A New Chapter

About 5 months ago, J received a telephone call out of the blue from a former co-worker. They worked together back in J's college intern days - 11 years ago...geez we are getting old! :)  Anyhow, he wanted to speak with J about a job opportunity assisting in the start-up of a local branch office for a Systems Integrator based in Atlanta.  J agreed to meet with him just before Thanksgiving to learn a bit more...J was pretty happy with his current job, but figured it couldn't hurt to check this opportunity out.  Looooong story short, J was intrigued with what this company is doing and began the process investigating, interviewing, and eventually (after much prayer and discussion) accepting a job....starting TOMORROW!

It is a little bit bitter-sweet...excited and thankful to the Lord for this opportunity but a little sad because J worked with some really great folks at his former job.  So, starting tomorrow, our life will look a little different, J will be the "New Guy" - a big change from his former "Wise Old Guy" status, he'll be doing some   local travel, and he's finally got a valid reason for getting an iPhone :)

Looking forward to starting this new chapter!

The NERVE of Me!

Little Ms. Independent was VERY offended that I insisted on cleaning her face with a wipe.  "I do it, Mommy!" is a common expression around our house these days.

Note to self:  Taking a picture of a Drama Queen in the midst of her temper-tantrum makes said tantrum exponentially worse...lucky for all I had not yet unbuckled her car seat  :)

A Sweet Reminder

Came across these verses during my Quiet Time yesterday...

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;

your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.

Do not forsake the work of your hands.  Psalm 138:8

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.  Psalm 139:14

On a day when I was feeling like a big 'ol Goober - those were such comforting reminders!  God made me for His good purpose, He loves me, and He's not gonna give up on me!  YEAH! :)

Momma Watch This!

Yesterday, for the first time, C navigated the Monkey Bars - from start to finish - all by himself!  He was so excited with himself!  I'm proud of him too, he's been working on that goal for a long time :)

Unfortunately, that wasn't his only "first" of the day.  As he was showing off his newfound Monkey Bar prowess, he fell and got the wind knocked out of him.  He didn't know quite what to make of that.  I'm guessing that he'll be approaching Monkey Bars with a bit more caution...hopefully!?!?

Another new thing that he's doing that I'm pretty excited about is this...

G loves to swing - so I'll take any help I can get in that department :)

Good Way to End a Busy Week

WHOA!  I can't believe how quickly the last week has flown by!  We have been BUSY!  And what better way to end a busy week than supper at our favorite, super high-end, very glamorous restaurant! :)

Gotta love C-F-A's free kid's ice cream (in exchange for the kid's meal toy)

 Making sure she gets every. last. drop!

I had every intention on taking a picture of C while eating ice cream but his was GONE in about 3 seconds flat...seriously, I'm not exaggerating :)

"Hey Mommy!!!!!"

Baked Oatmeal Recipe

Here's the recipe for our Baked Oatmeal.  I started off with this Baked Oatmeal recipe, but have since tweaked it to suit the taste of our family and make it a bit more healthy.  If you have picky eaters, you might consider starting off with a recipe more similar to the link (has more oil and sugar) and working your way towards our recipe over time :) 

Baked Oatmeal

In a large mixing bowl

1 cup applesauce (unsweetened)

1/4 cup olive oil

4 eggs

1/4 cup Splenda, Turnbinado, or Sugar

Wisk ingredients together well, and add the following ingredients:

6 cups oatmeal (I use old fashioned for health reasons, but quick will work as well)

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 to 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon (J LOVES cinnamon)

2 cups milk (or milk and water if running low on milk)

dash of vanilla

You can also add in some raisins, small apple chunks, dried cranberries, blueberries, ect.  We usually use raisins.

Mix together VERY well and then pour into a GREASED (I use the PAM with flour spray) 9X13 baking dish.

Bake at 375 for around 40 minutes.  

To reheat in the microwave add a dash of milk on top of the oatmeal in the bowl to prevent drying out.

Any questions, just let me know. :)

Speechless (and that doesn't happen often :)

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord,

"Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions

to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything,

I will pay back four times the amount."

Luke 19:8

Earlier today, I noticed that one of C's Storybook Bibles was laying in a heap of books on the floor, so I asked him to put it away before it got messed up.  About a minute later (I'd already moved to another room), I hear G screaming and C laughing and running around.  When I went to check on them I found out that instead of putting away his Bible as I had asked, C grabbed up G's Bible and was running into his room saying/singing something to the effect of "You can't have it!"  

At that point, C and I went to his room to discuss the consequence for his disobedience and unkind attitude toward his sister.  At the end of our conversation, I explained that he would need to return G's Bible and ask for her forgiveness for being unkind. He understood and had what we call "a happy heart" (good attitude), so I went back to cleaning the bathroom.

About 2 or 3 minutes later, C came into the bathroom and said:

"Mommy, I want to be like Zacchaeus at the end [of the story], so I gave G the Bible I took and one [more] Bible of mine."

I had no words.  Just an overwhelming gratitude for how I saw the Lord working in his little heart in that moment.  Not ONCE during our conversation in his room, did I mention the words "Zacchaeus," "stealing" or any other connection to Sunday's Sunday School lesson. And he wasn't overstating in an effort to pout or receive sympathy (trust me, we are VERY familiar with THAT tactic).  He was doing what I pray he will do his whole life through...take what he knows the Bible says and apply it to "real" life...especially when "real" life gets messy.

Such a sweet moment...kinda took the drudgery out of going back and cleaning that nasty shower :)

Cooking With C

We eat Baked Oatmeal for breakfast around here A LOT!.  As far as I'm concerned, it is the perfect breakfast solution...I'm happy because it is relatively healthy, can be made ahead of time and reheated in the am, and one batch usually covers our breakfasts for about 2 1/2 days.  J and the kids are happy because it is yummy.  Doesn't get more perfect than that!

I needed to make another batch this afternoon for tomorrow's breakfast.  I decided to let C do the honors this time.  As expected, he had a blast!  He likes cooking in general, but thinks it is ESPECIALLY cool when he gets to use my mixer...

Looks about right...maybe it is time the Baked Oatmeal Chef baton is passed on to the next generation...

***Disclaimer:  No children were endangered during the making of this Baked Oatmeal.  The mixer was unplugged until it was time to actually start mixing.  At which time, C completed comprehensive safety training  AND was instructed that if he stuck his hand down in the bowl with the paddle while it was turned on it might break his hand (I know, that may have been a slight exaggeration).  As soon as mixing was complete, mixer was unplugged and mixing paddle removed.  And of course, C was not involved at all in the actual baking process at all.Baked Oatmeal

When the Cat is Away (at school)...

the mouse will play...with all of cat's favorite toys :)

Ever since Cowboy Day at school, G has been dying to get her hands on C's hat and 6-shooter...

No reason why one can't play Kitchen and Bad Guys (with C's favorite blaster) at the same time!

She even swiped C's favorite Camo Belt - is NOTHING sacred?

Hold on one second, Pretend Bad Guys, I have a call I need to take...

Cowboy Day

Today was Cowboy Day at C's preschool.  And while I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE C's preschool, I'm not a huge fan of these dress up days.  I know, I'm such a grump, after-all EVERYBODY likes dress up days, right?!?

In my defense, these "Days" have a habit of being a big 'ol pain in my butt. Inevitably, whatever the theme, I will not have what I need on hand.  Whatever store I go to first is going to be out of what I need which then sends me on a store-to-store search for some item that I don't want to buy for a "Day" that I don't like (Ba Humbug!).  

Yesterday, when I realized that I could put off shopping for Cowboy Day no longer, I had the idea to post a Facebook Status seeking suggestions from friends for stores that might have Cowboy attire hoping to at least shave off some shopping time.  I received a  number of helpful responses and then ranked them in order of proximity to my house and likelihood of an enjoyable shopping experience.  

• Dollar Tree...no luck (not surprised, remember this is a theme for me - first store never works out).
• Party City...mediocre luck, they had the items in question but didn't really fit and were too expensive.
• Wal-Mart...despite a most unhelpful/rude employee who apparently couldn't be interrupted from standing there doing NOTHING, we found a reasonably priced hat,  bandanna, and as a little bonus a red flannel shirt on clearance.  

So for about about $12 bucks and a WHOLE lot of patience, you can get yourself one cute little cowboy :)

All total, shopping for Cowboy Day took a little over an hour and was a VAST improvement to the Umbrella Parade Day Shopping Fiasco, which took an entire day. :)

Only God...

So today I was reminded how cool God is!  He's the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, yet He still cares about the little, tiny details...

John 1:3 - Through him all things were made; 

without him nothing was made that has been made.

Colossians 1:17 - He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

On Monday morning during our devotional, the kids and I were reviewing C's Sunday School Notes (a sheet they give parents telling what the kids learned about during Sunday School). Japan was the Missions Moment featured country.  As C was telling me what he remembered about Japan, I noticed my 2011 Missions Guide sitting next to me on the couch.  (The Missions Guide is a listing of the missionaries that our church supports financially and/or through prayer.)  It occurred to me to look to see if there were any missionaries to Japan in the Guide that we could pray for specifically. Didn't take but a minute before I found a lady that serves in Japan at a crisis pregnancy center.  So, since Monday we've been praying for this lady.  I never thought to mention this to anybody else - even J.

Fast forward to this morning at women's Bible study.  Each small group in this Bible study ministry was assigned a missionary to pray for and write notes of encouragement to.  Lo-and-behold who was my group assigned to but that SAME missionary the kids and I have been praying for all week!  Now just to put this in perspective, our Bible study leadership team chose 34 of the 65 missionaries listed in the Missions Guide - and assigned one missionary to each small group.  I don't really believe in odds, coincidences, accidents, etc. but even if I did I'd consider 1 out of 65 as pretty slim odds!  Guess I definitely need to be praying for this Japanese missionary :) Pretty cool, huh!?!