Top Ten Tuesday - Gettin' Through

Our home has been going through some rough times lately. I'll spare the details, but to simply lay it out there....it started with some insomnia for Ryan then snowballed with issues with the medications he was given. We are now mostly dealing with the repercussions of those meds gone bad with some sprinkles of insomnia (also related to bad drugs). Anyway, life has been rough for us these past several months. There are days that are easier than others....then there are some that are just plain hard and nasty. On days like those, there are bible verses that come to my mind and I cling to them. I cling to them for the promises they hold and the hope they give. This is my list of top ten verses that have given me comfort, hope and peace and help me get through. (in no particular order)

1. Philipians 4:6-7 ~ Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
2. Jerimiah 29:11-14 ~ For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD

3. James 1:2-5 ~ Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

4. Philippians 4:8-9 ~ Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

5. Psalms 27:13-14 ~ I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

6. Psalms 23: 4,6 ~ Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

7. I Corinithians 2:9 ~ No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.

8. Psalm 20:6-8 ~ Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.

9. Ok, so I can't think of anymore. but really, the above verses have given much comfort in my time of need

10. and even though days can be hard, I stand firm in the knowledge that the Lord is good...all the time!

Thank you Lord for your written word! Thank you for always being with me. And thank you for having a plan that is for my good and for your glory! This stuff we are going through is stinkin' hard, but even when I have no idea what is going on or for how long, I can rest in the knowledge that You know it all, from beginning to end, and that gives me great comfort. Thank you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

**don't forget to check out other Top Ten lists at Oh Amanda!

Dust Off Your Fanny Packs!

Ryan has been saving up his flyer miles and we have enough for an overseas trip. We were thinking of going somewhere in Europe. Spain or maybe Germany. But after seeing this video.....maybe we can think outside the box and go somewhere, ummm, off the beaten path. Ryan thinks it could be cheap enough but then travel insurance may be a bit much. I say.....travel insurance is for sissies!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Ultimate Blog Party 2009 - Dress Code, Comfortable!!!

It's that time of year again!! It's the Ultimate Blog Party!!! I love this party, it's so much fun! I enjoy meeting new blogs and making 'friends'. The door prizes aren't too bad either. Go here and check it out....then sign up and do some party hopping!



So welcome to my humble little blog, my own corner of blog-land. I love having friends over to visit, but I'm not very adept at branching out making small talk. In fact, I usually have a difficult time making new friends. I'm just not that confident. And when I do finally step out it can bite me in the end.......like the time when my husband and I had moved to Portland and I was on my way to making some new girl friends......

We had been in Portland for a few months and had already visited many churches and finally found one to call home, and even a weekly couples bible study to be a part of too. The ladies of the church were having a Christmas evening one night and the other ladies of the bible study group invited me to join them at their table. I was thrilled! I thought about what I was going to wear and was all set to go.

I went to a new friends house and stood at her door step waiting for her to answer the door. As I stood there I mentally congratulated myself that I had made it this far and I looked forward to getting to know these ladies even more. Then she opened the door and I saw what she was wearing.....a nice skirt, sweater and (gasp) pantyhose! Me? What was I wearing??? I'm still embarrassed to say. I had mentally made the mistake of mixing up this gathering with another social event (a candle/bead party) and wore something waaaaaay too casual.

There I was, standing at the door looking at my new friend in her nice church-wear, as I donned a pair of off-white jeans, a soft gray mock turtle neck paired with a newish pair of white tennis shoes with reflective silver stripes on the side. Can you say AWKWARD??!! I just about died right there! How could I have been so stupid to think that an evening at a ladies Christmas event would be this casual??! I just wanted to melt into her porch right there. It's ok, just leave me behind and go on without me, really, it's ok!

It got worse. The other ladies arrived at the house as we were to carpool over to the church. They were all dressed nicely, some in dresses fit for the occasion. Then we headed over to the event. At least in the parking lot it was dark and no one would see my underdressedness. But as we crossed through the parking lot all I could think about was how my shoes were probably lighting up with every passing car! And my horror continued when we got inside. Of course all the other ladies were appropriately dressed in pretty Christmas dresses (picture lots of pantyhose and heels!). We set up the table with China plates and Christmas decorations. Then. Then! We began the evening with perusing different booths of vendors and craft tables. All I wanted to do was get to the part where we sit down, eat pretty deserts and listen to the speaker. It was my thought that once we were all seated that I wouldn't stick out too much, for I looked ok from the waist up. It took awhile, but we finally made it to the sit-down part. And from there I felt better. At the end I was more than ready to bolt for the door and get home, where I could privately die of embarrassment and never be heard (or seen) of again.

So, all that to say....I get nervous when meeting new people and trying to fit in. I'd like to make a good impression, but maybe that's why blogging is more my speed. I can express myself without having to think about how I look or if I'm having a good hair day!

So here you find yourself at my party. Please make yourself comfortable. We can swap embarrassing moments (or in my case, evenings!) or recipes (Southwestern White Chili and Lasagna Florentine, Chinese Chicken Salad), or whatever. My dress code for today....jeans and a t-shirt are absolutely acceptable. Reflective shoes, optional.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

if I were to win any door prizes, I'd sure like either of the $50 gift cards for Target (19, 21, 22), or the $100 gift card for Home Goods,or the pedometer looks like fun too!

Top Ten Tuesday - Green Things

In the spirit of today, St. Patricks Day, I'll share my list of top ten things that are green.

Give me a sec while I try to figure out what they may be............wow, this is hard!...........more difficult than I thought!..........

Oh, ok, I think I got it. Here goes!

10. I like green lights. you know, green as in go! who doesn't like to sail through an intersection without stopping?? (while safely driving the speed limit, of course)


9. money - in this instance I like what it can get me, especially when it's on sale!

8. I like our artificial Christmas tree. It just makes sense for our family since we are usually visiting family over Christmas, and having a fake tree gives the kids a chance to have one at home while not leaving a fire hazard behind when we're gone. And it doesn't look too bad either!


7. My winter coat. It's not something I use often anymore (gotta love these Southern California "winters"!) but it keeps me warm when I need it.



6. I have a family recipe for Green Rice that is used mostly during the holidays. It calls for coloring the rice green before adding it to the rest of the dish, but I never do that. It looks gross. But it's a fabulous dish and I highly recommend it!

5. I love my three shades of green paper for making cards. It's one of those colors that I love to use but at the same time try to use sparingly so I don't run out! (I do card swaps if anyone wants to barter/trade for anything!)

(I tried to upload a modified picture of some a my cards, but it didn't work. If your truly interested in what they look like -a couple with green paper, of course!- then you can seen a pic here.)

4. I just love my truck. I love it's space (seats 8!), it's height, the roof rack and heated seats (not that they are used much these days, but they were much appreciated when we lived in Michigan).


3. My 'green' grocery bags (I know they're really red, but it's the earth friendly essence I'm going for here)


2. The new Chinese Chicken Salad recipe I recently found, it's super-yum and super-easy! It calls for cabbage and avocado, and those are green (and how the recipe made it onto my 'green' list!).

1. Mach-ah-moley!! (as Isabel would call it. but me, I call it guacamole.....ok, ok, her way is much too cute and it's fun to say, so I admit it, I call it mach-ah-moley.) It's my new favorite thing to eat and can't hardly get enough of it!



For more Top Tens head over to Oh Amanda. And for even more fun, make your own top ten and add it to the list!

Report Card

Last week brought us report cards for both Mae and Caleb. And reports show that they are both doing well in school!!! However, I can not escape the fact that report cards aren't what they used to be. Wait, I think I'm dating myself if I say something like that. Does that make me (gulp) old???

Anyway, not only do we get a two page spread of how each child is doing in various subjects and categories, but Mae's teacher also sent home an abundance of copies of her work. Among the samples of Mae's work was a cute little story she had written about holding Isabel for the first time. I can't resist posting her story, with a cute picture to go with it.

My First Time Holding My Baby Sister!

"Waaa-w-waaa" "It's ok Isabel! We're almost home". I whispered to my little sister Isabel. "We're home!" Mom quietly yelled to everyone. "Can I hold Isabel now Mom?" I asked.

My dad handed my sister (to me). I shivered like I was freezing in Antarctica. I could not do it. I was scared, too much. What if I drop her, cause you know that babies are fragile.

It was too late, she was already in my hands. I just almost screamed. But wait, I think I got it! I do! I really do got it! I wish this will last forever. I hoped so much that my little sister can stay a baby.

~~~~~~~~~

Isn't that a sweet story?? However, I do wonder about how much she actually remembers (she was barely 4 at the time) and what parts are artistic license.

Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty!!!

Last month I busted out the vacuum and put it to work on the couch. I was having two sets of visitors in the span of just a few days, and I knew that at least one of them would be sitting on the couch. I also knew there was all kinds of junk and crumbs under the cushions. Sure enough.....I found cheerios (do they breed and multiply?? I'm sure they do) and raisins, along with broken bits of toys, and hey that's where the remote is!

A few days later found my first set of guests gracing my sofa. And lo and behold I noticed as one of them got comfortable, his hand was resting between the cushions. I am even more thankful for taking the time to vacuum because as I watched my guest relax I, too, could rest in the fact that his hand would not come out covered with crumbs and junk!

Has it been a while since you've cleaned out the couch? Here's a story to give you motivation. You never know what you may find......or what you've been missing!

An Addendum

You know how you forget things? Like when you go to write something down so you don't forget it, like making a grocery list? But then when you get back home or when you're making that meal then you remember something that you forgot to get while at the store?? Well, that happened to me the other day. There I was writing down the top ten things that Isabel says and I as I sat with my fingers at the ready on the keyboard, my mind went blank. It seems odd to me, really. I mean, how can I forget the super-cute things that she says? And these are things that she says all the time!!!

Well, now that the list has been made and published, I remember one of my absolute favorite words......mach-ah-moley!!! Mach-ah-moley, as in guacamole. How cute is that? Seriously, how could I have forgotten such cuteness??!!

Not only is mach-ah-moley one of my current all-time favorite words to hear from Isabel, it's also one of my new favorite things to eat (which is probably why she says it all the time, because I make it. A lot!).

So there you have it, my addendum to the top ten things that Isabel says. Or does that make it the top eleven?

TopTen Tuesday: Isabel's Words

So my friend over at Oh Amanda is doing a top ten list every Tuesday, and I thought I'd join in this week. My list for today is about the super-cute words that Isabel says.

As parents, Ryan and I don't get out much. And after the kids have been tucked in for the night, there have been times that our entertainment consists of recalling the funny moments created by our kids, and saying the silly words that they've said when they were little. Thankfully, Isabel is still in the stage of silly, mispronounced words. So she has been adding to our repertoire of memorable moments for our quiet evenings.

If you were an observer in our home on one of these nights, here are a few of the new words you might hear Ryan and I say to each other, thanks to the smallest of mispronouncers in our family;


10.if she does something amazing, she'll ask; you likey?
9. she likes to eat ot'dogs in a bum
8. she really likes her neck-ah-nuss (necklace)
7. that came from her Camma and Campa (Grandma and Grandpa)
6. she likes to puts things in her pack pack (back pack)
5. I like it when she gives me ugs and kicks (hugs and kisses)
4. when going to school, she likes to go to bun bunch (lunch bunch)
3. on road trips, she likes to look through the knock-a-ners (binoculars)
2. if she sees a dog or a puppy, she'll want to pep it
1. and our personal favorite....it's not a bird, it's not a plane.....it's ah beesh! (sheep)

On My Mind....

I just finished my bible study for today, and considering all that I am faced with and going through, this is the verse that I choose to dwell on today.

Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. Psalm 84:10

I choose the nearness of the Lord regardless of my comfort in this life. For the Lord is good, all the time, and I choose to keep that in the front of my mind as I go through this day.