Comfort Food

yesterday was a hard day emotionally. i had got my hopes up about something, and it didn't turn out the way i expected. i can't go into the details, just know that i was very, very upset, and then i was depressed. add in a trip to the market for a few staples and you have a disaster on your hand. i bought 2 donuts, and a package of fudge pudding popsicles. ugh ...

after i calmed down and reminded myself of all verses in the Bible about trusting God, waiting patiently on Him, He's taking care of us, etc etc i felt better.

then today i came across this recipe on wendi's blog: My Heart is always Home. so next time i want to gorge myself on comfort food at least i can do it inexpensively.

What Color Car Should You Drive?

You Should Drive a Green Car

You're the type of driver who sees driving as a necessary evil. You much rather be biking or taking a pleasant walk to where you're going. And because of this, you tend to be a "green driver" - as best as you can. Whether this means driving a hybrid, supporting alternative fuels, or simply not littering out your window.

What Color Car Should You Drive?

hey! they got it right. i drive a emerald green minivan. when i was in college i had a kelley green vw bug. and when i met hubby he had a green toyota celica. i guess we're a green family. tho we have had red and blue cars too.

we get to go after all!!!

we are going to boise this weekend! woo hoo!! can you tell i'm excited? well, i am. #1 son is going to stay with his respite family--thank you kirk and debbie! and will have a great time with them. they usually feed him pizza, let him ride on their riding lawn mower and he gets to play with gracie, their darling 3 or 4 yr old downs daughter. gracie and joe are buds.

and hubby and i? we get a refreshing weekend in the big city.
our sweet sis in law and my brother are putting us up in their delightful guest room so that we can save a few pennies.

we love boise. we are excited to move there this summer. so today mike will be meeting with his advisor once again, i'm sure we'll experience one of the many ubiquitous coffee shops, visit the christian bookstore, maybe head to a park, and of course drive around the n'borhoods getting a feel for the town that we will soon call home.

ahhhhh! my kind of weekend all around. and with hubby as a captive audience in the van, i can ply him with "heavy, deep and real" questions that he hates! hee hee hee

see you when we get back.

a snapshot of my day ...

i thot i'd share a few things about myself and what a typical day looks like, just for fun.

#1 son woke up early this morning, but not too early, around 6:45 or so. so when he came to our room holding his pillow and crawled into our bed wanting me to turn on the tv, like the good mum that i am, i said "no, go downstairs" dad was already up and i told joe that he could watch a dvd downstairs. so off he went and i got to sleep a few more minutes. as soon as he opened the door at the bottom of the stairs, daisy ran up to our room and crawled under the covers with me. she's a great foot warmer.

too soon afterwards, dad and son came back upstairs, turned on the light and started the ritual to get joe ready for school. that's my cue to get out of bed. i turned on the praise radio station to help in the process, stumbled around to find my glasses, and made my way to the bathroom. i put joe's socks and shoes on after hubby got him dressed, and then i headed into the kitchen to make his lunch and start my mocha. the bus came a few minutes later, and the boy was gone for the day. once my mocha was fixed i headed over to my computer to check my email, check a few blogs, and see who the unreached people of the day were on my blog so i can pray for them.

i got caught up in blog reading, and before i know it hubby is asking if i'm going to drive him to class in my pj's! yikes! i grab a pair of sweats from the bathroom, put on my shoes and coat and i'm ready to go even before the husband has his backpack packed and ready. daisy and i head out to the van. on the short drive to the college, we make plans to run errands this afternoon and hubby asks me if i want to go out to lunch with him. of course! after dropping him off, daisy and i head back home.

i plop in my comfy chair with my computer and check my email again--yay! my sister wrote an email. check a couple more blogs, and then decide to post on my blog. knowing in the back of my mind that the morning is slipping away and i need to hit the shower, wash some dishes, put in a load of laundry sooner than later. still haven't decided what to fix for dinner ....

ps: i have been trying to upload pics to go with this post, and blogger is making me crazy! so it'll have to go up without pics. just use your imagination.

sing along: "i guess that's why they call it the blues..."

sing along with me now, are you singing? "i guess that's why they call it the blues ..." "how long ..." i can't remember the rest of the words. but really, how long does it take for oneself to get over their tv addiction. i am dying here folks, literally DYING! no fox news in a week! no local news either. what AM I GONNA DO????????????

and now onto other things: i have gone to the library and checked out some books and am actually reading them! that's a first in a long time. i stumbled upon smith wigglesworth 's website over the weekend. i am just amazed at what the Lord accomplished thru him and his ministry. his belief in God and that God would and could heal was truly remarkable. i am inspired when i read about men and women of God who seem to walk with the Lord like enoch did. i want that in my own life, i hunger and thirst for that, but with all the distractions of modern life i rarely pursue it. i know not having the tv on all the time will help, but i have a feeling that that is not all that will need to go by the wayside .... something to ponder.

we had been planning a trip to boise this weekend without the 10 yr old, some good ol fashion "you & me" time with each other. but now with gas jumping 14 cents in the last 5 days (can we say "OUCH") hubby said this afternoon we may not be able to afford to go---yikes!!! has it come to that already? boo hoo. so i'm not sure what our plans will be but i hope we can still getaway and have some time together.

not much here today

saw this over at grace for gayle and decided to play along.

What I was doing 10 years ago:

i was bonding with my 6 mo old son, after years of infertility and miscarriages i was in heaven.

i was just beginning to suspect that our son had something wrong with his development

i was helping my hubby with our tree service biz we owned

i was singing on the worship team at church

i was teaching sunday school to the jr high kids, loved those kids


Five things on my to do list for today:

relax! its saturday!

laundry

post on my blog, doing it now

call my mom

give son a bath


Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

pay off everything: debts, house, etc

research missions and charities to help the impoverished and unreached people groups around the world, esp india, africa and china. my heart goes out to those people

go on a cruise with hubby, then take my sisters on a cruise--just us girls, then take girlfriends on a spa vacation. am i into vacations? nahhhhhhhh! hahahahahaha

buy new house in boise with a pool and hot tub, close to BSU for hubby

take son to see real life alligators and crocodiles

buy small cottage for my 83 yr old mom, and hire aid to help her with her needs

give gifts to my fav people

hire a housecleaner, chef, personal asst ... i can dream can't i?

buy a new car, maybe a hybrid ???


Three of my bad habits:

not exercising

not finishing my sentences

leaving piles of stuff around instead of putting it away

5 jobs I've had:

making sandwiches at a deli

receptionist at a gym

receptionist at a massage clinic

make up artist

personal asst for a realtor

Quiet Time

hubby and i have been pondering, discussing, meditating, talking some more about a need we have in our lives. we had put it off for as long as we could, then we put it off some more. we talked about the pros and cons, we talked about the financial benefits, but when it came right down to doing it, we procrastinated. until last monday. that's when i finally told him, "ok, i'm going down to our cable co and disconnecting the cable!" ugh we are now in tv-less netherland. we get no channels right now. we could get one or maybe two if we disconnected the actual cable to our tv and hooked up the antenae, but with a move this summer it seems hardly worthwhile.

now before anyone rushes out to send us a 3 mo free package to cableland, this really is a good decision. it is saving us 40+ dollars a month, the tv stays off unless we are intentionally watching a movie together as a family, and its reminding us that there are alot of other things to do during the spring and summer.

we have gone without cable several times during our married life, we have even gone without having a tv in house in our first few years of marriage. we have fond memories of those times, times where hubby and i played games after dinner everyday, lots of time to read, taking walks around the n'borhood or around walking trails at parks nearby or farther away.

on the downside, we are suffering withdrawls from the lack of tv news. there is no substitute! the last time we went cable-less was during the katrina catastrophe, and we had no clue as to what people were talking about. we could not fathom why everyone was in such a tizzy over it. last nite, for the first time in too long, i cuddled with my son to get him to sleep and he had no boring news to put him to sleep. but you know what? he fell asleep anyway! and it didn't take an undue amount of time.

what i've noticed in only a few days without cable is that our home is awfully quiet without the tv on. i do listen to talk radio in the mornings and have some noise. tuesday hubby was home studying and it was quiet, way too quiet! no noise whatsoever. i hadn't realized how i had become accustomed to having something to fill our home. it made me think of those who lived 100 or 200 years ago. with no tvs, no radios, no phones, how quiet their lives must have been. if they had children who were home, then of course there would be noise, but what of the grandparents who lived alone, or the single people. no wonder there were quilting bees where women could get together and chat. where the men would go to the local store and stand around talking about the daily happenings. i think we have lost something since we have so much technology that brings into our homes what we use to have to seek out to find. as my hubby said, "it gives us a cheap substitute for fellowship". we hear people talking on the tv or the radio and we feel like we have connected somehow. but we haven't. i'm interested to see if i invest more into my real-life relationships ...

the next move

my husband has been taking classes at our local community college and now the time has come to transfer to boise state university. we have seen this on the horizon for over a year now and he could have transferred before this. but after a bazillion moves in the first years of our marriage, i am tired of moving. it has taken me several months to come to accept that this move to boise will be a good one, not just for hubby, but for our family and for me. there are good things in boise, like my brother and sister in law, other friends we've known for years, more things to do for #1 son, more shopping, the boise river with its greenbelt and walking/biking trail. it will be closer to WA, knocking 2 hours off of traveling home for the holidays.

but on the flip side, we don't know how we're going to find an affordable housing for us in a market that is more expensive than where we are now, we have alot of fixing up of our house so we can rent it out and no extra money to do so. the timing is up in the air, which makes me nervous. all these obstacles are easy to see from the human perspective, what is not as easy to see is that the Lord is in control. He is going before us and working on our behalf to make things happen. what He requires of me is to trust Him, be patient, pray and let Him lead. He has opened so many doors already: finances for michael's schooling, finding out that the school has really affordable married student housing (we're on the waiting list), connections with people at the campus already. testimony that He is faithful! He wants me to remember that He is faithful, His character doesn't change. if i was able to trust Him for the finances for school, i can trust Him for the timing of our move and the location.

so why does it seem like i have to learn this lesson over and over again? as if i never learned it the first time. i dont' know. but i take this time to remind myself of all the times that the Lord has been faithful and paved the way.

so while i'm trusting in the Lord to show us the path, i'm selling furnture we don't need, stockpiling smaller things to sell at our upcoming yard sale, decluttering junk that isn't worth saving and getting ready to pack up.

God has given me a peace about leaving our small town we've lived in for the past 4 years. i look forward to the new adventures in boise. i know He will provide a church for us to worship in, new and old friends, and ways to shine His light and glorify Him wherever we are.

i just hope to remember these things as the days go by .... and if i don't, remind me! ok?

Look Who Won!

and now the results:

carrie of With All that I've been Given

julie of Peapod Four

katie at Blessed Femininity

girls, email me your physical address at angelmama1919@yahoo.com and i'll be shooting off your prizes this week. thanks for playing along.

What Kind of Shoe are You?

you know, i've been looking for a pair of clogs to buy. i love the slip on in an instant ability, tho maybe not so much the looks.

You Are Clogs

You are a solid and down to earth person. You seek – and almost always achieve – a really sound balance in your life. You are stylish yet comfortable. Mellow but driven. Excited yet calm. You are the perfect mesh of contradictions. No matter what happens, you have the ability to stay well grounded in your life. People know that they can truly depend on you. You should live: In Europe You should work: At a company dedicated to helping the world

What Kind of Shoe Are You?

i think they got the work right, and definitely the live in Europe! i'd love to live in europe for a year or two.

Final Day of 100th Post Contest

well, my fun contest is coming to an end. i have one last prize for you to claim to celebrate my 100th post milestone. blogging has become one of my passions and i'm so happy to celebrate with you. since so many of the blogs that i read, and commenters i get on my own blog are mom's of young children, i thot i'd pass along a great book that i have read many times to my son. its called "Ten Little Ladybugs."



its a loved on book, but i hope the winner will still be able to get many days of enjoyment out of it. i also have a mother's journal for anyone who have given birth recently, called "To My Child" and lastly i have a gently used book from dr kevin leman, called "the 6 stress points in a woman's life"



i think at times we mom's can all relate to being stressed. one thing i've realized as i've gotton older tho, is that its ok to tell myself i'm under some stress at this point in my life. when i qualify it that way, it doesn't seem to be such a death sentance! another thing i tell myself is that "this too shall pass" great words of wisdom. nothing is forever, except the Lord and His word. do i hear an Amen from my sisters?

so lets see those comments and you can also comment on the previous contest posts too. i'll pick a winner for each of the 3 giveaways this weekend with the help of my #1 son.

a springtime drive

(note to all: scroll down to see day 2 of contest post)

a couple weeks ago we drove up to the southhills south of our town. spring has been slow coming to our area. the higher we drove the more snow we found. we stopped at a picnic area we hadn't been to before and discovered a secluded and tranquil place. josiah was intriqued by the fire pits. michael and i decided that we will definitely be coming back once summer hits. a great spot for a family picnic, don't ya think?

book giveaway: day 2

yipee!!! today is day two of my 100th post giveaway. today i have a great novel from my favorite mystery author: Agatha Christie, the queen of the genre. her novels are ones that i can read and reread and never get tired of them. i think i've read all of her works except one or two and watch most of the movies that have been made out of her books. i'm also including a couple of post it notes from mary engelbreit, one of my fav artists, i have mary engelbreit magnets, stationary, books, calendars, and even curtains in my basement. she is whimsecal and fun.

so today if you'd like to win this prize, let me know what your fav genre of books are. historical fiction? suspense? christian? mine is mysteries, and esp cozies. those are the ones that don't have any graphic details.

looking forward to seeing what you are reading these days.

This n That Friday

Today is Walk to Work Day tho i don't work outside the home at this point, i like the idea of incorporating more walking into my life. the town i live in right now isn't as walking friendly as i'd like, but there are a couple places i could start walking to on a regular basis; the library which is only a few blocks away and the park across the street from the library.

on spike tv this weekend is going to be showing all the star war movies. we will definitely be watching! #1 son has his light saber ready and waiting.

NBC must be out of creative content as 2 of our families fav shows are debuting on NBC this sunday night. monk and psyche have been showing on usa for the past couple years. i don't know if these are reruns we've already seen or brand new episodes, but i'm excited nonetheless. last fall i mentioned some of my fav shows on this post and psyche was on the list, of course. if you haven't seen shawn and gus, you've missed some great laughs. whereas monk is a fav with my husband. and i like it too. monk has grown on me, even with all his quirky attributes.

our family has been visiting another church in town. it is much smaller, which we appreciate. they are having a ladies brunch on sat that i am planning on attending.

on sunday we will be visiting again and will probably be making a decision whether to make it permanent or not.

100th Post Contest: Day One

And we're off! Ready to win a prize or two?

today i am giving away a cute blank journal and a bible study by Kay Arthur called "Desiring God's Own Heart" way back in 1990 i found out about kay arthur bible studies. at the time i was hungering for a deeper walk and a deeper understanding of God. studying the Word with a kay arthur bible study was like stepping into a new and fabulous world. she is excellent at leading the student into a deeper understanding of the scriptures. no fluff here. she has two series that i know of, the deeper, hardcore, lots of homework series and then the book series that is not so exacting. this study is of the latter. perfect if you haven't done a study of hers before this.

i haven't done a kay arthur study in way too long, but what i learned from the half dozen or more that i did in the last century! (doesn't that sound like a long time ago!!) has stayed with me over the years. i don't have alot of other study authors to compare her with, but for me she's the queen of studies.

so if you want to win this prize leave me a comment about your fav bible study you've done, your fav study author, or study subject. i did a daniel study with kay arthur as one of my first studies and it has remained one of my favorites. daniel is an amazing book, man and follower of God. how 'bout you?

In Honor of My 100th Post

i'm having a giveaway to commemorate my 100th post here at challenges and adventures. (i think i'm at 98 right now) for you lucky readers. last week i was pondering on what i could give away and i think what i found will do just nicely. since giving is one of my love languages this should be fun for me, and i hope for you as well.

all you have to do is come back each day or every other day and leave a comment to the question that i ask. it may have something to do with the gift being given, something i have written on my blog or something i really want input on. those that leave a comment will be chosen at random and i will announce the winners on my blog here and also email you if you leave me a blog address or email address.

anyone can play along, all you have to do is leave a comment starting tomorrow april 4th. i won't close the contest til the end of next week, so you'll have lots of time to come and leave comments. what fun!

Baseball Season is Here!

over the years i have become an avid baseball fan. and being from the pacific northwest, i have followed the M's from their inception. so yesterday was a big day at our house. the mariner's opening day! they played texas and unlike past years they even won! even during their randy johnson era i can remember so many opening day losses.

my son is following in my path and becoming quite the rabid, oooops, i mean avid fan. he bounces up and down on our sofa, squeals in delight and generally enjoys the game for a couple innings.



i am thankful that we have a cable channel that airs almost every game on tv so i can follow along out here in the idaho hinterlands. but i miss being able to go to at least one game a year. enjoying the sunshine and blue skies that even grace the seattle area once in awhile. i would love to take our son to a game this summer, but we'll have to wait and see if a trip west is in the cards for us. if so, i can dream that it'll include an afternoon game at safeco field, watching the boys play ball. any guesses as to who my fav player is?

tech problems fixed

woo hoo!! i got my replacement cord today and my problem is fixed. i am sooooooooooooo HAPPY!!! its amazing how you get attached to your computer and all its unique features. get ready for some photos, a contest commemorating my upcoming 100th post, and more blogging from moi.

also, i was able to figure out what was wrong with my cd drive. #1 son had somehow messed with it while watching Kong months ago and the dvd was caught in the drive. i had always wondered where that dvd had gone? #1 son is so happy to be watching Kong again.

so glad to be back in bloggyland. i have lots of catching up on my favorite blogs.