Hello Beautiful

I used to just swear by my New Balance.

Until I tried these Asics on the other day.

They have so much more arch support and are incredibly comfortable.

My shoes are light pink and silver and they are very cute. I couldn't find the exact picture but these are the shoes I bought and love. Asics Gel 1130.

PS. I don't run. I walk.

Wise Words from John Piper

It's almost seven minutes long but please take time to watch the whole video.




Here is a blog post by John Piper written today. Again, it's worth your time.

Dress-Up Fun

Much to my sister's dismay my kids have never been trick-or-treating. :) We have always participated in a Fall Festival at one of two local churches. Last night we went to the church where some of Dave's family members attend. They have a very nice, safe festival and our kids have a blast! I haven't always allowed them to dress up but this year I was feeling feisty. teehee.

Lauren:





















Sarah recently re-watched Holes and was inspired:





















Things went downhill quickly:


















Snow White, busted!

















Aw.





















We have a ridiculous amount of candy in this house right now.

The Baby Ruth's are just calling my name.

Keep callin' Baby Ruth. I dare ya.

A Little Taste of Fall

Picture from net.

Apple Crisp
Pillsbury Cookbook

6 C. (6 medium) peeled, sliced cooking apples
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. water
3/4 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. flour
1/2 C. oats
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 C. butter

Heat oven to 375. Place apples in 8 or 9 inch square pan. Sprinkle with lemon juice and water. In small bowl, combine remaining ingredients until crumbly; sprinkle over apples. Bake at 375 for 40 to 45 minutes or until apples are tender.


Why I torture myself by baking delicious treats when I can't partake is beyond me! :) Seriously though, I really enjoy baking. Cooking, not so much.

I took one little taste of one little apple so I could decide if I liked this recipe or not. I LIKE IT. :) My husband LOVED IT. I served it up with a big scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and he went back for seconds.

I think I will make this for Thanksgiving since Great Grandma can no longer make her absolutely perfect and most delicious apple pies. This will have to do. And at least we get to have the traditional apple dessert on the table.

Speaking of torture. It's paying off. I'm down 34 pounds and the nurse challenged me to lose 12 more by Thanksgiving. GIVE ME A BREAK. I set my goal for 10 pounds by turkey day. Sheesh.

Need Encouragement?

I sure do.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.


2 Corinthians 4:7-9

7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed


Dueteronomy 31:8

8 And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”


1 John 4:4

4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

~~~~~

I'm tired.

It's difficult parenting so many.
("many" is a relative term, I know)

Spot On!

If you have young children and/or teenagers in your home please go read this article at The Wall Street Journal dot com:

The 'Trophy Kids' Go To Work

Thank you BooMama for the link!

I would love to hear from you after you read the article.

Tell me what you do in your home to try to avoid such thinking.

Here are a few things that came to mind:

We don't give our kids an allowance (except for over and above).
They all have many chores.
We encourage them to tithe/give.
As a family we serve and pray for others.
We allow them to fail and help them through the process.
We talk til we're blue in the face about how God has blessed us and all we have (health, family, material, spiritual) is from His good and gracious hand.
Sin = consequence (and this comes in many forms now that we have teenagers)
Seeking forgiveness is not only Biblical but it also teaches them how to humble themselves before the one they have sinned against.

Your turn!

UPDATE: Go here for a few more comments and discussion.

Lauren's Jammies

These Nick and Nora jammies are Lauren's favorite!

I bought her first pair (purple with kittens) last year for Christmas and when I saw them again I just couldn't resist. She absolutely loves them and I love cuddling with her when she has them on. :)

You can find them at Target right now.

I Aim To Please

I think Donna asked me for a picture of my brother-in-law's dog (in the last post).

I was doubtful I could even find them much less post them because these pictures were on the Mac.

Lookie here! Not only did I find them and post them, THEY ARE EDITED. A few easy steps on the Mac and the photo is brightened, darkened, sharper, more vivid and the contrast, whoa let's talk about the contrast. LOL.

You know, I kid.

Here is our old dog, Dillon. He is 10 years old and weighs 135 pounds. He is my protector and loud barker. Good Boy! He's a grumpy old soul most of the time but we love him anyway. I have a feeling he will die soon.


















This little fella is Cosmo. Keith named him during his time on drugs so I'm sure it has something to do with that. We think it's a cute name and don't ask about its origin. I'm just keepin it real people. Cosmo is 4 years old and will be living with us for a few years until Keith can buy a house with a nice backyard. He is a Flat-Coated Retriever. Isn't he pretty? We like red heads here....2 kids and 2 dogs.

Meet Mo:

















Dillon has taught Mo how to bark like a big boy. When he came to us he had a quiet little puppy bark. Now? A "get away from my house you bad, bad burglars" kind of bark.

Good boy!

There you go Donna. Glad I could be of service.

Brazen

We had a scary morning yesterday. My neighbor discovered her home had been burglarized (after being gone for only 35 minutes). She had entered her home from her garage and the burglars entered and exited from the front door. She spent about 45 minutes in her home, nursing her baby and playing with her on the floor before she discovered the front door closed but the casing from around the door laying on the ground. That's when she panicked and realized a plasma TV was missing from her living room. She grabbed the baby and ran to my house in tears, understandably. I helped her with the baby and we called 911.

The robbers kicked the front door open. Deadbolt and all. Isn't that brazen?

Our dear neighbors (and our family) have learned a lot in the last 24 hours. While there is nothing she could have done to stop these guys there are a few things that they could have had in place to help the police and investigators and cut down on their loss.

1. Write down all the serial numbers to all the electronics in your home and keep them in a safe place. The police have a way of dealing with pawn shops and can often recover the stolen items and ultimately track down the burglars. FYI, they took a laptop, a plasma TV, jewelry and cash.

2. Hide any cash you have in your home. These guys went straight for the master bedroom and opened all the dresser drawers including the nightstands.

3. Hide your jewelry box.

4. Insure items that will be difficult for you to replace. A few years ago I received diamond earrings from Dave and I finally decided to insure 3 pieces of jewelry that are costly and special to me. It took one phone call to our home owners agent and it's very cheap.

5.Install and use a security system. The previous owners of our house had a system installed but we have never activated it. I will be calling today. My neighbor's door may have been broken but the alarm would have sounded and scared them off. Their security system will be installed on Thursday.

When the first police officer arrived he stood with us at my house until two other officers arrived. They needed to search the house and apparently they do that with three officers. It was very humbling/scary when we watched them draw their weapons and start yelling in both English and Spanish as they entered the home. A shiver went down my spine.

I was on edge all day yesterday and still today. It is very unsettling to know that she was being watched and they probably knew her daily routine. This wasn't random.

I have heard several times that dogs are a great deterrent for burglars and I am encouraging my 135 pound pup to bark all he wants and he has taught the young pup to be a big boy and bark like a man. Honestly, the dogs may be the only reason I didn't get targeted. And for that I am very thankful.

I am comforted that God is in control of all things and that He is sovereign. I have nothing to fear.

So, So Funny!

This photo is funny to me on so many different levels.

Isn't that a great job of photo-shopping?

Doesn't it really look like them and their pretty bodies?

I needed a good laugh. :)

HT: Elizabeth Esther

Very Good News

Something we have that cannot be taken from us.

This gives me such peace.


Redemption in Christ

Eph. 1:3-14

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,

5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,

6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,

9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,

10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both[a] which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.

11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,

12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

14 who[b] is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Amen.


Have a good, nice, beautiful day.

Janet

Robbed

We payed our tax bill yesterday (filed an extension) and boy did that put me in a foul mood.

Punish the hard working Americans who happen to make a little money and give it to the illegals (and others) in the form of free health care and welfare.

I followed a link over at Amy's and this is what I found. Click to enlarge.









Isn't that funny? And true?

If you are hard working and happen to make a little money you are EVIL.

I need a beach and a stiff drink. Ha!

*jk*

Six Year Old Sweetness

Lauren made her Daddy a birthday card.

He was delighted.

















We are seven. She got it right.





















I'm thinkin' this is Dave based on the amount of hair on this stick figure's head.


















Lauren is learning D'Nealian Handwriting in school. The 'U' looks good. :)

A Few Updates

James head is healing very well! He played in last night's game and everything stayed in tact. Except now his arm is scraped and scratched and bruised and lumpy but not broken. Happy day indeed. The freshman boys on this team have played together for 3 years and last night was their first loss EVER. They played hard and fought til the end but the other team was fast and big and better. It is good to eat humble pie once in a while. That's what my husband says.

~~~~~

Great Grandma is going home today. Her lungs are in bad shape so she will be needing oxygen 100% of the time and she will also need breathing treatments every day. Dave's siblings made room for a hospital bed so Grandma will be able to get in and out and sit up comfortably. I know 'hospital bed' and 'comfortable' sounds like an oxymoron and actually it is...but in her condition it is what will be best.

~~~~~

Here is a great article by Dr. Albert Mohler. He shares his thoughts on Sarah Palin for VP and the motherhood debate. It is very good and balanced.

~~~~~

Anita asked if I quit eating in yesterday's comments. I $paid$ her to write/say that. :) I have good news. I have lost 26 pounds. I am doing a medical weight loss program and having great success. This particular program suits me very well and I love it. I am sticking with it until I get waaaaaay down and definitely through the holidays. I feel great and I'm very happy. Update: here is the link for my program. Medi Weight Loss

~~~~~

Thank you so much for visiting my blog and more importantly thank you for praying for Great Grandma.

My (not so normal) Children

It's been a fun homecoming week.

Take a look:




































































~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WARNING. GROSS PICTURES AHEAD:



























The only reason I posted this picture is for the look on James' face. He's holding the first staple we removed. He was very surprised at the shape and size. It's shaped more like a 'C' than your average household staple. Our friend Mike did the honors, Dave and I were the assistants. I kept feeling very sorry for James because it was a painful process but then everyone in the room reminded me of how he did this to himself and I agreed....

Mike and I cleaned the cut well with hydrogen peroxide, let it dry completely and then painted a line of SUPERGLUE over the nicely healed scar. James practiced on Saturday morning and wore his helmet for the first time all week. It went well and he gets to play on Monday. Priorities. ;-P


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

Off to church.

Have a blessed day today.

News

James was goofing off and jumped in a door way hitting his head in the door jam at school. I took him to urgent care and he ended up with seven, small staples. Doesn't that sound lovely? STAPLES. Fun stuff. He's fine but will probably have a splitting headache when I see him again in a few hours. He has the best sense of humor....as we were pulling up to school to drop him off for his team meal he exclaimed: "Mom, I forgot to get a doctor's note!" And I told him to bend over to show the coach. He has one coach who is particularly grumpy and mean who he thought wouldn't believe him. I think he will. As you can tell from reading my Twitter updates, I was really hoping for a very short haircut. No such luck. :-P James will probably have to sit out two games. Consequences are great.

On a more serious note. Great Grandma is in the ER with shortness of breath and extremely low blood/oxygen levels (40%). I would really appreciate your prayers for her. She is 93 years old and suffers from lung issues and breathing problems. She is the matriarch of our family and blesses us with her daily and fervent prayers for our families. She has treated me like a real grand-daughter since I entered the family 18 years ago. She has the gift of encouragement and blesses me every time we are together. Right now she is surrounded by the men in our family. They are there to lend support to Great Grandma and Aunt Patty. Please pray.

Thank you. :)

They Say It's Her Birthday

Happy

@!st

BIRTHDAY

DONNA!

Go wish Donna a happy birthday. She always has a big blog bash on her special day.


Donna, go have one of these ON ME.

Crazy Busy

I'm in a huge hurry this morning but thought I'd just say hello and of course "have a good nice beautiful day lady". Yes, my friend at McDonald's added "lady" at the end today. Isn't that sweet?

Last night was crazy. We scored 6 tickets to the Concert of the Year on Wednesday night and better yet, they were only $15 a piece. Jars of Clay (Janice calls them Clay Pots) performed first and unfortunately we missed them. It was tricky getting downtown by 6 PM. Robert Randolph & The Family Band were next. They have a very blues/rock sound and not many lyrics but boy was it fun to listen to. Next up, SWITCHFOOT. My kids LOVE this band and so do I! Did you know they're from Oceanside, California? Love that place. I knew *almost* every song they sang and they were the rockers for the night. Third Day finished off the night. Love, love, love Mack's voice. It's soothing, perfect, beautiful. I didn't know as many of their songs because I haven't taken the time to listen to the new album even though it's on my iPod. They played some of their older music which I knew very well. He did a great job of sharing the Gospel an pointing people to Christ. At the end Jars, Switchfoot and Third Day performed together and it was incredible. Robert and Family had another engagement in Phoenix. I'm so glad it worked out for us to go. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical and didn't think I'd enjoy the ROCK so much but there is something very special about live music and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

**********

The Ligonier Conference starts today at 2 PM. It has been a logistical nightmare for me with every one's schedules but today Dave and I will go and take James and Danielle. We were hoping our three older children could attend both days but I just can't get it all together. Dave and I will attend only the morning sessions tomorrow. Ah, what can I do. I'm also very disappointed that we have to sit in the "overflow" area. They should have held this thing at the Phoenix Convention Center for goodness sakes. Anyway, looking forward to hearing John MacArthur and R.C. Sproul this afternoon.

**********

Hannah has pink eye. We'll see if this goes through the family....

**********

Sorry about the blabbing.

Got to run.

Have a wonderful day and a great weekend!

I Feel The Need To Be Fair

My sisters and I were gushing about Warren Sapp's mad dancing skilz yesterday.

Donna posted his dance on her blog yesterday. (and today she's getting all mushy with poetry, *wink*)

So, today I give you MAURICE GREENE.

GO MAURICE:




It's going to be a great season on DWTS. What talented dancers.

Except Cloris. What on earth?

What do you think about Maurice? Do tell.

Costco Goodies

Donna asked me for some more Costco goodies. They just got a Costco and/or they have a new membership.

Here are the items I buy on a regular basis but not every trip:

Kirkland Whole Wheat Bread
2% Milk
Butter
18 pack Eggs
Mexican blend cheese
Ground Beef (not the frozen chub)
Pot Roast
Einstein's bagels (fresh not frozen)
Eggo's
Water bottles
Rain Water (no carbs and refreshing)
Rotisserie Chicken
Strawberries
Grapes
Parisian Salad Kit
Asparagus
Avocados
Goldfish
Animal Crackers
Taquitos
Frozen Hamburgers **
Chicken Nuggets (for Lauren)

I buy these items for my kid's school lunches. The other bulk items (above) get put in to small zip lock bags.

All in individual wrapping:

Sun Chips
Fruit Cups
Applesauce
Pudding
Chex Mix
Organic Chocolate Milk (they love this!)
Nature Way Granola Bars
Kirkland Fruit Snacks (ew)

**About the frozen hamburgers. I don't know the brand but I do know they are individually wrapped, Angus burgers and they are frozen. I searched the net yesterday but couldn't find the brand name. James loves these things! Dave ate one recently and said it was 'pretty good'. Anyway, they make a quick snack or meal for a GROWING boy.

I have also been know to buy LOTS of socks at Costco.

And home decorations.

And eye glasses.

And Christmas cards.

And trampolines.

And bunk beds and dressers (online).

I could go on but by now you are REALLY, REALLY bored.

Add to my list in the comments. What do you buy at Costco?