A slight complication with Bible study.....

A (young) man in uniform.......

Just HAD to share a picture or two of the handsome ROTC fella of the house.

Doesn't he look great?!!!!!

He is such a great big brother and role model.

We are very proud of this young man!

Monday Menus

I decided that I would post the week's menu on my blog from now on. I usually do it on a piece of paper and sit it next to the fridge. By the end of the week, it has gotten schmootz on it and if the cat has spotted it, well, it will then have claw marks on it. I figured if I posted it on my blog, it wouldn't get messed up, shredded, or lost. You see, the thing is, I love to cook but I hate to plan what to cook so I figured this may make it a bit easier. Plus, if I can maybe talk the rest of you into doing it too, we could share menu ideas and make our lives much easier. Maybe we could even start doing some recipe sharing as well....who knows how big this thing could get. We could maybe even reach 10's of 20's of people!!! This could be HUGE!

ok. never mind about the HUGE thing....lets just share a few ideas between the six of us and see how that works.....

Monday: beef tacos with cheese, lettuce and tomatoes and maybe a smidgen of sour cream..., Spanish rice.

Tuesday: crock pot pork roast, collards, corn, mashed potatoes and pork gravy.

Wednesday: We are usually running around like crazy people so we grab something on the way to or from church...so, lets just call Wednesday's a no-cook day from now on.

Thursday: Baked BBQ chicken, mac and cheese, and green beans

Friday: Breaded baked fish, (I trust the Gorton's fisherman) and any leftover veggies and things from the days before. Let's dub Friday's "clean out the fridge" night.

Saturday: Small group night. We usually all eat together. This week we will be having soup, salad and fresh fruit.

Well, there you have it. Sounds pretty good to me. Bon Appetite!

This one is pretty cool......

My friend Wendy tagged me for this really cool meme. She is very sweet to tag me for these things cause she knows it makes me feel special and loved. This one is about books and ya'll know that I am really all about the book thing! Here goes.....

Here are the rules:
1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

This is from the book I am currently reading for the 888 Challenge, "Double Shot" by Diane Mott Davidson.

I kicked the parking meter again. "Will you stop?" Marla Hollered. "Pay attention. I need you to tell me what to say to the cops. Quickly."

Ok, so technically that was more than three sentences but I thought it would be rude to cut Marla off in the middle of her desperation.

I really do like these novels by Davidson. They are listed as murder mysteries but they have humor and RECIPES!!!!! Yeah food! The main character happens to be a caterer that just stumbles into trouble and sticks her nose where it doesn't belong. These books are usually pretty quick reads for me. They catch my interest in the first chapter and I don't normally have to get up and log on the computer to look up a word I don't understand.

I am tagging the following peeps:

Tina M.

Debby V.

April

Pat

Robyn

The first two tagged can do it by e-mail and get some others to join in that way! I am kinda hoping that they will join the blog world someday soon. Come on ya'll, it's fun! (peer pressure!)

The little man is FIVE!!!

Can you believe it? Me neither.....sigh. sniff sniff...

He really had a wonderful birthday. It started with a wonderful homemade Sunday dinner of his favorite things. Nonna really outdid herself BIG TIME! Turkey, dressing, mashed pots and gravy, green beans, broccoli, corn, scalloped apples, chinese slaw and piping hot rolls. YUM! It was all wonderful and Noah ate till I thought he would pop! In addition to turkey, corn and a few green beans, the boy had 4 rolls ya'll, FOUR. We waddled home that evening with enough leftovers to feed a small army, (or my family of men) and tried our hardest not to fall into a turkey induced coma...

On Monday, his actual birthday, we had big plans. In the morning he helped me decorate his cake. He told me where to put the clouds, train tracks and he finally allowed me to put a few red flowers in the grass for color....as long as they were red....only red. He then, after long consideration, decided which trains to place on the tracks and in what order. This apparently was some sort of life changing decision.......oh for cryin out loud just pick a train and put it on the cake already! (that was what I said in my head) I think that with his talent and my luck, the cake turned out pretty darn good!

He wanted to celebrate at "the place where a kid can be a kid and every game is just one token" so we headed off to the rat hole around 2:30 to hook up with some of his BFF's and had a wonderful time. A shout out to the cool kids that joined us for the celebrations and many thanks to their chauffeur's (mommies) for arranging transportation. Nonna, Poppy and Debbie also braved the mass confusion and joined us too. Thanks ya'll for making our little guy's day so special.
After a few unsuccessful attempts with a very uncooperative candle...........

TA DA!!!!!!!!!!!!

We then left the house of the mouse to join some more extended family for a dinner at Noah's favorite Mexican eatery. The food was yum, the company wonderful and included Nonna, Poppy, Debbie, Aunt Jeanie and Mr. Andy. Miss Carol, Miss Heather, Jayden and Zavy joined us too since they weren't able to go to Chuck's place with us. We had not seen them in a while and it was fun to see the boys have fun together.

When we got home Noah busted out his loot and had a fun evening with his new treasures.

He was spoiled as usual (I thought I told you people NO GIFTS!!!) and among the way too many gifts, he also received some gift cards.......which we went to spend today.

He got three cards so we picked out three things. When we went to the cashier, he explained to her which toy belonged with which gift card and who each card was from. I guess my explanation worked because he definitely understands which toy is from which loved one!

He knows that this is from Debbie!

And this is from Miss Carol.............

Yep. The little man had a great day. Thank you to everyone that helped make it so special.

FIVE YEARS OLD!!!!!!!!!!

Ten reasons I just LOVE that man of mine.....

Since it is that time of year again I thought I would share some things about my wonderful guy. I will never be able to really express how much knowing him has changed my life......in many ways, he saved my life. Let me explain. When I met Gene, my marriage of 10 years was ending and the very LAST thing in the world I wanted was a man in my life. Obviously, Gene changed my thinking! He became my friend. Just my friend. No expectations, no quid pro quo, nothing but friendship. He made me feel valuable, important and special. He proved in many many ways, that I could trust him and I could be myself with him and most of all, I could learn to love again.



Not too long after we met and started to become friends, I became very ill. I had a very high fever and when I called in to work to let them know I wouldn't be in, I didn't make much sense. My boss knew Gene and I had become friends so she called him and told him that I was sick. To make a long story a little shorter, he came to my house, took me to my doctor, took me to the hospital for tests and back to my doctor for the results. I had an abscessed kidney and unless there was someone at home to take care of me, I would have to be hospitalized. To my surprise, Gene told him I did have someone to take care of me....him. Gene stayed with me day and night until the danger had passed. He took me daily to my doctor for antibiotic shots and other treatments. He lost his job because he took care of me. Let that sink in ya'll. He Lost His Job. For me. A new friend, that needed help. I was more important than his job. Me.



Here are just 10 of the reasons I love him. As with all my top ten lists, random order:



1. He is a wonderful Daddy to the boys. A perfect balance between fun and stern. I hope they grow up to be just like him!

2. He makes me laugh. Sometimes a giggle, sometimes a belly laugh and sometime a "don't do that while I am drinking cause liquid comes out my nose" laugh. This man is funny ya'll!

3. He is smart. No. I mean he is wicked scary smart! Seriously folks!

4. He has strong morals. He obeys the laws and follows the rules. He doesn't even speed ya'll....makes me crazy sometimes

5. He makes beautiful music. I love to hear him play his guitar. He is so very talented!

6. He loves our God. He works hard for the kingdom. He gives God the credit for his talents and gifts.

7. He believes that people are more important than "stuff" and he lives life that way.

8. He loves me unconditionally. Ya'll have no idea how hard it is to live with me. He doesn't get mad at me when I mess up....a lot....pray for Gene, will ya?

9. He loves and accepts all of my friends and family. (this is a tough one ya'll......some of my friends and family threatened his life before we got married. Actually, a few even threatened him on our wedding day!)

10. He is a really good kisser! (I put this one in here cause some of my friends and family kind of freak out when Gene and I get mushy......but he really is a good kisser!)



Happy Valentine's Day honey. When I count my blessings, I count you twice.......

Irrepressible joy and "safe people". Trust me. There is a connection........

There are times I can't help but notice the irrepressible joy in that little (almost) 5 year old boy of mine. And every once in a while a little sadness creeps into my soul when that irrepressible joy appears. Why you ask? Well, the majority of the time I just truly soak in the pleasure of those little outbursts. The sadness comes in when I realize that someone out there....possibly out of just pure meanness, will try to squash that joy. By way of a nasty comment or even jealousy, they will make him self conscious and he won't feel comfortable just shouting out a silly song to the top of his little lungs. Right now, he feels safe. He doesn't have any idea that someone might not find it pleasurable to hear his slightly off key rendition of "Keep the Candle Burnin" or the Thomas the Tank Engine theme song.

Here is where the connection to "safe people" comes in. This past Sunday, Pastor Curt taught about small groups and their importance in the Christian community. His sermon was about how important it is to have a group of people you can really really talk to. To share things that are personal. To just be yourself. To be comfortable. They need to be people that you KNOW won't make fun of you or talk about you behind your back or roll their eyes to one another when you talk. They need to be people that you feel SAFE with. I thank God that I have "safe people". What a HUGH blessing! What I pray is that my little guy can find those people. That he can find people that LOVE the fact that he sings out loud when he is happy. That those people don't care that his voice may crack or that he may not hit a note exactly on key. I pray that he never loses his irrepressible joy and that if he someday finds that maybe there are people that make fun of him for it, that he won't stop because he knows he has "safe people" that love him and will sing off key, at the top of their lungs, right along with him........

Houston, we have a problem.....

Poor little guy has another ear infection. Left ear this time. Why are his ear's taking turns you ask? I really don't know but that really isn't the problem. The real problem is the medicine. I think you all know how Noah feels about the "pink medicine". According to Noah, it can solve all problems of the universe including global warming. That is how much faith he has in PINK. Well, the problem is that there is a rule (who's rule I don't know) that you cannot have any one antibiotic more than once during a six week period. OH. MY. WORD.
Dr. Amanda PROMISED that Noah would like it. It tastes like strawberry candy. You don't have to keep it in the refrigerator so it won't be cold. You only have to take it once a day instead of twice. SO. We got the sweet tasting-non-refrigerated-once-daily wonder drug and measured out the first dose...............GASP! it isn't pink......did you hear me? IT ISN'T PINK I SAY!!!!!!!! It is WHITE for heaven's sake. What are these drug people thinking? Don't they know that ONLY PINK MEDICINE CAN HEAL??????!!!!!!!

So, does anyone know if it is safe for me to add food coloring to medicine?

I have a new friend......

And her name is Robyn too.....only she spells it wrong..hee hee. You know how in the real world you may meet someone through a friend of a friend? Well, I met Robyn through a blog of a blog. How cool is that I ask? She is a pastor's wife, mommy to two precious little boys and they live up there in Michigan..brrrr! Well, she tagged me for a "6 random things" meme and even though I bored you with one not too long ago, I am gonna play. Turns out from reading her beautiful blog,
Overflowing Grace (isn't that a wonderful name?)that we have a little more in common than just our name. One of them is on her blog design....dragonflies. I just happen to have dragonflies in our master bathroom.....drats, I shoulda saved that for one of my random things! Oh well, lets get started shall we?

The rules for this meme are:
(1) Link to the person that tagged you.
(2) Post the rules on your blog.
(3) Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
(4) Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
(5) Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

My six random things are....drum roll please....

1. I, like Robyn, have moved a lot. Pops was in the Navy and thanks to Uncle Sam, I was blessed to have lived in 6 different states (a couple of them twice) and once over seas in the Philippine Islands. The states are, Connecticut, Tennessee (twice), Hawaii (twice), Virginia, Illinois and South Carolina.

2. I, like Robyn, am also an only child. No one to blame the broken stuff on but then again, I didn't have to share the hugs and kisses either. Hey, you take the good with the bad and I would rather have hugs than a scapegoat any day!

3. This one is where she and I flip flop. I really like spiders. I used to be afraid of them which is why I will never make fun of her. I understand. What changed you ask? (this is where I am pretending that you really care, makes me feel good don't ya know) Well, a very industrious banana spider took up residence outside in the front yard. He or she decorated it very nicely with the most beautiful web I have ever seen. For those that don't know, a banana spider is very VERY large and they make webs in which they can be comfortable...say it with me....very VERY large. Anyway, my dh Gene, promised that Barry (the spider) would not hurt me and convinced me that if I would just observe said spider, I would change my mind. Well, it worked and I now really like spiders. If they promise to be of the non poisonous type, I will let them reside in my home.....

4. This one kind of connects with #3. I SOBBED OUT LOUD when Charlotte died in Charlotte's Web. (the one with the real animals..)

5. My two cravings when I was pregnant were onions and fish....not at the same time. What I find very funny is that two of Noah's favorite foods are onions and fish...not at the same time.

6. About 8 years ago, I told dh that the next male dog we had, I wanted to name him Jack. Well, a few weeks after that conversation, my VBFF found a little black puppy and brought him to our house to see if I thought he was ok and would I keep him until we could find a home. Dh immediately dubbed him Jack and showed him his new home. During the home tour I was following behind saying "He is NOT staying" and here it is, 8 years later and we STILL have not found a home for "Jack".

I just love learnin new stuff about folks so if you want to play along, and you need some blog fodder, please feel free!

Oh Happy Day!

By the way, just wanted to wish you all a Happy Groundhog's Day! Sorry I didn't get my cards sent out this year........so much to do and all.....sigh. (I don't really send out Groundhog's day cards, that was a joke)
So. Does anybody know if the little fuzzbutt saw his shadow or not? I haven't heard...

This is so very cool......

I am so excited I could positively just .......tinkle! She gave me the very best of compliments. Click on over to Well Manered Frivolity and check her out. She has one of the best blogs ever and she recently took on a challenge to blog every day for a year. Let me tell you, I was one happy girl when she took on that challenge cause it meant I could pop on over there and get a giggle, a chuckle, shed a tear or send up a prayer every day. She is one awesome lady and I am so honored that she awarded me with this.....

I would like to pass this honor on to none other than Magner's Random Ramblings because I love that she does posts that are whatever is on her mind and in her heart. I would also like to nominate two new bloggers because I think they are doing an awesome job. So, hats off to mspatsplace and Three kids n 3 years . Thanks for all the good reads ya'll!

Oh! And guess what......I heard from two more friends/relatives (one is a relative that is also the best of friends and the other is a friend that just might as well be a relative!) anyway, they are loyal readers too. Folks, that means that there are six of you out there! (Still not going to get "the big head thought!)