New Furniture

I finally got new living room furniture. I love it! I had been looking at this Pottery Barn sectional for months but found this at Sam’s club! It’s not a sectional but it’s microfiber and the color I wanted and really comfortable and about 70 percent cheaper than Pottery Barn! My kids make it look even better.

Our Pumpkin

We carved a pumpkin tonight – I guess I should say Mike carved a pumpkin because he did most of the work. We all just stood around and told h
im what to do! The kids had a great time getting out the “guts” and seeing their final masterpiece glowing on the porch. We also had a really quick talk about how Jesus takes all the yucky stuff out of us and replaces it with His light. While Mike was doing all the muscle work we looked around on the internet and found some cool pumpkin carvings. Here is my favorite.

What’s cookin’

Here is a recipe I tried today. We went to a pig pickin‘ at Snow Hill Baptist (the church we used to attend) and I made this to take. I love being able to make yummy stuff and take it somewhere else for other people to eat so I won’t be tempted to eat it all!

Toll House Crumbcake

Crumb Topping
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp butter (softened)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (i used pecans instead)
2 cups semi sweet choc chips

Cake
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick butter (softened)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups semi sweet choc chips

Mix crumb topping and set aside
Preheat oven to 350 grease a 9×13 pan
Combine flour, baking powder and soda, and salt and set aside
In mixing bowl cream butter, sugar and vanilla until creamy add eggs 1 at a time
Add flour mixture alternately with sour cream
Stir in chocolate chips
Spread batter into pan and sprinkle with topping
Bake at 350 for 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean

Myrtle Beach

Mike’s mom and dad invited us and Lee and Micky down to the beach for a few days to share a condo they rented for the week.  We got down here about 6pm on Monday and had a great day yesterday.  We were able to go over to the beach and play in the pool.  The weather was great – the water was a little chilly but the kids didn’t mind.  It’s raining now so we are planning to go over to Broadway at the Beach today and maybe check out an IMAX and the Aquarium.  Mike’s uncle and aunt Ken and Elaine had all of us over for dinner last night at their home in Pawley’s Island and we had a nice time.  We are planning to hit one those glutenous seafood buffets tonight.  We are usually not the buffet type but it’s the best way to eat a lot of crab legs.  We are heading home tomorrow but maybe we can stop at Tanger Outlet on the way out and do a little shopping!  Maybe I can put up some pics soon.

Funny things kids say

I love to hear the funny things that kids come up with. Here are some recent funnies from the last couple of months that I have been saving to blog about. When we were at Isle of Palms a few weeks ago and my sister Sara was leaving our condo with Todd and Mallie she told them that they were going to ride the elevator. Mallie said ” I not want to ride the alligator”

Emma soaked so much chlorine into her eyes at the pool that her eyes were red and she asked me to put some vaseline (visine) in them.

Today while Luke was doing a Rainbow Rock Math game on the computer the “lady” on the computer said “Do you want to stop playing or continue”, in a very proper British voice. Drew was sitting with Luke and “helping” him do his math and Luke translated to his little brother “Drew, that means yonta (redneck for do you want to) play again.”

I was talking to my friend Misty today about deviled eggs and she said that Hannah (her 3 year old) calls them “camel eggs – I guess devil and camel sound alike to a 3 year old.

If I had time to blog

Mike entered the whole blogging world about a year before I did. For months before I started blogging I would say “if I had a blog I would write about that” Now that I have my blog I think I have decided that I should have named it “if I had time to blog . .. ” I am only getting out about 2 posts a week – if I’m lucky – mostly just once a week. I really enjoy it as a time to think about my day and get some thoughts out of the mess I call my mind. Mike has been teaching a lesson series to the youth called Simplify. I really need to do that. I feel like I am running in 50 different directions sometimes. I talked to my daddy a few days ago and he had called a couple of times and didn’t get me so when he did talk to me he said I was a busy lady and hard to get in touch with. I told him that when he and Mama had me I should have been twins so I would have 2 of me on the crazy days.
Two of me would actually just add to the craziness. I would find too much for both of us to do. Some of my business is because of my stage in life with 3 little ones and homeschooling. Some of it is self inflicted because of over committing, not saying no, wasting time (like blogging instead of folding laundry), and getting involved in too many things. As he closed the meeting Sunday night Mike talked about how Elijah looked for God in the wind and the rain but God spoke in the still small voice. I heard a preacher say one time (don’t remember who it was) – if you aren’t hearing from God and you are wanting Him to yell at you it’s because you are not close enough to hear Him whisper. That has always stuck in my mind. I want to be close enough and still enough to hear Him whisper. Lots of times this means giving up some good things to have the best things. I love being a mom and all the craziness that comes with it but simplifying is definitely something I am going to be working on.

Where does time go?

It has been almost a week since I blogged. Amost a week since I even sat down at the computer! I have been busy getting caught up from being in Atlanta! We had an awesome time at Catalyst but it was good to get home to my kids. I missed them. We are schooling this morning and it has really been good. No tears or craziness -yet. I am in organiztion mode. Mike has put together a couple of the room divider book cases that we got at IKEA and I am trying to think about getting organized. Deep down I am organized and chaos drives me crazy but with the addition of kids I have let go of some of that and just live in our house. That’s a good thing but it would be nice to get a little more order around here. If you have any organization ideas or websites I can visit to help let me know. Meanwhile I will be drowning in books, papers and toys!

Catalyst

Wow – what a day! I am still trying to process it all. Mike described it like trying to get a drink of water out of a fire hydrant. Here are a few random thoughts – I am too tired to get into anything deep.

  • If Steve Fee ever quits singing he should be a preacher – he did an awesome job leading worship – not just with his incredible music but with his words and his heart
  • I like hanging out with my husband -he’s the coolest preacher I know!
  • This is the first time I have ever heard Francis Chan speak – God really used Him to talk to my heart – more about that later
  • The people that sat behind me drove me nuts with their running commentary – I am getting a new seat tomorrow
  • Rick Warren – what wisdom
  • The hallway at our hotel smells like stale cigarette smoke
  • I love the free coffee from The land of a thousand hills – and the work they are doing in Rwanda – coffee with a message – what could be better
  • I love Atlanta
  • I miss my kids
  • The bed at the Comfort Suites is about 1000000000000000 times more comfortable than the one at the Sleep Inn on Tues night but I still miss my bed
  • Can’t wait to get back to Catalyst tomorrow
  • Going to bed early sounds good

Here is something I read a few minutes ago in my Catalyst book from Mark Batterson

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Persue God -ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Stop pointing out problems and be part of the solution. Stop criticizing and start creating. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizions. Accumulate experience. Consider the lilacs. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Don’t let what’s wrong with you stop you from worshipping what’s right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Laugh at yourself. Keep making mistakes. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don’t try to be who you are not. Quit holding back. Quit running away. And remember if God is for us, who can be against us.

Atlanta

We are in Atlanta in for Catalyst – which starts tomorrow. Here are a few thoughts about our day

* First stop IKEA – we spent way to much time in here but it was awesome! I think Dave Ramsey is going to kick my butt tomorrow! We actually went into the store with money we have set aside for getting an office set up a little better for Mike to work from. It was truly an experience the show room was HUGE and then there was the whole downstairs with kitchen stuff, linens, dishes, lighting. Mike and I love to take places like IKEA and see what we can learn about church from them – I’ll blog about that later
* More shopping at Lenox Square Mall – we really didn’t buy much there just looking around
* My hair is straight – I did buy a Coriloiss Hair Straightner from a Kiosk in the mall – I had been looking for one and the lady gave me a pretty good deal. She was looking for people with curly hair to attack and I was a sucker. I tried it and it works great.
* A vegan nightmare – we ate dinner at Fogo De Chao. They keep bringing you all the meat you want. 15 different kinds of fire roasted meat – I really liked the variety of trying different meats and the salad bar and key lime pie were great. I am not a big meat eater so I got full pretty fast but not too full for key lime pie.
* I am drinking a diet Snapple Lime Green Tea and it is really good.
* I told Mike tonight that I don’t just really love him – I like him. We have had a blast today – he is just fun to be with.
* I miss my kids
* Thanks Nini and Papa and Grandma and Grandpa for taking care of our babies while we are gone.
* I am tired of hearing about Brittany Spears and her kids
* We are getting up early to head to the arena in the morning and I am tired and I wish I had my bed. I have the most comfortable bed in the world. I miss my bed
* I really like Atlanta – nice people, fun place
* I am going to stop blogging and go to bed