Happy Halloween!

Here are my little angels on our way to a Halloween party. Jayci was Tinkerbell. Cade was Spiderman. And Karis was Piglet. She told me an hour before we left, "No pig'et," but eventually gave in. We had a great time & made out with a loot!

Gonna Miss This

There is a song out on country stations called, "You're Gonna Miss This". It's about realizing that where you are RIGHT NOW is life. Wishing it away will only keep you from seeing the blessing of the moment. You're gonna miss this time in life, wherever you are.

I used to work really hard at not missing the moment. When Jayci was a baby, I was very careful to not wish for the next phase of her life . . . rolling over to sitting to crawling to walking, etc. I think I set a good precedent for myself. I was very cautious with my other 2 as babies as well. I have slacked a bit.

I must admit since my oldest started Kindergarten this year, I have missed some of the things we used to do with all our kiddos. Although I am thankful for the free childcare (as I've been calling it for a while), now we have to plan fun trips for the weekends like everyone else in the world (zoo, Wild Animal Park, beach, etc.). We no longer get to do things during the week with ALL 3 like we did just a few short months ago. I miss that already.

I have a renewed commitment to live in the moment, to savor the morsel that is currently in my mouth (so to speak). I realize I will have tons of time for things later like shopping without little fingers grabbing everything off the shelves (of course, I'll have to leave Matt at home then too), for quiet dinners with friends, for soaking in the bathtub AND getting all my chores done . . . . More likely than not, I will have time for all those things but I can never have my children in these stages of life again. I can never rewind to the days of them begging for the tickle monster to come back, begging to go play at the "fire truck park", begging to go to McDonalds (yuk). I must drink it in now.

I have a friend in Texas plugging through cancer right now. I did not get to be with her long before we moved to CA but I believe God crossed our paths for a very important reason. (The story is too cool. I'll have to share it another day.) She is in maintenance chemo right now but she has struggled with this crappy disease for several months now. She is savoring the moments with her boys. Of course, she does laundry, cleans dishes, and makes beds but she savors the faces she does these things with. She lives in the moment. I am jealous of her right now. I wouldn't trade my health for anything so I hope I can learn this lesson through her and not have to learn this the hard way. (I love you, A, and I'm praying for you.)

Drink it in, people. It's the only today we get.

I am so blessed . . .

(See my original post: Soakin' Up the Day)

Retail Rant

So, I found a little money (from my birthday stash) and needed a little retail therapy. Little did I know that it would be so difficult to buy some sanity! First of all . . .

JoAnn's
Coupon craze week is a sham!!! I am probably not the first to say this but there is absolutely no point in printing all those coupons. They print a million! (I got 3 sets between my mail, visiting the store the week before, and the newspaper.) You only get to use them if you are buying an item that's not on sale and everything is on sale. That doesn't sound like a bad thing right? BUT, the coupons are mostly for 40% off (of a non-sale item) but most of the store is marked 20% - 30% off. What a load of it!! It would be better to go in with 3 - 40% off coupons on any given week and get the best discount. UGH!

Target
Did anyone else notice the new jeans styles they have??? The prices are really good but it is a little confusing on which style and fit I wanted. I mean, they have 6 different hip-styles: relaxed/curvy, how far below the waist they sit, etc. However you can't get any style in any size. Some sizes are juniors, some women's. To add confusion to chaos, there are different leg-styles too: boot cut/straight/skinny. You can get all these leg-styles in the 6 different fits. WHEW! SO if you're looking for a good pair of inexpensive jeans, Target is a good place (I bought 2 pair) but don't take anyone (husband, children, friends) that cannot be patient enough to wait for you to try on like 60 pairs of jeans . . . .They probably need to be willing to do some leg work too . . . .

Wal-Mart
Now, this complaint is not only for our dear friends at Wally-World but this is where I experienced this phenomenon. How cool is it for the clothing industry to have JUNIORS sizes and WOMENS sizes . . . What is up with that?? So a SMALL is not a SMALL in every department of the store. I usually wear a small in the Womens section but needed a LARGE in the Juniors! Now come on . . . why the discrepancy?? I see the need to go up or down a little, based on designers, but really? In the same store??

I just needed a venue to vent a little. I'm sure you can understand. And yes, I did find some good stuff!

Ridgeline ReLAUNCH!!!

So, I guess you figured out that my countdown fell flat. Honestly, counting down like that made me more anxious so I canned it. It was a pretty good week.

There were several people there to check out Ridgeline, including several new families. It wasn't overwhelming so that is good. I was praying that we would see just a little more than we thought we could handle so that we knew it was God. I feel like we saw God anyway . . . .no matter how many people showed up. I think we will see more new faces in the coming weeks but hopefully we will keep seeing the same ones too.

Thanks for all your prayers. Things are rocking out here!!! God is awesome!

6 Days and Counting

Ridgeline's reLAUNCH countdown continues . . . .

Today was a good day. Matt reminded us in leaders meeting that we need to stay connected to the Source - Jesus. There are many little things that need to get done this week. But the first order of business is to spend time with our Creator.

On the family front, we had a great day. Lots of fun and laughing. . . . even got a nap in!!! The night was topped off with a trip to 5 Guys Burgers and Fries - YUM!

Although, Matt's broher had a major accident today. He was roping calves and broke his pelvis when the horse stopped. He was care-flighted to the hospital in Ft. Worth where they are awaiting the pelvic specialist to see if surgery is needed or not. It is rough right now so any prayers would be appreciated.

7 Days and Counting . . . .

In 7 days, Ridgeline Community Church will reLAUNCH in a major way. Over the last 3 weeks we have hit about 11,000 homes twice with door hangers - one with a funny top 10 and one with a pop rocks & Coke dare. Statistics say that 1-3% will respond. Think about that with me . . . minimally, that's 110 homes . . . . that's potentially 220 adults and who knows how many kids. Can I get a collective scream???!!

We are excited, scared, thrilled, afraid, and all around anxious but we are praying for peace. Peace for our families this week and peace for Sunday. Praying for no hiccups in the technology, praying we have enough volunteers in RidgeKids, praying we get things together and ready for the visitor bags, praying we keep our heads on straight and save time and sanity for our families.

This is the biggest risk we have taken so far but it is in God's hands now. He is the only one that can make this thing happen. He is the only one.

Matt and I are watching "Facing the Giants" right now and we are both bawling like little girls. We love this movie because it came into our lives a few years ago, right when we needed to hear the message the most: "Nothing is impossible with God" (Matthew 19:26). He does more than we can dream or even imagine. (Ephesians 3:20-21) He blesses just because He can.

Let's see what God has in store for Ridgeline . . . . Stay tuned . . .

BEST Ice Cream Sandwiches

I hate ice cream sandwiches. I have never liked them. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE ice cream!!! But "NO!" on the sandwich thing.

However, I have just invented the most amazing ice cream sandwich EVER!! (Ok, I doubt I invented it but I did it really well ((and cheap)) so I get a little credit . . . ) Follow these directions and you will have your own little piece of heaven right here on earth!!

First you will need to make cake mix cookies: cake mix (chocolate of some kind), 2 eggs & 1/2 cup of oil. Stir until combined and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Cool completely.

Then slightly thaw Ben & Jerry's Cherries Garcia Ice Cream for about 10 seconds in the microwave. Spread a dollop on a cookie and top with another cookie. Repeat until you run out of cookies or ice cream. (Coffee ice cream is ok but Cherries Garcia is the BEST!)

If you're in a hurry, go ahead and gobble one but if you have a minute, put it in the freezer for about 5 minutes. It will firm up a little and not mush when you bite in.

Ahhhh. . . . . Now isn't that amazing??!?