So Long Insecurity...

Today, months of planning came to fruition. We hosted the Beth Moore Simulcast at our church and it was amazing. We had 250 women from our community come together for this special event. It was incredible to see women from our community participating in this together. It felt a little like what heaven will be like. Here on this earth, we identify ourselves with a denomination, but in heaven, we will just be sisters in Christ.

My favorite line today was "Give someone the gift of forgiveness even if they don't ask for it". That's what God did for us on the cross. We hadn't even asked for it, we didn't even know we needed it, but He freely gave His Son to die on the cross for us. So many times as a parent, I just want my kids to learn the lesson of saying they are sorry for something. And, I still do, but this really spoke to me about my heart and gifting them with grace. Forgive them even if they don't ask for it. Isn't that what we want God to do for us. We mess up and don't ask for God to forgive us, but He does. May I learn from His example as He bestows grace on me daily.

The Thrill of Victory

Well, at first glance, we didn't think we'd be playing a game. During warm up, the rain came pouring down for just a few minutes. Then, at 5:30, it stopped and the game was played. The Cardinals had to fight wind and rain, not to mention the other team, but they pulled it out. It was a great game.

Happy Birthday to me...

Sarah offered an invitation I couldn't refuse. She wanted to take me to lunch for my birthday. "Well, not really on my birthday. Oh, and she can't drive, so technically I would be taking her..." (She cracks me up with her quirky sense of humor.) So, today, I took her up on her offer. (Of course, I clipped a coupon to save her money and we shared our lunch.) It was delicious! Schlotzsky's Turkey and jalapeno pizza and potato and bacon soup...YUM! We couldn't get enough of the soup. It was the best potato soup I've ever eaten. Hey, in 37 years, that's saying something. If I find out the recipe or find a way to copy it, I'll be sure to share. Anyway, it was a great lunch with one of my favorite people.

Black Bean Corn dip

Need a last minute dip? Try this yummy concoction... I started with a recipe, but as usual, I strayed. Not because I don't think it will be good, but because I usually don't have those exact ingredients. So this was a yummy creation for a last minute dish.

1 can black beans-drained and rinsed
1 can sweet corn- drained
1 can Rotel- drained
1 clove garlic- minced
1 tsp. cumin
1T olive oil
1/2 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese

Combine 1st 6 ingredients in a skillet on Med. heat. Saute' for about 5 minutes to heat through and to let the flavors marry. Add in the cheese and heat until bubbly. Serve warm with tortilla chips. YUM!

Easter 2010

Here come the twins

Miss Ava

Hayden almost missed one.

A basket full of eggs.

Sarah takes a turn.

Even Kate hunts some eggs.

Rachel has to reach for her eggs.

I love Easter. It is one of my favorite holidays. We went to church Easter morning and then hosted 16 people for lunch at our house. A traditional Easter egg hunt followed and then an afternoon of relaxing and enjoying the beautiful weather. Ahhhh, love days like that. It sure is good to be home! We now know what we'd been missing all those years. There's no place like home...there's no place like home.

St. Louis Cardinals Win 13-6

Hayden has started baseball again. I am amazed that he has the ability to knock the snot out of that ball every single time he bats.{I remember when he was two years old and we got him a basketball goal for his birthday. We handed him the ball, he took a shot and made it. Time after time, he would shoot the ball and make it. We thought it was so funny the difference between girls and boys. After having 3 girls, we didn't really understand the love that a boy might have for sports at such an early age. Well, he loves playing ball of any kind.} This is his second season of baseball and he seems to be a natural. Well, I am his mama after all. I'm telling you, he just knows how to move on the field. Some kids you have to tell them every move to make and some kids are just born with it. Hayden is of the second kind. I love watching him play. He has played two games. They lost the first and won the second 13-6. By the way, John is the coach again. He has a great group of dads that pitch in and help during practice and at games. It sure helps when you're not the only one coaching 11 kids.

Garage doore mishap

I asked for local garage door repair companies on facebook the other day. I had great response and then had to come clean on why I needed the information.

Here's the story... I ran home the other day after school, before I picked the big girls up to throw rice in the rice cooker. I was trying to have dinner ready early... Anyway, I pulled into the middle of the garage, got the rice in and started to leave. As I backed out, the garage door came down on my back window. What in the world? As I tried to figure out why, I looked over my shoulder to see the emergency release cord CAUGHT in the back passenger side door. So, as I started to back up, I released the door and pulled it down on myself. That takes some real talent, let me just tell you. This was not the day of the week for this to happen. John came home and we had just a few minutes to look at it before AWANA. I didn't do major damage. I basically popped a wheel off track on one side. So, to fix it, John was going to pop it in with a hammer and it busted the wheel. Well, it still went in and even worked for a few days. Then, all of the sudden, it stopped working. Nothing... this time, I didn't back into the door. This time, the spring was busted that lifts the door. So, thus the reason I asked for suggestions of garage door repair companies... Thank you! I may never live it down. The moral of the story, buy some instant rice=)

South Plains Regional Science Fair 2010

Sarah went from 3rd at her local Science Fair to 1st at the South Plains Regional Science Fair. They had 577 participants. Each person was awarded 1st, 2nd, or 3rd. Sarah brought home a 1st place medal and ribbon! We picked her up today and she was so excited and is already starting to think about her project for next year. She said that they sent kids to the International Science Fair from here. Two kids advanced to the International competition. Wow! She also said they gave out scholarships worth about $20,000 total. This was huge and was hosted at Texas Tech in Lubbock. Sarah also enjoyed spending the weekend with Poppy. He took her to dinner Friday night and then back to the Fair on Saturday for the awards ceremony. She had a great weekend and it's not even over. I think we're all going to have to nap tomorrow.

AWANA Grand Prix 2010

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96 racers, 4.5 hours, 200 hot dogs and a whole lot of fun... Not only was this the first year for our church to have AWANA, we held a Grand Prix of GRAND proportions. I think it is the biggest race we've ever been a part of. We started at 10am and finished at 3pm. We served lunch and had a movie playing in half of the ministry center for the kids to watch if they weren't racing. We also had a room with board games. As Hayden raced, I had plenty of time to take pictures, but as Rachel got ready to race, I started recording winners from the previous races and getting awards ready, so I didn't get one picture of her. I will have to take on and add it. I guess that's what happens when your husband is the commander. There's talk of building two six lane tracks this summer. It could be even bigger next year.

Chicken Enchilada Pizza

My dad called yesterday and told me about this new pizza he had at a local pizza place in Clarendon. Chicken Enchilada Pizza. He told me all about it and I decided to try it tonight. We had some friends over and enjoyed our weekly pizza night with a twist. This was a great experiment and it will be on our menu from now on. We all enjoyed it! The recipe? Well, if you like hot stuff, then you have to try this.

Chicken Enchilada Pizza:

Pizza Dough (I get mine at Sam's in the cafe)
Green Enchilada Sauce
Grilled chicken breast sliced into bite size pieces
Colby jack cheese
Diced tomatoes
Diced onion
Diced Green chilies (Fresh roasted if you have them)

Roll out the dough, spread with enchilada sauce and pile on the toppings. Bake at 400 for 23 minutes. YUM!

San Antonio

Sisters

River Boat Tour

Rachel and the River Walk

The Alamo

Since the wedding was so close to San Antonio, we decided to take the kids. They have never been and have never seen the Alamo. Sarah is studying Texas History in 7th grade and Rachel is studying about the Alamo, so it was the perfect time to go.