A Fun Quiz

Here is a fun quiz posted by Amy on My Heart's Refuge at http://www.osbornz.net/amy/ . If you do this quiz, post it on your blog and leave me a comment so I can come look!
1. What do you normally wear to bed?
Satin gowns
2. What was the last trip you took?
Our trip to Turkey, Greece, and Italy just last November
3. Who did you want to be when you were young? (Famous person, etc.)
I just wanted to be a pastor's wife and a mom!
4. When was the last time you went dancing?
Two weeks ago at my daughter's wedding (first time ever in my life!)
5. What kind of shoes are you wearing right now?
Slip on clogs
6. What pets do you have?
3 yorkies and 1 mutt, 2 outside cats, and 2 horses
7. What is one thing you crave almost everyday?
sugar :(

Cookin' and Sewin'

There are two things I LOVE to do that are so fulfilling to me. One is to cook for my family and the other is to sew. They are both creative outlets that make me feel like I am doing a good job being a wife and mother. I even feel sometimes that I can know just a little bit how God must have felt after he finished his "burst of creativity" when he created the world and sat back and said "It is good!".
Last night I got to spend time doing both of the things I love. First, it was 24 Night. That is every Monday night, my kids all come over and we have dinner together and then we pile on upstairs, all eight of us and all 6 of our dogs, and watch 24! We have such a good time! Last night I made homemade chicken noodle soup and it was so YUMMY! It is so cold outside and nothing warms you up like a bowl of soup! Here is the recipe for anyone interested:

HOMEMADE CHICKEN AND NOODLE SOUP

Fill a pot that will hold the amount of soup you want with water and boil a chicken until it is done. Remove the chicken and let cool. While it is cooling prepare the noodles:

In a stainless steel bowl mix:

2 cups flour

3 egg yolks

1 egg

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup water

I kneed the dough and then roll it out flat. After it is rolled out I then use my secret ingredient: nutmeg!

Sprinkle the nutmeg lightly over the surface of the dough and roll over it a time or two with the roller to press it in. Then I cut the noodles into 1/2 inch strips and throw them in the cooking broth. I also add about 2 tbsps. of chicken bouillion to the broth. Then I debone the chicken and add the meat to the broth and let it all simmer for about 30 minutes. It is absolutely delicious and the left overs are even better!

Last night I also had the time to finish a gift I am making for my neice who is expecting her first baby, a little girl, next month. I made her a baby sling to carry the baby in and I just love how it turned out. Here is my daughter Andrea modeling the sling with a baby doll inside:

I am so happy with how it turned out! Someday I will have little grandbabies to make these for!

One of the "positive" things about when your children leave the nest is that it gives you more room. I converted my daughter Andrea's room into my sewing room and I just love spending time in here:

I have a whole pile of patterns and fabric that I can't wait to get started on! Now that the wedding is over I can start doing some of these projects. I plan to make some baby quilts for gifts for new babies arriving in our church, some really neat "stack and whack" quilted placemats, and a special wallhanging that I received as a gift for Christmas. I can tell my creative cravings are about to be fulfilled and "IT IS GOOD"!

I'm So Proud of My Daughter

This last weekend I had the privilege of seeing my daughter in a leadership position and I am just beaming with pride for her! She is the vice president of her junior class in a small Christian school. They are trying to earn money for their senior trip next year. She and her friend who is the class president decided to host a silly supper. They ended up doing ALL the work themselves. They planned the menu, printed and sold tickets, collected money, bought all the food, set up and decorated the tables and trained the waiters. They also recruited my husband and I to do the cooking! They sold 96 tickets and made about $700 for their class. I sat back and watched as she spoke in front of the crowd and organized the waiters, patiently explaining their jobs to them. When things didn't go smoothly, she stayed flexible and worked through the problems. I am just so proud of her. The evening was a total success and she received many compliments for the event. I have always heard that pk's have natural leadership abilities because of all the ways they have had to learn how to make do living in a parsonage. I guess this is true! I know that this is another occasion of life in the ministry being a life of privilege!

Michelle and Brad's Wedding Day

I am recovering from a whirlwind week and weekend in which my oldest daughter got married. It was such a beautiful, magical day and we had so many fun events that surrounded it. Everything seems kind of lonely now - a let down of sorts. But it is also a good feeling to try to get back to "normal"! Here is a picture of the lovely bride as I am admiring her. She was absolutely radiant!

Mom, Dad, and Michelle

This is when her dad saw her for the first time, which made all of us cry sweet tears!

This is Michelle and Brad dancing their first dance

I don't have all my pictures yet and I didn't take my camera to the actual ceremony so I will post pictures of the actual wedding later. But I just wanted to share about it and how wonderful it all turned out! Here is a short list of all the fun things we did:

Wednesday: My whole family took a dance lesson! Michelle and Brad had a wedding dance but none of us have ever danced before! We learned a few basic steps that got us through!

Thursday: A bachelorette party at P.F. Changs. It was very yummy and may I say that my new favorite food is Kung Pow Shrimp! Wowsers - it was good!

Friday: Decorating at the church all day and rehearsal at 6:00 with a dinner following.

Saturday: The Day!

Sunday: My family all met for breakfast and then we went to church.

Monday: Airport runs all day long!

Today: Back to work :(

Sofa's to Salvation

God is so good!! This weekend I had an answer to prayer that just confirmed in my spirit how much God really cares about the small and the large things in our lives. Let me explain: Around the first of December I was worried because I simply don't have enough furniture in my home for everyone to sit on when my family is all there. I hate bringing in folding chairs or having people sit on the floor. With the wedding, I knew there was no way to buy furniture. So I thought about just praying for it. At first, it seemed so trite, so unimportant that I felt foolish praying about it. But I prayed anyway. On Saturday a man from our church offered my husband a sectional sofa that has 2 recliners to our teen room in the church! My husband didn't even realize that I had been praying for furniture, but knowing we NEEDED furniture asked the man if we could use it instead and of course, he was delighted. GOD GAVE ME THE FURNITURE I HAD PRAYED FOR! Now this just warmed my heart because I have been also praying for a long time for the salvation of a very dear loved one and nothing seems to happen. But when God answered the furniture prayer I realized that if God cares so much about the little things in my life, how much more must He care for things like salvation for those that we love. It was like He just whispered to me: "Be patient, I am working". So my heart is cheered, we have furniture for all to sit on (and I am having lots of company this weekend for the wedding), and I know that God is working for the salvation of my dear loved one.

Yorkie Makeovers

We are in full wedding mode at our house this week - even the yorkies had a day at the spa and are looking pretty for the big event!

This is Josey. I left her in a longer coat because her hair is very silky and much easier for me to keep groomed.


I had Pebbles cut in a shorter coat. This is the first time she has not been in full coat.

Of course they will not BE at the wedding. But we are having alot of company so I wanted them to look good. Normally I do all their grooming but this occasion calls for a professional job!

Go Bronco's

Okay, first I should tell you that I am the most UNsports loving person in the whole world. I never have liked sports. I don't like the importance placed on sports, I don't like what athletes get paid, I don't like the idolotry that sports figures incur. I especially hate when sports events get put before church events. With all that being said, I will confess that I watched my very first complete entire football game on New Year's Day. And it was so FUN! Boise State University went to its first ever BCS bowl in Phoenix, Arizona. The Fiesta Bowl. It was all you ever heard about around here for weeks. It was on tv, the news, papers, friends, grocery stores, you name it - I promise you - that's all anyone talked about. Some people from our church went - along with 30,000 other people from our state! So I figured the least I could do was watch it on tv. Boise State took alot of criticism - some thought they shouldn't be in the bowl, even though they had a perfect 12-o season. Some thought that we were too small of a school and could not compete with bigger schools. Well, if you watched the game - you saw what happened. We beat Okalahoma University in overtime by 1 point. Many commentators said it was the best college game they had EVER seen. Even though I didn't understand much of the game - I understood the emotion and the excitement. So....I don't think I will ever be a football fan - but it sure has been fun being a part of the excitement the past few weeks here in Idaho.
Click here to see some of our local news about it: http://www.idahostatesman.com/bsufootball/
And here is a fun article from CNN: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/arash_markazi/01/02/inside.boise/index.html

The Wedding is coming!

Only two weeks from tomorrow and I will have another married daughter and a new son-in-law. It is going to be such a beautiful wedding and I know we will have a wonderful day of memories to share. I am so happy for Brad and Michelle. They grew up together, in fact, Michelle has always told me she would marry Brad someday. They never dated until about a year and a half ago though. Somehow, in her heart she knew God's plan for her. It makes me feel so good to know that God has worked out their lives to be together and they are listening to Him. He is so good!!!! I can't wait to feel His presence in their ceremony and watch as He knits two lives together from this day forward. I have always wondered at what moment in the wedding ceremony does God "seal" their union. Is it the pronouncement, the kiss, the I Do's? When does the magic happen? I love weddings!

Holiday Week

I absolutely love the week between Christmas and New Year's. There is still such a holiday "feel" in the air but all the pressure of Christmas is gone! Something we love to do during this week is go to alot of movies. I don't know why lol! because we don't usually go to movies. But we give ourselves permission to splurge on popcorn and movies during this week! Last night we went to "We Are Marshall" and it was very good. Even though it is a sad story, there is so much hope too. Tonight we are going to the new "Rocky" movie! Sometimes it seems kind of silly - but I guess that is what makes it fun!

Merry Christmas

I will be away from my computer for a few days - all of my four darling daughters will be home for Christmas and we are going to have a fun few days! Lots of food, lots of games, and lots of love are on my agenda! I absolutely love Christmas and all the traditions we have in our home. From talent shows, to stockings, to hot chocolate that is chocolate enough to give you a sugar high for 2 months, to treasuring Luke chapter 2, to sharing breakfast at the diner in town where we are the only customers allowed on Christmas morning (because the owners are dear friends and this is always their gift to us), to the Christmas Eve service, and everything in between it is my most special and favorite time! I pray that this Holy Day is just as special to anyone who reads this blog. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Ordering Christmas presents online

I am so frustrated!!! Every time I wanted to go Christmas shopping my husband wanted to go with me. I love spending time with him so I would always happily agree. However, I never could get his gift because if he knew I wanted to go to Cabela's he would instantly know what he is getting - a gps unit. So I decided to order it online which is my most very favorite way to shop - at least until now. I was being sneaky, so I had it sent to my workplace. Today I discovered that the day it is arriving is Friday and our workplace is not open on Friday!!! What am I going to do????? I am trying to get UPS to change the delivery address and it may work but I won't know until Thursday. This is killing me!!! My husband won't have a gift to open on Christmas if I can't make this work. :(

Is there life after kids?

So when exactly is the empty nest syndrome supposed to occur? It seems to me that my adult children take as much if not more of my time than they did when they were little!! I know that probably doesn't sound real encouraging to those of you who are struggling with dirty diapers, runny noses, blocks all over the house, and last minute canceling baby sitters - but I am just wondering!
My 26 year old daughter is getting married next month and what started out to be "all we want is a small wedding" is turning into an EVENT I tell you! I am absolutely overwhelmed and up to my eyeballs in sewing, programs, table centerpieces, and decorating. I know it is going to be a fabulous, emotional, and very fun day - but boy oh boy- I am not sure I am going to be able to pull it all together in time. I told her we need to call a magazine to come and do a photo shoot of this event!
I am so happy for her though. She is marrying the guy she has loved since she was 12! She is such a good girl and she has "done it right" all her life. I want nothing but the best for her and he seems to be it. I think they will have a great marriage forever. When he came and asked for our blessing, I told him that if he could promise me that he would love God with his whole heart and love her like her dad has loved me then I was all for it. He promised. Sooo....I'd better get back to my sewing machine - I have one and a half bridesmaids dresses left to do!

Back home in the USA

It's so good to be home again! We had an incredible trip with incredible adventures, but more than ever I am so glad to be home. I love our country! One thing that was so evident to me was how young we are as a nation - my goodness, we are just getting started. When you can put your hands on pillars and walls that are literally thousands of years old, you realize that we are just babies! There is nothing in our great nation that can hold a candle to the antiquities of Italy, Greece, and Turkey!
In the future, I will write more of our experiences and try to post some pictures. Aside from my fear of flying, and being seasick - I am so glad I went.

International Traveler

My husband and I are leaving next week on a trip to Italy, Greece, and Turkey. We are taking an educational cruise that is re-tracing the 2nd and 3rd journey of the apostle Paul. It really is the trip of a lifetime, but I have to admit that I am extremely nervous. I have never traveled anywhere out of the US except for Canada. I don't like to fly and I get seasick. Other than that I am excited ;)! We are going to be gone for 11 days and I am already looking forward to getting back home. I don't understand myself because if you asked me I would tell you that I would love to travel around the world. But when it comes right down to it, I am nervous to leave my 16 year old daughter at home (she is already homesick for us), I have so much I need to get done in time for my oldest daughter's wedding in January, and I just feel nervous about going to other countries when there is so much discord in the world. My husband is very excited so I am trying not to show how I feel too much - I don't want to rain on his parade! I know we will have a wonderful time together. We went to Hawaii on our 25th wedding anniversay 3 years ago and we had a spectacular time. We had two rules: we could not talk about our church and we could not talk about our kids. We DID talk about the kids a little bit but we didn't once discuss the church. It was an awesome experience! I hope this trip turns out the same way!

So who is trained?

Okay - yesterday I was sitting at the table working on some paperwork and my yorkie, Pebbles, kept running to the door like she wanted to go out. So I, being the obedient dog owner that I am, got up and walked to the door. As soon as I got to the door Pebbles immediately ran to the treat cupboard. It dawned on me that she was faking me out! She wanted me to get up and she knew exactly how to do that! Then she redirected my attention to the treat cupboard. I wasn't sure if I should reward her for that or not! (I did, I couldn't resist lol).
It got me to thinking though . . . does God try to get my attention like that sometimes? Does he use ordinary opportunites to turn my attention to a deeper issue? Does he do His best to "get me to the door" so that I will go a little deeper into my life with Him? I kind of think He does. For instance, perhaps He uses my "ordinary" interest in reading to find a book or article that will challenge my heart and mind to levels that I wouldn't have found on my own. Maybe He will use a comment that someone says to spark an entirely different meaning in my heart. I don't know - it just kind of makes sense to me!
Well, I'd better go - Pebbles is standing at the door again!

Monday, Monday

It is Monday again! I used to love Monday's because they were my day off but now I have to work 5 days a week - yuck! I remember someone saying once that pastors and their wives should never take Mondays off - we should give them back to the church! Ha Ha! I always thought that was funny. My husband takes Fridays off. I guess I take Saturdays off. But I sure am always tired on Mondays!

This is kind of scary!

This is my first attempt at keeping a blog and for some reason it seems kind of scary. I am a 40 something mom of 4 daughters, pastor's wife, secretary at a University, who likes to write, read, sew, garden, and raise Yorkie pups! I'm not sure who all is going to be reading this - I can't imagine that my life is very interesting to those who don't know me - but oh well - let's see what happens!