Dinner

We had just a fabulous dinner tonight. It was a rather unusual combination but really tasted well together. We had asparagus & green beans (for those in the family that just won't eat asparagus), corn beef (baked in the oven - it was so nice to turn the oven on to take the chill out of the air), Smoky Three-Bean Bake and Hot Potato Salad. The bean bake and the tater salad were new recipes - and WOW were they good. Highly recommend both. Here they are:

This is the link for the recipe for the Hot Potato Salad (really good!).

This is the link for the Smoky Three Bean Bake (also really good!).

I wanted to make a nice dinner for the family as it was the first time in several weeks that we were able to sit down all of us together. It seemed like we should have a special dinner. Normally, we always try to have family dinners - sitting down, praying, eating and sharing what happened in our day. Since my oldest is now going to school - things have changed, schedules have changed and we don't always get to have family dinners together. I miss that.

Tunneled in

Here's a good one for you. I came home and found pieces of cardboard on the counter. They were small, scrap like pieces. Hmmmmm - what is this? Where did it come from? (I asked.)

My husband pipes up and says - 'ya, about that. I tunneled in.'

What? You tunneled in where?

We wanted burgers and it is too hard to get them out of the top of the box. So I tunneled in. I opened the freezer and saw --- it honestly looks like a mouse chewed through the box to the goodies inside.

Kids say the funniest things

First to set the scene - my oldest son is 15 and my youngest is 7.

My youngest loves to pass wind --- thinks it is just the most hysterical thing in the world.

(It must be a 7 year old boy thing!)

Well, my youngest and oldest were riding in the car with my husband a few days before. They were also taking a friend of my oldest - who happens to be a girl. They are truly just friends. Our family is friends with her family.

Now we fast forward the few days and our youngest is at home passing wind in the house. Horribly smelly wind. My oldest finds it offensive and proceeds to tell my youngest that the girl who road with them found it horribly offensive when he had passed wind in the car. It smelled so bad that the girl was sliding all the way over away from my youngest. (He was thinking that letting my youngest know girls find it offensive would be an incentive to stop it.) My oldest said, 'yah, she was almost on my lap, cause she wanted to get away from you.'

My youngest (without missing a beat!) says, "you're welcome!" (with a dry kind of amused voice).

My husband who heard this whole thing about about split a gut laughing.

couch school

School - in a comfortable position and with a wonderful treat. What better way to do math! In German class, we learned the word Pfefferminze and our wonderful German teacher found a cute peppermint candy in the shape of a tree. That is what my JJ has in his hands and eating while doing math.

Here is a our wonderful Pfefferminze - prior to Christmas we had been learning O Tannenbaum. So when our German teacher saw these in the shape of a tree she just had to get them for all the students! We have a wonderful German teacher - isn't she thoughtful!

The Word of the New Year

I haven't been one to do New Year resolutions as I don't find them to be very successful. A blogger friend that I follow had a great posting on Memorial Stones. Click here for more info. She posted something about it last year and it got me to thinking. I decided I really like the idea of picking a word with a bible verse to focus in on for the year. God really spoke to my heart. I had felt frazzled and crazy at that time. Felt like things weren't going well with the children - lots of bickering and fighting between them. And I just felt like I needed to slooooooow down and really be still so I could listen to God speaking to me, listen for his guidance and direction. Just be still and calm my soul. So the word I picked was 'be still' (I couldn't limit it to just one word, of course!) and the bible verse that tied into that for last year was

Psalm 46:10 - Be still and know that I am God.

That verse really, really applied to this last year for our family. My husband (although not thrilled about it) had major surgery and then had time to just be still, sitting in his chair, waiting to heal. It was his time to 'be still' and know that God was with him, healing him and carrying him through his ordeal. We had bickering issues with the kids and really had time to work through those this last year. Through it, I felt that we (my husband and I) really had to be still and listen for God to direct us in how to approach the situation. God did amazing things and really helped to heal the situation.

Now with a new year upon us, I want to again find a word with a verse that I feel God is calling our family to concentrate on. This has been very hard. Last year, when I saw her post on Memorial Stones I knew - just knew - felt it right away that 'Be Still' was it. This year in some ways alot is speaking to me and yet also nothing has profoundly reached my heart. So I have been searching. Many themes seem to be popping up for me but I seem to have narrowed it down to two:

1) potential - I love this verse and hadn't really thought of it in this light - Matthew 13:31-32

"He told them another parable: the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." What is our individual potential and potential as a family? "All of the potential is in the seed - God placed it there to begin with. Each seed has the possibility within it of becoming a huge tree. The amount of potential we recognize in ourselves makes a big difference in how much we grow and how much we allow God to use us." (Making Life Count by Robert E. Logan and Tara Miller p. 35)

Isn't that amazing to think about. The smallest seed - and through God - the potential is amazing. We all, with God's help, have amazing potential. Potential to be witnesses for Christ, ambassadors for the kingdom. I think of my own kids and their potential - what will they grow to become - how will they turn out - they remind me so much of that small mustard seed just waiting to be watered and fed so they can grow into amazing young Christian adults. I pray for God to grab hold of them and hold them so tightly that they remain His through the turbulent teenage years.

So that is one thing speaking to me.

The other one that is most certainly speaking to me is:

2) Hope - (or lack therefore) I don't feel very hopefully about this coming year. I see hopefully things for our family but also see many unhopeful, almost scary things for our nation. Yet, I also know that our hope is in HIM. No matter what will happen, God will see the faithful through the situation. He helped Daniel when he was sent into captivity in Babylon. He is ever faithful to those who are His children. I found Psalm 42 and 43 speaking to me. I won't post all of it here but it is fabulous. Take a moment (please) to go read it. I found it to be so uplifting but specifically found these verses really speaking to me:

"Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise him,

my Savior and my God."

It is a great reminder to praise him even if we aren't hopeful, even if we are feeling anxious and worried, even if times are a struggle. And to continue to place our faith, trust and hope in Him.

Maybe this year is a two word year? I will continue to pray about it and see what God has in store. If you do something like this - a word / bible verse for the year - or memorial stones --- I would love to hear about it. I would love to know what your word of the new year is.

New addition to the family

My oldest has been begging to get a kitten for along time. Our local animal shelter was running a special on kittens and so we thought we would 'take a look'. Well, looking turned into --- a new addition for the family! Meet Libby!

She is just a little love. She has a wonderful personality and loves to be held.

Tom update

Tom has been rather down about his progress. He doesn't have the mobility in his foot. He had pain in his foot for 9 months prior to diagnosis and now hasn't walked on it for 3 months. He just feels he hasn't walked normal for about a year and isn't sure his body knows how to do it at this point.

So he called his doctor and asked to be sent to a physical therapist. His doctor agreed but didn't suggest anyone in particular. We called a friend who recently had knee surgery and had to go through physical therapy. She really liked who she went to. Tom called that therapist and has an apt. for tomorrow afternoon. He is looking forward to having a plan and help in his healing. He feels like he has been just stuck lately and not progressing at all.

Tom also has been rather down as he doesn't feel like mobility is happening as fast as he wants. He gets alot of anxiety when he just sits in a chair. It has just been a hard recovery and he needs something positive to show him he is moving forward. Please pray that the physical therapist gives him hope and gives his a plan with goals (short term and long term) so he can see progress as he meets the various goals. Just pray for his spirits to be lifted. (Thank you!)

4th of July Parade

My two youngest were in the parade with Scouts. They really enjoyed it --- but it was very, very hot. Thankfully, we brought spray bottles filled with water. It helped to cool the kids down.

Here is JJ with one of the spray bottles. That was a fun job to do!! Every kid wanted to volunteer to be the spray guy!

Wheew - they made it to the end! Each received a cookie, bottle of water and a coupon for free ice cream from the local custard stand. We stopped there on the way home!

And to top it all off

On Monday I went downstairs to find that 'someone' had left the freezer open. And I had meat thawing. Thankfully, it was only the stuff on the top shelf. It reminds me of the Family Circus comics (remember them - am I dating myself) - apparently we had "I don't know" and "Not Me" visit our house. And one of them rudely left the freezer open!

2 - 3 lb packages of ground beef

1 - package of boneless pork

2 - frozen pizzas (we ate those right away for lunch on Monday)

Last night we used one of the packages of ground beef - my oldest was in charge of dinner and he cooked the beef, made brown rice, mixed it in and added spaghetti sauce. It is very good and very easy. We had enough to eat and some to freeze.

Tonight the family had the boneless pork.

And now I just have to make up a batch of chili and taco meat with the last 3 lb package of beef.

I will freeze that for when things get crazy in the next week or two. Just didn't plan on being this prepared with meals!!

No one has laid claim to the freeze incident. No one ever leaves it open?! Yet, at least 4 different times in the last two years I have found it open and had to cook up meat. It is most frustrating! How hard can it be to close the freezer?! I have banned "I don't know" and "Not Me" from touching the freeze.

Soup supper

Every Wednesday throughout Lent our church hosts a soup supper for church attendees. It is really fun. It is basically a social event for our congregation. My kids love to volunteer for the soup suppers. We have been doing it for many years and my youngest really gets into it. He is 'in charge' of the drinks - he makes sure that there are glasses of water, glasses of apple juice, chocolate and white milk set out in abundance.

Here is JJ serving drinks! He just loves manning his table!

I am just thrilled that they are learning to serve. We really believe that as a parent we can't just say serving is important - we have to model service and so we try to find opportunities where we can all serve together as a family.

The blessing

Let it be said of us

while we walked among the living

let it be said of us

by the ones we leave behind

let it be said of us

that we lived to be a blessing for life

let it be said of us

that we gave to reach the dying

let it be said of us

by the fruit we leave behind

let it be said of us that our legacy is blessing for life

this day

you set life, you set death right before us, this day

every blessing and curse is a choice now

and we will

choose to be a blessing for life

let it be said of us

that our hearts belonged to Jesus

let it be said of us

that we spoke the words of life

let it be said of us

that our heritage is blessing for life

(chorus)

for your Kingdom

for our Children

for the sake of every nation

Christmas

Christmas with my extended family. We had a great time!

Opening gifts

Playing cards later in the evening

family pictures from Christmas 2009

Our boys

cousins

cousins

Wedding

Isn't this a great picture - my sister, the bride and my oldest son! (And he did have a tie on - but by this time in the evening both he and his father decided the ties had to go!!)

Father of the bride dance

It was my youngest sister that got married. Here she and my Dad are dancing.

Bad weather

Driving to the wedding, was a bit harry. It was raining when we left. It turned to sleeting rain. The white stuff on the ground is really more ice than snow. It was a very wild drive there. As we went a bit further, we saw at least 8 cars in the ditch - 2 of them were rollovers. And the traffic then became stop and go. Below are a few pictures of the drive. Visibility was limited. I think the pictures show better visibility than it seemed at the time. Thankfully, everyone coming for the wedding made it through the bad weather safely.

little one sleeping

My youngest decided he didn't want to snuggle in a bed with us. We had 2 double beds in our hotel room but 5 people. The youngest decided he was most comfortable with the two chairs pushed together with the foot stool in the middle. He is very cute when sleeping, isn't he!