Whatcha Eating Wednesday?

Oops! I guess I forgot about this yesterday. I actually remembered when I laid down in bed last night, but there was no way I was getting up to blog, lol.

Today's recipe is Cinnamon-Roasted Almonds. If you have ever been to a live event before, you were sure to see those Bavarian Nut vendors that that sell those roasted candied type nuts. Well I never bought them until this past fall. I LOVED them! I figured I could make them at home, so I did some searching and found a good recipe at, again, Allrecipes.com. Here's the recipes with my changes in the parenthesis.

Cinnamon-Roasted Almonds
1 egg white
1 tsp cold water (I used 1 tsp vanilla)
4 cups whole almonds (I used one large can of whole cashews, no measuring)
1/2 cup white sugar ( I added 1/2 c brown sugar to this)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon (I used 1 full tsp cinnamon)

Preheat to 250 degrees. Grease large baking sheet.

Lightly beat egg white; add water, and beat until frothy, but not stiff. Add the nuts, and until well coated. Mix the sugar, salt, and cinnamon, and sprinkle over the nuts. Toss to coat and spread evenly on prepared pan.

Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Cool. (After they were done, I kind of made sure they were broke apart and not stuck together)

Credit to: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cinnamon-roasted-almonds/

About halfway through

What they look like when finished (golden crust)

They make cute little gifts to give.

Whatcha Eating? Wednesday

I have decided to start posting yummy recipes every Wednesday, because I like food, cooking it, eating it, and sharing it.

Today is going to be what I made for diner last night. I am sure that just about everyone has been to Olive Garden for their soup, salad, and bread sticks. That is what I wanted for dinner...but at home. My favorite from Olive Garden is that one with sausage and potato soup. So I went to my trust source... www.allrecipes.com and found...drum roll please:

Zuppa Toscana Soup

Ingredients
1 pound bulk mild Italian sausage (can use links, just tear casings off)
1 1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large onion, diced ( I used a small to medium)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
5 (13.75 ounce) cans chicken broth
6 potato, thinly sliced (I used one and a half jumbo baking potatoes and it was plenty)
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 bunch fresh spinach, tough stems removed (I used baby spinach)
 
Directions

•  Cook the Italian sausage and red pepper flakes in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crumbly, browned, and no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

 

• Cook the bacon in the same Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain, leaving a few tablespoons of drippings with the bacon in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Stir in the onions and garlic; cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

• Pour the chicken broth into the Dutch oven with the bacon and onion mixture; bring to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes, and boil until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the heavy cream and the cooked sausage; heat through. Mix the spinach into the soup just before serving.

Credit to: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/super-delicious-zuppa-toscana/detail.aspx

The verdict: Home run! Even the kids (except Sophia, but she is strange) ate it and LOVED it. I had it for leftovers today and I assumed I couldn't get Jerry to eat soup two days in a row so he got chicken nuggets. When I sat down with the soup with him, he looked at it, then down at his chicken nuggets and said, "I liked that soup, why didn't I get any?" That is a good sign! This recipe is definitely a keeper! Just add a salad and bread sticks and you're set!

Then we had Paula Dean's Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies.

Ingredients
1 (8-ounce) brick cream cheese, room temperature

1 stick butter, at room temperature
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (18-ounce) box moist chocolate cake mix
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg. Then beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in the cake mix. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up so that you can roll the batter into balls. Roll the chilled batter into tablespoon sized balls and then roll them in confectioner's sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 12 minutes. The cookies will remain soft and "gooey." Cool completely and sprinkle with more confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Note* I chilled it for about an hour and then used a melon baller to scoop them out. I skipped the rolling them in sugar and when they were done, I just dusted the tops with powder sugar. Yummy!

Credit to: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/chocolate-gooey-butter-cookies-recipe/index.html

Homemaker Part 2: What does it mean?

If you google what homemaker means in a secular dictionary you would get responses such as "a wife who manages a household while her husband earns the family income." So, is that it? Is that all we can gain from a being a homemaker? What does managing a household look like? The Bible has some very good verses to teach us what it looks like to manage a household.

It is so much easier to find peace and fulfilment in being a homemaker even when society says it is not a popular choice, when we see it as a God-given role. One we can please Him in.

First we need to be training our daughters up to be keepers of their homes. We cannot let this modern day society throw all this feminist propaganda in our children's face and tell them it is not honourable to be a homemaker or that it is outdated. God's Word is forever, unchanging, never outdated and it says to teach them how to fulfill the role that God has given them.

Titus 2:4,5 "That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."

1 Timothy 5:14 "I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully."

Teach the younger generation of women that is is something to desired and joyfully do.

Being a homemaker goes so much further than cleaning a house and cooking a meal. It is taking a house and making it a home. Are you providing an environment that your husband wants to come home? Are you providing your children with the nurture (and discipline) they need to be successful members of society?

Proverbs 31: 27,28 "She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her."

I think the best idea we have of what a homemaker looks like is the example of the virtuous woman.

v. 11- The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. Her husband trusts her to take of their household and resources.

v. 12- She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. She is dependable. Her character is reliable.

v.13-14- She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar. She goes out and brings items and resources into her home (groceries, clothes, etc.).

v. 15- She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. She is not slothful and plans for her days and takes care of those under her care.

v. 16- She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. She carefully makes decisions that would benefit her family and thinks of the long-term. She is not a compulsive shopper.

v. 18- She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She works well past the kids are in bed, lol.

v. 20- She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. She helps those in need.

v. 21- She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. She is not worried about her kids being cold because she has planned ahead and made sure they are set.

v. 24- She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. She supplements the household's income.

v. 26- She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She chooses her words carefully and knows what she is talking about.

v. 27- She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. She takes care of her house and is not lazy or a busybody.

v. 28- Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. She is respected by her children and husband, certainly because she has earned it.

Until Part 3...

Homemaker Part 1 - The beginning

Titus 2:5 "To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."

I was thinking a few days ago about my role. Not my role in this world, but my God-given role. So, with that being said I decided to blog about this role as a homemaker. This will have to be in a series for ease of read and due to so much information that is brewing in my head. I figured I would start with the beginning, how I became to be a homemaker and then I will continue on from there.

JT and I got married in 2004. We were in no way attempting to live Christian lives, let alone find God's purpose of us through the roles he has given us. However, I got pregnant after 2 months of marriage and being in the position to do so, I didn't diligently seek work. I applied at a few places, but nothing came to fruition (<---lol). Then after I had Gia, we decided with the cost of daycare we would work opposite schedules. So, we did that for the next 3-1/2 years. I still took care of my home, of course. Then as it happened, a situation occurred at work, and I decided to quit. We both were thinking about it for a while and it seems that with this situation God gave us an easy out, a way we could walk away and not look back. While I didn't like the situation that happened, I am thankful because it was exactly what needed to happen for us to walk away from that job. Thus began my full-time stay at home role. Now I did babysit to bring in extra income, but I was finally and officially a stay at home mom.

That is all I am going to share at the moment. I am going to leave you with what a homemaker is NOT.

• A homemaker is not unintelligent.
• A homemaker is not lazy.
• A homemaker is not dreamless or hopeless.
• A homemaker is not held down by man-made notions or expectations.
• A homemaker is not held back by her husband.
• A homemaker is not trying to be a sacrificial martyr.
• A homemaker is not bitter for lack of recognition, but humbled by the position.
• A homemaker is not a result a weak woman.
• A homemaker is not inferior.

See you in Homemaker Part 2.

Gia Bug

I wanted to share with the world about my unbelievably amazing oldest child...Giavanna! Sometimes it is so easy to get caught up with talking or blogging about the funny and crazy moments in life, that we forget that even when one of the kids don't do something crazy or what we deem as "story worthy," they are still living out their story. As I watch Gia's story unravel everyday, I am confronted with the realization that she has a spark for life that many kids do not. She is so incredibly smart and very inquisitive (Read "Who, What, Where, When, Why.") She is a learner and it blows my mind constantly not only that she has a strong desire to learn, but her vast ability to absorb material.

Gia's strongest area is reading. The area she needs to work on is math, although she catches on to that really quick, too. What is one thing you think about when you hear that a child is not strong in a subject? The thing I think about is they tend to stay away from that subject. NOT GIA! She begs JT to teach her math whenever he is home. She can't get enough of it. She has sat for over an hour doing math worksheets he printed off for her. Jerry is asking her to play and she just wants to sit and do math. It is beautiful to see, so we just keep on feeding it.

She is also starting to grow up into quite a little jokester. Her sense of humor is becoming much more mature. For instance, the other day she was told to get into the shower. So, she goes. Then we hear, "Mommy, mommy, hurry come quick....the toilet is flooding over, hurry...it's flooding the bathroom, MOMMY! We run in there and she goes, "Gotcha!" She does that when her JT and wrestling, too. She pretends to be hurt and cry and then when he checks on her she looks up and busts out laughing.

She is an amazing daughter and can't wait to see what the Lord does with her! Here's some pics of my sweet girl enjoying life:

Cheesin' it up as usual!

Goofy face at our first live soccer game!

Face painting- Always so girly!

Hot and wore out at the zoo-- but still smiling!

What are you running from?

As you read the title of this blog, you may be thinking that there is about to be some sort of in depth psychological, brain melting, let me look into the deepest closets of your mind to see what are you hypothetically running from in life. Well...it's not. It is actually about running, the physical and literal, one foot in front of the other running. Before I was a runner I considered it a Medieval-type torture scheme cleverly disguised as "exercise." I am writing this blog to motivate myself to keep going. I am now in week 4 of a 16-week training schedule for the Cowtown Marathon in February 2012.

So, let me back up to April 2010 when I started running. I did not follow any program or any organized fitness plan. I just walked out the door and ran a half a mile out and then back. I am not knocking those programs or the people that do them, they work if you implement them correctly. I just didn't want to do them. I said I am going to run a mile and I did. It was painful. I couldn't control my breathing, my chest was on fire, and I thought I was going to literally faint or die...and that was at almost a 13 minute mile. So, guess what? I did it again, but each time I ran to that half mile marker I went a little further and then turned around, and so on.

Then in February of 2011, I ran my first marathon (26.2 miles). Wow! Is all I can say, but this blog is not about that. This blog is about why I love running. I use to HATE running and never could understand why anyone would willingly run without being chased...but then I ran.

I have not found a way to explain it, but I found something on another blog that I wanted to share. I haven't figured out how to link yet, but the blog is Oh She Glows. http://ohsheglows.com/2010/08/20/why-i-love-running/ Her readers have asked her how they can learn to enjoy running and she wrote this:

Have you cried on a run yet?”

“What? No!”

“Then keep running.”

“Have you gotten a shiver through your entire body on a run yet?”

“From the cold, you mean?”

“Keep running.”


After reading that I got chills, because nothing has ever compared to the feeling that running gives you, and I have jumped out of an airplane. So, I am going to attempt to list the reasons why I run...

1. Physical and mental health.
2. The time alone with God and His creation (especially at sunset).
3. The moments when you are doing distance running and when you stop, your legs give a little wobble and you can't help but smile.
4. The freedom you feel (especially knowing you could run to another town if you had to, lol).
5. The moments when you're running with the wind and it gives a little pick me up and you feel as if you actually flew a short distance.
6. For each milestone you reach in pushing your body that much further.
7. The mental strength you feel when your body is telling you stop, but you don't.
8. The times you overcome the tears at mile 20, then 22, then 24, lol.
9. The only time in life when a pebble is your enemy, but every other runner is your friend.
10. The camaraderie of runners and bystanders cheering you on.
11. The chills and goosebumps you get towards the end of a log run even though you're dripping sweat.
12. Because for that moment nothing else matters.
13. Because halfway into a run you would gladly welcome being rained on.

I actually have something I want to share on here related to running, but it will have to wait until after the 13th...Until then, just keep moving!

JT and I after Cowtown 2011

Christmas in November

A couple weeks ago, my dad sent a big box of goodies to the kids. They gave us permission to go ahead and open the box up and unwrap all the gifts. Soooo...we called them up and had the kids open up all the gifts while they listened over the phone from Tennessee. The kids were so ecstatic. They got so many cute things. I told my dad I should have just waited until Christmas to open them, it would have saved us money...er...I mean time, lol ;-) I really just wrote this blog to let my dad and Cindy know how much it was appreciated and how happy they made the kids. I know how hard it is being so far away from family for such a lengthy period of time, but it is times like this that the kids remember, and not just about the gifts, but about the time they spent listening to them open the gifts over the phone and then talking about them together when they were done. That was really special. Thank you and we LOVE you!

If you have family in the same state, don't take it for granted. Cherish those crazy holidays running all over the place, the unexpected drop-ins, and the insistence that you guys have to do EVERYTHING together, because you never know how much you will miss the "annoying" things until they are no longer there.

Here's some pics of their new stuff!

Jerryisms

Jerry has been growing up so fast since he started Pre-k. It has been unbelievable how "mature" he is coming, well, as mature as a 4-year-old can be. None-the-less, he is still all boy and does and says things that reminds me not to take life so seriously. God gave me a wonderful little boy so full of life and he reminds me on a daily basis that I need to slow down.

The other day, JT was laying him down for a nap and he had a toothpick in his mouth. JT said he had to remove it and that he couldn't sleep with it. Jerry asked why and JT said because you could choke on it an die. LOL! Plain and simple, got the point across. Jerry, without missing a beat, he said that that's okay, because then I'll be with Jesus and Heaven is better than here. He looked JT right in the eyes and said, "It is better right?" Of course JT said it was better, but he still was not allowed to sleep with the toothpick. Then I got to thinking, do we look at life like that? I am not saying live recklessly just because you are saved and know you're going to Heaven, but do we live a life where whatever happens we are at peace because we have Jesus. How much time do we spend protecting our children and ourselves when ultimately no matter what, God is in control and no one is immune to death or the hour in which it comes. So, I ask myself, "It is better, right?" I confidently can say yes, and I want to live my life knowing that this world is not my home and I'm just passing through.

On a lighter note, the other day Jerry was standing in the living room and I hear him gagging. "Jerry, are you ok?" Still more gagging. "Jerry, what's wrong?" He looks at me with a mixture of shock, surprise, and disgust, all while gripping his throat. Finally, he manages to force out a strained response. "I...I...I swallowed a booger!" I lost it, I was cracking up. "What?" He replies, "Yeah, I swallowed a booger and I didn't even pick my nose! All I did was sniff and I...I swallowed it...I need a drink!" Then he runs off to the kitchen to get a drink and I am left standing there once again cracking up remembering not to take life so serious.

He sure is starting to be more interested in Bible stories, songs, etc. His song of choice use to be Iron Man or humming the X-Men theme song, but now every time he asks if I want to hear a song, it is Jesus Loves Me. He often asks me, "Mommy do I look handsome?" I say he is very handsome! He then looks at me and smiles then adds, "But not as handsome as Jesus."

HELP! I'm all wet and I can't get dry!

So, Jerry and I were at his dermatologist appointment yesterday (which I will blog about later) and as we were leaving, he decided he needed to use the restroom. I was not opposed to this since it was a 40 minute drive home. So, after receiving directions from the very peppy receptionist, we found the bathroom.

After Jerry was done doing his business, he washes his hands, and goes over to the paper towel dispenser to get a paper towel to dry his hands. This is where it got interesting...

Jerry makes his way to the dispenser. For visual purposes, I have included a picture of what the said dispenser looks like:

That's right! An old-fashioned, manual paper towel dispenser, for your everyday drying purposes and pleasures. Jerry approaches it and stops and stared for a minute. Then he waves his hand in front of it, then under it, then frantically anywhere he can, and yet no paper towel comes out. He looks back at me in utter amazement and bewilderment. "Buddy, you have to get the paper towel out yourself." He does not say a word. Instead he turns back to the dispenser and starts waving his hand every where again. He quickly snaps back around to me. "Jerry, you have to literally reach your hand in there and grab the paper towel out yourself...with your hand." Once again, he turns around and faces this foreign contraption, unsure of the result of sticking his hand in this opening that claims to deliver paper towels. I have found a few pictures to illustrate what I am sure was going through his mind at that moment.

But he did it. He finally reached his hand into that dispenser and pulled one out, turned around and gave me a big smile. What has our world come to when our kids do not even know what a manual paper towel dispenser looks like? LOL! It was a good laugh though!

Shh...don't tell anyone.

So we are driving home from church and Jerry starts talking...with the music up. Kids know no boundaries, they will just keep talking louder and louder over the music, while I'm praising the Lord, until you acknowledge them. Anyway... I divert.

I turn the music down and say, "Oh sweet son of mine, whatever did you say, I am so sorry I did not hear that you were speaking?" Ok, I didn't say that. It was more like "Whaaaaat Jerry?" :)

He said "Don't talk when we get home."

Don't talk, what do you mean don't talk.

He says, "Don't talk I have a secret to tell you."

Oooh, what it is?

"I can't tell you yet."

Then Gia says with just a twinge of jealously in her voice, "We shouldn't have secrets."

Why not?

She responds, obviously unsure what proof she has for not having secrets, "Well we should make it a rule in our house, you can't keep secrets."

Jerry then adds, "Gia, I'm not keeping it, I'm going to tell mommy."

Humph! Problem solved then. Funny things is, the kids are in bed and fast asleep and I still don't know what the secret was... :-( Maybe we will make it a rule, so I can actually hear them, lol!

And here I am

Moments in life seem to pass without ever thinking about them, but then...then there are those moments that seem to grab hold of you from the inside and reveal...just reveal.

JT and I are going through many changes right now with changing of jobs, areas we are involved in at church and I cannot help but be overjoyed and excited to see what God has in store for us. We hear so much in church about valleys and mountain tops and how we cannot appreciate being on the mountain tops without going through the valleys. I sometimes feel that if we weren't in the valleys and were able to see all that is beheld from a mountain top, we may not follow the path God has for us. Sometimes it is better not to know what is beyond that mountain top, because in our flesh we will probably screw it up, so we must wait until God says move and the only place to BE STILL is in those valleys.

I have learned a lot about myself lately, some things come as no surprise, some things I already knew, but are just now sinking in. Sometimes I just want to scream out loud all my shortcomings and areas God is dealing with me in and because of that I am reminded just how much I need God and how much He does not need me, BUT He wants me and that is AMAZING GRACE.

I long to love Him more, serve Him more. My prayer is that wherever God leads our family, that His power is glorified through it all because at this point, that is all I have. His strength. I'm ready to get out of my comfort zone and relying on the security of this world, and I am ready to be plunged into a complete dependence on God's grace and total surrenderance to His mercy.

This world will fade, eternity is forever...

Jerry's 1st day of school

Jerry started pre-k yesterday. He actually has the same teacher that Gia had in pre-k, Ms. Matthews. He is only going half-day, from 12:15-3:15. His first day went really well. I was a bit nervous dropping him off because sometimes he is very clingy with me and I thought he was going to be a bit more hesitant for me to leave him, BUT he wasn't. He had no problem whatsoever.
He was such a big boy and went to class and said his goodbyes with no problem. I was very proud, yet a little sad he didn't want me more, lol. Good thing is that I haven't cried yet. I cried the first 2 days when Gia was in pre-k, even though she is much more independent than Jerry.

He even drew his first picture. It is a picture of daddy, Jerry, and a monster that we mistakenly thought was a bird (silly us).

I asked Jerry what he wanted for his "first day of school dinner" and he said ramen noodles. After laughing and making other suggestions for him, he excitedly decided on popcorn shrimp, mac and cheese (his favorite) and corn. Then we went out for some ice cream at sonic. All in all, it was a very good first day of school for him.

Mod Podge

Well, I finally did it! I used Mod Podge and I have to admit...I LOVE it. I have been constantly thinking what else I could Mod Podge. My first project was my (soon to arrive) nephew's name, NASH! It is not perfect, but I am very happy with the final outcome, except for the 'N' because I messed up and still need to go get more paper to finish it. I learned the hard way that when you trace the letter on the back of the paper, you need to trace it backwards, as well. :-/ Oh well, it was a ton of fun and can't wait to send it to my sister. Big shout out to my neighbors for inspiring me. :-)

BEFORE

AFTER (except the N, lol)

Well...

Well, I guess it's that time again. We have not been doing much, not really able to with this terrible heat, but Praise the Lord, we got some good rain last night/today. It was glorious!

It's about that time for school begin again.

Gia will be attending the school at the church, and she is very excited. When asked what part she is looking forward to the most, she replied, that she was excited she gets to pray and learn about the Bible IN SCHOOL. Jerry starts half-day pre-K and he actually gets to have the same teacher Gia did, so they were both ecstatic when hearing that news.

Tonight at dinner, JT asked both kids what they wanted to do in the future to help better the world around them. Gia said she wants to get her Bible and knock on people's doors to tell them abut Jesus or whatever God wants her to do. (So proud). Jerry, gave a very...somewhat admirable, but definitely testosterone driven "boy" answer. He said he wants to go around and catch all the robbers and kill them so they can never steal again. After, discussing other alternatives to the killing part, he finally agreed that he would just catch them and give them to the cops. He then added that while they were in jail he would tell them about Jesus, but he said, "I don't know ALLLLL about Jesus, so daddy can tell them that part." :-)

Another bit of exciting news is MOD PODGE. I have just been introduced and not even used it yet, but I got some and my first craft and you better believe I will be bloggin about that! Very, very excited!

The joys of motherhood...

This blog has been a long time coming. I just needed to find time to sit down to write it.

It took place a few weeks ago on a Thursday. We usually go to church wide soul winning/visitation that night, but Sophia had woke up from her nap covered in puke, so needless to say, I kept her home. I really needed wipes for Sophia, so I had to pack up all three kids and go to wal-mart, praying that Sophia does not puke while we are out. She did well all through wal-mart, no puking.

Gia and Jerry had free hamburger coupons from what-a-burger, and since we usually eat at church on Thursdays, I had no plans for dinner, so I thought that sounded like a good plan. We ordered our food, and right as we got it, Sophia started puking all over herself. Gia starts freaking out. "It's on my foot, it's on my foot!" calm down, Gia, we will clean it. So, we start the drive home and as we pull in to the drive way and park, I grab my purse and head for the back to assess the damage.

Only one problem, as I got out of the van, my purse caught my skirt, pulled it up a little and as it fell back in place, I feel a rather cold, wet feeling on my knee. "You have got to be kidding me!" Sophia's puke had got on my purse, and was now making itself at home on my knee. Ok, whatever, I got to get the kids in.

I grab Sophia, Gia grabs the food, and we head inside. I sit Sophia in a corner in the kitchen and insist she does not move. I get the Gia and Jerry their food and then give Sophia a bath. Get her dressed, go to the van, remove the car seat, clean the carpet, my purse, etc. Then I sit down to eat, take one bite, and realize, you guessed it, I STILL HAVE PUKE ON MY LEG!!! So what do I do? I finish my dinner. I went that long with it on my leg, I can go another few minutes. YUCK!

After everything calmed down, I was reflecting on the day and was thinking of something quite humerus. If this exact same scenario played out, but you replaced me with JT, the order of events would have been drastically different.

If JT had puke on his bare leg, I know for certain, that nothing else (besides cleaning Sophia) would have got done before his leg got cleaned. Then I just see how different God made woman (wife) and man (husband), and how we each serve a purpose in our lives to balance and compliment each other. I don't think any man would have ate the rest of their dinner knowing there was puke on their leg, but mom's have something different.

It's been a while...

I figured it was time for me to update this thing. Not too much has been going on, just busy as usual. This summer is flying by. I went and picked up Jerry's pre-k package for this fall. I cannot believe I am going to have two in school, even though Jerry is only going half-day, it is mind blowing.

We took the kids to the zoo a couple weeks back, they had a blast. We got to see coyotes howl and go crazy when the leopard got near their side of the cage, they were not happy.

I am going to a women's retreat at the church in a couple weeks, really excited about that. It will be a nice refresher and encourager.

The best news is that my brother and sister in law, just had their precious baby boy this past Saturday, Samuel James. I love him already, he is absolutely precious, and I cannot wait to meet him.

On a funny note, Jerry told me as I was putting him down for a nap this afternoon, that if any monsters came in through his window, he was confident that it would be okay because daddy would "punch 'em in da face."

Down to Earth...literally!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to me! JT has been planning my Mother's Day/birthday weekend for months now, trying to keep everything a secret and making sure everything goes just right, and while there were a few bumps (so he says) it was absolutely wonderful. I have the most awesome husband! I do not normally blog about this sort of stuff, but it is too good not to and since I have no picture evidence of this stuff, I want to write it out so when my physical memory starts to fade, I will always have this to look back on and read. :-) JT arranged for his grandparents to keep the kids, and they did all weekend. They are amazing!

First of all, on Friday night, he took me to see a musical, Wizard of Oz. It was so good, and all the actors did such an amazing job portraying the characters. Leave it to us to have something weird happen. Ok, so right when Dorothy got to munchkin land and they are all dancing around singing ding dong the witch is dead, Toto pukes! HILARIOUS! Some of the actors saw it and others didn't. They played it off very well and it served as a very entertaining thing to see if someone stepped or fell in it before they had time to clean it. Ahh...the joys of live theater!

Ok, now for the BEST part! On Saturday morning, JT took me SKYDIVING!!!! WOW! Words cannot explain the feeling, but I am sure gonna try. Like I said, I want detailed records of this day before the memory isn't so fresh. We went to Skydive 35, in Hillsboro, TX. The staff was friendly, safety oriented, professional, and made you feel real comfortable.

So we show up about 9am, and it was pretty cold and bound to get colder 12,000 feet in the air. I just had on a short sleeve shirt, so we check in then I go back and scrounge around in JTs car and I finally find a sweatshirt, so thankful it was there, don't know how long its been there, but thankful none the less. So they harness us up, and go over safety stuff and show us how to move our bodies, etc. Then we wait. We are on load 3, so we get to watch 2 loads go down before us, some rough landings, some smooth landings.

Oh by the way, being the nut that I am, when I found out we were going skydiving, I researched the death toll and stuff and found it to be quite safe in comparison. Only like 30, give or take, a year...less then cycling and skiing, not to mention driving. Anyway, I divert.

Now it is our turn....we take our wagon ride to the airplane and board with our tandem instructor guy, not sure the term, but the dude that's strapped to your back. :-) I was set to be the 2nd out and JT the 4th. So, we get in the plane and take off to our destination of 12,000 feet. It is about a 10 min ride. (funny it takes us longer to get up there then to get down, gotta love it). So, we're just enjoying the ride and "the dude" starts getting us all hooked up together. As we get to out destination, the door goes open and my "dude" starts messing with the strap of the parachute on the "dude" next to me saying "I can't get it." The "dude" next to me says, "Yeah, they don't pack these things right." Hmmm....last words I heard before I jumped out of that airplane. HAHA pretty encouraging, I know, but I trusted them and their equipment BUT I trusted the Lord more. I know the Lord is in control of all things, even the things like jumping from an airplane. I am confident in Him and His plans for my life.

So the first guy goes and then it was my turn. I scoot up to the edge, dangle my feet out of the plane, cold air whipping the side of them. I assume the position they told me do, hands crossed over my chest, head back, and feet back. Let's do this! One, two, three, and we're out of the plane, plummeting 120 mph face first toward that beautiful earth. I feel a tap on my shoulder which is my indication to my arms out, I uncross them and spread them out above like I am flying. Oddly enough it does not feel like I am falling, but more like floating, I can see the earth but it is not a falling sensation. Me dude points left so I move my body left and we go that way...so cool. My dude points right and I go that way...so so cool! Then he pulls the string, which I was not prepared for and we are thrust upward with a rush! Now it is smooth sailing back down. He does some other cool little tricks and spins with the parachute.

Now for the landing, we go down and he tells me to put my knees up and I do, then he says, just start walking, and I do, and it was a smooth landing, no stumbles or anything. They unstrap us and I walk to the side to await JT's landing. Here he comes, nice and smooth with a little stumble but he didn't fall like some others did. It was so amazing to experience this with my hubby.

My ears were so clogged and would not pop for anything! JT had no problems with his ears, but mine hurt so bad afterwards! They are still actually popping today. Either way, on the drive home, our adrenaline rush crashed hard and we actually skipped lunch and just took a nap!

It is definitely an experience I hope to never forget and also hope to do again someday.

At least I know she's listening

I had the pleasure of going on a field trip with Gia and her class to have a day of science in the park. They challenged gravity, learned about the wind, fed ducks, etc. A wonderful friend watched Sophia and Jerry so I could enjoy this day with just Gia. One of the last things they did was feed the ducks at a little pond. The ducks were laying on the far side of the pond and here come the geese, squawking their way over to the ducks, running them out of their comfortable spot, forcing them to give up their time of relaxation. Gia and I were just watching and I leaned over and told her, "Those geese are being bullies!" She pursed her lips and shook her head, obviously thinking and then responded with a satisfactory nod, "Well, it's a good thing they're just walking away then."

Got to love it!

There's a what on my where?

There are a few things in life that you never want to hear someone say to you. For example:

"That wasn't chicken."
"This won't hurt a bit."
"Don't worry, this plane can fly with one engine."
"I'm on a work release program."
"Daddy, I'm getting married."

You know, the usual uncomfortable statements. Unfortunately we have discovered a new phrase that is not very comforting to hear, especially at 4:00 a.m. Well, you see, Jerry has been having lots of bad dreams lately, and been coming in our room a lot. Well just the other night, he crawled up in bed with us, on JT's side, and was laying there to go to sleep. Just as we were all dozing off back to sleep, we hear Jerry say something semi-disturbing.

"Uh, Daddy, there's something flapping on your shoulder!"

Well if that doesn't get your attention, your attention getter is broken!

I honestly can't even write that sentence without giggling. It was the strangest thing for him to say at 4 am, even his choice of words is hilarious...flapping...what in the world could be flapping on a shoulder? Crawling, sitting, maybe, but flapping, that is weird. JT was none the less startled by this accusation, took a quick look, and when I say quick look, I literally mean a quick look, like I said, that sort of statement grabs a person's attention. As one could guess, there was nothing flapping on his shoulder.

So, the next morning, I asked Jerry what he saw on daddy's shoulder and he said it was something that pinched, kind of like a butterfly. I just smiled and said okay, but for the rest of the day I kept telling him he had something flapping on his shoulder. :-)

And just for fun, right before bed, JT was in the bathroom brushing his teeth and I said, "JT THERE'S SOMETHING FLAPPING ON YOUR SHOULDER!" Funny thing was he wasn't less alarmed than the first time he heard it. :-)

okay, okay, okay

Well I have been motivated my wonderful sister-in-law to attempt to keep my blog updated. So I might as well give everyone an update of what is going on.

Gia is in soccer, the season is almost over. She seems significantly less interested this year, may not continue it next year. Doing well in school academically. She is on a 1st grade reading level and only getting better.

Jerry is Jerry. I seriously do not think that boy can get any more "boy." He epitomizes boy and it often frightens me. He is jumping off furniture, scaling walls, etc. It is mind blowing how fearless he is. He recently had to do his 4 year check up (which they discovered a double ear infection, yuck!) He had to get 5 shots. He didn't even cry. The nurse said she has NEVER seen a child take 5 shots like that. However, if he gets another ear infection soon they will send him to an ENT, b/c this is starting to be a trend.

Sophia has not had any ear infections since she turned 2. Praise the Lord! I know it has only been a month but that is good for her b/c she was getting them 1-2 times a month (with tubes in place). She recently had to go in for her 2 year check up. She is 22 pounds...need-less-to-say, we have to go back in for a weight check in 3-6 months. She is very tiny but proportionate which is a good thing.

JT and I are doing well. We are taking over the children's summer program. I am very excited about it and hope it all transitions smoothly. Other than that, we are doing good and I will seriously try and keep up with this more b/c life throws us enough "stories" that its hard not share them!

What's your excuse?

Ah, Jerry! My little man. I love his reasoning and logic in life. He epitomizes the mind of a 3-year-old. He is quite the optimist, that one. He has began coming up with excuses and logical explanations for his behavior and actions. For instance, just the other night, he wet the bed. As JT was up getting ready for work, Jerry figured he'd pop and give him a quick hi and I love you to see him off. As he runs into the kitchen, he smiles widely and says "hi, daddy!" JT turns and responds, "hey buddy...are your pants wet? Did you pee your pants?" Jerry then says, "Yeah." JT, "Why didn't you tell us?" Jerry then responds, quite coolly as if JT had a third eye, 'Uh, because my shirt's dry." JT explains that it is still pee and he has to tell us. Jerry still says, "But it didn't get on my shirt." How do you argue with that?!? Then the following day, we are waiting in line at Gia's school to pick her up and Jerry says, "Uh...mommy." "What?" "There is poop in my pants, but it's almost dry." "WHAT!" Again, he responds coolly like I'm the one who has lost my mind and he's not the one with poop in his pants. "There was poop in my underwear, but it's okay, 'cause it's almost dry." GAG! YUCK! PUKE! "Jerry, you have to tell me these kind of things.!" So there you have it, Jerry the optimist. When we see the cup half empty, he sees a dry shirt and poop. We complain if we spill a little bit of drink on our pants, and yet here is a little boy who will sit in poop (with no complaints) as long as its dry. If only we could all see the world through the eyes of Jerry!