What's for Supper Tonight

Luke and I never seem to eat a whole pound of cheese dip and in the past I've used the leftovers for Chicken Spaghetti...which is wonderful. Tonight I added a different twist-King Ranch Casserole. Basically I took the cheese dip we had left, added my chicken, and a can of cream of chicken soup. Layered it with tortilla chips and topped it with cheese. It sure does smell good in the oven!

Also I wanted to try something different for a veggie tonight. I get so tired of having green beans with almost every meal. Mom gave me her version of this and I added my own twist. Cut broccoli into florets. Basically just take that big stem off and pull apart into smaller pieces. I added about 3 T. of oil and 1 t. of minced garlic & salt and pepper. Tossed it all together and put it on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes....man is it good! Mom topped hers with Parmesan cheese and walnuts....and I'm leaving mine naked. Luke can add cheese if he wants! It's a healthy veggie for sure!!! Enjoy!

When I was visiting with our puppies outside I noticed how gorgeous our Dogwood is this time of year. Maybe tonight I'll take some closer pics of it! God is good isn't He???

A God filled Day of Tutoring!

Yes, I just want to thank God for giving me the words I didn't even think I had. I met with my tutor person today. I was so thankful to have enough time to review what we read 2 Mondays ago. She was very talkative today so that was wonderful. I went over why Sunday's where a day of rest-which she didn't know at all. Then I told her about Adam and him naming the animals. She said..."Oh, like cats and dogs...and the panther in this book!" (See, she really does like this book!). I even asked her if she knew she could talk to God. "Like in your prayers?" she asked. "Yes I said...I talk to him all the time and sometimes he talks back." Her eyes got REAL big then...she said well I don't hear him now. I was thinking to myself....boy I sure do and I can't sit still here much longer!!! I told her if he lived in our heart we could hear him. I also told her that we see his love for us in all the spring flowers and trees budding that are out right now. She really seem to take it all in.

Then, as if that wasn't enough to keep me on my toes. Laura Ingalls said the typical child's prayer- Now I lay me down to sleep. I told her that I used to say that prayer all the time when I was little.

It was a VERY productive day in my heart and hopefully hers. I feel so joyous today whereas two Mondays ago I was in tears. It still amazes me how the Lord can take a Little House on the Prairie book, my willing heart, and her little mind and use it all for His perfect will. Her birthday is coming up in April and I can't wait. I'm going to surprise her and bring cupcakes to her school! I love being a volunteer!

Building the Tomb

The finished frame

Getting the angles right...with the help of the Ipod

Ed's Mathematics

Is that King Tut??? Nope...the body of Jesus!

What a sticky, glue mess

Being Mummified

Glue!!!!

Thinking hard

Jesus is my friend...this is the frame

What it might look like (minus the ice chests!)

A frame like Jesus

Yesterday we got to work on a special presentation for Easter Sunday morning. It was the usual volunteers: Reed, Mom, Me, Dad, Luke, Mr. Jim, & Mr. Ed. We are building a Tomb set for Easter Sunday to go with a song the choir is singing. Inside the tomb will be the body of Jesus with some special stuff going on too! You'll just have to wait and see. In order for us to have a tomb, we needed to build one. So Ed, Jim, Reed, Luke, and Dad set out on that task. It was great hearing measurements given and of course a lot of laughter. Mom and I set out making the body of Jesus. This was a little weird, but his "body" is made of chicken wire, wood, glue, water, and muslin. Hopefully we can get this altogether by Easter! Good times!

Attention Garage Sellers:

There is a Garage Sale happening now across the street from us. The Scholtz's have a TON of stuff...it looks like from baby/kid stuff to grown up stuff. Just wanted to let you know if you are interested. A word to the wise though, don't park in front of our driveway....we have a hard time seeing down our hill as it is anyway! Let me know if you find any deals!!! Me however does not need any more junk as I just spring cleaned this week!!!!

Spring Cleaning has begun!

This week I'm on Spring Break! I figured it was my ONLY week where I didn't have 2 days worth of mentoring/tutoring and a day worth of Bible Study! So I decided to get busy. Most of you think I clean all the time anyway...and you are probably right. Twice a year I take it a little deeper though. I wash all the curtains, dust everything in sight, vacuum furniture, clean cabinets out, closets out, vacuum the places that haven't seen the vacuum in a while... the usual spring cleaning. Today I'm tackling the tile floors and carpets. It's mopping and cleaning carpets day. I'm really glad Spring cleaning is coming to a close as I am having trouble moving now! LOL!! Yesterday I cleaned the top of the cabinets in the kitchen...I just love the sparkle of everything after I'm done! I know....crazy! Wish me luck on the rest of the house today!!!

Dinner Among Friends

Me & Amber

Wild Izzy

One Happy Family

Our Meal

Last week (I know I'm a little late posting these) Mark and Amber and Izzy came over for dinner. I made my most favorite meal of all time: Pot Roast, Mashed Taters, Gravy, Carrots, Green Beans, Rolls, and Banana Pudding for dessert. Izzy had a blast playing in the kitchen with her toys while we ate. Later, we even got Stormy out to play with her...she's such a great dog around others. We had fun visiting and even playing a little Guitar Hero to end the night off right!

A Sad Day for me!

I went to tutor my little person today at noon. We've been reading Little House on the Prairie books which I love. She's beginning to like them too....although she says she doesn't! We had a great time today...but I learned something that broke my heart in pieces! We were reading about Sundays...being holy, the Sabbath, etc. Well Laura (in this book) likes to look at the pictures of Adam and Eve with the animals. I stopped my little person and asked if she knew what they were talking about (I do this a lot cause some of the words are BIG for her!). She told me no. I said, "You don't know the story of Adam and Eve?" "No" she says....so I begin to tell her a little about Adam and Eve.

I felt so completely incompetent today and useless. Being in the Little Rock School District I have to watch what I say and how I say it. I love volunteering and mentoring, I just didn't realize it would teach me so many things. I'm extremely thankful, but I'm learning more and more how to share the love of Jesus in different ways. Maybe I'll make a difference in her little life...it was so hard today though not to tell her what a great friend Jesus will be for her...and not to go right to Mardels and get that kid a Bible!

Oh to pray for the right words next week! And this Wednesday I start with 2 more children for Otter Creek.....at least I know I'm volunteering right where the Lord wants me to be!!!

Karen Kingsbury NOT read!!!!

Ok, if you DON'T want to know the ending to this book.....then please don't read this post. Ok, if you want to know why in the world I'm blogging about a Karen Kingsbury NOT read...then please continue!

I love to read at night before I go to bed. Usually it's a Christian Fiction book of some sort. I have read every one of Karen's books....including this one. Let me just say...WHY!!!! I was reading this book at 11pm....when Luke looked over at me and saw I was stinkin' bawling my eyes out!!! I kept saying, "I hate this book!" Why you may ask....because the police dog dies!!! And a few pages later the dude is married and it ends. Let alone the man never even went with his dog to the vet after he was shot....he got there only when the dog was DEAD!!!! Then he kept thinking about all the good times he had with his dog...and yadayada.... all that did was make me miss my dogs even more.

I hardly ever go to see animal movies in the theatre...mainly because I can't handle them. I didn't even think about this dumb book being the same way!!! And on top of that, Karen never told WHY she killed the dog off....then 2 pages later it ends! So needless to say I didn't get very much sleep that night.

If you want a good cry....I would recommend that book. If you like to sleep at night...then don't! There, I feel much better now!

Wye Mountain with Lily (LOTS of new posts below!)

Yesterday was a perfect day to go see the Jonquils at Wye Mtn. Christylee and I couldn't resist taking pictures of Lily. We had a great time. I was sweaty and tired when we were done though...taking pictures of a baby is hard work! I just love these and can't wait to scrapbook. I ended up with 61 from the shoot, but these are a few of my favorites!

Baby Dedication

Christylee, Lily, Steve

Madayln & Blake

Too sweet

Mrs. Nancy & Me

The whole gang!

Grayson, Blake, Madayln, Carlie, Steve, Lily, Christylee

Mrs. Nancy & Carlie

Uncle Luke & Aunt Melissa

Luke and I were able to attend Eagle Point Church on Sunday for Lily's Baby Dedication. It was wonderful. Of course, we took our cameras. After church we were able to eat with Mr. Jerry and Mrs. Nancy, Carlie, and Christylee and Steve. I had my Lily fix for the day. She's too sweet!!! I love being an Aunt!

Camden Daffodil Festival

Friday at the Camden Daffodil Festival:

Luke and I went to the Camden Daffodil Festival last weekend. This is our 3rd time to go and it was a blast! The weather was perfect. We wore shorts and Capri's...and I was even in flip flops!!! That's a first since last summer! Friday we toured the Gardens and the cemetery. The flowers were in full bloom and smelled wonderful!The cemetery was great! One lady really reminded me of Grandma...I guess because my Grandma would have been 91 on that same day! We ate lunch at a church across the street from one of the gardens. That was a great lunch!!! We ate Friday night at Bentley's in Camden...the pasta was too good!

Saturday in Camden

Luke and I stayed at the Holiday Inn. After a great breakfast we were ready to tour the homes. We started with the Dietrick home. It was full of family history. The chairs at the dining room table were won by his great grandmother. She won them in a biscuit baking contest! We also toured the Maude Crawford home. She disappeared from Camden and no one knows what happened to her! The people that now own the home are a little strange...but it was a fun tour. The last home was the Nunnally home. That man had a TON of Civil War stuff....and arrow heads!

Jones Cemetery

Mom called us while we were eating lunch. She found a haunted cemetery in Camden she wanted us to look for. We finally found it! It's down a dirt road...of course. The story is that in the Civil War times this family locked their daughter in a hidden room of their house. They basically starved her. They buried her in Jones Cemetery (right across the street from the house!). The story goes she's in an unmarked grave and if you turn off you car in this cemetery it might not start again. They say you can hear groaning in the cemetery too! We turned off the car, it started again, and we didn't hear anything. But, I do have to say that house sure does give me the creeps! It was a fun time!

Midol???

I've had this crick (sp??) in my neck since Saturday morning. It's more like in my right shoulder blade. I've been using icy hot patches until I cannot take the smell anymore!!! Yesterday I remembered a friend of ours saying that she takes Midol for cricks. I thought to myself, well it couldn't hurt! I took some yesterday and it really did help. It's a lot better...meaning I can now see things on my right side. It's now at the base of my neck so hopefully it is really working its way out! I'll have more to post later, Luke and I are going to the Camden Daffodil Festival tomorrow...I'm SO looking forward to this!

Baby Dedication Video

I told Christylee I would make the Baby Dedication Video for their church service next Sunday Morning. I was able to completely finish it today. I may be a little biased but I think it turned out wonderful!!

I really love doing special things for Chrusty. We have been best friends for years and even had our ups and downs, but there is absolutely nothing I wouldn't do for her. This is just a small way I can show her and Lily how much they mean to me. The special thing about this slide show for me is the verse Psalms 17:8 (right before Lily's pictures). Mom would make Chris and I recite that for years in the car on the way to school. I never realized at the time how much that verse would mean to me...but I do now. Thanks Mom for taking the time to teach us many new things!

Hopefully Christylee and Carlie (her sister) will like this! Enjoy! P.S. You might need tissues!

Happy Birthday Chris!

Me & the Birthday Boy

Luke

Me & Mom...nice smiles 8)

Dad & Luke

Birthday boy!
We celebrated Chris's birthday on Friday night at Mom and Dads. Mom fixed grilled pork chops, shrimp, baked potatoes, green beans, corn on the cob, bread, and pineapple cake for dessert. It was SO good. That's the first real meal I could eat..and I couldn't get enough of it! We played Guitar Hero later which was a lot of fun. Excuse the pics of me...I look like I'm miserable or mad, but really I couldn't get my mouth open enough to smile. Oh well! Happy 26th Birthday Christopher!

Lily's Photo Shoot

Welcome Back to Blog World!

Man, last week was rough to say the least!!! Tuesday, the surgery went fine, but Tuesday night I didn't sleep a wink. I was able to get caught up on all my food network shows though, so it wasn't a complete waste! Wednesday I slept all day long off and on. Thursday...I was still a little slow and slept on and off. Friday, Luke and I were able to go celebrate my brother's 26th birthday at Mom and Dad's. We were even able to play a little Guitar Hero...always good for a fun time! Yesterday, I was still in a little bit of pain, but Luke and I were able to go out to eat and go to Lowe's to look and dream of home improvements. We are totally happy with our house, but would like small things like new counter tops and laminate in the living room. We shall see! I was even able to do a photo shoot of Lily yesterday afternoon and even got to visit Mark and Amber's new puppy! So all in all, I'm back and feeling pretty good. Sore, but no pain thank the Lord!!! He is good! Thanks for all your prayers! I'll be uploading some new pics soon!