I Phone Recovery Miracle


A guy answered Prince Charming's phone this morning. When he answered he said it was his phone. I talked with him all day and until he showed up at our hotel this afternoon I was not sure he was coming. Isn't that amazing that this guy went out of his way to get it back to us. Thank you Lord for the I Phone Miracle!

I phone tragedy


Prince Charming after he realized he lost his phone :(

Buzz lightyear


We're having a really good time. We went back to the room for a rest. Now we are headed back to magic kingdom after naps and Olive Garden lunch.

Space mountain!


Yay!


GeoTagged, [N28.35401, E81.56096]

We had a short sleeping session and we are here!

Disney World so close I could scream


GeoTagged, [N28.65823, E81.81995]

Yes, we are on the road to Disney, but much to our dismay we are stuck in crawling traffic outside of Orlando. Ok, let's think about this, almost 8:00 at night and we are stuck in traffic. We left at 2:00 am this morning.

My kids have been awesome through it all. Me, not so good. I stink and my hair has so much oil in it we could fry some chicken. I hope that my next blog post is with Mickey Mouse and me smiling. Until then, who wants some chicken?

New friends


GeoTagged, [N36.16058, E86.77862]

This is a picture of my new friends that I am working with in ARVA. We are at a math conference in Nashville, TN. Yes, it is a new season. This is a place I never thought I would be. Isn't that just like the Lord? Exciting times.

Fall fun


My kids have been dreaming of doing this for weeks. They raked the leaves themself for the sole purpose of jumping in them. I love it and they are growing up too fast!

The Friendships of Women


This weekend our church is having a Retreat on "The Friendships of Women". Our speakers are speaking on the saying "Friends are for a Reason, a Season, or a Lifetime!" I would love your input on your own friendships. Please fill out this 6 question survey (link below) for your friend, Desiree'

Survey on Lifelong Friendships

Dust Angels


My kids said, "Hey look mom, we are making dust angels!" Nice! :)

Menu Planning for the Week

pic from google images supergrocer.ca

This menu planning is for the sole purpose of my own sanity. I do not think I would have made it through these last few weeks without eating out every night had I not learned how to plan ahead with my menu. At least I know what I haven't made when everyone is starving!

Monday - Small Group - taking meatballs in some kind of sauce - not sure what kind-maybe ketchup :)
Tuesday - Realistic expectation - Subway footlongs (2 for $10) - have an away soccer game
Wednesday - Roast in the crockpot, potatoes and carrots, French Bread
Thursday - Pancakes, Sausage or Turkey Bacon, Fruit (Soak beans)
Friday - Beans and cornbread
Saturday - we have a big Harvest Festival Party for the kids at church (Hotdogs and smores) - very fun!
Sunday - leftovers

The Story of a Young Girl in Iraq

http://livesstrong.blogspot.com/

I was searching for a blog that I used to read to get craft ideas and I ran across this much more important blog. I have wondered a lot about what is going on in Iraq from an Iraqi's point of view, but I really did not seek it out. This is it! I emailed my mom and husband and said, this blog should be a must read for every American high school kid. It is appalling what our kids complain about after reading her blog, isn't it?

Let me know your thoughts on her blog.

Hansel practicing with his teacher


Piano Lessons


How long will my kids be excited about piano lessons? They started two weeks ago and they will not stay off of the piano.

Prince Charming and I decided that we would let them play during dinner and pretend that we are in a fancy restaurant. That's one way to get a date in!

Creating Fresh Blog Posts


I wanted to let you know that I am working on new material for my blog. That is why I have not been blogging. I am collecting exciting family events, crazy work stories and many many soap boxes that are soon to be written about.

These are a few of the titles that will be featured some day when I get finished experiencing them first hand! :)

Exciting Family Events
  • Son Turns a Decade Old
  • Daughter's Picture of the Tooth Fairy Destroyed Forever
  • Clappy Shoes Goes to Memphis With The Gals and Her Momma
  • The Light at the End of the Building Project

Crazy Work Stories
  • Losing Sleep
  • A Blessing and A Curse
  • Is the Money Really Worth It?
  • I Need to Defragment in the New Whirlpool Tub
  • Exercise or Sleep, I Choose Sleep
Soap Boxes
  • Treat Others the Way You Want To Be Treated, Including Your Husband
  • What the World Thinks of Us
I really do have hope that I will be able to come back to my blog, a part of my life that I love. Beading would be nice too, but let's be reasonable.

Menu Planning for the Week

Ok, so last week definitely was better than the week before. I am not sure if it was the lighter load or the advance attack menu planning. I thought I might give it a whirl again to see if we can stay on menu task. :)

Monday - small group, hoping I can make some monkey bread! YUMMO! Oh, we're not supposed to have just that for dinner? Well, hopefully our small group will bring something healthy.

lunch: leftover french onion soup - very yummy

Tuesday - Chicken marinated in teriyaki on the grill, broccoli marinated with soy sauce on the grill, and brown rice (steaming that right now so I do not have to think ahead).

lunch: grilled cheese and chicken noodle for lunch for the girls,

Wednesday - Chicken Pot Pie - going to Little Rock for my job

lunch: leftovers or grilled cheese again

Thursday - Soft Tacos with salad fixins (forgot tomatoes need to pick up), vegetarian refried beans ( I know that is an oxy-moron) but I can't stand the thought of lard in refried beans! :),

lunch: hopefully leftovers or cheese pizzas on the sandwich thins

Friday - I am realizing that I really have a full time job. My friends are taking their kids to the pumpkin patch and it will probably will not happen for me. I can't stand the thought of not taking her or her going without me. What to do? Ok, sorry I got sidetracked thinking about Friday and lunch and all that.

Dinner - I know this is lame, but I think we will have spaghetti with whole wheat pasta, salad and french bread. It is definitely a simple kind of week for cooking. No new recipes for me, I need old stand-bys.

Saturday - I still have not made beans and I had good intentions. Hopefully I will remember to soak them overnight and then I can let them simmer on the stove for awhile. I think we are in luck this week for some good fall weather. A pot of beans and cornbread on the side sounds really good right now.

Sunday - taco salad or taco soup or leftovers - whatever suits my fancy that afternoon; they are all about the same to warm up or to make!

Menu Planning for the Week

Ok, so last week was a disaster in my meal planning. It was my first week working full time and juggling most of my life (minus Gretel who had to be shipped to grandma's). I think we either ate out or Prince Charming cooked every night. So I determined to make improvements this week, maybe not perfect, but improve!

Monday - Small Group, making brownies and dip/veggies if they are lucky! :) Desiree or John Mark to put on beans for the next day to let them soak overnight.
Tuesday - beans with ham, jiffy corn muffins
Wednesday - Prince Charming has elder's meeting; breakfast for dinner; pancakes, turkey bacon and fruit
Thursday - Turkey Burgers on New Thin Sandwich Bread that I love (100 calories and healthy) and Sweet Potatoes
Friday - Mushroom and Chicken Bake - yummy, I bought boneless skinless chicken thighs and they are really good; salad
Saturday - Ladies' Night Out at Church. . .mi familia you are on your own! :) Mini-Pizza's with the Thin Sandwich Bread perhaps?
Sunday - Chicken Pot Pie or Leftovers

I think having a game plan will help my week when I blankly stare into the fridge with not a clue what to make. Plus, I know that I have all of the ingredients to make these things so no excuses not to eat at home this week!

Here's to a better week!

Intervention and an Interception

www.bible-history.com/resource/mount-vesuvius
Last night, my mom came to rescue me. I was buried under the ash from what seemed like Mount Vesuvius. My desk had erupted, my patience had spewed and I just needed a break from my new job.

She was taking Gretel back with her and so my Prince Charming decided it would be fun to go to dinner about an hour away to a restaurant we had never tried, but had heard was yummy. It would get my mom an hour closer to home and me away from the computer.

We got seated and Hansel quickly asked the waitress if they had a trash can. I thought this was odd because usually you only need a trash can at take-out restaurants to dump your uneaten food. As soon as I could turn around the waitress stuck out her hand and said, "this is the trash." Before I could bat an eyelash, my son pulled his gum out of his mouth and was about to put his chewing gum in her hand. I squealed and quickly pushed his hand back and yelled, "Nooooooo!" The waitress jerked her hand back before the patty of gum could stick to her thumb. My husband and my mom just rolled laughing. I think it was probably the last time that this waitress volunteered her hand for "the trash."

We had a great time coming out of the dust of the volcanic eruption (at least for me). Now back to climbing out of the ash. Have a great day!

Job Change

For the last four years I have been working for a non-profit organization called Apartment Life. My husband and I joined them as a CARES Team six years ago when he started seminary in Dallas. In the last year that we were there, I started working on their staff as well as being a CARES Team. After that last year at seminary, we moved to take a job in Arkansas. I was fortunate enough and thoroughly blessed that the Apartment Life staff allowed me to continue to work for them part time, just remotely doing more admin type stuff. I have loved it! I have been able to stay at home with my kids, school them from home and be a pastor's wife.

I have sensed God leading me elsewhere though. I have my BS in Elementary and Special Education. My son started going to school at a local public school this year, while my daughter is still at home; schooling with the Arkansas Virtual Academy. I have felt for awhile that my giftings were only being partly utilized through Apartment Life and I basically live in a bubble. I am around Christians through work, church and friends. I really needed to get out of the bubble and start utilizing some of my other gifts and abilities that the Lord has given me.

I joined the Arkansas Virtual Academy at the beginning of the month as a Virtual Math Coach. I am "coaching" the 3rd and 4th grade. Basically, our nation, as well as, the Arkansas Virtual Academy's scores have fallen in math. They are bringing me on as well as other teachers through the eighth grade to get those kids math skills up to par . . . hopefully better than par.

It is so cool to see how the Lord has brought me to this point. Basically, I could not have done my Apartment Life job had I not had my own home business selling jewelry for Premier Designs. My Premier job helped me to be self-motivated, help my work ethic and to stay scheduled at home. My Apartment Life job was at home as well. With that job I was exposed to a lot of technology. Telecommuting made it where I had conference calls regularly. I spent a lot of time on excel, outlook, and working in Apartment Life's data banks. Now, with my ARVA job I need all of that to stay motivated as well as be familiar with the technology. We have been with ARVA going on my third year and that helped me to be familiar with the systems that they use. ARVA is a high technology job as well. We "virtually" teach children.

It has been like a stair step. I could not have skipped from Premier to ARVA because I would not have been equipped. I am always amazed at our God who has the big picture. He knows our future . . . He has it all figured out. Wow, this is the God we serve.

If you think of me, pray for me. I am working with Apartment Life and ARVA until the end of September. Until then I have a full time and a part time job, as well as, teaching Gretel at home. I hate to neglect my church this month, but something's gotta give. Isn't that a movie?

Anyway, I hope you are not giving up on me. It is a season called busyness, right now, but I promise to keep you as up to date as possible. I hope that you are doing well. I know that this is a busy time for everyone. I am so thankful that I can draw upon the Lord's strength. Blessings!

Home Depot



We are at home depot to celebrate my birthday! Yay! My daughter just requested to go to see the lighting. She is eight. What eight year old do you know that cares about lighting?

By the way, I was excited about going to Home Depot and it was actually my idea.

FYI: I am learning to blog from my phone and so if you have been seeing weird posts on my blog, it is because I have been experimenting and messing up a lot! Sorry about that! I think I am getting it though.

Notification of Offense


When the kids started school, I gave them the list of things to do before school each morning. It included: eating breakfast, getting dressed (including shoes), brushing teeth and making bed . . . if they got all of that done they could watch cartoons.

Today, I walked into their room after they left for school (one child to my friend's who we trade days homeschooling on Thursdays and the other child off to public school). As I partied mourned their leaving, I realized they had committed the first morning offense of the year. Both of their beds were left unmade. I thought for a second and realized that they need a consequence to remind them other than nagging. Nagging only works for awhile. :) They needed a semi-natural consequence. I pondered putting fake bugs and snakes in their bed like they like to do to me, but I decided it needed to hurt their "pocketbook."

I decided to "fine" them. We use a penny jar system that we invented over a year ago to help implement some desired behaviors and ward off negative behaviors. It has really worked! It works as allowance as well as positive reinforcement. We love it. Anyway, they came home from school and I told them that I fined them today and the notice was on both of their doors. They were confused at first when observing the notice on Hansel's door, but I could tell after they realized what happened they were disturbed. Hansel, got a slight smile on his face and I like to think it is because he thinks I am pretty witty. :) Gretel, was quite perturbed and stomped off to her room to locate her fine on her door.

I have great hope that this is going to work to help them remember the details of our morning. What do you think? Have you done something similar that has worked for warding off bad habits in your home? I would love to hear.