Is this screen still blurry because...

I need glasses like my doctor thinks I do or is it the leftover migraine from yesterday? I just want to say that my heartfelt prayers go out to those who chronically feel crummy. I woke up yesterday feeling strange, but not much to take notice of. Then about an hour later came the bright blindness, whoosy head and stomach...and I knew if I didn't take my medication quickly I was doomed. As I've mentioned before, swallowing pills just doesn't work with me. So after ten minutes of psyching myself out, wrapping the 4 half pills in marshmallows, tapioca pudding, and granola bars, and chewing, yes chewing disgusting tasting Excedrin Migraine, I finally accomplished my goal. Then I hit the sack. I am a very spoiled girl...my husband took half a day off work, made our rather bright bedroom dark with cardboard boxes (he did mention he hoped the neighbors didn't think we're setting up a meth lab) and the kids bed blankets, and kept the kids occupied away from me. Then, if that weren't enough, my mom came for the afternoon to help out. You know, I'm prideful. I always want to prove I can do it all on my own - the kids, the house, the cooking, etc. etc., but I never seem to have the chance to do it because I'm always rescued. I guess I should quit complaining about being so blessed and just accept it. I always think, "How do military wives deal with situations when they're alone?" Or, "What if I didn't have a sitter and my husband couldn't take time off work?" Maybe one day I'll have to prove I can do it. I guess until then I'll graciously receive the rescuing and kindly say "thank you".

I Need More Ideas

Since Annie will be beginning preschool next week, I'm trying to think of things to pack her for lunch. I'm trying to think of things that aren't going to go bad and make her sick. If you have any ideas, please post them on the comment page.

You know, I was talking with my friend, Melanie, and we thought it might be neat to exchange meal ideas, recipes, etc. with other moms. So if this sounds like a good idea to anybody else, lemme know and I'll try to work out something.

Our Position in Christ

Yesterday, our pastor, Peter, gave a wonderful message from the book of Ephesians. He encouraged us to remember our position in Christ and to appropriate our resources from the Lord. If we relate to God based on our practices of everyday life, we will fail each day because we are flesh as well as having a fierce enemy who throws darts of doubt, fear, discouragement, etc. But if we remember that God sees us as holy and without blame, all through His Son's atoning blood, we can live victoriously all to God's glory. We are chosen by God, sanctified (set apart for Him), blameless before Him, adopted by Him, accepted by Him, redeemed by Him, given treasures from Him, promised an inheritance from Him, and indwelt by His Spirit, the very same one who has the power to raise the dead. Why shouldn't we live victoriously?! And even moreso, He deserves our praise to no end!

I don't think I've yet written about where the Lord is allowing me to serve in our fellowship. Since July I've been with the Jr. High ministry...what a blessing. The kids are great and we are looking forward to begin meeting on Thursday nights. My prayer is that we will all get to know eachother and that the youth will make a lifetime committment to following Jesus at this most impressionable age. Above is a picture of some of the Jr. Highers.

Lately the Lord has been challenging me in my walk with Him. I decided to read through 1 Timothy, which is mostly about church order. So many verses made me think about my own motives and goals...do I love with a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith? Does the Lord count me faithful to minister? Am I dependable to pray for all in authority? Do I lead a quiet and peaceable life characterized by godliness and reverence? Am I careful to refrain from slandering people, even subtly? Could I be considered an example to other believers in word (actually includes the thought and reasoning behind the speech), conduct, love, spirit (the rational soul or mental disposition), in faith, and in purity? Do I show partiality to anybody? Do I practice godliness combined with (here's the key) contentment? Do I fight the good fight of faith? Ohhhh, the Lord has so much work to do in my life. But I know He'll finish it...He promised me! :) Philippians 1:6 says, "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;"

So Far A Good Day

First of all CONGRATULATIONS to Josh and Sarah Gallegos. Their first child, Elena Isabella, was born on Monday, August 20. She was 5 1/2 weeks early...which is actually later than the doctors thought she would be due to some complications. She is such a miracle and guess what?! She weighed in at 6 lbs. 11 oz!! For anyone who doesn't know, that is an awesome weight for being born so early. My friend, Sally, and her husband, Ruben, are finally grandparents...this baby has been prayed for and waited on for several years now...what a blessing!

I just got back from half a day shopping with Annie for fall clothes. I've been waiting for so long to have a day like this with her to get ready for school. She was a trooper as we started out with breakfast and headed out to about six different stores to find the deals. At breakfast we sat in a booth and when the waitress put her placemat down across from me she said, "No, I want to sit by Mommy". I can't help but treasure that sentiment as I'm sure one day she won't necessarily make that same choice. I've always heard that moms love having sons because they are so sweet and loving to their moms, but I have to say, Annie lives up to that particular stereotype. I lost count how many times she kissed me and told me she loves me today.

I was so excited for today, I'm sure moreso than my daughter. Even when she was two weeks old I whisked her off to Old Navy just to "go shopping with my daughter". :) I know I'm lame, but this is the stuff I love. The ultimate thrill for me will be when she and Bekah are old enough to attend mother/daughter events at church, join me for women's Bible studies and retreats. I pray they follow the Lord all their lives, and that He let me be a part of and a witness to their growth in Him.

Well I'm off to finish my ironing for the week and then on to our dance lesson...tonight is Salsa Night...wooohoo!

Glad She's Back

Our cousin, Angie (seen in the middle with a pink shirt) came back from Rosarito Beach in Mexico from a two week missions trip where she helped put on VBS (vacation Bible school). She was blessed to be able to go and I'm sure was a blessing to the kids. If you know Angie, you know that she is a kid-magnet. They just gravitate to her!

A Full Weekend

Well this weekend was packed full. On Friday Jose left for the Spanish men's retreat in Murietta. He was blessed to be able to go and hear good teaching of God's Word and fellowship with other men who love the Lord. The girls and I went to a women's event for our church. As many of you know, we attend a Spanish-speaking church...which is a little out of my comfort zone since, afterall, I don't speak Spanish. But I am learning and doing my best to feel like a part of the group. We had beautiful worship led by our cousins Jose and Herlinda and then a devotion led by our aunt, Leti. From what I could understand, the devotion was wonderful and soon I'll be able to understand all of it since Leti is being gracious to print her notes in English for me (thanks Leti!!)

Saturday morning I took the girls to visit my grandma. She's such a cute little grandma! :) Later that evening the girls and I went back to Jose and Herlinda's house for a Pampered Chef party...what fun! I have never been to one and of course I wanted everything that was demonstrated. I settled for one item and am planning to book my own party. Congrats to Herlinda as she's decided to become a consultant and begin selling the products.

Sunday morning was very special for us because Jose was given the opportunity to teach our service at church. He did a wonderful job. He actually looked like he belonged in a pulpit. I wanted to snap a picture of him, but that may have appeared inappropriate. :) A couple of people responded when he gave an invitation to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The icing on the cake for the morning was that his sister came with her husband and children, as well as his other sister, an aunt and uncle, and we were later joined by his cousin and her daughter who we haven't seen for a long time. It was great to spend this time with them at church.

Random Questions

Okay, so I'm wondering if I am alone in this one.
I noticed that whenever I come home from anywhere, the first thing I do is walk through my whole house and look to be sure everything is okay. I have no particular reason for doing this, but I was wondering if anybody else does this.

One more random thing I noticed is that Bekah doesn't actually chew her noodles. Many of you know that our most frequent family eating out place is a Vietnamese restaurant called Pho. Last night Bekah was just slurping and swallowing her noodles. Me??? I would gag if I tried that! Then again I still have a hard time swallowing pills and I'm going on 30 years old. I guess I'm the odd one.

Counting Down...

First of all, thank you for your prayers for Annie and me yesterday for her appointment. I have to say, things went really great for the most part. Annie was soooo excited to be there, knowing this was a pre-requisite for school. She skipped to the exam room and hopped up on the table, smiling and beaming along the way, literally. She fully cooperated with the nurse for her blood pressure, hearing test, etc. Then she did GREAT with her vision test. Now you have to realize that I'm super excited, not about her vision being perfect, but that she actually followed all of the nurse's instructions to a T. Lately I've been pretty concerned about how well she'll behave and obey in preschool. I guess I have to realize that she's with me practically 24/7, so following my instructions the 1st time they're given isn't always going to happen. And since her hearing was perfect, I know that isn't a problem. :) But her cooperation yesterday gave me hope that she'll be just fine with her teacher. So after the dr. checked her out, it was time to burst her bubble. She had to get two shots, one in each arm. She cried the biggest, fatest tears I've seen in a long time. Even Bekah, who happened to be in a crummy mood due to an interrupted nap, tried to comfort her. Stinkin' shots! Anyway, she survived and so did I. So, for a little cheering up we went to visit her school today. We got to visit her classroom and meet her teacher, Miss Nancy. She promised that when I have to leave her there, she'll remember to give me a kiss every day, so I won't get sad. Well, that's only a couple weeks away, so soon you'll read another blog of me boo-hooing.

Let's Eat!

I thought I'd share a couple of our recent family favorite recipes since I'm munching on one right now and I know I like when others share their ideas with me (so if you ever have a chance, send 'em on through!). The first one is called "One-Pan Pork with Parmesan Fries" and for those of you who can't stand pork, just the fries are great.

1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 1/4 lb. gold or russet potatoes (about 3 medium) cut into wedges
1 pork tenderloin (1 lb.)
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinaigrette dressing
1 Tbsp. honey

Preheat oven to 425. Combine egg white, cheese and 3/4 tsp. garlic salt. Add to potatoes; toss to coat. Spread onto greased large baking sheet.
Bake 15 minutes. Place meat on same baking sheet next to the potatoes; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp. garlic salt. Bake an additional 20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine dressing and honey.
Brush meat with dressinng mixture. Continue baking 10 to 15 minutes or until meat is cooked through (160 degrees) and potatoes are tender, brushing meat occasionally with any remaining dressing mixture.
Makes 4 servings


The 2nd recipe is for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (mmmm, they're so yummy!).
I prefer turning them into bar cookies - you get more in one serving and they tend to be softer.

1 cup softened butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. milk
2 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups rolled oats (I prefer the 1 minute oats)
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts

1. Heat oven to 375.
2. Beat butter or margarine and sugars in a large bowl until creamy.
3. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla, beating well.
4. Combinie flour, baking soda,& salt in smaller bowl.
5. Add flour mixture to the mixture in the large bowl and mix well.
6. Stir in oats, chocolate pieces and nuts.
7. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.
8. Bake 9 to 10 minutes for a chewy cookie or 12 to 13 minutes for a crisp cookie.
9. Remove cookies from oven, let cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet, then remove to wire rack.
10. Cool completely and store in tightly covered container.

To make bar cookies:
Press dough onto bottom of ungreased 9x13 inch baking pan and bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until edges are light golden brown. Cool completely and cut into bars (If you'd like to serve these warm, cut them with a plastic knife to avoid a crumbly mess, resulting in less treat for eating).
You can omit the salt or nuts if desired.

In Anticipation

We wish a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our uncle, Jaime (aka "Buddy" to our girls)...we love you!
The picture is of Jaime with the people he loves most...his wife and children.

On a side note - for those of you who pray, would you please send a quick one up for us this afternoon as Annie is going for her checkup for preschool and I think she may need an s-h-o-t. She doesn't even know we're going today, but she has expressed several times out of the blue that she doesn't want the needle...poor baby!

Pictures of My Girls

Any Ideas???

Does anybody have any ideas on how to administer eye drops to a squirming, and might I add strong, 2 year old? She may be petite, but she sure can fight! It takes both Jose and I...so what am I going to do tomorrow when he returns to work?

You Gotta Try It

Yesterday I did something that I think everybody should try. I went to a spa and spent half a day relaxing, secluded from the world. This was an unbirthday gift from my Dad (you're the best, Dad!) and he picked exactly what I needed. I think the massage was the best part of all. When I got home I told Jose I thought we would have some pretty good massages in heaven one day, since everything is perfect there. And he reminded me that we won't even need them! How great is that...we will have such flawless bodies that they won't need the extra attention to feel good...they'll just feel that way all the time. After all my royal treatment, I enjoyed a leisurely lunch at a nice Italian restraurant outdoors with my dad...and no children to hush, wipe, and say "stop" to.

Last night Jose and I had another private dance lesson and worked mostly on our rhumba and salsa moves. It gets more fun every time we attend and we get more comfortable with each practice. I'll be sad when it all has to end.

Well I better run...gotta go pick up some medicine. Bekah is plagued with pinkeye...I hope she doesn't share this one.

Speaking of heaven:
"Behold I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed--in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." 1 Corinthians 16:12

"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."
Revelation 21:4

Thank You, Lord, for the hope we have in You!

The Turquoise House

Annie loves, loves, loves to draw. And she's pretty good at it for being 4 years old. Yesterday afternoon she was drawing and said, "Mommy, come look at what I drew!" So I looked and she drew a picture of heaven with Jesus in the middle and to the left a happy girl, and to the right a girl crying. When I asked why the girl was sad, she replied, "Because she misses her house on earth". So I explained that Jesus said he is preparing a big house for every person who loves Him. So then she drew the little bubble above the girl's head with dots leading up to it, and in the bubble was the girl's new home. I asked what color she thought it would be and as a huge grin grew on her face she announced, "Turquoise!" See, a few blocks away some people decided to paint their home a lovely turquoise...a darker shade of it for the trim and a little lighter for the stucco. So my two daughters' highlights of the day are driving by the turquoise house. Just a side note, Annie also saw the car she wants when she's old enough to drive...a late 90's civic - the color of grey primer, with bright pink wheels. Where am I going wrong?

Well, she may not have the best taste in houses and cars right now, but it does make me excited that she thinks and talks so much about heaven. My prayer is that she stays heavenly-minded her whole life, knowing that is where her permanent home will be.

Jesus said, "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am there you may be also." -John 14:2-3

Something New

Well, I've decided to try out this blogging thing. It seems that my memory isn't as sharp as it once was, so maybe a daily journal will help preserve some memories as a young mommy. My girls are growing so fast, and it bothers me when I can't remember important details of their lives. Right now I'm listening to pleasant sounds...they're playing together nicely in the living room, imagining and working together. I'll treasure this as long as it lasts because I'm sure within the next 5 minutes they'll be bickering. :)

Things are busy, but good around here. Jose and I went to our dance lessons last night. Latin dancing is so much fun!! I wish we had done this sooner! It was a nice mid-week date in a fun, tasteful setting. I wish the kids would like us to practice more. Every time we start trying to they run up and want to join in. I really hope they'll love dancing too.

Its a cleaning/laundry day here, so I'm trying to get it done and at the same time put into practice my newest motto, "People are more important than my plan". I have a mission to get my chores done, but of course there will be several interruptions that will make me want to be snappy and short...to the little people I love so much. They are more important than the laundry. I will remember that today and do my best to respond to them with love and grace.

Yep...they're bickering...better go referee!