Friday Fricasee....

Woah.

That's a gross and unusual title for this post!

Sorry for the radio silence lately. Our laptop is NOT doing well and my Husband spent like two days on the phone with Apple people to try and fix it. It's not totally fixed yet.....bear with me!

Today I thought I'd be random and just post whatever is on my mind. It's like me! I'm random like that.

I'm wearing my first Maxi dress. Zoiks! It's a long one and it has straps and a plunging neckline, but I'm wearing a nursing tank with it. It zips up the side and is shirred in the back. Very comfie, for a 92 degree day! It's orange, blue and white. Why yes, I do look like an oversized art deco painting! Thank you for noticing!

Lucie is 7 months old now. She is waking up between like 2:30 and 3:30 AM these days. I am still convinced that God is still God at that hour. Even after less than 4 hours of sleep. I think she's cutting more teeth. That's what happens when you even LOOK like you're bragging to anyone who will listen that your baby sleeps through the night! Note to self: Don't brag!!

Everyone here is really growing up and looking way older than the last time I looked at them. Especially Samantha. She'll be 11 in three months and she looks way older. I can see shades of the woman that each of my girls will become. Yes, I do need a Kleenex. Or a whole box. Thank you.

Russell is trying diligently to get off the paint that is on my scraper that I use in my kitchen for everything, but that he used to scrape the paint off of our kitchen cupboards after paint remover was applied to them. It isn't looking like the paint is going to come off. And the cupboards? Still off. Still sitting out in the garage. Yep.

Potluck at a local park this weekend with lots of people we haven't seen in years. We went to church with lots of these people years ago, and we thought it would be a good idea to get together. It should be lots of fun. Me and Russell are going out to sit at the site of said potluck from 8:30 am to 11 am, to ensure no marauders steal the spot! Should be fun.

I think we're going to go to Seattle for a day with the whole family to celebrate our 16th anniversary, which is coming up soon! I'm so. So. SOOOOO excited! I have a desire to go to Pike Place Market and just spend the time with my family!

My heart aches for my Janie today. Yes. Even after 5 years. And no, I guess one doesn't just "get over it" after a while. It's like having a quilt that is in disrepair and you go to the fabric store and get new fabric. Then you tear out that block that is ruined and sew the new fabric in. The fabric you chose is beautiful but you always remember what that other fabric looked like. You never forget that other fabric, but the new fabric in your quilt becomes soft and familiar after many washings. Janie is woven carefully into the fabric of my life. I will never forget.

I'm waiting for my lunch to get done. I can't wait! It's cod in a foil packet (en papillote) cooked in the oven. I hope it's good, cause I'm absolutely starving! Drinking a Big Train, in the meantime.

My dear MIL's sister asked me if I had seen the movie "Julie and Julia" yet, owing to my love of cooking, and I haven't. I rarely see movies because I just don't think there are any out there that are worth the money. I've never gone to a movie by myself. I'm thinking of going to this movie. Has anyone out there seen it, and do you recommend it??

Okay, is that enough for you? I could go on......I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Sunday Thoughts

~~Silly girls. Kellie, 6 and Sofia, 3 act like themselves.

~~I'm waiting for everyone to get up and grace me with their presence.

~~ It's Sunday and Daddy's HOME! I don't have to wake him up this morning. He needs to catch up on his sleep and Sundays is the day he does it.

~~Read Balancing The Sword last night while we were eating. It was a good discussion of manna and trust.

~~Watched the Walton's last night after Bible time. Mama was nodding off and it was only 9 pm!

~~Lucie fell asleep on Daddy last night during family time. So cute.

~~Craving peaches and whipped cream right now.....weird.

~~Going to my folks' place tomorrow. Dave's off and we have lots of work to do to be able to move in this fall.

~~Going to try a new leave in hair conditioner. My hair can get dry and frizzy. Hope it helps. It's called Aussie Leave in and you spray it in and leave it.

~~I have things to list on eBay but every time I try to find the pics on Dave's Mac, I can't find them! Nothing is labeled very well on there, and I don't know if they're on the laptop......

~~I really want to have a more interesting blog, but as I said in the above sentence, I can't find any pictures to post! It's a confused jumble to me and I always have to go through hundreds of meaningless pictures to get to the ones I want.

~~I started taking iron supplements again yesterday. Ferrous Gluconate. I have very, very poor, very weak blood due to an iron storage problem. I think it's already helping!

~~We have a small pumpkin patch out below our front window, and Sofia, who's 3, came in the other day and said "Mama, dose punkpins are cute and soft". Couldn't have said it any better myself!

Random!

I hope I didn't worry any of you out there, or freak you out too bad about my emotional well-being!

I have felt the Lord's presence so strongly lately and He's been giving me many revelations, many "ah-ha!" moments.

I'd like to share those moments with ya'll!

For today, I just want to say I hope you all enjoy your 4th of July!

I think I'm getting a new stroller!

I have lots of recipes to share and am contemplating a recipe day on my blog, so I can share recipes one day a week and you all won't get tired of it or overwhelmed.

My dear friends who read my blog know I'm terribly random, so, how's that for random??!!

Enjoy your weekend!

Packing Tape and Little Things

Why is it that, every SINGLE time I buy a new roll of packing tape, it gets LOST?????

It's true! I've bought at least 4 ROLLS of the stuff, and each and EVERY ONE has gotten lost!

The stuff is NOT cheap, you know??

I mean, I always, always tell myself "I'll put it here, in a safe place, and I'll be sure and find it when I need it."

It's NEVER where I put it. NEVER!!

I have a suspicion that all of my lost rolls of expensive packing tape are in that big warehouse in Roswell, NM, where all of our unmatched socks went after we put them in the dryer. It's a big conspiracy theory.

But people, I'm here to tell you, I think the subversion has come to an end! We actually FOUND the newest roll of tape!! Yep. I'm feelin' pretty good now!
**********************************************
In other news, more along the lines of serious reflections..........

A couple of weeks ago I went to the local paperback book store, where you can buy new and used books and trade your paperbacks in for credit. I saw a whole mess of books from one of my old favorite husband/wife author teams, the Thoenes (pronounced Tay-nee), so I thought I'd grab them up and read them.

I'd already read these books, and everything else by them, several years ago. But I remember them being so good that I decided to read them all again.

I bought them, to the tune of $50, and dived right in when I got home.

Well, I guess I have really changed, because I just didn't like these books at all! In the first one, the main young woman character gives away her purity, then it is referenced that she spends lonely nights burning for him!! Ah, I guess I missed that when first I read these books! The other books in this series are just like that.

To my mind, this is just one more sign of my becoming. I really have grown, and I am so sensitive now to anything that might dishonor or blaspheme God. I do not enjoy it or condone it when an author flirts with the edge like that.

I say all that to say that I had lost the receipt for my book purchase, and at this particular store, I knew I was up a creek! I wanted to bring them back and get my money back, but I didn't think this would be possible.

Still, I decided to try, so I went in just a few days later, on the off chance that they would give me a refund. Well, they know me well in there, and she did give me a credit slip for the amount of my purchase, less tax.

I was so disappointed, because I was pretty disillusioned by all of the authors that I used to like and didn't want to get any more books right now that I knew I wouldn't like..........but it was the best I could hope for, without a receipt.

I promptly lost the credit slip too!

Well, they said that if I found my receipt, they would give me a refund.

Remember, I lost said receipt.

I prayed quite fervently that the Lord would enable me to find it, as this was a major purchase and I was so remorseful for viewing, and spending my husband's money, on that kind of trash, and I wanted to remedy the situation.

I didn't find it.

But guess what? Today, Hannah was swiffing under my bed, and lo and behold, what was that tiny slip of paper she unearthed from the far reaches of Underneath the Bed?

My receipt!

God cares about the little things.

Cottage Cheese Butts and Stuff

This is the THIRD TIME I have tried to type this post. The size of my font was gigantic, and I typed it over smaller twice, but it didn't work. UGH! Here goes another try.

*********************************************************************

Today my son was outside doing Man Things. He was wielding the weed wacker with grace and aplomb, complete with the Space Man Face Protector Helmet. He did a splendid job, and now my yard looks all nice and tidy.

I've been a bit low key lately. Wait a minute. Let me rephrase that. I've been downright lazy lately! Not feeling well physically is a death knell for me, since I struggle with idleness and laziness. So I've been parenting from the couch for a few days. Ahem. Bad idea. The kids suffer, Mama suffers, and the house suffers. Waaah.

Those strawberry plants Hannah planted not too long ago are yielding a bit of fruit. Trust me, if you get your butt off of the couch (like I didn't) and plant some strawberry plants, you will never eat another fake plastic store bought strawberry ever again. They are small bursts of ruby sweetness, and The Dog thinks so too.....Grrr.

My husband finished the score he was writing for his first feature film. For those of you who don't know, a score is the music for a movie. He is now done, and the film is in final post production. It should be out in early mid July. He also finished orchestrating a CD for a chap in Pennsylvania. So, in addition to working 40 hrs a week at his job, he was doing two HUGE side jobs too. Since he's getting his music jobs done, the 100 lb burden on his shoulders is reduced by about 75 lbs. He now feels about.....oh, you do the math!!

I decided to get my cottage cheese butt off the couch earlier and go sit out in the sun. So I was basically a chair potato! I stuck my pasty white legs out in the sun, and my bones soaked up the warmth. Then The Dog thought my lap looked like a good place to sun Herself. My lap is no place for a 70 lb Black Lab puppy to sit. She's sweet though, when she's not raiding the strawberries. She likes dandelions and carrots too.

My husband is taking me out on a date Sunday. Wow. We're doing an early dinner and a matinee! The last time we were at the movies, Aslan was giving his life to satisfy the Deep Magic. We're going to see the new Indiana Jones, I think. Hmmm.

My diet stinks lately. Fritos. Homemade bean dip. Mashed potatoes. Gravy. These are things my body is no longer used to. And I feel the pounds sloshing on, even as I sit here! My stomach is not happy, people! I need to get back on the wagon. Immediately. There's nothing wrong with those foods, it's just that I can't eat them because they hurt me! Waaah.

We're having a BBQ tonight. My husband is the best griller in the universe. Remember, he's perfect. So we're having burgers, brats, beans, and potato salad. Ahem. Some of us are having those things. Waaah.

Did I mention that I have fallen off my regimented diet wagon? I'm just about having to move my stomach out of the way so I can type. Not attractive. I'm feeling really hormonal these days. I feel as fat as I ever was at 220 lbs. Oh, I mentioned that already, didn't I? Well Waaah.

My Sofia was trying to wave to you all today, but the pictures were turning out blurry. So I couldn't post them. And I have not the foggiest notion how to post a video on my blog. Or I would have posted a video of my cutie eating a neckaneen and waving to you all, so you could wave back at her. But, since I haven't a clue as to how to post video, you'll have to imagine her waving to you and wave back. Waaah.

Okay, I guess this was a combo whine fest and newsy post......

That's all. What's going on with you?

What's Happening Here

Wow, I guess it's been about 6 days since my last post!! And that's not like me at all!!

It's not because I haven't had anything to say....quiet the contrary...I've been just sifting through the thoughts in my head, wondering what to post first!

Some Funny Things:

Yesterday, our Sofia, who is two, was chasing our Russell, and she caught him and proceeded to give him a good whuppin' on his bum, and while she was doing it, she was shouting "OWIE, OWIE, OWIE!" That gave us all a good laugh! My son later said to me that he didn't realize how much fun she was to play with!!

The kids do something called "Fire One" with Sofia. She stands up on the arm of our sectional and yells "Fi One!" and the person holding her will gently push her down onto the couch, and she'll fall with her legs over her head! It's the funniest, cutest thing to see! We got it on video.

The girls are eating "Princess Sandwiches and Tea" for lunch right now, sitting at the coffee table in the living room, and Sara just piped up with, "If you drink too much Bald Headed Beanstock Tea you will get a headache!" Then she proceeded to place a crumpled up shirt on her head. She said that was her headache! Remember, she's my unique one.....we laughed so hard Hannah almost spit out her tea!

New Books:

I'm a really fast reader, and I love a good book. I just got done reading The Prophet by Frank Peretti....may I say, it was one of the most awesome books I've ever read!! I laughed, I cried, and the Lord spoke to my heart through this work of fiction. Frank Peretti is one good author!

I also recently finished The Shack, reading it on the recommendation of Dave's aunt Jackie, who loaned it to me. I know there's lots of things floating around out there, and I want to give my two cents worth about it to you. To put it plainly, I didn't like it at all. I thought the author seriously amiss by minimizing God's glory by portraying the great I AM as a fat, jolly black woman. God should never, ever be portrayed this way, according to Romans 1:21-23. Frankly, it was just so hard for me to swallow and enjoy that the God Who created the world, Who formed each one of us, Who, by His very breath can make mountains smoke and hills melt like wax, at Whose rebuke the waters flee (Psalm 104), that this powerful God could be reduced to a fat, Aunt Jemima character! The author portrayed Jesus as very cavalier, very nonchalant, and I also had a problem with that too.....I just all around didn't like the book at all.

Food:

I'm trying a crock pot Falafel recipe. I can't wait to eat it! I got it from a link on Gayle's blog. I'm excited, because it sounds good, looks good, and meets my dietary requirements perfectly.

After much tasting and mulling, I think I have finally come up with a recipe that is going to be very similar to my favorite soup at one of my favorite local eateries! The soup is called Mushroom Brie Bisque, and it is lush and comforting, and I'm pumped about trying to make my own!

I think I'm going to have a banana dipped in peanut butter and then dipped in chocolate chips today, the next time I'm hungry. Maybe! I'm trying to really watch my sugar intake, since it gives me nasty anxiety attacks.

Well, I guess life is pretty peaceful and lovely here.....tell me, have you read any good books lately, or tried any new recipes, or heard anything funny lately?? Let me know in your comment!

A fun meme

Emily is having a meme....only I didn't get tagged!

But it's kinda neat and an unusual meme, and I'm gonna post about it anyway!

It's basically like a 6 word title for a memoir you write about your life. You come up with 6 (ONLY 6) words that perfectly describe your life, link back to Emily's post, and tag 6 other friends! So, here's my title for my very own memoir:

"Lord, thank You for holding me".

Perfect for me, because He is!!!

I don't think I have 6 bloggy friends who read my blog regularly, but I'll tag as many as I can think of who are somewhat regular readers:

Marsha, because nobody's tagged her yet and I just want to hear her title!!!
eeeemommy, because I want to s-t-r-e-t-c-h her!!!
Heidi, because you can do it, sister!.........

And that's everyone I can think of! Have fun!

20 random facts about me

Okay, let's lighten up!

Here are some random things you just have to know about me!!!

I prefer Crayola Crayons to markers. You know, different brilliant colors. I'm prejudiced against markers!

I am not a chocoholic. Sorry. But I do enjoy chocolate, and I'm not talking Hershey's here, people. I like the good stuff. I have very sensitive taste buds, and I will eat Hershey's in a pinch, but I don't really like it. I prefer Guylian, Lindt, or Ghiradelli. And just for the record, I've tasted Godiva chocolate, and I have to tell you, it's nothing to write home about. I buy the good stuff at the store and it lasts me for weeks. Just one truffle or square satisfies my need.

My favorite flower is a sunflower. They always make me smile.

I am not athletic at all. I'm really rather clumsy and uncoordinated! I've never been skiing, ice skating, rock climbing, running, snowboarding, motorcycling, biking, or any other strenuous, outside, athletic activity.

I've dislocated both of my knees, the left one twice. Hence the reason why I do not do any of the above!

I really don't like deli meats anymore.

My favorite color is chocolate brown. I'm instantly drawn to it and it makes me feel calm.

We've never had a car payment. Ever.

I love couscous. I just discovered couscous. However, on a gluten free, wheat free diet, couscous are a no-no.

I'm deathly afraid of heights and flying in an airplane. Done both. Neither is too bad, once you get going.

I've been without my biological dad since I was two years old.

I love my step dad. He and my mom have been married since I was 16. They're going on 19 years, next month!

I only own one pair of socks.

I have a penchant for painting my toenails wild colors. I'm very conservative, but I have a sassy side as well.

I have a secret desire to be fluent in French. I took two years of French in high school and excelled in it. I quickly outgrew the classes. Third year French was canceled at the high school I went to so that there would be more money for the sports programs. Go figure.

I don't shower every day, or even every other day sometimes!

I love Tom's of Maine Spearmint no fluoride toothpaste.

My favorite drink is a strawberry daiquiri. Virgin.

I was the first girl my husband ever kissed. He was the first guy to turn my knees to jelly and make my heart race with his kissing. The first time he kissed me, I thought I was going to die! I actually was so forward as to ASK him to!!

I lived three miles away from the beach in So Cal growing up.

And I think this post is getting way too long, so I'll quit now while I'm ahead!!!