Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Little Bit 'O Love

It was an exciting time yesterday afternoon when the UPS man came with a box...for Olivia! Grandma Lee sent a box filled with love.

First you have to imagine the squeals and jumping up and down as I am trying to open the 'extra-strength' tape that Mom uses. (Thank you, Mom)

And yesterday, Grace and Joy were here so multiply the squealing and jumping times 3!!

After reassuring the girls that yes, I indeed am able to open the box without their help, I sliced open the tape and put the box on the table.

FINALLY, just as Olivia was ready to pull the first item out, I yell ' Wait! Wait! Wait! Let me get my camera!"

She patiently waits.

I can't find my camera.

Have to use the cell phone camera.

Meanwhile, Joy Lynn has pulled out two things from the box : )



Cow Tails!! Three of them, so Olivia shares with Grace and Joy.



A Band-Aid / Neosporin dispenser. Grandma knows O!



Hot Pink Crocs - A GREAT thing since O wears her other pair non-stop and they are wearing out!


Super-Cute jeweled flip-flops that Mommy really wishes came in a size 10!


Cute white t-shirt with an orange cotton skort - adorable!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Menu Plan Monday!


Monday ~ Roasted chicken from HEB, rosemary roasted potatoes, salad
Tuesday ~ Warren will be off golfing, so I am meeting a friend at Sandella's for dinner
Wednesday ~ Chicken Black Bean Burritos, steamed broccoli
Friday ~ Pizza from our 'family pizza place' or Papa Murphy's Take-n-Bake

Sunday, May 17, 2009

It was like having the Best Dream Ever!

I thought about my old xanga site today, and visited it.

Oh, the sweet, sweet memories! My 'old' life, that I loved and didn't want to leave is documented. Reading these posts transports me to our office in the blue house. It is precious, and reminds me that blogging IS beneficial - a digital scrapbook of sorts.

I decided to bring some of my old posts into this blog. Hopefully I can eventually figure out how to move them to a different date so they are in chronological order, because it will bug me to see 2005 mixed in with 2009 : )


February 26, 2006
Walking in the Wilderness


"Abraham was a very wealthy man who had many servants. He himself, knowing well what makes a good servant, was a faithful and obedient servant of God.

Nowadays most of us have never had servants and therefore have almost no notion of what it means to be one. It means first of all to have a master--that is, to belong to someone else. He can do what he wants with you; you are there to do for him. You are at his disposal. It is not for you to reason why he asks something of you; it is yours only to do it. So long as you are in his service, you are not your own (1 Cor 6:20). Abraham was a man full of faith, obedient to his Lord, readily at his command.

Master, help me to live today according to your desires, and when I reach home may You be able to say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

But the important thing in life is not to be vindicated, nor to see miracles, but to walk by faith--that is, to take God at his word. So shall we live.
So shall we follow Christ, content to do without the startling, the dramatic evidences that God is God, believing instead--in the face of all the enemy's taunts--the spoken Word of Him who calls Himself the I AM. Even in the wilderness, even in our isolation and hunger, we need not ask for more than the Bread of Heaven.

Give us this day, Lord, Not the miracles our human hearts long for, Not the proud but brief satisfaction of saying to doubters, "I told you so!" But give us daily bread--only that which You see will truly nourish us in our pilgrimage towards home."

These words from Elisabeth Elliot have spoke volumes to me in the last week. I am a 'doer', and I wonder 'What is God doing with me?" And my measley little heart and mind can't comprehend that somehow, someway, He alone is enough.

February 1, 2006






The gorgeous mom and daughter at Jenni's sweet 16 party! It was the most enchanting party I've ever attended. Ken and Joy were the grateful parents who exuded love, Ben was the younger brother who 'tolerated' all of this tea-party/princess nonsense with a grin, and Jenni was gracious and appreciative. All her friends were not only sweet and fun, they were also gorgeous!







December 22, 2005

Jenni came over today to help me memorize my vowels. She is such a sweetie, I don't know what I'd do without her!! hee hee (This was a joke that came from a miscommunication between us that day, but now I don't remember what we were really trying to say!) And in between all our hard work, we made gingerbread houses. I put as much candy on mine as possible as I'm giving it to our neighbor boys; Jenni's was a work of artistic beauty; and Olivia's was, well... let's just say it was 'one of a kind'. LOL Give a 4-year-old a bag of icing, some candy, and it's AMAZING what they can do!

Jenn still working on her house - all the snow on the botton was covered in sparkly icing sugar - very niiiiice ; )

Olivia's Cabana-style gingerbread house. Yes, that is a Reese cup all those umbrellas are stuck in!
November 29, 2005
10 years ago I was:
married for 1 year
doing the Jr. High youth group at church
living in cute duplex with my honey in
Lynden, Washington
just learning how to do email - ooooooh - ahhhhhhh!

5 years ago I was:
working full time at Capitol Copy
7 months pregnant (with Olivia)
wondering if Warren would be full time at Borden and get health insurance before the baby was born and I started to work only part time

1 year ago I was:
just getting back from a stress-filled 11 days in Washington
trying to decide if we should do the 'Santa' thing with Olivia

Yesterday I:
Wrapped presents with my Mom for 6 hours
Watched a great movie on TNT -
the Engagement Ring
Didn't take a shower
had lunch at Panera with my honey without O

5 snacks I enjoy:
popcorn
ice cream
Apples with peanut butter
any dips with bread

5 songs I know all the words to:
When I survery the Wondrous Cross
The Love of God
Any Wham! song- how sad, I know
Most any Christmas song
The Sound of Music soundtrack

5 things I would do with 100 million dollars:
Buy a farm for my honey
Pay for schooling for all of my family and set up scholarship funds for others
Give a LOT of it away
buy a bus for kids club
travel, travel, travel, travel, travel

5 places I would run away to:
Well, I'd tell ya, but then I'd have to kill ya!

5 favorite TV shows:
Everybody loves Raymond
Matlock ( I know!)
Monk
Numbers
Little Einsteins
5 bad habits:
Eating when not hungry
worrying
forgetting what I'm supposed to do
Not taking my problems to the Lord first
turning on the t.v. automatically

5 biggest joys
the hope of heaven
Warren and Olivia
my family
Good old friends and good new ones
hugs
That is it for the old posts today. The next ones are picking out our Christmas tree at the Old Log Cabin Plantation. I start to miss our old life tooooooooooooo much.

Rice Crispy Treats!

Olivia and Grace made Rice Crispy treats after schoolwork last week. Olivia helps me in the kitchen a lot, but I think this may be her first 'all-by-herself' recipe mastery!


Here are my fancy HEB-brand ingredients all laid out! The girls were soooo helpful, and ate up any 'stray' marshmallows : )





Gracie buttering her pan...

Olivia buttering hers...





They poured and mixed and pressed and then ate them! The girls are now taking orders to be shipped to YOU!

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

FOR TODAY MAY 13, 2009...

Outside my window...are the passing clouds which make the house sunny one instant, and grey the next.

I am thinking...about how much laundry I can get finished today

I am thankful for...coffee with a wonderful husband, a sweet daughter in jammies

I am wearing...black capri yoga pants and a robin's egg blue v-neck t-shirt

I am creating...a math lover in my daughter!

I am going...to a park day with Classical Conversations group soon

I am reading...Instructing a Child's Heart

I am hoping...to make dinner with as little kitchen mess-up as possible!

I am hearing...Olivia say her math facts as she does a worksheet, and the tumble of the dryer

Around the house...Molly just walked into the room and flopped onto the floor after chasing Thomas for the past 20 minutes.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Menu Plan for the Week

Okay, here is my menu plan for the week!

Monday: Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad (was very good!)
Tuesday: Stuffed chicken breasts in filo dough, tomato salad w/feta
Wednesday: Ribeye steaks on the grill ($3.99/lb at HEB!), rosemary oven-roasted potatoes, salad
Thursday (the night of O's spring choir concert): Chicken & Farfalle Salad (w/leftover chicken from the whole chicken on Monday), broccoli salad
Friday: Homemade Pizza
Saturday: Hamburgers on the grill

School Days!



Olivia and Grace LOVE doing school together!! We play Scrabble, math games, and do recess, of course!


We bought these big calendars for the girls to do their schoolwork on - it protects the table and gives them all their 'own' space.


O loves math!
While we were in the car the other day, she asked me, what is 12 x 15?
I gave her the answer, and she said 'There are 180 bristles in my brush!'.



We have three chatterboxes, but this is our main giggler!



Monday, May 11, 2009

The Maxi Dress

Olivia's new 'maxi' dress - how cute is she in it?!!

Warren took Olivia to the pool after he came home from the office. I went to HEB and bought groceries. I picked up our new favorite treat - HEB seafood department will steam shrimp while you wait, in Old Bay or Cajun seasoning. So I brought home a pound of steamed shrimp with cocktail sauce, and stopped at the pool. It was voted 'Best Pool Snack Ever' : )

Now I'm going to make dinner - Taco Salad with Chicken and Chipotle Dressing. Hope it's as yummy as the shrimp!

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