Friday's Feast #149 Topic: Humor/memes
To join up and create your own feast, go to Friday's Feast, get the questions and browse the comments section for more to feast upon.
Appetizer Name a funny habit you have. I make stuffed animals come to life. I've tried desperately tostop, but I just can't help myself! I just start channeling them.
We used to wonder WHY in the world our 2 year old (who is now 15)had a New York accent. Yes, we lived in New Jersey at the time, but none of us had accents. It was the strangest thing. Then one night while I was putting her to bed, I realized her BEAR was talking to her with a New York accent! (Long Island to be specific) It was very funny....and kinda scary. I didn't even realize! Bears kind of take on a life and personality of their own around me....and I obey. (complete with swirling spirals in my eyes)
My oldest daughter, who is now 19, starts talking back to the animal I'm animating and then she gets all embarrassed and hits me! The last time it happened was on vacation 2 years ago. We bought a little stuffed zebra for Maggie. (and by the way, it looks exactly like the picture above!) He kept trying to convince Hannah that he was a donkey and she was arguing with him. Then when we laughed at her, she wouldn't even look at the zebra the rest of the trip....even though he tried desperately to get her attention! I still had trouble even tonight typing z e b r a instead of donkey. (see, I believed him too!) He's a persuasive little runt!
Soup If you could instantly know how to play a musical instrument, which one would you pick? I have always wanted to play the guitar. However the only instrument I can actually play is the kazoo.
Salad How long is your hair? About 2 inches past my shoulders.
Main Course When was the last time you forgave someone, and who was it? Last week....one of my kids.
Dessert What is your favorite kitchen appliance? Well that would have to be my cobalt blue Kitchenaid mixer! I had been wanting one for years. Every Christmas I would look at them longingly in the stores, drop hints, make the suggestion. Every year it seemed we couldn't afford it. Then one year when we lived in Williams, AZ, the men of the church were planning a night to go to the mall and do Christmas shopping for their wives....all together. So I made my list....there was only one item on it! And that Christmas....I got a diamond necklace.
WHAT!??
It seems a friend of Charles convinced him that kitchen appliances were NOT an appropriate gift for wives at Christmas. AAACK! Well, I loved the necklace, but I wanted to kick that man in the shins! (the friend, not the husband) So the next year I told my husband I was getting a Kitchenaid mixer and he let me pick one out on Amazon dot com. ;)
He's baaaaaaack... Topic: People/Family stories
Charles is home! We fetched him from the airport at almost midnight and were in bed by 1am. He got up at 9am and is trying to get back on American time. He is silent about his trip, but I"m sure it's because of the weariness! I peeked in his mission trip journal and he wrote on lots of pages, so I hope he will write about it on his blog. When he does I will link to it. Pray for him and Pete. They both need to get that off kilter feeling settled down.....jet lag I guess.
I can't even express how wonderful it is to have my husband home again. It was a long week and I did not enough sleep, so last night I slept the whole night through without waking. He has 2 weeks home, and then he is off to youth camp with our 2 teenagers.
Maggie is off to camp....this is her first time without one of us parents there. But her sister Bethany is a camp staff person, so she can get some good hugs from her. (and Beth needs hugs too) I took Maggie up there yesterday and hugged Beth (I had just seen her 3 days ago) and she pushed me away and said, "Stop hugging me now or I'll......I"m gonna cry!" And there it came.
She is a little homesick
I told all our friends who were staying to hug her each day....she requires it. She'll be okay and we'll see her again on Friday before her next week of kids' camp.
Emma began driver's education this morning. 8am to 12:30....Monday through Thursday.....for 2 weeks. She is not one to complain a lot but she did have a hard time sitting for that long!!! This part of it is all the classroom work. She will not schedule actual driving time until she gets her permit in September.....at which time my prayer life will just take off, as usual! This learning/teaching to drive thing never gets easier with experience.....NEVERRRRRRRRR.
......hope you have a great week where ere you may be....
Ukraine tele-report Topic: People/Family stories
We got to talk to Charles last night! We actually called Tuesday night too, but I wouldn't say we actually got to talk. The telephone connection kept breaking off after one minute and 40something seconds, and there was a delay in hearing each other. It was like those satellite interviews you hear on news programs, where it takes a few seconds to hear and then respond to the questions. The kids did NOT understand and they just kept saying "hi....hello...hello?...do you hear me?....oh hi." LOL Then we'd get disconnected. It would have been comical if it wasn't getting so expensive to keep reconnecting! arrgg So last night they called us with purchased international minutes on their cell phones and we talked for 15 or 20 minutes with no 'satellite delay'. (I think it has something to do with going through the international or Russian operators)
He and his mission team partner, Pete (also from our church) are doing great. That was a concern! Last time Pete went on this mission trip to Ukraine, he got sick with allergies *I think* and the lady of the house he was staying at kept making him 'home remedies' which upset his whole insides! This year, no troubles....but we packed plenty of allergy and stomach meds just in case!
They love the people there. Charles commented that the connection you feel around fellow Christians is strong with these people and they feel very at home with them. His voice was full of the joy of the Lord when he talked about them. The communication is going very well. That is one thing Charles wanted people to pray about...that through the translation process, things wouldn't be too confusing or misunderstood. The weather is great...warm, but not hot. And the food is good. But they are mostly really enjoying the people there.
They thought they would be staying in a home, but are actually staying at a Christian 'reform' facility. (MUCH like the Set Free ministry that we support here in Phoenix, so there was a thread of familiarity.) It is for men who are alcoholics or drug addicts, to get clean and healthy and join a support group, but also to hear about Christ and how God really loves them and has a plan for them. So there are a lot of the men who are new Christians and a lot that are not Christians. They help anyone who needs it. But they are all in a safe place, getting the help they need and hearing about a God who loves them. Pete said the men there even asked Charles and Pete to move there and become their pastors. I think it was all in jest, but you can see how much they responded to kindness and genuine love.
When we talked to them last night, they were just about to have breakfast and then leave to go to the city, where they will spend *I think* two nights and have a day to sightsee before making the 30 hour trip back home. That includes all travel time, on the road, in the air and between flights. Charles told me they rode on a prop plane to their current location, but that he would tell me that story when he got home.....which mean he probably almost died and doesn't want to worry me while he's traveling home!
I hope he writes about all of his stories from this trip on his blog when he gets back. At least I will pester him to do it.
Simplify, surround and focus Topic: God things
Here is a quote I found today, from my friend KQ, that I thought was appropriate as a response to the last part of my last post about Miss Hilton:
"What else will do except faith in such a cynical corrupt time? When the country goes temporarily to the dogs, cats must learn to be circumspect, walk on fences, sleep in trees, and have faith that all this woofing is not the last word. What is the last word then? Gentleness is everywhere in daily life, a sign that faith rules through ordinary things:through cooking and small talk, through storytelling, making love, fishing, tending animals and sweetcorn and flowers, through sports, music and books, raising kids - all the places where the gravy soaks in and grace shines through" ~ Garrison Keillor
Can you imagine how difficult it must be to find those placed in Hollywood where there is the 'gravy' of life?
Romans 1:11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith.
Faith is a gift...from God to us and through us, to each other. I hope Miss Hilton finds people who will gather around her and encourage her faith and point her to Christ.
1 Corinthians 16: 13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.
In cynical times like those in which we live, we do not need to worry. We just need to refocus our eyes. Are we looking at the evil we can see, or are we fixing our eyes on Christ, who gives hope and strength?
The flu and back again.... Topic: People/Family stories Every wife knows that when your man is out of town, things happen. Unfortunately, not good things! He left Sunday morning. I took the girls to church. By the end of Sunday School hour, my head was aching. I passed it off as tension but by the end of the worship service, my head was starting to throb and if felt like my neck could not hold it up one second longer!
We brought home Emma and Maggie's friends, as planned, to swim and hang out for the afternoon. I laid out cold cut sandwich things for them, then went back to my room to nurse the headache. I have not had such a bad headache in a long time, although it seemed vaguely familiar. It wouldn't be long until I realized what was familiar about it. Between advil popping and coming out to pass out snacks to the kids, I was either lying on my bed or reclining in our easy chair. The computer hurt my eyes, the television hurt my head, sleep alluded me.
One of the kids ended up spending the night and I was off to bed. At 3am, I was up....I was sick. Why does the stomach flu choose 3am to begin it's horrid work?? It's evil is my answer! I struggled with it all the next day, sipping gingerale and eating crackers, head and body aches consuming my every thought......kinda pitiful, isn't it?
During the day, as I would go to get more ice or crackers, I noticed first that the trash compactor would NOT stay shut. It was not a good sign. I couldn't bend over to fiddle with it though because of the pounding head, so I went out in the backyard to check on something and noticed the pool pump was not running. Double not a good sign. So I went to bed.
This morning I woke up with NO headache, I ate breakfast and actually wanted it, and I did some chores. I watered the plants in the yard and 'fixed' the hose to the pool vacuum. All it needed was to be filled with water so that it would have suction, then it started working fine. *whew* Then I fiddled with the trash compactor to see if it was broken or if something was jamming it. I am pleased to say that it was the latter! Yay! Maggie fished the trash that had overflowed behind the trash bin and it closed perfectly!
I'm very thankful to have my health back today. What a sin to take our good health for granted so often. It is a HUGE blessing! (and why...do things like this all happen when the man of the house is away????? I mean it, I want answers!)
And now, I have turned my attention to finding out what is the latest Paris Hilton news. In the past few weeks, I would turn the channel or shake my head with all the attention her dramatic life was getting. I have to admit that I did not usually respond to the reports on her with sympathy or in prayer for her. I am taking it in with interest now (no longer rolling my eyes when the subject comes up) that she is seemingly ready for a change in her life. I'll pray that it's a true change and that the Bible under her arm before she entered jail will have a hand in that change.
God bless Rovenki Topic: People/Family stories My husband is off to Ukraine in Russia today. He is with one other man from our church and a group of people based from San Antonio, Texas. They are taking a curriculum over to Ukraine to equip pastors there to teach about church unity. Charles and his partner will be in a church in the city of Rovenki, Ukraine. The link is to a tourist's photographs of that city....very interesting!
We miss him, but I'm so glad that he got to go on this mission adventure, to another culture on the other side of the world, to help train pastors. I think mission trips like this are as much for the missionary team members as they are for the people they go to help.
When we say, "Yes, Lord. I will go." He teaches us things we would never have learned otherwise....
....like faith and trust. ....like obedience and submission. ....like hearing His voice and knowing that voice is speaking to YOU.
Please pray for their health, stamina, understanding/communication with people and for the Holy Spirit to work: ....in the hearts of the people there. ....and in the lives of the mission team members.
A Mom Anthem Topic: Humor/memes
Another busy day here. I don't know where my nice relaxing summer is going! It's becoming a monster that must be stopped!
THIS is hilarious. I dedicate this to my children. (knowing that it is best to go ahead and mock yourself before they can do it!) Warning: Go ahead and swallow your coffee so you don't blow it all over your monitor.
Just for fun: Fleurs Topic: Humor/memes
A friend of mine posted this on a forum. It's a 'what kind of flower are you' quiz. Since I don't date (my husband would not approve), I based it on friendships instead of dating relationships. I knew I'd be a daisy! "Daisies are the friendliest flower, don't you think?" (guess that quote)
I'm ignoring the hedonist part because I don't like it. I used to live with a fluffy little white hedonist named Millie, so that is a little hard to swallow.
You Are a Daisy
You see the world with an artist's eye.
Finding beauty is easy for you - even in the dullest of moments.
You notice all of the colors of the world, from fresh grass to sunsets.
You are a total optimist and hedonist. You love to drink life in.
This is Bethany (on the right). Everything is larger than life when you're with her..... ;)
She is the princess and makes any activity an 'event'. Even handing out cupcakes at a Harvest Party.
And now.....she is a missionary. At least for the summer. Get ready for a summer full of larger than life events, lots of drama and fun.....she has decreed it! And you must obey!
Recipes: Fudge pie and homemade vanilla ice cream Topic: Crickl's Recipes I got to thinking you might want the homemade ice cream recipe to go along with your Fudge Pie. This is a recipe given to me by Nancy, the pastor's wife at our first official church position (Charles was the youth minister) after seminary, in a small town in Oklahoma. And I think she got the recipe from her mother in law. I've never found a better one!
Ice cream
1 qt half and half 2 c sugar 1 can sweetened condensed milk 2 tsp vanilla pinch of salt
1 gallon of milk (I use 2 percent)
Pour all ingredients, except the gallon of milk into a large bowl and mix with a beater. Pour into ice cream churn. Pour in milk (not skim, but any other kind) to 'fill' line and churn as directed.
Makes 1 1/2 gallons
Fudge Pie
Melt together: 1 stick of margarine or butter 1 square of unsweetened baker's chocolate
Add: 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 2/3 cup flour 1 tsp vanilla
Pour into greased pie pan and bake for 30 minutes at 325 degrees. The texture is crunchy on top, then custard like in the middle. Serve hot with ice cream.
Friday's Feast #146 Topic: Humor/memes
The Friday's Feast can be found HERE. To join in, just answer these questions on your blog and leave a comment at the FF sight.
Appetizer Name something you think is “the best.” Fudge pie and ice cream. (I'm stuffed from eating at Olive Garden but garlic mouth makes me want chocolate.) Fudge Pie was one of the first things I learned how to bake from scratch as a young adult. My seminary roomate gave me the recipe. It is simple, but has extraordinary taste and texture.
And it reminds me of those seminary days, living in a teensy garage apartment, engaged to Charles and my roomate was engaged too. Fun times! You must cook it just before eating it so it will be nice and hot and crisp on top!
Fudge Pie
Melt together: 1 stick of margarine or butter 1 square of unsweetened baker's chocolate
Add: 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 2/3 cup flour 1 tsp vanilla
Pour into greased pie pan and bake for 30 minutes at 325 degrees. The texture is crunchy on top, then custard like in the middle. Serve hot with ice cream.
Soup On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 highest), how stressed are you today? 3....pretty good but let me tell you why! Today is our 23rd wedding anniversary. Charles has the day OFF and we stayed home, did some chores, swam and lazed around the pool, then went for lupper/linner (that is the word for a combo lunch/supper or dinner, according to Emma) at Olive Garden around 3pm. I feel very relaxed and destressed. We'll make homemade ice cream later....if we want to. (and perhaps some FUDGE PIE)
Salad What kind of cleanser do you use to wash your face? Neutragena Acne Wash in the pump bottle....great stuff!!
Main Course Tonight is a blue moon! What is something that you believe only happens “once in a blue moon.” A totally clean house....every room very tidy and actually CLEAN. A rare occurence indeed!!
Dessert When was the last time it rained where you live? I live in the desert. It was probably in March.
Lately.... Topic: People/Family stories
***I got a new job. *today* I'll be a teacher's aid for 2 second grade teachers at our neighborhood school. It is just around the block, so I can easily walk to work! I am so thankful for a good part time job, close to home and with the same days off as my children's schools. I start August 13.
***Blogger blogs drive me crazy nutso! I have been trying to leave comments for everyone who visited mine on Wordless Wednesday, but only got 2 of them through.
***My 17 year old left for her summer missions team work. It's strange having two of my chicks out of the nest now....even if it is just for the summer. There is a sweet post over at The Dust Will Wait called Empty Nest Syndrome that I thought was very timely for me.
***We are signing our 15 year old up for Driver's Ed this summer. She won't be old enough to actually practice in the car until August, but this is the classroom part. Let me just say here that I am NOT READY FOR THIS AGAIN!!!!!
***I had my last day of work doing after school care. I'd say get ready for more blog reading than lately has been the norm. (what a sentence)
***I had TWO very good days of shopping at our local thrift store. *Yippee* Maggie and I have some "new" (to us) clothes for our new ventures this Fall. I'll be working at our neighborhood school and she will be heading off *we hope* to the school I just quit working at. I love how discombobbulated that sounds.
***I was told by a forum friend, "Well, Crickl, that is just ..... your cheery outlook and sunny disposition! And, yes, we all hate you." Heehee....I think she was just kidding though....about the hating part.
The downward spiral of a weekend Topic: People/Family stories
Have you ever had a holiday weekend that you were really looking forward to, but it started to take on a life of it's own and you had to just stand by and watch it spiral out of your control? That was our weekend. (as evidenced by my silent blog these past 5 days)
The long weekend sounded so good to us a week ago. We were really looking forward to it. Friday we started out leisurely enough. We let the teens skip school so we could get an early start. Pastor's don't get many Sundays off, so we had to make our trip up north just an overnighter. The normal 2 hour drive took a full 3 hours, but as we hit the top of the hill, entering into the Flagstaff area, we rolled down the windows and breathed in the cool, fresh, unpolluted mountain air. I miss that.
We drove to some friends' new home. They lived in a travel trailer for a year while building it themselves and it is beautiful. Then we drove into our old town. Our teenage girls wanted to attend their old friends' graduation, so they left and we spent the evening with a couple who are great friends to us. They live on a hill, beside a highway that goes ribboning back into the mountains, a wonderful gateway into the backwoods, where there are lakes, wilderness, elk, bear, coyotes and eagles. I longed to keep going and explore the dirt roads that lead far, far back into God's creation and pristine scenery. But we had people to visit and the wilderness will be there next time. We also remembered why we used to stay at home every holiday weekend in the summer when we lived there. The place was crawling with RV's and campers and weekenders. NUTS!!! We used to sit on our front porch and just watch the RV's pulling into town.
Three hours later graduation was over. LOL Graduation is a big event and they do a slide show with music for each graduate. Small towns are kind of cool and quirky, and graduation is a thing everyone has to endure, but it sure is a long time to sit on metal bleacher seats. So we opted out this year. *sssshhhh*
The night time drive back to Flagstaff was solemn as we passed by a terrible accident on interstate 40. Someone on a motorcylce hit a huge bull elk. The elk was lying there, huge and dead, but the driver was not in sight. He must have been thrown clear of the sight. There were highway patrol there, but the ambulance was just getting there. A man was on the other side of the interstate rocking in a crumpled position, crying or praying. When we lived in northern Arizona, we always saw a dead elk on the side of the road as we drove to Flagstaff. There must be at least one hit every night there in summer and Fall. Thankfully we never hit one, but it is quite devastating when you do. We rode the rest of the way into Flag in silence, the adreneline pumping and tears welling.
We got to spend the night with our daughter Hannah and her apartment is so cute and cool and artsy. It has huge windows and a sliding glass door that looks out into a stand of pines, then a park with soccer fields. After a big breakfast at the Cracker Barrel, we left to drive back to the desert that is now our home. Oh yeah, and we had to take a bus back with us. *see my lip start to turn into a snarl here*
A bus. It's a wonderful gift from our old church to this new one we are at, but it's a monster. lol It is extra wide and low (easy to step into), and half the length of a school bus. And it is bright white. It is old, runs on diesel, and goes a mild 55 mph on the highway....35 up big hills. (For those of you who have never driven from Flagstaff to Phoenix, it is very mountainous, curvy terrain.) I followed the bus the whole way. My husband stopped once to tighten a console cover by his right leg. It had been pouring out burning air on his leg, and he thought it was having transmission trouble because there was a terrible clunk whenever it changed gears. But it was also stressful to follow him. The wide, white back end of it was hypnotic as we dragged along at 55 (or 35) mph. I kept having to shake my head to wake myself up and came home with a stress headache.
Saturday night we had a cookout to go to...very fun, very good company, but we came home and fell into our beds, exhausted! Sunday we had a good church service, comissioning 6 teens who were to be summer missionaries, one of which is our Bethany. My 15 year old wanted to hang around with some friends for the afternoon and after their parents all left, I found out they were planning to just walk to Taco Bell and hang out there all afternoon. Ummm, no.... So I rounded them up and took them to our house. My dear exhausted husband cooked them hot dogs and found the boys swim trunks, while Emma rounded up things for the girls to swim in and they all swam the afternoon away. Charles got them practicing dives and then sat in the swing, judging each dive, adding points if the landing in the water sounded like it hurt. lol
Then they left.....yes! (I love them all, but needed some down time badly!) And we had an evening alone with Maggie, relaxing. My teens came home once again with extras last night. Two girls spent the night, surprising Charles as more girls than usual emerged from the hallway this morning. (oops, forgot to tell him)
Emma has been needing new shorts for a while now, so I decided to pick up things I've been needing from Walmart this morning while she picked out some shorts. Only we got sidetracked and decided to try a local thrift shop first...just pop in to see if they had any good deals on shorts. As I drove into the parking lot, there were no parking spaces to be found and we had to park 5 stores down at an Italian restaurant. The sign in the thrift shop window said, "Memorial Day Sale, everything half price"
Oiy with the poodles already people!
The lines of people at the check out stands were curving around and down the clothing racks of the store! But I dove in and decided to try the childrens' section to find summer clothes for a quickly growing 9 year old who belongs to me. Jackpot! I spent $38 and got 12 shirts and 6 pairs of capris or shorts, as well as a cute dress. Each piece of clothing was a dollar or two. AND the children's section was deserted compared to the other parts of the store, which looked like an ant hill! Emma and her friend went to get me a place in the check out line while I looked a while longer. THEN we went to Walmart...busy busy....
I got home, put some things in the fridge and went for a swim. I got to relax for approximately 20 minutes before having to shower and get ready to go to a family gathering at my sisters for homemade ice cream. Add to this, that my daughter from Flagstaff called and said she and 2 friends were coming down to swim and go to a drive in movie. !???! Okay.... They arrived while we were having ice cream, so we went back home to see her for a while before the movie. (more on drive in movies another time)
We sent them off at 8pm, the movies begin at 8:30. I sat down here on the couch with Maggie and have not moved since.
I'm looking forward to a regular week, even if it is a little hectic. These holiday weekends are killin me!!!!!