Admin

Could you try to post a comment? I was told, thank you Elise, that comments were not working. I messed around a bit and think it might be fixed!

Lyn

Darts

Rowdy One received a Dart Board from Santa.

Yes, Santa Baby, is encouraging Rowdy One to throw things. I need to talk to that Santa Baby! While they are soft tip darts it is still throwing something at something and being rewarded. I think our therapist will have a whole session on this one!


Heard while the boys were taking their shower, yes together. But without their squelchy things!.......

"Hey, Wise One, wanta play darts when we get out?"

"Yeah, and then we can play Mancala."

"And then we can play The Game of Life."

"Yeah!"

I am writing this down to come back to when the darts are not being thrown at the dart board and the stones from Mancala become projectile objects and no one can find the cars from The Game of Life!

Lyn

Note to self

My boys are too close to use these properly. I try to tell them that they must be seperate, by oh maybe a room, from each other for these to work and be.... !!!!FUN!!!!

"But mommy, we want to play together."

"Well, I know guys but these work when you are in two different places. But you are still playing together."

"Oh. But we don't want to be in two different places. We want to play together, right next to each other."

I think this is a good thing.

So they use these squelchy sounding things, right next to each other.

And love it!

Adults, we really must think out of the box.

Lyn

Merry Christmas!

I am signing off for the holidays. I need to focus on the season. I need to focus on and enjoy my family. We have not been doing much enjoying of anything.

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and holiday season!

Long, Long Ago

Winds through the olive trees
Softly did blow,
Round little Bethlehem
Long, long ago.

Sheep on the hillside lay
Whiter than snow;
Shepards were watching them,
Long, long ago.

Then from the happy sky,
Angels bent low,
Singing their songs of joy,
Long, long ago.

For in a manger bed,
Cradled we know,
Christ came to Bethlehem,
Long, long ago.

Anonymous, found in The Family Read-Aloud Christmas Treasury

Enjoy the season!

Lyn

Christmas Laughs

I either love Will Ferrell or hate Will Ferrell. Thankful in Elf I love Will Ferrell. It is one of the few things that can make me laugh at the moment!

"We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup."

"Francisco! That's fun to say! Francisco... Frannncisco... Franciscooo..."

"Have you seen these toilets? They're GINORMOUS! "

"I'm a cotton-headed ninny-muggins."

"The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear."

14 years

My friend is celebrating her 14th wedding anniversary, alone. Her first anniversary without her beloved next to her. In a couple of days she will celebrate her birthday. And then Christmas and New Years. All with her heart broken into a million pieces.

“No greater grief than to remember days of gladness when sorrow is at hand” ~Friedrich von Schiller

Come on 2007!

I tweezed a gray hair from my eyebrow this morning. First one. I think I grew it within the last two weeks. I think I have aged, more than one gray eyebrow hair, within the last two weeks. I am ready for a hopeful 2007 to be here!

This was almost the last straw for me. Funny, what the last straw can be! More times than not it is something you would normally not notice.

Lyn

Recipe for the weekend

I have no idea where I found this recipe. It is written on the inside cover of one of my favorite recipe books.

Crockpot Taco Casserole

1 lb ground meat, browned and drained
taco seasoning, use the package or your own, either way about a package worth
small can of tomato sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 can enchilada sauce
can of pinto beans, rinsed and drained or leftover homemade pintos, whatever you have
can of fiesta corn (the kind with bell peppers) or any leftover corn you have
corn tortillas
cheddar cheese, at least a 1/2 lb shredded but we use more!

Combine meat and taco seasoning, set aside.
Combine chicken stock, tomato sauce, and enchilada sauce, set aside.

Butter inside of crockpot. Lay 3 tortillas on the bottom, top with meat mixture. Then add stock mixture. Top with cheese. Layer 3 more tortillas, then beans, then corn and again cheese. Top with 3 corn tortillas and any and all cheese remaining. Cook on low for 6 or so hours.

Serve with lettuce and tomato salad and chips, cause in my house if the kids can "dip" it they will eat it!

Very handy to have the canned goods on hand or use leftovers from the fridge!

Lyn

Taking a step back.....

"The sun was shining in my eyes, and I could barely see
To do the necessary task that was allotted me.
Resentment of the vivid glow, I started to complain--
When all at once upon the air I heard the blind man’s cane."

- Earl Musselman

Christmas Joy

I pulled out the Christmas Book basket last night. I love The Little Book of Christmas Joys. While there is nothing earth shattering in this little package it certainly has some fun ideas and wonderful reminders of things to do during the season.

#78 ~ Tip someone who doesn't expect it.

#254 ~ Ask the oldest married man and the youngest married woman (or vice versa) to pull the Christmas turkey wishbone.

#360 ~ Ask children, "What are you giving for Christmas?" instead of "What are you getting for Christmas?"

#378 ~ As you pack up the Christmas tree decorations, ask family members to write a prediction for the coming year on a piece of paper. Put them in the ornament box and read them next year.

and the last one in the book......
#432 ~ Don't forget whose birthday we're celebrating!

Lyn

Going through the motions

It seems I am just going through the motions this year. We put up the tree. I let the boys totally decorate it. No rearranging. Just leaving it alone. Not even bringing all my decorations out. We just got a call from one of Chosen One's brothers, 'how 'bout we have Christmas Eve lunch catered by local Mexican food joint?' All I could muster was a very laid back, 'works for me'. Now any other time this would have not happened but that fact that someone else in the family suggested it makes me believe that we are all feeling a bit, uh, overwhelmed! We have been hanging up our Jesse Tree ornaments but not much of the reading is being done. I have some Christmas shopping done but I have to say this will be a slim Christmas for several reasons, one being I can not bring myself to shop.

I reach out for you. I thirst for you as a parched land thirsts
for rain. -Psalm 143:6

Please pray

~for my mother in law and our family.
~for my friend as she faces a tough time without her husband.
~for "e".
~for all those that have lost their way.

Lyn

Thought of the day, and many days to come!

"Giving control of our lives to God doesn't mean we let go of our resposiblilites. It simply means we leave the worry and the results to God."

I found this on page 9 of a wonderful little book called The Power of a Positive Wife by Karol Ladd. It was an "ah" moment. And I have been comforted by it ever since I read it.

Lyn

Today

This about sums up how I feel, 'cept my thighs aren't that toned!

This is one of my favorite sites. The photos submitted are breathtaking on most days. And then on other days it's like looking in a mirror. That is how this frog made me feel today. But he does look like he has a pretty good grip, so that makes me hopeful!

Lyn

Lemon Cookies

In need of something to lift our spirits.

Lemon Cookies with fresh lemons from my in laws tree.

Yum!

Lyn

more of This and That

Several of you have asked about a part time job or working from home. I do that right now. Do we have a satellite? No, already cut. Do we receive the newspaper? No cut also, read on line. Can you cut your entertainment/clothing budget? What entertainment/clothing budget!?

We have turned this snow globe every which way. And at the moment there is only one way to keep afloat. Well, next to winning the lotto! But since someone just won in our zip code I think the deck is stacked against us, there!

We have discussed this with the boys and they are being great about it. Just enough "mommy, I will miss our snuggle time" and "mommy, you taught me so well I won't have a bit of trouble" mixed in with the "I am excited to meet new friends" that it is making it bearable for me to have the conversations with them.

However, when I called to make arrangements to enroll Wise One and was told what all needed to be done including a math and reading test to make sure he should be in 3rd grade and that the test could take TWO hours I almost hung up in disgust and vomited! A two hour math test for a third grader!!!! I hung up the phone and prayed. Truly. There was nothing else I could do. I prayed that God will lead me and my children and keep us safe and secure.

Believe me. I know there are worse things in the world. I do. Some of them I know up close and personal. But this is really tugging at my heart. This is really hard. We will get through it. We will be strong and positive. Some major stress will be relieved and that will be good for our family.

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

My mother in law has had a couple of good days. We have seen more of her personality. While this is more than likely just temporary we are enjoying it and enjoying seeing her smile. And my boys are learning a lot from their grammy and the people around her. They are learing about life.

Lyn

Wrestling

We are wrestling with some things on the homefront, over and above the normal family stuff. Basically, the need for me to return to work. I can not deny our financial situation any longer. We have cut all we can possibly cut and are still not meeting ends. Really it goes beyond that.

This has lead to sleepless nights, knotted stomachs, talking and more talking. And yes, prayer. Really, I know it is in His hands and He will guide our famliy. But for some reason in the middle of the night when I am at my wits end and I turn it over to Him I always end up taking it back to worry over more the next time my eyes open.

I love, I mean really love, being home with my boys. It takes my breath away to think of not seeing them all day. Of not being there to witness their learning for eight hours................that was even hard to type.

Ugggg! I can't type anymore.

Prayers please. Please. I can't wrestle this alone.

Lyn

BRRRRRR!!!!

Right now it is 30 degrees Farenheit outside with a wind chill of 25!

We don't get weather like this is these here parts of coastal Texas!

Brrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lyn