TGIF...

...because tomorrow it's supposed to rain! It's been HOT HOT HOT here in IL! So hot that I went out and bought a cheapy pool....its an amazing leverage for getting rooms cleaned, dishes washed, and attitude adjustments!

So far we are on day number 3 with no toys....and guess what, no one has died! In fact, I think it's the best thing we have ever done!!!! Now it won't stay like this forever, just until they can develop a little respect for their things. I think tomorrow we will start to go through the boxes and weed out the broken ones and then slowly add them back to the mix.

The boys have been playing really well together without the constant bickering over who plays what! They actually sat down for a couple of hours and made paper air planes....would have took a picture but the whole scene had me so thrown that it didn't even cross my mind!

Have a great weekend...hope that you're able to find your sense of balance to!

Overwhelmed and Undone

As you're probably guessing, I've been struggling a bit lately. I'm overwhelmed with life, its no wonder that the bible has so many verses about mirk and mire...that's exactly how I feel, like I'm stuck in mud. I'm tired of being the "if they didn't have bad luck, they'd have no luck" family.

This morning a friend posted a verse on facebook....just the address, not the words...I'm glad for that because honestly I would have glanced over it! So I grabbed my bible and opened to Psalm 46 and just started to cry.

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength
An ever present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
And the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
Though its waters roar and foam
And the mountains quake with their surging.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at the break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
He lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see the works of the Lord,
the desolations he has brought to the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields with fire.
"Be still and know I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

While I was writting this, a thought came to me. If my family had an allergy that we couldn't figure out, we'd remove everything and slowly add things back in to find the problem....maybe that's how I need to tackle this? Can a family be allergic to life/life style? Hmmm...kind of drastic, but desperate times call for desperate measures!!!

Ok, I'm off to not only declutter our house, but also our lives! Warning...if its not life giving, its outta here!!!

Hey Lucy, I'm Home!!!

I know today is father's day, but this is what has been on my heart (I do REALLy appreciate all that Dad's do...I've been so blessed by my Dad and now seeing Jim in that role with the boys!).

Lately, things have been rough. I thought that once Jim's classes where done, everything would fall into place...instead everything is literally falling apart! All at once things are breaking...I turn around and something else needs fixing! Nothing is going right and I am getting a little frustrated!!! Then to top it off, Jim's truck got broken into while he was on a call and they stole a bunch of his tools!!!

Yesterday I lost it!!! Why is all this happening?!?! Its not fair...wWHAAaa! Jim on the other hand has remaind amazingly calm through all of this....yes, I've been getting a lot of "LuuuCY!" looks ;)

One of the verses from church last night was Psalm 24:1

The Earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof.

The brakes, hot water, the roof and yes, Jim's tools are all God's. He's got it all under His control! Nothing is too big for him! So why then do I turn from Him and stick my head in the sand when things go wrong?!?!? I haven't cracked my Bible in ages, haven't spent anytime dedicated in prayer...the answers are so simple, but yet I choose to do it the hard way!

Its like that episode of I Love Lucy where she is working in the chocolate factory but she can't keep up with the flow of candies! Why do I struggle to keep up with life's hectic onslaught when I can turn to the One whose got the controls!?!?

UGH! Thank you God for giving me a rational husband, who sees things for what they really are, not just what they seem to be in the heat of the moment!

Camper 101

Jamie left for camp this morning....the boys were fine, me..not so much!

We had to be at the church at 6:30 AM!!! Not so bad you must be thinking....well...I couldn't sleep last night so I was up until 1 something!!! My head kept running, did I forget this, what if he needs that...oops, forgot to put his name in all of his clothes!!!

After the lice check, we got to wait around for what seemed like forever! Jamie was getting kind of clingy...Jim thought we'd be lucky if he made it to St. Louis without us getting a call to get him. Then, just in time, J's little friend showed up...and he was off running around playing! Before we knew it, they were lining up to get on the bus and off they went!

Everyone says that he'll be fine...I know he will be....I just am a nervous mom who's having a hard time letting go!!! If you think about it, throw up a few prayers for him this week....especially for safety! He took his skateboard because there's a skate park....he loves skateboarding, but he's never been to a skate park....I pleaded with him to not try the big ramps until he tried the smaller ones..oh and no railing "grinding"....OH DEAR LORD!!!!!

Weekend Update

Yet another full weekend! (I have a feeling that this is what the entire summer is going to look like!!!!)

Friday we had an awesome time hanging out with Amber and Rand...had quite the conversations about painting among other things. (hahaha) We also got a huge laugh from the neighbor boy telling my dad "WOW, I've never met anyone with a ROBOT LEG!" Gotta love kids!

Saturday was the brunt of our town's festival. Poor Jim had to work the EMT breakfast, went on an ambulance call, back just in time to line up for the parade and then it was back down to the fire station for the pork chop supper!

I had to snap a shot of the pom pom girls! They were riding on a fire truck (obviously)....my dear sweet Jamie stood up and said "Hey...look at the hot fire chicks!" What!!?!! No idea where he heard that, but it was funny as heck!

Today was filled with getting J ready for camp....lots of laundry and packing! "Mmmomm...I cant find any of my clothes!" Bathroom basket is empty, last load is in the wash...where could all of his clothes be? In the side closet that no one uses of course!!!! Yep, its 9 pm and I am still doing laundry!!! Hence the leftover graham cracker with peanut butter and the leftover bit of chocolate...mmmm...destressing already!

It's My Birthday, Oh Yeah, Gonna Have A Good Time!

Man, it just seems like yesterday was my last birthday....how does this happen?!?

Tonight we are having friends over for a cook out/ bon fire. I really didn't want to do any cooking inside, so I'm going to try making a hot potato salad on the grill and I've got an ice cream cake in the freezer (along with some brandy slush!!!)

I got the directions years ago from my friend Joy....her's was an oreo cake with chocolate frosting, but you really can just about do anything to this and it will turn out!!!

Strawberry Ice Cream Cake:

~2 1/2 gallon boxes Strawberry Ice Cream, let it set out until its pretty soft, but not soupy

~3/4 package vanilla sandwich cookies (use more or less, its up to your tastes), crushed but still having some good sized pieces.

~1 quart Strawberries, I used frozen...not sure how fresh would turn out

~2 Tbs sugar

~1 container vanilla frosting *warm in Microwave about 30 seconds*

In the microwave, heat through strawberries and sugar. Once the strawberries are soft, use a spoon to break them into smaller pieces. (takes about 4 min or so).

Using an angel food cake pan, add a layer of cookies. Drizzle about 1/3 of the can of frosting on to the cookies. Cover that with 1/2 of the strawberries. With a spoon, gently add the softened ice cream until pan is about half full. Repeat layers: cookies, frosting, strawberries, and then ice cream.

Once the pan is full, use a piece of plastic wrap to gentley smooth the ice cream out as best you can (so it will sit nicely on the platter).

Cover with a new sheet of plastic wrap. Freeze overnight or until firm.

When ready to serve, run a knife along the sides and around the inside "tube". Invert on platter and push down on the "top" part of the pan. If needed, run the knife along the flat part of the pan.

I don't have a picture of the finished cake because we are having it tonight, but I'll try and post a picture of it ASAP :)

Have a great weekend!!!!

I totally forgot to snap a picture of the cake....here's a piece of it the next day!!! Yummy!

Its That Time of Year!!

....for Graduation Parties!!! I get so bored with giving a card and money...but honestly, what do all graduates want...MONEY!!! (don't judge...we've all been there and felt the same way!!!) I spotted these candy Graduation Caps and knew I had to make them for a very sweet graduate!

I Wanna Iguana!

Here's our new friend Fred. We got him from a garage sale for free....cage and everything. Sure he's cute now..."Oh Mom, I wanna Iguana!" Right now he's like a brat with legs and a tail....quick google search....gulp....5 FT!!! Jim on the other hand is taking this all in stride: being a past reptile owner and our resident sane person. With that said, I am feeling slightly better about our new addition....slightly :)

There is a children's book called "I Wanna Iguana"! Think I'll be making another borders trip soon...sounds cute!

Hellooo Pretty Ladies!!!!

We spotted these beauties on our way to Dixon....by way of gravel roads and very curvy black tops! Pretty drive through Mt. Morris, Grand Detour and all points in between!

Thought they would be fitting since June is Dairy Month! I find myself torn between the ease of city life and the beauty of the country...I wish I would have taken a picture of this one gravel road we were on: rolling hills, thick trees on both sides of the lane, absolutely perfect!

On Saturday, we are toying with the idea of heading back up to Madison. The farmers market is in full swing and they are having a special Dairy Fest with cows, cheese, and CREAM PUFFS!!! Oh.....and Jim wants to take the boat out again..but you can see where my heart is! :)