Did You Know...

* I made 210 cookies last week.
With Jobe's help, of course.
This is how many are left.Hoping it's enough for snack time today.
Not planning on making more.
Until...tomorrow.

* Yesterday was Kansas Day.151 years.

* The kids' bedrooms are a disaster.
All three of them.
Always.
Not so good at making them keep them clean.
And mine and Ryan's room might be a disaster too.
Just being honest here...
Apparently the apples don't fall far from the tree.

*Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and the ABC Song
are the same tune.
How did I never notice this?
Did not even "discover" this on my own.
Jobie's storytime teacher pointed it out.
So impressed by my musicality.

* Two of my favorite words are perhaps and suppose.
Hmmm...I must like the letter "p".

* We have had a box,
with a toilet in it,
sitting in our unfinished bathroom
for 18 months.It seems to have become a shelf for Ryan's clothes.

* We have not put a single nail in our walls
since we have lived here.
Nearly 4 years now.
The only art up on our walls
is there courtesy of the former owners
who left nails in the walls
for me to hang a few pictures on.

* There is a dead poinsettia in our living room.I walk by it 1000 times a day.
And even pick up dead leaves
that have fallen on the floor.
Yet I'm unable to pick up the entire plant
and throw it away.
Makes no sense.

* A great way to check out your uvula
is to have your brother take a picture of you
with your mouth wide open.
That's enough did you know for one day.
I'm certain your mind can't possibly hold any more.

Think I'll go throw a plant away.

But I'm curious.
What's your favorite word?

Awesome God

God is so big.
So, so big.

God has been showing me how limited
my view of Him really is.

I think for the rest of my life
and then, for all of eternity,
God will continually reveal
something new about Himself.

Can you imagine?
I know I can't.
That's how awesome He is.

His Word doesn't even begin
to touch just how big He is.

Even all of the works of Jesus,
while He was on earth,
cannot be contained.John 21:25
Jesus did many other things as well.
If every one of them were written down,
I suppose that even the whole world
would not have room
for the books
that would be written.

How amazing is that verse?
Brings me to tears
everytime I read it.

God is so big.
Yet He loves me.
And died for me.
And desires a relationship with me.

Amazingly awesome.

Each week Beki at therustedchain hosts Fingerprint Friday and uses a song by Steven Curtis Chapman as a springboard. Join in. It's a great way to be reminded of God's presence.

Blah, Blah, Blah

So.
Yah.
Hello.

Wanna see some pictures?
Rejects from our Christmas card.

Ryan designs our card.
Have I told you that?
He's amazing.
But.
Then.
I am biased.

The picture he actually used for the card.
Was taken with his phone.
His phone takes better pics than my camera.
Pretty pathetic.Those are some cute kids.

Cute kids that are always hungry.
Wow.
I'm constantly cooking.
Baking.
Grocery shopping.

Tried making crackers today.
Didn't roll them out near thin enough.
And the recipe needs tweaking.
Not salty enough.
I like salty.
Yummy.

Cute kids that are dirty.
Two loads of laundry down today.
Infinity to go.

So.
Yah.
Good-bye.

Ezra

Ezra came along after a miscarriage.
2 D&C's.
Several visits to specialists.
And lots of tears.

He is so much like his daddy.
In looks.
And personality.

He is super sensitive.
(Which has its good and bad points.)
Many days he comes home from school
telling me about one of his classmates
who got their feelings hurt
and how he feels bad for them.

He is a sweetie.He's become such a good reader.
So we decided it was time to get him a Bible.He was super excited.
He especially loved that his name was on it.

We had a hard time picking Ezra's name before he was born.
But here's the verse that sealed it for us.

Ezra 7:10
For Ezra had devoted himself
to the study and observance
of the Law of the LORD,
and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.

I pray he continues to love Scripture.
I pray he continues to have a tender heart.

He is a treasure.

Confessions

Confession #1
No baking happened on Tuesday.
Even though I said it would.
I didn't actually bake at all this week.
Until yesterday.

Instead of baking Tuesday
I organized our junk drawer.
(That makes it sound like we only have one.
I wish.)
I organized ONE of our junk drawers.
Took me 3 hours.
That's silly.
But now I hear angelic music in my head.
Every time the drawer gets opened.
It's lovely.
Brookie says it will stay that way for a week.
I am determined it will stay nice for 8 days.
Just to prove her wrong.

Confession #2
I want my hair to be long again.
Right now.

Confession #3
I've only been on pinterest once.
Months ago.
And I didn't get it.
And I still don't.

Confession #4
Here's probably the real reason
I haven't tried too hard with pinterest:
I'm afraid I'll see all this amazing stuff.
That all these amazing people are making/doing.
And I'll get dissatisfied.
With myself.
With my crafty skills or lack thereof.
With my decorating skills or lack thereof.

Confession #5
The other morning I figured out the year
each of my kids would graduate.
And now I'm on the verge of tears
everytime I think about that.
I love that they are growing up.
And hate it.

Confession #6
I am wasting time writing confessions.
Because I'm putting off cleaning my house.
Friday is cleaning day.
And I don't want to get busy.
But it's gotta be done.

So I'm off...

Oh...
But first...
This.Jobie loves to help his daddy get ready in the morning.

And now.
I'm really off.
To dust.
Vacuum.
Scrub sinks.
And toilets.
My glamorous life.

Is there something on pinterest
about how to scrub toilets?
Or
How to scrub toilets
AND look good at the same time?
Or something like that.
Maybe that would get my interest.
Ha!

Me Jabbering

I have no plans for this post.
None.
There will be rambling.

Our weekend was good.
Only a basketball game in town Saturday morning.
Then nothing the rest of the day.
Weird.
I didn't quite know what to do with myself.
We are so used to going 100mph.

Brookie and I did a little shopping in town.
We all watched basketball.
And football.
Watched my Broncos go down.
Badly.
Oh, and just so you know.
I've been a Broncos fan since I was 8.
That's...well...I'm not going to say how long.
But it's a long time.Church Sunday.
Morning and evening.
We are having a Bible conference.
Good speaker.
Easy to listen too.
Practical.Yesterday was still our weekend.
No school or work.
We finally had a chance to get Christmas gifts exchanged.
All Ryan's stuff.
Wrong size jeans.
And undies.
(We get undies for Christmas.
Always.
From my parents.
Best. Gift. Ever.)

So we went shopping
All six of us.
It's been awhile since we've all gone.
Interesting.
And noisy.

Brookie thinks she's the parent.
Jakie thinks he's the entertainment for the little boys.
Ezzie thinks he's the unlucky one.
Jobie thinks he's the baby that can whine and be held.
Fun. (The skate park was one of Jobie's gifts for Christmas.
Our bargain find.
He and Ez like to set it up.
And take pictures.)

Today.
Laundry.
Washing dishes.
Laundry.
Sweeping.
Laundry.
Baking.
Laundry.
Back to "normal".Jobe's normal.
Sucking his thumb.
More than usual it seems.
Sunday we told him we would buy him a new toy.
If he quits.

With his thumb in his mouth,
he looked at us,
and said:
When I'm five.Ha!

Make a Joyful Noise

Jobie sang this at every family Christmas we had.
It was his song for our church Christmas program.

My boy,
who doesn't want to leave me
to go to kindergarten next year,
got right up on that stage with the rest of his class
and sang his heart out.

He told me before the program:
Mommy, we have to sing weawy woud.
And he did.
I hope he always has such enthusiasm for the Lord.

This is the only time we got a video of him singing.
Before we opened presents at home.

I'm having difficulties loading it to blogger.
I've been trying for a week.
Really wish I was more tech savvy.
So, anyway, enough about my ineptitude.
Here's a link for it:
http://vimeo.com/34992754
Psalm 100:1-2
Shout for joy to the LORD,
all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before Him with joyful songs.

Each week Beki at therustedchain hosts Fingerprint Friday and uses a song by Steven Curtis Chapman as a springboard. Join in. It's a great way to be reminded of God's presence.

Idea for Supper

This is a good one.
So easy to adapt for the size of your family.
And super, super easy.
My momma has made it for years.

1) Cut boneless pork ribs into chunks.
(A little pricey, but so worth it.
I always wait until it's on sale.
Buy enough for several meals.
And freeze it.)
Put in a pan with enough water to cover pork.
Salt and pepper, if desired.
Bring to a boil.
Then cover and simmer for 1 hr.2) Drain and transfer meat to baking pan.
(I made about 2 1/2 lbs. this time.)3) Get your favorite bbq sauce and pour over meat.
(I used only one of these bottles.)We think the original KC Masterpiece is the yummiest.
It's a little spicy for little kids.
But I just rinsed the meat off for Jobe.
And he gobbled it right up.
The other kids thought that was really gross.

Oh, and I got a great deal on the bbq sauce.
We have a little grocery store in town.
They have out of date things.
Or damaged goods.
Often half the price or less than normal.
I saw nothing wrong with the bbq sauce.
It didn't even have an expired date.
So I snatched up several bottles.
Score!4) Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hr.
(I think the most important part is to cover it.)Watch your family gobble it up.
I even had enough left over for Ryan's lunch the next day.
Bonus!We always eat a cheesy potato casserole with this.
Can't ever go wrong with that.
Throw it together while the pork is simmering.
Then put the meat and potatoes in the oven at the same time.
And tada!
In another hour your meal is done.Corn on the cob is super good with this too.
Especially in the summer.
But this time we had frozen corn.

I called my parents after I got this in the oven.
My mom had just put their supper in the oven too.
The same thing.
Scary how we think alike sometimes.

Our Christmases and Hoodies

I'm sorry.
I am so behind.
But here's a little look at most of our Christmases.

December 23.
Christmas at my parents.
Christmas Eve morning.
There's always plenty of new things to do
after a Christmas with Grandpa and Grandma.

Christmas Eve evening.
It seems to have become a tradition
to wear pj's all day on Christmas Eve.
Except for when you get new Under Amour hoodies.
Those must be worn with the pjs.Shouldn't it be easier to get a decent picture
as they get older?I cannot look at this picture
without laughing at Ezzie.And...we gave up.After these pictures, Brookie stood up.
And the chair was stuck to her rear.
I guess she's getting older.
It's tradition to take their pictures with their chairs.
May have to come up with something new next year...

Apparently, if you divide the kids in 2's
pictures turn out much better.
Christmas morning.
Jake's already dressed for church.
Way to go, Jakie!
Christmas Evening.
Christmas at Ryan's parents.Jobe's hair is awful.
I finally cut it this weekend.
Looks like a brand new boy now.
And for some reason,
Jobie thought he needed to show us how old he is.

December 27.
Christmas at Ryan's aunt's.
Always lots of family.
And great food.
Our first stop at her house on Christmas is the den.
For a family picture.
The kids love that tradition.
Ha!See the hoodies again?
Yah...
They have harldy been off the kids.
Especially the older two.
They did not wear them to Ryan's parents.
Only because we fry latkes.
Lots and lots of latkes.
And you come home smelling greasy.
EVERYTHING smells greasy.
And I told them I would not be washing them the next day.
I was on strike for a day or two over Christmas.

There are a couple of plusses to these hoodies.

1) They are never lying on the floor.
Because:
a) They are always on the kids.
or
b) They are on my washer.
As a "subtle" hint that they need washed.

And 2) I now get thank you's for doing the laundry.

Pretty cool, huh?

Time Flies

How does it happen?

In the blink of an eye.
Your baby girl is 13.And you have a teenager.And you think,
there is no way I'm old enough
to have a teenager.
Yet, somehow, you are.
And, somehow, you do.And that teenager suddenly seems so grown up.

Until she invites 13 friends over for a sleepover.And they watch...
A Barbie movie.
Really.
Barbie Charm School.
Or something like that.
(Her dad always threatens to send her to charm school.
Hope she took notes.)
And they stay up giggling.
All night.And so begins a new chapter.
A chapter I am so excited about.
To see her love for Jesus grow.
To see the heights that she soars to.
To see how much I can embarrass her.

Fun times ahead.
I'm going to enjoy the ride.

Happy 13th (on Dec 28) to my one and only girl.