Too Bad... So Sad...

When I was growing up the phrase I hated to hear the most was "Because I said so!" Even when I was little I thought, "That is not a reason!" When I was the ripe old age of seven I made a promise to myself. I am NEVER going to tell my children that that silly phrase.

So far to this day I have kept that promise to myself. Of course, Todd is ten and Tanner is six which means that they have not hit the teenage years. From what I am observing in friends who already have teens, those years may test my resolve with this phrase.

I have found myself using my own phrase which I created when Todd was about three. I cannot stand whining. If he asked a question and I answered it and he would start whining about it I would say, "Too bad. So sad. Go call your Dad."

I found found myself saying this phrase more and more for more situations. I am wondering if this has become my modern day replacement for "Because I say so!" If so... "Too bad. So sad. Go call your Dad!"

Newlyweds

Donald flew to Florida this past weekend for the wedding of his cousin, Barry. He married a school teacher named Jennifer. I hope that they will be half as happy as Donald has made me.

I am convinced that marriage is the biggest job that you will ever have. Some days you are completely in love with each other and some days you literally have to decide to bite your tongue not to say the wrong thing. However, love is a choice and it is one that Donald and I have made for 18 years. I can't imagine being with anyone but Donald.

It's Magic... Tree House

Tanner entered his first Reading Fair at school. He chose the book Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs Before Dark. He worked and worked and worked on his project. He has had a good teacher because he has been watching Todd work on his projects for the past several years.

His principal called today and said that his project won first place! They will be taking it to the District Fair tomorrow. He was so excited that he was bouncing off the walls. His only disappointment was that his best friend, Sam's project, wasn't going too.

Snow Day in Ridgeland!

This morning when our phone rang, I jumped up running because I knew it was my Mom calling with the news that it was snowing outside. I had gotten up several times during the night to check, but I knew that when those first flakes started falling my Mom would see them.

No one loves snow like my Mom. When God was creating my Mom he must have thought a little about where to place her here on earth. She would have made the perfect "snow bunny". She is simply adorable and I can imagine she would have made a wonderful skier. She loves the outdoors and thinks snow is absolutely wonderful. However, like every other perfect decision God has made, God knew that Mississippi was the perfect place for my Mom. First of all, that is where my Daddy is and I can't imagine one without the other.

Also, I think in some ways that God takes great delight in seeing my Mom's face when she sees those snowflakes falling!

Does My Dental Plan Cover Chocolate

I am not a big fan of dental work. If I had to choose, I would "almost" choose to go through labor again before I would choose to have dental work. I said almost.

Because of intense fear of dental work I tend to put off having it done until it is really necessary. That was the case with my most recent visits. I have this terrible habit of grinding my teeth in my sleep and I had done some damage to my teeth which needed to be repaired. My dentist also wanted to replace some of the really old silver fillings which I had.

Two visits later and I practically have new teeth. (Or so says my husband!)

Since Tanner hated my silver fillings, I couldn't wait to show him that they had been removed and now my teeth were white and pretty like his. When I picked him up from school the first thing I did was show him. He put his hands on both sides of my face and looked once, twice and even a third time before he said, "Mom, all the chocolate is gone from your teeth!!!"

And I didn't even know my dental plan covered that!!

Daddy!

My boys and I have something in common when it comes to bad weather! We all want Daddy!

Yesterday the guys were home because of sickness when the bad weather and tornado threats rolled through our neighborhood. Their ways of dealing with stress is as different as their personalities. Big guy sat in the closet cracking jokes and pretending the vacuum hose made him sound like Darth Vadar to distract him while little guy sat perfectly still clasping his favorite stuffed animal, "Soft Tailed Baby", in one hand and me with his other. My husband called to check on us after they evacuated his office downstairs for safety. After we hung up the phone, little guy opened his eyes for the first time and said hopefully, "Is Daddy coming home?" I explained how we didn't want him to drive in bad weather. He looked at me unconvinced and said, "It is just safer when Daddy is here."

I completely understand how he feels. I felt the same way about my Daddy when I was little.. and I still do. I was a scaredy cat kid, but as long as my Daddy was close by I never felt scared. Would my Mom move the same mountains that Dad would? Sure. Just like I would for my boys, but there is something that is different that is different about a Daddy's protection.
I think there is a very specific reason for that. It is modeling. This sense of safety and security that I received from my Daddy is what allowed me to develop such a sense of safety and security in my Heavenly Father. It is what allowed me to sit in a closet with my two guys praying yesterday, winds howling, rains pouring, hail falling, and say with complete faith that our "Daddy" was with us and keeping us safe.

Because of my husband, I also know that this same modeling is what will allow our boys to grow up and know their Heavenly Father in the same way.

God Answers Knee-Mail!

A friend sent me this over email and I loved it. I wanted to post it on my blog so I would have it in a permanent place as a reminder for myself!!

1. Wake Up!! Decide to have a good day. "Today is the day the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalms 118:24

2. Dress Up!! The best way to dress up is to put on a smile. A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks. "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward appearance; but the Lord looks at the heart." I Samuel 16:7

3. Shut Up!! Say nice things and learn to listen. God gave us two ears and one mouth, so He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking. "He who guards his lips guards his soul." Proverbs 13:3

4 . Stand Up!!... For what you believe in. Stand for something or you will fall for anything. "Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good..." Galatians 6:9-10

5. Look Up!!... To the Lord. "I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me." Phillippians 4:13

6. Reach Up!!... For something higher. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, And He will direct your path." Proverbs 3:5-6

7. Lift Up!!... Your Prayers. "Do not worry about anything; instead PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING." Philippians 4:6

God answers Knee-Mail.

Allergic to School

After having two weeks of so much fun, when Todd woke up Sunday morning running a fever we teased him that he must be allergic to school. A trip to the doctor that included a shot and antibiotic told us that this was one major allergic reaction!

Now I am trying to get him well, fight off the symptoms I am experiencing and keep Donald and Tanner from getting sick.

Can you buy stock in Airborne? If so, I need to!

Back to School Blahs

The only sounds in my house is the clicking of my keyboards typing this blog entry. It is too quiet with the boys back at school today. I know that this lull won't last long because soon I will begin receiving calls to sub and my "to do" list will get longer and longer, but it is just this initial back to school day that I hate.

Food for Thought

I found this quote while starting this book. If the rest of the book has more "food for thought" like this then it will be a really good book!!

"At the end of a materially rich day, Consumerism says, "Buy more."
At the end of a spiritually rich life, God says, "Well done, my good and faithful servant.""

-- SERVE GOD, SAVE THE PLANET
by J. Matthew Sleeth, MD

I "Q", Do You?

Shopping at QVC is a habit I developed quite by accident. "Q" has become the newest letter in the television rating system at our house. Most everyone is familiar with "G", "PG", "PG13", and "R"(which stands for R U Kidding?)

We added "Q" (as in "turn to QVC until that is off") the day Tanner (then 5 years old) walked into the kitchen and asked me what erectile dysfunction meant. He was watching a daytime Disney show -- why do they need e.d. commercials during that hour? Of course, last night we were watching football and pigs were selling condoms and I didn't understand that either (no I am not kidding).

So our rule is this: Watch your parent approved television show, but when the commercials come on, flip over to QVC.

With all this flipping, we have seen some really cool stuff. Our boys now both have cool video chairs. I bought my husband a great power washer. I even bought a present for a sweet little girl who has a birthday in January.

I'm not your typical QVC shopper, but according to their latest commercial I am in pretty good company.

Warming Up Our Insides

Baby, it's cold outside! My friend and were talking this morning about how this weather is just a little too cold for us. It is hard to get motivated to do anything when covered by blankets and holding a mug of coffee. The boys are running around the house playing with friends and I am just enjoying the sounds of these last days of Christmas break. Even the thought of going to basketball practice tonight is too much like the regular "routine" for me.

All this cold weather does make me want to cook warm foods to warm up our insides. I start wanting things like soup and things I can make in my crockpot. We love red beans and rice, but somehow my recipe has morphed into something that is more chili like than just red beans, but we like it anyway. The boys have been asking for something "sweet" so I think we'll make some simple graham cracker cookies.

Deanna’s Red Beans & Rice

Here is my recipe for red beans and rice that I made for today’s lunch.

2 cans dark kidney beans
1 ½ lbs. ground round
1 lb. hot link sausage
½ cup chopped bell pepper
½ cup chopped onion
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can Hunts special sauce
1 large can stewed tomatoes
Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper (to taste)
Oregano and parsley (to taste)

Brown meat and onion and drain. Drain one can of the red beans and then add both cans to the ground beef. Add the rest of the ingredients in large pan. Cook 2 hours on medium heat stirring occasionally. Lower heat and simmer another 2 hours. Serve over cooked rice.

Graham Cracker Cookies


20 to 25 graham crackers
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup margarine
3/4 cup chopped nuts
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup candy-coated chocolate candies
Place graham crackers in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with non-stick vegetable spray. In a medium saucepan, melt sugar, butter and margarine; boil for about 4 minutes. Pour mixture over graham crackers; sprinkle with remaining toppings. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove and cool on wax paper.

My Warped Sense of Humor

I found this website (http://www.despair.com/viewall.html) and it cracked me up. It just shows what a warped sense of humor I have, but still, I was laughing!!

It is based on this photos that we have all seen that have the inspirational sayings on them, but instead this website is called "demotivators".

Here are a few of my favorites:

Challenges

"I expected times like this, but I never expected them to be so bad, so long and so frequent."

Compromise

"Let's agree to respect each other's views no matter how wrong yours may be."

Sweets for my Sweetie

Every year our next door neighbor gives us two bags of Mammoth Whole Pecans that he buys in Yazoo City. These are the best pecans around by far (and we adore our neighbor too.)

Yesterday Donald asked if I would make him some pecans like you buy at the pecan houses. For me, the simpler the recipe the better, so I did a search and found two that couldn't have been easier. I wound up making two batches of pecans: chocolate dipped pecans and praline pecans.

Chocolate Dipped Pecans
1 16 oz block Ghiradelli dipping chocolate
pecans

Melt, and let dry!! Couldn't be easier!!


Pecan Pralines (compliments of Paula Deen)

2 cups whole pecans
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
4 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl until well mixed. Spread in a square greased baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Stir. Bake for another 10 minutes. Stir. Remove from oven and let cool. Store in airtight container.

My sweetie was so happy with his treats.

Starting The New Year's with Friends

What better way to start a New Year than surrounded by the laughter and fun of friends? That is exactly how our boys wanted to spend the first day of this year. They invited friends over to play and have fun.

Donald and I have had a blast watching them have fun. Most of Tanner's fun has come from devising pranks to play on his big brother. That Germany mischievousness is really coming out today. I hear lots of whispering and covert words being exchanged in their planning. It doesn't help that Donald let them get whoopie cushions while they were in Memphis. Be careful where you sit at our house because the boys (all three!) think they are hysterical.

Todd and Andrew are spending the day together which means they are having a blast. I am glad that they are such good friends. They talk for hours on their cell phones. I am so glad Shera and I got them the free mobile to mobile service.

Happy New Year, guys! I hope it continues the way it started... filled with friends.