Mail call

Oh ho....look what came in the mail today!!

Come on, you can figure out which of these 3 things I am talking about right?

I will give you a hint.
It is not a living creature.
Okay that gets you down to two items!

It is my new Food Network Magazine!


Do you hear groans from my family???
Ha ha ha ha!
I hope whatever I choose this time is not as much of a flop as the last choice!

I simply must take some time to flip through it and choose a recipe.
This time maybe I can experiment on my Thursday class, as this week is our eatin' meetin'.
We meet, we study, we eat!!

Storm (the hamster) seemed intent on reminding me that I really, really need to study my Gimp book.

It is a guide to a program, sorta like photoshop which my husband recently reloaded on our computer.
I "read" it a few weeks ago, but felt like I was looking at a book in a foreign language!
I don't like learning new things.
But I must!

Sigh...but the other one is so much prettier!!

I thought I would share this FAIL with you.
The hamster was running quickly about and headed toward my camera....far faster than I could get it to focus!!

Kinda looks like one of those zhoo zhoo (or whatever it is you call 'em) pets.

Good night gang...see ya tomorrow!!

Beans and Baloney!

The progression of the bean!!






Those tiny little beans had us all gathered around the plant...

...gawking!!
It has just all happened so fast!

Okay, plants aside...I do want to say something else today.
I must type it out quickly between dinner prep and taxi mom time while it is fresh on my heart and mind.
I would say it is mainly to mommies, new-ish mommies in particular.

Are feeling deliriously happy like nothing you have ever felt in your whole life and ever thought you would feel?
Are you feeling like being a Mommy of a precious little life is the best thing that you could have chosen off of the menu of possibilities given you?
Are you feeling like you could just burst with joy and cry with wonder when you come in contact with just a whiff of your little bundle as you feed him or cuddle her?

Now, on the other hand...
Are you overwhelmed beyond belief?
Do you feel like you will never feel human again, even if you slept from now till August?
Are you frustrated at the chores gone undone and the meals unprepared?
Do you wish just one item of clothing would fit, so you could feel just a tiny bit stunning for a few seconds while you suck in the impossibility that is now your stomach???
Are you lonely and sad and worn down to a frazzle?

How is it possible to feel so much JOY and so much agony all at once?
My dear, dear friends...that is a huge part of what being a mommy is all about!
YOU are not alone!
YOU are one of many fighting your desire to be the super fabulous you that you used to be, while not caring a bit for that person because of who you need to be for this new little life.

Don't find it strange if you are grieving who you once were or what you used to be able to do.
This is a new phase of your life!
You may be able to bring along some of the old you, but you may have to leave a ton of it behind.
Frankly, you were probably pretty super, but it is nothing compared to who you will become as you grow in love and maturity...and faith!

I am here to tell you right now, (and this is my opinion) it is okay to not have it all together!
Sometimes you are just in survival mode, and that is just the truth of it.
It is perfectly fine to have dishes undone, and laundry in piles awaiting your return.
You know what...you may even run out of toilet paper before you get a chance to pry yourself away from your home to run the errands that have to be done despite your exhaustion.
It is okay!

Do NOT be afraid to seek out a listening ear, and take the time to rant and rave and cry and be frustrated.
You might find a person who has been right where you have been and is longing to be a help!

Do NOT be so concerned at what you didn't get done and miss out on what you did accomplish.

Let your husband know of your need to know that you are loved beyond a shadow of a doubt despite the fact that you may not be able to wear a single thing but yoga pants and his old t-shirts.
I bet you don't realize that he thinks you are beautiful, just simply beautiful, even when you can't see a glimmer of glamor except in the chips of polish left over from the pedicure before the baby was born.

I think this time of life, when a baby comes into the home, even a second baby... is so hard for a woman.
Listen!
You are amazing!
You are loved!
You are doing the most important thing you could be doing when you feed and care for your children.
Okay, I hope that made sense. I have to post this without reviewing and correcting cause that is how it is today!
If there are crazy typo's or weird spellings...well you just will have to forgive me, cause I am doing the best I can right now with what I have got!!!
And I am A-Okay with that!!
Gotta jet, laundry to switch and children to feed and taxi to drive!

It happened

Sorry, this just can't wait until Friday!!
Look what let loose during church time today!

There are 4 additional flowers on this stalk and 5 more on the next stalk and 4 more on the next and....you get my drift right???
Lots more where this came from!

Tomorrow...
...I have another lovely little wonder to show you!
It got my whole family out in the yard ooooohhhhhing and aaaaaahhhhhing.

I hope your weekend was a blessed as mine.
Blessed around here, usually means busy too!!
So, I am tired and off to get in my jammies to relax as long as I can keep my eyes open.

Food Love!

A huge portion of the "gift" that I gave to my son for his birthday yesterday was food.

While he has always had a proclivity for eating, the teenage years seem to really be highlighting this trait!

I am trying my best to train him out of the bad eating patterns I trained him into, back in the days of my ignorance.
While our sleepover birthday party menu was not what one might consider "healthy", it was still all homemade (with love) and as far away from processed yuck food as I could get, while still pleasing teen boys.


Our treat for this morning was cinnamon rolls!
Made from scratch from beginning to end cinnamon roll yumminess!!

I was not 100% satisfied with the results of this new recipe, but will try it again with a bit of alteration.
I had nothing but accolades from the hungry mob of boys, so I must have done something right!!

I woke up at 3:00a.m. realizing that I had used all of the powdered sugar in my cake icing and quickly composed a mental list of what I should get from the store when I woke back up in the morning.
Powdered Sugar
Milk
Hamburger Buns (for the chopped beef sandwiches to come later today)
I repeated this over and over again, hoping my poor little brain would keep track of it for me until morning!!
It did!

7:30 found me, coffee cup in hand as I stumbled through the grocery store, collecting the items on my mental list!

Luckily icing is a no brainer, so I whipped it up in a snap...while sipping my second cup of coffee!

I had my drooling middle son take hold of the icing spoon, so that I could get an action shot.
He got distracted by my efforts and glopped a big blob of icing on one roll.

He quickly claimed that roll as the one he was gonna get his lips on first!

I acquiesced...mainly because it wasn't the one in the center.
I like the center rolls best, how about you??
I hope you like the edge ones best, cause then we would get along just fine!
Guess what my husband likes?
(Actually I don't think he cares much, but he does know that I have an opinion and he takes what I don't choose. He is awesome like that!)


There is just nothing like homemade cinnamon rolls!
Nothing in all the cooking world!!

That is not actually a fact, in case you were wondering, just my professional opinion.


I figured it was the perfect way for my son to begin his first day as a 14 year old.


I think he agreed.

AIM time!

I present to you, for a limited time engagement....

...AIM Team Guadalajara!



Angel




Jordan




Luke




Landon


For just a few more days this band of brothers will be in my town, making an impact on people everywhere they go! Catch them if you can!

It is interesting what happens when you say to a group of boys...I mean...young men, to stop right there and don't move!
They look around, take a wide stance and settle into cool mode!!

I mean, come on...girls group together and turn their best side to the camera, usually getting as close to the next girl as possible.
Am I right, or am I right?

AIM stands for Adventures In Missions. Young people from all over the world travel to Lubbock, Texas to do biblical studies before heading out to the mission field for a time in an apprentice type position. It is a beautiful work, which allows people the opportunity to study the Bible, and then go on to get experience on the mission field in a way that is full of commitment and yet full of support.
Our Church sponsors a team building week each year for a group of eager young people.
This year, we got team Guadalajara!!
These fellows are from as far away as New Zealand and as close as Lubbock itself.

This post, really...is for them, and anyone they may send this way.
It is a little glimpse into what this looks like from where I stand.

I had the pleasure of spending much of the day with the team!
My Thursday Bible class had a field trip day, so they came along on the search for Wildflowers on the way up to Bluebell territory.
Anyone who has any amount of Texas running through their veins knows that Bluebell is a local, much loved ice cream brand!

We took a tour of the factory and enjoyed a reasonable bowl of ice cream at the end.
I was mildly opposed, as we were headed straight to lunch, but was persuaded by the call of the cream!!!
I will report that 3 of the 4 boys had an additional bowl of ice cream!!!
That was a hoot!
So many of the things they did reminded me of my own growing boy/man!

I have a friend who lives close to the ice cream factory so I called her up and requested a drive by!!
We arrived to her hearty, warm welcome and immediately set to making the goats try to faint.

Yes, you read that right.
These are the famous fainting goats!!!
I must tell you it is one of the most hilarious animal things you will ever see.
When they get frightened their legs stiffen, and if you can get 'em really good...then they do a face plant right into the grass.
It is momentary and they spring right back up and take off running.

We were very respectful, and saved the scaring for the big daddy goats.
The babies....well, they were held, and petted!



Our hostess then rushed us to the "back 40" and proceeded to show us just how to swing on her new rope swing.
I mean she personally showed us how it was done!!!
She is the coolest grandma around!
I wanted to maintain my cool factor too, seeing as how I am probably old enough to be the mama of any one of these boys!!
Soooooo, I said I would take the first turn on the swing.
I knew if I didn't go for it right then I may lose my courage.
I climbed the 8 or so step ladder up a tree and just about turned back when I got to the top!
I steeled myself and with quite a bit of encouragement and trust in the advice given, took a flying leap!

It was roller coaster, drop your stomach, then catch it on the way back fun!!

I think I pulled both of my shoulder muscles!!

They all got to take a nap while I drove the hour and a half back to my neck of the woods.
Snoring??? Uhhhh, Yes!
Our family was in charge of feeding this troop for the evening meal, so dinner preparations came right on the heels of our return.

It was such a joy to see my nice new, big kitchen holding all of us working side by side to get dinner prep done.

Boys are funny how they chop....did you ever notice?

I tried to teach them a thing or two, knowing that they will soon be all but on their own in a foreign country.
It was all a little overwhelming...the amount they would need to know, so I just let 'em go at it!

I couldn't believe how fast it all got done!

Can I just tell you...
...I found myself sitting at the head of our long table with all the leaves pulled out of storage and put in... just a grinnin'.
My heart was so happy to have made this enormous meal and to see it devoured by such a large group of loved and loving people right there all in one room.
12 of us, all right there eating and laughing and talking all at one table. It was a bit of an overwhelming blessing type moment.

And, they helped with clean up too!!!

Somebody raised those boys right!!

Next on the agenda...via my children...an Epic Nerf Battle.

I once again took on the role of the roving reporter!
It is hard not to point your weapon at a moving target!!


I only got shot a few times...some of which I do believe were on purpose!!!

Boys! Guns!! Running about wild shouting...dog cowering...ha ha ha.

Mucho fun was had by all.
Well, probably not Shelby, but we weren't really expecting her to have a good time.

Dude, can you even imagine what we did next? No, you couldn't possibly!!
It was awesome. I have this other cable that came with my camera, which hooks up to the xbox, so you can watch the pictures like a slide show!!!
Who knew this was possible??
Oh...that would be my husband. He is super tech-y like that.

The running commentary was better than any theme music could have ever been.
Oh, how we laughed!
Unfortunately my children did have to go to bed, it was a school night after all, so we said our goodbyes with promises to see them at church on Sunday.

These fellows are doing a bang up job of melding into a team, working together to get things accomplished, and having fun along the way.

I am very proud to know them and be able to wish them well, with prayers for their safety and success.
Thanks AIM Team Guadalajara for a super fun day, and some great memories.


P.S. My husband says that is no watermelon, it is a sunflower! He planted it in the watermelon box anyway and just shook his head at me!! Isn't it good to be loved so unconditionally?
Yes, yes it is.

Growth Update!

Happy Friday!!!

This will be the first annual Friday garden update.


Here is what is happening this week!
Stunning delicate green bean flowers accented by leaves unfurling their curls!

Serrated leaf edging on the squash and zucchini!

Tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny cutest little bell peppers you ever did see.


Tight, closely bound wisteria blooms which seem to be filled with pockets of air.



Gradual opening of what will be the new focal point of my backyard wonderland.


See...so much going on!!!

So many happy, happy plants relishing their new decadent homes where water arrives everyday before the sun comes across their bow.


Oh, ho...what do we have here????

I suspect a deserter.

Look how far this watermelon plant made it before I caught onto his game.

I will be sure to tell my husband about this!!!

Color Thursday!