A Decade of Parenting

Today is Hannah's 10th Birthday. She's away on an overnight field trip and won't be home until mid morning tomorrow. So the birthday festivities will be held this weekend. This morning, a friend left Hannah birthday wishes on my Facebook wall and pointed out that I've been a Mom for a decade! When you put it that way, it sounds so weird! But it's true!

Spring Tea

On May 1st, the Women's Ministry of our church will be hosting a Spring Tea. And guess who's in charge of it??....my Mom and I.

A few months back I found a killer deal on some luncheon plates at the Salvation Army, making my collection a total of 25. I casually mentioned it to the Pastor's wife about how we could use them if we ever had a luncheon, etc. And she responded with asking me if my Mom and I would like to plan and be in charge of a Spring Tea.

As so it is. My mom and I have been planning and buying and delegating for a Spring Tea to be held on May Day.

I knew it would be a lot of work when we agreed to do it, but there are so many little details involved and I've got lists and lists and revised lists of things to do, to buy, what we need, etc.

It's going to be a beautiful morning when it happens.

Costco Cookbook

The weekend following Thanksgiving, Costco hands out cookbooks to their members. This last year is the second year I've gotten the cookbook and boy are there some GOOD looking recipes in there! The ones I have tried thus far (between the two cookbooks) are VERY good.

The recipes in the cookbook are all based on ingredients and products that can be purchased at Costco. But you can pick up the ingredients at any grocery store and just follow the recipe.

You can check out the current cookbook online and browse through the recipes.

OR....

I just happen to have an extra cookbook I'd be happy to give away!

All you have to do is leave a comment in the comment section telling me whether or not you plan your menu's.

On April 10th, I'll place the names into a hat of all who've entered and will draw a name for the cookbook! And then you too can start making some of these yummy recipes!


***Edited to Add, April 13. So after only receiving two comments - one via email, and one left here, the winner of the cookbook is Kim. I'll be mailing it off to you next week! :)

April Fool's Day

Wikipedia defines "All Fool's Day" or "April Fool's Day" as "a day celebrated in many countries on April 1. The day is marked by the commission of hoaxes and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, family members, enemies, and neighbors, or sending them on a fool's errand, the aim of which is to embarrass the gullible."

Today is April 1st.

What are some of the April Fool Pranks that have been played on you over the years?? What are some you've played on others??

A Yummy Combination

About a year or two ago, we met at the home of one of Steven's previous co workers with a few other ex co-workers.

One of the guys brought the combination of Peppered crackers, Fig Jelly Spread, and Drunken Goat Cheese. The idea was you spread the jelly on the cracker and top with a slice of cheese. I tried it and LOVED it! It was the yummiest combination.

Ever since then, I've checked for that cheese every time I've gone to Trader Joe. Never having any luck.

We were with one of those co-workers recently and she told me that the guy had bought the stuff at Bristol Farms. A store we don't have here in our area.

Last week, while we were in Newport Beach, there was a Bristol Farms not far from our hotel. So on Tuesday afternoon, we headed there and found the drunken goat cheese, fig spread, and crackers and took it back to our hotel room for a late afternoon hors d'oeuvre. It was yummy, and a rather expensive 'snack'. But hey, that's what vacations and anniversary get aways are for, right?

One MASSIVE Yard Sale

Hannah belongs to a private girls club called "The Jesus Chicks". A friend of mine started it up over a year ago and once a month the group of 15 girls ages 9-12 meet for crafts, educational activities, all the while keeping Jesus in the center of it all.

In July, our monthly activity will be spending the night in the Shark Encounter Exhibit at SeaWorld. The tickets are $130 a person and both Hannah and myself will be going.

We had a Yard Sale this last weekend to help raise some funds. For weeks, we've been taking donations from friends and family. Last weekend, our church donated the leftovers of our rummage sale to the Jesus Chicks Yard Sale, as did the Community Center in which the rummage sale was held. We had a TON of stuff to sell.

We pulled everything out on Friday to sort and see what we had. Not really planning on making a whole lot. But we did! We made $180 on Friday. And then turned around early Saturday morning and pulled everything back out and sold again into the mid afternoon, making close to $200. Here, Lori sits in the midst of the women's and men's clothes, sorting, trying to keep it all organized. We had a ton of clothes and sold them for 50 cents a piece. We had a tarp with childrens, toddler, and babies clothes as well. We had soooo much stuff leftover. But the great news is, we packed it all up, put it back in to the garage of the house we sold at, and all that stuff will be donated to another church rummage sale this coming weekend!!! Paying it forward!

The money that was made over the course of the two days was split amongst the Moms and their daughters who worked the sale. And the great news is that between the two days of mine and Hannah working, we earned just over $100 towards our SeaWorld trip!! Whooo Hooo! I'm so glad that Yard Sale is behind us! It was a lotof work!

A Devotional to Share

A few years back, I came across a blog about a woman who had taken in her niece and nephew as the result of a tragic accident. I bookmarked the blog, and continued to come back often to keep up on on how the family was doing. Long story short, the niece and nephew are no longer with Liz and her family.

But through our blogs, and through emails back and forth to one another, Liz has become a dear Christian sister.

She wrote this devotional on her blog this past week, and I loved it so much, I had to share it.

***************************************** LandmarksI am what you might call 'directionally challenged'. Unless you're asking me how to get out of my neighborhood or how to get to my church, there's a good chance I'll give you screwed up directions. I don't like driving long distances. Around town is one thing, but any great distance requires a navigator. Usually, one named Larry. When I give directions, I give them by landmarks. You know, go to CVS & take a left. Go down past Walmart & turn right. Please don't give me north/south/east/west directions. I'll never reach the destination.

Similar to my directional skills, I find myself going through life living by 'landmarks' as well. Those big moments or major memories that stand out....the ones that we gauge everything else by. The ones that form the timeline of our lives. Things like "ABC happened the week before grandma died." or "DEF was before we moved to the house on Main Street, but after we lived in the apartment."

It struck me this week....is today a landmark? Will my family look back & say "that happened right after XYZ." (note: XYZ=things that happened today)

We don't know if today will be our last day with our spouse or our children. We never know when a car wreck will occur or when someone will have a heart attack or when a terminal illness will strike. Will you still be alive tomorrow? Will you remember this day for the rest of your life, whether for good or bad reasons? Life is uncertain. Scripture tells us that our days are like grass (Psalm 103). We grow for a short time & then we're gone. We are not promised tomorrow.

Is today a landmark day in your life?