Pop Bang Fizzle Foo

Celebrating Memorial Day in gratitude!

Wow, she was SO thrilled at the fireworks, just absolutely giddy happy!

They had some little thing that blew up sparks about 10x.  I kept thinking of all the bugs that would be chomping on us at any moment. 

And to all a good night! 

Breakfast?

This is what I allowed Annah to have upon waking for breakfast.  Its not ice cream....it is yogurt....Breyers all natural.... but still...I know.  She designed it. Her throat was "burning" and achy and she said she needed ice cream. She hasn't discovered yet that its frozen yogurt.  And sometimes after eating it, I wonder too if its not really ice cream with just maybe one culture in it to allow it to be called yogurt.  I once watched a Bill Cosby movie and his wife had made him fix breakfast so he gave the kids cake... he said "Hey, it has eggs and flour and oil"..... And if you think about it....think about it real hard... I mean seriously, whats the difference in having pancakes or cake ....its the same ingredients only one just seems wrong....but they are essentially the same...cake has sugar but pancakes have syrup.... lots of it... and lots O butter....donuts or frozen yogurt.... donuts seem accepted in this society but 'ice cream' ... bad mommy. :)

Just finished reading this book.... I don't typically read novels but something about it just drew me... its about a young (horribly abused) girl in the early 1900's who is fixing to walk past a penny but she is compelled to pick it up.... in the event of bending down to pick it up sets of a series of events that ultimately changes the entire course of her life.  What I really loved about this book is that throughout her life, in times of difficulties or distress a penny would just show up somewhere... and she came to see it as God showing her He saw her, loved her, cared for her.... I have that same thing in my life regarding the Blue Jay.... Its too long of a story to share but God gave me a miracle and it involved a Blue Jay... and it was indeed a miracle...and every since then... when I see a Blue Jay...it feels like God is sending me a note.   I stand amazed at how the God of the Universe will intervene in our lives involving even the smallest of care, the smallest of emotions... the smallest cry.  He involves Himself in His children. Each of our paths are different but His love is  extraordinary for us.  His grace is extraordinary. His care is extraordinary. 

"Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out." - Jesus Christ  (John 6:37)

Church humor

Some church humor for Friday Giggles:

1. Don't let worry kill you -- let the church help.
2. Thursday night - Potluck supper. Prayer and medication to follow.
3. Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our church and community.
4. For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
5. The rosebud on the altar this morning is to announce the birth of David Alan Belzer, the sin of Rev. and Mrs. Julius Belzer.
6. This afternoon there will be a meeting in the South and North ends of the church. Children will be baptized at both ends.
7. Tuesday at 4:00 PM there will be an ice cream social. All ladies giving milk will please come early.
8. Wednesday the ladies liturgy will meet. Mrs. Johnson will sing "Put me in my little bed" accompanied by the pastor.
9. Thursday at 5:00 PM there will be a meeting of the Little Mothers Club. All ladies wishing to be "Little Mothers" will meet with the Pastor in his study.
10. This being Easter Sunday, we will ask Mrs. Lewis to come forward and lay an egg on the altar.
11. The service will close with "Little Drops of Water." One of the ladies will start quietly and the rest of the congregation will join in.
12. Next Sunday a special collection will be taken to defray the cost of the new carpet. All those wishing to do something on the new carpet will come forward and do so.
13. The ladies of the church have cast off clothing of every kind. They can be seen in the church basement Saturday.
14. A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.
15. At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice. 

Just a Swingin'

Oh the thrill of being a child!  Annah took the old dog leash and tied it to the stairs going up to the lofts and wahlah!  A swing!  I would love to draw your attention to the green rail in the background. Annah painted it... it doesn't come off... whats up with that??? I thought all paints for little people were waterproof but, this just soaked into the wood.  Plus, I like it. I don't want it to change. :)

I sure hope you are doing well and that you know how much God treasures you!  


"There is nothing to great for God's power, there is nothing to small for His love." - Corrie Ten Boom

First Insty Message

Alan, my son, was trying to reach me via Yahoo Messenger and apparently Annah was at PBS playing a game and intercepted.  Here is her very first text messenging. :)   Tiffany and I laughed and laughed. Its just so darn cute. :)

I got on and tried to buzz him but he was already gone and missed his little sisters communication effort.   I haven't been able to shut it down, its just too cute to me. Everything she does is cute to me and I rejoice in her wholeness and intelligence. She has not suffered from her prenatal trauma or its harsh drug environment to her or being premature.  She is a dramatic, super loving and very smart 4 year old. Thank you God!  

...."We must exercise the greatest care to be utterly obedient to Him who sees all the battlefield all the time. It is only He who can put each man in the place where his life can count for the most...."  
John Hyde

Amazing Beer Bread

Oh my goodness. Do you love bread? Do you love bread just SO much, like more than or just as much as chocolate????  Then you just gotta try this amazing EASY beer bread recipe.  It was super easy, except for sifting the flour... that was not easy. Maybe it was just my shifter but, it took time to shift 3 cups of flour. Yet, sifting is SUPER important to the quality of this bread so it has to be done.  And the taste is beyond amazing. The bread melts in your mouth and is SO good with honey and full of flavor.  Here is the super easy recipe:

3 cups self rising flour  --- MUST MUST BE SHIFTED or bread will be like a brick.

One 12 ounce can beer

       1/4 cup sugar

       1/2 cup melted REAL butter

 Preheat oven 375. Mix dry ingredients and beer. Pour in greased loaf pan. Pour  butter over batter. Bake 1 hour. Let cool 15 minutes.  You can use non-alcoholic beer if you wish but you will need to add a packet of dry active yeast.  The alcohol cooks off so I don't see any reason to not use a real beer because the flavor is so much richer. Yummy yummy yummy!!!

Right in the heart of Allen / Plano Texas is a Conservatory park called Connemara.  We went with a homeschool enrichment group and had so much fun.  If it weren't for the 2 nature guides it would of been just a typical walk in the woods and Annah and I do that every day (walk through the woods for miles ) but, the nature guides explained about flowers and bugs and trees and leaves.... I always wondered what that spit looking stuff was on flowers and it is actual spit from a Spittal bug and it has eggs in it..its a spit nest.   Its nice to see 72 acres of conserved land and meadow right in the middle of busy cities.

Its looking more official!!!  Looks like we will be traveling to Costa Rica in July for about 3 weeks. Alan says I can be there as a volunteer and get my hands dirty which I'm hoping to.  I'm not wanting to vacation, I'm wanting to  be able to 'feel' the environment and feel God's heart  and to know if its 'home'.... I wish I could just have insty Spanish to draw from but, I certainly will be able to tell  if my Spanish class helped or if its just all head knowledge. :)

Blog Books & Silly Girls

I followed a little link that says you can turn your blog into a book. 

I Love it!  My blog is bout a year and half old and I blog almost daily and add tons of pics... I could edit some out but I'm not gonna because I just don't have time & i'm sure it effects the total cost but, for my blog in its entirety it will cost about $37. Color pages plus all my print. If you wanna check it out go Here. Course its not an actual book to sell or anything because its just going to be like a journal album type thing for me but, there are others out there in blogland that may love to turn their blog into a book and sell it...ministry blogs etc ....   

My silly SillY Silly girls!  :-)   Fun fun fun! 

Recycling Bags into Bags

Is this not amazing???  Its a purse that Tiffany made me that is made out of plastic bags from Walmart and Kroger...even a Nylar balloon is in there and some yellow dollar store bags, different plastic bags collected from different places.  She crocheted them!!!!  She cut the bags into strips like yarn and crocheted them into a purse.  I just went crazy seriously. 

So it took 2 people to light my birthday cake.  2 people.  I don't know how I feel about that exactly....its not like its That many candles.... ... and thats not a cake actually. I don't really like cake so Paul bought a brownie mix with hunks of Reeses peanut butter cups... yummy for sure!!!!

And, gosh. My mom got me a TON of  Cellbone products for skin.... peels, rejuvenating stuff.....I won't age now.  I have so much stuff I will stay youthful looking forever. I will never get a wrinkle now. I'm excited!  :)

My parents also gave me $$$  for my trip to Costa Rica that is suppose to happen in July but, now maybe August.  I never know whats going to happen day to day.  I hope to go and stay for a few weeks with my son who is a missionary there with YWAM...and his wife and baby and as Lalo sais "Be among the people"...

And, I got this thirst quencher gum.... so when I am jogging and super thirsty I can pop this gum in and not be thirsty ever.  Wow.  :) PLUS, the biggie of all things?  The things of a spoiled person... is that I got a pair of those Vibram - Five Finger Shoes... they are SO back ordered ...we drove all the way into Dallas only to discover, NOT....but I had no idea where Paul was taking me and we just kept driving and driving...we passed by Ihop...I was hungry, breakfast would of been fine... drove by Best Buy, Half Price books...all the best birthday places but Paul took me into Dallas and by that time I decided he was just going to take me to some place and dump me on the side of the road knowing I could never find my way home ...but no, he had a plan, he took me to REI because their website said they had these shoes but it was a trick, they had only great big huge men feet shoes left and NOBODY has these shoes because they are very popular now... ... so Paul ordered some on line. I feel kinda over indulged....always do actually.  I think...well...one of these days my family will be amazingly blessed in the Lord to actually be able to leave it all behind, strap on backpacks and head off to another land.  :) Its just stuff...and I love my stuff.... I do.  :)  I can just as easily ditch it too....well, I might not ditch my five finger shoes !!!! Those are awesome!! And practical !!!!  Perfect for people like me who rather be barefoot but can't get into stores barefoot.

My darling daughter made the most amazing Spinach, mushroom, cheesy Quesadillas!  Mi Favorito!

I feel loved.  

I hope you feel loved tooooo!!!!!

Many Christians have what we might call a "cultural holiness". They adapt to the character and behavior pattern of Christians around them. As the Christian culture around them is more or less holy, so these Christians are more or less holy. But God has not called us to be like those around us. He has called us to be like himself. Holiness is nothing less than conformity to the character of God. --Jerry Bridges

Scheduled KidNapPinGs

So yesterday I had a scheduled kidnapping that was suppose to happen but my kidnappers were about 15 minutes late.  My little hood of friends, the four of us above, plan and plot kidnappings on each of our birthdays.... for Melissa, we crept into her home in the wee hours of the morning and caught her sound asleep and dragged her off to breakfast, for Debbie, we just caught her off guard with a towel on her head and dragged her to brunch, for Sharon, same thing... and this happens every year...but for me this year, they had to schedule my kidnapping due to my crazy schedule. And they were late.  :-)  I waited for them patiently on my road to be taken to the unknown.  They took me to a hole in the wall Greek pizza place that was amazing.  And then we went and saw the movie, Letters to Juliette...I think that was the name...it was such a CF (chick flick).... I laughed and laughed and stuffed my face with overpriced thin mints.  

I LOVE MY FRIENDS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Love LOVE LOVE LOVE  THEM!!!!   

So I long to write more but I'm off to more birthday feastings and am being dragged away as I type.............

Thursdays adventures in puking

 Gramma and Granpa came from Tennessee to visit! 

Such a treat!  This picture was taken only moments before Annah became suddenly and aggressively ill with a stomach thingie, throwing up and dry heaving.  I am thinking she ate way too many wild blackberries yesterday.... they are in the fields by the hundreds and zillions and she was popping em in her mouth like candy.

We were up with her till 2 am and back up at 7.  I'm feeling really tried. Gramma and Granpa left this afternoon and I plan on getting to bed early early early.  Annah's better now but her stomach is sore.

It is pouring down rain here in TX.... I am loving it... but, wow, in May????  I should already  be 5 shades darker from the sunshine but instead I'm still flesh color and its raining, cold, windy...whats up with that?

Sick little Princess!

What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. They are but trifles, to be sure but, scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable. Unknown

Other than Annah feeling crummy, and the wind, cold and rain....  what a beautiful day to be breathing.  What a gift life is. And what a battle it is too.   The only way to get through it, is prayer.  Its our connection. When we don't pray we run out of gas, we miss information, we lose a lot. Prayer  is gain on so many levels.  We connect. We learn Gods heart and of His nearness.  He, in turn, hears our hearts and our thoughts and our wants, needs, hopes, dreams.  The lack of prayer is exactly like lack of exercise and water  to the body.... destructive. 

Lazy day at Pooh Corner

Annah and I took a walk down 'my path' to 'Pooh Corner".... my favorite place to escape. The path is man made by me... well worn.  I love my path.  Pooh Corner is full of ladybugs, ants, vultures, birds, turtles and unknown things.  I don't focus on the creepy crawly things but on the lake in front of me and the peace and quite. Kinda like life, focus on the good, shake off the bad. I lay there on my lawn chair and the sun was just right...the wind blowing a little strong... I closed my eyes and couldn't imagine a more blissful setting...and then I flicked off an ant.  But it was just wonderfully lazy day. I can't even express my gratefulness towards my Creator for everything. Just everything.  Grateful, Thankful, in Awe, in Adoration.  Thankful.  Joyful.  Amazed. Hopeful. Happiness.

And this adorable bird nest Annah found.  If you look closely you can see where they used plastic stuff to put in their otherwise all natural nest.What a great way to recycle!!!!

Poo-Pourri -The Perfect Gift!

  I hope my mom doesn't see my blog and read about this exciting gift she will be receiving for Mother's Day. It just makes me giggle and laugh and squeal in delight like a pig in mud. As you see, its called "Poo-Pourri".... You can get its little instruction card that says " Spritz the bowl before you go and no one else will ever know". How fun is Poo-Pourri!!!  I think I will stock up and get them for all my friends for their birthday...and even Christmas and Thanksgiving and all times!!!  According to my sources, you can find Poo-Pourri at your local Market Street.  Or order online here.

 Where's Annah? 

 

I love Sock Monkeys!!! I just had to whip up some  burp cloths. I made some matching bibs too but haven't sewn them up yet.  I am re-stocking my supplies for foster babies.  I like to have unique!  The back is terry cloth so perfect for getting all spit up on. :)  

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.  

   Proverbs 3:5-6 

Famous Blog friends & Running Barefoot !!!!!

Wow. I just found out that one of the blogs I follow, "The Middlest Sister"  has a feature story on page 199 of the June issue of Good Housekeeping.  I saw Annie... her little girl... and I thought...wow, she looks familiar...and then I saw Libbie... and I thought....gosh, she does too... and then I saw the blogspot and was like.....OHHHHHHH... wow... she's a supahstar!!!!   The article is about her little girl who began making and selling beaded bracelets because she wanted to help the people in Haiti.  The article is called "Annie's Bracelets".... I hope you will go out and get the magazine and read the article or go visit her website and give Annie a big High Five!!!  So far Annie has raised $600 and gave the money as a special offering for Haiti through her church. I'm thoroughly impressed, touched and proud of Annie. She obviously has a super tender heart.  Way to go Annie!  

  I'm in the process of putting together another photo book from Shutterfly and came across this picture. I'm sure I already have it in one of my photo books. This is at the Library, Annah used to like to sit next to the statue lady. :)

Update..... cutting in here after posting over an hour ago... but this is breaking news.  Not really. I don't know what happened but, I was just sitting here innocently and all the sudden I felt a "snap" literally..in my calf.... and I could of sworn I heard it snap... but I'm sure thats not possible...but immediately after the 'snap' I had the most horrific fire pain in my calf... like it felt like a knife on fire just cut into it.  It didn't last to long, maybe a minute. But then it got extremely tight feeling like someone pulled a rubber band tight  and now it hurts really bad like a super sore bruise. I just had to share this information and whats sooooooooo soooooooooo strange is it happened as I was looking on line for a pair of Vibram toe shoes...to run in, isn't that just really odd????  I think so... But, I MUST have  these..must must must ... and I had made the decision to follow the new cult following of running barefoot... and then my poor calf muscle just snaps... I have never had this happen... I've pulled knee ligaments but never had a muscle snap ... it hurts...I mean I felt the thing pop apart and i'm just sitting here for crying outloud...  But aren't these shoes AWESOME!!!  I have two broken pinky toes...one on each foot...yes, I'm clumsy, I run into things sometimes... so I have to wear wider things... I am going to get a pair of mens... I like flesh color.  I mean I seriously love these shoes.  You can run in them!!!!!!  There's a whole new theology out there about running barefoot, Google it. Theres books and proof and stuff!!!  I go barefoot all the time... only put on shoes because otherwise I can't get into places so this is just right up my alley.  Right up it.   

" New research, led by Harvard scientists and published today, shows that people who run barefoot or with minimal shoes - as people have done for millions of years - often land on their feet in a way that avoids a jarring impact. That’s very different from most shoe-clad runners, who crash down on their heels with every bound."  Click to follow and read link from The Boston Globe.

"Whatever a man wants badly and persistently enough will determine the man's character." A.W. Tozer

The snake who came to dinner

This little booger was in the hen coop with an egg lodged in his throat. Paul got him on this snake catcher and was taking him down to the lake. What is rather funny about this is that after Paul took him down to the lake Annah came back and reported... "he looked at us REAL mean and then spit the egg out and took off"..... LOL...now thats a hoot...I mean seriously... he must of decided that stupid egg had caused him enough trouble or he was saying "take that!!"

You can see the egg right there in the photo.... 

One of my favorite verses:

 Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed;

save me and I will be saved,

for you are the one I praise. 

- Jeremiah  17:14