home

There's no place like home...

We're coming home for a visit!!

(The kids and I arrive Friday. Jared will come up for Columbus Day weekend.)

Yippee!

weekend wandering, pt2

And so here we sat, wondering what to do next.

We decided to go fishing in Twin Butte Reservoir.

How good it feels to get out of the city. We found pretty rocks, shells, fish heads, trash treasures, and snake skins...

BIG snake skins. From the size of it, this had to have been from a 5-inch-diameter snake.

Trying to find beautiful in the ugly.

Here's a link to what I mean by ugly-beautiful.

After an hour of fishing, Carly exclaimed, "Hey, look at that pretty sunset!" I didn't think that kids even noticed the greatness of God. I guess I was wrong.

And here was our biggest (only) catch of the night!

Yeah. Even the kids were impressed.

weekend wandering, pt1

We woke up Saturday on a mission: to experience no boredom. We decided to take a road trip. We packed a sack lunch and started out around 10:00 a.m. As we started driving down the road, I asked Jared, "Okay, what direction are we going?" He said, "Oh, I don't know. How about south?" I said, "Okay." It was a pleasant day for driving. A few miles down the road, we heard a song request from the backseat. The kids wanted to hear "Man of Constant Sorrow." Miles later, you could hear yodeling from our car as we all sang the chorus of "In the Jailhouse Now" together while driving past skinny goats grazing on stubbles of grass in a Mesquite-filled "pasture."

After we passed the town of Christoval, I asked Jared, "Where are we going?" We looked at the atlas and realized that our road was leading to nowhere, so we turned around and went another way. I suggested we go to Mexico; it was only 2.5 hours away. An hour later, the kids told us, "We wanna go back to our apartment." We wondered where their sense of adventure was. We were exploring!!

We finally settled for the Caverns of Sonora 90 miles south of San Angelo. A quiet, hilly place it was, and we were excited to see some real caverns. At the visitor's center, Jared discovered that it cost $20/adult and $16/kid (age 4+) to see the caverns. Instead of paying $56 for a tour of these beautiful caverns, we decided to walk on a short trail and return home. What an excursion it was.

Back at the apartment the clock read 2:30 p.m. We sat on the couch and asked each other, "Now what are we going to do?" It was all in good humor.

at play

Carly used to fit on just one cushion.

Now she takes up the whole couch.

She refuses to look at the camera!

Coloring posters from the clearance aisle at Wal-Mart proved to be quite a time-consuming project.

The kids made a train out of chairs and pillows.

Isaac takes his role as conductor seriously.

This turned out to be quite interesting play.

I was just a silent bystander.

gingerbread boys

When I was a little girl, Mom made gingerbread boys. It was simply amazing how these gingerbread boys would run away and hide in the kitchen somewhere. Somehow, these unreal cookies would just up and run away! I remember how we'd go to our rooms and wait and then come back to find them hiding AGAIN! It was pure magic!! Even as an older girl, I'd probe Mom, asking her if she was SURE she didn't hide them herself. She assured me that they must've just run away.

We made gingerbread boys here for the first time today. When the kids weren't looking, these gingerbread boys amazingly RAN AWAY! When I exclaimed in a wild voice, "KIDS! SOMETHING HAPPENED TO YOUR GINGERBREAD BOYS!!!" they came running. Carly's first thought was, "How can they move if they're pretend!" What a fun game it became.

The kids decided to camp out on their kitchen chairs to make sure the gingerbread boys didn't run away again. That didn't last long, so they got up, scolded their cookies, shaking their fingers, saying, "Gingerbread Man, you obey me! You stay here!" Alas, these naughty gingerbread men would move AGAIN! Isaac even gave his a spankin'. (In all good fun, of course, because it would break if the spankin' was too hard.)

When the kids finally started eating the body parts, especially the legs, the poor gingerbread boys just couldn't move as quickly. So, they gobbled them all up. Isaac reminisced, "I was watching them the whole time, and they ran away!" Carly asked me, "Mommy, were you hiding them?" I answered, "No, they must've run away!!" And Carly excitedly concluded, "They could run away, even though they're pretend! They can run away!"

My mom fibbed to me. Don't you suppose it's okay that I fib to Carly?!?

RECIPE:

1/2 butter, soft

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. molasses

1 egg

3 c. flour

1/4 t. soda

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. cinnamon

Cream butter and sugar. Add molasses and egg. Add dry ingredients. Chill 2 hours. Roll, cut, and bake at 375 for 6-8 minutes.

mops: first time

The Mothers of Pre-Schoolers group started weekly meetings yesterday. The kids and I stood in line with other moms, waiting to drop our kids off in the appropriate child care rooms. This was an organized system. The computer lady at the front of the line quickly took my name, printed off name tags with barcodes for the kids and receipts for me to pick them up. Room P4 for Isaac. Room P5 for Carly. Separated? The kids were thinking they'd get to stick together. Now, for all of you who know how our kids have done in the nursery at church, you know that this seemed a little intimidating. We dropped Carly off in her room first. She stared at us with you're-gonna-leave-me-here-alone? eyes. She transformed to her quiet self and started to play. Next, I dropped Isaac off in his room. LOTS of kids in there....seemed chaotic with 2-3 girls crying for their mommies. I'm thinking, There's no chance I'm getting out of HERE today! But to my surprise....(Karla, listen to this!)....Isaac started playing, and he didn't cry, and he didn't throw an I-want-my-mommmmmmyyyy fit! In fact, two hours later, they were still playing and having fun! MOPS was a good time of meeting new women. I'll admit, I was watching the clock because two hours of childcare is a while. (I know: Myra, get over it.) But I think Mondays will be good for us. It'll be good for the kids to have interaction with others their age. And it'll be good for the recluse-me to socialize, I suppose. :)

mops: drive to

8:00...take Jared to work

9:10...pick up bread at Wal-Mart

9:12...cell phone rings. It's High Rise stuff. Self-checkout so I can keep talking.

9:13...another cell phone call. Rainbow wants to update High Rise modem.

9:14...kids push on self-checkout scales.

Self-Checkout voice says, "There are unexpected items in bagging area."

No, it's just my kids.

9:15...scold kids, continue talking on the phone.

9:16...pay for bread.

Isaac mimics the machine loudly, "PLEASE take your ITEMS!"

9:18...driving...get on Highway 67...cell phone rings. It's Rainbow again.

Do I want to increase internet speed?

No, not really, but I want to take Highway 67. I wonder what exit to take to get to MOPS.

9:19...Midas calls. Our car is finished and fixed....for now anyway. We can pick it up.

9:21...call High Rise to finalize Rainbow plans. Do I take this exit? Looks familiar.

Oops. Wrong exit. Light's turning yellow. Speed up.

Hang up the phone. Get back on Highway 67.

9:24...Smith Blvd. That's the right exit.

Dumb cell phones. No wonder people have wrecks.

We continue our previous review of what to expect for the morning...

Share toys with other kids.

Be kind.

Be loving.

Play nice.

9:26...arrive at church where MOPS is held.

9:27...get in line to drop kids off at childcare.

Disclaimer: Don't worry. Our mornings and drives are not usually like this. And I usually do not drive while talking on the cell phone.

activities

So many ideas of things to do...

Lisa sent down books filled with activity ideas. Yesterday, we were belly-aching with utter boredom, so we passed our time with an activity using old magazines.

We love you, grandmas and grandpas.....even those unrelated grandmas and grandpas who have treated us like spoiled grandchildren. ;)

And now, for our happy faces...

Carly's

Isaac's

Isaac got a little carried away on the body parts. He thought it was funny to put 4 ears, 2 noses, and 2 mouths on this picture.

Myra's

If Newsweek has no other purpose besides publishing infuriating liberal news articles, at least it has good photography for making faces like these!!

Have a happy Monday!

tornado

Oh. My. A tornado (in the form of two neighbor kids) just visited our apartment. After helping themselves to our outdoor riding toys, they walked right in and made themselves at home. We didn't mind their company; it was good to finally meet them. Carly and Isaac stood staring, open-mouthed as the kids plowed through the apartment like it was a candy factory, wanting to try everything out as quickly as possible. Kade, 5, walked to the fridge and asked, "What's in the fridge?" He opened the pantry and said, "Do you have anything to eat?" I knew they couldn't be hungry because their mom had just brought home Chick-Fil-A. These children come from a split home. The mom told me that the kids spend Mondays and Tuesdays with her, Wednesdays and Thursdays with Dad. And Mom and Dad alternate keeping them on the weekends "to keep it fair." Wow. Kalyn, 7 (big girl), asked me, "Do you have any dessert?" Instead of letting these kids plow ALL of us over, I directed them to an art project at the table. Needy kids needing love or stability or something.

The best thing about loud kids like them is that it gives you the courage to stand up and say whatever you think needs to be said in your house. When Kalyn said that her grandpa died, I said, "Yeah, it's kinda sad when old people die, but it's okay, because if they know and love Jesus, they can go to heaven to be with Him. And that's a lot better than here anyway." She said, "Yeah, my grandpa went to heaven." I replied, "Oh, good! So he knew Jesus?" She said, "Yep! And so do I! But sometimes I hit my brother." We talked a little more about forgiveness, but she changed the subject. Oh, kids are so vulnerable; their hearts are so moldable. I'm not sure when the hard layers start to grow around the heart to make some adults so unwilling to hear and accept the Truth.

After an hour, I told the kids it was time to start picking up. Kade and Kalyn asked why, and I explained, "It's bedtime for Carly and Isaac, and we always pick up before bedtime. So, who's going to pick up the Lincoln Logs?" Kade offered. When all was clean and it was time for them to leave, Kade wanted a hugs from the kids before he left to walk back to his apartment next door. Our clueless kids think hugs automatically go with kisses, so Isaac walked up to him and gave him a hug and a kiss. Kalyn wanted hugs too. Carly gave her a hug and a kiss on her cheek. Isaac gave her a hug and a kiss on her belly. They shouted, "We'll be back tomorro

w!!" as they ran out the door.

We had an interesting talk with Carly and Isaac afterwards.

An afterthought...

After the tornado kids left, I noticed that Carly, in an attempt to regain order and peace in her bedroom, had straightened her room, turned off the big light, turned on her bed lamp and laid her Bible and chapter book out, getting everything ready for bed. This is normal routine for her after a reminder, but she had it done 15 minutes before the tornado kids left. It made me hope hope HOPE that even as a teenager she will never be afraid to lay out her Bible in front of her peers in preparation of reading it.

the visit

We are SO grateful that we just got to spend 5 days with the grandparents. Instead of us serving them as our "company," they always end up serving us and helping us out more than we deserve. We were all delighted to see them when they arrived on Saturday; the kids, of course, saw them coming and, in their excitement, streaked through the apartment to hide in their rooms a bit before giving hugs and kisses.

They came bearing gifts: care-packages from dear family at home, a sweet, yummy watermelon and a box of juicy tomatoes from our garden, and neat little surprises for the kids, including fruit snacks. (The kids always raid Grandma Sally's desk drawer at the bank because they know she keeps fruit snacks in there.)

Monday morning, we visited Kingdom Park. After getting tired of chasing the kids around this massive park, we crossed the bridge to see the little waterfalls by the Visitor's Center. Here are some fun shots.

Grandpa Alan did a superb job at making the kids smile here. I won't tell you what he did. ;)

I hope Alan and Sally don't mind me putting their picture on here. It's such a good picture that I couldn't pass it up.

On Sunday evening, we spent $12.00 to enter the San Angelo State Park. We hiked one trail but turned around because the sun was setting and we didn't really know where we were going to end up. There were rock mounds on this trail. The kids added to them. There was also talk of rattlesnakes and how this park would be an excellent place for them to live. Following this conversation, I almost died of shock when a 4-foot snake slithered away right beside me. Thank goodness we only saw an armadillo, fireants, and some quail after that. I still listened for rattles, though.

We did a lot of relaxing while they were here. The kids enjoyed the extra attention. We loved the adult company. And our last bit of fun was going to the circus on Wednesday.

After they left this morning, the kids changed their magnetic faces for the day. And here's how they feel now:

We miss them already.

images

Nothing new this week, but here are some pictures from the week anyway.

Umm...I'm not sure what's going on here besides the kids putting bowls on their heads.

our swimming pool landscaping

Family Art Night

We cannot paint, but it was fun acting like we could. Look at Jared's "happy little trees!" He must've learned a lot from...was it Bob Ross? Oh, Jared would go nuts if he knew I posted his painting on here.

I'm not sure what was so funny here, but it was good to hear the kids laugh for a reason other than naughtiness.

And now I'll give you a rest from blog posts for a few days (unless there's something pressing to publish). Alan and Sally are coming down to visit us this weekend! Yippee!

88 days remaining

Mom said it would make us feel better

if we just made a chain.

One link for every day left.

When finished, it measured

over four yards long.

Ugh.

Maybe a better way to look at it is this:

And that's just until Thanksgiving. :)

It's not really that bad here, but I wanted to show Mom that we're laughing at this chain today.

what's cookin

the past two weeks...

(No recipes originated from our house,

but they're good finds, no doubt.)

Peanut Butter Cookies

3/4 c. peanut butter

1/2 c. crisco

1 1/4 c. brown sugar

3 T. milk

1 T. vanilla

1 egg

2 c. flour, scooped

3/4 t. salt

3/4 t. baking soda

Cream first 3 ingredients. Add milk, vanilla and egg; mix well. Add dry ingredients, mixing well. Bake at 375 for 7-8 minutes. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet before removing.

Lemon Cranberry Bread

2/3 c. butter, softened

1 1/2 c. sugar

3 T. lemon juice

2 T. grated lemon peel, optional

4 eggs

3 c. all-purpose flour

2 t. baking powder

2 t. salt

1 c. milk

2 c. craisins

1 c. chopped pecans

Glaze: 1/4 c. sugar and 1/4 c. lemon juice (Stir together)

In a mixing bowl, cream first 4 ingredients. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Stir in craisins and nuts. Pour into 5 greased and floured mini loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing. Poke holes in loaves with toothpick and drizzle glaze over the tops. Cool completely before slicing.

Macadamia Nut Cookies (NEW RECIPE)

(I'm on the lookout for a good Macadamia Nut Cookie recipe.)

1 c. butter

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 t. vanilla

3 1/2 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

12 oz. white chocolate chips

6 oz. macadamia nuts

Cream butter and sugar. Stir in eggs and vanilla, beating well. Add dry ingredients, mixing well. Stir in chips and nuts. Drop with cookie scoop and flatten slightly. Bake 8-10 minutes at 375.

Disclaimer: You probably see these cookie recipes on here and think that all my cookies turn out the same. That's because I have a preconceived notion that cookies coming out of my kitchen need to be a certain thickness. A half-inch thick is good. All recipes above and previously posted have been altered from the original recipe, because I add more flour to make the dough feel thick enough to make a half-inch-thick cookie. I really enjoy eating cookies that are that thick AND are 3" in diameter. Unfortunately, I've not found a way to do that unless I make the cookies 2" in diameter, using my small cookie dough scoop. Make sense?

You all have a nice day. I am now going to go eat a handful of cookies with a glass of cold milk.