Summer fun begins...

I am thankful for the children in my life...their hugs, their love, their giggles, the funny things they say, all brighten my days!

Blowing bubbles after coming home from Boomerangs!

Today we went to the zoo and had so much fun.

A day at the zoo makes one very tired! :)

Happy Birthday Stacy...

Today is your birthday!!

We love you and are proud of who you are.

You bring such joy to our lives! We thank the Lord daily for you!

I love my family...

The Lord has blessed us with our sweet family. We miss those that are not living near us right now and hold them close in our hearts! Give thanks today for your family!

Our precious Ashlynn turned 2 in April and of course she had to have her favorite character Elmo for her birthday cake!

We gave her a pink car and she loves it.

Aunt Stephanie is a missionary in Honduras so talking to her on Skype is such a treat! Ashlynn is opening the present she gave her.

My Mother's Day was so special! I am grateful our daughters. I will always miss my sweet Amy and thankful for the many Mother's Days memories I have with her. It was fun having dinner at Stacy and Travis' new home. We celebrated with each daughter separately due to schedules. Unfortunately I forgot my camera when we were with Shawna and family. Both girls gave me special gifts & cards and I felt soooo loved by them!

Hannah turned 10 and we celebrated with pizza and cheesecake and of course gifts.

Cute things she says...

Monday through Thursday I take care of a sweet 4 year old girl named Colette. We have so much fun together and she says the cutest things. We baked Snickerdoodle cookies yesterday afternoon. Colette sprinkled the sugar/cinnamon mixture on the cookies. I put them in the oven and when I turned back around saw that she had wiped all the sugar off the counter onto the floor. She was proud she had "cleaned up" for me. I got a wet cloth to clean up the sugar off the floor and told her not to do that next time because it would draw ants. Her reply was, "do ants draw?" I then had to explain that some words sound the same but have two different meanings. This is not the first time I have had to do this. I think I need to brush up on my English to be ready at all times for this little girl. :)

Last night she asked if she could take home the play make up kit we have. I told her no, that it needed to stay here. She said she only wanted it for the week-end and would bring it back Monday. I again said it needed to stay here for her to play with. She then said, "Well, no one will be here this week-end to play with it so I don't understand why I can't take it home". After one second of thought I didn't either...so she took it home. :)

Her daddy wrote me this morning about the make up kit:
When we got home with her "makeup kit" last night, she wanted to give me a makeover, which included putting rollers in my hair. After she had put about 3 of them in, she asked, "Am I killing you?". So I replied, "What?". And she said, "When I put them on Miss Elaine, she kept saying, 'You're killing me!' ". I cracked up. (She indeed was pulling my hair hard! But I better find a better word to express this! :) )

Yummy Cinnamon Rolls

This recipe comes from a sweet online friend. She is a wonderful cook and I am so glad to have this recipe. I made them tonight for Bible study in the morning. While making them I announced on facebook what I was doing. Not long after I took the first pan out of the oven a friend came by. She had read facebook :) . I sent her home with 4 of them. Others ask for the recipe. I have written it just the way it was given to me by Janna. I have added her name because I want her to have the credit for these wonderful rolls. I put confectioner sugar icing on mine. They are great with a cup of tea or coffee.

Janna's One Hour Cinnamon Rolls

2 pkgs. yeast (or 2 T.)
3 T. sugar
1/4 c. warm water
1/2 c. oil
1 1/2 c. buttermilk (lukewarm)
4 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
Brown sugar
Cinnamon
Butter or margarine
Raisins, opt.

Dissolve yeast and sugar in water. Stir together flour, soda and salt and set aside. Add yeast and oil to buttermilk, then add all to the flour mixture. Beat until smooth and knead about 10 minutes for lighter rolls (I knead it in my Bosh mixer for a while). Cover and let rise for 10-30 minutes. Roll out to a large rectangle and put brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins (if desired) and butter on the rolled out dough. Roll up starting from one long edge. Cut into slices about one inch thick and set flat sides down on a baking pan. Melted butter and brown sugar in the bottom of the pan first is optional. Let rise a little more and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. (I always double this recipe!)

Anniversary...

We had a delay in our flight from Pensacola to DFW last Sat. Due to weather we had to land in Waco, TX (didn't even know there was an airport there). We were supposed to be having dinner with family at 6 that night. Instead we were sitting in the airport wondering when we would go home. There were only drink vending machines at the airport. A college study came by and began selling Subway sandwiches. We were all happy about that. Jim and I shared one...our anniversary dinner. :) As he said, "we made memories!" Stacy & Shawna fixed our lunch the next day and we had a wonderful time. Shawna had small bouquets of flowers on tables. They were so pretty! The food they prepared was delicious! A friend of Stacy's made the cake with a beach theme since we had been at the beach. It was so cute and tasted delicous! What a fun celebration!

40 wonderful years

Jim and I will be married 40 years May 2. We are in Gulf Shores. Early morning walks on the beach, lazy afternoons reading, talking and evenings with a good dinner and always loving being together. Life gets so busy and I am thankful for this time together away from daily responsibilities. I thank the Lord for bringing us together many years ago and anticipate many more wonderful, exciting years together. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to the love of my life.

I received a SURPRISE tonight!!!!!

Baby Shower Tea Party

Last Saturday morning I had a baby shower for a dear friend, Jennifer. The theme was a tea party. My daughter loaned me a pretty bouquet of flowers to sit on the table at the front door.

I used tea pots that had belonged to my mom and a friend loaned me her tea pot.

I served tea in my friend Jennifer's grandmother's china and some pretty china cups my sister gave to me as a gift some years ago. I served English Breakfast and Earl Grey tea. Each table had a potted plant as the centerpiece. At the end of the party we gave them to Jennifer for her garden.

We had delicious petit fours and yummy cream puffs covered in powdered sugar.

My daughter, Stacy, made these beautiful strawberries. Not only are they beautiful but they were so sweet and tasted delicious!

We had delicious chicken salad on petite croissants.

Everyone, including my friend, had a great time and enjoyed the treats and tea.

She's 4!

Almost 4 years ago I began taking care of a precious baby. She is now 4 years old. Her birthday was Tuesday. Jim and I had chocolate milk, donut holes and little sausages waiting for her for breakfast!
She told me “Turning four was hard work. First I was 1, then I was 2, and then 3 and now I am 4.” I told her she did a good job turning 4. I just had to laugh at her thinking it was hard work.

Easter...

I found a quote a few days ago that I really like:

Never let anything so fill you with pain or sorrow so as

to make you forget the joy of Christ risen.

~Mother Teresa

Today is the day we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, but truly we should celebrate it every day. Because of Jesus' sacrifice we have hope and an abundant life. But I am also thankful for this day that we can all stop and remember and rejoice!

After church today our family had dinner together. Stacy made banana pudding and cooked carrots. Shawna made a spinach-strawberry salad (see recipe below). I marinaded the teryaki chicken (thank you Travis for grilling it), fixed rice, steamed broccoli and made homemade yeast rolls. We had a great time, but missed two members of our family...Stephanie in Honduras and Joshua in Army basic training.

Spinach & Strawberry Salad

1 bag fresh spinach - washed and dried
1 pint fresh strawberries - sliced

Dressing
1/3 cup sugar or substitute
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 T. poppy seeds
1 T. sesame seeds (optional)
1/2 cup minced onions
1/4 t. paprika
Mix dressing ingredients together.

Don't put it on the salad until just before serving to prevent leaves from bruising and becoming mushy.

We tried doing an egg hunt with Ashlynn, but after finding a few she was finished with that and she wasn't in the picture taking mood either but we did get a few cute ones of her. A dear friend made the dress she wore today! She had an adorable hat and purse but had fun throwing them rather than wearing them. Stacy gave her a gift and a chocolate bunny. She loved the small Bible and called it her "Bible study book". Jim and I gave her a basket with some small toys and before she left she said, "Thank you for my Easter casket!" She sure makes us all smile!