blessed beyond measure

Eight years ago one smitten girl made a promise to one handsome man. Now, after eight rooms, seven gardens, six spoiled dinners, five basketball seasons, four jobs, three Easter dramas, two beautiful boys, and one big God, one girl, still smitten, makes the same promise to one man, still handsome. Happy Anniversary

Christ the Lord is risen today!

See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. Isaiah 49:16 The hands that healed nations Stretched out on a tree And took the nails for me Thank you, Lord Jesus

Something is happening around here. Something I've wanted for a long time. Will take a couple of months till I can give the full reveal. But I'll provide a few sneak peeks along the way. Oh happy day!

For three years running now, our family spends much of the Easter season (and the preceding four months or so) heavily involved in our church's Easter drama, The Cry of Christ . Shameless plug: PSA: If you are at all close-by, please come . Even if it says all the shows are full when you read this. Come anyway. My role during the performances involves doing small jobs backstage. Feeding lines, getting props in the right spots, getting people in the right spots, and working the curtain. When not in a frantic sprint to find some lost actor, I am most often found in the curtain slot. A hot, dark, 18-inch by 18-inch (32 when the curtain is closed!) hole. That I reach by climbing a crudely-fashioned ladder. Glamour, thou art achieved. Seriously, I love it. Er, love may be too strong a word. But I would stand in the curtain slot any day over being one foot forward, lights blaring down, 700 eyes staring at me. Vomitous. I've lost track of the point. My location has its disad...

I ♥ AllRecipes.com . Oh, thank you for this one. (I modified the original recipe slightly - my variation is listed below.) Apple Streusel Muffins Muffins: 2 c all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 c butter or margarine 1/2 c white sugar 1/2 c brown sugar 2 eggs 1 1/4 tsp. vanilla 3 apples, peeled, cored, and grated 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. nutmeg Streusel topping: 2/3 c brown sugar 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour 1/4 tsp. cinnamon 2 Tbsp butter or margarine Preheat oven to 375°. Grease 12-cup muffin tin or add liners. For muffin batter: Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, blend butter/margarine, both sugars, and eggs. Add vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Blend. Add apples. Blend. Add flour mixture gradually. Blend. For streusel topping: In a new bowl, mix very well brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut in butter/margarine until mixture is crumbly. Fill muffin cups to halfway with batter. Sp...

On food Mama: Trey, I want you to eat your carrots. Trey: Well, I respect that, but I'm not going to eat them. On basketball fundamentals Trey: You look at the basket and make a play !! On frugality Mama: Trey, why did you write so many T's on that paper? Trey: Because they were on sale! On women Trey: Here's a flower for you. Mama: Thank you buddy! Trey: Mama, I'm thinking. Mama: About what? Trey: Girls like flowers, don't they? Mama: Yes, they do.

At ten months old, Aden: Loves his Mama. Has no teeth. This doesn't concern us much because, well, you know. Listens like a two by four. Or something else that doesn't listen. Will NOT sit still. Crawls at the speed of light. Feels utter desperation to find something, anything , to pull up on. Has tried to take off walking a few times, to frustrating results. Thinks the word "no" is a joke. Smirks and continues. Lets out a very loud, dramatic sigh when told "no" too many times. (Oh the personality. If he doesn't fit in with the rest of us, I don't know who could.) Laughs at himself when he figures out how to use a toy. Eats. Frequently. Heartily. Happily. Drinks whatever sort of liquid offered to him as if preparing to wander through the desert. Has a growth rate that has slowed somewhat. Over the span of four weeks, gained only 6 ounces. Hooray for crawling!! Loves, loves his brother. Thoroughly enjoys tossing a ball and then chasing it...