An Impromtu Tea

I found myself at a rare moment with just my Bird around.  I asked, "Hey, you wanna have a tea party with me?"
Oh yes, she did!

We had milk and these yummy muffins that LB had made earlier in the day.

All of my kids love these little tea pots that they can pour themselves.

A few minutes later her big sister joined us. 

Thank you girls for a fun time!

Morning Glory Muffins
2 C. flour
1/2 C. chopped nuts
1 1/4 C. sugar
1/2 C. chopped apple (I used applesauce)
2 tsp baking soda
3 eggs
2 tsp cinnamon
1 C. oil
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
2 C. shredded carrots
1/2 C coconut
1/2 C. raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Grease muffin cups.

2. In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients.  Stir in carrots, raisins, nuts, coconut, and apple.

3. In another bowl, beat eggs, oil, and vanilla.  Stir egg mixture into dry mixture.  Batter will be thick.

4.  Scoop into muffin tins.  Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Canning Salsa

I had a lot of jalapenos and needed something to do with them.  So LB and I spent the morning making salsa.   This recipe is easy and went quickly with the help of a food processor.

Sterilizing jars...

All set...

Processed, mixed, and ready to go...

This recipe is from my friend Liz.  I'll type out the original but include the things I changed.

1 #10 can tomato sauce

5 28oz cans diced tomatoes (I didn't have this so I used 2 cans of tomato sauce.)

8 jalapenos

3 large onions

4 T minced garlic (I used 1 1/2 heads of fresh garlic)

8 T dried parsley (I used fresh and left out the dried)

1 handful of cilantro (I left this out)

1/2 C crushed red pepper

salt to taste

Run all the veggies through the food processor with some of the sauce.  Mix everything together in a big bowl.  My family doesn't like chunky salsa as much so I process it pretty smooth.  My favorite way is to process the veggies but stir in the diced tomatoes at the end.  It's not too chunky, but has a good texture.

Process these for 20 minutes. 

Altogether it made 2 quarts plus 10 pints. 

Menu Plan For The Week

This is what I call a creative week.  That means I'm low on beef and grocery money.   But never fear, my freezer to the rescue.  I went shopping in the freezers today to see just what I had.  Turns out, I might...just maybe if I'm really really careful...even have money left over by payday.  That's my goal anyway.

So here's what it looks like...

Saturday night... 2 chickens, corn-on-the cob, salad, squash casserole, bread, salad, and frozen fruit.  Sunday lunch... Maybe with so many choices Sat night, there will be enough left over for Sunday lunch.  If not, I'll make broth from the chickens, use the rest of the meat, chop some veggies, and make some soup.  Add bread and salad, and there ya go.

Sunday night... date night.  Steaks and fries for us, french bread pizzas for kiddos.

Dinners for the week...
Big turkey, baked potatoes
Ziti, salad, corn, bread
Fiesta chicken enchiladas, refried beans, rice
Dinner at church Wed.
Pizza Friday

I'm making a bunch of morning glory muffins for snacks throughout the week.  Also, breakfast cookies, and just about anything really b/c I have lots of baking ingredients.

Breakfasts will be cereal, oatmeal, muffins, and omelets for Saturday

I'm doing something new for lunches since Honey is home every day.  Most days we have enough left overs to make do for lunch but I've made a standard lunch menu with the same thing for each day of the week for those days that don't happen to have left overs.  It makes shopping easier b/c I just have to make sure I always have these ingredients on hand.

Monday - bean burritos
Tuesday - tomato soup and grilled cheese
Wed - tuna sandwiches
Thursday - pizzas
Friday - frito pie

Our First Driver!

Eldest thought this was a bit much.  But I couldn't help it.

Waiting....

Ta Da!

A Big Day!

It's Wednesday.  Wonderful Wednesday as I like to call it.  It's my favorite day of the school week.  Library, story time, and the feast.  Nice.

Today was a special day for the little Taggs.  All the littles finished their summer reading program and received all their prizes.   J&J each got to pick a brand new book to put their name in it.

And LB won this t-shirt in a drawing.

Story time!  It's crowded in the summer.

Lefty working hard at craft time.

And then.... one of the prizes is a coupon for Taco Bell.  So we headed over there and picked up lunch.

It was a fun morning with happy kids.

And did you notice something?  Lunch from Taco Bell, dinner at church. 

Clean kitchen = happy Momma. 

My Baby Girl

And Psalm 19:1-4

The Night In Pix

Game: Pot Tops.  You get all the lids off the pots and pans from Birdie's kitchen set.  Turn them upside down on the coffee table and see whose lid spins the longest.

Eldest stirring the spaghetti sauce.

Some composing...

and painting.  Don't we look artsy and talented?

Buzz sucking on his new baby.

I love nights at home.  (And I love my camera that captures it all!)

A Little Bit Of Lately

~I've been working a new schedule again.  Seems like everyone is always growing and changing and so I'm always needing to change stuff to accommodate everyone.   It's a job I enjoy.  Cleaning out my school closet?  That's something I don't enjoy. 

~My boys are playing soccer this fall.  We took a whole season off and I enjoyed all the quiet and extra time at home.  I hafta admit that I missed it too though.  This will be Boy's Club soccer so it'll be totally different than what we're used to.  I'm hoping my oldest son can referee this year. 

~I have this cutsie little camera and I keep forgetting to take it places!  

~I need new pizza pans.  Any suggestions?  (I don't want stone.)

~Eldest made some dough for rolls.  It was a fussy recipe and didn't rise.  I was ready to just throw it out and pull some bread out of the freezer.  But she decided to roll it all out into pizza crusts for the freezer.  They turned out perfectly!  And I was so proud of her for thinking of it. 

~My kids are feeding dogs for a neighbor that's out-of-town.  They came home today with a bowl full of stuff from their garden (w/permission)! 

~No matter how much dinner I make for Saturday night, there never seems to be enough for Sunday lunch. 

~My goldfish pond is looking better.  I'm hoping it's on its way to recovery. 

~When I was little I used to make fun of my mother's towels.  They were so ratty and stained with strings hanging from them.  And I would say, "MY towels will never look like that!"  Well of course my towels look even worse and my mother would laugh if she saw them.  Tired of giving my towels haircuts, I finally broke down and bought a big bunch of kitchen towels from Sams.  All white.   And a bunch of washcloths for napkins.  All blue.  I think I might have paid $20 for all of them.  

My kids went nuts over these and even said we were rich since we have all matching towels in the kitchen AND matching napkins at the table.  

~I have a project underway.  I'm cleaning out the hall closet so Honey can keep all his guitar cases in there.  I haven't gotten very far.  I have a feeling it's one of those things that takes longer to think about than actually do. 

Today's meals....
Breakfast - oatmeal
Lunch - tuna sandwiches
Tea - fresh peaches and milk
Dinner - spaghetti, salad, and bread

One Year!

Today marks one year of being back in Arkansas! 

Time flies....

Confusing Rambling On Isaiah...

I was reading in James this morning and praying over certain relationships I have. 
And then I remembered this...

"Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?"  Isaiah 2:22

And then I started thinking about how I do trust in man.  I trust that 'he' will treat me fairly, love God and act accordingly on my behalf, keep promises, provide whatever, deal honestly, be kind, love, and generally "play nice." 

And so when someone doesn't, I get bent out of shape.  I realize that I sometimes put more stock in people than I should.  Someday I will stand before God and it will just be me and Him. 

In the meantime I am to love and forgive and pray and keep my eyes fixed on Jesus. 

My Colorado pastor preached on the ant once.  And while I don't remember exactly what the sermon was about I do remember his illustration of the ant....

When a little boy kicks over an ant hill, what do the ants do?  Do they stomp their feet wailing over their misfortune?  Do they gripe about it to their Sunday School class disguising it as a prayer request?  Do they follow the kid around hoping for a chance to get revenge? 

Nope.  They just get back to work.  Immediately.  They are singularly minded and live accordingly.
In the same way, I want to be like the ant when I feel mistreated, misunderstood, or treated unfairly.  Forgiving instantly, loving freely, and trusting my Savior to work it all out for good. 

I don't mean that everything needs to be covered over.   Some things do, as Proverbs states.  But some things need to be addressed so both parties understand one another better.  What I am saying is that whether it is overlooked or addressed, I want to respond in grace whether or not the outcome is in my favor.

A Little Bit Of Lately

I'm sitting on the couch typing on my lappy while there's a party going on all around me.  Most have left and we're down to the last 5 guests.  My daughter's friends have been here all evening and are engrossed in a game I wasn't brave enough to play!  But my team did win the last one.....

~This has been a wonderful week.

~I've resumed walking...but not with my friend.  I was getting home too late for school so I decided to just take my dog Joey, my iPod, and head out alone.  I hafta say, I LOVE IT!  My neighborhood's quiet and nice.  The hills are challenging.  My iPod is loaded with goodness.  My dog is a good walker.   Reminds me of walking in CO.  Especially this nice cool weather. 

~Monday morning started off with hopes of a busy school day.  Then around 10am my 16yo daughter plops down in my room and just starts chatting.  For over an hour.  In the middle of school.  And I cherished every second of it!  Life went on without us for awhile and we just talked over all sorts of stuff.   Her talking, me listening, not giving advice, just listening and learning. 

~I've had 2 opportunities to minister to one of my VBS kids' family.  And while it was an opportunity from afar, I was still blessed to be a part of Chicken's life again. 

~Our CO friends have come and gone.  Too short of a visit, but a bunch of fun. 


~I've never enjoyed science.  I think b/c I'm not very good at it and I'm intimidated by it.  I mean science is for smart people right?  But don't ya know that I have a little scientist in my classroom.  A brainy 9 year old who can't get enough.  So....I'm getting better at science.  And although we have lots of science-y books collected over the years, it turns out that his fave is a book that his brother bought for him for $1 at a used book sale.  I like that on many levels.  And one is the fact that little brother feels important to have picked out such a winner.  9year old sleeps with it every night reading over different experiments. 

~I am enamored by the summer garden sass this year.  Not my own, mind you, but other's.  I've decided I'm not even planting a garden next year.  And maybe even never.  I'm leaving that to the farmers.  The farmer's market is just too handy!

Today's meals....
Breakfast - cereal
Lunch - leftover 3 cheese penne pasta
Dinner - party foods

And I'll leave you with this yummy recipe.

3 Cheese Penne Pasta
1 box penne pasta
1 pkg fresh spinach
1 jar of spaghetti sauce (or homemade)
1 lb chicken cooked and chopped in bite sized pieces
8oz cream cheese
1 handful of shredded mozzarella
Some fresh Parmesan cheese

Boil pasta until done.  Add spinach in the last minute of boiling.  Drain and add all other ingredients.  Transfer to a baking dish (or 2).  Top with a bit more mozzarella and Parmesan.  Bake at 350 until bubbly.

Why We Should Obey..1John 3:1-3

I'm starting something new. 

Whenever I read my Bible I often find myself remembering bits and pieces of sermon notes or Bible study notes or something I read about a certain passage a long time ago, but no longer have.  I usually take fairly extensive notes during church but then discard them sometime throughout the week only to find myself wishing I still had them. 

So now I'm going to keep them all in a notebook separated with dividers for each book of the Bible. 
I figure now's the best time to start so here's my notes from Sunday.  It was a really good sermon!

Why We Should Obey (1John 3:1-3)

***Because of what God has done... "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" (v1)

We who were once enemies of God are now children of God!  It's an elite status that Christians sometimes take for granted. (Romans 8:16-17)

Adoption gives us a richer relationship with God.  Even more than justification.  Justification brings us into the court room, but adoption brings us into the living room of God's grace.  (Some of this was taken from Knowing God by J I Packer)

Mephibosheth is a great example.  2 Samuel 21

Do you understand the great privilege?  Does your life reflect that?

***Because of what God is going to do... Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (v2)

What we will be as Christians has not yet been revealed.  Our transformation is linked to seeing Jesus as He is.  The work being done in us will be completed and our future transformation is certain. 

***Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. (v3) 

We are not to be waiting around for godliness but should be pursuing godliness.  The grace of God is meant to produce a response in us.


Listen to Graham's message here.

A Taste Of Summer

Loaded up for snow cones!

Decisions, decisions....

Yummy!

Is my tongue blue?

Weekend Plans

It's the weekend already and the week seemed to fly by!  Actually at this point, I'm thinking life in general is flying by.  Wasn't it just Christmas??

Well this weekend holds the promise of fun...for me anyway.

~Canning!  Pickles, squash pickles, pepper relish, BBQ sauce, and maybe some spaghetti sauce. 

~Perhaps I need to hit the farmer's market just in case I don't have enough to can.  Did you notice that tomatoes were NOT on my list.  Shame that. 

~Celebrating E's 19th b-day. 

~Pam and Uncle Mel are coming!  Short visit, but still!!

~Date night Sunday and we're going to see some sort of human video show.  Neat. 

~Figuring out how to upload video from my new camera to my blog.  Stay tuned....

See, doesn't that sound like fun!?

PS... Here J's new shoes that he wanted me to take a picture of.  Nothing is safe from my new camera!

Rescued!

Up high

to fetch a frisbee

The dismount

 (nevermind the sideways picture...haven't figured that one out yet)

Safe and sound

Goofin' Off With My New Camera

I love it!  AND (this is huge) I can do this all by myself!

Next I'll see if I can Facebook them.....

A Random Post of Random Junk

~I got a new camera!  One of my very own...a GIRL color too.  And it takes video just like Rommel's.  It's little and can go everywhere.  I can't wait until I figure it out and litter my blog with pix. 

~Why didn't Azure Standard call me and tell me my order was in?  Now what?  Do I wait another month?  What happened to my stuff??  And why don't they communicate better?  Or is everyone just supposed to know already?

~Honey started a new job Tuesday.  2 days down and he's happy. 

~I have lots of canning to do.  That makes me happy!! 

~No canning from my garden b/c nothing is growing.  I'm thankful that the Wings are sharing with me.

~Hard decision.  I've had to stop walking with my friend in the mornings.  The mornings were just not the same without me here giving direction and it seemed to set the tone for the rest of the day.  We were behind before we even started.  I think it's a good decision, but very disappointing b/c I loved walking with her. 

~Honey's job meant changing piano teachers b/c the old one was too far away.  It was sorta close to his old office so he always did the pick up.   Now we need someone closer.  Again, disappointing. 

~Eldest and I are fixing to go shopping for school supplies.  COLLEGE school supplies.  Wow.  I'm happy to be her mom. 

~I'm thinking there aren't many things sweeter in life than a 3 year old in the house.  Especially a left handed one with brown eyes. 

Back To The Drawing Board

I love the flexibility that comes with summer.  And even though we are still schooling most days, I find that summer brings lots of opportunity for better things to do.  My friends are free and it's a good time to get together.  I hope to get lots of canning done in the coming weeks...even if it's not from my own garden.  Swimming, snow cones, park days, fun fun. 

It's also my time to reorganize and plan.  To look at school books and buy new school supplies....I love that!  And to think of how I want things to look for the fall. 

Here's the verse I've been pondering the past few days.....

"Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives."  Titus 3:14

Devoting myself to doing good, providing for daily necessities, and living productively is right up my alley of thinking.  But how?  What do I need to change?  How can I do better?

School is one.  And my schedule has too many loose ends.  That's another. 
Working alongside my kids is one.   I need some fresh ideas of how to include them in the daily doings. 
Menuing is right up there too.  And a new budget that comes with the new job Honey starts Tuesday.  Maybe a new cleaning routine as well?  Lots of things swirling around my head. 

So I've been praying.

But b/c I don't have the time or energy to figure it all out (plus it'd be wrong anyway) I pray and ask the Lord to show me. Oswald Chambers puts it like this, "Don't calculate without God."

"Commit thy way to the Lord; trust also in Him ; and He shall bring it to pass."  Ps 37:5

Every time I turn around I am being brought to Psalm 37.  Thinking maybe I should memorize it.

Fun With Frisbee Golf

For date night last night Honey and I went to Academy and bought new frisbees for frisbee golf.   We headed out to the park and broke them in.  LOTS of fun!!

We've been a couple of times before this and took Jen when she was here.  It's a fun game b/c you can talk and walk and play at the same time.  3 of my favorite things to do!

It's super cheap...like FREE except the frisbee of course...and everyone can play.  My little kids have a great time running and chasing their frisbees while the older kids concentrate more on perfecting their technique. 

Last night there were several families playing.  I think it's hilarious to see them with their fancy bags full of different kinds of frisbees to make certain shots. 

I'm confident that'll be us before too long. 

Fun With Jen

My friend from Colorado has been here all week.  We have all enjoyed her sweetness.  Here's a snapshot of the goodness...

~Lots of talks...church, families, courtship, God

~A few walks...and talks of course.

~Music! 

~Blueberry/blackberry picking

~A whole bunch of pints of blackberry jam

~More trips to the store than necessary to get supplies for said jam

~Snow cones

~Park play

~The train at Creekmore

~Jewelry party

~Cooking

~Story time

~Today...shopping and lunch

~Tomorrow...garage sales!

~Sunday..church and a drive to Tulsa.  We'll be sad to see her go.
BUT THEN...  Pam and Rommel come for a short visit too!!

Thank you God for our Colorado fix!