Giving Love Away

A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

Proverbs 11:24-25

don't you feel good when you give? i wish i was rich so i could just give and give. but as it is i can't give much money but i can give my time. and our church Next Level is Giving Love Away. we adopted a title one school, which by definition is a school with at least 50% of the students getting free or reduced lunch. the school we adopted is at 91%. they don't have a lot of anything. some of the kids don't have coats. and when they eat at school, that may be the only meal they get during the day. so our fearless leaders put together a plan. we wanted every child in the school (about 550) to get a gift for Christmas. melissa jackson (who rocks!) got bags labeled with either boy or girl and their grade. then we as a congregation were challenged to fill them with gloves, a hat and a 5 dollar toy. then we had a toothbrush, toothpaste and candy for each bag. AND the church is going to provide a uniform shirt for each child. talk about a lot of stuff! of course someone was going to have to go through all these bags and make sure everyone got what they were supposed to. and i was one of the lucky ones to get to do that. we met this morning about 9 and worked until we were done. which was only about 10:30! we were super fast. we had a great time! getting to just talk and goof off and feel good about what we were doing. i didn't know everyone so i got to meet some new people. we had Christmas music and candy to keep us in the mood. it didn't even feel like work. it was just plain fun!

i'm so glad i belong to a church that cares so much about others. THANK YOU NEXT LEVEL!


and as a laugh...monkey and i were talking about the Christmas story. we were talking about how mary must have felt when the angel appeared to her. how she was scared but determined to do what God asked of her. i told him that some people were mad at her because she was going to have a baby and she wasn't married. he said "yeah they were mad like an angry MOM!" (get it, supposed to be mob.) i thought it was funny!~

white trash again

everyone enjoyed this recipe so much last year, i'm posting it again.

this is one of my favorite holiday snacks. i love to make this to give as gifts to friends, teachers, mailmen (or women!), etc. my family LOVES this stuff and it's super easy to make. i'm going to post this in the style of my friend crystal.

first thing is to gather all of your ingredients together.
5 cups Cheerios (heaping cups!)
5 cups Rice Chex Cereal (heaping cups!)
10oz package mini pretzels
2 12oz packages white chocolate chips
1lb plain M&M’s
2 cups dry roasted peanuts (or cashews) if you like. i leave them out
2 Tbsp oil
(i use store brand whenever possible)
mix your dry ingredients together in a really, really big bowl. i have a 32 cup tupperware bowl that works just right.
pour the white chocolate chips and oil into a bowl. (i like a glass one) put it in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted. be very careful that the bowl and the spoon are dry. any water will cause your chocolate to seize-up and you will have to throw it away.
try to keep the kids from eating all the M&M's.
your chocolate should be shiny and smooth.
pour the chocolate over the dry ingredients and start stirring. this will be hard to do as there is so much stuff in the bowl. just keep on keeping on. you will break some of the pretzels and cereal but they are still good to eat that way! stir and stir and stir until it's all coated. then lay it out on wax paper to dry. (notice i ran out of wax paper and foil works fine too.)
this is what it looks like when it's done. be prepared to share this recipe with everyone you give some to!


White Trash

5 cups Cheerios
5 cups Rice Chex Cereal
10oz package mini pretzels
2 12oz packages white chocolate chips
1lb plain M&M’s
2 cups dry roasted peanuts (or cashews)
2 Tbsp oil

Christmas meme

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? i use both but prefer wrapping paper
2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial - Love the smell of real trees, but artificial is more economical, and less messy.
3. When do you put up the tree? i would put it up right after Thanksgiving but my DH is a bit of a humbug and he would wait until Christmas Eve if i let him! we put it up yesterday
4. When do you take the tree down? after sassy leaves
5. Do you like eggnog? yum. especially with the rye peggy puts in it!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? baby doll crib was my favorite but i also loved my Sunshine Family Van
7. Hardest person to buy for? i think everyone on my list is easy to buy for
8. Easiest person to buy for? me! ha no my kids are easiest i guess
9. Do you have a nativity scene? yes 5 of them. one of just Mary, Joseph and Jesus. i have had that one since we got married. i have one that is mice, one that is small enough for monkey to play with, on that is Party Lite candles and one that is Veggie Tales!
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? i love to do picture cards but usually the time sneaks up on me and i don't get them out. so far this year i haven't. i wanted to get a pix of the boys but monkey got a huge scratch on his face from a friends dog and looks like he has been in a fight. so i'm waiting for that to heal up.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? my hubby tends to buy things he thinks i will like and i usually don't
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? It's a Wonderful Life
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? sometimes in july sometimes in december!
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No but i have been tempted
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? white trash!!
16. Lights on the tree? yes and lots of them!!
17. Favorite Christmas song? Do You Hear What I Hear
18. Travel at Christmas or stay at home? we get up do gifts, go to grandma's, do more gifts, come home, do more gifts
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and Rudolph
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? we had an angel my sis made but my mom bought a star she didn't like and gave it to us so we use that. it lights up!
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? one on Christmas Eve the rest at 4am
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? my kids seeing commercials and saying "I want that for Christmas!" and the stress of making sure you get it all done
23. What theme or color are you using? HA! theme!
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? i would like to do something besides the normal tradish stuff but i guess i will go with the turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, etc.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? surprises!!

cassidy

we had to put our kitty cassidy down this morning. we found out last week that she had heart disease and was not going to get better. they gave her some medication over the weekend and said if she didn't get better by monday that we needed to do it. it's so hard. and so sad. especially since she was monkey's kitty. so we are focusing on the funny stuff that she did.

climbing the curtains!!

her favorite toy...the paintbrush!

how high she could jump!

her love of all things pumpkin!

her dog...

her boy...

we will miss you cassidy!

one little indian

monkey and i did an indian craft today. we made a vest and a headband with feathers. isn't he adorable!! and such a ham! tomorrow we make a pilgrims hat. he really could care less about that! he is all into the indians. when i asked him why he said "because indians have bow and arrows." spoken like a true boy.

The Justice Project

When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be left for the alien, the orphan, and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all your undertakings. Deuteronomy 24:19


i just returned home from the Justice Project, an outreach our church has our life groups involved in. each life group was given a family to encourage and to pray for that has specific needs, mostly financial. we spent time talking to our families and finding out what they needed and provided them with a Thanksgiving meal and in our case, clothes for the children and cleaning supplies. i have never been in this part of my town before. and i have lived here for 30 years! the justice project is not just about helping the poor and needy but opening your hearts to them. not just about praying for the poor but doing something about it. about being an ear for someone who needs to talk. about taking them coffee just to say i'm thinking about you. not just dirty knees from praying but dirty hands from helping. this is my first time involved in doing something like this and man it really hit me hard. the lady that sent us out talked to us about what God said about the poor. when He had the priests send up burnt offerings to Him, the meat was used to feed the priests and the poor. so even God remembered them. and when His people harvested their crops He told them to leave the edges for the poor to glean from. in other words, God tithes to the poor. i have never thought about that before. i have no problem giving $$ if i can but never think about doing any more than that. i want to be involved. the justice project was a real eye opener for me. i am so proud to be part of a church community that wants to help others. i was shocked at how many people showed up today!! thank you next level for helping me get to the next level!!

week in review

apples apples everywhere! and hand turkeys too.


work work and more work.

finally wood for the fireplace!

harrison came to dinner. so funny. yummy mexican lasagna.

southern christmas show. mikey told santa he wanted a massaging car seat. what a hoot! awesome trains and cinnamon pretzels.

shopping for our justice project family. gotta love Aldi's!

big c's thanksgiving/etiquette luncheon. man!! he is handsome. (don't you think he needs a haircut?)

deer in the back yard. in the fence no less.

no rest on saturday then sunday is "Shattered" at church. so excited!!!

hopefully over the thanksgiving holiday i can get a real post in!!

happy weekend

oh and i forgot to mention the LICE!!!!!

the leaf doesn't fall far from the tree

monkey and i have been working on the letter L. and leaf starts with the letter l. so we went on a leaf hunt and then learned about them. we learned why and how leaves change color. i was impressed; he was not. then we did leaf rubbing's. i was great at it; he was not. then he got to finger paint some leaves on a tree. that he loved! (note the cat) and since sorting is a big deal in kindergarten, we sorted the leaves from largest to smallest. he has that down pat. i also wanted him to know how trees grew. and since i didn't have any seeds, i used beans to show him. we put some cannellini beans (which is all i had) on a wet paper towel, folded them and then put them into plastic baggies. i'll keep you posted on their growth. he was very excited about his "experiment".

today i ordered the ants for his ant farm. not real thrilled about that but both boys are excited about it. we are also going to have a butterfly farm in the late summer and we are going to grow a frog. that makes 4 different animals this year!! (see the fish here)


i can't believe i have to start thinking about buying gifts soon. uggh!! usually i have a list by now. this job is putting a big chink in my schedule! :) but i'm happy to have it believe me!

note to self...

i am an avid note taker. i love nothing more than to go somewhere (usually church) with my special pen and something to write on and jot down pearls of wisdom from others. i don't know if this is because i'm not very original myself or writing stuff down helps me to remember better. and i just got this great new note book just for taking notes at church. i managed to cover 2 pages today! now if i can just remember to go back and read it all!

pastor todd is teaching on jonah. most of you know the story, prophet not wanting to do God's work, runs away and ends up in being eaten by a big fish. great sunday school fodder. (no pun intended) but i never looked at jonah as someone like me. a prophet! well he must be a great guy who always does what he is told. i constantly hear God telling me to do stuff and i just don't want to do it so i run in the opposite direction. huh. just like jonah. todd asked us this week to give God 100%. not 92% (or in my case 75%). so my note to self is this. GIVE 100% TO GOD THIS WEEK.

my pastor posted this last night after hearing the news...

my pastor posted this last night after hearing the news...

Historic Night

We don't do partisan politics at Next Level and, no, I ain't gonna tell you who I voted for!

All that aside, this is a historic night in American history. Senator Barack Obama has just been elected president. The first African-American President. The first bi-racial President. At a perilous and promising moment in the history of this nation. In an instant, this man's life has changed. He is about to become the most powerful person in the history of the world - which is always the description of the American President. The responsibilities he will bear are beyond telling.

His is an extraordinary story, and agree or disagree with his politics it is impossible not to admire his grit and determination in arriving at this night. May he be blessed and may he know God in ways he has never before imagined.

I am writing as a pastor, not a partisan, to make a few points.

Pray for President-elect Obama. Pray that God will bless him with great wisdom, courage, discernment and insight. Pray in particular that he will be wise in his selection of men and women to advise him.

Whether you voted for President-elect Obama or Senator McCain, know this - the world has not ended on the one hand, and the new era of perfection has not begun on the other. God is still in charge of mankind and nations and He is working all things to his eternal purpose. Focus on what is eternal, not what is temporal.

Finally, pray for healing and hope for our nation. These are difficult times. More than ever before, our greatest need is to turn to God who wants to heal and restore and give us hope!

ma-ma mia!

monkey decided he wanted to go as Mario (as in Super Mario from Nintendo) for Halloween.
fine with me. the only thing i had to get was a $3 mustache and his costume was done. i laughed so hard i wet my pants twice. and what was even funnier was that people walked right up to him and said "MARIO!" they knew exactly who he was. big c, being 12, was sullen about what he wanted to do. it just had to be something dead. so i suggested a zombie. that way all i had to get for him was some white makeup. then he wanted green hair. whatever. but he looked good. he's so cute he even makes a zombie look adorable! don't tell him i said that! he would get mad at me! we went to the church up the street that was having a carnival. they handed out tons of candy and free stuff. they both got stuffed animals (?) and monkey got a whiffle ball and bat. and they had free hot dogs. then we headed over to my mom's neighborhood. she has more houses than we do and she said usually everyone gives out candy. well i think the recession is bitting into the candy giving in my town. we walked many streets but only about 3 out of 10 houses were giving out candy. oh well. my kids got tons!! we headed to the store afterwards to get a pizza and monkey and big c got their second wind. so i dropped them off at the end of the street and went home to put the pizza in the oven. they worked their way up and got home in time to cram candy and pizza in before i made them go to bed.
not a bad night i would say!

AGGGHHHHAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

....my life right now. nuts-o





HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Next Level Gladiators

last saturday night our church (next level) was holding a youth event. they were going to play american gladiators. remember that show? the gladiators beat the crap out of the contestants. well this was the same. the gladiators were the youth leaders and the contestants were the kids. it was held on a soccer field. and we had just had 3 days of rain right before this. so you can imagine how wet and mushy it was. not to mention i think geese like to flock there and do their thing. so it was disgusting. and of course i volunteered to help. (i mean i wasn't going to waste the gas driving out there and back!) jared (the youth pastor) put me to work scoring on the power ball game. that's the one where you take a ball out of the basket (or in this case trashcan) and try to get it into another basket (trashcan) with out getting slammed to the ground by a gladiator. and it was 1 kid to 3 gladiators. i laughed my butt off. they were sliding all over the place and falling like crazy. even the adults. and i have to say some of the girls really stepped up to the plate. they were great! then their were the ones who didn't want to get dirty. pansy's. so i helped out with this game for a while, then it was time for the ELIMINATOR!! they set out big blue tarps and covered them with vegetable oil. yes vegetable oil. the kids had to put their heads on the top of a umbrella and spin around 10 times. then roll all the way down the tarp (covered in vegetable oil) and then do 10 pushups. there was something else but i couldn't see it from where i was. oh they got hit by pillows that had been covered in flour. and had to slide down a muddy hill to see who won. big c was an absolute mess! but he had a wonderful time. my feet were soooo dirty and my pants legs were soaked.

hot dogs and music followed. and big c had blake and caden spend the night with him. i made them all sit on garbage bags on the way home and immediately strip and get into the shower. (and wash a load of laundry!)

i wanted to take my camera but was afraid it would get gross so i didn't. and i'm glad! if i get some pix i'll post them. you have to see how disgusting it really was.

i love my church!

more gas stuff

still no gas. and they are telling us it could be 7 to 10 more days!!! i was lucky saturday night and happened by a gas station that had a tanker truck pulling up right as i was driving by. i swerved around and pulled in. still had to wait though. and most places run out in just a few hours b/c people are lined up down the block waiting to get gas. it's unreal. especially since it's just happening here.

gas update

(see earlier post)

there were some gas stations that were supposed to get a shipment of gas this morning. so people slept in their cars at the gas pumps. yes you read that right. SLEPT IN THEIR CARS ALL NIGHT LONG AT THE GAS PUMPS!!! what in the world are people thinking? it was all over the news this morning and the lines were miles long. thank goodness i still have some left in my car. i hope this is over soon!!

what's happening in your town?

this is what is going on where i live. can anyone send me some gas.......

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Lines crawled out into the streets leading up to the Exxon gas station on Pineville-Matthews Road on Thursday morning, as it was one of the few stations in Charlotte with fuel.

Exxon actually hired security guards to help with the lines.

"I can’t believe it," said one driver in line, who waited an hour for gas. "But I have to, my car’s on 'E.'"

But that wasn't helping many of the drivers waiting in line in Charlotte on Thursday morning.

"My truck is out of gas," said Diane Manzare. "So I'll also have to get a gas can to get some gas for my truck."

The managers at the Exxon had expected to have enough gas to last the morning, but just before 8 a.m., the station announced that it had run out gas, leaving more than 40 drivers angrily heading off some in search of gas somewhere else.

On Wednesday, finding gas in the Charlotte area was like a treasure hunt for some drivers.

"I passed like six or seven gas stations that were completely out," one driver told NewsChannel 36.

"South Boulevard doesn't have any. Independence doesn't have any.(this is the main road from my house!) No one has gas," said another.

For those who found gas, lines were long.

"I decided to stop because I was about to run out," said one man. "I'm on E. I'm sitting here with the truck turned off just rolling inch by inch as the line slowly moves, and hopefully I can get in and get some gas and not get into the parking lot and have them run out."

There were also reports of tempers flaring at the pumps. NewsChannel 36 reporters saw a fight break out at one station after someone cut in line.

Viewers have also reported many near-accidents because of people trying to get into gas stations.

heard from the other room this morning

"mittens. they keep your hands warm" - monkey

what? it's september. why is he wearing mittens? cause he's mine that's why. crazy kid! gotta love him!

bad blogger

i am so bad. i haven't read a single blog or hardly looked at my own in forever!! last week i was sick and i just hung out on the couch all week. (and the computer is not there or i would have checked in on my blog buddies!) and of course i'm supposed to be teaching monkey kindergarten. we got through one week then i got sick so i had to put that on hold. but today i'm back in full force. hope to catch up on all my blogs today and tomorrow. so be on the lookout for some comments!!

the first week of school was a blast for monkey and i. the curriculium i am using is called My Father's World and the first 2 weeks is all about teaching them the creation story. Genesis 1-2. they give you all kinds of cute ideas but i found one that i LOVED on their website. Monkey has been bugging me for a fish forever! he even drew pictures of them and named them. so we decided to use the idea to teach the story of creation by using a fish tank. sooo cool!! here is what we did...

1st day - God created the heaven and the earth
we set up the tank. it is a cheap plastic one (i'm hoping he will get tired of them and i can throw it away!) so there was not a lot of set up. but he was still super excited!

2nd day - God said Let there be a great expanse of air to divide the waters below from the waters above.
we added the water. now he's getting really excited!

3rd day - And God called the dry land “earth”; and the gathering together of the waters He called “seas”:Then God said, “Let the earth produce grass, and herbs, and fruit trees. in goes the gravel and the plant.

4th day - God made two great lights; the sun to rule by day and the moon to rule by night. He also made the stars. this tank doesn't have a light so we put the filter in instead!

5th day - God created great whales and everything that moves in the water, and winged animals. oh man. this was a super fun day! we took the dog with us to pet smart and she was freaking out. in a good way. i was trying to hold on to her and help the boys pick out their fish. it was crazy! monkey got 2 and big c got 1.

6th day - Then God said, “Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness.” yep, that's our pirate Adam.

7th day - God rested.



this was a super fun project and he remembers everything about it!! and it seems like the boys are not the only one's who are enjoying our new additions....

weekend at bernie's (or sassy's whichever you prefer!)

i have been home 5 days and haven't blogged!! sorry! just getting back into the swing of things, like school and work, have left me little time to sit down and post everything. so...

got to austin thursday afternoon. the flights were ok but on the one from charlotte to houston we were on a little plane. 2 rows and 2 rows. not so bad but the lady next to me, by the window, must have thought that she was the only one allowed to use the middle arm rest. so i had to keep my arm in my lap the whole time. it was sore once i got off the plane. oh and they served actual food! and drinks and didn't make us pay for them! on the trip there it was cheese and salami and crackers with m&m's and nuts. and on the way home it was a ham and cheese sandwich with carrots and a kit kat. i was impressed since most airlines make you pay for everything!! even blankets and pillows.
btw i flew Continental.

so thursday afternoon...we stopped on the way home from the airport at our favorite place to stop on the way home from the airport. shady grove. and had yummy hotdogs and french fries. and it's outside and the breeze was blowin'. very nice. we wanted a little snack because we planned on going to 1st thursday down the street from sis's house and we knew we would be eating a late dinner. got to her place and kissed all over her sweet doggy. we went to the mailbox and low and behold i found a $5 bill!! woo-hoo!! love free money. then we headed down congress street to see the sights. you can really tell this is a college town. i remember when i used to be a freak. no wonder people stare at you. there were lots of them around. we just window shopped and looks at all the cool arts and crafts stuff people had out for sale. we saw some really interesting stuff. cool pictures, gourds made into bowls and purses and some girl made these really neat dolls. but they were all ugly or scary looking (without being scary, cute scary i guess) and she used very odd materials to make them. i wanted one but they were super expensive. then we stopped by guaros and listened to some live music and had a margarita. and found another dollar!!! we decided if we found more money we would play the lottery. stopped at magnolia's on the way home and had a super yummy turkey and pineapple taco. and sis had pumpkin pancakes. yummmmmmmm

friday we got up and went to zilker park. this place is huge!! and it's right on the river so it's beautiful as well. we checked out a new section where you go around and around this hill to get to the top and there is a map of texas with how many miles you are from any given city. and what a great view!!
then we walked around the palmer center and admired the wood ceilings and huge fans. walked across the bridge and i got a blister so we headed back home to shower because i was so HOT!! man. that dry heat will get cha! we had plans to go buy a baby shower gift and have lunch and amanda was able to join us!! yipee! i just love her. fun shopping and good lunch with bad bad service. got sis some hot boots and then met brittish girl for a pedicure! i haven't had one since i was prego with monkey. 6 years. loved it and sis fell asleep in the massaging chair. we decided to go to curra's for dinner. and she and john MADE ME WALK!! hadn't i just walked that morning? and didn't i have a blister? heartless i tell you, heartless. and then they lied and said it was only 1/2 mile. baloney. and they didn't tell me it was uphill both ways!!! but the food was great and there was a fireworks show across the street and we got to enjoy that with our chips and salsa. and i had a avocado margarita. yum!!!

saturday was the day of the baby shower. (the whole reason i was there) we took the doggy to the park for a swim and who would be there but the momma-to-be, femme! with her hubby's wild but sweet doggy. so we got to chat with her for a while, which was great because i figured she would be too busy to do much of that at the shower.
then we headed home, cleaned up and went to chez z for the big ta-da. i got to see lots of people that i knew, my boss christa was there, amanda again, ashley, and i got to meet katie, meghan and finally paula!! i had a great time. and look at the cool car we saw in the parking lot. yes folks that is astro turf. and note the daisy's painted on the hubcaps. classic austin. after the shower we went back to her place and rested for a while. and we needed it. soon it was time to head back to the river for our bat tour with l&d. i was excited about getting to see them too. so funny. we got a beer from the hotel and headed out on the boat.
man, it's hot there. (have i already said that?) the tour guide was very droll and cracked us all up. we tooled down the river for a while and headed back to see the bats come out. austin has the largest population of bats in the united states. and we got to see them all and have them poop on us. it was awesome! unfortunately it was dark so we couldn't see them as well as i would have liked too. it was really cool to see all the people standing on the bridge looking down. there must have been 400 people up there! i think next visit we'll do that instead of taking the boat. galaxy for dinner where femme met up with us. good times!

sunday was my day to go home. (boo!) but my plane didn't leave until 3 so we still had time to do some more austiny stuff. do you remember during the olympics they showed a bank of america commercial with this guy standing in front of all this junk? probably not. well that is the cathedral of junk. and sis and i have talked about going so we made sure we could do that this trip. oh. my. gosh. this place is amazing. it's in this guy's back yard and he just builds with trash. his yard is not much bigger than mine and it's full of stuff.
it's amazing. he was there putting together more stuff with concrete. super nice. and it's FREE!! i could have stayed forever just looking at stuff. check out the video. which does not do it justice. after sis got totally eaten up my mosquitoes we decided to head out to lunch. whole foods with john. yummy...we don't have one here so it's a big deal for me. and then off to the airport. i bet you are now as exhausted from reading this as i was when i got home!!

we made a list before i got there of things we wanted to do while i was there. normally we just sit around and relax or go see a movie. this time i wanted to be going. and as you can see we did. here is our list

Go to Mount Bonnell (it was wayy too hot for this)
See the Bats (done)
Eat on the patio at Whole Foods (too hot but we ate inside)
Walk the trails at Zilker Park (check)
Go to the Oasis (too far of a drive)
Go see Christa, Marianne, Amanda, Jenn (check for all but jenn. boo)
Go see a movie at the Drafthouse (had too much other stuff to do!)
cathedral of junk (check)
brunch at magnolia cafe (dinner instead)
get a tattoo (i figure i can get one of those here!)
get a pedicure (check!)

i'm impressed we got so much done in so little time. thanks sis for a super fun visit!! i love you!!

off to Austin!!!!

i'm heading out in the am to fly to Austin to see my sis!! can't wait!! just me. no kids. 4 days.

what happens in Austin, stays in Austin.......