the back door

i'll start out saying forgive me. this may be a bit long, but way too much fun (i guess) to not blog about!!! when i last left you i asked you all what you were doing 9 years ago. obviously it was the day i got married. i believe i stated hubby was whisking me off for a long weekend away!! i could hardly wait. but i did have something else fun to do that october 24....a birthday party at chuck e cheese. i mean isn't that the best!!! it was a first for this family and the kiddos could hardly wait. we loaded up here at our house and made the 40 minute trek to the closet location. i rode up with a friend. when we pulled into the lot i bent down to pick up my purse. i stated, "gee i don't have any cash." i stuffed the purse under the seat and got out. (i know - you probably know where this is headed!) we enjoyed 3 hours of chuck e cheese bliss!! pizza, games, tickets, show, cake, presents....lots of fun. before we knew it we realized we should head back...

do any of you remember what you were doing 9 years ago today? what was the significance of that day? was there any??? this is what i was doing 9 years ago today... ...i awoke bright and early to a phone call from my best friend who was spending a year in poland as a missionary. she called that morning b/c we were both sad nothing could be worked out for her to be home that day. ...i had several friends in town visiting and hanging out with me ...my dad had spent the day before washing my car and the great little yellow bug convertable he had then(i love that about him!) ...i actually had a manicure and my hair done that day!! can you believe i had those things done??? ...i ate a yummy breakfast of yummy muffins from where i worked -the old worlde cup ...i then put on this beautiful dress and had my pictures taken ...then i got to walk down the aisle and see my future husband waiting for me!!! ...then we actually let his brother marry us ...then God had blessed that oct. 24 with su...

well...for those of you who have been following my blog and my cousin at like i was saying the pampers box saga has come to an end!! yes folks...the box that flew to indiana, spent a week at the indy airport, travelled back to lafayette, dropped at my sisters school, was then picked up on saturday by my parents and arrived safe and sound here at our house around 7 saturday night! it was met with great squealing and much delight as we all got to ooh and ahh over the abundance of clothes for princess! we had a fashion show then and there and quickly discovered which were her favorites!!! thanks natalie!! they are a huge hit here!! the shoes were a perfect fit and she hasn't taken them off yet!! i'm so thankful that my little princess finds hand me down clothes to be so exciting!! i never did but then again a clothes from 10 years ago probably wouldn't thrill her either. so..the saga has ended!! that little box has quite the story to tell!!!

we often comment around here that mapboy is every bit his father. he may favor my side in some of his looks: round face, stockier build, etc... but for the most part he acts just like his father and has his coloring. last night, however, i saw a glimpse of myself in that sweet boy! we were being hit with storms last night. mapboy who is fascinated by weather and maps and such was glued to the tv weather reports. daddy was at a meeting so he needed to keep me current on where what was headed and when. he was also keeping track in case we needed to call family and friends to tell them to take cover! well at bedtime things were clearing up and of course our town for whatever reason seems to escape the brunt of it(gladly). just some rain. off to bed he goes... all is quiet for a while and then off in the distance i hear some thunder. i breathe a sigh of relief that both kids are sound asleep upstairs and have been for close to an hour. but no, i hear a faint cry for mom from ma...

so far today i've been honored to be in the company of tinkerbell, cinderella, sleeping beauty, the famous ballerina of america, strawberry shortcake, and currently sitting in my family room is the most amazing of them all: one of the 5 speckled frogs!! what a day!!!

well i meant to get this post up yesterday, but this week has run away from me and i can't seem to catch up to it! anyways...yesterday, the 17th, my dear hubby celebrated his birthday! for him, he felt a little down, i think. not so much that he was a year older, but that this is not where he saw himself at this time in his life. but as i reflected on that comment he made, i realized that he is EXACTLY where he is supposed to be. this past year for him has been filled with being humbled, introspection, seeking, and most importantly truly life changing. we both believe that God is going to reveal some awesome plans for hubby during this year. so although he isn't where he thought he would be, he is exactly where God wants him to be. for this, he is blessed. he is in God's hands and resting in His wings,and therefore, this is a great year ahead!! so happy birthday hubby!! you are loved and cherished in this heart of mine. our kids adore you and love you. i love tha...

this week has been one of controversy in my small town. those of you who read this locally will know in great detail what i'm talking about, for others of you i'll try to be as clear as i feel i can... let me start with a bit of background..... early september i attended the leadership retreat from our church. i serve as the leader of children's ministry. at this retreat we watched a video called transformations. the video is a series of communities that have experienced transformation from spiritual strongholds to spirit-filled communities. at this retreat the leadership was greatly moved to start praying through our community strongholds and finding a way for the christians in our town to come together. one of the strongholds was the racism we have. our community is a fast growing hispanic one - that we fail to embrace in any way. the week we returned we were asked to participate in community wide prayer by a latino pastor!! God was definitely moving...so long s...

i say that quite often about a variety of things. people you see, cornfields, oh you know...the great indiana things!! but this morning we woke up to another one of those great only in indiana things...a 40 degree temperature change overnight!! yes...you heard it folks. it was 86 here yesterday..this morning 46! you know what makes it even more special...the rain mixed with it! of course it isn't nearly as refreshing in the cold. and oh i can make it even more special yet - YES FOLKS...TODAY WAS THE GREAT PUMPKIN PATCH FIELD TRIP FOR PRESCHOOL!!! just like last year...cold and rainy. last year they cancelled and rescheduled. the next week we went in snow! so this morning the call was to keep it on. so all 45 kiddos, several moms, and several younger siblings braved the wind and cold to venture to the patch. they uncovered the haymaze and the kids hid inside to keep warm. the llama wanted to spit at all of us so running away from him kept us warm. huddled close on the h...

you need to hear the story from my cousin at like i was saying . (sorry i can't link for whatever reason to the exact entry...so just look for the pampers box.) i never thought i'd be part of an airport scandal!!!!

yep...that was the subject of an email sent to me from my dear friend. now, i know i'm not the skinniest thing around, but i'm getting back into the size i'd love to be...i'm almost fully there!! so why on earth would my friend feel the need to send me this. i don't even really eat fries! hmm... so i open it up with high hopes that there is some kind of weird fact about what they put in those fries we all love from fast food places. or maybe someone found a finger or something. remember when all of that was happening? i know this friend is really quite a funny one so surely that is what it is all about. i'm bracing myself for a great laugh, when nope...nothing funny here!! just a nice friendly reminder that my lab reports are finally in (did i mention this friend is my doctor who ordered a blood draw a month ago and that i finally went last week?) and the cholestoral count is a little too high. so he will kindly discuss with me the "natural" op...

so most of you will remember my plea for advice on pots and pans!! well thank you to all who took the time to share their tried and true favorites with me. after looking at several different sets of revere wear and farberware i finally settled on a stainless steel farberware. it came with 2 nonstick skillets which were a must for my omelet making hubby!! the big sell for me on the farberware set was the straining lids! i mean one less step in my cooking is always a sell for me! well they arrived mid-week last week. they looked so shiny and pretty, but i finally got them out and used them over the weekend and this week! i just have to say i love them!! they cook so fast and evenly. they clean so nice. and the food actually stays warm in them for quite a while too!! i had noodles for the kids sitting in the pan for 15 minutes yesterday and they stayed warm and yummy!!! so thanks....my family is safe again!!!