Back To Reality

Well, we have descended through the "Cheddar Curtain"....back to life as normal! Jamie's foot is much better..thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers!
My surprise weekend ended up being in Madison! Jim was able to get a $150 dollar room at the Sheraton for $70 through Price Line..bonus..the less he spent on the room the more he spent on me!!! (heeeheehee) The picture above is of the Capitol Building at night....the view from the lake was absolutely astonishing, but I couldn't get a good snap while driving down the John Nolan!

We ended up not getting there until pretty late, with all of the bug bite commotion. Still hadn't eaten so we decided to head down to the square. Found The Great Dane and LOVED it! I had a Dane burger (hamburger with artichoke dip....YUMALICIOUS!!!!) and Jim stayed safe with a bacon burger. Went straight back to the hotel because I was informed that we were getting up early (and I mean early) to go to Dane Counties' Farmer's Market! (yes ladies, Jim really has been listening to some of the things I mention that I'd like to do!!!!) After parking we walked past a little coffe shop called Bradbury..window said espresso..coffee...crepes......sounds like we should get breakfast! That is a Door County Cherry crepe and a latte with.....hold your breath.....latte art...HEAVEN!!! Wanted a repeat this morning, but they were closed....do you hear a road trip comming on?!?

After the farmer's market we went to The Terrace and had lunch while watching the boats and wind surfers! I wanted to get a picture of us with our feet in the lake, but Jim wasn't into that...good thing because later we found out that the beaches had been closed due to a sewage leak caused by a car accident!!!!

This weekend was really amazing...I had so much fun just walking around, eating at really cool places, trying new beers (Jim's new favorite is The Dane's Crop Circle Wheat and mine is a Belgian named after some saint that I can't remember!)! Jim went totally out of his comfort zone, tried things and guess what...I think..no...I know he had fun!!! So, we're relaxed and refreshed...back to the chaios!

Thanks Kathy for all of the awesome recommendations...brunch was wonderful at The Old Fashioned!

Thank you so much Jim for the wonderful Birthday getaway!

Opposition Vs. Weekend Getaway

This weekend Jim is supposed to be taking me away for a little surprise R 'n R. He's done all of the reservations and planning by himself...a first! But of course this week has been TERRIBLE!!!!

It never fails that when God wants to bless us, "someone" else has other ideas! It started out on Monday: got a phone call from Jim "I think I need to go to the ER"....great. He was doing a kitchen remodel when a wire embedded in plaster fell on him and cut his wrist. Ended up that he could just use some of that liquid bandage stuff and it was fine (whew...on to the next). Monday night: on the way home from my parents' Jim ran over a huge nail and blew out his tire...lovely. Tuesday: found out that a family friend had suddenly passed away (please pray for them, they have a daughter a little older then Jamie...couldn't even imagine what they are going through.). Thursday: my vehicle's check engine light started flashing....perfect (luckily a friend was able to figure it out for FREE!)

Thursday night, after going to the visitation of our friend and getting the car fixed, my mom said that Jamie had a bad bug bite on his ankle and ear. His poor ear lobe is soooo swollen that it won't lay down flat! His ankle was the worst. We gave him Benadryl when we got home and I drew a line around the red area. By 4 am it was about 2 inches bigger then the line. After 4 doses of Benadryl it is still not getting better....wonderful!!! Make a trip to the immediate care: staph infection....even better!

Please pray that things will go well for him while he's at my in laws. He is on a huge antibiotic (hasn't had one since he was less then a year old!~~~expecting stomach problems!). The dr. said it would probably get worse before it got better, but to keep an eye on it and to call if it got a lot redder or he started to run a fever.

We are going to try to have fun, but I'm sure I'll be making a lot of phone calls back home to make sure things are good.

Shoot Out At The Munchkin Watering Hole

Water fights are a common occurrence during summer in Munchkin Land....Grandpa is usually the instigator!

Ready, Aim, Fire!

And he's hit.....down for the count!
Inflatables are fair game for protection (notice the sneaky hat floating in the blue inner tube or the beach ball with a mohawk!)
Stay cool and enjoy the day!

Summer Time And The Living Easy...

The pool was SO cold!!!! Riley just sat on the edge....Corey helped him in with his foot on Riley's back! NO you first!!!!

That's not a smile, his teeth are about to chatter right out of his mouth! I thought they'd just be in and out, but it took them almost 2 hours before they were cold enough to call it quits!
I just bought some cheap Caron yarn to make some bags to keep in the grocery getter. Got the pattern from Knitty's summer edition...BYOB.

Can't wait to get home and get these started! Hopefully I'll have some progress pics soon!

I can't tell you how much lighter the load is today! There is something about the smell of the pool, the sun on your face, the way the ice cold water takes your breathe away that just makes you feel refreshed. Jim had his final tonight...he called and said that he passed...YEAHHHH!!!!! He is taking me away next weekend for my belated birthday present and I am SOOOO looking forward to getting some R & R!!!!

Dad's Day

Happy Father's Day to all of you Dads out there!



We spent the first part of the day at church. After the service they had a big car show with free hamburgers, brats, hot dogs and chips and....RootBeer Floats...mmmm! It was a very cool idea! I think everyone had a great time~ wish I had pictures, but forgot the camera at home...had a really cool corvette...oooohh my favorite!



Tonight we are having a birthday party for me/father's day get together so this post will be a short one! Here's a few pics of the day:

This is my dad~first picture had a tongue sticking out..haha..always making things difficult!Jim got off from working a 32 hour shift so this is how he spent the rest of the day!

J wanted to make me a yarn cake for my birthday...he helped grandma make the cake, but was bored by the time she got to the frosting...I ended up rolling out my own fondant yarn balls, but it was a nice thought!

I will survive!

A little update on the blahs! I was thinking this morning when a verse popped into my head:
Romans 5: 3-5

..we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

The suffering only lasts for a little while..we go through trials, not stay in them. At the moment it seems like there is no end, but our ways are not His ways. God has a plan. He has all of this figured out, so much so that I truly believe that His plan is going to take us in a direction that we never would have dreamed of. Unfortunately this path has lead us straight through the desert, but I know there will be a promise land on the other side of this.

I would greatly appreciate it if you could say a prayer for my dad. This has been part of my funk for the last week. Six years ago he lost his leg to a rare vascular disease. Last week we got the news that the "good" leg is now getting worse. Looking back on the whole ordeal with his first leg, I can say that there was a definite turning point where Dad became so open about his faith...he was such a testimony to coworkers, nurses even his drs. But now, looking on the possibility of a repeat I just couldn't see the good only why God would you put our family through this again?

Since then, there have been some really awesome outcomes with his leg. Amy has helped him get into a physical therapy program to help with getting used to the new leg and has given him some hope on the newly bad leg. (more to follow with that) He went up for prayer with our churches awesome prayer team and friends. He says he feels a little better. God is at work in this....I have hope in that! I don't know why God allows certain sufferings, but I believe with my whole heart that God can heal him. Please pray for that...so when he goes for his testing they will find a healed good leg! What a way to glorify his name!

He is the binder of the brokenhearted, healer of the sick, and strength of those who are weak!

Do you feel older?

This has been asked to me for as long as I can remember by my mom and my grandmother each and every birthday. It has always made me laugh....like poof at the stroke of the clock I will get older! I can only invision the scene from Indiana Jones and the last Crusade where the guy drinks from the fake grail and then instantly shrivels up and turns to dust!

Jim is at class tonight so I am taking some birthday treats to my parents house where we will have a feeling 30 years old party!

First up is white chocolate wasabi cupcakes with a plum filling and white chocolate frosting. I got the recipe from The Cupcake Blog. They were ok, but I doubt that I would make them again. It's just fun to surprise people with the wasabi thing.....Waaaasaaabeeee!

The next treat was made possible by my friends Jose and Mango....I know you're jealous! I saw a recipe for a mango lime sorbet....got me thinking about brandy slush so I had to try it.

Here's my version:

2-3 mangos (I butchered the first one...tasted just fine with 2!)

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup lime juice

1/2 cup- 1 cup Jose Cuervo

heat the water and sugar until the sugar is disolved. Let cool. Cut mangos. Add in lime juice and shooosh them in your blender or food processor. Add in sugar water. Put in a freezer friendly bowl and freeze until solidish. Serve how ever you like: straight up or with some 7up...both are yummy! I tried a second batch with peaches (hilander had the greenest mangos I have ever seen), but the peaches didn't blend up as well as I had hoped for...little peach floaters are not my favorite!

Faithful, Ever Present Friend

Psalm 121

I lift my eyes up to the hills-
where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord
the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip-
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Isreal
will neither slumber or sleep.

The Lord watches over you-
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm-
he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forever.

This is one of my favorite praise songs. A friend sang this song a lot and I can't help but think of them when ever I hear it....I sure could use a little dose of Joy right now!

Things still aren't spectacular here on the homefront, but I need to concentrate on looking to my Help. He never slumbers, his hand is always upon me. Right now in the midst of this mess it is so hard to look at the big picture. Yes times are tough right now, but what is God preparing us for through these things?

I'll post more when I get more insight....but for now know that you are LOVED! God loves you more then you'll ever be able to imagine. No matter where you are, He is still faithful in his mercy and love!

Forgiveness

This weekend's service was on forgiveness. In general, I find myself to be a pretty forgiving person. That was until Keith talked about what forgiveness is not. Forgiveness is not minimizing or excusing the wrong.

Pollyanna could be my middle name. I try to see the good in everything....brushing off and excusing the wrong, burying the hurt down deep, keeping the smile....life goes on. It wasn't until this morning that I realized that I am mad! Really MAD! Not at any one person,but...hold your breath....at God. Some of you may be thinking "watch out for the lightening bolt Missy", but have you ever read the Psalms? David cried out in heart wrenching agony. God wants us to be authentic, He wants a real relationship with you. How can he have that if you only give him the good shallow fluffy stuff, not the warts and nasty inside buried garbage?

Over the last few years everything has completely gone haywire. There are plenty of instances where I see and feel God's presence in our situation, but then other times it feels like God is so silent. How can the God of the universe, my creator, the God who loves me more then life itself just stand by and let all of these bad things happen to me? I've been the strong one on the outside: there is a purpose for all of our suffering, He is just molding us, refining. I can spout Christian sayings all day long for reasons why God allows his children to go through hardships, but when it comes down to it....this STINKS! Don't get me wrong, I love God with all of my heart! My life is in His hands and where he leads I will follow. It's just that lately it feels like we can't catch a break and I am so tired!

So, instead of dealing with the pain and disappointment, I have been pushing it down, excusing it as the will of My Father.....which it is, but I'm not growing from these hurts when I just keep excusing it and moving on to the next thing. I am hurt that Jim hasn't gotten onto a full time fire department. I am disappointed by the way I had to leave things in the cafe. I am mad that no matter how hard Jim works, our finances still seem the same. I am sick and tired of getting angry and frustrated at my children. I am hurt that no matter how hard I pray we are still stuck in this valley. I am frustrated that it seems like God is not here. I am mad at myself that I can't seem to get over this!

While I was pondering all of this, a Barlow Girls song came on the radio. (I have it on the side bar to the right) The chorus is: I cry out with no reply and I can't feel you by my side. So I'll hold tight to what I know..you're here and I'm never alone.

God does speak to us, even if its through songs on the radio, His Word, other people or whom ever else He chooses to be a vessel of His message. He isn't gone. I am NEVER ALONE. I don't know if or how you forgive the ultimate Forgiver....or if there is really any need to. I will keep on going through this valley because my hope is in Him who has a purpose for me, a plan for this crazy life of mine. So I'll hold tight to the truths I know: that God loves us, that He has a plan for us, not to harm, but to give us a hope and a future! So, I am letting go of this pain...I will be a prisoner to it no more. This isn't saying that everything will just go away, but I am going to acknowledge my hurt and deal with it....with the help of my Heavenly Father.


I know that this is a deep post...just where I'm at right now....the dreaded 3.0. is knocking on my door and I feel like God is really wanting to do some changes in my life before I leave the comfort of 2.0.

What did you do this weekend?

We were pretty busy....planted most of the garden....had a birthday party to go to at a local park....lots of outdoors and sun!

Why is it that I can remember to put sunscreen on the kids, but always forget to put it on myself!?!