took turns and when we went over to the same grassy area, she was trying to get our attention inbetween checking out the bushes and using the potty. When I got down at her level, she came right over and rolled over, exposing her belly to me. I praised her and petted her and she just loved it! We went back to the clinic, and as I took her and the kids inside, Emily decided to calm down and try petting her...and she was hooked! Within minutes we were sitting down with Jessica on the bench and Emily was hugging her neck, kissing her and begging me to bring her home with us! LOL

While we were talking it over with the rescue lady, Jessica made herself at home in between Emily & I on the bench and the boys were standing next to us, petting her. She was very calm and enjoyed the affection. I had a very good feeling about this dog, and we decided to adopt her right then. She fit all of our requests, and she was just darn adorable!!

The only "problem", if you could call it that...was the fact that her name was Jessica. My sister's name is Jessyca...and I just couldn't have a dog named after my sister. LOL I think Jessyca would kill me if I did! So, I asked if we could change her name, and she said, of course! So, we spent the day thinking of names and we finally decided on Abby. She is 3 years old, and is a Bichon/Cocker Spaniel mix according to the shelter (which I just found out is called a Cock-a-Chon LOL).

She has adjusted very well to her new home! She slept on the ottoman last night and didn't move the whole night. Her mannerisms are like she has always been here. =) We love her so much already!

Here's a couple of pictures that I took yesterday:

I Guess I was Tired!

2009-06-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

So, after all the stuff we did over the last few days, it apparently caught up with me. LOL Last night, after Susy and the kids left, Jason was on the computer and I decided to sit down at watch a movie that I had saved on my DVR. About half way through the movie, I dozed off and Jason woke me up so we could go to bed, but I guess I didn't make it...LOL I woke up this morning on the couch just as the kids were coming out to watch tv and get breakfast! haha! So...I went into the bedroom to sleep for "just one more hour" and when I woke up, it was after 10am! Now, church starts at 10:30, so there was NO way I was going to make it...LOL

Jason went into work, and I made some pull-apart "Monkey" bread for myself and the kids and started some laundry. The kids have watched a couple of movies this morning and we are enjoying a lazy day. When Jason gets home, we'll grill some turkey burgers...oh! I should get that out of the freezer...

Friends, Food, Friends Again, More Food...and so on and so on

2009-06-27T15:11:00.000-07:00

The weekend is here and we're having a great time! Usually, Monday-Wednesday is pretty slow around here, and then BOOM! Busyness! =)

Thursday, Joey had Karate as usual, and then afterwards, we went to a friend's house for dinner. Jason met us there after work, and I cooked chicken and rice for everyone. John is opening up a new video game business and right now, it's being run from his house. He invited our kids to come over and "test" out some of the new Wii's and games to make sure everything is working okay before his big opening day (which is today). The kids had a great time! They didn't even want to take a break for dinner! haha We finally pulled them away from the screens around 10pm and convinced them to come home with us to go to bed. LOL By the time they got to bed, it was close to 11pm (and their usual bedtime is 8-8:30!), so I stayed up a bit longer to unwind. Next thing I know, it's almost 2:30am, so I finally went to bed!

Friday morning, I didn't really want to get out of bed, but I was motivated by an amazing used-curriculum sale at a church in Hermosa Beach. It opened at 9am, so I wanted to get there as soon as possible, so as not to get there when it was already picked over. I had to wake the kids up and convince them we had to get going right away, so I promised them I would buy them McDonald's for breakfast. After going to the bank to get cash, we were finally on our way!

When I arrived at the sale, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I soon realized I had left my list of books I needed at home. =/ Not good! So, I looked around, and the kids got excited about some books, so I made some purchases even though I didn't really need them. But, I couldn't pass up the awesome deals! We walked away with a large rolling crate of books (various prices ranging in price from FREE to $5), a few FREE children's videos (VHS...it pays to have a VCR/DVD combo! LOL), and 4 sets (12 episodes in each set) of Adventures in Odyssey for only $5 each (cassette tape, but I can play them in my minivan, which is where we listen to most audio stories anyway). I was really excited and I only ended up spending less than half of my budget! =D After the sale, we went on a few more errands, and then we came home for lunch and naps. We were all tired!

Last night, we had some friends over for dinner and we were going to watch Nacho Libre with them and the kids. The boys were excited because they've never seen it before, and it was going to be a family thing...but, I couldn't find the DVD! We tore the house up looking for it, but it's lost. I hope I can find it...we love that movie! So we went to Target to try to buy it but they didn't have it there, either, so we bought Paul Blart: Mall Cop and watched that instead. It was funny, but I think it would have been funnier if I had previewed it before watching it with the kids. I was too tense hoping nothing "bad" would show up that it was hard to laugh through most of it. LOL It did have a few cuss words in it, so I probably won't let them watch it again, but I'm sure it went over their heads for this one viewing, so I'm not too worried about the exposure. But I won't let them watch it obsessively over and over again, like I would a cartoon, you know?

Aside from the movie mishap, last night was exciting because Joey got to go to his first sleepover! His Karate place was having a lock-in and a lot of kids his age were going to be there. They have 2 classes--the Lil' Kickers, which is for 4-8 year olds and then the regular class which is 8-Adult. His teacher thought it would be a good idea for Joey to be at the lock-in so he could get to know some kids from the older class, so it will help him transition out of the Lil' Kickers easier. He had such a great time. He called home about an hour or so after we dropped him off and he talked to Jason. He just wanted to let us know that he was having a GREAT time! haha He's so cute. ;o)

So, around 7:30 this morning, I picked him up from the Karate place and he was sad to leave. Most everyone was still sleeping, and I can't say I blame them! LOL But Joey said he went to bed around 11pm, intending to just take a short "nap" but ended up staying asleep the whole night. LOL

I picked him up early because I wanted him to have time to come home and get ready for Portraits in the Park--of which we had a 9am appointment. Stacee (of Stacee Lianna Photography...and who took our family pictures a couple of years ago), was raising money to fund her internship trip to Canada next month. So, I wanted to get pictures of the kids. Unfortunately, Jason had to work, so family pictures were out of the question. But, we got there and had a good time. After pictures, I dropped the kids off at church so they could work on their cars for the annual pine derby race that's next month. So, I had a few hours to myself--you'd think that would be heavenly!

But no...unfortunately, I did the responsible thing and straightened up my house, went grocery shopping and stuff like that. LOL Now, I'm home and I'm sleepy! But we have more friends coming over this afternoon for pizza and fun. =) As I said above, our friend John is having his grand opening today, so his wifey & kiddos are coming over here to hang out a bit and get a break from the gameyness! ;o)

So basically, I've been running around on crazy sleep schedules and tons of coffee & sugar, and come Monday morning, I'll probably not get out of my pajamas all day...;o) Well, until it's time to workout anyway...LOL

LEGO Nacho Baptism

2009-06-23T15:01:00.000-07:00

This is so funny!

Homeschool Days at the Aquarium of the Pacific

2009-06-23T13:37:00.000-07:00

We're going on Wednesday the 23rd!

When: Wednesday, September 23 and Thursday, September 24, 2009, between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m.

Cost: On these days we are excited to open our doors to homeschool families and offer a special discounted rate of $6 per person for groups of any size.

RSVP: Pre-registration is required. Please make your reservation for Homeschool Days with our Guest Support Center at (562) 951-1630.

Click here for more information on Homeschool Days. For more information on educational opportunities for homeschool families,click here: If you have any questions about Homeschool Days or any other classroom programs, please contact our Guest Support Center at (562) 951-1630. If you are unable to make these dates, remember homeschool groups of 10 people or more are welcome to book a field trip to the Aquarium with a special discounted rate per participant. For a group of 20 or more, homeschool groups are also invited to book one of our classroom programs for a special discounted rate, click here.

Aquarium of the Pacific is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization which depends on your supportto fulfill our mission: to instill a sense of wonder, respect, and stewardship for thePacific Ocean, its inhabitants, and ecosystems.http://aquariumofpacific.org©2008 Aquarium of the Pacific 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802 (562) 590-3100

Choosing Sonlight

2009-06-17T11:41:00.000-07:00

Last year, when we decided to use Sonlight as our homeschool curriculum, I was pretty overwhelmed with all of the choices available! There are history CORES that include reading, but you have to pick out your own math, science, Bible, etc. Or, there are Newcomer packages that include everything you need for a complete school year, including electives like art & music!

When we first started homeschooling, I was reviewing all the different curriculum choices out there and fell instantly in love with Sonlight...but thought the price was too much! We learned quickly that quality curriculum isn't always cheap...even if we saved money by just buying the history CORE, we still needed to get the math, science, etc. Buying a Newcomer package seemed like the best route for us, because since I was pretty new at the whole curriculum thing, I was really confused by all the options and wasn't sure I'd cover everything on my own. But, God provided a way and so that's what we did. We spent a lot of money for our first full year, but I'm able to use it for all 3 kids--both boys now, and Emily later. So, it breaks down to be a bargain in that regard.

A few months ago, Jason & I decided to sit down and plan out our education future, and we decided that we'd stick with Sonlight as long as God provided a way for us to afford it. I just really like it--it fits us! (I shared with a friend that once upon a time I was accepted into a college and was planning to become a history teacher...and that's probably why I like this *history-based* curriculum so much! LOL)

But, now, through experience and talking with other Sonlight moms, I've become familiar with the system and the Newcomer packages vs. the COREs. I have more confidence to pick and choose from all of the options available! Since it's the end of the traditional school year, a lot of people are selling their used curriculum. We really won't need our next CORE until December, but I doubt people will be getting rid of curriculum in December, and I didn't want to buy "new" in the middle of the holiday season, so I jumped on the chance to get some used curriculum at bargain prices! I chose what I want to use for next year and started scouring the Used Curriculum Sale board over at the Sonlight Message Boards. I figure by the time I purchase everything, some used and some new, I will save right around $300 compared to if I bought everything new. =)

Another nice thing about Sonlight is that if you really like the curriculum but are on a tight budget, you can really make it work for you! Since most of the books are just that: books...you can get a lot of them from the library! If you just buy the Instructor's Guide, you will know how the readers (books your kids read themselves) and read-alouds (books you read outloud to your kids) are scheduled, and you can utilize your library card! Lucky for us, we are a little more than a few blocks away from a branch of the Los Angeles Public Library! I haven't tried it yet, but I'm pretty sure they have an awesome inter-library book loan program! =D

In addition to Sonlight, our kids are enrolled in our homeschool co-op, which provides them each with 4 enrichment classes per year, as well as field trip options and other opportunities. Matthew will also be enrolling in a Language Arts class that meets once a week across the street from our house. It's for 4th-6th graders, so Joey won't be ready for it until next year. Emily will be starting public Kindergarten on Jason's birthday, and despite popular thinking, it won't actually free up any time in my schedule--it will mean I have to be out of the house by 8am and be ready to drop what I was doing and pick her up by 2pm, and then help her with homework (yes, there's homework in K)...but maybe it will help me get on a more concrete schedule! haha! And she is super excited, so it will be worth it. Please pray that we get the teacher we requested, though!

As an aside, if you are interested in checking out the Sonlight Used Curriculum MB, you can get a free 30-day subscription to the forum, but you cannot post in the Used Curriculum board unless you pay, so it's customary to just contact the seller by clicking on the person's username and sending them a private message or email. Also, check out used curriculum sales--take your list of titles with you so you only have to buy what you need--and also any type of used book sales, like at a library or a used book story or a school sale might have the titles you need!

A Great Sunday

2009-06-14T22:25:00.000-07:00

"Rearranged" Our Kitchen

2009-06-13T14:53:00.000-07:00

This morning we opened some packages that my step-dad, Rick, sent us last week. They are Christmas gifts from him and my mom, and one of them was a new coffee pot/espresso machine! You know how much I love my coffee, so I'm really excited about it! So, we took Jennifer's advice and moved our microwave to the top of the fridge:

And we put the coffee machine next to our old one (which we are keeping b/c it has a grinder, and we can make large quantities of coffee for company/parties with both):

In the cupboard above the coffee pots are all our mugs, beans, etc., where they have always been, and below are all of our spoons, and of course, it's right next to the fridge, so creamer is easily within reach...so yay! =)

(If you're wondering why there is a mug on top of the old coffee machine, it's b/c the latch broke years ago and without it being closed all the way, it won't grind or brew anything. I got tired of standing around holding it, so we rigged it...LOL It's become a permanent part of our coffee "system"!)

Just "Hanging" Around

2009-06-10T23:26:00.000-07:00

So, our Pastor had this idea for a swing in our church gym...

It was so much fun!!! The top picture just shows the swing before someone was pulled to the top...the very tippy top of the gym ceiling! So you get pulled up there and then you just push a little lever...easy! Psh! LOL I was like, "Now?!" Haha! I pushed the lever, which felt like it took an eternity and then KABLAM! and WHOOSH! and *SCREAMMMMMMMMMM*

The rest is history. =D

Time Management: Part One Million

2009-06-10T17:19:00.000-07:00

It seems like the thorn in my side is "time management". It's always on my to-do list, yet never done. So, if this all sounds familiar or like I've blogged about this before, I probably have. Countless times! LOL

In my battle to get a grip on my procrastination habit, I've created a schedule and fail to use it. I've put alarms on my phone and just ignore them. I have been-there-done-that with Flylady (I still believe in her system, but haven't stuck with it). I have bursts of frantic activity-sometimes lasting days-and then I crash and do nothing. Then...especially when it comes to housework, I have to start all over to get back to where I left off! What in the world will get me motivated and keep me "going at it" for the long term? Will I ever "get it"? =P I think I should keep an activity journal or something.

Here's what I've done today (besides be online a lot):

dishes
organize the kids to do chores (vacuum, pick up their rooms, take out the trash, put away their laundry)
homeschool
make a dentist appt. for Emily
print out the forms I need for the homeschool co-op on Friday
started the process of clearing off our back deck
gave Emily a bath
did 2 loads of laundry
did 2 chapters of Bible study homework--one chapter in each study

Now I'm going to get off here and drop off some library books on my way to church. After church I'm going to make dinner for Jason & I (the kids eat pizza at church). Tomorrow I'll keep track of other productive things I do, and hopefully I can make some progress! I really want to accomplish my goals/to-do list but I can't even begin if I can't get the basics taken care of! LOL

Oh, and on top of an activity journal, I've started Beth Moore's study Breaking Free. If procrastination counts as a stronghold, I'd love to break it!

Happy Half-Year!

2009-06-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

It's been 6 months since New Year's Day, so half of the year is already gone. I cannot believe it! It seems like I still haven't accomplished anything this year! It has gone by way too fast for my liking. *sigh*

I have a random list that is a mixture of goals I want to make and things I need to do, so here it is for all of your enjoyment (in no particular order):

start getting some fitness into my routines (walking, wii fit, etc...just any type of movement!)
work on getting previously mentioned routines back on track--no more "I didn't get anything done" days! =/
organize paperwork--declutter most of it and come up with a filing system for papers, bills, etc.
redecorate our bedroom (in 10 years we've redecorated every room in our apartment(s) except for that one...and I mean more than just a new comforter set!)
get out of debt (hopefully we can pay off our credit cards by spring, and then we'll just have car payments to worry about!)
finish our Dave Ramsey "Financial Peace University" stuff
finish a bible study I started earlier this year & start up a personal one that I've been meaning to get around to
get stuff ready to start the Beth Moore "Esther" study at church (we're starting in September, and I want to preview the study and get started on a lot of the leader guide work ahead of time)
make dentist appointments for my family
refill my garage freezer
get rid of some of the stuff that's in my garage (anyone need a stroller?)
on that note-put some of the stuff on my deck down in the garage...LOL
go to the Self-Defense class on June 20th at Joey's Karate school (anyone want to join me??)

This is just a partial list...hopefully by New Year's '10 I'll have knocked these all out! =D

Where My HOSE At?

2009-05-29T19:28:00.001-07:00

I hold a special place in my heart for Seth Green! haha!

Un-Broke: The Seth Green Cribs Edition - watch more funny videos

My Youngest Child is Five

2009-05-27T17:56:00.000-07:00

*sigh*

We had a pretty packed Memorial Day weekend with some adventures, hanging out with friends, and getting some things done around the house. Then, on Tuesday, Emily turned 5! I woke up and remembered that Disney was giving out gift certificates to pass holders (since we don't need to get free admission), so I decided to take the kids on a spontateous trip to the Park.

Emily was so excited! She picked out a Mickey hat (which all the kids have gotten to do on their birthdays this year), and she got to hear a birthday message from Goofy on the phone at City Hall. We rode on Pirates of the Caribbean, which is her favorite ride, and we rode on the horse drawn carriage down main street, and the fire engine UP main street. =)

We didn't get to stay the whole day, because Joey had Karate in the afternoon, and he got to sit on the testing board for the first time, which was a big deal! But while we were there, Emily got to hold a kitten and was so happy! She said it was the best birthday ever!

After Karate, I did the insane thing and went BACK to Disneyland with the kids so that Emily could spend her birthday money. She got $20 from Grandma, too, so she and the boys wanted to go to Build-a-Bear (and Bunny and Doggy) Workshop. They all had their own money, and I'm so proud of them for using self-control! Matthew bought a bear and a shirt, Emily bought a bunny and bunny slippers, and Joey just bought a dog--no accessories--because he was saving the rest of his money for a special lightsaber at the Disney Store. =)

Emily had a great time shopping and walking around. We ate lunch at Rainforest Cafe, and they brought her a sundae and sang to her, which she just loved. I wish I had taken my camera but all I had was my phone, so all the pictures are blurry. At one point, she asked me if she would still be 5 "in the morning", and I said, "Yes, honey, you get to be 5 for a whole year!" I think that made her day. ;o)

(Oh, and in the picture above, all the kids are wearing their Mickey hats...but Joey has one of the new build-your-own hats, and he lost his ears...LOL)

A Struggle with Contentment

2009-05-24T06:19:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago, Jason & I moved to California to get married. Our original plan was to get married, spend our honeymoon up the coast and then go back to our life in Colorado and someday get a house. But, our plans were not God's plans, and we stayed in California for what we thought was going to be a short time.

We moved into an apartment, and I swore up and down that I would not raise my kids in an apartment. I would get a house like everyone I knew growing up. Someday, we would have a yard and a spare bedroom, and we would be "real grown-ups". Throughout the years, Jason would look around the country (mainly in Colorado, but occasionally elsewhere) for job openings in his field. We wanted to live close to family, but eventually, we didn't care where we lived as long as we'd have a patch of grass for our kids!

We moved up in the world though, when we found an apartment with 2 bathrooms and a washer & dryer. =) Two and a half years ago, we found the place where we live now...a 3-bedroom, 1-bath apartment. In almost 10 years, I had never stopped looking at For Rent signs, until we found this place. I thought, "It's not a house, but it's close enough." I thought I was content.

Until yesterday. =/ Jason and I were talking about visiting Colorado next summer, and the old feelings came back. I thought I was past it, but "just for fun" Jason looked to see if there were any job openings. There's one. At a great hospital in downtown Colorado Springs. Offering more money than he is making now at his full-time job (but not more money than he makes if you combine all 3 jobs).

And for the first time in 10 years, I didn't beg him to apply. I'd like to think it was because I was content...but, I think I've just lost hope. =(

All By Herself =)

2009-05-19T13:42:00.000-07:00

I asked if she could write her name, and she's always been able to do a pretty good "E". But she surprised me yesterday with this...she made the E and the M by herself and then asked, "What does an I look like?" I described it to her (but didn't show her on paper), and we did the same for L and Y. I'm pretty proud!

Oh, and the squiggle under the M & I is a sideways heart. The other squiggle is part of the rest of her "drawings". This is just the upper right hand corner of the page that she scribbled all over. LOL

New Paintings!

2009-05-16T13:03:00.000-07:00

When we first moved into our apartment, we were faced with the dilemma of finding something to hang on our white kitchen wall. Well, I have this tea set in my kitchen that I wanted to decorate around, so the challenge was to find something to match or coordinate...
Shanna offered to paint something for us when we moved in, and soon after that, I found a tissue box that I really liked, and I asked her if she could paint something similar for our kitchen. Jason & I really like coffee, so it seemed the perfect "theme". This is what she came up with:

We think they are AWESOME!!! Thank you so much, Shanna! This morning I took some time to hang them straight, and I really like the whole look. Finally our kitchen has some color! =D

Emily Graduated

2009-05-09T10:37:00.000-07:00

...to a Big Girl Bed!

From this...

to this...

to THIS:

Las Vegas: A Short Recap & Pics

2009-05-07T14:29:00.000-07:00

Well, here are some more pictures I took of our trip:

And clips of the 2 fountain shows we watched at the Bellagio:

We got home from Vegas on Friday night, picked up the kids, stayed one night at home and then left again on Saturday morning to go down to San Diego to camp overnight at the KOA. Our church group was there for the weekend, and we had a good time hanging out with friends and swimming in the pool with the kids. Unfortunately, I barely had time to unpack or charge my camera, so I didn't get any pictures of us camping. It's probably better that way anyway, since I spent almost the whole time in the pool and didn't shower all weekend...ROFL

For those who asked, we stayed at The Signature at MGM Grand, in a Junior Suite. We ate most of our meals in our room, because we had a kitchenette, and that allowed us to save some money without feeling like we were missing out. We ate at some great restaurants, including the Buffet at the Bellagio. Yum! I tried a couple of new things for the first time: duck & a California Roll. I also ate 3 mini-desserts, and they were ooooh so worth it. LOL ;o) We were even able to go to the Tournament of the Kings show at Excalibur on our last night in town, which was something we hadn't originally planned. But we had a great time over all! I miss the maid service already...LOL

Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again

2009-04-29T23:59:00.000-07:00

I have lots of other pictures to share later, when we get home and I have a chance to create a slideshow of our trip...but I just could not wait to share these. We had an amazing AMAZING time at Phantom of the Opera! Before we left, I snapped a picture of us in the window again, unsure if we'd get another one as a couple, but after the show, we were blessed to meet a wonderful couple who went with us to meet the cast and we swapped picture-taking duties, so Jason & I also got our picture taken with the women of Phantom (from L-R), Tina Walsh (Madame Giry), Kristen Hertzenberg (Christine Daae) & Danielle White (Carlotta Guidicelli)! That was totally unexpected, because we found out from reading our playbill before the show (in our 3rd row, center seats *big grin*) that they have meet & greets half an hour after the show on WEDNESDAYS ONLY!! We had no idea when we booked our tickets a month ago, so it was a very very pleasant surprise!

After wandering around the Ventian and the Palazzo a bit (we got lost a few times, I'll admit it...LOL), we found this great Mexican food place right on the indoor canal, called Taqueria Cañonita. The food was soooooo good. And, we had some great entertainment from the gondolas floating by...it was nice.

Walking back to the monorail (which, by the way, we were given free tickets to from a nice couple walking by, saving us $10!), we caught a volcano-type show outside The Mirage, and just over all had a wonderful evening. *sigh* Now it's around midnight and we're back in our room watching late-night television and drinking a nice cup of coffee. We have a day and a half left, and I hope to squeeze out every last minute relaxation possible.

P.S. Who says you can't wear a bridesmaid's dress a second time? ROFL

Operation Vacation Has Officially Begun

2009-04-26T16:43:00.000-07:00

30 seconds of our 30th floor view:

Edited just for the fun of it...our view after dark!

(Pictures can't do it justice...my flash just isn't that powerful...LOL)

So far, today, after a 4 1/2 hour drive in virtually NO traffic, we arrived at our hotel just in time to check-in. This place is so amazing...the best word I can think of is "lovely". I will be spoiled for sure. In fact, I told Jason that the next time we come to Vegas (whenever that will be), when we stay in something like the Holiday Inn (something more inline with our usual travel budget), we'll shake our fists at Tower 3 of the Signature at MGM and yell, "DARN YOU!!" ROFL

We unpacked after we picked our jaws off the floor, and realized we were starving. But, we didn't want to really go anywhere, so we did the unthinkable: we ordered in-room service. After splitting a margerita pizza and a Southwestern Wedge Salad, we went to Albertsons and Target to pick up some stuff for the kitchenette. We were under-budget with the groceries, which is good, because that excess will help pay for the valet tips we'll incur each day, I'm sure! LOL

Unfortunately, we were too late to catch the 7:10 showing of 17 Again, so we decided to kick back in our room until The Amazing Race started. We're currently watching that, and then we'll go to the 10pm movie. I made some homemade guacamole and we ate chips and guac for dinner. It was delicious! After such a late lunch, it was just perfect. Now I can't wait to eat my Jr. Mints. ;o)

This is the type of vacation Jason & I enjoy. We have been to Vegas before, so we've seen a lot of the hotels and sights before. We have a couple of things planned for the week, but we are in no hurry to rush around and exhaust ourselves.

In the meantime, we'll keep you updated on our adventures! (P.S. It's not the busy here today, either, which is nice! So far, we've ridden the elevator up and down two seperate times and didn't have to stop in between the lobby and our floor either time...who knew you could climb THIRTY floors in THIRTY seconds? It's better than Disneyland! LOL)

Makeover!

2009-04-25T21:16:00.000-07:00

So today I got a new haircut. These are the best pics I could get for now...LOL I know that it looks like any other haircut that I've had in the past, but it's pretty cool, actually. It's asymmetrical--supershort on one side and in the back, and then longer on the other side. Also, I am parting it on the opposite side because I'm trying to let my bangs grow out and this worked best for this haircut. I dyed it red on Wednesday and it's already fading...LOL Oh well! I feel like a new woman...ROFL Anyhoo...here's some pics: ignore the bags under my eyes!

Standing Up for What You Believe In

2009-04-23T12:54:00.000-07:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

I'm really proud of Miss California, and thought I'd share this interview with you. I want to know what you think...please keep it civil, though!

Emily Sings Her ABCs

2009-04-14T23:27:00.000-07:00

Joey's Birthday Party

2009-04-12T20:27:00.000-07:00

Do you want to know why Joey is so sweaty?? Because he did not stop running for the entire 3 hours of his birthday party! LOL He had such a great time. We had his party at his Karate school, and they provided a bounce house for us, a room where we could set up our video game system and project it up on the wall--talk about "big screen"! A lot of his church friends, homeschool friends and Karate classmates came to the party, as well as their siblings and parents. We all had a great time! The kids got along really well, and the adults were pretty much left to visit and hang out in the room with all the food...LOL I wasn't complaining! In the end, Joey's Karate instructors did a fun presentation, and then we ended with cake. We are so grateful for everyone who came--it really made Joey feel special! We understand that not everyone could make it, though, so I've included the Karate thing here--I got it on video!! =)

And for Easter, here's a pic of Matthew, Emily & Joey this morning before church:

Week in Review

2009-04-07T15:22:00.000-07:00

I've had an urge to update my blog, but the only thing I can think of to talk about is our upcoming trip to Las Vegas...LOL I don't want to go on and on and on about it, because I already talk about it a lot but I just can't help it! I'm so excited! So, in an effort to avoid the topic, I just haven't blogged...LOL

So...let's see...what's been going on in my life lately?

Well, let's start backwards, I guess. Yesterday was Monday. I'm not a big fan of Mondays...in fact, it's always sorta been my day-off by "default". Usually we have a pretty busy weekend, so come Monday morning, I'm just not that into doing anything! Yesterday, I sat around in my pajamas all day. The kids did some math and watched educational cartoons, and I watched my niece for about an hour and a half so Jenn could get some housework done next door. Then we chatted for awhile and Jason came home from work in time for me to cook dinner. We had BBQ oven-baked chicken, baked beans, macaroni & cheese (the blue-box kind) and whole wheat pita bread. Yum!

Sunday, Jason got called into work at 3 in the morning, and since he was going to have to go in anyway, he decided to stay and work a shift instead of coming home only to drive back again in a few hours. So, while the kids & I raced to get to church on time, he finished up working and went home to take a nap around 11am. It was Margaret's birthday (she turned 87), so after church, I swung by the apartment to pick him up and meet the family at Ruby's Diner for lunch. After lunch, Jason had to go back into work for another hour or two, so I took the kids home and I took a nap. I didn't really cook dinner because we ate so much at the restaurant, but the kids had a sandwich and stuff before bed.

Saturday, Jason worked all day (last week was his on-call week). But the kids & I were invited to a birthday party in Westchester, so we had a fun-filled day. There is a new family at the kids' homeschool co-op, and they have a daughter who just turned 5. She's in Emily's preschool class--in fact, she's the only other girl in the class--and they have struck up a great friendship! She's so cute, and Emily was absolutely THRILLED to go to her party! We all had a really good time and we went home exhausted. When Jason got home, we ordered pizza and called it a night.

Friday was our homeschool co-op day. I've decided that we should probably go to park day afterwards a little more often. But on Friday, Jason called and invited us to drive out to his work and have lunch with him, so we left as soon as classes were over and headed out to Downey. We met him at Chili's and the kids were so happy to see Daddy! It was a great day. I gave the kids leftovers for dinner, and Jason got something from the drive-thru. I didn't cook because I was having people over for Bible study...but only 2 out of 8 girls could make it, so instead of talking about our topic for the night, we just hung out. Jason was going to go see a movie, but he was really tired from working late all week, so he hung out with "the girls" instead. LOL

The rest of the week was pretty uneventful (yes, even more so than the weekend...LOL). Jason isn't on-call this week, which is nice, but starting Monday, he'll be on-call for another week. Then, it's only one more week after that before we leave for our trip! Every single day, we both wish it was already time...LOL I can't wait for a full week of relaxation!

25 Days and Counting...

2009-04-01T11:34:00.000-07:00

...until our anniversary trip! I am beyond excited!!

In other news, I updated the layout of my blog...I've always wanted a 3 column layout and I finally figured out how to do it! Yay me!

Earth Hour 2009

2009-03-27T23:06:00.000-07:00

I posted about this last year, too, so I thought I'd mention it again...this is the 3rd year that this has happened, and this year is supposed to be the biggest yet--even the Las Vegas Strip is going dark for an hour on Saturday night (which is tomorrow night or tonight depending on when you are reading this...). So...be a part of something worldwide: turn off your lights and all unnecessary electronics for an hour at 8:30pm local time!

Earth Hour 2009

More on the event

Mommy-Daughter Date

2009-03-24T11:33:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Jason did school with the boys by taking them to the California Science Center & Aerospace Museum on a field-trip. Some of the exhibits they were planning to see were a little to mature for Emily, so I decided we'd do something fun too! We never really get to spend much time alone anymore like we used to, so we were, in Emily's words, both really "decided" about it! (Translation: "excited")

We headed off to Disneyland, and Emily had a very important job to do...when we pulled into the parking structure, the ticket booth was on the passenger side of the van, so I couldn't reach to give him my parking pass. So, I rolled down Emily's window (she's in a carseat on the passenger side of the middle row), and she gave the attendant her very own pass. She was all smiles, she was so proud of doing her "special job". The attendant asked if we were celebrating anything and I said, "Girls Day!" But he was out of buttons, and he felt bad, but Emily was just so happy to have the parking ticket. LOL

Once we parked, she said she didn't want to ride the tram because it is "BORING", so she asked if we could walk to the park. So we did...hey, she's the youngest and the only girl, so it's not very often she gets to make all the decisions! LOL

I bought Emily some new sunglasses because it was so overcast that it was glarey. It was hurting my eyes, and I already had sunglasses! I couldn't stand to watch the poor girl squint, so the first thing we did after getting to Downtown Disney was go to the Disney store to pick out a pair. She picked Princess Aurora and wanted to pay for them herself...so she gave the cashier a whole 30 cents out of her very own purse and then I paid for the rest while she wasn't paying attention...LOL

Check out this tree...isn't it so pretty? The first ride we went on was Pirates of the Caribbean--her favorite ride in the park. =) Well, technically, we rode the train first, because we took that to get to New Orleans Square. We met a family that had travelled here on vacation all the way from Adelaide, Australia...the father said they had only been in the country for 12 hours and yet, there they were at Disneyland already! The poor guy looked exhausted...LOL But his kids were pumped! =D

I knew the park was crowded when we walked up to the Pirates entrance and it was a 25 minute line...that ride almost *never* has lines! But, I pulled out some peanut butter sandwiches and we ate our lunch while we waited. The ride was fun--Emily loves the waterslide part and the treasure room. LOL When we got off the ride, we strolled around and went to all the places she chose. Here she is on Minnie Mouse's bed:

After a few hours, Jason called and said they were done at the museums, so I invited them to join us. By the time they got to the park, it was almost dinner time, so we went over to California Adventures and went on one last ride--again, Emily's choice: Jumpin' Jellyfish! The boys had never gone on it before, so they decided to give it a try...I think Joey liked it okay, but Matthew hated it. While he was relieved that they went up and down fairly slow, he didn't like how high up the ride goes. Here we are in line:

In the end, we had a good time, and while it was pretty crowded because it was the weekend, we were glad that we didn't feel obligated to stay the whole time because of our passes!

The Greatest Change

2009-03-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

Last night, Jennifer, Brittany & I went to see Joyce Meyer in Long Beach. It was amazing! First of all, it must have been totally meant-to-be that we were there, because despite suggestions to get there by 5pm for good seats, we weren't able to leave until after 6pm. Then, I forgot to get cash for parking, so I had to go to the ATM...which was not only a few minutes out of our way, but I got the slowest machine on-site apparently...LOL So, by the time we drove to Long Beach, found parking and walked into the arena, you would have thought we'd miss a lot...but nope! It was still 15 minutes to start time, and we were able to find great seats in the upper section and still had time to catch our breath before the band started! It was great!

Delirious? was the worship band, and as usual they were awesome. It was the first time I'd seen them live, but I have a few of their songs on my iPod. Considering this whole event was FREE, the quality of the show was amazing--the stage was beautiful, the light effects were cool, the fog set the "mood"...it was really cool. Then, Joyce Meyer came out and we prayed for the offering and it was collected while a woman sang a pretty solo (I can't remember her name).

Then, the preaching started. This was a 4-session long conference, but last night was the only one I could make it to, and now I'm bummed that I missed all the others. The message was called "The Greatest Change" and one of the first things she said was, "Before anything else changes, your mind has to change." That is so true! She went on to talk about how we have to live "inside out", focusing more on our spirit than our soul (feelings) or our body (our flesh & blood). She said, "We have to learn to believe what God says over what we feel!" It's so easy to let our feelings run our lives...and I do that a lot on general things...it's so easy for me to justify stuff because "I don't feel like it right now"...but if I wait to "feel like it" it may never get done. So I wrote down another quote that hit home, "We do too much by feelings and not enough by decision and determination." She talked about the story in Joshua about the Israelites that crossed over the river Jordan (sound familiar?? We've been talking about that a LOT at our Wednesday night bible study!), and how they were told that God would part the river for them so they could cross safely...but the river wouldn't part until the first person in the line stuck his foot in it. God would act when they acted on faith--she said, "Sometimes people miss their destinies because they're waiting to FEEL the courage before they act!" We have to act despite the lack of feeling--if we want to move, we have to "put our foot in it"! She said, "Don't let your feelings have a vote!"

It was a really great message to hear--very encouraging and uplifting. She also talked about having blessings from God--we don't have to wait to get our blessings...He has already given them to us. We don't have to wait to feel blessed--we just have to act on it because it's already been given to us--all the blessings under heaven (Ephesians 1:3-14)!

There was a lot more to that--she talked for over an hour! She had an altar call, and then it let out around 9ish. Jenn, Brittany & I walked over to California Pizza Kitchen to eat some dinner and then we went home. It was really great and I wish more of you had come! Next time she comes to town, I hope we can get a large group, and maybe we can work it out to go to more than just one of her sessions! In the meantime, you should look her up on iTunes and subscribe to one of her podcasts. Also, she's not just for women--there were a lot of men there last night, and many men gave testimonies to how her ministry has changed their lives! =D

Just FYI

2009-03-20T13:58:00.000-07:00

Drum Roll Please

2009-03-18T16:26:00.000-07:00

Joey earned his Red Belt!! He is super excited and we are all really proud of him. You can see all the belts he's earned...with a gap where the purple belt would have gone, but he skipped right over that one and went straight to yellow! What comes after Jr. Red, you ask? Oh nothing much...except JR. BLACK!!! *big cheesy grin*

Today Was a Good Day

2009-03-15T19:06:00.000-07:00

This morning I got up early and got ready for church. Except, today was unlike most Sundays...I was going to church alone. To teach Sunday School to 1st-5th graders. And then coming home.

=)

Emily and Joey both have colds--Emily's is worse than Joey's. So Jason and I agreed that taking them to church would be wrong. I'm pretty sure we caught it from someone at church, and I don't want to continue the cycle, so we did the socially responsible thing. The only problem was that we didn't have any food. Since I spent Friday and Saturday celebrating my anniversary, I never went grocery shopping like I normally do, which meant that the kids were hungry. So, I made plans with Jason to leave from the church to meet him at Mimi's Cafe, where we ate "brunch". We got there at 10:30am, but by the time we were seated and ordered, it was noon!

After eating, we went grocery shopping. I was literally making a menu and a list at the table...and had my green grocery bags in the car, so we went for it--and got it all done and was home by 2pm. =) I picked up around the house, put away the groceries, played Wii with the family and then took a 3 hour nap. When I woke up, Jason tagged out and took a nap.

So now, it's after 7pm, and we're heating up leftovers for dinner--except for Emily who fell asleep on the couch (colds zap her energy fast), and I'm in my robe (over my clothes) because I just felt like it. After my husband worked for 14 days straight without a day off, I think we all deserved a day like this.

Then & Now

2009-03-14T19:24:00.000-07:00

As a P.S. to the post below, I thought I'd share these:

1999

Ages 19 & 23

2009

Ages: 29 & 33

Ten Years Man! TEN!

2009-03-14T18:25:00.000-07:00

As many of you know (because I haven't stopped talking about it for months), yesterday was my 10th wedding anniversary. =) Jason & I are planning to celebrate in late April by going to Vegas for a week, but Jenn & Russ were kind enough to invite our kids over for a sleepover last night, so we could celebrate on the "day of". We had a great time!

First of all, Jason came home from work a little early because we were going to see Joel McHale in Long Beach. But, he suprised me with these:

He put 10 different roses in there, among the many other beautiful flowers, including white roses to symbolize our wedding. =) Everyone say it with me now, "Awwwwww!"

After a homemade taco dinner, we left for our show!

Our friend Denise came with us, and we had a great time. I wasn't a fan of the opening act--he was a bit too raunchy for my taste. But, he was a finalist on Last Comic Standing, which is a show we like, so that was sort of cool. But Joel McHale was funny! I like his humor. Yes, he seems mean, but if you really think about it, he only makes fun of people who are practically asking to be made fun of...LOL

On top of that, there was a couple sitting in front of us that was almost as fun to watch as Joel himself. Every single time the punchline was revealed, they would look at each other and laugh. I mean, seriously. Every single joke: turn head, laugh...turn head, laugh... It got to the point that watching them was more hysterical than than the actual punchlines! LOL

After the show, we drove from Long Beach to Redondo Beach for some yummy cheesecake! We splurged on Cheesecake Factory and it was worth it!

Today, before we got the kids from Jenn & Russ, we went out to the California Science Center to see the CSI: exhibit. It was really fun! There are 3 different crime scenes, and you're assigned to one of them. You have to figure out the clues, document the evidence, and all that kind of stuff to figure out who did it. Meanwhile, they teach you the science behind everything, like DNA, blood spatter, fingerprinting, etc. It's very interactive, and they try to keep it pretty realistic...I mean as realistic as they can. LOL It's not real kid-friendly, which is why we went when we had babysitting. Oh, and the best part: it's free!

While we were at the Science Center, I decided to have a little fun on this thing:

It's a loooooong way down. We were up on the 3rd floor!

Click on these links in order to watch the video (they are really short):

Video 1 Video 2 Video 3 Video 4

Karate Kid

2009-03-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

Joey took another Karate test today...he was told he had a lot of little things to practice, but he was determined to test anyway, despite having no guarantee that he would be promoted next week. He practiced a lot for the last couple of days, and I was so excited for him. I'm really proud of him for trying--he was determined to just TRY! We won't find out about any results until Tuesday afternoon, but like I said, I am just proud that he tried!

If he DOES get Jr. Red Belt, then it is the final step before Jr. Black. =) He really wants to get Jr. Black!

Wanna Go?

2009-03-04T15:10:00.000-08:00

March 20th is supposed to be our next Chase the Lion date (after this Friday), but I think it would be fun to go on a "field trip" of sorts and go see Joyce Meyer! We could all meet here at my house and carpool in my minivan...it's only about 20 minutes from here. Are you up for it?

Some Say I Drink Too Much

2009-03-04T14:45:00.000-08:00

(not bad considering I haven't had any coffee yet today...YET...)

Surrendered Hearts

2009-03-02T16:05:00.000-08:00

So, a lot has happened since the last time I blogged. (Wow, that's such a cliche way to open a blog post, eh? LOL) For one thing, I finally dyed my hair red. I bought the haircolor in November, and have talked about doing it for months...but I finally did it. When, you ask? Right after taking those weird pictures...LOL As if I didn't have enough to do the night before the retreat, right? LOL And speaking of the retreat...

For 6 straight years, I have helped put together an annual retreat for the ladies at my church. It's been amazing every time. And, while every year has proved more and more difficult to plan, the rewards have been greater and greater each time! Despite the frantic preparations ahead of time and the sheer exhaustion afterwards (I mean, seriously, except for a lunch break to go eat soup at Panera Bread, I was in the conference room for somewhere around 15 hours just on Saturday alone), God was faithful to do a work in the lives of 27 women last weekend! One woman recieved Christ for the first time and another was baptized in the Holy Spirit--just to name 2! We have had countless testimonies over the last week of how people were moved, and I love listening to every single one of them. It makes all that work worth it!

The retreat was called Surrendered Hearts, and the whole theme was about surrending our hearts and worshipping God in everything we do--not just in song, or at church, or in front of those who know we are Christians...but in everything! And to do that, we have to have surrendered, humble hearts. Our theme song was The Stand by Hillsong United:

We also showed this video, which really emphasised our message:

On Friday, the kids had to be at their homeschool co-op classes from 10am-noon. While Jason was off the entire day, theoretically freeing me up to leave whenever I wanted, I had obligations to help in the preschool class from 10-11am. Also, I was supposed to be riding with Cassi, and she also had obligations to help out. So, we spent the morning at the church getting everything taken care of and hoping we could pick up her sister and Jennifer and get on the freeway before the prime traffic time. If you leave early enough, it only takes about 45 minutes to get to the hotel from our church...leave even a few minutes too late, and it could take 3-4 hours! So basically, we were rushing our perky patooties off! We were supposed to arrive at the hotel by 3pm so we could help decorate the conference room and set up and everything in time for registration to start at 4:30 and the first session to start at 6:30. But we got there right before 3ish, and it was almost completely done because a few people had gotten there about an hour before us and the hotel let them in early--for the first time ever! So...for the first time ever...I was able to leave the hotel and get something to eat for dinner before we had to be back for the Friday night session. Which was awesome.

Saturday morning, we offered an hour of optional prayer time in the conference room, and I wanted to be there for my own sake, but also because my iPod held the majority of the music for the weekend, including the playlist for prayer time. So, I was up bright and early for 7am prayer...and then the hotel offered to cater our breakfast in the conference room, instead of the breakfast room that the general hotel guests use, so I ate in the conference room. Our first session started at 10am, and went until 12:30, when we broke for lunch and free time...but I just grabbed a quick soup at Panera bread so I could be back in time for 3:00 Bunco during free time! =) However, with Bunco, you have to have a specific number of people to play, and so I opted out (because I have played before and liked it, but others had never played, so I wanted them to have a chance). Instead, I stayed in the conference room as an "alternate player" and read some of my book while relaxing in the corner on some pillows. LOL It was all I could do not to take a nap, but I was sure--given my company at the time--that it would have ended up on YouTube or something. ROFL

Right about when Bunco was ending, we were getting things ready for dinner, and I started playing around with my webcam--which is what produced those lovely self-portraits below--and after many minutes of gut-busting laughter, I got every single person at the retreat to take a few funny pictures and I put together an impromptu slideshow that we showed during dinner. We even got a few pictures of the waitstaff! ROFL It was awesome!

After dinner, we had our Saturday night session, which is always the best one, in my opinion. Pam shared the 2009 theme "Intentional Woman", which I posted about here. This is what the AG website says:

In a world that too often believes in luck, randomness and chance, every
day people head out the door with no idea why they're alive on this earth or how
to live through the day ahead of them with purpose and meaning. In sharp
contrast to this vague groping for significance in a world of randomness, God
makes it plain that we can live an intentional life... one with profound
meaning, clear direction, and eternal value.

You can almost hear God echoing, "...and I mean it!" when Paul writes
these words from Ephesians 5:17 (The Message): "Don't live carelessly,
unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants."

I'm excited to see this lived out in our church. Not to get too far off the subject for a bit, but our Wednesday night Women's bible study has been Beth Moore's Believing God, and it has been amazing. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. We are wrapping it up this month, and as we do, Pastor John has begun a Sunday School class called Experiencing God. I mean, hello...the two definately go hand-in-hand! We are definately in a season where we are making sure we know "what the Master wants!"

So, anyway...Sunday morning was a great way to end the retreat. We had some wonderful testimonies, and the message was so great--really nailing the "surrender" part of the message. Our wonderful speaker, Candace Gaeta, handed everyone a piece of paper with a picture of a "white flag" on it, and asked us to write on the flag the thing we needed to surrender--to lay down--in order to move on in our relationship with Christ. A lot of women surrendered some painful things, and we ended the retreat surrounding our white flags, in a very large circle, in prayer. It was very powerful!

Now that the retreat is over, a few people have asked what we are planning for next year. The first year we planned a retreat, we said, "That was SO much work--we'll never do that again!" But, on the drive home that Sunday afternoon, our heads and hearts were flooded with ideas for "next year". Every year we have had the same experience! Except, of course, for this year. A few posts back, I shared with you a song by John Waller called "While I'm Waiting". We sang this song a few times over the weekend, and that's exactly how I feel about planning the next retreat. I really don't know what God has in store for us this year in regards to a retreat. There has been some talk of going to the retreat the the Southern California AG district provides instead of doing one of our own, as well as talk of planning a different type of retreat--a prayer retreat--but like I said, I really don't know what God has in store for us. So, while I'm waiting, I will continue to serve Him. I'm sure He'll reveal where He is working soon enough!

Slowly but Surely I'm Losing My Mind...

2009-02-19T22:16:00.000-08:00

I should be packing but instead...I'm sitting here making myself laugh. LOL

Ahhhhh...

2009-02-17T10:30:00.000-08:00

I feel so much better today. Yesterday morning I had a HUGE list of things to do for the retreat, and I was overwhelmed by it all! But, the deadline approaches, so I had no choice but to tackle it head-on. Thankfully, of the stuff I was worried about, I was able to get it all done! I still have many things to do, so don't get me wrong--I'm no where near done! But I feel a lot better, because at least things are moving along. =)

ACK!!

2009-02-16T10:54:00.000-08:00

I know I should be just full of Spiritual Wisdom and Peace and Holy Anticipation right now, but I'm not. To be honest, I'm trying not to panic!! Our 6th Annual Ladies' Retreat is THIS FRIDAY and I feel like NOTHING is ready! At least not the stuff I was in charge of...I have a lot to do this week, and I have to work super hard to get it all done. Pray for me!

Awesome Edible Art

2009-02-13T11:28:00.000-08:00

Right now, live at the Smithsonian, this woman and her team are making a HUGE portrait of Obama and Lincoln out of cupcakes...

(Edited at 2:37pm)

So, this woman made this wonder after the election, using close to 1500 cupcakes. Today, she made an even more impressive wonder using 6000 cupcakes! I had it on live streaming video as it was happening (no, I didn't sit here and watch it the whole time, but yes, I watched it as I was doing other things around the house LOL). It was really neat to watch! If I find anymore pictures, I'll post some here, but for now, check out Cake Wrecks for the full scoop. =)

Taken

2009-02-13T09:59:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a good movie! Jason & I were able to go out on a date last night, and after a great meal, we went to the late showing of "Taken" and it was awesome. Very fast-paced, and very exciting--especially if you are a parent. LOL It just made catching the bad guys a little sweeter. ;o) If you liked the Jason Bourne movies, imagine what he would be like in 25 years...retired and trying to reconnect with his daughter...good stuff. =D

Waiting

2009-02-11T13:29:00.000-08:00

While I’m Waiting by John Waller (from the Fireproof Movie soundtrack)

I'm waiting

I'm waiting on You, Lord

And I am hopeful

I'm waiting on You, Lord

Though it is painful

But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident

Taking every step in obedience

While I'm waiting

I will serve You

While I'm waiting

I will worship

While I'm waiting

I will not faint

I'll be running the race

Even while I wait

I'm waiting

I'm waiting on You, Lord

And I am peaceful

I'm waiting on You, Lord

Though it's not easy

But faithfully, I will wait

Yes, I will wait

No Title Required

2009-02-10T10:39:00.000-08:00

So, I really enjoyed Fireproof, just like I thought I would. I missed the first few minutes of the movie, so I need to watch it again, but overall, I thought it was really well acted considering Kirk Cameron was the only "professional" actor in the cast (or so I've heard). I liked the message it had to offer, as well. It had a good mix of chuckles and tears, and I would recommend everyone to see it. =)

How I'm Spending My Friday Night

2009-02-06T15:21:00.000-08:00

I'll let you know how I like it!

RE:inspired

2009-02-02T11:25:00.000-08:00

Well, first of all, let me say the reason I haven't been blogging as much is not out of a lack of desire, but a lack of resources. I have had so much I've wanted to blog about in the last month, but as I've mentioned, I have computer problems. I'm back online, but I have no pictures and I really wanted to post some here...so I've been procrastinating until I could get it all in order, but you know what? Who cares? LOL I can't take it anymore--and pictures or no pictures--I am blogging today!

As I mentioned before, I went to a ladies' retreat with Jennifer a few weeks ago, and it was amazing. The theme of the retreat was based on John 15:1-12, which is about the true vine and the branches. The title of the retreat was “Abide” and the focus, through small group discussion, prayer and solitude time was how to live our lives in a way that bears good fruit, and the only way to do that is to abide in Jesus. I'm sure I’m messing it up by trying to cram the whole retreat into one sentence, but either way, I was really touched over the weekend.

Here's what the scripture says:

The Vine and the Branches

1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

Several parts of this passage jumped out at me over the course of the weekend, as I grappled with the junk I had brought with me to the retreat. Jenn had asked me what I was hoping to get out of the retreat before we had arrived, and I wanted concrete answers to how I can trim back my schedule. I was more than just busy, and I couldn't handle all that was on my plate. I needed to know what God wanted me to be doing with my life--as my friend Jessica posted on her new blog, and as I've heard so many others echo this statement, I felt like I wasn't really living, just merely surviving.

I came away from the retreat with not just a new perspective, but a sharpened focus as well. Two weeks later, I was planning to attend a leadership conference for Women's Ministries, which I'm involved in at my church. It couldn't have been more perfect timing!

As we left on Friday morning to head out, a diverse team of women gathered in our church parking lot to load up on this adventure together. I thought a lot about who was coming, and we all have stories--if you rounded up all of our stories, I think we encompass just about every issue a woman could possibly have faced in a lifetime. I'm pretty sure we are a well-rounded group! That excited me, because I am learning that we all have gifts and if we work within our gifts, we can do amazing things.

The 2009 theme for the Assembly of God's Women's Ministry is "The Intentional Woman".

This is so appropriate to what God has been dealing with me in my life recently, and with all of the resources we were shown, I'm just so excited about what is coming in this new year! The speaker said, "At the end of their lives, many people will have arrived somewhere. Few people will have arrived somewhere on purpose." I want to arrive ON PURPOSE! I don't want to just do things for the sake of surviving, for the sake of doing, for the sake of duty-guilt. I want to do things that God has purposed for me and my life. If that involves chasing lions, then so be it!

Facebook & a New Face

2009-01-23T14:48:00.000-08:00

Okay, I did it. I know, I know, I've been saying for months that I didn't want a Facebook, but I finally caved. You know why I didn't want one? Because I know myself--I waste and incredible amount of time on the computer if I'm trying to avoid doing something else, and the last thing I needed was one more time waster! LOL But, I've begun to realize that there are so many people that I know in real life that are on Facebook and they are not on Myspace or Blogger or anywhere else. I'd like to keep in touch with them, and I obviously can't do that if I can't access their Facebook page! So, I decided I'd just have to put my big girl pants on and use some self-control! LOL So, if you want to look me up on Facebook, go ahead. I'm there. =)

Also, I want to say a special Congratulations to my friends Nate & Hattie who just welcomed their little boy into the world today. Caden was 9lbs 3oz! If you want to read more about them and see pics of their baby (I'm sure they'll post some soon!), you can check out Hattie's blog.

Despite the Silence...

2009-01-20T11:07:00.001-08:00

...January has been a very busy month! I have been going nuts without the ability to blog my every thought, picture, move...I have had so many moments that I have wanted to share with everyone and both of my computers went out of commission. It looks like I might lose everything on my laptop. Over a year's worth of files, pictures, home videos...gone. It's bittersweet to be sure. In addition to losing the use of my computers, our minivan was broken into over a week ago...I heard the whole thing happen from my couch, but I obviously couldn't do anything about it other than call the police, clean it up and take my minivan into the shop to replace the window and have some other damage repaired. After a week in the shop and handing over a small fortune, we got our minivan back only to find some electrical issues were going on--buttons didn't work, alarm wouldn't turn on, one door wouldn't lock, etc. So, I went out of town for the weekend to an amazing retreat (more on that later), and when I got back, I had to take it to the shop again. Thankfully, Jason had the day off yesterday, so he took care of it all. And amazingly enough, it was fixed in one day (so I wasn't without a car for another week like I feared) and what potentially could have cost us almost $200 ended up being covered under warranty so everything works again and it was FREE! It was honestly a miracle. I'm so relieved.

So, back to the retreat...my sister-in-law Jennifer goes to a different church than I do, but she has come to a couple of our church's women's retreats in the past. Well, I invited her to come to our retreat in February again, and she said that she would come to mine if I came to hers. A retreat that I didn't have to plan? You mean I didn't have to do anything but show up?? Wow...what a concept! LOL It was an amazing time of worship, prayer and teaching. We learned about the passage in John 15 about the vine and the branches, and how we are supposed to live our lives abiding in Jesus. I met some wonderful women, and I hope to keep in touch with them! Jenn took some pictures and a short video clip and posted them on her blog, and I encourage you to check it out! We had a great time, and the place was just beautiful. I can't wait to go back!

http://jennnys.blogspot.com/2009/01/awesome.html