God Answers Prayer

What an awesome God we have!  

I go through seasons of my life when I begin to question...does God really listen to my prayers?  Does he EVER answer them the way I want them to be answered?!  Sometimes it feels like He is adamant about doing the opposite of what I ask, or ignores my requests all together.  

Today I was reminded that not only does God answer prayers...but if we have our eyes and ears open we will sometimes find out that he answers them before we even ask!  I had something very important (info for another post) to talk to three women about today and I prayed all afternoon for God to prepare their hearts for what I was about to tell them.  Amazingly, (maybe it shouldn't be amazing since I know God works in wondrous ways...) two of them were extremely supportive of what I said, and the third one actually responded with "it's funny that you say that because as I was driving home yesterday something just told me that."  Wow!  God had prepared her heart to hear my words a whole day before I even asked Him to!  

Now that's a MIGHTY God!

A "girly girl"?

I have always wanted a "girly girl" for a daughter.  (I'll admit it)  You know - one who doesn't really enjoy playing outside, likes to play dolls, loves to sing and dance.  Sometimes I feel like I've got one - she loves to sleep with her baby doll, often totes the mini version around with her, talks on a cell phone all day long, never stops blabbing her mouth, and already throws monstrous melt down fits when she doesn't get her way.  At other moments I think I've got Hunter and mini-me running around the house.  They love to play tackle and climb on anything and everything.  Instead of playing with her doll house today - Graysen was on TOP of her doll house...not quite what I have imagined it being used for!

Spreading the love

spreading the love badge
Originally uploaded by joyful.star

I'm taking the challenge...will you?

http://ourlittleapartment.blogspot.com/2009/02/ready-for-challenge-spread-love-baby.html

A few more emotional and behavioral goals...

I was such a fan of the Duggars goals (found here) that I went looking for some more that I could add to the list.  Here is what I found.  I am planning on doing a weekly "lesson" on each of these with Hunter...and I'm looking the "right" place to display them in my home....maybe a few in each room, maybe one big list on the fridge...what do you think?!

1.  Always be enthusiastic and look for opportunities to praise others' character.

2.  Always deflect praise and be grateful to God and others for the ways they have benefited your life.

3.  Always use manners and be respectful of others and their belongings

4.  Always do what is right, even when others may not, or when no one is looking.

5.  Thank God for how He made you, for what He has given you and everything He allows you to go through.  (Romans 8:28)

6.  Don't mock or put others down.  Develop compassion and pray for others.

7.  Never argue, complain, or blame.  Quickly admit when you have done wrong and ask for forgiveness (even if you were only 10% at fault).  Don't wait until you get caught.  Be sure your sins will find you out.  He who covers his sin will not prosper, but he that confesses and forsakes it shall find mercy.

8.  Have a tough accountability / prayer partner to daily share your heart with and to keep you in line (your parents, spouse, etc.).  The power of sin is in secrecy.  

What are Grammie's for?!

I'm so blessed to have a mother who wants to play an active role in my children's lives!  She is awesome at helping me teach them all of the little things that I enjoyed as a child, but have somehow forgotten.  Such as this day...when I walked in the kitchen and she was teaching Hunter how to roast marshmallows at the stove!  How fun!

Super Bowl Sunday...

I'm not a sports fan.  I don't "celebrate" sports holidays (World Series, Super Bowl, etc.).  But today I'm trying something different.  We're having some friends over tonight for the Super Bowl.  I'm making some food...trying another one of the Duggar's recipes actually!  I'm looking forward to visiting with our friends...I'll pick to cheer for the team opposite my husband - just because.  We shall see how it goes over.  

I still don't understand why in the world the game doesn't start until bed time though...

Finally...a Stay At Home Mom!

I have been struggling for a long time now with the chaos that is called our lives.  My dream was always to be a stay at home mom to my children.  To raise them the way that I see fit, and not to send them to someone else to raise for 8 hours a day 5 days a week.  This has not been the case so far though.  When Hunter was born I was miserably working at Forest City Family Practice in St. James.  Lincoln and I decided that it was a perfect time for me to escape that place and stay at home with our first-born son.  I stayed at home 12 short weeks and then went back to work out of necessity.  I got a job at the STJ Middle School as an aide in the Special Ed Dept.  I enjoyed my work, but only stayed there 2 months.  An opening came up in the Technology Dept. at the High School building and I jumped on that.  It was the perfect job for me.  I got to be around computers all day (which I love learning about), and the people I worked with were a dream!  The only downfall...the pay!  I stayed there for 3 years.  For the first year Lincoln kept Hunter during the week and on Mondays he went to either the flower shop with G.G. and Aunt Lisa or to Bixler Printing with Grandma and Cousin Nel.  After that he got to be too old to hang out at those places and so we put him in Daycare with Mary Wools.  She lived right next door to us, and it was a perfect set up.  Well...if you can call any daycare set up perfect.  After 3 years in the technology office, we decided we would once again try for me to stay at home.  I was pregnant for the 4th time with Graysen.  It was a blessing that I was at home because I got put on bedrest for 10 weeks at the end of the pregnancy!  (This is the point where we decided that we would be done having children...)  When Graysen was 7 months old we decided that I would start babysitting for Libby...and it turned out that once the word got out I couldn't turn anyone down!  We ended up with 3 kids full time and 1 part time...plus our own 2!  Our lives were crazy...which brings me to this story.

On January 23rd I was considering starting back to school for nursing.  I called my Mom to talk it over with her and she finally vocalized the words that I had been avoiding for so many years.  Our lives were too crazy as it was - how could I dream of putting one more thing on top of it?!  To make a long story short, after lots of tears and a long conversation with Lincoln - we made the decision that I would OFFICIALLY become a Stay at home mom.  No more odd jobs - nothing until Graysen went to Kindergarten.  At that point I would go back to school and get a degree that would help me continue onto a career for the rest of my working years.  (Right now, I think I want to be a nurse!)  I am so excited - and we are so blessed to be able to do this with our children!  

Snow page...

You're going regret me ever learning how to use Scrapblog.com!  Here are the kids in the most recent snow fall...

The Runaway Bride

I realized something last night.  I'm kind of like Julia Roberts in "The Runaway Bride".  You know how she never really knows her own identity?  She has to actually do some soul searching to know what kind of eggs she likes?  I used to be like that.  Really sad.  Mine wasn't eggs, or clothes...mine was music.  What kind of music do I really like?  It's taken me a few years of soul searching to decide.  It seems I switched "favorites" as my boyfriends changed.  Went through a Christian / Jazz phase (boyfriend #1)  Then a Country phase. (Boyfriends #2 and 3)  Then a Kid Rock / Limp Bizkit phase (boyfriend #4)  Then rap / alternative music (Lincoln).  Now that I'm secure in myself and mature enough to make may own decisions, I have found that I like a wide variety of music.  I enjoy some of what I used to listen to with each boyfriend - I'm still a fan of Christian bands such as FFH and Mercy Me, I enjoy some Louis Armstrong once in awhile.  I like Keith Urban and Martina McBride.  I like listening to some old school Kid Rock (his original album) about once a year.  I love Angie Aparo and laugh out loud when I hear old school rap ring tones that I know all of the [horrible] words to.  I have since realized I love Whitney Houston, old school Brittany Spears, Rascal Flatts, old Usher, Justin Timberlake, and Beyonce.  

Scrapblog

My friend Chrissy introduced me to a new additction... scrapblog.com!  Holy cow!  I've always wanted to do online scrapbooking and have never been able to figure out the expensive programs..this is a free online program that is REALLY easy to use!  I'm sure I will be playing around with this forever now...and it will be a great way to share pictures on here since I'm no longer on facebook!  Here is a Halloween page I just made (in about 3 minutes!)

No more pre-made fries!

Last night I tried the Duggar's recipe for oven fries.  I have always bought the bag of pre-made frozen french fries, but we didn't have any, and I wanted some with my chicken strips.  Never again will I buy the pre-made ones!  

Pre-Made:

-  Expensive

-  Never seasoned right

- Can't re-heat

New recipe:

- Inexpensive

- Always already have ingredients

- Season to personal liking

- Re-heat awesome!  (Still crispy!)

Good Friends

God has blessed me with some wonderful friends.  I received a card in the mail today from a friend who I have only recently (within the last year or two) reconnected with.  It was exactly what I needed.  It's amazing how God sends friends and notes of encouragement at the right time.  I just woke from a much needed "escape" nap to find the card sitting on my kitchen table.  The front of the card said " May you sense the Lord's loving presence today...keeping you close to His heart, assuring you of His tender care, and covering you with His grace."  

In it she wrote:

"Ashley, know that I think of you often in this, your stressful and sad time of year...I hope you don't hesitate to ask me for any support or help...just email and know I'll listen and pray."

How perfect to hear today.  Thank you dear friend.

Funeral

Today we were urged by our pastor to get things in line for our death. We all know it's coming someday, so why not make life easier on our loved ones by having everything in line? Here are the things that I know I need to do and my progress on them.

1.  Have a burial plot:  Done.  When we got a plot for Claire we also got them for Lincoln and I.  We just picked out 3 in a row.  Claire is buried on the end, and Lincoln and I will be directly next to her.

2.  Pick out and design my headstone:  I have not done this, although I have thought a lot about it since we picked out Claire's.  I would like a joint one with Lincoln - I believe that we will have the back exactly like Claire's is.  The front I would like very simple with  our names, birth dates, death dates, and marriage date in the middle.  

3.  Decide on songs to be played at the funeral:  I'm not sure on this part, but I have been recording all of my favorite song lyrics on this blog, so hopefully my kids can flip through their books and see what my favorites were.  

4.  Decide on scripture:  I haven't done this, but I think it will be very easy for me.  It's my goal to have it picked out and recorded on this post within the next week.

5.  Have my estate taken care of:  This has not been done.  I HATE this!  Although I am well aware that it needs to be done, it seems like every time we discuss it we get busy and don't get around to getting with a lawyer to draw it all up.  It's also rather expensive.  No excuses, I know.  It's my goal to have this finalized this year.  I believe this category includes where our children are to go if we were to die at the same time, what is to happen to our material possessions, and our monetary assets.  (Ha ha, I know there's not much - but we've worked hard for what we've earned and I don't intend for the government to get it!)  We will give at least 10% to the work of the Lord...I want my children to know that even in death we love them, but we loved the Lord more.  

I hope that my family and friends know that I am already looking forward to the day that I get to go Home.  I'm sure that the last few minutes on earth may be a little scary, but in my heart I have a sense of peace and a desire to get to the place that God has prepared for me.  I can't wait to be with my family that has gone on before me and to spend my days singing at the top of my lungs worshiping God!  I hope that my funeral will be more of a celebration that I am where I truly belong rather than a sad goodbye.  We will all be re-united again someday!  If I have lived through this life after having to say goodbye to my daughter, I know that those left after me can do the same.  Be happy, worship the Lord YOUR God, smile and laugh a lot.  Welcome both the joys and sorrows...they help to form you into who you are meant to be.  Lean on God to get you through the hard times - He always will.  Make a difference in those around you and keep your eyes on the prize.  

ps - I'm aware that this is a rather morbid post.  Some may read it and think I'm out of my mind.  I simply think that death is a part of life and to ignore it is ignore reality.  I know what it's like to lose loved ones and try to pull it all together after they are gone.  Nothing prepares you for the loss...but we can make it easier on each other by having plans.  Not just plans that you tell someone, because chances are, they won't be thinking clearly enough afterward to remember what you've told them.  Write it down, put it in a safe place, and then go on with your life - happier and with less stress!    

Realization

My son is tall and getting old.  

I saw him standing at the bathroom sink today and thought he was on the stool.  

No.

He was barefoot on the ground.

How in the world is he going to turn 5 this year?

Am I going to be a good mom to a school-aged kid?

Yikes.

Small Group = Huge Support

Lincoln and I have been involved with a small group for 3 years now. We started attending one with my sister and brother in law and Britt and Nick 3 years ago and have dedicated our Wednesday nights to Small Group ever since then! We originally decided to join because Lincoln has always worked the weekend shift and we were not able to go to church together. We wanted a time to grow as a couple in the Lord and a time to worship together. The group has served that purpose and so much more. Although there have been lots of changes in the group over the last few years (including doing different studies, members, etc.), we have always looked forward to being together on Wednesday night with a group of fellow believers.

At the start of 2009 Lincoln and I decided it was time to "grow" our small group and split off from the existing one. Our "new" group has met 2 times now and I LOVE IT! I have not felt like I belonged in a group like this for a long time! We are doing a tremendous study based on the book "Cure for the Common Life" and the man who is leading the study is doing an AWESOME job! He is typing out outlines for us each week and is doing a tremendous job leading the group discussion. The group is much smaller than our past group and every one speaks each week! We all feel comfortable enough with each other to share, ask questions, and make suggestions.

I just wanted to write this blog and encourage each of you to find a group that you feel like this with. Whether it be an organized group or just a small group of friends, get together on a regular basis and I truly believe that you will see yourself flourish!

Gray's first snow

We have a ton of snow outside right now!  Okay - so, let us put that in perspective...we have about 4 inches or so (on top of ice).  That is nothing compared to my years in Alaska - but the road crews were obviously pros there...not so much the case in good old STJ!  

This is Graysen's first real snow!  We went outside today - it took us about 15 minutes to bundle Hunter, Libby, Graysen, and ourselves up - and then spent about 15 minutes outside.  :0)  Such is life.  I realized a very sad thing today - my daughter doesn't own gloves!  Her hands never reach outside of her ridiculously puffy coat, so I never saw the need for it.  I am preparing to go fix that right now when I go to Walmart grocery shopping...but this morning I had to put socks on her hands!  She didn't mind one bit!  She LOVED it outside!  She could take about 3 steps before she fell down each time, but she just laughed.  There was no frustration like we expected.  She wouldn't eat any, but sure didn't mind it all over her!  

Hunter had a great time throwing snow balls with his dad and making a snow angel.  He has had another real snows, but not for a long time, so he was super excited as well.  I hope that it lasts one more day so we can go out together again tomorrow!  

Bring the Rain by Mercy Me

Somehow I have gone this many years without ever hearing this song. Don't ask me how, but I have. It's so true, so raw, so honest. Truly speaks of my heart during the few traumatic times in my life. This is amazing. It's officially added to my late night worship album! Praise God!

I can count a million times
People asking me how I
Can praise You with all that
I've gone through
The question just amazes me
Can circumstances possibly
Change who I forever am in You

Maybe since my life was changed
Long before these rainy days
It's never really ever crossed my mind
To turn my back on you, oh Lord
My only shelter from the storm
But instead I draw closer through these times

So I pray
Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain

I am yours regardless of the clouds that may
loom above because you are much greater than my pain
you who made a way for me
suffering your destiny so tell me
what's a little rain

Holy, holy, holy
Holy, holy, holy
is the lord God almighty
is the lord God almighty
I'm forever singing

everybody singing
Holy holy holy
you are holy
you are holy

This Week's Menu

It always helps me to read other people's weekly menu's.  Sometimes I see a  long lost favorite on there.  Sometimes I see something that sounds so delicious I just have to try it!  So...I hope this helps someone!

1.  Tortellini - most of the time we buy the frozen cheese kind.  It works as a great quick meal before a basketball game!

2.  Crock Pot Dinner - yet again - during basketball season (or any busy time in your life) we love these Crock Pot Classics.  You can find a HUGE variety in the frozen food isle.

3.  Dinner Casserole and Italian Pasta Salad - basically a rice, cheese, and broccoli casserole...I love it!

4.  Chicken a la King - something I never ate until I married Lincoln.  It's one of his favorite.  We always eat it with rice.

5.  Meatloaf and Hashbrown Casserole - A family favorite mixed with a new recipe I've yet to try!

6.  Sausage and Sauerkraut - What's better than potatoes, sausage, and sauerkraut - not a whole lot of anything!!!

7.  Spaghetti - yet another quickie (we ALWAYS eat this meal with garlic bread, corn, and milk...talk about a starchy meal)

8.  Chicken and Noodles - home made by Lincoln!  My personal favorite!

I wish I understood 4 year olds.

What I'm about to tell you might gross you out.  It might change your opinion of me as a parent.  But again, I'm writing this as a journal for my kids, so this is something I MUST record for Hunter's sake.  My Mom has always told me the story of me hiding and pooping in the closet at my Grandparent's house when I was 3 years old.  Embarrassing - yes.  Fact of life - yes.  

My time as a parent came last night.  Hunter had been acting up all evening, so he went to bed 1/2 hour earlier than he usually would.  He continued to come out of his bedroom several more times and was reprimanded every time.  We would send him back to his bed.  Finally, he came out one last time and asked me to change his PJ's.  As I'm changing them I keep smelling poop.  You guessed it.  He has pooped in his pull up!  Not like diarrhea, "didn't know it was coming until it was too late" poop - "I'm mad that you're making me go to bed" poop.  Defiant poop.   The grossest kind of all.  

So the clean up process started.  I just kept looking at him and saying "how do I clean up a 4 year old's poopy pants?!"  "Why did you do this Hunter?!!!"  It was horrible, I'll spare you the details.  I was angry.  I probably didn't handle it as best as I could have.  As I was wiping my son's boofanny with baby wipes, I said "Hunter, since you decided to act like a baby, you will go to bed like a baby tonight.  No movie.  Babies just lay down and go to sleep - and that's what you'll do tonight."  Did I think about the fact that I was making life harder on myself at that moment?  No.  Did I think about the fact that Hunter is scared of being alone and scared of the dark and that is why we let him watch a movie to fall asleep in the first place.  No.  I was mad and this was his punishment.  

So, we got him all cleaned up, and in new PJ's.  Then he laid down and we went to our room.  We sat and talked about it.  I called my Mom for advice.  Then my sister called me back.  She reminded me (being the awesome Aunt that she is) to make sure that he knows that we still love him.  So - Lincoln went in first and talked to him about it.  Got him all calmed down.  Then I went in and fixed up a night light for him in the hallway and laid with him and stroked his hair.  I told him that I still loved him as much as before.  I was simply disappointed in his decision.  We cried together.  It was a huge moment for us.  Who knew that my son would do some growing up and bonding with him mom over poopy pants?  Not me.  I wouldn't have ever guessed it.  

And yes, he did go to sleep without a movie - and without crying.  My boy is growing up...and growing up is hard to do!

No more drama

One day we're going to get rid of our TV. Wait - no, not our TV, but our cable / dish, etc. We need the TV for movies, Wii, etc. Anyway - at the initial thought I cringed. I have never been without TV! Let's face it - I'm addicted to TV right now. Mondays is Bachelor (watched online on Tuesdays), Tuesdays is Biggest Loser, Thursdays is Grey's Anatomy and America's Best Dance Crew (both watched on Friday and Sat. online), and Sunday is Extreme Home Makeover. That's a stinkin' lot of shows to watch every week! It's about 7 hours (since some of them are usually 2 hour shows). I'm aware this is a ridiculous amount of television - but...I love it!

Tonight I watched Grey's and it hit me. Why do I watch such drama???!! Like I don't have enough in my own life? Seriously? Yes...I do. I do not need anymore drama in my life. I gave up facebook (drama is only one of the reasons) and I think I can give up Grey's as well. Do I want to know why Izzie is sick (sorry if I just gave away this week's show to anyone!)? Definitely. But, I think if I skip next week's show I won't even remember to wonder. I'm making it official - I'm giving up Grey's. I might get crazy and give up Bachelor as well. Biggest Loser, Dance Crews, and Home Makeover I'll keep because we watch them as a family. The others - just stupid extra drama in my life. I'm so over that added stress!

Anyway - to bring an end to a random, really crazy blog post - I don't think I'll miss TV when we give it up completely. The quiet just might be welcome!

Dear God

Dear God,

Please give me the energy that I need to to meet the needs of those around me.  Please help me to be less selfish.  Please fill me with your love so that it overflows onto my children.  

Love,

Ashley

My list of accomplishments

Our homework for our small group this week was to make a list of things we have accomplished in our life that we are proud of. Things that we have done that we felt good about. Things we felt natural while doing.  So...what better place to keep my list then right here?!

1. Giving birth to Hunter naturally. I had my mind set on doing it and I was able to accomplish it. It felt good to know that I was doing what I believed was best for my child. It was great to set my mind to something and to find the strength in my own body to accomplish it. It was something that I did with my own will, and no one else helped me.

2. Planning my children's birthday parties. I've done it 5 times now (4 for Hunter and 1 for Graysen), and I have loved the process and outcome of every single event. I really enjoy seeing a day be all about 1 person - especially my child!

3. Loving my kids. Although I readily admit to not always having all the answers about raising my children I do feel like I have always had the natural instinct to love them. The unconditional love that I am assured (and I hope that they are as well) that NO MATTER what they do I will always love them. Nothing in the world can change that. It wouldn't matter if they committed murder, chose a lifestyle that I don't agree with, or decided to never speak to me again; I know without a shadow of a doubt, I will love them as much then as I do today.

4.  Nursing.  (I'm seeing that all of my accomplishments have to do with my children...)  I feel so strongly about this subject and I had to work hard to succeed.  Again - the best parts of it were the accomplishment of doing what I believe is best for my children, the fact that I overcame several "road blocks", and the bonding that occurred during the many long hours!

5.  Finally forgiving my Dad for leaving my family.  And...continuing to forgive every time he hurts my mom, sister, and I.  I lived with anger, resentment, and guilt for so many years that it was a huge accomplishment to move past that and let go of all of the negative feelings.  

6.  Dancing when I was young.  I loved my hours of dance every night.  I always danced with people who were several years older than me giving me the idea that I was fairly good.  

7.  Singing in Girls 6 and Mixed 8 in High School.  I always greatly enjoyed the time with these people and hearing the our voices together.  

Hopefully I'll be able to think of more and add to this list before Wednesday!  :0)

Personal God

When I was in Chicago my girlfriends and I had an awesome conversation about religion and God. I am still (a month later) in awe at how much I learned during that conversation. Not only did I learn a lot about each girl's religious views, I learned a lot about our God.

I was amazed at the fact that although two of us are Catholic, and two of us were raised Baptist and currently attend the same Christian Church, we all four had different views and beliefs - on God and our religion. Each person had a different idea about being saved, the importance of attending church services, the definition of sin, and communion. I found it so very interesting that although we all four love and serve the same God, we had such varied thoughts.

I stand in amazement at our God and how personal He is. How He wants a personal relationship with each one of us and how that plays out in our every day lives. I'm so blessed that He thinks enough of me to wait patiently for me to come to Him each day.

Super Duper Sunday

Today was a Super Duper Sunday! Here are a few of the reasons why:

1. Lincoln was off work - which meant that I finally got to feel what it would be like to be a normal family and have the weekend off together.

2. My Grandma went to church with us. I so enjoyed having her sitting next to me during the service and afterward she said "I see why you guys want to go to that church! I really enjoyed the sermon and it is full of people your age!"

3. I got to see Ally and Mya be dedicated. I believe that dedicating your life to raise your children in a Christian household is so important and special. Britt and Nick have been gracious enough to be there to support Lincoln and I both times we dedicated our children, and it was very special to me to be there to support them as well.

4.  I was able to worship this morning.  We sang two of my favorite songs "Breathe" by Michael W. Smith and "Your Grace is Enough" by Chris Tomlin.  I have been able to let go of the stress the last two days and it was so nice to have nothing else to think about during worship time this morning.  The days when I am able to let go of everything else and truly sing to the Lord  are the best days.

5.  After we got home from lunch we had "Redburn Family Rest Time"! It was a wonderfully quiet few hours in my home when Graysen and Lincoln were napping, Hunter was watching a few of his favorite shows, and I got to finish up laundry, blog, and take some mental health time for myself.

6.  After church I put on Lincoln's sweatshirt from yesterday, so it smelled like his cologne.  I love wearing his big oversized sweatshirts (especially when they smell like him) and jeans!

7.  I got to take a bath and watch part of the "Very Duggar Wedding" Special on TV.    

Recipes from the Duggars!

Here are some of my favorite recipes from The Duggar's book, 20 and counting:

1. Poor Man's Pizza - preheat oven to 450. Lay out slices of bread, spread spaghetti sauce to the edges, sprinkle on shredded cheese. Bake for 5-10 minutes.

2. BBQ Tuna - drain tuna and add LOTS of BBQ Sauce on - spread on buns, bread, or crackers!

3. Layered Ice Cream Cake - In a 9x13 pan layer the following:
1st layer: 12 ice cream sandwiches
2nd layer: half of a container of cool whip
3rd layer: 1 king sized Butterfinger chopped, half of a squeeze bottle of chocolate syrup, half of a squeeze bottle of caramel topping
4th layer: 12 more ice cream sandwiches
5th layer: Other half of the Cool Whip
6th layer: Repeat 3rd layer

Freeze and eat!

4. Hash-Brown Casserole - Preheat oven to 350. Crush 3 cups of corn flakes in a plastic bag and pour 1/2 stick melted butter in and shake. Mix 2 cans of cream of chicken soup, 1/2 cup of whipping cream, 2 tea. onion powder, pinch of salt, and 1/2 tea. of pepper together. Spray two 9x13 pans with oil. Layer each pan as follows: 1/2 a (32 oz) bag of frozen hash browns, soup mixture, shredded cheddar cheese. Repeat layers. Top each casserole with the crushed corn flakes. Bake 45 minutes. Serves 20.

5. Oven fries - Preheat to 450. Cut potato into quarters lengthwise. Rub potato with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle on the seasoning of your choice (they recommend garlic powder, salt and pepper, or chili powder). Lay on baking sheet - bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and fork tender.

Life is not a fairy tale

Life is not a fairy tale. Sure, boy and girl meet, they fall in love, they get married, and they have babies. I'm one of these people. From the outside, my life may look like a fairy tale. I started dating my husband my senior year of HS, he was my senior prom date. We got married, moved back to our home town, had a baby, bought a house, he works, I stay home. Sounds picture perfect right? At times, it is. At others, it's a nightmare. We had lots of major issues before we got to the marriage point. We had to work for our relationship. We had to fight for it. We had to overcome disapproving friends and family. We had to compromise on a lot of things. We had our break ups, we always decided it was better together than apart. We had our son first - it was great, we were in Heaven...until we were both sleep deprived and Hunter wouldn't lay down without crying. Until we couldn't go out with our friends doing something spectacularly fun for the first time because we had a responsibility to be home with our child. That's when reality sets in. When the bills come in and there isn't enough money to pay them all. When you have a child die. When you have to work such long hours that you don't even lay eyes on your child for 3 days because every time you're home they are sleeping...and the spouse at home has to deal with the child who bursts into tears because they see a picture of you and miss you. These are the real parts of life.

What brings me to this rampage you ask? I just watched the Notebook. Movies like that make me mad. I will do everything in my power to make sure Gray does not watch such silliness. It sets girls up with totally unrealistic expectations of love and life.

If you are the mother of a daughter - please make sure she knows that is NOT how real life is. I think it will save a lot of heartache.

Sometimes the truth is hard to hear

I have been going through lots of inner struggles lately. I have kept a lot of feelings, goals, wants, dreams, etc. locked up inside me because I was afraid of what the response would be if I voiced them. Today, the woman who knows me best in the whole world made me hear them. She voiced what I have been feeling in the last year and had been avoiding. It was hard for me to hear it. It made me sick to my stomach, it made me cry. She vocalized exactly what I have been feeling, but too afraid to admit - even to myself. After my conversation with her, I was able to say it. I was able to voice it to my husband just like she just had. And guess what? He was in agreement! I should've just voiced my feelings all along. It re-affirmed my faith in myself and my relationships. It was a great day. I finally had a sense of peace.

Baby Fever...

I'm always amazed at the phenomenon of baby fever. Although there are no physical symptoms (that our husbands can see) - the effects of it are very real in the heart of a woman. When I'm hit with baby fever I find it hard to function doing anything else without thinking about being pregnant or having a newborn.

Sure, there's the uncomfortableness of being pregnant (lucky - or maybe unlucky for me, I haven't ever been sick), there's the lack of sleep with a newborn, there's the diapers, the crying. But there's something about the feel of that baby kicking in your tummy, and the smell of a newborn that is totally worth all the "crummyness" of the situation.

Sadly, I feel the urge lots - every time I hear a baby name that I want to use, every time someone announces that they are pregnant, every time I pass a maternity store in the mall, and every time I see a newborn. Whew - it's really hard for me. I would have a dozen if I did pregnancy well and if we could afford them. No lie.

25 Random Things About Me

1. I love getting a taste of sweets, therefore I always have something baked, but we throw away more pies, cakes, brownies, cookies, etc. at my house than any other house in America!

2. I love the freedom of forgetting my cell phone at home. I've had one ever since I could drive, so I never knew what it was like to venture off without that added security. I feel very adventurous when I'm out without it!

3. I love having a clean house. I literally sleep better at night when my house is clean and picked up. Too bad it doesn't happen often enough.

4. Although I grew up with a dog of my own from age 3 to freshman year of HS, I honestly don't ever want another dog. I'm not one of those people who get attached to pets.

5. Sometimes instead of a traditional prayer time at night I sing to God. I love singing worship songs.

6. I always feel like I don't have any clothes, but I hate to shop for myself, so I really shouldn't complain.

7. I still walk through the baby isles at Wal-Mart (or any store I'm at) every single time I'm there even though I don't have a baby anymore. I think I always will.

8. I used to feel like I needed new everything - now my favorite material things come from garage sales, Salvation Army, and Antique Malls.

9. I don't enjoy watching a movie or reading a novel twice (there are the exceptions, but even with those I need a few years between each viewing.) I already know what's going to happen! (I can on the other hand read self help books over and over because I gain new insight depending on where I am in my life)

10. I really like quiet time. Sad, but true, I'm one of those moms that needs some quiet time to myself to keep my patience the rest of the day.

11. I used to love Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream, but then I heard that the Uni-bomber ate a gallon of it for his last meal and it's never tasted quite the same since then. My new favorite is probably Rocky Road.

12. I don't keep in touch with any of my ex-boyfriends.

13. I love planning parties. Weddings, birthday parties, play dates, holiday get togethers...just about anything! (I love the planning stage way more than the actual event where I always feel stressed about visiting with everyone!)

14. I did not like tea at all until I entered Lincoln's family - now some may say I'm addicted to VERY sweet tea!

15. I adore pictures of my children. I would go get their pictures taken professionally once a month if I didn't feel ridiculous!

16. My sister and I didn't get along very well when we were younger, but today I can honestly call her my best girlfriend.

17. I used to feel like a trip to Rolla was nothing, but these days it's a big undertaking and wish that we could move there just to be closer to everything.

18. I love to stay busy - I really only like down time if it's just me by myself. Otherwise I want a planned activity.

19. I believe that love is a choice - not a feeling at all really.

20. I hate Valentine's Day - it's sooooo over rated!

21. I love to eat out...like sit down restaurant eat out - drive through doesn't even count as eating out to me anymore.

22. I think my all time favorite restaurant is Red Lobster - I might be able to eat there 3 nights a week!!!

23. I have to have my socks on to go to sleep.

24. I can't stand snoring. It is impossible for me to fall asleep if Lincoln (or anyone else) is snoring.

25. I really struggled to come up with 25 of these - it was easy up until about number 15!

Yet another lesson from the Duggar's:

The 10 unchangeable things about ourselves that make each person a unique individual:

1. The way God made us
2. Our Parents
3. Our brothers and sisters
4. Our nationality
5. Our mental capacity
6. Our time in history
7. Our gender
8. The fact that we grow older as the years pass
9. Our birth order and placement in our family
10. The fact that life is a race against time and the best way to use that time is to serve God and others.

When you really think about these things they are very true. I am going to try to remember these things when I get down on who I am and what I'm doing (or not doing) to make a difference.

Emotional and Behavioral Goals

I got this list from the Duggar's Book: 20 and Counting. I found it so good that I had to record it.

1. Always use soft words, even when you don't feel good.
2. Always display kind actions, even when you have been mistreated
3. Show joyful attitudes even when no one is looking
4. Have sincere motives with no thought of self - gain
5. Think pure thoughts
6. Always give a good report of others. Never tattle-tell unless physical harm will come to someone. Use Matthew 18.
7. Never raise a hand to hit
8. Never raise a foot to kick
9. Never raise an object to throw
10. Never raise a voice to yell
11. Never raise an eye to scowl
12. Use one toy / activity at a time
13. Never let the sun go down on your wrath.
14. Amendment J.O.Y: Put Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last. Make serving your family a priority.

I miss my Grandpa

Today is the anniversary of my Grandpa's death. I miss him. He died when I was in 4th grade - but I still have very vivid memories of him. I still use so many of "his" phrases. I still go visit his grave site (it's just up from Claire's). I still think from time to time - Grandpa would be proud, or Grandpa would love watching Hunter do this, or hearing Hunter say that.

I miss sitting on his lap.

I miss making games with his foot stool.

I miss his funny food obsessions.

I miss him asking me to recite my favorite book to him even though I know he didn't really want to hear it again.

I miss his phrases - My favorite: "You make a better door then a window" (probably because I heard this one the most!)

I miss seeing my mom sitting in the living room having a conversation with him. I know she treasured his advice more than anyone else in the whole world.

I miss saying "I'm going to Grandma and Grandpa's house"

I miss watching my Grandma put his socks and shoes on.

I miss going the car lot when we got into town VERY FIRST.

I miss the making up games on the square tiles at the car lot and getting M&M's off the desk.

I miss my Grandpa and can't WAIT until I get to hug him again.

Give Claire and extra big hug and kiss for me tomorrow Grandpa - thank you for being there to hold her while I can't.

I love you.

How do you cope?

How do you cope when you are going through something that is a downer to you? I hear of people who eat, or don't eat. People who work out obsessively, people who cry, who crave time to themselves. There are so many coping methods you can't possibly name them all.

I'm sure I've written about this before, but when I was in HS I coped by sleeping. I would sometimes sleep for like 18 hours at a time...not always at night either. I had the back bedroom in my basement and there were no windows. It was like a sleeping heaven! Dark, quiet - awesome for escaping the world's problems. At least for the time being... Eventually I had to wake up and face the world again, but it sure was nice to have a place and way to forget all my worries for a period of time.

Obviously when I had my kids I could no longer sleep like that. Someone had to care for them, and since Lincoln and I have always worked opposite shifts, that was usually me. No more sleeping for Mommy. So - what did I find as a coping method? Escaping - escaping my responsibilities, escaping the quiet of my own mind. Lately I have found myself going out with my girlfriends for 1/2 price appetizers after work, going to movies with my MOPS group and out for coffee afterward, going to my Mom's house to walk (for 2 hours straight), taking 2 hour baths, etc. These are not normal activities for me. Yes, during most of them Lincoln was available to care for the kids, and at least one of them was sleeping...but still. Lincoln was home, and awake. Why did I not want to spend the time with him? It is not like me to escape my home like this. To get away from my family, my husband. I think it's because there's so much I want to say to him, but know that I've beat it into the ground over the last 3 years. He has heard everything I have to say (at LEAST 3 times). He never seems depressed this time of year, which is great - I don't want to drag him down with me. So - I avoid him.

Lincoln and I had a conversation about it tonight and he swears that he hasn't noticed anything different, (which is great!), but I have - and so...now I face the quiet of my own head and heart. I must face what is inside and deal with it.

Why...???

All We Know of Heaven

I just finished the book "All We Know of Heaven". It is loosely based on the car accident several years ago when two best girlfriends were mistaken...one died, the other lived and for 8 weeks they had the girls mixed up. Although I think I would have much preferred a book that was written about the scenario off of facts, this book was fairly interesting. I read it in two days (like I usually do) - which means that I enjoyed it. Sometimes I start a book, put it down for the night and never pick it back up. Blah. I heard about this book from someone who said it "turned their life around". They said it made them re-think everything they thought was normal. I would NEVER go that far when describing this book. I think it was a good story for me to read during this month because I could totally relate to both of the mothers while they went through their grieving stages. It made me feel better about my behavior after we lost Claire and then every year for these 4 weeks. Sometimes you just need someone to tell you that how you feel and what you do isn't so crazy afterall!

Kindergarten Thoughts

Sending my children to school scares the daylights out of me. Honestly. I have never enjoyed having anyone else watch my children for more than a few hours at a time. I have never wanted a stranger instilling thoughts, ideas, and life lessons on my children. That is my job. I have had a list for 2 years of which teachers I would be okay with Hunter having. I update the list every year as teachers move in and out of STJ Kindergarten. It's a very scary thing to send your child off to someone for a large part of the day to do the teaching that I really feel like God intended us as parents to do. It's not like a daycare or babysitter where you get to interview several prospects and pick which one you feel fits your child and family the best. There is no process of getting to know your child and then fitting them with a teacher who will best suit their learning style and other classmates who will encourage your child and bring the best qualities out in them.

I'm aware we can't shelter our kids forever, but 5 (or 6) is still VERY VERY young...there's far too much character building left to happen at that age to entrust someone else for 7 -8 hours a day to do it.

I've been reading The Dugger's Book and they home school and I have been really convicted. Don't get me wrong, I doubt that I'll end up being able to do it, just really feels like the right thing to do.

You ruined my life

Last Friday night was the first time I heard this come out of Hunter's mouth. I'm sure I will hear it several more times through the years (although I can always hope not...). Of course, at age 4 I ruined his life by making him sit in time-out for pushing his 1 year old sister down while I started the Wii Fit without him. Oh boy...

Wedding Invitations evoke many memories....

Today I went to STL to help my girlfriend make her wedding invitations. I am in her wedding April 4th. Of course, with all of her bridesmaids, aunts, and mom's friends, the talk today was very girly...very - loveish. (I know that's not a word.) It made me replay the days leading up to my own wedding. All of the preparations, all of the emotions, stress, excitement, exhaustion. Over lunch Amy asked us all to share the worst part about our own weddings with her. As I went around the room hearing women say "Uh, I got married. Ha ha, that was the worst part". Or "I married Mike". It made me really sad. I pray that I NEVER say that. I hope that I never have any reason to regret my marriage to Lincoln. Of course, I don't think that I'll ever regret it - because if nothing else, I have learned SO many lessons on marriage, relationships, and men. And most importantly - I have my children. When it came to me, I could honestly say - "I can't think of a single bad thing that happened that day." How lucky am I?! My wedding was awesome! Amy even agreed...(she was one of my bridesmaids as well) - the day was flawless. I didn't forget anything, no one made a scene, my unity candle didn't catch on fire (yes, that was truly one of the girls stories), and I married an AWESOME man.

During a period of my life when not too much looks happy, it was nice to be reminded of a flawless day in my life.

A day when nothing went wrong and all of my dreams were coming true.

Full-Time Help

If you could hire someone full time to make your life easier, what would their duties be?

Employee will do all laundry (including folding and putting away) and dishes. They will be available to cook meals when I am not in the mood, but will willingly step aside when I wish to do the cooking myself. Employee will clean my house throughly weekly - not just the vacuuming and dusting, but windows, window ledges, baseboards, ceiling fans, etc. Employee will happily switch their daytime hours for evening hours when I need a nanny for whatever reason. Employee will run errands for me when I am not in the mood, and will "hold down the fort" when I need a break from the house. Employee will cut the grass and landscape my yard. Employee can not have an existing friendship with any member of my family, but will be someone that I can see myself growing to love.

No facebook = more posts

I quit facebook today...therefore, I'm sure you will start noticing multiple posts per day from me. Since I print each of these out and put them in a binder for each of the kids, I'm planning on using this as more of a journal of our everyday life (as well as my other more thoughtful posts) like I used my facebook status for...hope it doesn't get too overwhelming for you!

Aspiration

Lincoln asked Hunter last night what he wanted to do when he got older. His response?

"Dad, I want to play football on TV and be in a dance crew!"

Yes!!!! I have to admit, it makes me happy. I know you're not supposed to "want" your child to do any certain activity, but let's all be honest, deep down don't we all want our child to do something that we love as well? Don't we want to share that passion with our children?

It did make me stop and think though - when and where is that line where you continue to encourage your child to do what they dream of, and love - but make sure that they are realistic and not dreaming of playing in the NFL when their chances are VERY slim of doing so.

It's a fine line - but for now, we'll dream big!

Multiple Blessings by Jon and Kate Gosselin and Beth Carson

HOLY COW.

This was honestly the most encouraging parenting book I have ever read in my whole life. For those of you who don't know me that well - that's a huge statement for me to make, because since the day I found out (okay, the day after) that I was pregnant with Hunter I have read every parenting book that I can get my hands on. I've gotten lots of good advice from all that I've read, but nothing has encouraged me to stay the course and keep on keepin' on like this one did.

The book is filled with sound biblical messages mixed with practical, true, honest parenting emotions. If you watch their show at all you know that Kate is pretty blunt. She is as well in this book, but there is nothing like sharing stories with an HONEST CHRISTIAN Mom.

I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who is wanting to have children, pregnant, or already a parent. You don't have to be a parent of multiples to gain great insight and strength from this story.

No words could express how much I enjoyed this book. Please read it.

Chicken Salad = a hit!

I made the chicken salad recipe from my Mitford Cookbook. It was pretty darn good if I do say so myself. I didn't follow the recipe exactly - I put fewer green onions and added grapes. I didn't measure out my salt and pepper. But - it was tasty. It was really heavy, very filling. I only needed one small bowl and a roll and I was FULL! Lincoln felt the same way. Hunter did NOT enjoy it, so unfortunately chances are that I won't be making it very often...but, as always, he did eat his 3 bites.

Anyone else have a terrific chicken salad recipe they'd like to share?

Am I doing enough?

Lately I have been wondering if I am doing enough as a parent to raise my children in a Christian home. Am I teaching them to love The Lord their God with all of their hearts? I try my best every day to model good behavior and a relationship with God to my children. I take them to Sunday School and Church every week. We talk about God and to God on a daily basis in our home.

It's a fine line. I am a firm believer that every person (child or adult) has to form their own beliefs. They have to have their own opinions or they aren't going to be a true believer. Their belief system isn't going to be strong and firm enough to help them get through the challenges that life throws at us. So - do I want to shove religion down my children's throats? NO WAY. Do I want to force them to be in church every Sunday morning, night, and Wednesday? Again - no. But I do want to model the way that I believe is correct. I want to let them see that God is who has gotten me through the trenches of life.

I hope I'm doing the right thing.

Graysen has pneumonia.

That's right. I feel like I've hit my first medical failure as a parent with her. I had to rush Hunter to the ER when he was around this age as well...so that was my first with him. Anyway - she's only had a cough since Friday evening. I totally didn't think we would go and hear this news. I knew she had an ear infection since she literally screamed her head off every single time we laid her flat last night (it was a LONG night...). Ear infection - yes. "Monstrous" in fact...yes, those were Dr. Sean's words. Then he listened to her chest and heard a "crackle". Apparently, crackles aren't a good thing. She's had a breathing machine (nebulizer) since she was born basically, but has never required a chest X-Ray like we experienced today. It was terrible. Anyway, we went back down for Dr. Sean to read them, and sure enough...fluffy. Yup, his words again, she has a fluffy left lung. Pneumonia. We are on "lock down" until Friday, on breathing treatments every 4 hours, got a shot today at the Dr. and starts oral meds in the morning.

Please say an extra prayer for healing and patience for her two tired parents.

Because God made me that way...

Hunter recently had a conversation with one of our friends about his obsession with the word poop. The conversation went something like this:

Kim: "Hunter, why exactly do you like that word so much?"
Hunter: "What, poop?"
Kim: "yes, poop"
Hunter: dramatic pause..."Because God made me that way!"

Interesting - very interesting...

Today is a sad day.

Three years ago today Lincoln, Hunter, and I started out to Rolla with so much excitement in our hearts. We were headed to find out if our 2nd baby (3rd pregnancy) was going to be a boy or girl! We were so joyous because we had made it past the first trimester (when we had our loss with our 2nd pregnancy).

We got to the ultrasound room and the technician had lots of "problems" getting the baby to wake up and move around so she could get good measurements. After both a regular and vaginal ultrasound she promptly told us that we were going to need to go down and talk to Dr. Cunningham. We didn't have an apt. with her that day, so we knew something was wrong. Luckily Lincoln's cousin was our OB Nurse and she took Hunter from us when we got down to the office. While we waited for our doctor to get back from a delivery we talked about everything that we could come up with. I recounted to Lincoln every medical thing I could remember from all of my pregnancy books. We agreed that no matter what the problem was we would be okay and God would pull us through it. Then Dr. Cunningham came in and told us the news. Our baby would not live after she was born. She was missing half of her brain. This was not something that we had ever discussed. Not something I had ever read about. Not something we thought we could make it through. Blessed, as we were, Jamiee (our cousin) called both of our Moms and had them come immediately to the office to be with us and take care of Hunter. Dr. Cunningham escorted us down to another office for another Dr. to do an ultrasound to confirm the diagnosis. Sure enough, he found the same thing. Anencephaly. A foreign word at that time, now the word has more meaning than I ever wanted it to. Dr. McCaul (the second doctor) explained the diagnosis to both of our mothers and us two more times and told us that our baby was a girl. Our first daughter. We left his office in tears and went back down to the first ultrasound room to get the pictures they took of our baby girl for us.

Though most of the day is now a blur of horrible memories, there are five things that I will forever remember crystal clear about that day.

1. I was shaking on the examining table while Dr. Cunningham was telling us the news so hard that Lincoln stood up to steady my shoulders. His touch was the most welcoming feeling I could've had at the time.

2. They escorted us through all the back doors so that we didn't have to go through waiting rooms and see other pregnant people or try to hide our tears. Even at the time I was extremely grateful for that.

3. Our first ultrasound tech (which we would go on to request for every ultrasound in our subsequent pregnancy) came down to Dr. McCaul's office and cried with us. She hugged me and whispered in my ear that she was so sorry that she couldn't tell me when she found it. She was so sorry that we had to sit and wait for Dr. Cunningham when she knew all along. And that she promised we would scan lots more babies together. I was so touched that she cried with me and apologized for something that she had no control over.

4. As we were coming out of the ultrasound room getting ready to leave the building Hunter was standing by the front doors with our moms and he reached out for me and said "Ma ma" - for the first time truly meaning me. God does give us little rainbows even in the mist of our biggest storms...we just have to look for them.

5. My pastor met us at our house when we got home. I'm still not sure who called him, but he had to had dropped whatever he was doing and ran to our home. How nice it was to have wise council to reassure us when we got back to the place where we already had the crib set up and now knew we would never be bringing a baby home to.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

What a challenge. It is so easy to want to "take over" and figure it out yourself. I have a belief that when God lays something on your heart he expects you to follow through. I don't think that he always smoothes the path in front of you. I don't think he always answers all questions before hand. If you are preparing to undertake a monumental task in your life and you have all the questions answered - it's probably not a God thing.

January Stinks...but March smells much better!

1. It's a huge let down directly following the holiday season.
2. I love visiting with our families over Christmas and then everyone goes back to their jobs and leaves me in my house with lots of kids and no adult interaction.
3. January 12th is the day that we were told that our middle daughter Claire would not live after her birth
4. My grandpa passed away on January 20th and every year my Grandma gets a little depressed. It's very hard to see her like that when she's almost 82 years old.
5. Our daughter Claire was born and died on Febuary 10, 2006. We burried her on Feb. 11th and that day is just as hard if not harder.
6. It's generally cold outside and I HATE being cold. The kids can't go outside and burn off energy and therefore are much harder to entertain with inside games.

By March I am always in much better spirits. I feel like the rains of spring come and wash away my sorrows. God sends me rainbows to look at, birds to listen to, and flowers to smell. Until then I just hang on...one day at a time.

Rut

Sometimes I get into a rut. I know we all do.

How do you deal with yours? Do you get a new job, new pet, new friends, new hobby? Do you go on vacation, cut your hair, take more time for yourself, have a baby? I think I've tried every single one of those things from time to time.

I find myself at the crossroads again...

3 Green Moves by Ashley

I have done three more "green" things this past week - two inspired yet again by Bethany. Without her I honestly think I might be totally nieve on this whole subject!

1. I ordered re-usable pads. Yup, I took the plunge. I haven't gotten them yet, but I'm VERY excited for them to come!

2. I did not bag my fresh veggies today at the store. Her voice popped in my head as I was pulling the bag down - "you're going to take them home and wash them anyway, why put them in a bag to "protect" them?"

3. This one is inspired by my sister (with a slight twist) - I am now refusing straws from waitresses. Why waste the plastic and paper when I don't need it? I used to ALWAYS use a straw at restaurants because I didn't want my mouth to touch the glass in case it wasn't very clean...but hello, I'm drinking the drink in that "dirty" glass! :0) Anyway - Kara always encourages me to leave the straw on the table, but I don't really think that they are going to put that back in the "to give out" pile - they are just going to scoop it up and throw it away - so now I tell the waitress "no straw" as she is handing me my glass.

I try to share all of my new steps with family members in hopes that they might do the same! :0)

So much to learn from a little one...

We can learn so much from watching babies.

Lincoln is horrible at multi-tasking. Actually - it's impossible. He CAN NOT listen and do ANYTHING else at the same time. So, I find myself saying to him, "Lincoln please look at me so I know that you're listening to me." I have to have eye contact in order to know that he's really taking in what is coming out of my mouth.

Graysen has started really blabbering lately. She gives people these long stories (not using any real words of course), but a lot of "L" tongue movements and other random sounds and mouth shapes. This morning she was sitting on my lap while I was working on the computer. She was talking away and I was responding to her with phrases such as "Really? Oh My! How interesting! I can't believe that! That's great." etc. All of a sudden she just grabbed my hair and whipped my head around to face her and gave me a very STERN "talking to"! After I continued to make eye contact with her she returned to her normal tone of voice. She wanted me to make eye contact with her so that she knew I was listening! She wanted me to stop multi-tasking and pay attention.

My - how much little ones know.

Recipe I've been wanting to use #1 - Pumpkin Pie

Well, I made my first pumpkin pie tonight. I used the recipe out of my Mitford Cookbook that I talked about earlier. It was really good! Nothing extra special about it - just a typical pumpkin pie, but I was pretty proud that I made it!

So - one recipe down from my list of "to makes"! I'm going to tackle the chicken salad tomorrow afternoon / evening - I'll let you know how it goes!

Tip to get your 4 year old to eat his food...

Alright, so those who know me best know that I HATE confrontation. I hate arguments. I will avoid them at all costs. So...some may say that what I'm about to tell you is wrong. That I should just be the parent and tell my son to sit down, be quiet, and eat his dinner. But - that's not who I am. So, this is what I have found works for us!

Hunter has always been a flighty eater. Don't get me wrong, he eats A LOT, basically all day every day, but he is rather picky with his food. We've gone through lots of stages over the years, starting with hiding food on the fork behind something else that he does like, cooking veggies in foods that wouldn't otherwise call for them, singing songs ( The bee goes buzzing around the barn, thought that he would do no harm, he went buzzzzzzzz), and most recently the "Tell me what your ____ thinks of it".

The rule is that he must take at least 3 bites of his meal before he is allowed to get down from the table. So, I give him a bite and say, "Hunter, tell me what your tongue thinks of it". He'll respond with "yucky, or eww, or surprisingly sometimes - YUMMY!" Then we move on to other parts of his body. Most of the time as long as I can keep coming up with body parts he'll keep eating the bites - well past number 3. You can always tell when he HONESTLY doesn't like something because when I go for bite number 4 he says - "no way mom, that was three bites!" Too smart!

Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook

I blogged about this cookbook (and the meat loaf recipe) just the other day, but I wanted to share some more of my favorites!

Baxter Apple Pie is the recipe that I followed for my very first apple pie. It turned out great!

The Doozie is one of Hunter's favorite sandwhiches. It's just peanut butter and cherios on bread, but I would've never thought of it before! It's very tasty, super easy to make, and I almost always have the ingredients!

The next recipes from the book that I want to try are Puny's Banana Bread, Cynthia's Pumpkin Pie, and Cynthia's Chicken Salad. I also want to make the Christmas Smell the next time we have guests over.

Lincoln is actually picking up the missing ingredients for the banana bread and pumpkin pie tonight after he gets out of practice - we might just have pie as desert tonight!!

I like meat loaf!

I really like meat loaf. I don't think that most people do, but I think it's great! I just recently started making it for my family. Hunter isn't a huge fan (although with enough ketchup and the "tell me what your ___ thinks about it" game he'll eat anything), but Gray and Lincoln love it as much as I do!

I use the recipe from one of my favorite cook books "Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader". I ordered this cookbook after I finished the Mitford Series and craved more of my "lost friends". This book includes the recipe for every dish mentioned in the books (and there are a lot of them!).

Saute some green pepper in a skillet with oil. Mix 2 lbs. of ground round, 1 cup of oats, 2 beat eggs, sauted green pepper, 1 (8oz) can of tomato sauce, and some salt and pepper in a bowl. Press the mixture into a loaf pan and book on 350 for 1 hour. Take out, drain juice from pan, pour ketchup over the top, and put back in for 15 minutes.

My mom bought me my first loaf pan for Christmas! It's a Pampered Chef stoneware loaf pan and I used it last night (for meat loaf) for the first time! I LOVE it! It worked great, cooked very evenly, and was, as with all stonewear, super easy to clean!

It's okay: to my kids

Hunter and Graysen,

I want you to know that when you're a parent it's okay to do a few things that you'll probably feel guilty about.

It's okay to put your child in the highchair in front of the TV in order to get a shower in that day.

It's okay to let your child stay in their bed after they wake up as long as they aren't crying. Hunter, you woke up crying every time, but Graysen would sit in her bed and talk for a half an hour sometimes.

It's okay for your baby to be nursed past a year. It's also okay to continue using a bottle at bedtime a little over a year - there's nothing magical that happens on their first birthday...I promise.

It's okay for your child to have a Happy Meal for dinner because you're too tired to cook. (We all have those nights!)

It's okay for your house to be messy - as long as your family is happy.

It's okay to have "special days" (Hunter, that's what you call them) where you eat ice cream for breakfast, stay in your PJ's all day, and just lay around and watch movies together. Those are what memories are made from.

Two are twice the work

Two children are definitely twice the work...maybe more. I have had people in the past tell me that once you have one, there's not much of a difference in having more than one. I think they're wrong.

I'm so impressed with all the single parents out there with more than one child. You all are saints - I can only imagine your daily struggle to keep things fair, give equal amounts of love, time, and energy to each child when there is only one of you to go around. I find myself struggling and stressing over these things the three days a week when I am basically a single parent (my husband works 12 hour weekend shifts). I find myself losing patience much more easily when I can't escape to take a hot shower by myself at least once a day. Sad, but it's the honest truth of parenting.

I think back to the days of having only Hunter - wow, how easy were those! We were able to do all kinds of fun projects together without any struggle or interruption. We were able to snuggle to go to sleep every night. We were able to take car trips at the drop of a hat. Now everything is more complicated. Not that it's always bad - I wouldn't give up Graysen for anything in this world - but the simple fact is - two is at LEAST twice the work!

Things to Remember

1. When Hunter was a baby he called a cookie a "cook cook" - my sister just remembered this yesterday when we were trying to teach Graysen the word. It's amazing what you think you'll never forget...and then you do.

2. Hunter could NOT say the word "drink" for the longest time. He was probably three by the time he actually started pronouncing the word correctly on a regular basis. He called it an "ink" for a long time, and then moved on to "fink".

3. Graysen twirls her hair when she's going to sleep. From the day she was born she played with her hair when she got tired, but now it's long enough that she actually twirls it around her first finger and then pulls on it until it slides out of her hand. Her Grammie does this exact same thing!

New Years Resolution?

I gave up making a New Years Resolution lots of years ago. I don't believe in them. There is nothing about it being the first day of a new year that is going to motivate me to do something new with my life. I'm no more likely to start watching what I eat or exercising on Jan. 1st then I am any other day of the year. I believe that there are very few things that can change overnight, so why would the night of December 31st to January 1st be any different?

Instead, I like to take a look at my life and see what things I would like to accomplish over the next few years. Here's what I think my goals are going to be:

1. Continue working on becoming a better housekeeper
2. Decide upon a future career
3. Learn and cook at least 10 new recipes
4. Go a straight month without soda (but I say that one every year)
5. Continue to try to make God my number 1 priority, my husband my 2nd, and my children my 3rd. (2 and 3 often times get mixed up for me)
6. Start planning our next Disney World Vacation
7. Save two times the amount of money for our Christmas Jar as we did last year
8. Become more familiar with the stories of the Bible

New Years Eve

I love holidays because I love seeing how everyone chooses to celebrate them. I feel like I get to know each person better by viewing what they deem important as each holiday comes around. Not that any one way is the RIGHT way to celebrate a holiday, it's just everyone's personal choices. Some people think we're wrong for doing the whole Santa thing with our kids, we don't understand those who don't do it. Some people can't stand the Easter Egg dying fiasco - I bask in the messiness of it! We're all different - it's what makes the world go round...right?!

New Years Eve is yet another holiday that I have strong feelings about (I bet you're quickly learning that I have strong feelings about a lot of things huh?!). I am a firm believer in the statement "What you're doing at midnight is a picture into the next year of your life". Silly, I know. Superstitious - YES. Anyway you look at it - I believe it. I REFUSE to be without my husband and all children at midnight. I don't mind if we're out (although I would prefer to be at home), as long as we're all together. My ideal night would be to stay at home - possibly have one or two other couples over - and just play games, watch movies, and eat good food together. Snuggle my kids into bed with us and feel the safety and security that togetherness brings.

What am I going to do when my kids get old enough to want to go to New Years Eve parties with their friends? I'm not sure. Will I make them come home before midnight instead of staying the night? Possibly. I suppose we'll just see what my kids are like, who they are wanting to spend it with, and what the plans are. Hopefully they'll just want to throw the party at our house!! :0)

My husband and I struggled with this difference shortly before we got married. He was a partier. I was not. We did not spend our first New Years together while we were dating. He did end up calling me sometime in the night to come pick him up from the party and bring him back to my parents house...not a good situation. Our second New Years was spent together on the beaches of Hawaii watching fireworks. It was a good night. Our third New Years was a little over a month before we got married. We both spent it in STL, but him with his friends, and me with mine. Again, he called shortly after midnight for me to come pick him up. After we were husband and wife he grew up and realized that New Years in not all about partying, but about bringing in a New Year with the ones that you love.

Every December 31st is the start of another challenging year. It's a year that we'll go through ups and downs in our marriage. It's a year of disappointments and joys. It's a year of learning to be better parents while making some mistakes along the way. It's a year with losses and gains. You can be assured of these things no matter what year it's going to be.

Whatever you're doing a midnight I hope that you are enjoying yourself and those around you!

Staples

Every household has food staples that they keep in their house at all times. When a staple is gone, you definitely know it! I have started noticing since I've become an adult that every house has different staples. You would think that my staples would be the same as my mom's since I was raised in her home, but that's not always the case. I find this funny.

Here's the list of our staples:

Pantry:
Goldfish crackers
Cream of mushroom soup
Cream of Celery soup
Cream of Chicken soup
Nacho Cheese Soup
Brownie Mix
Cake Mix
Flour
Sugar
Fruit snacks
Syrup
Kraft Mac and Cheese
Hot Chocolate Mix

Fridge:
Milk
Chocolate Syrup
Ranch
Eggs
Ketchup
Mustard
Tortillas
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Lunch meat
Sliced American Cheese
Caffeine free pepsi

Freezer:
Frozen Pizza (usually two)
Waffles
Ice cream (usually Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough)
Juice


What is your most important staple?

Thanks for making me aware!

Obviously there are tons of reasons friends are great, but I realized one that I never really noticed before. Maybe it's my age, maybe it's the specific friend. My friend Bethany ( http://thefabulousmrshaid.blogspot.com) has made me much more environmentally aware. I was never the type to stop and think about how I could help save the environment or how what products I purchased made an impact until I met her and became an avid reader of her blog.

I got a new set of silverware for Christmas - we needed it desperately! I finally got around getting them out of the box and into the dishwasher this morning and I was very disappointed when I realized that each individual piece of silverware was wrapped in a plastic bag! There were 72 plastic bags and several "filler" cardboard boxes in the package. It actually made me sad and I couldn't believe the company was so wasteful. I'm thinking about writing them a letter letting them know my feelings.

What would you say in your letter?

...

Christmas let down
Exhausted from four days of celebrating
messy house
sore throat
body aches and chills
impatient children

just want to spend the day in bed by myself!

God vs. Storm

I recently read this quote:

"Don't tell God how big your storm is, tell your storm how big your God is!"

I really stopped and thought about it. It's a great concept. I believe that every time I've had a storm brewing in my life I run to God and tell Him how big the storm is. I remind Him (as if He didn't already know) how much I need His help through the problems.

Maybe next time I'll just tell my storm to back off because my God is bigger!

You Learn Something New Everyday!

Two new things I learned:

1. A Basketball Ref circling his hand in the air means that there was an air-ball free throw. This automatically gives the other team the ball. (I learned this while Lincoln was quizzing me on all the Ref signs - lol)

2. People actually eat raw potatoes - and I HATE THEM! I literally almost threw up when I took a bite. YUCK.

Merry Christmas to All

Dearest Friends and Family,

Finally, 2008 has been a fairly quiet and calm year for the Redburn's! We have been so blessed this year with good health, wonderful children, and fun adventures together. Here are our favorite events from each month...

January started the new year off fairly quiet, and was filled with lots of basketball games and the purchase of our first replacement appliance as a married couple!

February is always a tough month for our family. Squished between the Super Bowl, Winter Guard, Valentine's Day, and our 4th wedding anniversary, is our middle daughter Claire's birthday. She would've been 2 this year.

March was a fun month with the end of basketball season (you can tell who is writing this letter can't you?) and Lincoln's 26th birthday. We also enjoyed celebrating the resurrection of Christ and Graysen's first Easter together.

In April Lincoln and I attended our first marriage seminar. It was a WONDERFUL experience. We learned a lot and continue to apply new concepts that we learned in those four days.

May was a very busy month for the Redburn family and started with a trip to the spa for me and the other women in my bible study group. Our husbands decided to pre-arrange everything for a special day of shopping, spa treatments, and dinner out for us in St. Louis. I also attended my second annual March of Dimes Walk this year. I was blessed to have both of my children with me (I was pregnant with Graysen last year when Hunter and I walked) and my Mom! The 11th of May was a busy day for us, as it was Graysen's baby dedication at church, Mother's Day, and Kara's birthday! There were lots of family members present at Gray's dedication and it was wonderful to be able to share that special day with all of them. I also had The Dance Studio Annual Recital the middle of May. Lincoln was a very supportive husband and got up on stage and danced with me! It was a first for him and he was WONDERFUL!

In June Lincoln and I started a new job - babysitting! We started keeping our cousin's little girl Libby this month. She fit right into our daily routine and we loved having her! Lincoln was able to go on an overnight float trip with the men in our bible study, and Ashley kept busy teaching week long camps at The Dance Studio.

In July we attended Lincoln's annual family reunion in Branson. We also had 4 friends add 5 new babies to their families! It was a GREAT month to celebrate the miracle of birth!

August was bittersweet with Hunter starting the month with his 4th birthday. We celebrated with his very first "kids only" Power Rangers birthday party! I turned 25 this month as well. We added two more kids to our daily babysitting and our lives became slightly more hectic with 5 children rather than just two.

September brought Hunter's first tumbling classes at The Dance Studio where I work. He loves them and looks forward to every Monday! Hunter also played on a 5 week Pre-K soccer town league. He loved being on his very first team and made sure everyone knew that he was playing on a REAL sports team!

In October Lincoln went on his annual Disc Golf Trip. It was the largest group ever as they traveled to Il for 3 days of disc gold madness! Halloween was fun this year with two kids. Hunter was a Rock Star, complete with torn jeans, a black leather jacket, a red electric guitar and red spiked hair! Graysen was a butterfly fairy in a precious pink, purple, and mint tutu' and butterfly wings. There were lots of trips to farms, pumpkin patches, and Halloween Parties.

November flew by with basketball season starting again, Thanksgiving, and Graysen's First Birthday! We had a pink, purple, and yellow cupcake party with a pin the candle on the cupcake game, cupcake pops for everyone, and a huge cupcake just for Gray!

December came all too soon and I started the month with a trip to Chicago with 3 of my good friends. It was the first time I have taken a trip without Lincoln since we've been married, and the very first time I've spent more than one night away from the kids. It was a great trip, but reminded me of how blessed I was to have such a beautiful home and family waiting for me to get back. Christmas was wonderful, this one being the first time Graysen was able to open her own gifts. I don't believe I will ever outgrow the magic of Christmas morning.

As I reflect on this past year I am filled with a peace that our life is directed by the The One Who Loves Us Unconditionally. How nice it is to know that He is bigger than any storm we may face!

Have a blessed New Year,

Lincoln, Ashley, Hunter, and Graysen Redburn

What's YOUR Secret?

I think everyone has secret desires. I'm sure they range from material things, relationships, occupations, living situations.. depending on the person and their life experiences. Sometimes you share the secret desires of your heart with someone. Sometimes you don't. I don't know about you, but I'm less likely to share them if I don't think there is a way for them to come true. I don't want people to think I'm silly, dreaming too big, or unrealistic. Hopefully everyone has SOMEONE that they can share them with. I don't share some of them even with my husband because I don't want him to stress over the fact that he can't provide it for me. I don't want him to feel inadequate. One person always knows the desires of your heart...God. I'm lucky to have Him to talk to them about. Sometimes, I find myself researching my dream and plotting a way to make it happen. When the overwhelming desire comes over me, I just say a silent prayer and thank God for the blessing that I do have in my life and bring myself back to the place where I am happy and content with where I am.

Good Mom, Bad Mom

I have a confession to make. After last night's wonderful "good mom" experience with putting things into perspective when Gray woke up at 4 I found myself in the "bad mom" position tonight. I want to watch a show that comes on in 10 minutes and I found myself giving Graysen her bottle thinking "hurry up and drink this thing - I'm going to miss my show!". HOW TERRIBLE IS THAT??? I'm ashamed. I realized it while sitting there and apologized out loud to her - not that she knew what I was thinking anyway - and then to God. I realize that missing the first few minutes of my show - or missing it all together - is not the end of the world. They will play a re-run. Holy cow. Of course, she finished her bottle, put her down, checked on Hunter again, and saw that I still had 20 minutes until it started.

It's hard to go from Good Mom to Bad Mom - but the lucky thing is, is that God knows our thoughts, but He also knows our actions before we do them - and I know He'll always lead me back to being a good mom as long as I desire to follow Him.

Well - time for my show! :0)

Finally!

Ah, God knows what we need. I'm always amazed at how when I get to my breaking point He's merciful enough to give me what I need. Maybe not everything that I want, but at least what I need to find some strength and keep going. This is small, but isn't that where the miracles of everyday life are?

Hunter has never been a good sleeper. He didn't sleep through the night until he was 3 years old. Okay, so maybe he slept through the night like 5 times in those first three years. Yes, once he reached two it was usually just one time a night and he would come into our room and crawl in with us at some point, but...I was still woken at least one time every night. Graysen has been a much better sleeper (who knows if it's the kid or the adjusted parenting methods). Lately though, the past week or so, my kids have not been sleeping. Between the two of them I've been getting like 4 - 4.5 hours of sleep a night. Last night I felt like I might crash. Graysen went to sleep at 6:30 (maybe because she got up at 4:30 the morning before...) and I knew I was in for another horrible night. Hunter went to sleep at 9 and so did I. I was so tired I did not even hear Lincoln get up, around, and out the door. (It worries me a little bit that someone could be in my bedroom, bathroom, living room, kitchen, and open and close my front door without me hearing.) At 4:00 Graysen woke up. I came in, made her a bottle, and went into her room to feed it to her. As I'm sitting there I realize, she's been sleeping almost 10 hours already - she's probably ready to get up. DARN IT! But, I said a little prayer, possibly shed a couple of silent tears, and sat in the rocker counting my blessing on having a beautiful little girl who is in all other ways, a perfect child. I thought about my middle daughter Claire, who I only got to hold for an hour, and realized that this was NOT the end of the world. Thank God for providing me prospective in the middle of a bad situation. Before I knew it, I looked down and she was back asleep. Amazing. I gave her a kiss, laid her back in her bed, peeked in on Hunter across the hall, and went back to my own bed. I slept until 8:00 when Hunter woke me up.

That is my miracle for the day.

Tonight

Tonight I'm doing something outside of my comfort zone.
Nervous. New. Anxiety.
Couldn't get any worse.
Shouldn't fear, God is here.
Not setting any limitations on His plan.
Reconciliation?
Sharing. Learning. Loving.
Forgiving.
Just like God intended me to do.
Moving forward. Small, baby steps.
Please pray.

Christmas Cards

I'm always amazed at people who get Christmas Cards out BEFORE Christmas! :0) It always sneaks up on me, and I tend to forget all about the cards until I receive my first one in the mail! I'm big on including both a picture and letter in mine, so there is never enough time to accomplish this until after Christmas. So...mine are always New Years Cards. I wrote my letter tonight, but want to proof read before I put it on here. I would also like all of you blog readers to leave your mailing address so that I can get them out to you. I won't publish the comments so that your addresses aren't out there for the whole world to read...

Congrats to those of you who get yours done before Christmas...you're more organized than I am! :0)

The Christmas Sweater

I just finished The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck. Remenisent of Jason Wright's books, it was an easy read with a great story. This is a terrific book to read on the plane or in the car if you have travels ahead of you for the holiday season. Although the story was enjoyable, I thought the afterward was even better.

It made me sit back and think about how unappreciative we all are a children. It makes me sad to think that I have hurt my Mom like that a time or two I'm sure. We have no idea how much time and effort parents put into special occasions for us until we are parents ourselves. The stress of trying to provide a speical holiday for your children when money is tight is incredible.

It's a great reminder that even when the storm seems too big for us to handle, God is with us, wrapping His arms around us and keeping us safe and dry.

All is well.

Christmas Plans?

I always love hearing how everyone sets up their holiday schedules. Our lives used to be crazy busy during Christmas trying to get to everyone's house for every gathering and meal. We have been very blessed that last two years that the Redburn family has re-arranged their Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings so that all of Lincoln's siblings are no longer as stressed. Every family views different days / meals as "most important" and I enjoy hearing why...so share your stories with me!

Here is our holiday schedule:

Wednesday Evening: Bake a cake for Jesus' birthday at home and take it over to G.G's (next door) for Potato Soup and finger foods. This is always a drop in type of evening for my family - come and go around everyone's church schedules, etc.

Thursday Morning: 5 a.m.ish - We wake up at our house and see if Santa has come yet. Mom, Kara, Charlie, and G.G. come over. We open gifts from us and Santa. Usually we do our gift exchange between the rest of us at this point as well, but I think this year we're just going to do Santa gifts at our house. Then we clean up and rest up for the afternoon with extended family at one of my Aunt's houses. This year Christmas is at my Mom's, so I'm sure we will skip clean up and head over there as soon as Santa gifts are open to do the rest of the gifts and help her prepare food / the house for the family to come. I'm sure we will eat an afternoon meal with my Mom's side of the family and then head home. We usually try to go out and see Marcinda and Carl on Christmas evening because they are alone of the actual day.

Friday and Saturday are filled with meals and cookie baking with the Redburn's. Although we probably won't attend the entire Friday and Saturday festivities, we will be popping in and out working around Graysen's nap schedule, etc. They treat Friday as Christmas Eve and Saturday as Christmas with the main meal around 2:00 and gifts that evening after Lincoln gets off work.

It's so nice to have 4 days of festivities ahead of us, but exhausting by the time Saturday night rolls around! What are your plans this holiday season??

Excessive Mothering?

In what area of your life do you tend toward excess instead of moderation?

Hmmm - I'm really not an excess kind of girl. Although I'm sure others of you can think of many other ways that I'm excessive (and feel free to leave those on the comments..lol), here are the few that I could come up with:

1. Mothering - I'm a little overbearing I'm sure. I ALWAYS want to be with my kids. I just took my first trip away from the kids and spent more than one night away from them. I am constantly thinking about how what I am doing and what I am saying is molding my kids into who they are going to become. I am trying to invent new ways to make memories for them. Ways to record our lives together (such as this blog). I can admit - I'm excessive.

2. Birthdays - I've talked about this a lot on this blog, but I love birthdays. I love birthday parties. I am excessive in party planning.

3. QFT - Also known to the outsides world as "Quality Family Time". Although we don't get nearly enough of this, I am obsessed with trying to create opportunities for us to have QFT. So - if I could be excessive in this area of my life - I know I would be.

4. Party Food Preparation - No matter the occasion (friend get together, holiday, birthday party, baby / wedding shower, dinner to a new mom, etc.), I go overboard with the amount of food that I prepare.

Lull

I've hit a blogging lull. I was gone a few days to Chicago and when I got back I thought I was going to be SO anxious to get back to blogging...but...I've got nothing I feel is blog worthy. I've got several prompts ready from oneminuteblogger.com, but nothing I feel inspired to really answer.

Instead, I'm going to make some Christmas cookies at my Mommy's with some dear friends and family - THAT I'm inspired to do! :0)

Obesessed

You know you're an obsessed blogger when something happens in your life and you think - ah, I can't wait to blog that.

You know you're a mom when you can't remember what that was by the time you get to actually sit down and blog.

Oreos and Milk hold a special spot in my heart

My earliest memory is sitting on a bed in a tiny little room with my Dad dipping oreos in milk. We were in Korea at the time and I must've been 2 (I think - correct me if I'm wrong Mom!). I don't remember much except it was a little room with a bed on the right end (where my Dad slept) and a dresser in front of it, and a pallet on the floor to the left of it where I slept while my Mom and I visited Dad. I don't remember a single other thing about that trip except that night, sitting Indian Style on the bed with my Dad dipping oreos and milk. It must've been my first time dipping anything in milk...it was so fun! To this day that's one of my favorite snacks - yum, wish I had some right now!

What is your earliest memory?

Not worth it?!

I have a bracelet. Apparently it's not worth much money. I recently took it to two local jewelers asking to get it repaired and they both told me that it wasn't worth enough to fix. Here in-lies my problem. It's worth it to me. This is the bracelet that my husband gave me on our first Christmas together - not our first married Christmas, our very first ever together. It's the bracelet that I wore every day for 3 years. The bracelet that I felt when we were a few hundred miles apart and I was missing him very much. The bracelet that I wore even through our break-up, that reminded me of our feelings for each other and gave me hope that we could work things out.

Shortly after we got married my bracelet broke. One of the links broke and I could no longer wear it. I put it in my jewelry chest and kind of forgot about it. A few months ago I saw it and decided I wanted to get it fixed. I love the bracelet and it has such fond memories attached. Unfortunately I was "turned down" by the two jewelry stores in town. They both said it would cost much more than the bracelet was worth to fix it. Yes, I could have demanded that they fix it anyway, but, after their attitudes, I didn't want to give them my business. My MIL suggested that I take it to a little bead shop downtown and see if they could fix it.
The bracelet is not beaded, so I was skeptical, but it was worth a shot, so I took it in and what do you know...they fixed it over night. For $2.50!

Amazing what a little persistence will get you! :0)

My meditation play list

Here's my i-Tunes play list that I play late at night when I need some time to myself to reflect on the day that has just passed.

1. Word of God Speak by Mercy Me
2. While You Were Sleeping by Casting Crowns
3. Tonight I Want to Cry by Keith Urban
4. Tonight by FM Static
5. She's My Kind of Rain by Tim McGraw
6. I Melt by Rascal Flatts
7. Raining on Sunday by Keith Urban
8. Ordinary Love by Rascal Flatts
9. My Wish by Rascal Flatts
10. Open The Eyes of My Heart Lord by Mercy Me
11. I Love to Love You Out Loud by Rascal Flatts
12. Lost by Anouk
13. I Love You Just The Way You Are by Billy Joel
14. You're All I Need
15. Black Balloon
16. Bring the Rain by Mercy Me