Saturday, October 25, 2008

A Change of Pace

Well, since I see that I do have a reader out there, I am inspired to continue. I don't feel very creative. My first blog I ever did was so good. I even impressed myself. Now I guess that if I'm going to write, I will have to settle for mediocrity at the moment.

Today was fun. Today was different. Recently as a family we have been so busy with everything... soccer, get-togethers, going different directions. Today, J, Moo, and I went out and did something as a family... just us. We went up to Dave & Busters and did some geocaching. We just went with the flow. Our travels also took us to a Halloween store, Value City furniture (checking out mattresses), and to the mall. (This mall actually has a Disney Store that didn't go out of business.)

We stayed busy today, but for once we were busy together. That felt good.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Rad Ramens

I tried a new recipe today. It basically spells out how lazy I've been so far this summer. I found this Ramen noodle recipe on http://www.mattfischer.com/ramen/ - The Official Ramen Homepage. While my sister and brother-in-law may not agree with the title of this recipe, (my brother-in-law burnt down their kitchen cooking Ramen noodles) these were pretty good! In fact, they're all gone and I want some more!

Rad Ramens
Submitted By: Chef Will
Submitted From: Oregon

Ingredients:

2 packs ramen
1 Tbsp. cold butter
1 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tsp. brown sugar
Optional: Sauteed garlic

This works with the following flavors: beef, oriental, shrimp and in a pinch, pork; although you may find that you need no seasoning at all. Boil your ramens until al dente, drain. Keep the pot, and return to heat. Add soy sauce, brown sugar, the packet, and a touch of water. This small amount will quickly begin to simmer. Remove from heat, swirl in cold butter. You will have a velvetty emulsion sauce if done right. The al dente noodles will still be hot in the colander/strainer. Add them back to the pot and toss. This is delicious. If you’ve more on hand, sauteed garlic works well (just before adding soy sauce), or slightly browned onions or shallots. If you prefer your ramen soupy, prepare sauce in different pan and add to finished soup. I’ve cooked this for many friends, and all love it.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Selling Lemonade and Tattoos

At the Seville yard sales this weekend, we decided to let Moo sell lemonade. My nephew decided to sell tattoos. They did pretty well with their sales.

In the late morning an Amish man pulled his buggy to the side of the road and asked if he could tie his horse to the post in my cousin's yard. Since the space was needed, we had to tell him no. As he pulled away, Moo and nephew asked the Amish guy, "Would you like lemonade or a tattoo?"

I had to laugh at that one!

Are You Excited About Heaven?

Sermon notes from June 15, 2008
Northside Christian Church - Robin Hart
Hebrews 11:13, 16

7 Reasons to be Exicted About Heaven

1. We get a New Body - Philippians 3:20, 1 Corinthians 15:50-54, 2 Corinthians 5:4

2. We'll Get to Eat Great Food - Matthew 8:11, Revelation 19:9

3. We Get to Talk with Bible Characters

4. We Get to See and Speak with Our Loved Ones - 2 Samuel 12:23, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17

5. We'll Get to Live in a Perfect World - Revelation 21, Phillipians 3:20, Luke 10:20, Revelation 20:15, Revelation 21:27, Revelation 7:16,17, Revelation 21:4, Romans 7:18-25

6. We'll Get a New Home - John 14:1-3, Hebrews 11:10, Revelation 7:9

7. We'll Get to See God

1 John 3:2

Monday, June 9, 2008

My Wart

Moo, J, and I were swimming in my mom's and dad's pool yesterday. Moo had latched onto my back and we were swimming around together. I said, "J, look at this wart I have on my back."

A bit later, Moo was still on my back. J was messing around with her, trying to get her off my back. She said to him, "Stop! I'm mommy's wart!"

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Two Soccer Games in One Day

Moo's soccer team had a double-header today. In between the games, she was explaining this to someone. She said, "We have a two-header today!"

They lost the first game, but won game number two - their first win for the season!

Monday, May 19, 2008

Will the Real Frog and Toad Please Stand Up?

Sometimes the gap between what kids know and what we think they know is larger than we realize. Last week Moo's first grade class went to see the play "Frog and Toad All Year" based on the book by Arnold Lobel. After seeing the "Sound of Music" and the ballet "Cinderella," I figured Moo knew what a play was.

I called her after she got out of school to ask her how it was.

The first thing out of her mouth was, in a gruff voice of realization, "Frog and Toad were people!"

I still have no idea what she expected.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Not Easy.

My sister's kitchen caught on fire yesterday. She and my niece and nephew were not home. My brother-in-law was. Everyone's safe.

The damage is quite extensive. Although the fire was contained in the kitchen, the smoked filled the entire house. All the food and everything plasic in the house is a loss. A lot of other stuff can be cleaned. The kitchen and bathroom will have to be redone. Cleaning and painting will be done throughout the whole house, as well as all new carpeting.

They'll be out of their house for at least three months. It won't be easy.

We have helped after work the past two days. It is disheartening to see all that has to be thrown away. I know it's all just "things," but the idea of listing all my belongings on a sheet and then throwing them away is not easy... wedding memorabilia, vacation souvenirs, family photos, pictures the kids made. Just not easy.

I remind myself that God has a plan for everything. In fact, I've allowed my mind to wander and think of the good that may come of all this. I know that God has good things in the works for my sister's family.

However today, there's that ball in the pit of my stomach that watched my sister throw item after item. Not easy for me. Even harder for her and her family.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Pressing On

Most things I've tried, I've been pretty good at. A good majority of those things I've even been a bit above average in. (I'm not talking about anything athletic of course.) But in my adult life, I've come across something that continually kicks me in the butt. Something I work at, think about, and try over and over. But I seem to mess up - all the time. It's at the point sometimes that I feel like I've failed and I should just drop out. I've never been a quitter though and so I never fully drop out.

I guess that's the one of the things I have going for me.

Philippians 3:12-14 I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. (The Message)

Saturday, March 29, 2008

500th Geocaching Find!!!


Today Moo, my friend M, and her daughter, and I went geocaching in Akron, after having lunch at Whitehouse (Chicken... Yum!) We knew that Moo and I could find our 500th cache today. I wanted to pick a fun cache to find. It worked out well. We found one close to Derby Downs, where the Soapbox Derby is held. It was inside a sports bottle that was tucked inside a tree. Moo traded a finger light for a pin. So much fun!

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

The Buxton Bag


I was just talking to someone the other day about Moo's love for those "As Seen on TV" commercials that advertise products. She watches them and then comes to tell me we should get the product advertised.


Today it was "The Buxton Bag."


"Mom! Come here fast! You need this! Come here! Come here! It's a bag that organizes all your things. It has a pocket for your cell phone. You won't miss any phone calls. You should get it!"


I chuckled.


I chuckled even more when she ended with, "Gee, that was a mouthful!"
(Looking for my pic, I stumbled onto this website http://www.asseenontvguys.com/. I must keep Moo away from this site!)





Sunday, March 23, 2008

Life REALLY Explained

I awoke this morning ready to sing the praises of my Savior. I'm not a great singer, but I know my voice of praise was pleasing to Him. The songs that rose from my lips were the old hymns that I sang growing up. Even worse than my singing voice is my memory for lyrics. I was then compelled to look up some of they hymns so I could actually sing them.

Contained within these lyrics is the REAL meaning of LIFE!

He Arose

He Lives

Christ the Lord is Risen Today

Lead Me to Calvary

The Old Rugged Cross

Were You There?

When I Survey the Wonderous Cross

Because He Lives

Here are a couple songs we sang from the service this morning. I love these lyrics as well. They are a lot newer than the hymns listed above.

Wonderful Merciful Savior

How Deep the Father's Love for Us

Happy Easter! Christ Jesus is risen today!

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Life Explained

My friend just sent me this. I read it before and loved it. Now I'm passing it on.

On the first day, God created the dog and said: 'Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years.' The dog said: 'That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?' So God agreed.

On the second day, God created the monkey and said: 'Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span.' The monkey said: 'Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the Dog did?' And God agreed .

On the third day, God created the cow and said: 'You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer 's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years.' The cow said: 'That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?' And God agreed again.

On the fourth day, God created humans and said: 'Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years.' But the human said: 'Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?' 'Okay,' said God, 'You asked for it.'

So that is why for our first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone. Life has now been explained to you.

There is no need to thank me for this valuable information. I'm doing it as a public service.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Muddy Day

Today was rainy. Really rainy.

I took Moo to my mom's and dad's before school, as I usually do. This is where we decided to bury Oswald. A couple of thoughts came to her mind, concerning all the rain and our deceased feline.

"I hope Oswald stays warm today. I know he will get muddy."

These comments just make me think and wonder how these thoughts came to be in her mind. How does she understand death and burial? I refrained from explaining anything this time. I figure I'll let her formulate her own ideas for the time being, especially since she was so matter-of-fact when she said these things.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Oswald



One of the hardest decisions of my adulthood, to this point, was made this weekend. Our cat, Oswald, stopped eating a couple weeks ago. He got progressively worse. Last Monday I had him into the vet. The visit cost almost $200. It included the office visit, fluids, and a blood test. The blood test came back okay. That meant choosing whether or not we would do further testing.

Each day we tried to get him to eat or show some sign of recovery. Nothing. After debating between the testing and euthanizing him, we chose to put him to sleep. I was on my own, since my hubby already had plans on Saturday and I didn't expect Moo to be there, although I gave her the option. I'm glad she didn't want to be there. She was with me when I buried him though.

It was a hard decision, but after I made the decision the one girl in the office told me that she always promised herself that she when her cats get so sick, that she will just let them go. That way, she saves her resources to rescue other animals that need her help. For pets, she believes that quality of life is more important that quantity. She made me feel so much better about our decision. She was absolutely wonderful. They made clay paw prints for us.

We had Oswald for almost ten years. We got him shortly after moving into our house. We named him on the way home from the farm where we picked him up. He was named after the character, Oswald, on The Drew Carey Show. Oswald was the very first living creature that J and I were in charge of on our own. The wall in our kitchen still shows that it was a temporary scratching post for him at one time.

It is strange to not have him around. I believe Moe, our dog, was even looking for him when we mentioned Oz's name today. We will miss his meow, his silent attacks on our feet, and his massive presence at the foot of our bed. Oswald was a great pet.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

How Sweet It Is!


This is Moo's first year in Brownie Girl Scouts. It also means that it was her first year selling Girl Scout cookies. The sale went well. She sold over 300 boxes... almost $1000 worth! We have distributed a good amount of cookies, but have lots more to go.

My sister's family was one of the first to get theirs. My three year old niece, "H", was so excited when the cookies arrived and she was bouncing up and down excitedly. Later on that evening, my sister gave "H" a cookie. "H" held the cookie up in the air, looked at it, and then exclaimed, "When I grow up... I want to be a Girl Scout cookie!"

She'll always be my sweet little cookie!

Saturday, February 16, 2008

How to Dream Bigger

Sermon notes from January 27, 2008
Northside Christian Church - Robin Hart

Ephesians 3:20 (Living Bible) "God, by His mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of, infinately beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts or hopes."

QUOTE - William Cary. "Attempt great things for God. Expect great things from God."

I. Five types of people
1. Those with NO dream. 3 results - frustration, boredom, and regrets.
2. Those who have a LOW dream.
3. Those who have the WRONG dream.
4. People who have a VAGUE dream. (John 17:4; Ephesians 3:11)
5. Those with GOD'S dream.

II. Eight steps on how to get God's dream
1. Open your mind to God. (Inspiration)
2. Do some research. (Information)
3. Start asking for advice. (Consultation)
4. Establish priorities. (Selection)
5. Evaluate the cost. (Evaluation)
6. Plan for problems. (Preparation)
7. Be willing to risk. (Confrontation)
8. Do it now. (Initiation)

III. Be aware of five potential dream busters
Family, Friends (Mark 5:35-36; Psalm 1:1-3; Exodus 23:2), Fatigue, Failure, Fear (Numbers 13:1; 18-20; 26-28)

Thursday, February 7, 2008

A Bad Mistake

You probably know the story. A mouse ran into a lion one day and the lion said, "Stop! I'm going to eat you." The mouse says, "Please don't and someday I will help you." The lion says, "You're too little to help me," but he lets the mouse go anyway.

Sometime later, the lion is caught in a hunter's net. The mouse gnaws through the rope to let the lion go. And they live happily ever after.

So the question presented on Moo's homework was, "What can you learn from this story?"

Moo's response... "Never eat your friends. That would be a bad mistake."

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Moo's Favorite Part

I'm having problems keeping up with one blog, so I figured I would start another! Just rereading that sentence makes me think to myself, "Yeah, that sounds like something I would do!"

My new blog focuses on one idea - our daughter's favorite part of her daily life. Often I ask her, "What was your favorite part of today?" Sometimes she says she doesn't know, but more often she will offer up a favorite memory of the day. Usually her favorite parts are small, everyday things that we wouldn't think twice about if we didn't recap her day. But those small, everyday things are what makes life worth living!

Remember your favorite parts of being seven years old?

http://moosfavoritepart.blogspot.com/

So Far, So Great!

January 1st, I wrote that my New Year's Resolution is to read the Bible everyday. After I finished my blog, I did some more clicking around on the Internet and I found several pages about reading the Bible in a year. One that really caught my eye was http://eword.gospelcom.net/year/. They have five Bible reading plans in over 50 different translations.

I decided that reading the Bible in a year is not completely unrealistic. Perhaps, I'm trying to make up for lost time! I am reading it in chronological order - in the order the events actually happened in history. The New International Version and The Message will be the main translations I use. I have read the Bible everyday, but I'm a few days behind on getting the whole thing read in a year. Right now, I am mostly reading it in The Message translation, but when something strikes me as interesting, I check it out in the NIV.

I pray that this year will be year of spiritual growth for me!

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Happy 2008!

I've been looking through some other blogs today and noticed that most of them have posted Happy New Year posts, so I guess I'll go along with that. Their blogs speak of making resolutions or not making resolutions or making anti-resolutions.

I think I'll start with a reflection of 2007. It was okay. We went through some tough times this year, but nothing ultimately terrible. I'm not sure that people around me would say that I was laid back, but that's definately how I feel I handled life this past year. Maybe a little bit too much, if you saw the condition of my house. I tried to accept the fact that I have little control over my life and trusting God will get me to where I'm supposed to be. And for this moment, I'm supposed to be here, dealing with and/or accepting things as they are.

So, I wasn't going to make any resolutions, but as I was typing this, I was thinking of years that I have made resolutions. I wrote them down and I actually did pretty good with them. Writing them down is an important aspect of making resolutions/goals. A couple months back, I made a goal to write at least four times a week on my blog. Well, that hasn't exactly happened, but I haven't given up on it either.

I am going to go back to a goal that I had for many years of my life and I've fallen away from it - I want to read the Bible everyday. I'll admit that I just squeezed it in today. A couple minutes before midnight, I read Ecclesiates 3. I think a passage that is just right for New Year's Day.

Another goal I have for the year is to get rid some of the clutter in our house. I need to make some sort of plan or I'll never get this done. One idea I have to accomplish this goal is to have a yard sale or two in the spring. Everything I don't sell, will go elsewhere. It has to be that way. I just need the strength to do it.

That's quite a bit to think of for the moment, but I do like the idea that a goal can be set at anytime. I can make changes in my life whenever I feel they're beneficial. An example of that from the past year is that we are now eating more meals at the table (even when it's cluttered!) After years of having hubby on third shift, eating at the table was never something we did. It was also never a habit I learned in my childhood. I think this is an extremely positive change.

2008 - here we go!