Oh. My. Heavens.

This man can dance.



I remembered to watch Dancing With The Stars tonight. Two steps into his second dance and I was screaming (I'm not kidding) and laughing and cheering. And, yes, I was all alone, stuck in the corner of our house having a blast watching Emmitt get down with his bad self!!

Emmitt is not the best dancer out there, it's Mario if you ask me, but his style is amazing and fun and that smile of his is just too much! I love the soul he adds to each dance. He can dance and he is a pleasure to watch. (Nice earrings, Emmitt.)

A few other Dancing thoughts....

* Joey's first dance melted my heart. I love Gene Kelly and that was a very special dance. I am so familiar with Singing In The Rain that I recognized all the steps.



* Jerry Springer's fan club (aka white trash) should stop voting for him. He's a horrible dancer but seems sincere and has improved.

* Monique is a lovely dancer but I didn't like all the stomping, it was a little over the top. Monique and Joey are in a close second, IMHO.

* I LOVE the shouting judge. He cracks me up!! Where does he come up with this stuff?

150 Things

I copied this from Donna. Highlighted are the things I have done. Remember I am 40 years old, some of these were done when I was a little girl or a wild college girl. Feel free to ask questions if I have sparked your curiosity. :)


01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game (and survived the crush afterwards)
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a babyÂ’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love

53. In a restaurant, sat at a strangerÂ’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didnÂ’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldnÂ’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someoneÂ’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someoneÂ’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that youÂ’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didnÂ’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someoneÂ’s life

Great News!

Stacey, Josh's mom, just called me from the doctor's office. His scans came back ALL CLEAR!! The next step is to get the Broviac removed. We are rejoicing and praising the Lord for his goodness and mercy. I have no words, only happy tears. Thank you for praying and please take time to thank God for all He has done.

Psalm 145
A Praise of David.

1 I will extol You, my God, O King;
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable.

4 One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.
5 I[a] will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty,
And on Your wondrous works.[b]
6 Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts,
And I will declare Your greatness.
7 They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness,
And shall sing of Your righteousness.

8 The LORD is gracious and full of compassion,
Slow to anger and great in mercy.
9 The LORD is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works.

10 All Your works shall praise You, O LORD,
And Your saints shall bless You.
11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom,
And talk of Your power,
12 To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts,
And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.[c]

14 The LORD upholds all who fall,
And raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look expectantly to You,
And You give them their food in due season.
16 You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

17 The LORD is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works.
18 The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them.
20 The LORD preserves all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.
21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD,
And all flesh shall bless His holy name
Forever and ever.

Scooby and Rednecks

I'm posting this picture for my blog friend Cindy. She wrote a funny post about annoying inflatables she saw at Sam's Club a few weeks ago. Well, this guy can be found 5 doors down from my house and every time I drive by it I think of her. Isn't he cute? I agree with her conclusion though...it's silly to waste your money on these goofy halloween decorations. I'm saving my money for nice harvest type decorations like pumpkins and fall wreaths.



I also thought of Cindy when I heard a country song on the radio tonight called "Redneck Yacht Club". Listen to it here, ya'll.

Cindy, she's my hero. :-)

I Love My Crock Pot

Now that the temperatures have dropped below 85 degrees it's time for some soups and stews :-0 I am very thankful for my crock pot and don't know what I'd do without it on busy days. Today I have a low carb vegetable beef soup cooking. I found this recipe in a cookbook that belongs to Janice. It is "Better Homes and Garden low-carb slow cooker recipes".

My other favorite slow cooker cookbook is this gem. I got it at Costco a few years ago.




One of our favorite recipes in this book is the chicken in a pot. It is basically homemade chicken soup, you can add rice or noodles or make it thick like a stew.

So, tonight it's veggie soup and later in the week I'm going to try beef and red bean chili. Doesn't that sound good, it calls for chipotle peppers!

Do you use your slow cooker? Do you have any yummy, low carb recipes for me?

Facing the Giants

Now this is the kind of movie I'll spend my money on....what about you? Do you plan on seeing Facing the Giants? I complain all the time about the trash at the movie theaters and we rarely take our children to the movies but we hope to see this one very soon.




I have read two positive reports so far from two fellow bloggers and homeschool moms.

Let me know what you think. And I'll be sure to give a short review after I've seen it.

Update on Joshua

I thought you might enjoy reading this update from Josh and his family.

*******************

“How I Spent My Summer Vacation”

Dear;

This summer was not what I expected, but a lot of really crazy things happened. First of all, I got a stomach ache and the doctors said I had cancer. The first thing I thought of was, “Am I going to lose my hair?” Well, I did lose my hair, but some of my best buddies shaved theirs so that I wouldn’t feel so bad. It's actually starting to grow back already.


I had my first surgery which hurt a lot, but the doctor liked my incision so much that he took a picture of it the other day. It might get published in something scientific. My mom is sure that agents will be calling soon to see if I’m interested in being a belly-button model.


I got to meet a lot of really new and exciting people – especially some nurses. My favorites were Shirley, Warren and Christina. They took great care of me while I got chemo and they made sure I didn’t throw up too much.


I also got to travel a lot – over 600 miles back and forth to Phoenix Children’s Hospital. The scenery isn’t much to write about, so I’ll skip it. Sometimes I traveled in limos, corvettes and sports cars. I sort of felt like a celebrity.



My dad and his friends at the fire department let me shave their heads for a fundraiser. That was a lot of fun, especially when I cut a girl’s long ponytails off. I always thought it would be cool to do to my sister, but I knew I’d get busted.


My dad says I set a record for getting the most spinal taps. I got 12 of them, but who’s counting. I’m thankful for things like morphine so that I didn’t have to feel much of anything.


My parents promised me a trip somewhere since we had to cancel our summer vacation, so I’m going to – where else? Disneyland! That won’t be till after I get my tests done and the Broviac removed. In case you’re wondering what that is, my mom is including a picture of it. She says it’s not for the “faint of heart” so you might want to be careful.


I had a doctor’s appointment today and he says that everything is looking good. I’m really excited to start playing sports again and not worrying about germs so much. I go back next week for scans and I’m sure my mom will let everyone know about my test results when they come in.


That is how I spent my summer vacation. I hope next year won’t be as exciting!


Joshua Munoz, with the help of a ghost writer.

7th Grade















*******************


Romans 8:35,37-39

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord"

Games People Play

Janice got my kids hooked on this game and I finally bought one for our family. Have you ever heard of this game? Do you play it?



We also love this one, I think my sister Sue gave us this for Christmas. Or was it Donna...?



Anyway, both are great fun and they are also good for the ole brain.


Listen here. I know, I'm so weird. We had the 8 track tape.

Fire Away

Donna had a "Be Nosy Day" yesterday and I thought it was such a fun idea I'm doing it today. She stole it from Melodee who I think is a very clever lady.

So, go ahead, ask me a question and I will answer it.

Be nice now.















I am even going to copy Donna with a Curious George picture but it is to tell you to please listen to this soundtrack or buy anything you can find by Jack Johnson. He's great.

Camping is Fun!

Our first family camping trip went off without a hitch. It was so much fun and the weather was perfect, even a little warm during the daytime. Here are a few highlights of our weekend in Prescott:

* Our football team beat Granite Mountain and we are still undefeated. 3-0 baby!

* There is a very nice In-n-Out Burger in Prescott, I digress.

* We camped at a National Forest camping ground so it was like camping in a camp neighborhood. I was OK with that.

* There were little (clean) buildings that housed toilets!! Yipee

* Water was also available.

* Our campsite had a picnic table and a fire pit.

* We had a beautiful view of mountains and pines.

* The fish weren't biting.

* The critters were out and about that night. Everyone in the tent fell fast asleep in record time and I lay awake listening and smelling and wondering. (sisters, are you surprised?) One little critter was nibbling on something right outside the tent where my head was positioned. I figured it was a skunk or a raccoon, neither of which are very NICE critters. I wanted to shoo it away but knew what would happen if I startled a skunk.

* Later in the night I had fun listening to a pack of coyotes howling in the distance. It was really amazing, actually. I could tell with every howl that they were getting closer to our camp. Wow. God's creation is amazing. BTW, everyone in the tent was sound asleep, including my best camper, Lauren.

* I then heard something quite different than the howling coyotes. It was an elk bugling. I have seen many elk in my day, we go looking for them every time we are in Flagstaff but I have never had the privilege of listening to elk in the middle of the night. I'm serious, it was a privilege. First thing in the morning when we were making coffee and starting the bacon we heard another loud bugle. I'm sure he bedded down for the rest of the day after that.

* I was warm and snuggled in my Coleman sleeping bag on my Coleman air mattress listening to God's creation and my knee was throbbing. Yes, my left knee. When this happens at home I move to my side and position pillows so my knee has support and I go back to sleep. That was not about to happen out there in the wilderness. I only had one down pillow (gasp) and sleeping on your side on an air mattress is not very comfortable, at least not for me! So for the rest of the night I tried to position my leg in such a way that I could go back to sleep in between elk calls and coyotes. Needless to say I didn't get much sleep and I had the STRANGEST dreams...can you believe a 'preppy' came in to our camp and stole our food? :-)

* Sarah asked me to take her to the bathroom in the middle of the night and right then the coyotes howled and boy were they close. I asked her if she heard that noise and I said "Hunny, I can't take you potty right now the coyotes are out there". (wimp)

* All in all it was a great experience, just a little too much work for one night. It would have been nice to stay another night. Um, did I just type that?

* To my sister Cindy, the standard is high, girl. Don't worry about me. hehehehe You crack me up. :-)

This and That

Today is my husband's 41st birthday!

Happy Birthday Dave :-)

He is hard to shop for...I can't buy him bicycle components, that would be a joke. He doesn't need clothes. Electronics, NEVER, who in their right mind would buy an electrical engineer (geek) anything electronic. Not me. So what did I get my dear for his birthday?

* A green Cabela's sweatshirt.
* Season 2 of 24. He is obsessed and will lose a lot of sleep starting tonight.
* Nautica flannel PJ's purchased at my favorite store....Costco.

I know these things will make him smile. Thankfully he is not much into gifts, unlike me.


*****************************


We have a football game in cool Prescott on Saturday afternoon and we will be camping at a great little spot Saturday night.




Can I tell you something?

I. DON'T. CAMP.

I love the outdoors and the beautiful pines but I guess I love them mostly in the daylight hours. Ah well. I know we'll have fun and I'll catch up on my sleep someday....won't I?

On the menu: chili and cornbread Saturday night, eggs, bacon and bagels for breakfast on Sunday and for lunch on Sunday we'll grill hamburgers and hot dogs.

I ask you to pray for me, often. ;-)

********************************

Josh is starting his 4th and final round of chemo today. He has continued to handle the treatment very well with only minor side effects and one blood transfusion. Will you continue to pray for him? Please pray that he would not experience any side effects, fever, infection and that he wouldn't need another transfusion.

He has maintained a positive attitude and is an example to us all. No pity parties for Josh and no moping around. Way to go buddy! You're almost done.

Happy Birthday

Donna is celebrating her 4? th birthday today!!

She always enjoys a big blog celebration over at Quiet Life on her special day.

I know I only have two readers ;-) but if you two haven't gone over to wish Donna a happy birthday, go now, it's always so much fun.




Happy Happy Birthday
from all of us to you
we wish it was our birthday
so we could party too!
Hey!

Love you, Donna.
Have a great day.

Encouragement

From Donna and her sweet friend Lynn in WI.

Donna posted this today at her blog and I wanted you to read it. It's just too good not to share.


Here's the quote from a 1914 issue of Women's World:

Suppose you are a housewife. Your home is small. Your means are limited. Your "things to do with" are meager. Your children are trying. Your work is hard and monotonous....There you have a stream of events bearing you down. If you yield you become nervous, irritable, discontented, perhaps eventually careless and slovenly, a physical wreck and spiritual misery. And now, suppose you make up your mind not to yield. Suppose you say to yourself, "I will think beautiful thoughts. I will make my surroundings cheerful. I will be happy and strong and brave and make my husband and children even as I am." That you reply, is easier said than done. It is very hard. Wait!...it is not so hard as you imagine. Cease pitying yourself. Say, when you awake in the morning, "The world is beautiful. There are many great, noble, unconquerable souls. I am one of them....I shall make this house glow with peace and good will.

He Lives

Nothing brings me more joy than to hear my Lauren sing this song from her car seat in the back of the car. I cry tears of joy and of thanks and praise to my Father. And then I must drive and not cause a wreck.


Redeemer
Nicole C. Mullen

Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning
Who told the ocean you can only come this far?
Who showed the moon where to hide 'til evening
Whose words alone can catch a falling star?

Well I know my Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives
All of creation testify
This life within me cries
I know my Redeemer lives

The very same God that spins things in orbit
He runs to the weary, the worn and the weak
And the same gentle hands that hold me when I'm broken
They conquered death to bring me victory

Now I know my Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives
Let all creation testify
Let this life within me cry
I know my Redeemer, He lives

To take away my shame
And He lives forever I'll proclaim
That the payment for my sin
Was the precious life He gave
But now He's alive
And there's an empty grave.

And I know my Redeemer, He lives
I know my Redeemer lives
Let all creation testify
This life within me cries
I know my Redeemer lives

Camo and Bling

Happy 4th Birthday Lauren Paige!! Yesterday.

Here you see Lauren in her new gymnastics outfit and holding her camo, bling purse that her older sisters talked me into buying. Isn't she funny? She has carried that purse everywhere and wears it nicely over her shoulder. Lauren is my baby and always will be, she is polite and sweet and happy.

















She is a joy and it was fun yesterday reminiscing about her birth. She was my smallest baby at 8'6 oz. When the nurses told me her weight I yelled "that's all"! Her delivery was quick and a little frantic. I had a very strange transition complete with weird groaning and throat noises. Dave told me to stop and the wonderful, experienced nurse almost popped him, she said "Oh hunny, she can't stop that!"

Free Blog Design

Bluebird Blogs is having a drawing for two free blog designs. Take a look at her beautiful designs. I would love to win, my template is so boring and so blue. ;-) Two of my favorite designs include Amy's and Kim's. Kim's is brand new and really amazing. I LOVE the ivy!

I sure hope I win.

Oh Yeah, Emmitt Can Dance!

I didn't get to see the original performance of this dance but Janice called me last night and told me he was fantastic. So I looked around and found this fun video clip. It will make you smile. Somehow he has that way.




















Watch the video You'll need to scroll down and look for "Dancing with the stars/Emmitt Smith"

My Achin' Feet

I feel every bit forty and a little bit betrayed. ;-)

They have lost their charm.



It's been a long summer and the bottom of my feet hurt...alot! Every time I wear them.

Oh, I'll try again because I loved them once, but it's time to move on and try to heal my sore feet.

It's time to move on to a new pair of these.

Sweet Baby James

Happy 13th Birthday James!!

James entered this world weighing 9' 13 oz.




YIKES

And he was my first all natural delivery. I'm ok, really I am. But I will never forget the moment of his birth and the days that followed. :-)

He is a strong strappin' boy now. He is as tall as I am and will pass me quickly I'm sure.




James has requested Chili's for dinner and mint chocolate chip icecream pie for dessert.

Dearest James, stay close to Jesus and in all you do give glory of God! I love you. Mom

15 Healthy Foods

This article is quite good. I read it last week while waiting for my oil to be changed. It was the only ladies magazine in the whole place and I was pleasantly surprised by the content of this article. The only one (out of 15) I'm not so sure about is the soy products. I hope you'll follow the link and read about why each food is good for you, but here is the list....



1. Salmon
2. Oatmeal
3. Blueberries
4. Strawberries
5. Soy foods
6. Nuts
7. Pinto Beans
8. Cauliflower
9. Tomatoes
10 Garlic
11. Spinach
12. Grapes
13. Sweet Potatoes
14. Flax
15. Sesame Seeds

Isn't that a great list?! So, how are you doing?

Hope you enjoy the article :)

The Lady Crusaders

Freshman Volleyball!!



I got myself in to big trouble for posting about football and not mentioning that
Hannah is playing on the freshman volleyball team at school. She is having a great time and improving daily it seems.

The team is 2-0 and there is another game on Friday.

The girls had practice and try-outs in mid August before school started so Hannah had made some friends before the first day of school. That was a very good thing for my sometimes timid Hannah. She is loving volleyball and plays at the net to block and hit (eventually to spike it down the opponent's throat, did I just type that?).

We are having to learn a lot about the game. I played in high school but boy have things changed. I'm old school, that's for sure. No more play until the first one reaches 15 and you can only score when you serve. Oh, and the serve can tip the net and still be in play. What?

* they play to 25 pts.
* you can score a point on the opponent's serve
* the serve can tip the net, as long as it is in
* rotation is weird and I haven't figured it out
* the varsity teams uses a libero and I don't know what that is except she wears a different color jersey. Great.

I am very proud of Hannah!! She is having a great time learning the game and all the other stuff you learn about life while participating in a team sport.

GO CRUSADERS!!

Bald is Beautiful!

Picture by Michael Schennum for the Arizona Republic



I called the newspaper today to compliment this man on his amazing photograph. Everything about this picture is awesome; the subject, first and foremost, the angle, the black and white choice, the positioning of the firemen and the pleasant looks on their faces. It deserves an award. Can you tell I'm impressed? Sorry for the poor quality, I had to scan it.

Go to this link, scroll down and click "Shaving their hair for cancer awareness". It is a short video and the beautiful picture is at the end.

The Peoria firemen raised over $2,000.00 that day for the Phoenix Children's Hospital.

It was a tremendous blessing to be there on that day to see so many men willing to shave their heads in honor of Josh and others who have cancer. A female fire fighter even did it, you'll see that in the video.

Josh and his family appeared on three local newscasts on Friday night and then 4 big pictures in the Sunday paper. Josh is like, so cool and famous :-)

Please continue to pray for Joshua. He checks back in to PCH on Thursday for his third round of chemo. He will have to stay one week.

NCS Crusaders

I thought the bag was cool and then I turned it around!










Wow!! That's really cool.





James is playing on a 7/8 grade tackle football team representing his new school. We know 3 of his coaches and they are wonderful Godly men who all have sons on the team.

This is a new experience for us. James has never played organized football, we didn't do the Pop Warner thing. He is in great shape and the coaches are teaching fundamentals so he is having a blast. He is making nice friends and we are getting reacquainted with old friends from our old church.

He is a lineman right now.

I'll try to get a picture of him in his full pads. That starts on Wednesday. Pray it cools down a bit.

****************

For my family in Wisconsin

"Want it; desire it; earn it; take it."
Vince Lombardi

"Maybe winning isn't everything, but it sure comes way ahead of whatever is second."
Vince Lombardi

Fine Art Wednesday?

Sunflowers
by Shari White



I think I figured it out!! I had too many mega whatevers of pictures on my blog so I went back and deleted several and now it works. At least for today, it works. Isn't it pretty?

PS Two posts in one day! Wow.

In The Oven

Granola!

Dry ingredients
6 C. rolled oats
1 1/2 C. raw sunflower seeds
1 C. wheat germ
1 C. oat bran
1 C. wheat bran
1 C. dry buttermilk powder
1 C. raw slivered almonds
1 T. cinnamon

Wet ingredients
1/2 C. high grade maple syrup
3/4 C. honey
1 1/2 C. canola oil
2 tsp. vanilla

Mix dry ingredients and set aside. Mix wet ingredients in a blender and pour over the dry ingredients. Mix well. Spread evenly on to lined baking sheets. Bake 1 hour stirring every 2o minutes. Do not brown.

While hot add:
1 C. raisins
1 C. dried apples
1 C. dried cranberries

Cool. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy with yogurt :)

I try to buy mostly organic ingredients purchased at Sprouts.

I make this for Josh and his family. It is his special treat after dinner.

Five things on my mind...

Today I will answer yesterday's 5 things that were on my mind.

Summary: God is good.


Did Josh have a good night?

Not only did he have a good night he is doing extremely well. He finished his 2nd round of chemo and was released from the hospital on Monday night. His body is handling it beautifully with only a few little blips here and there. The little blips seem to be related to the spinal tap so Mike and Stacey are working to take care of that. Josh has a spinal tap every week. They have to watch his spinal fluid very carefully, his type of cancer loves spinal fluid. So far, none has been found. Praise God. Josh's parents believe it is God at work in his life and body. They also continue to juice carrots, parsley, apple and beets every single night. (funny, I had a dream about that last night). Dave and I are seriously considering buying a juicer. Probably the Omega.

Glory be to God!


Will Danielle be taken off the waiting list and get in to school?

God saw fit to allow Dani into the Christian school yesterday at 1 pm. School starts on Monday. :) I had a hard week...we were offered a position at the satellite campus (opposite direction and away from her siblings) on Wednesday and with much prayer we decided to turn it down in hopes that something would come up at the main campus. It was a risk because they do not allow transfers during the school year. I was willing to homeschool so it didn't matter that she didn't get in right away, I was counting on someone moving or not liking the school. Not only did God get Dani in to the school He gave her the teacher she wanted. Isn't God kind?

Are we making the right decision for our children?

Thank you, Donna. I believe we are making a good decision for our family. NCS is a very nice place.

I need to start exercising/walking, please cool down!

Yes, cool down!!

Why is there no milk in this house, how did that happen? :)

Got this taken care of by 8:50 am. Also grabbed some o.j. and eggs.

Copy Cat

From Donna's special place, 5 things....


Five things in my freezer:
ground beef
strawberries
pizza
Eggos
chicken

Five things in my closet:
shoes
purses
hats
clothing
BB gun


Five things in my car:
garbage
empty cup
pens/pencils
cds
toys

Five things in my purse:
Burt's Bees lip gloss
wallet
cell phone
peppermint gum
mints


Five things on my mind:
did Josh have a good night?
will Danielle be taken off the waiting list and get in to school?
are we making the right decision for our children?
I need to start exercising/walking, please cool down!
why is there no milk in this house, how did that happen? :)



Donna has also been doing Fine Art Friday.

So again, I copy her....it's a compliment

******************************


Why can't I post pictures to my blog? I've tried on both computers. It loads and then it says 'done' and when I click done it doesn't show up in my post. UGH. I can't blog without pictures, I'm just like that.

Imagine a bouquet of sunflowers against a brick red background. It's lovely, really it is. I just can't show you.

Happy Birthday Sarah!!

Today is Sarah's 8th Birthday!

Sarah is sporting a brand new pink bike.

She has requested poppy seed chicken for dinner and yummy undercooked chocolate chip cookie bars with icecream for dessert. And she's getting it....all of it :)

She will get to open a few more presents after dinner.

Sarah is a precious gift from the Lord and she is my "princess". Sarah is my little false labor baby. I labored for days and even went in to the hospital once at 3am and then it all stopped and I had to go home. We made her come out a few days later. :-) She weighed 9lb 3oz at birth but now she is my petite one, wearing only a size 6 or 7 slim. She has blue eyes that will melt your heart and a heart as good as gold. She truly is a gift and a joy to our family.

We love you Sarah Hope!


Blogger won't let me post pictures for some reason, I try again later.

Grace

He Giveth More Grace
By Annie Johnson Flint

He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials he multiplies peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

Listen here

"Grace and peace be yours in abundance."
1 Peter 1:2b

"...my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

2 Cor. 12:9a

and finally

"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you;

he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

Deut. 31:8

THE lightning strike

The lightning struck only 50 feet away from where we were standing. Lauren (3) and I had just made it down the stairs and we were walking in front of the only open window in the entire cabin. The noise and the light came at the same time and I was frozen in my steps. Never in my 40 years have I heard such a crack. I was completely terrified. Poor little Lauren could feel MY heart racing against her closely pressed chest. We retreated to the downstairs bedroom to compose ourselves for a few minutes and pray that this would please.just.stop!! When I could move again we ran back upstairs, passing the horrible open window, to be with the other 5 kids and I made James help me gather pillows and blankets so I could join the 6 kids upstairs for the rest of the night. The lightning struck a tree only 50 feet away for our cabin in our neighbor's yard.

It pleases Janice to no end that on that trip (4 days) I got almost no sleep. The thunderstorms came precisely at nap time and at 2 in the morning. I was TOAST by the end of it all. Two of my little girls become Cling On's during T-storms so I had constant companions :)



The lightning struck at the tip top of the tree but here in these two pictures you see the lower parts of the tree and where it went in to the ground.

This and That

Hi! All is well, just very busy.

* Josh is doing so well! His first round of chemo has been a breeze (that should be an oxymoron). His blood counts were shocking yesterday, in a good way. Stacey credits the vegetable juicing and the Flor-Essence tea they are drinking. The doctors might start his next round early so he can "get this over with" before the cold and flu season sets in...thank you for praying and be sure to praise God for His many blessings :)

* I spent 4 days last week up near Flagstaff with the kids and one cousin. Almost got struck by lightning (not kidding, I'm still scared), saw 5 beautiful elk, 1 bold blue jay, a fluffy bunny and the power of God in a big way in the form of thunder storms. I'm humbled.

* Our little classical school closed in June. We are putting 3 children in the local Christian school. I have mixed emotions; a little fear and a lot of relief. I'm ready for stability and consistency in my children's education. I have been very busy with all the paper work, school supplies (love buying them) and uniforms etc.

* I keep starting the Fat Flush diet, usually every Monday ;-). I have stopped drinking DC again and I don't have a hard time staying away from sweets. I even like the cran water. I have a hard time eating something completely different than what I've cooked for my family. Last night we had grilled pork chops and delicious, sauteed zucchini with onions and tomatoes. That was a good meal my whole family could enjoy, I need to find more of those.

* I am heading up to the cabin again on Thursday and Dave will join us on Friday when he can sneak away from work. This will probably be our last trip before school starts. I'm looking forward to the cool temps and pine air. I am in my element up there and Chili's is only 25 minutes away :)

See ya later!
Janet

One Week Down....

Stacey sent out an email update last night and gave me permission to share it with you, my sweet family and friends, my prayer warriors.


From Stace, written Sunday night

**********

There's No Place Like Home!!!

Yes, we're back home in our own beds. The Dr. decided to let us come home on Saturday night instead of Monday afternoon since Josh was doing so well with the chemo treatments. We still have to go back for another Spinal Tap on Monday, but we were sure glad for an early release.

The nurses and Doctors at Children's Hospital have been phenomenal. We couldn't ask for a better team of people to be caring for Josh.

Josh slept a whopping 12 straight hours last night and he's feeling great this afternoon. Again, we owe it to all of the prayers and the goodness of God.

Several people have asked how this will effect us financially. We wanted to let all of you know that we have awesome coverage from Blue Cross. In fact, they are covering nearly 100% of the treatment!!!! This has just been another blessing from the Lord for which we are so thankful.

Again, we want to thank everyone for the meals, visits, phone calls, emails, books, articles, Starbucks and PRAYER. There were also some very busy little bee's taking care of our home, dogs, lawn, shopping, taking Jessica to functions, baking granola, running errands, and a million other things. What a blessing you have all been to us.

We are watching over Joshua very closely now that we're home, waiting for any signs of infection or mouth sores. We have been instructed to head straight back to the hospital if anything develops over 101.5 degrees. This seems to be quite a common occurrence, so we hope that he can beat those statistics! In the meantime, he's happy to be back with his dogs, favorite blankets, books and nobody trying to take his blood pressure :)

With many thanks,

Mike, Stacey, Jessica and Joshua

***********

And here is the young man himself. Looking mighty fine, don't you think?

Be Strong and Courageous!

I bought 250 custom silicone bracelets to sell as a fund raiser for Josh. Aren't they cool?! It says "JOSHUA" on one side and on the opposite side it says "Duet. 31:6". Duet. 31:6 is 'be strong and courageous..'.

We are selling them for $5.00 each and all the proceeds will go directly to our friends to help them along the way. My children and I are so excited about these bracelets. We call them prayer bracelets. It's our reminder to pray 24/7 for Josh.

warning soap box:

Sure, we could have worn the very popular yellow Livestrong bracelets but I don't feel like supporting Lance Armstrong. He believes that he beat cancer all on his own, with his own power and strength. We're different here. We recognize all things are from the hand of God, good and bad, and we will praise our Savior for whatever the outcome. We will give all glory to God who is so deserving. We will never forget His goodness to Josh and I know that Josh will proclaim God's goodness, grace and mercy all the days of his life. So blue it is!

off soap box

Be strong and courageous Josh. We love you and pray for you 24/7 buddy!
Mrs. W.

Conquering Cancer

A very creative and thoughtful friend of our family and Josh's family decided that Josh needed to go back to Phoenix Children's in style. This is what showed up in front of his house to give him a ride.



Can you make that out? It's a monster truck limo! He is standing at the top with the orange shirt on and those are his friends who escorted him to the hospital. They all piled inside; Josh, his friends, his parents and our friend who organized the whole thing. On the way down to the hospital they played games. One game involved a spoon, a pingpong and a cup and the other was similar to "Fear Factor" where if a child got a question wrong they had to eat from a cup of vegetable goolash. (Josh's family has begun juicing vegetables and that's where that game came from, see, I told you he was creative!)

Josh has had two good days down at the hospital. Today could be tough and the family would covet your prayers for him.

Please pray that his body handles the chemo well and that it is effective. Please pray for the doctors and nurses that care for Josh. Please thank God for the many blessings our friends are receiving! Pray for his parents, that they would be able to handle the next several months with the abundent grace of God.

Thank you!

One Hot Mama

Yup, that's me!

It has been blazing hot these last few days. Yesterday the high in Glendale was 115 degrees and our low for the night was a record high low, if you know what I mean, 93 degrees. Our air conditioner does not turn off during the afternoon heat, it just runs and runs and runs. Yesterday I actually turned the temperature up so the unit could have a rest.

Today will be more of the same. I think I'll go out early and grab a few movies for the kids. Can you believe our pool is uncomfortably warm and the kids won't swim right now? Terrible. I have an idea and I'll let you know if I do it....I want to grab several bags of ice from the store and dump them in the pool. Don't you think it would be fun to swim with ice. I think it would be refreshing.

Thank you Lord for AC and a roof over my head.

The Peoria Pyros!

You probably already know how much I like the Pyromaniacs site. It is a daily stop for me and if the comments are flowing I return many times to check-in. The four Pyros are great. They are theological deep, witty, charming (?), intelligent and oh so funny! I have been known to laugh out loud on many occasions. One thing I don't know about Phil Johnson and his gang is if they can cook!?

Let me tell you about some real life pyromaniacs that are cooking up a storm. They are the Peoria, Arizona Fire Department pyromaniacs! (Josh's dad has been with the department for 20 years). Ever since my friends returned home from the hospital with their 12 year old son, Joshua (recently diagnosed with cancer) the Peoria Pyros have been cooking for them. So far they have provided chili, beef brisket/roast and last night my friends enjoyed chicken enchiladas. They have set up a schedule and several different stations are providing the dinners. Firemen know food! And apparently they know GOOD food.

Firemen also appear to have very big and generous hearts. My friends are overwhelmed by this gesture of kindness. The Peoria Pyros send Josh's dad an email and let him know whose bringing what and when. They won't take no for an answer. Wives of firemen are showing up with groceries and the department has made arrangements at the hospital so my friends don't have to pay for food at the cafeteria. Now that's what I call community and selfless love.

It is wonderful to sit back and watch this community pull together for Josh and his family.

These Peoria Pyros are my new heroes, sorry Phil. :)

Joshua

I have permission to fill you in on the details so here goes.....

Josh has Burkitt's lymphoma, a non-Hodkins lymphoma

Monday night he was taken to Phoenix Children's Hospital

After many consultations and second opinions, surgery was performed on Tuesday and the doctors found a 2 inch tumor in, on, or around his intestines. They removed a few inches of his intestines and the whole tumor. It was determined while he was in surgery that the tumor was malignant and the cancer had affected his lymphnodes in the abdomen.

You can read all about Burkitt's here, but I will tell you that it is a very aggressive cancer and must be treated aggressively and quickly.

Now the good news!!

The cancer has NOT SPREAD to any other part of his body. Praise the Lord!! This poor boy has had every test known to man and no cancer has been found except in the local area it originally affected. The doctor said that this only occurs in 25% of the cases. In other words, the doctors were expecting to find it in the bone marrow or spinal fluid. No way, Doc, not when you have a gazillion people praying for this precious boy.

Josh had a central line surgically placed on Thursday. (for chemo treatments)

Saturday he received a mild chemo treatment and began taking his medicines.

Today, Sunday, Josh is resting peacefully at home. He gets to stay home until a week from Monday. It is then that Josh will be admitted back in to Children's for a week of intense chemotherapy. He will be treated for about 4 months.

Because his immune system is not yet compromised we are all going to to see 'Pirates' tomorrow. Stacey will keep him down all day and then we'll go to the movies in the afternoon. He is looking forward to getting out a little bit.

We have so much to be thankful for!! God's mercy and grace abounds. The cancer was caught very early (doc thinks the tumor was about 2 weeks old).

Josh has a long road ahead so please pray for him diligently. Please pray that this cancer will go in to remission and also pray for us to minister to him just as he needs.

We sincerely believe that God could heal Josh in an instant and we pray towards that end. But we don't know what the will of God is, do we? We will pray and wait on the Lord, always trusting His perfect and awesome ways.

Joshua's older (and gorgeous :)) sister and I are going to create a new blog to keep everyone updated.


I love you Joshua M.!!!
You are da man.
We're gonna get you through this buddy :-)
From Mrs. W.

Blog Break comments

Dearest Blog friends,

Your kindness overwhelms me and I want to say thank you. Your prayers mean so much to our friends and to our family. Please continue to pray. There is a long road ahead. If my friend gives me permission I will share some details so you can pray specifically for Josh.

Thank you.

Love in Christ,
Janet

Blog Break

TTFN.

Janet.

He Whispers

He is Cesar Millan and he is The Dog Whisperer! Have you watched his show on the National Geographic Channel? I've only seen 2 one hour episodes and I'm hooked. I even bought
his book at Sam's Club last week.



Now don't worry, I don't buy into the new age stuff he talks about, like 'energy' and 'Mother Nature' but I do believe almost every thing else he suggests. Everything was ok when I heard him say "this dog is not a human, he is a dog". My bil used to tell our dogs when I was growing up "you're nothing but a dog!"

He doesn't train dogs. He rehabilitates dogs and trains humans.

I think that is very funny and very necessary in our home. Two days before Christmas our 135 lb Rhodesian Ridgeback/Lab mix (Dillon) bit my son. Here's what happened....my son and the dog were laying on the floor happily. J. reached over to the dog's lip and pulled on a mole/tag and attempted to pull it off. This hurt and scared the dog and he bit J. on the chest and stood over him (pinned him, actually) and growled ferociously at J. We saw the whole thing and we were screaming hysterically at the dog. The dog stopped, backed away and we promptly kicked him outside. To make a long story short, we decided not to put him down for two reasons (maybe two stupid reasons to you). The first reason was it was two days before Christmas and I felt sorry for the children and the second reason was that this was provoked. It's not like this dog did this sort of thing on a daily basis.




The thing our dog does on a daily basis, however, is act grumpy. If he is not in the mood for attention and love he growls at us. We have learned to avoid him during his grumpy time but it really irritates us. Plus we are afraid of this 135 lb. piece of muscle. Not good.

We are going to start implementing a few things we have learned from Cesar.

* We already bought a choke collar but the dog will wear it high on his neck now, not low.
* The leash will become very short and he will walk behind us a step or two.
* I have been pushing his bum down after commanding him to sit.
* We will slowly take control and he will become submissive. I hope.
* He will get more exercise, more disipline and less affection.
* I practice saying "pst"

I was hoping to invite Cesar to my home but he is not going to be in my area any time soon. He will be in Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, New York to name a few. I think he should take a little pit stop in Phoenix on his way to Dallas, don't you think?

I am hopeful that some of these techniques will help our grumpy dog and he will be happy being a dog and know he is not in charge of this family!

PS Don't you just love Cesar's salt and pepper hair color? Reminds me of my Greek uncles.

He's on a roll!

Now this is the good stuff of the internet!

I hope you'll read what Mr. Challies says today.

I'll only add one thing.....a hearty AMEN!

These two posts will be required reading for my older children.

Great post.

From Disneyland to theology. Here we go!

Yes! What Tim Challies said.

Disneyland

We spent one long day at Disneyland. It was extremely crowded and hot. Oh well. The kids still had fun. Here are my little girls with a few of their friends.












We saw them at Disneyland too. Not my picture.

















(Blogger irritates me!!)

Oceanside, California

Donna requested pictures of our recent trip to Oceanside CA. I didn't take very many unfortunately.

This is the beach house we rented. I'm standing at the edge of the houses private beach. Pardon the mess!









I stayed in the same spot and turned around 180 degrees. This part is the public beach. The kids just couldn't understand why strangers would plop themselves on "our" beach. Silly.









Amazing sunset, isn't it?

"SCORPAND!!"

Ya know. I've just about had it with creepy crawly things. We had a few issues in CA with nasty roaches and just now my 2 little girls were in their bathroom looking for some finger nail polish and came across, thankfully not stung by, a scorpion ("scorpand" in our house). It looked just like the one in the picture. It was small and actually, small scorpands are more dangerous than large ones. Did you know that their sting is extremely painful and their venom is a neurotoxin?

My son was stung a few years ago and within an hour he reported to me that his throat was tight and numb like when he goes to the dentist! Poison Control people are saints. I love them. They call you back to check-in.

Anyway, all is well. Except now I have the heebie jeebies.

Nuts!

We're home safe and sound. Oceanside was wonderful and fun and sunny and sandy.

I'm very tired tonight but I wanted to say hello and share a couple funnies.

We had been on the road for 5 hours and the children were beginning to get a little slap happy, so we did what most parents do when traveling with 5 children .....EAT. The mixed nuts began to make their way around the suburban. Lauren (3) picked out a cashew and proclaimed:

"This banana has peanut butter on the inside"

just as we got over that James (12) announced:

"Dad, did you know if you suck on an almond long enough it begins to taste like Iced Tea?!"

WHAT?

I love my life. :-)

A Recipe Today

Monster Cookies

1/2 lb butter
2 C. sugar
2 1/3 C. brown sugar
6 eggs
2 T. karo syrup
4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 C. peanut butter
9 C. oatmeal
2 C. M & M's
1 C. chocolate chips

Bake @ 350 for about 10 minutes.
I use a large cookie scoop, my girlfriend uses her icecream scoop.
This recipe fills my Bosch bowl, if you're hand mixing I would halve the recipe.
I think I made around 75 large cookies (I didn't count).
We have not eaten all the cookies I made yesterday. I quickly popped 45 in the freezer for our roadtrip.




Enjoy!! They are delicious.

Phew! It's 6/7/06

Carmon had me laughing out loud with this post. I think you'll enjoy it. Warning: put your coffee down, do not take a sip while reading these, your monitor may never be the same.




Isn't it good to know our Savior is sovereign over the entire universe?! We need not worry about the date on the calendar. Our lives are in His very capable and loving hands and we can find rest there.


Are you resting?

Great Tunes!

My friend turned me on to Jack Johnson and I just bought the CD.

It is mellow, happy music.

It makes you smile and want to dance.

You won't be disappointed.

I want to go back to Hawaii. Ahhh, that place is magical.

Buy it here or here

Frankly my dear.....

Last March Carmon entered my name in her contest and I WON!! I got to pick $25.00 worth of books from her nice store. This is just one of them and I am reading it for the very first time.




You may already know that I am a late bloomer when it comes to reading good books and classics. Better late than never, right?! I'm actually quite embarrassed by my lack of reading but at least I have something to show for the last several years, I gave birth to and nursed 5 children in 10 years, phew! Donna tells me not to be embarrassed...she says: "people just don't blog about math and science." I have just started GWTW and I really like it so far.

Guess what? I've never seen the movie either. I've seen bits and pieces and know parts of the story but never start to finish! I am excited about that. I love reading books first.

Salmon and Science

My friend gave me this recipe and it is a keeper!

It is a perfect low carb dinner and could probably be used if you're flushing your fat away.

From Muscle & Fitness, April 2006 (thankfully, I didn't have to actually read the magazine. The recipe was torn out already. :P).

Spicy Salmon

1 purple onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. canned chipotle peppers
1 T. minced fresh cilantro
2 C. baby spinach
4 4 oz. salmon fillets
Salt and pepper to taste
Lime slices to garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Mix onion, garlic, peppers, cilantro and tomatoes together in a medium bowl.

Cut four 12 X 12 inch pieces of foil and place 1/2 C. spinach in the center of each. Top spinach with one salmon fillet, then 1/4 of the tomato mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bring the two opposite sides of foil together and fold over to seal. Fold remaining two sides to seal.

Place packets seam side up on baking sheet; bake 15-20 minutes. For rare salmon, cook 12-15 minutes. Open packets carefully, allowing steam to escape; serve garnished with lime slices if desired.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
228 calories, 38 g protein!!!, 1 g carbohydrate!!!, 8 g fat, 3 g fiber.

Enjoy :-)


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




This video was a perfect supplement and a perfect end to our final chapter in the Apologia Physical Science book. It is very well done and sent shivers down my spine. We (humans) are very small in light of the universe.

Thankfully, our Creator cares about each one of us and knows the number of hairs on our head. Not only does He care for us, we were created in His image and for His glory.

A Meme

I tagged myself. Found at Donna's blog.

I AM: Just Janet

I SAID: Yes, Jesus. I will follow you

I WANT: To obey Jesus,

I WISH: you would too.

I HATE: swearing /cussing / vulgar language

I MISS: my sisters

I FEAR: dying young

I HEAR: CeCe Winans in the background

I WONDER: why Christians like to stand on the cliff with their toes way too far over the edge

I REGRET: not being more bold about my Savior

I DANCE: often

I SING: horribly

I CRY: at movies and commercials

I AM NOT ALWAYS: kind :(

I MADE: spaghetti for dinner

I WRITE: horribly, but I don't have to tell you that, do I?

I CONFUSE: myself often

I NEED: Jesus

I SHOULD: get up and fold laundry

I START: projects

I FINISH: my husband's sentences

I BELIEVE: Jesus is the way, and the truth and the life

I KNOW: I love the clothing at Coldwater Creek

I CAN: jog for two and a half minutes on the treadmill (lame, I know)

I CAN'T: knit

I SEE: 3 really cute little girls running through my house

I BLOG: when I can

I READ: slowly

I FIND: pennies and Polly Pockets all over my house

I LIKE: caramel frapawhatevers from Starbucks

San Diego Pictures

Pirates of the Caribbean Party





The view from our room





Dave and Janet

Happy Birthday x 2

Today we celebrate two very special birthdays.

Hannah is 14 today!




and







Danielle is now 11!

















They will open presents, we will go out to dinner as a family and I will be serving brownies and icecream after dinner. Oh, and we hope to get some free stuff today. Krispy Kreme donuts and maybe a Starbucks Frap!

Lauren (3) was sure to wake them at 6 AM to wish them a happy day. Dani got up but Hannah quickly locked her bedroom door and crawled back in to bed.

I am blessed to have such precious daughters. They are sweet, kind, happy and full of life.

Happy Birthday, Hannah!

Happy Birthday, Dani!

I love you,
Mom

This is Worth Another Post

HT: Donna

I have not laughed this hard in a long time. He stole my moves!! I was a big dancer 'back in the day'. I am off to watch and listen to this on our main computer. It has a subwoofer and a larger screen.

Enjoy

Life is Busy

Things are busy around our house these days. We leave on Thursday morning for an Interstate Battery Convention in San Diego. (and my husband is currently sick with the intestinal flu)



I hope to visit this lovely place while we are there.

We will be gone until Tuesday so I won't be posting for a while.




I will have you know we have two large dogs. Both of them will eat you alive if you attempt to rob our house.


Happy Donna? hehehe.

It's Over!

And I did it!! : D

I made it 10 days on my cleanse.

Here are a few highlights:

* I lost 12 pounds.
* I feel GREAT.
* I am very happy to be caffeine free, Nutrasweet free and sugar free.
* My face is no longer puffy.
* My friend Tammy is my hero. She did it with me and lost 10 pounds. She was a constant encouragement.
* I am excited and proud and can't believe I stuck with this.
* It was probably one of the most difficult things I have ever done in my life. Seriously.
* My joints feel great.
* I am sleeping well.

Today I am drinking orange juice and sipping homemade vegetable soup. Both are delicious and you'd think I was eating a Filet from Ruth's Chris. I will wean myself today and tomorrow, gradually introducing a few real foods. Friday or Saturday I plan on treating myself to a salad at Chipotle. I am craving something with FLAVOR! In the Southwest that means Mexican food.




So long for now. Feel free to ask questions in the comments.

God is good!

Take a little trip over to Candace's blog!

You will be rejoicing.

Doxology

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host.
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Amen.