As long as you switch out the side dishes you can call it a whole new meal, no?

I'm in the process of scanning some of our old photos and since Valentine's Day is approaching, I thought I'd share a few of them this week if I can make myself get around to it. But that's gonna mean that I have to start my posts before my eyelids start getting that heavy feeling. So, more like around 6ish... I have the bedtime of an eighty year old.

Back before M to the Izz-A had twin peaks (our term of endearment for his receding hairline) and before my unfortunate forehead was given the gracious gift of side bangs, we had our engagement pictures taken on a local beach. Actually, I really love these particular photos because we look so young and clueless carefree. Well, while looking at these photos, I was reminded of our dating days and our first year of marriage.

By the way, I don't think I've ever shared with you all the fact that the boy bought a ring and proposed to me before we had ever mentioned anything about marriage or even brought up the idea spending forever together. Looking back, he must have been nuts. I mean, who in their right mind would do that without having first talked about it or at least mentioned it in conversation with the other person??

In the spirit of honesty, I must tell you that I do know part of the reason he fell for me. It was during our first month of dating when I made that third trip back to the lunch buffet line with him one Sunday after church that he knew I could hang. I guess he assumed that if I liked to eat like that, that I could also cook.

Oh, the folly in assuming, it gets even the best of us at times.

He quickly learned during our first year of marriage that while I did enjoy cooking, my list of recipes was sorely lacking. Although he never mentioned it back then, he now likes to frequently make fun of the fact that I cooked pork chops five out of seven days a week. I can't even defend myself with that one. I mean, what? I like pork chops and so I cooked them often. I baked them, fried them, George Foreman grilled them and mixed them into any casserole I could think of. They were my safety meat of choice if you will, because I wasn't yet comfortable with making fancy roasts or anything else for that matter. I figured that as long as I changed out my cooking method (Monday-fried, Tuesday-baked, Wednesday-grilled, Thursday-fried again, Friday - he better take me out to eat for pulling such pork chopping stunts) and as long as I changed out my sides, it was a whole new meal. Kind of like when you wear that same favorite shirt all the time but change out your jewelry, it's a whole new outfit. They're called staple items people, embrace them.

Well, I'm happy to say that I've made definite gains in the cooking department and I honestly cannot remember the last time I made pork chops. I do still love them, but obviously I tend to get on kicks, and right now I'm on a crock pot kick....what a wonderful invention! I'm gonna send a Valentine to whoever invented it and I hope mine makes it to them before Matt's does.

Come, Let's Take A Picture Walk

Some of you may have noticed (okay, maybe just my sis Sal Gal) that I took a little blogging break last week. I had fully intended one taking a week off but here I am five days later, two days short of a full week. But that's as long as I could go. And although I didn't blog, I definitely still took tons of random photos to share.

So in order to do a little catching up, I decided to post more pics than words on this one.

Here's Kate reminding me that the blogging world is up and running and that I am not in the game this week. I could have sworn that I heard a "nah nah nannah boo boo" coming from underneath her paci.

Now, the next pictures melt my heart. Since it's been cold here lately and Kate actually has hair now ('bout time), I've noticed that after her bath every night Matt blow dries her hair so that she want be cold with a wet head. I was determined to get pictures of it and Wednesday night I did just that!

She's okay with having someone do her hair but prefers to do her own makeup. I can't blame her.

Thursday night after Kate went to bed, M to the Izz-A and I watched the movie Fireproof.

Now I understand what all the hype has been about. It was a tear-jerker of a movie and just a sweet blessing to watch. No, the actors will probably not be up for any Oscars but it didn't really take away from the movie, believe it or not.

Friday night Sal Gal invited us over for tacos and Wii.

Actually the boys played Wii and Wii ate brownies and ice cream!








Saturday Kate and I spent the day together while Matt helped a friend with a home improvement project. She let me put pigtails in her hair again which is worthy of documentation in itself.

We even managed to paint her toenails. Although I thought the color was a little lighter and a little more pink than it turned out to be, we were both pretty proud of the outcome.



Six more weeks of winter? Who says? Spring has sprung around here!



Saturday night Kerri and I planned a last minute trip for shopping and dinner. I left in such a hurry that I forgot my camera but we had such a good time. We shopped until the stores made their announcement that they were closing. That's the sign of a truly successful shopping trip!


And today after church we pretty much just hung around the house TV.


Here's M to the Izz A doing his I'mgonnapretendlikeIdon'tseeyoutakingmypicture face.



And here's Kate and me doing our IdefinitelyseeyoutakingmypictureandI'mgonnacheeseitup face.



You can see the new throw pillows I bought last night on our shopping trip...a long overdue purchase.

So what was the point in me taking some time off if I end up doing a day by day play by play???

Who knows.

I'd like to say I skipped a few days of blogging for deep meditation or to do volunteer work to help my community, but really it was more along the lines of mile-high laundry piles and dried on dishes.

Either way, it's over, and I'm back!
Happy Sunday!

Shuffle Step

Last night M to the Izz-A told me that he got us tickets for Riverdance for Valentine's Day. I'm so excited! And if you know me, I've been practicing my moves all around the house ever since the word 'Riverdance' left his lips, just in case they spot me in the crowd doing a flawless tap number and want me to join them for the remainder of their tour.

The fact that he took the initiative to purchase the tickets kind of blew me away. But lately, he's done several things that have taken me for a loop:

- Aside from Riverdance, he shared with me the other night that after years of watching me wrestle with my blow dryer and straightening iron everyday (oh who am I kidding, a few times a week) he's developed an idea for an invention that will cut out all of the hair hassle. It's some kind of dryer and straightening tool that he described it to me in amazing detail. I've never heard him talk about anything in too much detail other than the deer he spotted on the way home from work. And now he's designing hair tools? (Cue Twilight Zone music here)

- Be warned, this one is the kicker. On the way to the mall last weekend (and the fact that he went with me to the mall should be an item all to itself) he brings up the fact that Kate will be two years old in June, and we will be....well, numbers aren't important here...but his point was that if we were planning on having another child that we should probably start thinking about it and working it into our whole mental 'timeline' of things. Woah! (Cue any music that would go well with my eyes bugging out of my head here)

The kid's on a roll I tell ya. His brain has definitely been churning lately. Actually, one of my favorite things to say to him is, "You have a fun time in that brain of yours, don't ya?" I seriously think he does.

So really that's all that's been going on around here lately. That's the news on our home front. I've been pretty boring lately....so much that I'm even getting bored with myself.

But now I'm off to wrestle blow dry this horse's mane that I call my hair, also know as my morning aerobics.

Have a great Wednesday!

New Kicks and Movie Night With a Friend

Today I went to buy new running shoes and as I've mentioned before, the only shoes I've ever ran are Asics. But I decided to go and have a 5-step analysis done to make sure I am using the correct shoe for my specific needs. Not knowing what to expect, I managed to remove my chipped toenail polish before going only to find out that the 'socks stay on'. It was for the best.

On the way there I told M to the Izz-A that I really hoped that they didn't tell me I had to wear something other than Asics or that I needed some type of 'special shoe'. But what I really, really didn't want to hear is that I had hammer toes. It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt tells someone else that they've got hammer toes.

One time when I was in middle school my mom took me to buy some new shoes and the saleslady that was supposed to measure my foot told me that I had hammer toes. Granted, my toes are long and bony but I don't think that working part-time in the JC Penney's shoe department gave her the medical authority to diagnose me with hammer toes. Not to mention, I was in middle school, also known as myselfesteemishangingonbyathread stage. I don't think I wore flip-flops for months after that.

Now I'm over it. Or am I??

The whole foot analysis went pretty quickly and I was told that my feet are narrow, but that I had a normal heel to toe progression. The Asics that I have been running in all these years were indeed one of the shoes they would have recommended for me. I was so happy because I really didn't want to switch brands.

My feet are happy...as are my toes.

Last night we piled up on the couch with some popcorn and had a family movie night.

The four of us had a great time.


Yes, four. Kate had a friend join us.

Meet Baby.


And of course, she had to sit right up on the couch with us and have her own bowl of popcorn.

Nobody puts Baby in a corner.

6th in the 6th

Abbi tagged me to post the 6th pic in my 6th folder. Thanks Abbi!

This is Kate last Easter. It was her very first Easter. One of my favorite parts of the photo is that you can see her skinny, frog legs through her dress.

Easter 2008

A lot of you have already been tagged for this, so I tag anyone else who wants to do it! It's quick, easy, and fun to look back at your IHaveYetToPutTheseInAnAlbum old photos!

**Update on LNO (Ladies Night Out) devotions link: Rhonda is emailing me the specifics and I will post the link just as soon as I get it.

LNO and a little more

I actually typed up a pretty lengthy post two nights ago but my aggravating loving husband accidentally contributed to it's unplanned deletion.

I had about four paragraphs and was actually doing one of my few and far between serious posts when he comes in from outside holding a pan full of charred ribs. His mother gave him a meat smoker for Christmas and it has become his new passion in life. He's always smoking something and while it helps out with the cooking, I'm starting to get a little tired of arriving at my destinations smelling like I just got off a long lunch-shift at Sonny's BBQ. So as I was finishing up my post he wanted me to look at the burnt mounds of what used to be ribs. I politely told asked him to please wait for one second while I finished up, but he overlooked my request and stuck one in my face, because he's understanding and patient like that. I, of course, being the graceful, calm, and collected person that I am frantically starting flailing my arms and pushed him away.

And that's when I looked down and noticed that every single word on my page had been deleted except for a single little 'a'. I hoped it had been previously saved but had no luck. I got a little frustrated and had no desire to retype it all. So, long story long, that's what happened.

My original post was on being faithful. Over the past couple weeks I've been really thinking about faithfulness and how I want my loved ones (especially Kate) to find me faithful. I want her to think of me as someone who loves the Lord with all my heart, soul, and mind. And not because I just tell her that I do, but because she sees it in me. Some people call it their legacy, as in what type of legacy do you want to leave behind? Thoughts like this have filled my head and heart lately.

It's been said that God speaks to us in echoes, like a repeated theme or topic that somehow keeps coming up. It'll be in your thoughts and then maybe you'll hear a song about, or it will come up again in a conversation with a friend, or a sermon may touch on it. That's happened to me recently. And then last Sunday our music leader sang Steve Green's "Find Us Faithful" during our morning service. It was the perfect song. The lyrics sum up every thought that's been running through my head lately.

Becoming a mother has changed me in ways I didn't really expect. I mean, I totally expected the unfortunate physical changes and even anticipated becoming more emotional (or maybe I should say hormonal?) but it's also made me start caring about the impact I have on others and whether it's positive or negative. To be completely honest, I'm not sure I ever thought of or cared what people would say about me after I was long gone, but now I think about it and realize that it IS important. I want Kate to be proud to have me as her mommy...and not just because I have a unique ability to make most nursery rhymes sound like 80's-style rap songs, or because I let her dump the entire bag of cereal all over the kitchen floor, but because I have a genuine love for the Lord that she sees through my daily living.

So here I am with this goal that seems kind of far away. I mean, I find myself going to God with the same ol' sins. "It's me again God... " And I know I fail miserably at always being faithful. But it is my desire that when I do lack faith, or when I am quick to make the entirely wrong decision, that Kate sees me handle it in prayer and seeking God's guidance. I want to be a living example for her to not only look up but also to learn from because I know that I'll always make mistakes, but it's how I handle them that she's going to be watching.

Rhonda, the host of LNO, talked about several topics last night. And while the majority of the topics are on parenting, I found myself learning about things I need to work on within myself just as much as with Kate. I cannot expect things from Kate before I expect them of myself.

She also spoke about dealing with hard situations (such as job loss, etc) with your children. Use those situations as opportunities for your children to see God at work. "Let's see what God's going to do!" We know that He is working all things for our good. We know it. We just need to believe, accept it, and live it already! Now that is good news! It goes back to having faith. Something I need to continually work on.

Rhonda is part of an online ministry and I found out last night that anyone who wants to tune in and listen to our LNO sessions online can do so just by going to the website! I'm running late this morning (when am I not?!) but will try to post the link today. I am so excited at the thought that some of you may join us next time!

Here's a few of my favorite lyrics from Find Us Faithful:


Let us run the race not only for the prize
But as those who've gone before us
Let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness
Passed on through godly lives
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the foootprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift through all we've left behind
May the clues that they discover
And the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them
To the road we each must find



Oh my all who come behind us find us faithful

Where's Waldo? Oh wait. That's me.

L to R: Jobeth, Abbi, Sal Gal, Rhonda, me, Tracey, Kerri

Until morning time

Too late to post tonight
Just got back from LNO
Learned a lot as always
Motivating and inspiring fo sho!
Gonna post about it in the morning
I even snagged a pic!
Now tell me, who can go to a bible study and pull that kind of trick?