Rich

rich? what does that word bring to mind?

---this chocolate blackout cake that I'm making for my grandmother's birthday?

---the almighty dollar?

---blessed?

I've been pondering this question ever since we got back from New Mexico in October. Yes, the community we are looking at is growing by leaps and bounds...but it is also so very close to areas filled with despair, depression and hopelessness.

we are in the middle of a series on How to be Rich...not how to get rich, but what does it mean to Be rich....

interesting fact time---did you know that if you make over $25,000 a year, you're in the top 10% of the world for income? $35,000?...top 4% $47,000?....1%. our nation's poverty level is the top 10%.....we are truely blessed....

even on my worst day, I still come home to a roof over my head, food in my pantry, health care (even if I disagree with most of the practices....). I know that my children drink "clean" water, their little bellies aren't distended...they don't go to bed with hunger pains....

what does it look like to bring hope to the hopeless.....

do we hold onto security like a handful of sand, working hard to keep up with the Jones', finding that it's never enough....

I wish that I had some answers....just thoughts running through my head tonight. kind of depressing on the eve of the "love" holiday (maybe I should have put the quotes on holiday!?!) but then again, what is love? do we focus on the fluffy cupid stuff or the fact that true love is selfless, giving.....hmmmm.....I've definitely got a lot more thinking to do on this subject. all I know is that God is obviously stirring something deep within, we'll see what sprouts up ;)

here's a small step challenge for you----find someone lonely, going through a rough patch...whatever, and find a way to show them that they are loved. I promise that no matter what you do, even if it's menial to you....it will speak volumes to a hurting heart

Chillin Randomness

It's so cold in this house today that I think my brain has frozen...even after working out, which is a sure fire way to get the heat goin'

This was Corey's birthday cake from way back on New Years....my little break threw me off a bit! I can't remember where I saw this picture, but just imagine the original being 100xbetter.... I really need to learn how to work with fondant (but then again, I hate the way fondant tastes and it seems like a waste to just throw it out after everyone picks it off).

Jim had a little birthday/super bowl party with some friends...all of them are medics so he requested that I just whip up an "easy" ambulance cake....cough.....eye roll....I really do love him! It started out so good, then SNL came on...with Dana Carvey....and I got distracted and was pretty much over this whole cake decorating thing.




The party was fun. Lots of little girls in the house....that was more entertaining than anything on the tv! Our boys are soooo not used to little toddler girls chasing them around!

"Boooooys!" being yelled by a pig tail bouncing 2 year old is about the Cutest thing EVER!

We had our own halftime show, Baby A is an expert bopper....between her and Corey the Black Eye Peas were nothing! Corey pretty much danced like this the entire time----

Jim found this in the kitchen this morning....Shadow's leg had broken beyond repair....funny how our life is modeled out in toys....the boys used q-tips to make crutches for a quick fix (my dad is an amputee...ohhh, those crazy boys!)

All in all, it's been a pretty uneventful week so far....and I'd like to keep it that way heheehe!

Blizzarific

Just in case some of you haven't heard---Northern Il got a smidge of snow the other day ;)

ugh...sick of hearing about Snowmagedon '11, or whatever other whitty name they've given this!

So in order to offset all of the blah blah blah, cars stuck in ditches, snow plows stuck in ditches, ambulances unable to get through, I'm going to post some happy blizzard pictures!

I LOVE this set of pics--Corey and Jamie were trying to "sled" down a drift, except their sleds stuck right into the drift tossing the both of them off>>>>

Yes, that's Jamie doing a face plant....I laughed...mercy is not my strongest spiritual gift!

Oh, the horror....what a terrible wipe out....

Riley was moving along on top of this drift when suddenly he just sunk!

MOM-Help! (sorry baby, mommy ran outside to snap your picture wearing capri yoga pants, ankle socks and clogs...you're on your own precious!)

He was determined to "measure" this pile---with a nerf sword---jumping into it using a mini trampoline>>>>

Don't they look like they just crested Mt. Everest!

Thankfully we hunkered down and waited out the main part of the storm...and I have to admit, at midnight I freaked out a bit when I realized that I couldn't see the building across the street because of the blowing snow! I did brave the elements after Jim called and told me to check the furnace exhaust pipe thingies....nothing like the threat of no heat or carbon monoxide poisoning to motivate a girl to high tail it out in the storm (I smashed down the drift near it and ran back into the house like nobodies business!)