training

Maddy & I both had mission training today.

Her training in Garden Valley, Texas & mine at our church...

I love how Teen Mania (the ministry she is with) has communicated so well with us. They started a Facebook page where they post pictures and updates of her trip. They also have a 24/7 parent communications line that we can call for any reason.

(the picture Teen Mania sent yesterday after she registered) 

Last night they had a worship service. I got to chat with her a bit yesterday. She was excited that the campus had longhouses. That's where she will be sleeping until they leave for Mexico.

Today she went through personal evangelism training. I also got word that she does have her luggage. Whew. The FedEx tracking system shows that her wallet should be there in the morning... right on time. So that is very good.

---

I leave for El Salvador in about 3 weeks. We started our training today. A big part of what we will be doing is street dramas. We were assigned our roles & started rehearsing today. We also went over our itinerary. Good times. Now that Maddy is off and taken care of I was able to let my trip sink in a little more. Todays session got me really excited. It's going to be good. 

(pictures from my training) 

blackberry pie recipe

I made my very first homemade pie! 

I had to do something with all those blackberries we picked at the farm.

I did it!... and I must say... it was pretty darn good!

I made 2. One for us & one for our 4th of July picnic.

I had to do a lot of research... Who knew homemade pie making was so daggon fussy?

Here's the recipe:

Pie crust: (x2... 1 for the bottom crust & 1 for the top crust):

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter (chilled & chopped)
1/4 cup of ice cold water

1) combine flour, salt & butter in a medium size bowl (use your fingers as less as possible... apparently the heat is not good for the dough... and don't work the dough too much!)
2) meanwhile put water in a small bowl in the freezer. Once small ice crystals start to form in the water then mix it all into the dough 1 tbsp. at a time.
3) once all water is added gently form dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap & refrigerate overnight.
4) when you are ready to make pie, roll 1 ball of dough out into an 10 inch round circle.
5) wrap dough around rolling pin & gently place in the bottom of a 9 inch pie pan. (wrapping dough around pin helps transfer to pan easily)

Pie filling:

5 cups fresh blackberries
3/4  cup of white sugar (separated)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 tbsp. of lemon juice
2 tbsp. butter
1 egg (beaten)

1) combine 3 1/2 cups of berries in a medium size bowl w/ 1/2 cup sugar and all of flour. Mix until you no longer see the "white"coating on the berries... it might take a bit of time.
2) brush 1/2 of the egg on the bottom of the pie crust. (this will keep it from getting soggy)
3) spread berry mixture in the bottom of the pie crust.
4) spread the remaining 1 1/2 cup berries on top of sugary berry mixture.
5) sprinkle lemon juice on top of filling & then dollop butter on top
6)  roll out 2nd pie crust ball into a 10 inches circle & cover filling.
7) crinkle edges with a fork & cut slits in the middle of the crust OR use pizza cutting to cut strips & form a lattice top crust (I used this video to create a lattice top... it was worth the extra effort.)
8) brush top of the pie crust with remaining egg & sprinkle top with remaining sugar.
9) bake 425 for 15 minutes and then reduce oven temp to 375 for additional 30 minutes.
10) let cool for at least an hour before you cut.
11) ENJOY!
(adapted from this recipe & this recipe.)

I hope you likey likey as much as we did. My husband said it was the best homemade pie he has ever eaten. That's saying a lot... he's from a small mountain town where they know how to throw down in the kitchen.

Happy Baking!

and she's off....

Madison's dad & I dropped her off at the airport this morning. Her flight left at 7:00a. She seemed really excited. She has landed in Texas & will stay there until Monday when they will head off, by bus, to Mexico.

She had to wear this cute little green shirt & her plastic "unattended minor" necklace.

We were standing at baggage check-in when she spotted another green t-shirt behind us. She approached the girl and found out she was going to Mexico too! She was relieved to be able to fly with someone she knew. (I was too!... it took a huge load off knowing she wouldn't be alone.)

The great thing about the unattended minor program is that we got a pass to get through security & to the terminal to wait with her. The flight attendant came out and told us that she was able to get the girls 2 seats together. I thought that was awesome. I just feel bad for whoever had to sit beside the 2 chatter boxes. :)

We were able to watch take off from the end of the terminal.

Once we got in the car... to my horror... I found her wallet (with her passport AND all of her cash) in my pocketbook! After a mild freak out moment Maddy's dad reminded me I could just overnight it to her. So I did... this morning. She will get it Monday morning. I called the mission headquarters & they said that would be ok. Then I got a frantic call from her letting me know that her luggage was left here in Richmond. Great...  I spoke with the mission rep & American Airlines has promised her luggage to be delivered before they leave for Mexico.At least she has her sleeping bag, snacks & most importantly.. her camera in her carry on.

(packing) 

Two whole weeks without my Maddy-Poo. :( I'm so proud of her though. She is so brave to take a trip like this. I know it's going to be life changing.

We had a fiesta for her Thursday night with my parents, brother & a few of her closest friends. It was nice.

Friends and family also sent a bunch of sweet messages that I bound together in a little "book of encouragement" for her... something to encourage her in case the homesick blues try to creep up on her. She opened it on the airplane. She said "it made me cry". I could tell it meant a lot to her.

We have indeed had a little drama this morning... but I'm just glad that she is there safe on the ground.... now I can relax & get started on this Saturday. On the agenda: absolutely NOTHING... my favorite kind.

a happy 4th & a hot date

What a great extended weekend!

We had a perfect Independence Day...

a cook-out with dear friends, a ball game, and fireworks.

It was grand.

I love you America!

---

Monday was amazing too. Stephen had off of work for the holiday so we went on a hot date (that's what we like to call them). Usually our hot dates consists of an evening out at an ethnic restaurant. That's our favorite past time. We love checking out ethnic restaurants in our city. Monday was an all day hot date though. Madison went with her dad for the day & the youngest 2 went with my parents all day. They had a blast & so did we!

I surprised him &  planned a day at a local state park. We went mountain bike riding and then we went kayaking. It was amazing.

Our 1 mile mountain bike trail ended up being a 5 miles trek around the lake. Turns out the blue trails are the advanced trails. Who knew?

I had to stop about every mile to rest and cool off.

As we sat on the forrest logs Stephen fantasized about having a forrest in our back yard so that he could bike ride every morning. That was great.. I was just trying to get my throbbing heart beat to stop pounding in the temple of my forehead.

It was nice to sit there though all alone deep in the woods with nothing but nature surrounding us. It was very romantic. My favorite part of the bike ride was stumbling across this little brook.

We used my bandana to scoop water on our heads & down our shirts to cool off. I thought about Kate & Sawyer on LOST. I thought Stephen was going to eat a tadpole like the Survivor man... but we made it through. I think we'll find the green beginner trail next time though.

I do love the feel of the wind in my face on a good down hill. I want a trail with all down hills and no rocks or roots. Maybe we can find that trail next time.

After our bike ride we cooled down in the ac of the van & then hit the lake. Our first time kayaking. It was awesome... except for when we rammed into a tree branch & got stuck for a bit. I thought we were going to tip. And even though I knew there were no alligators or crocodiles it still seemed at the moment that it could be possible & I really didn't want to be eaten.

After that it was smooth sailing though. Literally.

We even beached for a bit for 1 last time to soak in all the quietness of the forrest. Ahhh.

It was so relaxing. 

What a perfect hot date with my hubby! 

my little world changer

Madison participated in her youth group's 30 hours of famine tonight. It's a World Vision thing & will continue through the weekend. They are fasting & praying for the poverty of this world.

They watched some intense videos & then went to our city’s homeless area to pray for our city's poverty. 

She came home talking a mile a minute.

Next week she will experience this world’s poverty first hand. The world’s poverty is like no one can explain. You may see images on TV or hear stories about the 3^rd world… but until you experience it firsthand you simply can’t fathom the depth of it.

Madison came home tonight with a passion in her eye and tangible goals to make a difference in this countries poverty situation... My 12 year old little girl.

Next Saturday she will head to the airport and depart on a plane headed to a place where she knows no one. To a place she has never been. She is simply headed out on faith that God will use her to make a difference.

People may ask (& they have)… How I could send my daughter off on such a trip? My answer: This is her passion. A purpose in it for her. There has been a fire lit within her from the day she heard about the trip. She knew it was  a trip she was supposed to take.

Who am I to stop this passion?  There is a desire within her to change her world. How dare I intervene? How can I teach her to make a difference with one random act of kindness at a time & then prevent her from fulfilling her heart’s desire to touch her world for Jesus?

I can’t teach her to follow her dreams & then hinder her & fill her with fear... preventing her from from following those dreams when they present themselves. 

Tonight I saw within her an all too familiar disgust for injustice & I also see her heart ache due to the lack of compassion she sees. 

I look into her eyes & I see a world changer. A history maker. 

This trip is going to change the lives of others in Matamoros Mexico… and ultimately I know... it’s going to change the life of a 12 year old I know... forever. 

Watch out Mexico... here she comes!

berry picking and the beach

We traveled through the beautiful country today on the way to the berry farm. Olivia shared her dream of being on “America’s Got Talent”. She is going to sing a Hannah Montana song while hula hooping or she might do her Fred impersonation. I’m sure either will be great.

As we passed all of the farms and horse pastures I got a little giddy thinking about having our very own house on a beautiful piece of land. I told Stephen we should have a horse barn with a pony pasture. We could charge people to board horses and even have one of our very own. I told Stephen since he keeps fussing about my desire to have a motorcycle I would just have a horse instead. It’s kind of the same thing… besides all little girls dream of having a horse. I took a vote & I was right. Each of the girls agreed that a horse would be great. Stephen, being his analytical self, tried to reason that we don’t know how to care for horses. Surely we could figure it out with a few Google searches... I told him.

 It’s going to take me some time to talk him into this one. A few things we’ll have for sure though… a mega veggie garden, a few chocolate labs, a chicken coop & maybe even a billy goat.

It’s going to be good.    

Berry picking was lots of fun. Ahem… I found the farm through a Google search.  Noticed it was in the town of Colonial Beach… so we decided to hit the beach too. Stephen had the day off. It was great. 

We ate a little picnic at the berry farm. There were a few groups there on daycare field trips. All of the kids were running around having a great time. I was checking out their labeled water bottled and matching day care shirts when it dawned on me how thankful I was to be sitting there with my family. I looked over at Reece who had blackberries smeared all over her face. I fed her a bite of her ice-cream & then glanced over at Olivia feeding Madison a big bite of her cone. I got a little teary eyed when I thought about how not too long ago I was working full time hours wishing I could be at home with my girls. I prayed many prayers asking God to make a way for that to happen. He is so faithful. 

We had so much fun.Best day ever.

Now I just need to figure out what the heck I am going to do with these 10 pounds of blackberries. 

I put all of our pics from today here. 

Cheesy Potato Recipe

Madison has been cooking simple things like eggs & grilled cheese for awhile.... but recently she has developed a desire to cook more & more. The other night she cooked pizza quesadillas. I never thought something so simple could be so scrumptious. I'm seeing some serious potential in her. Her dad is really passionate about cooking and now that I have the time I've thrown down in the kitchen a time or two. I told her I want her to cook dinner from now on at least once a week. This week she got one of her recipes out of a book called The Children's step-by-step Cook Book ( I would recommend it to all young chefs!) 

She made her shopping list last night & we did our weekly grocery shopping today. 

Tonight she made parmesan chicken (her own recipe) and cheesy potatoes. She also made homemade cookies. (both from the book) 

Madison was in the kitchen cooking, Olivia & Reece were napping and I was outside working in my garden. I think I could get used to this. 

Cheese and  Potato Bake: 

(taken from Children's step-by-step  Cook Book) 

-1 cup grated sharp cheddar (she had to have white sharp) 

-1 egg

-salt & pepper

-2/3 cup heavy cream 

-1 1/2 pounds potatoes 

-1 large onion (she left this out) 

1) preheat oven to 350. Peel & slice potatoes. Put them in a bowl of water. 

2) Slice onion. Melt butter in the saucepan over low heat & cook the onion until soft. 

3) Grate cheese. Butter baking dish & spread a layer of sliced potatoes on the bottom. Spoon some onions on top. 

4) Add salt & pepper and sprinkle w/ cheese. Continue layering potatoes, onions, and cheese, finishing w/ potatoes. 

5) Beat the eggs into the cream with a fork. Pour it over the potatoes and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. 

6) Bake the potatoes for about 1 1/2 hours. 

These were so yummy! Try 'em out. 

world records & new structure

(yard sale @ mom's) 

Saturday's yard sale was awesome. Maddy made $400! I'm so grateful for friends who donated things & especially grateful for my mom, dad & brother... they put in a lot of work. My aunt came in to help too.
It was the hottest day known to man kind... but it was good. 

Madison leaves a week from this Saturday. 

----

Olivia is trying to break the world's longest gum chewing record. She has been going at it since yesterday afternoon. After she tried to stick it behind her ear at bed time I had to make a "no gum IN the bed" rule. I guess that's why she thought it was ok to put gum ON her bed... not IN it. She thought the head board was a nice resting place last night for her wad. Madison tried to convince her that this goal was not possible because surely the record has to be longer than a few months and once school starts back she won't be allowed to chew gum during school hours. I encouraged her to follow her dreams... and she is determined. Same piece, going strong... except for this morning when she dropped it in the floor and asked for another piece. I slipped her another one & told her that we'll just let that one slide. 

(olivia- a self portrait) 

----

Our family went to a going away dinner at our friends house Saturday. One of our favorite families is moving away next week. Very sad, but God has given them instructions to start a church across the country... so they are. I'm excited for them, just sad because I will miss them. At the dinner I got the opportunity to have an awesome... (answer to my prayers)... conversation with 3 friends. 1 who has a very successful college student, 1 who is an elementary school teacher, and another who is having some of the same mom struggles that I am. We picked their brains a bit & out of that conversation our new "family schedule" was birthed. 

(super-nanny style) 

We had a family meeting on Sunday, established some rules & presented a new schedule. Today is Day 1 & it went so awesome. Some of the things that my friends brought to my attention is how important structure is for kids (& mom's) and also how important rewards are instead of just punishments. When I got home, before our family meeting, I searched a bit online & found this star rewards system. I tweaked it a bit & made is a sticker system instead. Obviously with the age difference the rewards are pretty different... They are both happy about it though. The schedule was met with a little frustration & concerns, but today has been great. 

I'm so happy to have awesome women in my life who I can learn from. That Saturday night conversation was really good & much needed. 

I'm sure I'll be blogging about our progress soon... I'm really excited about this. Today flowed so great.

The day started with a kiss on the cheek from my honey as he let me know that he thinks I get prettier & prettier everyday... how could it not be a good day? I just love that guy. 

pool time & diet time

Pool time today was fun. My girlfriend came over with her daughters. I hadn't seen her in awhile.

She asked me what I've been up to. "busy as usual?"

"Nope not at all really"... that was nice. 

And I haven't been. We've been fundraising a bunch. We had a huge rummage sale @ the church & the group made over $3,000. Had a couple babysitting nights & a spaghetti dinner... which made me want to work in a restaurant again. I loved being a waitress.

Maddy has been handing out sponsor letters. Her dad got her a fundraising night at Chick-fil-a... best darn chicken around! She made about $120 with that. 2 yard sales= a seriously purged & organized house. I'm loving that!

Well, maybe I have been a little busy... but it hasn't been that crazy. It feels good to be on break from school.

---------

Went to church tonight with all 4 kiddos... Olivia is having a sleepover, which explains the 4th child.

I was looking pretty cute in my new denim .50 cent yard sale dress steal. until....

someone asked if I was pregnant.

awesome.

I simply love it when that happens, don't you?

Dang... must.eat.less.food.

doing it, more babies, missions & bark piles... and some other stuff too.

I realized that I haven't felt much like blogging lately unless my heart has been heavy... which explains the last few posts. I should lighten things up a bit with a little conversation that I had with Olivia the other day. It went something like this:

olivia: mommy, why do you & daddy always do "it"?

me: (as I try to gain composure & not let her see the panic in my eyes) what do you mean by "it"?

olivia: you know what I mean mommy...

me: no honey I really don't think I do, please explain.

olivia: ok... I'll spell it.

me: ok dear, please do spell "it"

olivia: K-I-S-S-I-N-G

me: (thank you sweet Lord!) Oh, that! Of course... mommy knows what "it" is! It's because me & daddy love each other. That's why we do "it"... you know kiss & all. 

olivia: ewwww

whew!

(Olivia graduating Kindergarten!) 

----------

To top things off... this morning Stephen & I were cuddling & doing "it" (kissing, of course) When Olivia busts in... 

Gee Whiz... it's too early for you to be up... go back to bed dear child... is what I was thinking, but didn't have time to say because she tattles...

"mommy & daddy, Reece peed a lot in her diaper & then she sat on my head 

& now I have pee on my head." 

classic. 

----------

Happy summer! I couldn't be more excited about this summer. No work, no school (just a little studying for the nursing entrance exam.) just me & the kiddos having a good time! 

This is the life. I love being a mom so much. I think if I didn't have 3 more years of school in front of me I'd be ready to have another one.

We'll wait... for now. 

----------

Maddy got her passport in the mail yesterday!!! She will be headed to Mexico on her very first mission trip in less then a month! 

She is really excited. We have one last fundraiser for her this weekend.

 Our 2nd yard sale. good times. 

I'm leaving for El Salvador about a week after she gets back. Just got an email saying we are going to visit some orphanages, women's prison & feeding centers. I'm excited! 

Two life changing trips, I'm sure of it. 

----------

Got some changes coming in our lives soon. If you know me or have read my blog for a bit you know how I struggle with decisions. 

I'm praying and seeking God... He'll lead me the right way. He always does.

I some times wish that He would just reveal the entire picture all at once... He's smart like that & doesn't. Step by step... it's what the faith walk is all about. I trust you Lord. Take my hand daddy & lead me... I know you won't fail me.... 

More to come on that in due time. 

----------

Got any fun summer plans? 

(Olivia & I make bark piles while we wait for Madison to ride roller coasters...

it doesn't take much folks.)