Shocking!

With Donald gone to his friend's funeral, the boys and I decided to play the afternoon away on the trampoline. We haven't been able to play a lot this week since it has been so cold. It was still kind of chilly yesterday, but once you start jumping you forget all about that. What we didn't think about was what the mixture of jumping and cold would create -- STATIC!

After the first shock the boys knew they had a new game. Chase Mom and shock her! They took great thrills in chasing me around the trampoline and trying to shock me on various parts of my body.

Mom abuse!!! Ha!

Into Every Life Rain Must Fall

My husband received news yesterday that one of his best friends from high school would be coming home because of the death of his Dad. This was very sad news as Donald had so much respect for his friend's Dad.

This morning I received news that a friend of mine from high school, whose husband died last summer, lost her father-in-law this morning and her own mother is on a respirator.

All of this news comes after the loss of several family members by staff members at my son's school.

They say that into every life a little rain must fall, I am just glad that Jesus is there to be our umbrella. Without him it would be impossible to face weeks like these.

Where to Start?

Ever have to much to do that you don't know where to start? That is where I was today. So what did I do? Read a book. It didn't help my "to do" list, but it was a lot more fun!

I'm Not As Flexible As I Used To Be

This up and down weather may not be good for people who are trying to avoid all the sickness going around, but it sure is fun on a Sunday afternoon. It was so nice yesterday that we wanted to be outside and enjoy the fresh air and warm weather.

Even cleaning off the trampoline became a fun game for the boys. After a little while of jumping and playing they invited us to join them for some fun. If you haven't been on a trampoline in a while, it is quite a work out. It is really a work out if both of your boys are sitting in the middle wanting to play "crack the egg". After quite a while of this, I was ready for a break so I conveniently started a tickle fight to give myself a chance to catch my breath.

In the middle of our playing I was trying to show Tanner how I used to lift him up on my feet when he was about two years old. Obviously he is older and much heavier than he was at two and we couldn't quite accomplish this feat like we used to. The more we tried the more we laughed and the more determined he became.

After our fourth attempt, Todd, who had been laughing and giggling with us the whole time, said, "Come on, Tanner, she is not Gumbo!"

I started laughing hysterically. "What is it, Mom?" he said.

"I think you meant, Gumby!"

But, he is right! I'm not as flexible as I used to be!

Sisters

There is no friend like a sister. I have two sisters and I very much consider them friends. I am the proud "big sis". We are all three married and love our husbands. We love comparing notes on how much we love our husbands, their crazy quirks and the silly things they do to try to drive us nuts.

My middle sister is mom to my beautiful niece and adorable nephew. She is also a high school math teacher. If you walked into her high school you wouldn't be able to pick her out from the students because she looks like one of them. We were just laughing that her husband calls her his "young blonde trophy wife."

My baby sister is one of the sweetest people on the face of the earth. In addition to being incredibly intelligient, she has a heart as big as gold. When I am looking for perspective, I know just who to turn to.

Getting together is such a treat, but not something we get to do as often as we want to. Last night we went to see a movie and laughed ourselves silly, but what I really enjoyed was going to Fusion to have a cup of coffee. We literally talked and laughed until they kicked us out!!

At one point, a guy looked at us and said, "I want the coffee you guys are having!"

Our next sisters night can't come soon enough for me.

Planning for Easter

I am a recipe addict. I am already scouring recipes for Easter and more than likely I won't need them. My sister hosts Easter at her house and she sets our menu, but that doesn't stop me.

So far here are the recipes which I have written down on my grocery list. Some are old and some are new:

Broccoli Casserole

1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup instant rice
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1/2 cup diced process American cheese


1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 1-1/2-quart baking dish; set aside
2. Bring water and salt to boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in rice; cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.
3. Melt butter in a small skillet. Add onion and celery; sauté until tender. Stir into rice. Add soup, broccoli and cheese; stir until combined.
4. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Bake 1 hour.



Bacon and Egg Bundles (Something My Boys Can make!)

1 teaspoon butter or margarine
12 to 18 bacon strips
6 eggs
Fresh parsley sprigs



1. Lightly grease six muffin cups with the butter. In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until cooked but not crisp. Drain on paper towels.
2. Cut six bacon strips in half width-wise; line the bottom of each muffin cup with two bacon pieces. Line the sides of each muffin cup with one or two bacon strips. Break an egg into each cup. Bake, uncovered, at 325°F for 12-18 minutes or until whites are completely set and yolks begin to thicken but are not firm. Transfer to a serving plate; surround with parsley.

Brown Sugar French Toast

1 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. butter
2 T. corn syrup
1 loaf French bread, cut into 1-inch slices
5 eggs
1-1/2 c. milk
1 t. vanilla extract

Place first 3 ingredients in medium-size saucepan and heat over medium heat. Spray 13"x9" baking dish with non-stick vegetable oil. Pour hot mixture into baking dish. Place sliced bread over mixture and push bread slices closely together. Beat eggs; add milk and vanilla and mix slightly. Pour egg mixture over bread, covering each slice well. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, uncover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.

Happy Birthday, Kit Kat!

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

A year ago one of Donald's co-workers sent out a plea asking for someone to please take a sweet cat. His parents traveled a lot and they couldn't take care of her anymore. Our boys really wanted a cat and although not a kitten, this cat was perfect. She loved the outdoors and loved kids. When she came to live with us her name was "Blet" (that is the term for the spot on a banana --- yea, that is what we said too!). The boys immediately changed her name to "Kit Kat". The second day after she arrived she ran away for three days. The boys were devastated. When she returned she stayed and has never left again. She is now a sweet part of our family. Over the winter, our all outdoor cat has developed the habit of wanting to come inside at night to sleep. The boys think this is the greatest thing in the world. Donald... not so much! To her credit, she doesn't climb on any furniture or scratch or anything. She just wants to sleep and then go back outside. I am pretty sure it has something to do with the monster size raccoons we have.

Happy Birthday, Kit Kat!

On What Aisle Is That?

Last night Tanner came into the kitchen after taking a shower and he had his eyes squeezed shut. He was fussing about how he had gotten soap in his eye and wanted to know if we had any eye drops. After I finally dug through every cabinet in the house and found a bottle, we solved his problem.

After he had had a few minutes to forget his eye I asked him, "What shampoo were you using that is stung when it got in your eye?"

"I was using my shampoo, Mom."

"Tanner, I thought your shampoo was 'no tears' shampoo."

"Sure, Mom, it is no tears. Not no sting! Could you buy that next time?"

Why didn't I think of that? What aisle is that on?

Laughter is the Best Medicine

We have today off of school. These are some of our favorite kind of days. Donald comes home for lunch to play games.

The best part of today... Todd making me laugh until my stomach hurt. Todd has always had the best sense of humor. Today he and I were curled up on the couch today and something he said just struck me as funny. It snowballed from there. Before I knew it, I was laughing so hard I was literally gasping for air.

Laughter is truly the best medicine!

God's Armor... in 2008!

My boys love playing pranks on me. They think it is the funniest thing in the world. Sometimes they truly get me and sometimes I have to play along not to spoil their fun. This morning Tanner decided to put some plastic lizards on my nightstand because he thought it would make me "squeal". I couldn't disappoint him, could I?

I told him I was going to get him and started chasing him. He ran through the kitchen and grabbed up his Bible. He said, "I've got my shield of faith and it has death rays!!"

No way to compete with that!!! I had no idea the armor of God had gone so high tech!

Knock, Knock, Knock

Since our cupboards are starting to feel as bare as Mother Hubbards, Tanner and I went to SAMS to try to restock. Tanner was pushing the buggy for me as we shopped. A sweet gentlemen stopped Tanner to tell him how impressed he was with him for helping me. He gave him a $1 bill and told him he hoped that reminded him that Jesus loved him. Tanner thanked him and told him that Jesus lived in his heart.

When we walked to the car after we finished shopping, Tanner said, "Mom, even if Jesus didn't live in a person's heart, he is still there because he is just on the outside knock, knock, knocking and wanting to get inside."

The best lessons in life can't be learned in a public school classroom.

The only girl on Valentine's Day --- How lucky

Twenty years ago today my sweet hubby asked me to marry him. He was fidgety during supper which should have cued me off. He drove me around the lookout at the Reservoir and parked. I won't tell you all the sweet words he used, but I will tell you that he proposed in perfect Donald style: with a Precious Moments figurine of a boy proposing to a girl.

Donald had given me Precious Moments figurines for special moments of our life until then and he has continued to give me figurines since then: our wedding, our first anniversary, the birth of our boys, first Christmas, etc.... Because of how our marriage started, Valentine's Day holds extra special meaning for us.

This morning when I woke up I was kind of sad because I love doing special things for my guys on Valentine's Day, but with a house full of flu this week I haven't quite been free to go and shop for the things to be prepared like I wanted to be. I had planned on surprising Tanner with a version of Elvis' grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich (recipe below) since he is on such an Elvis kick right now. I was going our traditional chocolate dipped strawberries and surprise the boys with their favorite treat -- a fondue supper.

When you are the only girl in the house and your husband is such a sweetie, it is hard to be down very long. Tanner was the first one to surprise me with his homemade Valentine. At some point during his flu induced state this week, he had drawn special Valentines for each one of us and put us all to shame. Next Tanner walked in with a sweet card from Donald. I won't share what it said, but I know I will read it over and over and over! I even had a surprise as I was taking my shower. I was washing my hair and looked down to find a heart shaped soap that was engraved with "I love you!"

Sometimes being the only girl in a house full of so much testosterone can be overwhelming, but most days I am just overwhelmed by how much I am loved!!


Grilled Peanut Butter and Banana Split Sandwich (from Cooking Light)

Ingredients
2 (1-ounce) slices firm white sandwich bread, divided
1 teaspoon butter, softened
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon semisweet chocolate minichips
1 large strawberry, thinly sliced
1/2 small banana, cut lengthwise into 3 slices (about 2 ounces)
1 tablespoon pineapple jam

Preparation
Spread one side of each white bread slice with 1/2 teaspoon butter. Combine peanut butter and honey; spread over plain side of 1 bread slice. Sprinkle with chocolate chips; top evenly with strawberry slices and banana slices. Spread pineapple jam over plain side of remaining bread slice. Carefully assemble sandwich. Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sandwich; cook 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.

Yield
1 serving (serving size: 1 sandwich)

Bananas!

When bananas are on sale I am tempted to buy a "bunch", but then I buy the same amount as normal because I know they will just go to waste if I do. Bananas are always so appealing (seriously - I am not trying to come up with these) when they are stacked up in that display. However, after a couple of them I have had my fill.

Today while looking for a fruit smoothie recipe I read that you can actually keep banana slices for up to six months in your freezer if you toss them in lemon juice and store them in a freezer bag. I am definitely going to try that and this new smoothie recipe:

Ingredients
1 medium-size ripe banana, cut into 1-inch slices

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 medium mango, peeled and cut into pieces

1 1/2 cups pineapple-orange juice, chilled

1 (8-ounce) container nonfat vanilla yogurt


Preparation

Toss banana with lemon juice; drain, reserving lemon juice. Place banana slices on a baking sheet, and freeze 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Process frozen banana slices, reserved lemon juice, mango, 1 1/2 cups pineapple-orange juice, and yogurt in a blender until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Pour into chilled glasses; serve immediately.


Yield
Makes 4 cups (serving size: 1 cup)

Cell Phone vs. Bible

This arrived in my email this morning. A good comparison!

CELL PHONE vs. BIBLE I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone? What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets? What if we flipped through it several times a day?What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?What if we used it to receive messages from the text?What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?What if we gave it to Kids as gifts? What if we used it when we travelled?What if we used it in case of emergency?This is something to make you go..hmm. Where is my Bible? Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.Makes you stop and think 'where are my priorities?' NO REJECTED calls!

NO FLAT BATTERY !!!!

NO 'pls call me' coz He will call on you ALL THE TIME!!!!

The "Four Things" List

I've seen this on other blogs, but it finally arrived in my inbox this morning.

A) FOUR PLACES I GO OVER AND OVER
1. School (either Highland or Ann Smith)
2. Church
3. Cappy's BP (I love their Curtis coffee machine!)
4. Mac's Grocery Store

B) Four People who e-mail me: (regularly)
1. Shane
2. Helen
3. Allison
4. Donald

C) Four of my favorite foods:
1. Penne Pasta from Macaroni Grill (I've found the copycat recipe and I'm going to figure out how to make it.)
2. Pecan Crusted Fish (I have gotten o.k. at making pecan crusted chicken, but cooking fish is not something I am very good at so I usually order it if a restaurant is serving it.)
3. Chocolate Covered Strawberries (A Valentine tradition... can't wait!)
4. black and bleu salad from Parker House

D) Four places I would rather be right now:
1. In a mountain cabin on vacation with my husband and boys
2. Taking the boys to go somewhere snow skiing
3. Curled up in bed with a Seattle Drip "Summit" coffee and a pile of books
4. At a "chick flick" with a bunch of girl friends

E) Name four people who will respond to this email:
1. Shera
2. Mom
3. Krisa
4. Felicia

F) Four shops I would shop at over and over: (Seriously? Just four!!!))
1. Pier One
2. Target
3. Barnes & Noble
4. Ann Taylor Loft

Bullseye!

I woke up at 1:30 last night to see lights on in the living room. When I went to investigate I found Tanner sitting in the chair wrapped up in a blanket watching television. He said he couldn't sleep and he had that unmistakable sheen to his cheeks. FEVER! It was high and I knew what you are already guessing. He had the flu.

As soon as the doctor's office opened we took him in for the flu test and it came back positive. We are now doing yet another family activity... Tamiflu.

Poor Tanner is miserable with body aches. He can't find a comfortable place to sit or rest. He is also coughing so much I think if he could get comfortable he wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. I called the nurse and her response was "give it a little time." I insisted that she give him stronger cough medicine but her sigh over the phone told me she thought I was being ridiculous. What she thinks doesn't matter at this point. My guy is coughing until he gets sick and turning blood red. I think that is a definite sign that the cough medicine isn't working!

I really hope that your house is healthy.

(This blog was sprayed with Lysol before posting!!)

Walking in Heaven

This morning I will be going to support a friend as she says goodbye to her mother. We will be celebrating her mother's life and hopefully silently sending her strength during what will most definitely be a very difficult day.

I find it almost appropriate that her funeral would be on Ash Wednesday. If anyone understands loss it is definitely our Lord. He gave up his only Son so that we could have eternal life. He will most definitely be hugging my sweet friend today in both her joy and sadness.

I know that Ash Wednesday and Lent has typically been thought of as Catholic holidays, but as I have grown in my faith I have come to embrace Lent in the same was as I have embraced Advent. Both are times leading up to the two most important holidays in a Christian's life.

For me, Lent is a time to evaluate the things that are keeping me from God. It is a time of refocusing on what is most important. My journey with Jesus Christ.

One day I want to join my friend's Mom walking in heaven.

Take the Fibro Test

Posting the fact that I have fibromyalgia on my blog has opened the door for people to ask me about it. The thing about fibromyalgia is that it is so hard to describe to people. Most of the time I have told people to imagine having the achese of the flu... all the time 24 hours a day seven days a week.

However, recently I saw on a website that the National Fibromyalgia Association has created a challenge to show non-sufferers what the pain is like. Here is how it works:
***Place a clothespin on your finger
***Set a timer for 30 minutes
***See how long you can bear the pain. Did you leave the clothespin on for 15 minutes? 10? 5?
Now imagine not being able to take the clothespin off ever! Imagine this pain for the rest of your life. This should help you understand what it is like to live with constant fibromyalgia pain.

Being diagnosed with fibromyalgia was life changing for me. However, seeing the circumstances through God’s eyes has allowed me to control the fibro instead of it controlling me. “The LORD God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hind’s feet, and makes me walk on my high places” (Hab. 3:19).

Toxic People

I discovered a long time ago that my fibromyalgia is a lot more manageable if I control it instead of it controlling me. I was diagnosed in 1994 so learning to live with fibromyalgia has been quite a journey for me.

One of the hardest decisions that I had to make was to eliminate some toxic people from my daily life. Having the power to stay away from these toxic people has improved some of the aspects of my fibromyalgia tremendously. That freedom has been an amazing thing.

My body is in a sense of trauma after dealing with my "toxic" people this past weekend. I could feel my body tensing up the entire day before their arrival and the entire time they were visiting. Now I am trying to detox and convince my body to unwind.

I try to convince my body not to let them have this much affect over me, and I am improving, but ultimately the stress of trying to maintain control affects me deeply.

This is one weekend when I am going to be so glad to see Monday arrive.

Become Like A Little Child

When I woke Tanner up this morning he had the biggest smile on this face. This isn't unusual for him as he usually has a big smile on his face.

"Tanner, I love waking you up in the morning because you always wake up smiling!" I told him.

He grinned and responded, "Why wouldn't I? Everything is perfect and I have everything I need!"

Now I know why God said we must all become like little children.