Due Date

Well, the "due date" has come and gone. It was yesterday. Baby is still inside, but I imagine he or she will come out in the next week or so...

I'll let you know.

Miss me??

I haven't been in much of a blogging mood lately.

I'm looking forward to this baby being born, and I guess I've just been preoccupied with my day to day stuff... not exciting, but time consuming.

The due date is less than a week away. Next Monday, the 29th. Hopefully sooner rather than later... 

In other news, the kids are growing, and this year, the Christmas celebrating is really fun. We have a handful of good christmas story books, and the other day Abe and I went to a Christmas party with a white elephant gift exchange, and I came home with a kids nativity play set. It's really nice with a stable and all the pieces wonderfully colorful and plastic. (You know, so they don't get broken by these busy kids.) They love it.

We'll be sure to update when the baby is born. And I'm quite sure there will be pictures soon...

Oh, yeah.

I had wanted to post about our weather. Usually that would be boring, but it's really something else here...

Saturday it hit 86. It was quite humid, too. By late afternoon I was tempted to turn on the A/C. I resisted and things cooled down as the sun went down. 

Sunday we woke up to a cool morning, but I don't even think you could guess what our "high" was... Are you ready for this? 55 !! 55 degrees. It dropped 30 degrees overnight. I was surprised.

Monday was cool, too. And I think today it got up to about 70. 

This is the weirdest December ever.

Countdown!!

Well, I'd say the countdown has begun! 

My due date is three weeks from today, so we should have a new baby to ooh and ahh over in just a few weeks. How exciting.

I'm so excited for Theona being a big sister of a new baby again. The other day we were sitting together and the baby was noticeably moving A LOT and she giggled and said to be "Hey, the baby is walkin' in there!" So fun.

And I don't know if Jecoa is gonna be totally surprised or what, but it's gonna be great. He's gonna be a great big brother!

Now, are we having a baby brother or sister?? Oh, the anticipation...

Sick Week

Well, we caught a cold at church last weekend.

I was in the nursery, and a little boy (who LOVES to play with Jecoa) was coughing and sneezing and not looking so well. I suggested he not stay in the nursery, but I was told he "wasn't contagious". 

Well, both the kids were sick with runny noses and coughs and obviously not feeling well within the next couple days.  And then me, but thankfully not Abe. 

Today both the kiddos are pretty much back to normal. Theona seems totally well. Jecoa has a little cough left, but he slept all night last night without being woken by his cough. I'm hoping I'm back to normal in the next couple days. It's tough not feeling well, and being so pregnant and chasing two busy kids.

One great thing I realized is that the last time I was sick was last November (Yep, 2007) with strep throat. Wow. I'm so thankful for a strong immune system. I love that I rarely get sick. I think it makes the down times a little more tolerable, knowing they are few and far between... I just have to get us all totally well before new baby is born!

Revelation Song

Thank You, Jesus

I'm definitely in a place to say thank you. My God has given me more than I could expect, ask, or imagine... I'm grateful for the normal things, salvation(!), food, our nice little apartment, the Christian brothers and sisters we've met while moving here, there and everywhere (it feels like it anyway... CA, NE, OK, and now TX), but am I thanking God for the things I see as struggles now? The things I know He is using for my best interest... for His interest in me?

Can I say "Thank you, Lord" for this pregnancy and all the discomfort that has come with it? This pregnancy has been much, much more pain-filled than the first two.

Can I say "Thank you, Lord" for moving us away from great friends, from our families, from our familiar surroundings?

Can I say "Thank you, Lord" For my husband working so many late nights and my feelings of isolation and loneliness?

Can I say "Thank you, for putting us in this teeny, little town with nothing to do, and almost no way I can see to meet people; where Theona asks if we're going to "the Wal-mart" when we drive toward town because THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE HERE?!

Do I want to say "Thank you" for these things? 

I do.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I want obedience. I want to give thanks in the tough things. I want to give thanks in everything. I want to see where God takes me from there... or here, I guess.

"Oh, Thank you, Lord for this pregnancy, even, thank you that there has been so much extra pain this time. I pray you would use it for your glory and that you work in me through it."

"Thank you, that my husband has had so many extra hours to work and you've been providing a commission that is such an answer to prayer and obvious provision. Thank you, Lord for meeting needs in a practical way."

"Thank you for this little town. Thank you for bringing us here. Thank you for giving my husband a position that makes him known in our community. Please give him grace and strength to continue to honor and glorify You - that you would give him grace in the eyes of people watching."

"Thank you, Lord that I feel so lonely. I have you to call on and you put a song on my lips. Oh, how you encourage me in those times when I'm searching for a friend and you make yourself known to me..."

A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24

Here's something, be blessed.

Lord, please teach me to give thanks in all things. Would you help me continue, and would you grow this into something that brings glory to You?

real quick... My little BFF

Very often at dinner, Theona says to me, "Mom, you're the best cook." Honestly, I love it. I'm pleased that my family enjoys food I make for them.

Tonight, Theona looks up at dinner and says to me,

"Mom, you're my best friend."

 

*sigh* she's such a sweetie... 

I can hardly believe she's almost three. I love hearing these sweet,  surprising little things she has to say. So, this is partly for my own memory, and partly to share how amazing my little girlie is.   ;)

I should make myself a note to come back and read this when we're not having this kind of day.

My biggest crochet project ever... Coming soon!

I've been working on a child size afghan for Theona. It's probably going to be a Christmas present (as she keeps asking if I'm making it for her for Christmas. ha ha). The pattern has several stitches that were new to me when I started, but I think my crochet skills have improved a lot since beginning this project. Also, this pattern calls for like, 47 ounces of yarn. The yarn I'm using comes 5 ounces to a skein, good thing I got it on sale!

In other crafty news, I tried to knit a baby hat "in the round". I pretty much failed miserably! I think I need a different size of knitting needles with a shorter chord between them. I'd like to make some to donate to the hospital in my town, and in McAllen. When Theona was born she got a special hand knit baby hat, not just the little blue and pink striped standard. I thought it was sooo special! I'll let you know if/when I attempt this again. Especially if I'm successful!

In the meantime, I'll be finishing up my Theona blanket, the "BIG" one, the 47 ouncer... haha. 

I know you're on pins and needles just waiting for pictures.  Hopefully soon, I need Abe's help for that... I miss my trusty ol' simple Mac!

On the Road to Homeschooling! (Funny Story)

I hope to home school as the kids reach school age, but I'm sure like many young moms, I'm intimidated by the idea. I hope I can do a good job and teach my kids well, so not only do they get an excellent education, but just as importantly that they know the Lord and have a godly and biblical worldview. 

We talk about lots of things throughout our days. Theona has lots of questions and I just try to talk out loud about the things we are doing so she has an opportunity to learn more about whatever it is and so Jecoa hears a lot of language. He's starting to talk more, and it's fun to hear his new little phrases.

One thing we've been doing a lot of lately is coloring with chalk outside. Theona is always asking me to draw certain pictures or letters, and she'll tell me what she is drawing. I wondered how much she understood the letters. She knows the alphabet song, but I didn't really think she was learning to recognize any letters yet. When she would ask me to draw a "T" I'd tell her "T for Theona"

Well (you need a little background here), there's a cemetery that we drive through on our way into town, and they recently built a little shrine at one of the grave sites. They also built a metal cross. It's about 20 feet tall! It has solar lights on it, so at night it lights up. 

We were driving on Saturday, after dark, and I told Theona to watch for the houses with lights on them, as some people already have Christmas lights up. She was telling us, "Look at the lights on that house! Look at the lights on that house!" As we passed houses with lights, then as we passed the cemetery she exclaimed, "Mom, look at the lights on that 'T'!" - the new big cross! I thought that was too cute! I was so proud that my bright little daughter has recognized the first letter of her name! How funny, huh!

So I guess we are well on our way toward homeschooling! I'm not the most gifted teacher ever, but she's learning! If my girlie is recognizing letters without much practice, I suppose we're on the right track. She's learning lots of things every day, and I'm so glad that I'm making a good learning environment for her!

HE LOVES Us! (I just can't get over this song!)

"God wants to encounter you. And wants you to feel His love - His amazing love. Without it, these are just songs, these are just words, these are just instruments. Without the Love of God we're just up here making noise, but the love of God changes us, and we're never the same, we're never the same after we encounter the Love of God!

"We're never the same after we encounter the Love of God!

"And right now, if you haven't encountered the Love of God - And you would know, because you wouldn't be the same! You'd never be the same again! - If you want to encounter the Love of God right now, you better just brace yourself, 'cause He's about to just blow in this place!"

I've been enjoying worship on YouTube so much lately. There's something really special about a big group (or a small group) of believers just worshiping and seeking the Lord. We've been spending a lot of time worshiping and reading the Word as a family lately, but I'm really hoping to find a worship concert or something like that in my area. I think that sounds like great fun!

Ahhh...

Today turned into a great day. 

We took it easy this morning. Kept things low key. Had brunch when Abe got home (He's been having a lot of special showings in the morning for school groups and stuff since Madagascar came out. That's good, even though he has to get up earlier than he would like! I'll let him sleep in tomorrow.) 

 

I discovered Jecoa's bottom 2 teeth he has been working on both broke through last night. Hopefully that will bring him some relief.

Abe ordered an XBOX 360 online and it arrived this afternoon. He was pretty happy about that.

 

I even snuck in a little nap! (A much needed nap! I started feeling much better and my shoulder stopped hurting, yay!)

Theona's cough picked up this evening. I'm still not sure what to make of it. I ended up giving her some cough medicine before bed, but I'm really not too sure. She doesn't seem to have other symptoms. Maybe it's an allergy cough like her momma... :(

We tidied up the house After Abe left for work. I'm sure he'll be glad to come home to a clean house. Toys are back where they belong and the kitchen is clean! That's always good ;)

My baby belly has been so busy today. And it's definately growing!

It's so fun getting toward the end of this pregnancy. I'm enjoying feeling this busy baby, especially when brother or sister is on my lap and the baby gets wiggly! It will be so fun to see them with this new little one. 

Well, I'm glad to share a good day, and a good start to the weekend. It's bedtime now! I'm sure I'll be asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow! 

Goodnight.

So Tired...

I'm tired today. 

The kids didn't sleep well last night. I think Theona has the beginning of a cold and Jecoa had two bottom teeth (I think molars) break through last night. Yep, we're busy.

I have things to get done today, but I'm sure not motivated. I guess I'll have to just plug along and get things done anyway. I'd much rather sit around and read to and snuggle my babies today. I've spent most of the morning doing this, so I guess it's time to move on to other things. 

Theona is laying on my bed watching a Fraggle (remember Fraggle Rock!) and Jecoa just went down for a nap. 

Now is the time.

Love Song from Creation to Creator: The More I Seek You

Ahh... Such a beautiful song. Be blessed seeking the Lord today!

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."                                     Matt 7:7-8

Why I Blog

So, back to why I started a blog in the first place: I want to serve the Lord with all I have!

Becomming a stay at home mom was not a dificult transition for me. Working at a Christian Preschool, however, was. I think I didn't see a mission field at the time, but I was wrong, boy was it one! I do see being home as an amazing mission field, and so much more! blogging is becomming one way I can give a testimony about what's going on with us. (Sometimes it's hard to be totally real, but the Lord is teaching me to be transparent and unashamed in living my life for Him.)

My Lord has called me to serving Him at home by serving my kids, my husband, and whoever comes across my path I guess...

To be quite honest, I should pray for a renewed desire for evangelism. I love sharing my Lord with others. Why don't I do it more?

The Lord encouraged me so much. I was listening to this song called "He Love Us" and there's a line toward the end that says, "I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way...He loves us! Oh, how He loves us..." 

I don't have to worry about my past or my shortcomings... I am so encouraged to serve the Lord where I am at and do what he's called me to do. Amazing. Thank you, Jesus.

I'm so thankful for this season of my life. Having little ones and a whole different pace to my day week life is challenging and fun! Sharing the truth with them and seeing them grow in prayer and praise is beyond exciting. For now, we are enjoying our time where we're at!

Still I hope, come soon Lord Jesus! Maranatha.

Dress-Up Animal Costumes!

** I see a couple of these are turned sideways. I'll come back and fix them tomorrow with Abe. I thought I turned them, but I guess he'll have to show me how to keep them turned. oops.

Yesterday, when we went to town for church, we stopped by Target for a couple things and since we were early we decided to kill a little time and check out the left over costumes. We had been wanting to pick out some dress-up play clothes. I was thinking butterfly wings; Theona has a small pair and I had seem some really cool big ones I thought she might like. We didn't find any wings, but they had some really cute animals left!

Jecoa loved his puppy. He was giggling when Abe showed it to him, and we just had to throw it in. It was only $4.00! We decided it was totally worth it, and I'm glad we did. He loved wearing it and running around and would tell us "Puh-ppy" over and over.

Theona loved this horse. I didn't think she'd like it so much. It was a horse and rider outfit, so her legs are the horse's back legs and there are some little legs in stirrups hanging down and it's held up with suspenders. So funny! When she walks she kicks out the front legs of the horse. It's really cute.

Coa is the cutest little puppy! He kept clapping the paws together.

Theona and her horse, galloping! 

She loved running back and forth with it.

Abe and I didn't notice the tail until it was on him. It totally cracked us up!

A day in our life: Skateboarding, Watermelon, and A Nap Time Walk

Last week we had a very fun and busy day, and since Abe was home (I think it was Tuesday) he was glad to take plenty of pictures.

Theona figured out how to ride Papa's old skateboard

We had a watermelon plant (vine??) appear on our back patio. It grew up from next to our telephone utility box and just sprawled out on our brick patio! It was pretty cool, but it didn't come out until very late in the season. At one point we had at least eight small melons growing but only two ended up getting very large. One rotted from the end, and we decided decided a few days later that we better pick the other big one while we still had a chance. It was pretty big, but an odd shape.

Theona helped carry it in.

We sliced it after lunch, hoping for a special treat for desert, but sadly it wasn't ripe enough. We didn't want sick tummies, so we decided to pass.

The kids absolutely would not go to sleep for nap time. (This has never happened, and I decided we needed a creative solution this day.) I don't know how they were able to fight sleep for so long, but after a while I kind of gave up and loaded them up in the stroller for a walk around the neighborhood . We were barely out of the drive way and Theona was out. Jecoa held on for a while and fell asleep sitting up propped up on his elbows. Abe and I had a very nice walk and put the kids in bed when we got back home. Theona's eyes immediately popped open and she said, "I don't want to sleep!" 

She slept anyway.

It was a good day, and Theona talked about the watermelon that we had to throw away "'Cause it's yucky. It'll make our tummies sick" for the next few days.  Maybe we'll have to plant one on purpose next year!

Good Morning

It's Monday, and it's already starting off a little extra busy (as Mondays for me often are). The kids woke up a lot last night (which is not that usual for them), and extra early. I guess because of the time change?? Nah, it was early anyway!

We had breakfast and cleaned up a big mess on the floor that Coa left us last night. He poured out a bag of expired yeast all over the back corner of my kitchen floor right before bedtime, and I promptly forgot about it and put them to bed and went to bed myself only to wake in the middle of the night imagining the kids waking up and making it an even bigger mess! I went back to sleep, deciding to clean it up first thing in the morning.

I have a big pile of clothes to fold (some of which got folded and un-folded with the assistance of my two helpers...mostly the bigger of the two) I really shouldn't do a bunch of laundry late Saturday night. It never gets put away on Sunday and I hate getting the laundry halfway done... At least it's clean I guess.  I won't mind  having a chance to sit and fold today. I probably could use a sitting-down-job today. I'm tired already... not that I won't have to jump up ten times, right? 

Oh, and the funniest thing that happened already this morning: Jecoa put my cell phone in the sub-woofer. It has a sound hole in front and he occasionally slips toys in there when no one is looking. Well, I was looking, but I didn't make it in time. Plop. There went the phone. At least I saw it, 'cause I would have been hunting all day. I never would have guessed where it was. So we had to wake Abe up a few minutes early, so he could get it (and the cars, toothbrush, and golf ball that were also in there) before he went to work.

To do today:

-fold laundry

-make bread

-check menu plan for the week, and see if it needs any editing

-mop the kitchen

I think that's probably enough for today. I need a slow Monday. Maybe we'll make banana bread if we have a little extra time today. I have some banana's that are calling me.

Happy Birthday, Sister!

It's my little sister's birthday today. 

She's married to a great guy, has a beautiful daughter, a house (that takes up much time and money at the moment, but will be well worth it), a blog, does the college thing... she's a busy girl.

Aren't they so cute?!

I wish we were closer, but for now it's lots of pictures and phone calls... I miss you.

Happy Birthday, Kimberlee. I love you.

Yearn

[When You said,] "Seek My face," My heart said to You, "Your face, LORD, I will seek."

Psalm 27:8

Here's Shane and Shane singing "Yearn". 

I love worshiping the Lord with these guys. Even on YouTube...such sincerity, and God is so absolutely worthy. 

Have a wonderful day worshiping the Savior Jesus Christ!

Confession: OOps, I did it first...

White Ink Tattoos

Don't ask how I came across this... (I wasn't up way too late surfing around the interweb waiting for Abe to get home from work, even though I most certainly would fall asleep before he does...)

Apparently, white tattoos are the thing to do if you're a young person in hollywood. Hate to say it, and maybe I shouldn't, but here's to being honest: Uh, I got one first.

Okay, maybe not first, but probably before most of these kids. I think I got mine the end of 2001. It's a white cross on my belly, kind of above my left hip. Yeah, bright idea, I know... To be entirely honest, after a few years and a couple babies, it has lost most of it's color and looks a lot more like a stretch mark than anything else...

Awesome, I know. 

Also, I love how the people in the article just say they are doing it because their friends are.

She said: ‘Everyone in LA is having the tattoos so I just had to have one. I saw Lindsay Lohan had one and it looked so pretty I asked her where she got it.

Aaahh! puh-leese

Kids, what have we learned today? Don't follow fads, don't get tattooed, don't do stuff 'cause all your friends are doing it...I could go on. 

Yay! A Break in the Gas Prices!

Yesterday we were in town for Wednesday evening church service and topped off our tank because the gas was $1.89 a gallon! 

I even tried to take a picture, but it was after dark and it came our terribly, so I guess you can take my word for it. Ha ha.

I hope everyone is enjoying a little break in the price of gas. No doubt it will be up again soon, but for now we are happy (and thankful) to enjoy a little extra savings.

Pictures

I know I've been way to long without sharing pictures of my growing little ones.

Here are some from a little trip to a playground before church on Wednesday:

The three of us getting ready to play.

Jecoa climbing up.

Theona climbed to the very top!

**There will be more to come soon. This new computer isn't quite as simple to use as our little Mac, but I'm getting the hang of it, so I'll try to avoid any more excuses and post pictures more often.

**Ahh, I thought I posted this yesterday, but I guess somehow it didn't make it up... I don't know what happened, but here it is, a day late...

National Chocolate Day

I just found out that today is a great day to celebrate.

It's National Chocolate Day!

Actually one of a few National Chocolate Days...

I personally am looking forward to November 7th, celebrating a couple of my favorite delicious treats. (See what I mean here.)

So, in honor of the special day, I'd suggest sharing some chocolate with someone you love.

I will be.

What's Your Ordinary?

Our beloved Father, please come down and meet us
We are waiting for Your touch
Open up the heavens, shower down your presence
We respond to Your great love

We won’t be satisfied with anything ordinary,
We won’t be satisfied at all

Open up the sky, fall down like rain
We don’t want blessings, We want You
Open up the sky, fall down like fire
We don’t want anything but You

Our beloved Jesus, we just wanna see You
In the glory of Your light.
Earthly things don’t matter, They just fade and shatter
When we’re touched by love divine.

We won’t be satisfied with anything ordinary
We won’t be satisfied at all

Open up the sky, fall down like rain
We don’t want blessings, we want You
Open up the sky, fall down like fire
We don’t want anything but You

Here we go, let’s go to the throne
The place that we belong, right into His arms

We won’t be satisfied with anything ordinary,
We won’t be satisfied at all.

Crochet

I have been crocheting quite a lot lately.

I've made a few different blankets, pot holders, hats, baby sweaters, and one set for a friend's new baby (sweater, pants, and a hat). And I've created two different sweater patterns and a blanket pattern. It's been fun for me after the kids are in bed especially on the nights Abe works late. I just kick back and worship, pray and crochet... It's a good time.

I should take more pictures. It's a lot of fun, and I'd love to share my projects.

I love Crochet Pattern Central for all kinds of creative project ideas. 

Here is my most recent project. I'm making it a little smaller than the pattern, for a special little someone. I'm making it in bright colors similar to the brighter colored pictures.

I am so excited about this one. I will definitely post pictures when this one is finished. 

Maybe someday I'll hone my skills at knitting, but for now, these little crochet projects are just right to unwind with after a busy day.

Grumpy Kids

We had a busy day. 

We played outside a lot.

We went grocery shopping. 

Other stuff in between. 

Jecoa was woken early from his nap (by his sister).

Theona played on her bed and never went to sleep.

Now they are a little extra tired.

Ok, a lot. And so am I.

But life's good. And God is Great.

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

1 cr 15:51

No Compromise

"Sometimes no compromise means no compensation.

There's power in Jesus' life 'cause He wasn't bought by the world."

-Jason Upton

I heard him say this a while back and I was just thinking about it.

...anyway, something to think about.

Menu Plan Monday

Ugh. I'm kind of loathing doing this...

I started writing weekly menu plans, I guess, a little over a year ago. 

Since we've lived in TX I've been writing them for two weeks at a time and I shop for both weeks at the same time, (Except for produce. We do a quick produce run usually at the beginning of the second week.) I usually come in under my grocery budget and it saves gas, since we don't make extra trips to town for little things.

The reason I'm sitting down today to write a menu for just this week is because I LOST MY MENU PLAN. Ahhhh! This is the thing not to do. Actually, I lost it last weekend, right after completing it and my grocery shopping. AND, this is the ridiculous part of the story, instead of sitting down and re-writing it, I just stumbled through the first few days, remembering what I could, then totally struggled through the rest of the week.

I don't know why I did this! For sure, it reminded me how wonderful it is to have a plan, and how much more time consuming and stressful it can be to "just throw something together".

So, here's this weeks re-write of a plan. We have some cooked chicken in the fridge, so we'll try to use that up the first couple days. Also, we like beans. We usually eat pintos, but sometimes throw in navy beans of kidney if that's what we have (sometimes they are given to us...) If you avoid making dried beans and go for the canned variety, here's how I do it. It's so easy and way more delicious than canned! Oh, and for my method, you have to have a pressure cooker. From asking around, I'm finding that a lot of people have one and just don't know what to do with it.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-Pinto Beans-

Put in the pressure cooker:

2-4 cups dried beans (sort them to get out rocks and bad ones, and give them a rinse)

Fill to 3/4 with water

salt generously

a little pepper

2 cloves of garlic

Sometimes a little chile powder or a New Mexico or Anehiem dried chile 

(you can take the chile out when they are done or after an hour, this gives it a nice flavor)

And for those of you who avoid beans 'cause of the "gassy" effect, this is my little family secret:

When you put all this stuff in the pressure cooker peel a raw potato and throw it in. (Apparently it absorbs the "gassiness", I don't know if this is really true but it's what my family does, and growing up, I never heard ,until junior high or high school, about beans making people "toot"... how'd I miss that? )

I usually cook beans on medium after they've pressurized for 1 hour then check, they're never done yet, but take out the chile and potato (and DON'T eat it) and taste the broth, they may need more salt. 

I then close it up and cook for another 30 to 45 minutes. 

Now they are usually done. Yum!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's the plan:

Monday:

B- Cereal with milk

L- Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Apple

D- Chicken Tostadas, rice

Tues:

B- Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

L- Beans, cheese, homemade tortillas

D- Homemade Burgers with our bible study group, veggies

Wednesday:

B- Chilequillas (eggs with tortillas and salsa), and beans

L- Fried Rice with Chicken and Veggies

D- (possibly out when we're in town for church)

Thursday:

B- WW pancakes and peanut butter

L- fish tacos in corn tortillas

D- Spaghetti with peppers and onion, bread, salad, peas

Friday:

B- Cereal with milk and banana

L- BLTs,  carrots and cucumbers with ranch (we've been waiting for these!)

D- Shredded beef tacos, rice with carrots, refried beans, 1-2-3 Jell-O 

Saturday:

B- Boiled eggs, toast

L- Left over spaghetti with cheese.

D- Grilled Steak, rice, sauteed veggies.

Ahhhh, now I'm back on track. I feel so much better!

For more menus, and where I got motivated to start doing this in the first place, check out Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Oh, How He Loves Us

He is jealous for me
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy

When all of a sudden
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
I realize just how beautiful you are
And how great your affections are for me

And oh, how He loves us so
Oh, how He loves us
How He loves us so

Yeah He loves us
Oh, how He loves us
Oh, how He loves us
Oh, how He loves

We are His portion, and He is our prize
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking

So Heaven meets Earth like a sloppy, wet kiss
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets
When I think about the way

He love us
Oh, how He loves us
Oh, how He loves us
Oh, how He loves

You might also want to watch this version. (Hannah!!)

Mr. Muscles

Jecoa is getting too strong!

Last week he picked up Abe's glasses off his bedside table and ripped them apart! He tore one ear piece completely off. And they were the kind that gives when you tug on them...

Abe wore them anyway with a little scotch tape for about a week. (He's braver than me. I'm a big wimp about stuff like that.) We couldn't find anyone to fix them, and we were having trouble ordering a new pair of frames because of moving and the store here didn't think they had the same ones... anyway, I drove to McAllen on Tuesday and when I was half way there the store called Abe and told him his frames had arrived. Surprise!! We hadn't ordered them, but we had told them exactly what we were looking for (though they couldn't find them in their computer when we'd been there previously...) I was so thankful to get them for Abe. We got his old lenses put in and he was set. 

Then I got home.

I took my glasses off (I only wear them for driving or watching movies) and set them on the table. Bad move. I was straightening up the house for bible study, and turned around to see my little guy snatch the glasses and rip an ear piece off... bummer.

But it's not just glasses.

The next morning the kids were playing in their room while I was changing laundry, and I walked by to see Jecoa ripping the lid off of the CD player that Abe got me for my birthday last year! Ahhh! I rescued it before it was too damaged, and though it takes a little coaxing, it still plays. 

So, wonder why they had my CD player in their room? (Sorry for being silly, but this is one of the only things that is special and mine.) 

Somewhere during the last two moves their CD player was misplaced. I have no idea where it is, but I'm pretty sure it has one of our favorite bed time, worship CDs in it. After moving the second time (from OK to here) and still not finding it, I'm pretty sure it's just lost... 

Needless to say we are being much more careful about our glasses (especially Abe's new ones) and breakable things are not going to be so easily accessed by the little Mister. 

We'll see how many more things are damaged before I really learn how to spot what is attractive to and easily broken by a one-and-a-half-year-old boy. 

This is a new level of baby-proofing. Or toddler-proofing.

What Jesus Is

"To the artist, He is the one altogether lovely–Song of Solomon 5:15
To the architect, He is the chief cornerstone–I Peter 2:6
To the astronomer, He is the sun of righteousness–Malachi 4:2
To the baker, He is the bread of life–John 6:35
To the banker, He is the hidden treasure–Matthew 13:44
To the builder, He is the sure foundation–Isaiah 28:16
To the carpenter, He is the door–John 10:7
To the doctor, He is the great physician–Jeremiah 8:22
To the educator, He is the great teacher–John 3:2
To the engineer, He is the new and living way–Hebrews 10:20
To the farmer, He is the sower and Lord of harvest–Luke 10:2
To the florist, He is the rose of Sharon–Song of Solomon 2:1
To the geologist, He is the rock of ages–I Corinthians 10:4
To the horticulturist, He is the true vine–John 15:1
To the judge, He is the only righteous judge of man–II Timothy 4:8
To the juror, He is the faithful and true witness–Revelation 3:14
To the jeweler, He is the pearl of great price–Matthew 13:46
To the lawyer, He is counselor, lawgiver, and true advocate–Isaiah 9:6
To the newspaper man, He is tidings of great joy–Luke 2:10
To the oculist, He is the light of the eyes–Proverbs 29:13
To the philanthropist, He is the unspeakable gift–II Corinthians 9:15
To the philosopher, He is the wisdom of God–I Corinthians 1:24
To the preacher, He is the Word of God–Revelation 19:13
To the sculptor, He is the living stone–1 Peter 2:4
To the servant, He is the good master–Matthew 23:8-10
To the statesman, He is the desire of all nations–Haggard 2:7
To the student, He is the incarnate truth–1 John 5:6
To the theologian, He is the author and finisher of our faith–Hebrews 12:2
To the toiler, He is the giver of rest–Matthew 11:28
To the sinner, He is the Lamb of God who takes the sin away–John 1:29

To the Christian, He is the Son of the Living God,
the Saviour, the Redeemer, and the Loving Lord."

I found this here. I like it. 

Something to think about when we are sharing the truth with others. Jesus makes himself known in a personal way to people. We don't have to become right to get to know him.

Just wanted to pass it along.

What is Jesus to you today?

October 15

Today is the National Day of Remembrance for Pregnancy and Infant Loss.

I just wanted to pass this along and encourage anyone interested to join in prayer for these families who have lost little ones. This includes all babies who have died because of miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS, or any other infant death.

I've spent the morning lifting up friends and acquaintances that I know have experienced loss.

I also wanted to share this testimony and perspective and ask for united prayer on this issue as well:
(This is from the comments in this post at Life in a Shoe I know this is a sensitive topic, one that needs to be dealt with, mostly on our knees, asking God our Father to change hearts.)

Amber, on October 13th, 2008 at 10:29 am Said:

The very word “abortion” moves me, deep inside.

maryjo, you said no one has the right to choose for someone else.

Absolutely.

I know a lady who, when she was in her teens, committed sins, and ended up pregnant. She didn’t want the baby. But in the year she was pregnant, abortion was illegal. She tried to find a doctor who would commit an illegal abortion, but couldn’t. Then she tried pills, but couldn’t keep them down. Then she tried strenuous work, to make herself have a miscarriage.

Nothing worked. She gave birth to twins; two baby boys. The boys’ father didn’t want to keep them, and so their mother gave them to someone else to be raised.

Now those two little boys are grown men, and have children of their own - ten children, between the two of them.

Ten children, who would never even been conceived, if abortion had been legal. Ten children who have lives of their own, loves of their own - they are real, breathing people, not tissues.

The boys’ mother would have made a choice for those two babies in her womb. She would have chosen death. She would have chosen death for her 10 grandchildren.

God chose life.

I am one of those grandchildren.

If abortion would have been legal the year my Daddy was born, he would not be here today, and neither would I. …or my
siblings…or my cousins.

I’m sure that most murders are committed by people who are angry, or desperate, or otherwise in turmoil. They need someone to come along and gently take the gun out of their hand - to prevent injury to others, and consequences to themselves.

Then later she responds:

Amber, on October 13th, 2008 at 8:16 pm Said:

Thank you - I am thankful every time I get to speak a word for the unborn, using the testimony of our family.

Yes, amazingly, Dad grew up knowing his birth mother. His grandmother was the one who adopted him. His birth mother became a little bit like a sister - one who wasn’t around much.

We see Dad’s birth mother every so often, and I’m glad I know her. But she will never be Dad’s mother. She lost that chance. His real mother is the one who took him in - his grandmother.

I don’t say that spitefully. I mean it as a tribute to my great-grandmother. Her love changed what Dad’s life could have been.

What a testimony! I am thankful for this gal's boldness to share the testimony of her family for the Lord's glory. I'll surely be praying for this family and opportunities for their testimony to glorify God as well as those hurting who may have been driven to this decision out or ignorance or desperation.

Green Oranges

We stopped on our way home from church a couple weeks ago at a little road side stand. They were selling greens... er, oranges.

These oranges were so green we were almost not convinced, but the guy sliced one open for us to taste. They were juicy enough and though milder in flavor, still very sweet. We ended up buying a bag. When we tried them at home Theona questioned, what's this? When I told her it's an orange she quickly corrected me, "It's Yellow." then exclaimed in her almost-three-year-old kind of way, "Oh, it yellow-orange!"

She's so funny. I'm loving this age for all the funny things she has to say. (Not loving the tantrums and insistence on always being right, but hey, it's definitely been a learning experience...for both of us. ha ha)

Updates...

I plan to be back to blogging, but after such a long time I suppose it is reasonable to start with some updates.

Our computer died.

We thought it wouldn't be too difficult to replace the hard drive and have our Five-Year-Old Mac laptop back up and running, but nothing technological ever seems to be as easy as we think it should be. Maybe it's just us... We ended up buying my sister's old laptop from her, and it's serving it's purpose. We are very thankful to have it. It's nice to be able to get online and check e-mails (especially for Abe's work) or just keep up with people.

While the computer was down I wrote some letters (a very nice practice that I'll try not to neglect again) and we had Cable TV. Let me just say this about cable: Never. Again.

We've never had any more TV than we could pick up with a little antenna. What a huge time waster! I found myself having it on way too often and staying up way too late just watching nothing... I think the only semi-useful thing that came from the 2 months of TV was I couple probably tile a fireplace or kitchen "backsplash". (I really liked all those Do-it-yourself shows...)

In our new little town (we're in a valley) we get one channel without cable. It's channel 40. It's in Spanish. It's Telenovelas all day every day. I keep the TV off now and am still surprised at how much time I really was wasting. Like I said: Never. Again.

We found a church about 45 minutes from us. It's called Maranatha Baptist. It's an Independent Baptist church. We're really thankful for it. It's a different "style" (I guess you'd say) of church than we've attended before, but it's good to fellowship with believer's and they really have a heart for sharing the gospel, which is refreshing.

We've also started a home bible study on Tuesday evening. It's been going well. Abe's been teaching through Genesis. We are both really enjoying it and have started building relationships and making friends in our town (Which I've found kind of hard to do in such a little place. Small towns are different.) Genesis has been exciting. The Lord has showed me things that I guess I had just skimmed over before. Mostly I'm in awe of the Love and Mercy the Father has for us! Amazing. From the very beginning I see God reaching out to people with so much love. I'm in awe! Thank you, Lord for loving me.

Also, I had a birthday. I got my car flooded. I know, weird thing to get for a birthday, but thank you Lord. He does work all things together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28)... I know the Lord was able to use even that to help me keep my attitude in check and get some perspective... 'nuf about that for now.

Oh, and I don't know if I've mentioned this to you (who might be reading), I'm due December 29th. If baby number 3 is born "on time" we will have a 2006, 2007, and a 2008 baby. Crazy...in a good way.

Too long.

It has been a long time, and I feel like I really have some catching up to do with the people I keep up with here.

About a month ago, maybe closer to two months, actually, our computer was acting up and the hard drive ended up crashing. (We knew it was coming, but still, always a bummer.)

During that time we were looking for a new apartment to move to a little further north in the city. We ended up finding a place that would work for us and the very day we signed the lease, not three hours later, Abe's boss called and asked if we were up for the transfer we had been waiting to hear about to Texas! We accepted. It was Friday and they were asking that we arrive in time for Abe to start the next Thursday!

We were already in the process of packing, but we had a lot left to do. We are so thankful to our friends from church who came Sunday afternoon to help us finish packing and load the truck so we could be on our way Monday afternoon.

So, now we live in Texas. We're all the way south to the Mexico border, but not quite at the tip. We like it.

It's been a little hard with no real connections. We haven't quite found a church, but we have felt the Lord calling us to start a bible study. We wanted to start last Wednesday, but decided to postpone the real beginning because of Dolly (the hurricane) being in town.

So, I guess that's about all the news I have for now. Hopefully there will be pictures to come, but for now our computer is still having little issues. We think maybe the new hard drive Abe installed is defective. We're still trying to figure all that out, so I'll let you know when we have an answer...

Happy Birthday, Jecoa!!

My Baby is one.

What a busy weekend we had. On Saturday we had a little pizza/swim party at a friend's house. Theona and their four-year-old swam in their back yard kiddie pool. Jecoa even took a dip. It was a nice hot day.

We had cake in the afternoon. I made a big chocolate and white checkerboard cake per Papa's request. Jecoa had a good time with his first cake (oh, there will be pictures!)

Sunday was the actual birthday. It was filled with church and friends and playing. What a big boy he is!

He's walking. (and loves to chase his sister)
He says Momma, Papa, bye-bye (and waves), night-night, a few times when he was mad He said neh-neh-neh with a head shake (It was definitely him saying "no").
He signs more and all-done (sometimes he signs it when he's tired, too.)
He loves his sister and papa and loves to hug and kiss them.
He loves to be silly and make people laugh. (When he gets a good laugh he laughs back and when he laughs hard he snorts! He has a great laugh like his papa that just makes you join in.)

I can hardly believe a year has passed since he was born. I remember so vividly, preparing for Marla's baby shower then the little surprise coming to join the festivities. I know it was a little crazy, but wonderful, joyous, fun-crazy!

Weather or not?

Well, we're having storms tonight here in OKC. Pretty typical. Thunder storms, strong winds, lightning, tornados... though I would avoid taking this serious weather lightly, it is kind of old news this time of year living in this part of the country.

Earthquakes, however, are an entirely different story. We don't generally hear anything in the earthquake department out here.

Apparently, according to our local weather guy there were four (yeah, 4) small earthquakes this morning where our I-40 and I-44 cross. That's right in the middle of the city. He said one of them was a 2.5 on the richter scale. (Pretty small, is that enough to be felt...?)

Anyway, weird. Weird, weird weather. In the last week I've heard about all kinds of unusual weather events. One example, I heard on the radio, there was a snow advisory in CO and OR. Snow in June?

Now I'm not saying be fearful, but hey, look around, this is unusual. Why is this happening?

You might like to read Luke 21.

Maranatha.

Bay-oo-ti-ful

After Theona's nap today, she was sitting with me, waking up, and she pointed at my calf and said, "Momma, this is your leg?"

"Yes" I answered.

"Aww, Momma, your leg is bay-oo-ti-ful"

I never thought much of my calf, but hey, if my toddler likes it...

A Father's Love

A son asked his father, 'Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?'

The father who, despite having a heart condition, says 'Yes'.
They went on to complete the marathon together.
Father and son went on to join other marathons, the father always saying 'Yes' to his
Son's request of going through the race together.
One day, the son asked his father, 'Dad, let's join the Ironman together.'

To which, his father said 'Yes'

for those who didn't know, Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever.
The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile (3.86 kilometer) ocean
swim, followed by a 112 mile (180.2 kilometer) bike
ride, and ending with a 26.2 mile (42.195 kilometer) marathon along the
coast of the Big Island .

Father and son went on to complete the race together

A Perfect Proverb for Today

The kids and I read a Proverb together first thing in the morning.
The Lord had a special word for me today. My heart is blessed.

Proverbs 12

1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates correction is stupid.

2 A good man obtains favor from the LORD,
but the LORD condemns a crafty man.

3 A man cannot be established through wickedness,
but the righteous cannot be uprooted.

4 A wife of noble character is her husband's crown,
but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.

5 The plans of the righteous are just,
but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.

6 The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
but the speech of the upright rescues them.

7 Wicked men are overthrown and are no more,
but the house of the righteous stands firm.

8 A man is praised according to his wisdom,
but men with warped minds are despised.

9 Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant
than pretend to be somebody and have no food.

10 A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal,
but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.

11 He who works his land will have abundant food,
but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment.

12 The wicked desire the plunder of evil men,
but the root of the righteous flourishes.

13 An evil man is trapped by his sinful talk,
but a righteous man escapes trouble.

14 From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things
as surely as the work of his hands rewards him.

15 The way of a fool seems right to him,
but a wise man listens to advice.

16 A fool shows his annoyance at once,
but a prudent man overlooks an insult.

17 A truthful witness gives honest testimony,
but a false witness tells lies.

18 Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing. (Thanks, Terri)

19 Truthful lips endure forever,
but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.

20 There is deceit in the hearts of those who plot evil,
but joy for those who promote peace.

21 No harm befalls the righteous,
but the wicked have their fill of trouble.

22 The LORD detests lying lips,
but he delights in men who are truthful.

23 A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself,
but the heart of fools blurts out folly.

24 Diligent hands will rule,
but laziness ends in slave labor.

25 An anxious heart weighs a man down,
but a kind word cheers him up.

26 A righteous man is cautious in friendship, [a]
but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

27 The lazy man does not roast [b] his game,
but the diligent man prizes his possessions.

28 In the way of righteousness there is life;
along that path is immortality.

Prayer for Hank

Last week we went out and spent some time with my cousin Hank. His health has gotten worse quickly. He flew out Monday evening to Chicago, for a better hospital. He's been having really bad stomach pains, and I was told he is pretty orange again. I'm so sad to hear his health is declining so quickly, but Praise the Lord, he has made a decision for Christ! 

The last time we were out we grilled chicken and shared the gospel with him and asked about his relationship with God, he told us that he was not saved and wasn't ready to make that decision. 

Though I was concerned, I was stumped. I couldn't force anything, so we kept on praying. And My aunt told me that when she was visiting this weekend, on Sunday, he gave his heart to the Lord and they talked about Jesus giving him a new body in heaven. Oh how gracious our heavenly Father is! 

(I'm having a problem with blogger uploading pictures, so, I'll probably edit this later with pictures.)

Toddler Vocabulary

So, this afternoon, Theona comes running into the living room saying "I need a 'SKO-uh'. I need a 'SKO-uh'." 

"You need a what? a school? What's a 'Sko-uh'? Do you need to go potty?"

She kept saying it, and I followed her to where she was leading while repeating her need for a "sko-uh". Then I got it, "Oh, you need a STOOL" She needed a stool to get up to the potty. I moved it back over from the sink, and she stood up on her stool and said "I need a bike."

"A what? A bike?"

"Yeah, I need a bike" and I realized she needed her potty seat that goes on top of the toilet.

She usually knows what that kind of stuff is called. I don't know where her vocabulary went today, but she's gonna love this story in a few years...

Last of the No Boyfriends Club

When I was in high school I didn't date. Actually I made an informal club of it. The "No Boyfriends" Club. We had members. Two of my friends who I worshiped the Lord with. (and now keep in touch with online) joined me in seeking the Lord and avoiding the boyfriends.

In all honesty, it was probably for lack of prospects rather then a determined commitment. That's okay. Whatever works. I have full confidence that it was the Lord protecting me. I am so thankful! 

I met my husband in Bible college and our second year, after becoming great friends, we decided we'd like to stay together forever... basically he wanted to date, I told him I hadn't dated and wasn't planning on it. I asked him how serious he was, "Are you gonna plan on marrying me?" He said he would so, we went from there... and I was pretty much out of the club. :)

I'm sure all that sounds kind of crazy, but I didn't have an understanding of courtship, or really anything other than typical high-school-type, casual dating. I just knew I didn't want to go around giving bits of my heart to "test the waters". I had been told by older people "no one marries their first boyfriend" and "you have to see what you like". I just didn't buy it. I knew what I wanted and I prayed for it. I am truly thankful that the Lord sheltered me under His wing.  

Around the same time, we lost one of our other members. My friend Julia met her husband in College, and now are serving the Lord in Tanzania! They're with Wycliffe, they studied linguistics and they're both really smart. I'm excited to where the Lord takes them and what he does in their life.

So, Pamela, the last standing member of the club started dating a nice young man about a year ago. Guess what?! The rumors are true....

I'm so happy for them!

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed!

Abe and I went to see Expelled (Ben Stein's documentary about the evolution vs. intelligent design debate) this afternoon. I'm so glad we did. Perfect day to watch it, now that I think about it... It was really interesting. I often don't think about, or realize how dark the science world, or even college world can be. What a hate for God people can harbor.

At one point in the movie a man (a professor at a college with who knows how many fancy degrees and such) said that "[maybe life came from the pre-organisms piggy backing on the backs of crystals]" that is where life came from? Whoa! What?! Ben Stein repeated what he had said, "So, you think maybe life came from mud on crystals?" Yes, this is actually what this guy thought was a good theory on how life started! Whoa. I was surprised that very intelligent people can say and believe such off the wall things. They say my God is silly to believe in, he couldn't have created the earth in less than a week. Must have been mud and crystals.

For the LORD gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
Proverbs 2:6 (New King James Version)

Watch the Trailer!!

Veggie-taaales

We have an old veggietales video. "Silly songs". We got it out a couple weeks ago and Theona really likes it.

Tonight we put it on a little while before bed and she watched the first few songs. She really likes the intro song and began singing, "Veggie-taaaales, Veggie-taaales... Broccoli....Veggietales! Peechy Keen, Veggietales! Time for Veggie-taaaaaaaaaales!" 

SO cute. I seriously can't believe all the things she's learning. 

Things are Growing

Last night when Abe brought the garden in (pulled the tub inside our fenced porch area), he noticed some little blossoms on our pepper plants! One of the pepper plants has grown quite a lot. It's so exciting to see actual vegetables happening right in our own garden! Right before our eyes.

And, about a third of the seeds we started have sprouted. So exciting!

When I Think About the Lord...

Granola

I made granola today. I had been wanting to for a while, it was a perfect little project for my girlie and I this evening.

Here is the recipe we were inspired by.

Here is what we did: ingredients in black, directions in purple.

3 cups oats (we used old fashioned oatmeal)

Microwave them for 2 minutes stirring once.

Just under 1 cup of crunched up, bottom of the bag, bran flakes (cereal that I didn't think was ever going to get used)

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2+ cup raisins

Mix these in with the oats after they have been microwaved.

1/2 cup oil

1/2 - 3/4 cup brown sugar

1 T Molasses

2 T Maple Syrup

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix these together then combine with dry mixture

Stir until well combined

Microwave for 5 minutes(or until golden, stirring every minute 

Cool on wax paper (I pressed it together so cooled in one big bar then I broke it up.)

I thought it was at great first attempt at granola. I'd like to put more seeds in next time.

The kids loved it, too. Coa was the inspiration for omitting the honey. I thought it worked out nicely.

We are Gardeners...

We now have a garden. Yay. We ran around today and got the last things we needed to get the garden going. I was a little nervous we are starting to late, but after reading the backs of the seed packets I am reassured. We are in the middle or at the end of the recommended time for starting, and the weather has been extra cool lately, so I think we will be just fine.

Like I said, we are planting in containers, recycled rubbermaid bins, actually. I'm hoping they will travel okay, since we are looking to move a little further north in a couple months to be between Abe's work and church.

We planted a bunch of organic seeds, Peas, green beans, onions, peppers, squashes, Romaine and loose leaf lettuce... I'm wondering how they would be different from non-organic... We also got some seed packets that weren't labeled organic, a hot pepper mix with anaheim chiles, cayene, jalapenos, and a couple others, and a bell pepper mix (which I am particularly excited about) with red, yellow, orange, green, and purple peppers! We also got Basil, chives, and another herb that isn't coming to mind right now.  Oh, and tomatoes and a few small plants for a dollar that are already started (the others are a few different kinds of peppers. Man, we're gonna have all the peppers we can eat!)

I'm pretty excited about it. I'll have to get some picture of our progress so far as gardeners.

Remember my cousin Hank in your prayers today. I know the Lord is at work and desires His salvation for him.

"I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase." 1 corinthians 3:6-7

read the chapter here

Gardening

We are starting a small garden tomorrow. We had put it off, unsure if we were really ready to do it this year. Well, we are actually starting it and I'm going to give it my best shot. I hope we aren't too late...

We are doing a container garden. We have a few rubbermaid bins we are recycling. I've watched some clips on youtube about container gardens and I think I have a pretty good idea about what we are doing... or I might have no idea at all what I'm signing up for... this is our first garden other than a strawberry pot with a tomato plant in there that never grew...

So, here's the plan.

We'll plant tomato plants that are already started, but other than that we've chosen organic seeds for green beans, peas, lettuce, peppers, jalapenos, onion, zucchini, yellow squash, and carrots. I think I'm most excited about the beans and peas.

I'll have to take pictures tomorrow so you can see all the fun we're having. Yay for home grown produce!

The Silent Killer

Last night I heard through my mom that one of my cousins has cancer... the bad kind.

He lives here in OKC, just outside of town actually, and my Aunt and Uncle were up from NM to see him. I called them this morning to see if I could come out and spend a little time with them. I felt kind of weird about it, but I couldn't do anything other than make myself available, so that's what I did.

We went out this afternoon, I took them some mild chili and blueberry oatmeal muffins. (Weird how people bring food when stuff like this happens, but it was nice when my mom was sick...one less thing to worry about.) We had a nice visit with some of my other cousins and my Aunt and Uncle (I haven't seen any of them since I was 13. My cousin Hank (the one with the cancer) kept himself busy and smoked a lot and then left to go pick up some medicine... he wouldn't let anyone help him really with anything. He seemed like he didn't want anyone to think he's sick, but he really didn't look very good. (He was pretty orange-y. I think from his liver not functioning... I think he seems kind of in denial, I guess... I'm sure it is a LOT to take in and face your own mortality..).

Well, they said when he was in the hospital they did a body scan and it showed cancer all over his whole body. Lymph nodes and all. Everywhere but his brain (his mom died of brain cancer...) Also, in the hospital they said he had three months to a year to live (I don't know if that was before or after the scan), but they said hospice came by this morning and said 1 WEEK to one month... He's only 43. 

I know this is a little bit of a ramble, but I'd appreciate your prayers. I'm pretty sure he's not a believer... One of his sisters is.

Oh, Lord, I'd love to see you work a miracle in Hank's life and heal him. I don't doubt You at all, God.  I believe You. And, I don't praise You because you will heal him. I praise You because You can.

But Lord, more than physical healing.  Spiritual healing. Lord, would You reveal Yourself?! Would you intervene and speak life to Hank?

No Elephants

I just had the most amusing conversation with my girlie.

We live in an apartment on the bottom floor. Sometimes our upstairs neighbors are so loud! A few minutes ago there was a loud thump-thump-BOOM from our ceiling. I casually remarked, "There must be elephants up there."

Theona looked up and then 30 seconds later ran over to me and said, "I feel scared!" I chuckled a little and tried to explain that it was just our upstairs neighbors and they were just making noise up there... she quickly asked, "Where's the elephants?!" I told her there are no elephants here. They live in the zoo and in Africa. "She seemed a little reassured and pensively repeated "Elephants in Ax-i-ca"

She's back to playing, but I'm gonna have to be more careful. I may have started something... oops.

The Little Guy

Sorry, you're gonna have to tilt you head... I couldn't figure out how to flip them... Different program.


He's getting so big! He was putting a clean shirt on. We were about to go out.

So, do you think he looks like his sis?

Park Fun with Pictures!

We had a little picnic outing today. Theona played on a climber and Abe played with his new camera. He's getting quite good at it!Isn't she getting so big?!

Watch for pictures of Jecoa tomorrow...

Tortilla

We made fresh tortillas yesterday. They were such a good treat! This morning My Big Girl was having one for a snack, and Coa came over to see if she wanted to share... He pulled himself up using her shirt and waited. She tore off a piece of her tortilla, flicked his paci out of his mouth and gave him a bit in his hand. He promptly ate it and asked for more. 

They are getting so big. She likes to take care of him. How sweet. I just love to see them loving each other.

Which reminds me, isn't our Heavenly Father good?! Seek His face today. Be filled with His Spirit!

"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?"     Matt. 7:9

Potty Training Success

If anyone noticed my absence I'm sure you thought it must have some very good reason. Well. I now have only one in diapers! 

Theona had been very interested in using the potty since before we moved, I just wasn't entirely sure how to help her get from the diapers to the potty on a regular basis. She seemed to be only occasionally interested in sitting on the potty. Only when it suited her, and there was usually nothing going on while she sat...

At first I thought I was gonna mess it up and then she would *never* be potty trained. (I always seem to get a little unrealistically concerned about these little growing up steps...) I read a couple things on the subject, but didn't feel like it was doing any good. Then I realized I knew who knew the answer! We started praying for guidance. For Mommy and Theona. She started telling me when she was wet. I encouraged her to tell me before she went so she could go in the potty. She started to tell me more often, then we were committed. Good-bye diapers! We got some big girl undies for her, and she excelled! We had several accidents the first couple days then success! She's been doing very well and it's been a week-and-a-half since she has had an "accident". 

The last four nights she has even slept without a diaper. I am so excited she is doing so well! I did not really have any expectations for a time frame on potty training, but I'm really glad we have had such a great first experience. 

I've also had a great lesson reinforced on trusting my Lord. I totally believe He knows and cares about these things. He will certainly give me wisdom, even about such things as potty-ing, if I ask.  

Thank You, Lord for being Lord of ALL! Even our family, even the little things, even potty training!

The End!!!!

This is my mom's last day of Chemo. I'm pretty glad about that.

She said her friend gave her a card and candy, and a lady came and played a guitar and sang some "healing music", and the nurses sang the halellujah chorus. Pretty much it was the best Chemo ever.

I think it might have been even without all that stuff 'cuz it was the LAST.

"There are some, down the road
between hither and yon, that can scare
you so much you won't want to go on."

But on you will go though the weather
be foul. On you will go though your
enemies prowl. On you will go though
the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward
up many a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike.
And I know you'll hike far and
face up to your problems
whatever they are.

(From Dr Seuss' "Oh, the Places You'll Go" Page 14 & 15)

Way to go, Mom. Keep going!

You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So, get on your way!

Happy Birthday to Mo-om...

Way to have another birthday, Mom. Love ya!

Psalm 100

A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

1 Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
2 Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
3 Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;[a]
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
5 For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.