blessed beyond measure

We live in what is certainly one of the most beautiful spots on earth. Not that I've seen much of earth. But when your daily surroundings can take your breath away, that's gotta be something. Maybe nature is so special to me because it is so tangled up with my faith. While I draw near to the Lord through music, I hear Him speak most often in creation. Mountains, oceans , breezes, flowers, storms, clouds, stars, sunrises and sunsets. And so it is good for my walk with God that He has planted us amid such glory. Along my route to and from work is an overlook. Not an official overlook. No brown National Parks sign, no cobblestone benches, no clunky metal pay-for-binoculars contraption. Just a spot on the side of the road where the multitude of cars that pulled off to enjoy the spectacular view created such deep mud-ruts that the transportation department finally gravelled the dern thing. My words will never do justice to the majesty of the scene. Just so you know. Miles an...

Trey had a big one yesterday, as far as four-year-old boys' days can go. After a full morning at church, lunch with Giga and Poppop. Followed by some super-exciting man time: a ride on Poppop's boat, feeding some fish, playing some arcade games, an icee and a lollipop, and yet another ride on Poppop's boat. Spoilage is a grandparent's highest calling, no? Followed by the obligatory screaming fit of devastation and despair because I had the audacity to suggest that Trey leave his Giga and ride home with me. This lasted a good twenty minutes, well into our car ride. And as typical, Trey went from sobbing one moment to a very rational, "Mama, I will drink ALL my lemonade, then I'll be happy." Then back to sobbing between sips. True enough, as soon as the lemonade was gone, he perked right up and asked for his music on the radio. I suppose we all must go through a period of mourning over separation from our most beloved. Anyway, the evening progressed as S...

Thought this might be fun. Though I am left-brained. If you are right-brained, my apologies, and surely I'll post more pictures next week. 7 ...days in a row that Trey has eaten breakfast 2 ...new teeth almost visible in Aden's mouth 1,214 ...fruit flies, approximately, who have taken their final plunge in our apple juice traps this week 6 ...stink bugs who have meandered into the kitchen through the small passages beneath our door to outside 4 ...blankets currently on Brandon's and my bed, as we are having a quilt-change power struggle 47 ...percent saved on a recent Kroger run 16 ...minutes that Aden spent groaning for fun while riding home from church Wednesday night 1 ...bottle per day for Aden, right before bed (and this one's a keeper) 9 ...hours Trey sleeps each night 10 ...chicken nuggets eaten by Trey on a typical trip to Wendy's 35 ...miles I drive one-way to work 67 ...weeks a must-cross bridge on my drive to work has been under construction (fact - the...

Oh, nothing special. Just your typical afternoon, two very enthusiastic boys racing some freakishly noisy baby walkers around the house. And screaming. Because here, we like it loud. (Apparently.)

Our Sunday school class, now at least ten couples strong, enjoys breakfast each week. So I am constantly on the lookout for new portable/feeds a lot/inexpensive/easy-ish breakfast/brunch-type recipes. Saw this, had good ratings, thought I'd try it. So I did. Apple Cinnamon Danish Squares Cake 2 c baking mix (like Bisquick) 1/4 c sugar 2 Tbsp margarine, melted 1/2 c almond milk 1 tsp vanilla 2 eggs 1 can apple pie filling cinnamon/sugar mix to taste Glaze 1 c powdered sugar 1 to 2 Tbsp apple juice Preheat oven to 350°. Grease square baking pan. Combine all cake ingredients except pie filling and cinnamon/sugar mix; stir until completely moistened. Spread two-thirds of the batter in pan. Spread pie filling over batter (you might not use the entire can). Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture. Use cookie scoop to drop remainder of batter randomly on top of filling. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. In small bowl, mix glaze ingredients. Drizzle over danish. Cut into squa...

this boy taught his mama a lesson on prayer and faith "Dear Jesus, thank you for God to take away my allergies right now . Amen" as I said my own amen (and meant it more than perhaps ever before) a chill crawled up my spine and I wondered if just maybe God had indeed answered the prayer of His faithful little one "But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt..." James 1:6

For your Friday entertainment, I present you with a little glimpse into the inner workings of our Trey Isaiah. Today presents us with a challenge. You see, today's forecast calls for a high temperature of 60°. That's a good 25 degrees cooler than it has been in a long time. So it would be time to pull out the long pants. This is a serious issue, y'all. Be it ever so slight, it is a change to Trey's normal. On Wednesday of last week, it was a tad cool in the morning, and I had set out some lightweight athletic pants for Trey to wear to preschool. When it came time to get dressed there was an immediate meltdown which, combined with a couple of other things, led to Trey not going to school. Missed school. Over pants . This is our boy, folks. Our sweet, wonderful, head-scratcher of a boy. Knowing that cooler weather was on the docket for today, I have made a point to emphasize the greatness of pants all week long. Trey even tried on a couple of pairs, and told the T...

Wednesday is Kroger night for us. While Trey is at church for Awana, Aden and I, and sometimes Brandon, complete our grocery shopping for the week. It's a fun trip. Aden is, of course, in his element. Surrounded by food, oh happy day. And greeting everyone. Loudly. So tonight we get to the checkout, and for whatever reason the turkey wouldn't ring up. The cashier sent the bagger to the back of the store for a price check, and I took over bagging. And may I just say that I am quite happy to bag my own groceries. There are certain bagging rules, and precious few baggers seem to know them. Heavies on the bottom, crushables on top, cold stuff together, separate bag for cleaning stuff, etc. I don't know, maybe it's just me. Anyhoo. The bagger came back and told the cashier that the price was two for seven dollars. The cashier stared at the keypad. "But you only got one." [crickets] [more crickets] [an entire cricket chorus] "So it's $3.50 then,...

We've had our ice cream maker for a few years (thanks Mom!) , and yes, it has indeed served us well. In preparing to host our most recent family gathering, I fixed up a batch of chocolate and then another of cookies and cream. Then got to feeling bad about Trey not having a treat, so glanced through the ice cream maker book for anything possibly milk-free. Yes, yes, I know. Common sense often evades me. But yay! Slushies! Yes, yes, I know. Common sense often evades me. Just pour Kool-Aid into the frozen bowl and turn the machine on for 20 minutes. Yay! Slushies! Mmmm. Tastes like...frozen Kool-Aid. Brandon and I just may become addicted. But we'll call that OK - it's at least a minor improvement over what had become the obligatory after-dinner chocolate.

(Trey is a fabulous photography assistant.) ALRIGHT! Mama, you have the camera and I will hold Aden tight so the two boys are together and we will say cheese and you take a picture and then we can look at it. [wiggle wiggle] Aden! Stop moving and say cheese. [wiggle wiggle] ADEN! Son, I mean it! Now, let's say... DEEEEEEE!

There I sat, third pew from the front, like a kid on Christmas morning, a bone-dry sponge just waiting to be drenched in the Holy Spirit. If I had a tail, it would have been waggin'. And she spoke. Or, actually, He spoke. My Lord, through the intoxicating Texas drawl of the Siesta Mama herself. I attended the Living Proof Live simulcast at my church this past weekend. Desperate to meet with Jesus. And did He ever show up. Here are some snippets from my notes: "Disobedience to God deforms the heart. Obedience to God reforms the heart." "Your calling is as big as the group of people you invest your life in." "God's call for your life may not come as a strike of lightning. Sometimes it just seems like a good thing to do." "If you have a heart to do God's will, you will not miss His will." "Your abundant life lies in your obedience to God." "Your victory over sin is in His authority." "Your God has not los...

It is one of the legacies of September 11, 2001, and a question to which every adult American knows the answer. Where were you when the world stopped turning? It was a day that forever changed our way of life, our way of thinking. A deep gash in the flesh of freedom. I was a junior in college. On campus for an 8:00-9:30 AM class. All was normal, normal enough that I really don't remember the day before 9:30. Walking across campus to my 9:40 class, two things struck me. First, what a beautiful day it was. Clear blue sky, no humidity, bright sunshine, hint of a cool breeze. I love days like this, and remember closing my eyes and breathing it in, as I so often do. Then, opening my eyes, it occurred to me that the people I saw weren't stopping to chat with one another. No one was sitting on a bench, or on the grass. Everyone was walking. Fast. I checked my watch...9:33. We weren't late. Hmm. As soon as I sat down in the room, a girl with whom I shared several classes leaned ove...

Well, I never really intended to stop doing monthly updates on Aden after his birthday. In fact, it didn't dawn on me that I had stopped until last week sometime. Life. Anyhoo, in case you'd like to know what the Chunky Monkey is like at a year and a quarter... Solid. A good twenty-five pounds now, which is rather average, but he's thick! Chubby belly, double chin, rolly legs. Delicious. Determined. They say, if you fall down to get back up again. Well, Aden's already getting back up in mid-fall. The truck will roll even if it's upside down, and the square shape will go in the sorter's star hole, doggone it! Tough. It's about half amazing that social services hasn't been called on us yet. It's an off day when Aden's forehead and legs are not speckled red and blue. He only cries if it really hurts. Rassles his Daddy and brother with reckless abandon. Bonks the back of his noggin on at least 4 different surfaces daily. Sometimes on ...

Mr. Aden is quite the vocal one. Whereas when he was a baby he could barely get a coo in edgewise because of Trey's daily 14-hour run-on sentence, now he just talks over Trey, or whoever else might be making noise. Here is English according to Aden. "eh" (think Canadian) - hey "bye bye" - bye bye "daddy" - Daddy "mama" - Mama "deh" - Trey (sometimes) "nah nah" - night night "nana" - banana or Nana "deh deh" - Granddad "ba pa" - Poppop "ga gi" - Giga "da too" - tractor "naaaa" - snack "goo keh" - cookie or turkey "goo" - juice (any liquid) or food "doo" - shoes "gee" (with a hard g) - Gatorade "deeeeeeee" - cheese (in response to anything resembling a camera) "tee" - light switch (yeah) "ga goo" - thank you "tee go" - there you go "mumm mumm" - car/truck/motorcycle (literally...

last Friday was my first baby's last first day of preschool sigh "Trey, ready to go?" "Yep." "You sure?" "I'm ready , Mama." "Alright, go on in." [silence] "You good, Trey?" "Yeah, I'm good." "Gotta go now. See you later, OK?" "Kay! Bye Mama!" cake now if only next year could be so easy because I know it won't

Introducing the newest addition (literally) to our home. Hello, outdoor living space! Before DO NOT be fooled - this was the screened porch on its best day in history, after a WHOLE day of being cleaned top to bottom and inside out. Every other day, it was our pollen-and-dust-covered-junk room. After Pretend you don't see the wall of clutter. And that eyesore of a screen door. We'll get to the mess...eventually. Before After Oh, praise the Lord. So nice. So much better than the musty, pollen-y, impossible-to-keep-clean, dumping-ground screened porch. Back story, for those who care. In 2003 we moved into this house. It was half its current size, perfect for us. Living room, small eat-in kitchen, bath, and two bedrooms, one of which we used as an office-ish. Your basic late-sixties red brick rectangle ranch, with a half-enclosed carport too narrow to hold a car. The front of the house was plain, a concrete stoop beneath the u...

Who won? You make the call.