Friday Funny

Hope you have a great weekend - I'm off to hang with the family!! :)

Color Theory

Play dough is always a good option when it's so hot outside, and we had fun mixing colors!

"My WHOLE life has been leading up to this moment!!"

We were watching America's Got Talent last night (yes, I'm guilty of watching mindless summer TV) and I heard one of the acts breathily exclaiming that her WHOLE life had been leading up to this very moment. Now I won't even talk about the fact that her "whole" life had obviously not been all that long - but the statement struck me, and I was still mulling it over this morning.

First off - well, duh! No matter who you are or what you're doing, all the previous events in your life got you to where you are now. Good, bad, or indifferent, your choices affect you. Your friends and family affect you. Forever. Now that doesn't mean you can blame people for your circumstances, and it also doesn't mean that one poor decision will nullify everything else you've done...

So then I started analyzing. How am I spending my moments? How much hours have I wasted reading silly magazine articles at the doctor's office (or watching cheesy television)? And the bigger question - what am I working towards? I certainly am not trying to prove to America that I can sing/dance/whatever well enough to earn a million bucks. And what if my plans don't work out? Does that mean that all my efforts were wasted? Will I be left as Job, crying out, "My spirit is broken, my days are cut short, the grave awaits me... My days have passed, my plans are shattered, and so are the desires of my heart." (Job 17:1, 11)

I think the answer can be found in Proverbs 16:1-9, 16, 18-25, 33 (The Message)

Mortals make elaborate plans, but GOD has the last word.

Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good;
GOD probes for what is good.

Put GOD in charge of your work,
then what you've planned will take place.

GOD made everything with a place and purpose;
even the wicked are included—but for judgment.

GOD can't stomach arrogance or pretense;
believe me, he'll put those upstarts in their place.

Guilt is banished through love and truth;
Fear-of-GOD deflects evil.

When God approves of your life,
even your enemies will end up shaking your hand.

Far better to be right and poor
than to be wrong and rich.

We plan the way we want to live,
but only GOD makes us able to live it.

Get wisdom—it's worth more than money;
choose insight over income every time.

First pride, then the crash—
the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.

It's better to live humbly among the poor
than to live it up among the rich and famous.

It pays to take life seriously;
things work out when you trust in God.

A wise person gets known for insight;
gracious words add to one's reputation.

True intelligence is a spring of fresh water,
while fools sweat it out the hard way.

They make a lot of sense, these wise folks;
whenever they speak, their reputation increases.

Gracious speech is like clover honey—
good taste to the soul, quick energy for the body.

There's a way that looks harmless enough;
look again—it leads straight to hell.

Make your motions and cast your votes,
but GOD has the final say.

Memo to all resident mucus

TO: All the various slimes that are currently in my facial region
FROM: Trish D
DATE: June 26, 2007
RE: Get out!!

Please note that I'm sick of being sick. It has been a week and a half, and I still am not over this. It is 93 degree outside, and the tissue box does nothing as an accesory to my layered tanks, shorts, and flip flops. Not to mention that lovely cough that makes it sound as if I'm smoking 3 packs daily. Enough already!!

Hitting the ground running...

So Monday is here again. This weekend was absolutely gorgeous - around 80 and low humidity. We spent quite a bit of time outside, and played in the pool a bit (although the water is still really cold). Our church has some missions teams up this week to help us run Bible clubs and a soccer camp as well as do some construction projects. My hubby and I are both helping out with different things, so will be quite busy. On top of that, we're getting together with family on Friday and Saturday, so you probably won't be hearing much from me over the next few days.

I did want to share these pictures I took of the kids yesterday. I *still* haven't managed to get a good one with both of them together, but this one isn't too bad:

I did get this one cute one of our daughter (goofy brother cropped out), and then the last one just cracked me up. Guess who's sick of posing for Mom?

Friday Funny

Top Ten Signs You May Be A Tuckered Out Mom

10. There are enough Cheerios and cheese fishies in the bottom of your purse to serve as a week's desert rations for a family of five.

9. You just left the grocery store and called back to the checker, "Night, night."

8. You have more credit cards in your DVD player than in your wallet.

7. Your wildest fantasy involved sleeping in, flossing and going to the bathroom alone.

6. You're in therapy over Steve leaving Blue's Clues.

5. You refer to anything short of a skull fracture as an "owie."

4. Your last memory of true relaxation was your epidural.

3. Your current hairstyle includes at least one variety of finger food.

2. You just asked the waiter, "Where's your potty?"

1. You recently welcomed guests into your home only to find feminine hygiene products stuck to your front door in the shape of Elmo's head.

(from Christian Humor Writers)

Shopping with a 4 YO

So yesterday we ran to the little grocery store right around the corner to pick up bread, eggs, and fresh fruit. Our little girl was sitting in the cart, and our son was walking beside me. Well, we finished in the produce section and headed down the next aisle, which happens to be cleaning products and a small section of dollar merchandise. Well, I'd only taken about four steps when D shouts out, "Look Mom! A popper!!" and tears off ahead of me.

Now we'd had a little discussion before going in the store about how he was going to stay right next to me, so my first thought was Aaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggghhhhhhhh! But then I saw what he was running for - toilet plungers. He enthusiastically pulled one out of the display box, smacked it down on the industrial tile floor, then yanked it back up with a very loud KERPLOP! He was laughing so hard, and it really was impossible not to start giggling. I let him "pop" it once more, and then we finished up our shopping.

Who would've thought that toilet plungers would be the highlight of the trip?!

Find time today to revel in the simple joys of life...

Free books!!

I've mentioned Mary DeMuth in several posts - she's an excellent writer and I really love that she's so genuine. Well, she's offering up two of her novels; just tell her why you're like Teri Hatcher or Ashley Judd. How fun!!

Monday Recovery

Quite a weekend - my hubby caught one of those wonderful summer colds and was quite miserable last week. His schedule could be summed up as follows: go to work, come home, eat dinner, play with the kids, go to sleep. Anyway, Friday morning my throat was a bit scratchy and by Saturday I was miserable. Yesterday was the worst - ever tried to deal with a room full of 2 and 3 year olds when you have no voice?! I crashed and took a long nap in the afternoon, but then couldn't fall asleep last night. Sigh. I *do* feel better today, though, and already have run both the dishwasher and the washing machine - dishes and laundry sure can pile up fast!!

Obviously we didn't do a whole lot for Father's Day (I'm now kind of glad that we celebrated a week early), but I did make up a new crock pot recipe that my hubby really liked, so will be added to the regular rotation.

Honey Dijon Chicken

4 oz neufchatel (light cream cheese)
1/4 c dijon mustard
2 Tb honey
1 Tb parsley
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Cut chicken breasts in half and lay on bottom of crock pot. Blend neufchatel, mustard and honey (don't worry if there are still lumps), then pour over chicken. Sprinkle with parsley. Cook on high for 4-5 hours.

(We have a divided crock pot, and I made the chicken on the large side and a barley pilaf in the smaller compartment: 1 c barley, 2 1/2 c chicken broth, 1/2 tsp rosemary, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp gr black pepper. It turned out really well, and I just love having lunch ready when we walk in the door after church!)

- - -

In other news, please pray for my husband's job situation. There have been some changes in management that are making things difficult, and now it appears that there are even bigger changes looming on the horizon. Still not sure how it will affect him, but please pray that he can hang in there and still do a good job - and that I can be supportive (even if that means stepping out of my comfort zone).

Anniversaries, and thoughts on married life

Eleven years ago today, my hubby and I stood at the front of the church and vowed to love one another, whatever might come. It's been over a decade, and I still can't imagine sharing my life with anyone else.

This morning, I was giving the kids a bath and our son pointed out that I was getting my ring wet. I assured him it was OK, and asked him if he knew who had given it to me. His answer:

"Daddy and Mary."

Time to clarify just a bit about being married.

Friday Funny

On Father's Day, a little boy decides to make his dad breakfast in bed. He makes scrambled eggs, toast and coffee. He brings it into his dad, hands him the cup of coffee and says,''Try it dad.''

The dad takes a sip and nearly passes out because it is so strong. The little boy asks,''How do you like it Dad?''

The dad doesn't want to hurt the little boy's feelings so he says, ''This is....something else, I've never tasted coffee quite like this before, Son.''

The little boy smiles from ear to ear. And says, ''Drink some more, Pops!''

As the dad is drinking, he notices two army men in the bottom of the cup, and says,''Hey! Why did you put army men in here?''

The little boy again smiles and sings,''The Best Part Of Waking Up, Is SOLDIERS In Your Cup!''

Happy Father's Day!!

Stand still so I can shoot!

I had my first paying photo gig today!! :)

It was a lot of fun, although I'm still frustrated with my lack of technical knowledge as far as my camera. Hoping to take a class this coming spring to help remedy that.

Of course the pics couldn't all be serious, though...

Following God, wherever He takes us

Some good thoughts here from Mary DeMuth:

I believe it’s an American idea (that’s been oddly spun by prosperity gospel adherents) that if you obey God, blessings will always follow. Success will be yours. Your ultimate life awaits you. I believe striving after success (in terms of the world’s standards) in this life is sorely misguided and misplaced. The heroes of the faith obeyed and often pretty terrible things happened to them. I love this verse in Hebrews: “And all these things, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God has provided something better for us” (Hebrews 11:39-40). Our ultimate reward awaits us in heaven...

The deeper issue is trust. Will I trust Jesus to lead me, even when His leading looks like failure? Do I love Him enough to follow Him down that road? Or will I only follow Him where success looms on the horizon like a beckoning sunrise?

(Read her entire post here)

Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. Romans 5:3-4, Amplified Bible

I need to follow my Lord whether it's easy or not - and it's only by continually choosing this path (over what my fleshly little mind says I should do) that I can look a bit more like Jesus. And that's the type of character that I want others to see in me!!

Stubborn Kids

...but Mommy can be even more stubborn!

This is how we spent approximately two hours late Monday afternoon. She dumped all the crayons a little after three, and I told her to pick them up. She'd pick up a few then dump the box again.

There were many tears (and spankings) involved, but she finally finished about 5:30 and got to eat dinner.

I really wanted to just put her in another room and sweep up the crayons, but I know it's important to follow through when we tell our children something. And sometimes battles can erupt over the silliest little thing!

Pasta Salad with Tuna

Here's a quick and easy salad I like to make during the summer - it's great for a side dish or a simple lunch. Once again, the amounts are estimates, but I promise it's a good starting point!

Pasta Salad with Tuna

1 lb pasta, cooked and drained (shells or butterflies work well)
10 oz frozen peas, slightly thawed
2 cans tuna, drained
1 small onion, chopped
1 c carrots, chopped or grated
1/2 c celery, sliced
3/4 c mayo or miracle whip
1/3 c milk
1/2 tsp celery seed
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine first six ingredients in a large bowl. (Hint: I generally just pull the peas out of the freezer, then put them in the bottom of the colander before I drain the pasta). Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl, and blend well with a fork or whisk. Pour over salad, stir well, and refrigerate for at least three hours before serving.

This salad is actually even better the next day. The pasta may soak up quite a bit of the moisture, so if it's drier than you like, just whisk together a bit of mayo and milk and then stir it in.

I am a goober.

Yes, it's true. I was convinced that Father's Day was yesterday! I got my hubby's gift, planned one of his favorite meals, and called my Dad... who informed me that I was a week early.

Think I'll double-check the calendar for future events!! :)

Friday Funny

Happy Father's Day!!

Boingee, Boingee..

Guess who got a hippity hop?

This crazy kid spent over an hour bouncing around the living room last night - and yes, he did sleep well!! :)

By the way, his shirt says "I Do All My Own Stunts." I swear it was produced specifically for our little boy!

Ride 'em, cowgirl!!

Long Day?

Our little girl was super cranky last night, and I gave up and sent her to her room shortly after 6:30. I went to check on her a few minutes later, and this is what I found. Yep, she was out cold, dirty feet and all :)

Monday Memory - First Date with Hubby

Another fun topic to think about, particularly as we'll be celebrating our 11th anniversary in a week and a half!

I met my would-be hubby in college. Now I need to provide a bit of background on this - I attended LeTourneau University, which as it so happened had an 8:1 ratio of men to women at the time. I did not know this when I chose LU, so was quite stunned to arrive on campus and see six huge guys' dorms, and then the one pitiful women's residence hall. After getting moved in, we had our first meeting with our RA, and I can vividly recall her warning all of us about "swooping." Yes, anyone with two X genes was a hot commodity!

Well, I settled in and soon began dating a guy from Montana, someone I had met briefly before actually coming to LU. We dated for a semester, but both realized that it just wasn't right, so had a very friendly break-up. This had been my first relationship, and I decided that I was in NO hurry to find another boyfriend. While we had been dating, though, I had gotten to know many of the guys from his floor. This group was very tight, almost like a fraternity. I was able to really get to know these guys, which was kind of hard to do in the normal LeTourneau environment, because generally if you exchanged more than ten words with a guy, you were automatically paired off (OK, I'm exaggerating a bit here, but it really did feel that way sometimes!) Over the next year and a half, I got to be pretty good friends with "Chuck" (his nickname, as there were five other guys that had the same first name), but thought he was a bit strange. He was a year older, mechanical engineering major, and had a rep for pranks and blowing things up. Toward the end of my sophomore year, we were talking a lot - hanging out at the table after meals long after everyone else had left. I was thinking that he was interested, and I decided that I'd go out with him if he asked. The school year drew to a close and he never asked me out, but we did exchange addresses. Over the summer, we wrote to one another (I've since discovered I'm the only person he's ever written to!), and even spoke on the phone once as we were preparing to return to school.

So we came back to Texas in the fall of 94. We continued to talk quite a bit, but he still didn't ask me out. Well, about two weeks into the semester, the church I was attending had a "Welcome Back" night for the college students. I didn't have a car, so figured I'd ask him to come with me, with the excuse that I needed a ride. I don't even remember what was on the program that night, because I had decided that we needed to talk, so I was busily plotting out how this was going to take place. After the church event was over, I suggested we go get coffee or something. We ended up going to Olive Garden and ordering cappuccinos. As luck would have it, our waiter was my suite mate's fiancee, and he was rather chatty! I remember being so frustrated, wanting him to leave us alone so I could grill "Chuck" about what exactly what was going on between us. Finally our waiter left, and I flat-out asked him if he'd like to date. At this point, I just wanted to know whether he was interested - I was, but wanted to go into "safe" mode if necessary. Well, he stirred his cappuccino vigorously and then, while still staring at his cup of coffee, muttered that he'd like to go forward. Great! So we'd just had our first date :)

Once we committed to dating, we both knew that this was IT. We had already formed a deep friendship, and started talking about marriage within a few weeks. He officially proposed over Spring Break (in Montana, so he could ask my parents' permission), but we were determined to get our degrees before marrying. We were engaged 15 months, and got marrried six weeks after graduation. As I said earlier, we'll be celebrating our eleventh anniversary before long. I can't imagine sharing my life with anyone else!

Join in the fun at "The Art of Making a Home Joyful"

But why?

If you have a preschooler in the house, you probably hear this question A LOT. And frankly, it's a good one, as they are learning how the world works (of course that doesn't mean that I don't get annoyed after hearing it for the 257th time each day!)

But for some reason, yesterday I was thinking about how I question *my* Heavenly Father. How often do I pull on His clothes, whining, "Why? But why?" As children grow, they ask this question less frequently. Am I growing, or are my prayers still filled with this whiny question?

But back to why we ask that infamous question - we want to understand. Again, not really a bad thing in and of itself. But there are things that in my human-ness I will never comprehend.

As I was driving home from church yesterday, I had the Newsboys' Adoration album playing, and "Lord (I Don't Know)" came on. I was singing along, but then the chorus stopped me cold.

Lord, I don't know where all this is going
Or how it all works out
Lead me to peace that is past understanding
A peace beyond all doubt

I grew up in the church, and have sung "I have the peace that passes understanding down in my heart, down in my heart, down in my heart!" over and over. Philippians is one of my favorite books, so I certainly know the scripture reference. But suddenly I thought of it in a new way - it's not just peace that others can't understand; it's the peace that comes when I stop fighting to understand. When I choose to let go of the "why" question, and just trust that my Lord is in control.

Lord, help me to seek this true peace, and rest in your promise that YOU have it all worked out. I know that you are patient with me and will allow me to question, and I thank you for not providing answers, for allowing me to grow and trust in you.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Friday Funny

A Few State Mottos:

Arizona: But It's A Dry Heat!

California: By 30, Our Women Have More Plastic Than Your Honda.

Florida: Ask Us About Our Grandkids And Our Voting Skills

Hawaii: Haka Tiki Mou Sha'ami Leeki Toru (Death To Mainland Scum, Leave Your Money)

Idaho: More Than Just Potatoes...Well, Okay, We're Not, But The Potatoes Sure Are Good!

Maine: We're Really Cold, But We Have Cheap Lobster

Michigan: First Line Of Defense Against The Canadians

Minnesota: 10,000 Lakes... And 10 Zillion Mosquitoes

Montana: Land Of The Big Sky, The Unabomber and Right-wing Crazies

North Carolina: Tobacco Is A Vegetable

Oklahoma: Like The Play, But No Singing

Vermont: Too liberal for the Kennedy's

West Virginia: One Big Happy Family...Really!

Wisconsin: Come Cut the Cheese!