A MEME

All you have to do is copy from my blog to yours and place 10 items you have done at the end of the list. Bold ALL the items that apply to you (include the ones you added).
Come on and have a little fun!

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland/world

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (from the beach)

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Built a snow man

101. Been Snorkeling

102. Have let your kids go to bed dirty

103. Been to New Hampshire

104. Watched the Twin Towers fall - Live on TV

105. Drove Lombard Street in San Fran

106. Drove through Pebble Beach

107. Pumped my own gas at a full service stop

108. Been to Carmel California

109. Drove coast to coast

110. Taught my kids to say "Yes maam/No maam"

111. Spent a whole day at a spa and didn't feel guily about it.

112. Ate sushi

113. Ate escargo in France.

114. Slept for more than 12 hours in a row.

115. Stayed up all night long.

116. Went to a New Kids on the Block Concert.

117. Swam in a creek.

118. Spent a whole summer at camp.

119. Ran out of gas in traffic.

120. Ironed my hair with a clothing iron.

Homework

I hate homework.... I know that my 4th grader does, too, but I REALLY hate it.... It is starting to give me stomach ulcers, anxiety, and a new tone of voice that isn't so pleasant. Please pray for me... and my 4th grader.... We both would like to survive 4th grade!! :-) That's all.

p.s. Mom, if you are reading this, I know you are a teacher and probably feel that I should have a better attitude and/or understanding of homework, so I will apologize for this disappointment you may have in me right now. But I SERIOUSLY think homework is presently a form a torture for me in my own home!!! lol

Hotel Dork

If there were ever such a thing as a hotel dork it would be me...and probably my husband, too. We had the rare blessing and excitement to take a road trip this weekend without the kiddos. When we got to the hotel, it was as if we were in Disney World for adults and we were rather dorky about it. Of course, at the time I wasn't thinking we were dorks, it was later after I processed our thoughts, actions, and conversations.

You see, first, we thought we had died and gone to heaven b/c our hotel had a spa, a gift shop, and THREE restaurants to choose from. Serisouly, my husband said to me when we got there, "Want to go tour the hotel with me and see what it's like?" (Who tours a hotel?) We talked about how we would be able to utilize EACH restaurant at least once during our stay. Someone even asked if they could take our luggage to our room... I said no b/c I am cheap and don't want to pay someone for what I can do myself and Ragan said no b/c he is "paranoid cop man" who trusts no one with his belongings!!

Then, we get to the room and we had a KING SIZE BED! If the ceiling had been higher, we probably would have jumped on it. It was so comfortable and nice to be able to roll over and not worry about either falling off the bed or bumping your rear against the person next to you. I even woke up without a burning, aching back! I figured it was due to the fact that the hotel was willing to dish out a few extra bucks for a down comforter, pillows that weren't flat as pancakes like mine at home, and high count thread sheets...none of which this tight wad is willing to do!!! lol

Next, the highlight for me (seriously...this is true) was the in-room movie feature!!! I get SO excited when hotels have those. You get to rent movies that aren't even out on DVD yet, while wearing your pj's and no interruptions from kids! I told you, I am a dork! We considered cancelling all plans we had made, staying in our pajamas for 2 days, ordering room service from the 3 different restaurants 'round the clock, and watching $75.00 worth of rented movies! That is what I call a getaway, but since we had already bought our tickets to see the comedian, made reservations at an awesome restaurant, and couldn't agree on more than ONE movie to rent, we decided to go with our original plans!

To top off my hotel experience excitement, the little soaps and lotions in the bathroom were from Bath & Body Works... I just thought that was so neat. I mean, it was probably worth a whole $2.00, but that didn't keep me from jacking them for future travels! I know, at this point you are realizing how pathetic we are, too, aren't you?

I think some of this behavior has to do with not getting out much.... that and deep down we are DORKS!!! ( I know, meeting us you would never think that, right!! lol) So, don't ruin the thrill I get by staying in hotels and telling me about the fact that some stranger slept in the bed before me, the fact that there is no guarantee regarding the cleanliness and hygiene of the room, and that with a black light you could probably see things all over that room that would make you vomit. I choose, to remain a hotel dork and get excited over silly, simple things...because the bottom line is, these type of trips help maintain my sanity!!!!

By the way, irony of this all... the spa booked before I could use it, the Starbucks cafe's steamer broke and I couldn't get my Caramel Macchiato, we slept in so we missed out on breakfast in the restaurant we wanted to try, the gift shop closed before we could get the medicine we needed, we were too full after dinner to get room service, and the movie we rented made me cry so hard that I gave myself a headache!! LOL BUT, I still had a blast...saw a HILARIOUS comedian (Brian Regan), ate at a restaurant that rocked my world (Suga's Deep South Cuisine), and got to spend time with my favorite person in the world...my Hotel Dork Husband!

Austrian Food=Gross

Hope I am not offending anyone by the title of my blog.... but it is gross... at least what we ate.
Sous Chef Austin back in the kitchen again this week. He picked Austria for his country to cook from this week. Actually, he wanted Italy again so he could have noodles, but I said "No, we broaden our horizons and choose a different country each week until we have tried them all." BIG MISTAKE! He picked something called "Crepe Soup." The story goes that in Austria, they make crepes (or pancakes as we would call them) and what's left over they use to make soup. You cut strips of the crepe to be the "noodles" and then pour broth or stock over it, dash some pepper on it, sprinkle fresh chives & voila... a meal is ready..... at least that is what is supposed to happen.

We followed the directions exactly as they said, seasoned it exactly as they said, and served it exactly as they said... it was still gross. And just to clear the air, it wasn't the cook's fault. After all, who takes pancakes, pours chicken broth over it and serves it as a meal? I can tell you it won't be us ever again! Austin ate the crepes, but refused the rest. Even my garbage disposal "Cooper" threw the crepes to the dogs... I think it actually may still be on the floor, being that the dogs refused it as well!! lol

BUT, there was a backup plan... organic, fat free grilled cheese on whole wheat! So, we survived dinner. Sorry, no pics this week, the dish was not worth it!! ha ha

On a side note, Ragan and I are looking forward to a weekend getaway this weekend. So, pray for my mother and father... Cooper will be with them, running the show and giving them a run for their money! We however will be enjoying time together with real food (not Austrian) in a real restaurant surrounded by real adults which will not include throwing food, sippy cups, utensils, or tantrums! :-) The highlight of our weekend getaway... SLEEPING PAST 6:30!!! But, in true fashion, we will miss these boys like crazy before we even hit the interstate!

Hope everyone has a great weekend and gets to spend it with the ones they love....I know we will!! :-)

Amazing People Who Move Me

You know, there are just some REALLY amazing people and stories in this world. People who lengthen your prayer list.... stories that make you go home and hug your children tighter than usual.... family situations that make you feel super blessed, yet guilty that you have it so great.... people who absolutely amaze and inspire you... and stories you hear that make you want to do more in our short time here on this earth.

All this being said, I want to introduce you to two complete strangers who I have never seen or met. However, they have allowed me to follow their individual journeys in life and shared their burdens, fears, accomplishments, and abilities to overcome the most difficult of situations through blogging. These people are just amazing and if you ever have time (and spare tissues), you should drop in on them.

http://sccsdecker.blogspot.com

http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com

Weekend in Review

The weekend was fun-packed with kids, kids, and more kids.... and we loved it. (At least I did, Ragan didn't say either way, so I'm speaking for him...lol)

Friday night Austin's friends stayed over and were actually extremely well-behaved. I mean, four 4th grade boys here at one time and the house was still standing and all breakables intact! They had a good time and I enjoyed overhearing some of their conversations! SOOOO different than 4th grade girl conversations. They were insightful and funny and completely boyish. I ate it up!

Saturday Austin went to a birthday party Saturday afternoon and we spent the evening with my family on Saturday evening. The kids put on a "play" that they "wrote." (Actually, I think they are writing it as they went, which made it even more wild!) They even suckered Aunt Em into using her thespian skills from high school to play the "mean lady who was head of the orphanage." That was the funniest part. These "play performances" are becoming a habit when they get together. We'll send out notices on the next one...you don't want to miss them!! lol

Sunday morning was church. I have to tell you, the message was truly phenomenal....really. For those of you who are not affiliated with our church and may be reading this, here is a brief tidbit. Bro. Steve Willoughby is a missionary to Singapore (and other parts of Asia). He was diagnosed with 2 brain tumors, a tumor in his chest and a blood clot in one of the main veins in his neck (I am using layman's terms), then had a stroke a few months ago. He and his wife have 3 children. Two weeks later, his wife was diagnosed with a recurrence of cancer and had to resume chemo. He spoke about what it was like to experience fear and doubt in this world...even as a child of God. He talked about not just having faith in God, but CONFIDENCE is His love for us. Here is the scripture he used:

Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. John 4:17

It was such an experience for me to hear that scripture through his story and the revelation he underwent while experiencing these occurrences in his life.... bottom line...when we have CONFIDENCE that HE LOVES US....God who created this universe LOVES US, we will be okay. Life is not fair, sometimes not fun, and at other times absolutely devastating..... BUT, He LOVES us. It's that simple. He spoke how if we live daily at the judgement seat of Christ and have confidence in His love for us, than we have the power and ability to fight the fear and doubt that this world and Satan pounds us with. You know, the more I talk here, the more I am finding myself rambling and doing that message zero justice. So, I will shut up for now... I just couldn't bear to hear the words he spoke and not share them with others in hope that others can get the revelation about the amount of power and strength that comes with having confidence in God's loves for us. I find so many of us have fears that at times consume us, belittle us, and physically/emotionally/mentally drain us.

Okay, I'm stepping down from my "preaching podium" now and going to go return to my world of craziness and nonstop adventures, but with a new outlook on this world and the battles that come my way.... I will NOT live in fear and I have CONFIDENCE that I am loved....I hope you will, too.

This is where we found Austin when they were playing hide and seek.

I was attempting to get a group pic... how typical is this!

He was just sitting back and taking it in...oh, and eating his "peanut butter spoon."

Keaton trying to find a way around the baricade to make it upstairs!

Chillin' with Aunt Em

Kraft Ain't Got Nothin' On This Kid

As promised, Sous Chef Austin was back in the kitchen this week with his DS in hand to whip us up a meal! He picked American Mac-N- Cheese. He wanted only that for the meal, but after some nutritional guidance and education, he settled on it being a "side dish." It was from scratch, yummy and seriously better than anything out of a box! (And it counted for 75% of the calories at dinner... We added steamed broccoli and baked chicken to offset the contents of the mac-n-cheese.)

This week I had an extra helper in the kitchen! You can see in the pictures below a reason my dishwasher may not be able to hold up much longer!! Cooper is climbing EVERYTHING...steps, stairs, attic ladders, couches, table tops... if he thinks it looks fun and you turn head just long enough, then he jumps on the opportunity to see the world from a different height! His personality is blossoming everyday and I have officially given up hope that he will have Ragan's laid back, easy going temperament. :-)

To update about other things....our week has been nice. Austin started art lessons after school and is really pumped. Ragan is keeping the prisoners in check. Cooper is burning a million calories a minute due to his activity level. And Mom, well, she is surviving! She finally got the tubs holding the Christmas decor to the attic. This was after thinking they might just become a part of her permanent home decorations...kind of like the 5 enormous boxes in the computer room that are for the garage sale that has yet to take place! I think Goodwill may be the best alternative at this point.... but, if I hold out, I just might be able to make a few bucks if I get that garage sale together. And, hey, who couldn't use a few extra bucks?

By the way, our "family hiatus" (If you don't know what I am referring to, see previous blogs) has been extremely productive so far. We have been accomplishing so much and our family time has been quite unique. Austin went 2 weeks in this house with NO computer or video games and never even asked about it... that's HUGE. Aside from Wednesday nights being church night, we have been scheduling game night, movie night, cooking night, and "veg out" night, so, he hasn't had time to hide from us!! lol

We are looking forward to this weekend. Austin is having 3 friends from school....yes, I did say 3... come stay the night and I get to see my nieces and nephews at some point. So, hopefully, I will have some cute pics for the blog. So, until next time....hope you are enjoying your loves and life!

Making the flour/butter base...calorie free, of course.

Testing out the final product.

Austin's Mac-N-Cheese creation!

TROUBLE!!!!!

I never have this much fun doing the dishes!