Change of Plans

Monday I had planned to have a "pajama day" to celebrate 

my first day not having to go into work.

You know, one of those days...

when you are all alone 

with no where to go

staying in your pajamas

watching chick flicks

I had been looking forward to it all last week and then

Daniel came home from school on Friday

"My throat has been hurting all day."

Poor thing had the virus that had been going around.

High fever, chills, soar throat, headache.

His fever spiked at 103 Saturday evening.

His throat still hurt Monday morning, so I kept him home. 

By lunch he was feeling better and back to his old self.

So instead of pajama day, I spent time with Daniel.

Talking

Laughing

Helping with homework

Doing exactly what I stayed home to do.

Overall, a pretty good start to a new chapter.

Living thru faith,

Misty

My first real homemade chicken soup!

I know this is really sad, but I have never really made homemade chicken noodle soup.  I don't do well without a recipe and it just has never been one that I have looked up.  I'm mean, really, how hard can it be?!

Daniel was sick, so this weekend I decided to go for it - with no recipe!  

This had the potential to be hazardous to our health...

So, first I cut up 1 carrot and 3 small stalks of celery and then sauted them in some olive oil for a few minutes.  

Then I added 1 tsp. of garlic and 2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces.

I let the chicken cook a little bit and then added 3 cans of chicken broth and 2 cans of water.  (I ended up needing to add another can of broth and about half a can of water.)

I added some salt, pepper, onion powder (Brian can't eat onions), and thyme and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.  I added half a package of egg noodles and let it cook another 10 minutes until the noodles were done.  

I have to say it was delicious!  Brian and I really enjoyed it.  

However, Sarah didn't want to eat it because it had chicken in it, Matt ate all of his but wouldn't admit it was any good, and Daniel thought it was better than some.  Now, if I stuck a can of Campbell's chicken noodle soup or ramen noodles in front of them, they would love it!  

What is a mom to do?!

Living thru faith,
Misty

Whew! It's Friday!

It's been a crazy week and I am so glad it's Friday!

 I spent most of Sunday cleaning up the house.  I don't mean cleaning, I mean cleaning up.  Our house has been a mess with so much going on and no time to deal with things and put things away.  I even had some Christmas stuff still sitting around.

(In the spirit of full disclosure, the lights are still hanging outside!)

This has been my last week of work and I've been blessed to spend some of that time working from home.  Daniel has been so happy to have me home in the afternoons when he gets off the bus.

Monday night we actually ate dinner at the table for the first time since before Christmas!

Sarah was so excited she wanted to light the candles.  

We have eaten at the table every night this week except one.

 

Wednesday I took Sarah to the dentist.  She was not happy to be going and I was really worried we would have a repeat of the last time when she had one meltdown after another and they barely got her teeth cleaned.

Before we got out of the car, I asked Sarah if she wanted to pray before we went it.  She said yes and it was amazing the difference in her demeanor afterward.  She felt so much better and did a great job!

The other big event this week is that we actually got the Buick fixed!!!!  Well, we think, anyway.  We took it to a place that had more extensive testing equipment, so we have high hopes that everything is fixed and we won't see any more symptoms when the weather warms up.

So, now I am getting ready to head into work for the last time.  I am really excited about moving forward on this new part of our journey, but I will really miss all the people I worked with everyday.  I enjoyed my job and was blessed to work with so many wonderful people.

Next week I will have the days to myself without children and I've already been making some plans.  I'm going to work hard around here this weekend and then Monday is Pajama Day!  Yep, my goals for Monday...do as little as possible and stay in my pajamas all day!  There is no snow in the forecast for Sunday or Monday, so if everyone can stay well I may be able meet my goals!  :-)

Living thru faith,

Misty

Girls Night In

Saturday evening Brian and the boys went to a movie, 

so Sarah and I had a "girl's night in".

I painted her nails

and then we watched a movie and learned how to play Zooreka.

We read a book, sang some songs, said our prayers and then Momma got a few minutes to herself before the boys invaded again.

It's nice to have a girl's night in every once in a while!

Living thru faith,

Misty

A Word: Trust

I have never been one for resolutions.  

Why bother? I'm not going to keep them anyway.

 But Traci at Beneath My Heart 
 started me thinking with her post about her "word of the year", which led me to Layla's word at The Lettered Cottage.  

I thought about several words that could be my "word of the year".

Simplify
(I really want to simplify our lives and get back to the basics.)

Faith
(Oh, how I need faith to live each day!)

But, then the one that truly struck that cord in my heart...

In 2012 we are going to have to TRUST in our Provider.  

We are going to have to...

TRUST in Him to provide for us financially
not only for our day to day living, but with tuition and birthdays and Christmas and the just because things 

TRUST in Him to provide for us emotionally
financial struggles are hard enough, but add in one baby becoming a senior and my last baby going to kindergarten...not to mention the big possibility of homeschooling the middle baby...
2012 is going to be an emotional roller coaster!

TRUST in Him to provide for us spiritually
through all of our trials this year we are going to need support spiritually.  We are blessed to have a wonderful church family and we are going to need them this year.  We are going to need their love, their encouragement, their teaching, and their prayers.
  
We are also going to need our friends and our family.  We are going to need their laughter, their hugs, and their shoulders to lean on...but we are also going to need to be their laughter and their hugs and their shoulders.  Because without each other none of us will be able to completely

TRUST in Him.

Living thru faith,

Misty

Weekends are for Plan B's

The kids were out of school on Friday because of snow the night before.  With temperatures in the teens, it was soooo cold!!!!  And then the snow started over again late Saturday afternoon. 

The flakes were tiny, but they came down like rain.  It snowed for several hours and if the flakes were bigger I think we would have seen more than 
just the 1 or 1 1/2 inches that lay on the ground.

I had planned on staying in all weekend (except to go to church).  I dreamed of the things I could accomplish while at home! But, my hibernation plan didn't quite go as I had imagined.  Matt had baseball conditioning, Brian had to go work on his dissertation (at Starbucks, of course), I discovered Sarah had a birthday party Saturday, and I forgot that Daniel had 
a dentist appointment on Monday.

So, instead of checking off all the items on my to-do list, 
we ran here and there, and then...

Sarah fixed me a feast at her "restaurant", I watched football with Matt, I laughed and joked with Daniel, watched a movie with the kids, and spent most of the day on Monday in our room with Brian catching up on old episodes of a British tv show he wanted us to watch together. 

My house is a mess, the laundry isn't done, I still have a few bills to pay, and the dishes still need to be washed...
but I think it was a wonderfully successful weekend.

Sometimes, the best laid plans aren't the best plans.  Sometimes, the best plans are the plan B's. Sometimes, the best plans just happen on cold, snowy, weekends...

Living thru faith,
Misty

Overwhelmed with Blessings

This past Thursday I was blessed with a farewell party at work.  My boss and another co-worker put it all together and it was a wonderful time of fellowship and laughter.  Dale and Patti did a great job of putting it all together and I was amazed that so many people took time out of their work day to say goodbye.

Friday was supposed to be my last day, but I actually won't be leaving for a couple more weeks.  I will get to spend a little bit more time with everyone.

 I have been so blessed with wonderful people to work with over these last four and half years and I am going to miss them all!

Living thru faith,

Misty

January Menu (Well, Almost)

I started working on our menu while in the airport and then on the plane, but I pretty much gave up.  I hit a brick wall and could not get the juices flowing.  So I just tried to think of some things to fix and I'll figure it out along the way.  Just like tonight...

I had picked up some soup mix when I went to the grocery store over lunch on Monday.  The plan...soup, salad, and garlic bread.  I had already put the bread in the oven and pulled the soup mix out of the grocery sack (yep, still hadn't unloaded all the groceries!).  That is when I discovered there was a gash in the mix bag.  I will be taking that back later this week, but now I had to figure out a plan B.  Long story short, we ended up with cheesy egg noodles, salad, and the yummy bread!  Overall, plan B turned out pretty good.  Unfortunately, I still need to clean the kitchen...

So, here are some of the things I think we will be eating in January.

grilled cheese and soup

spaghetti, green beans, bread

gumbo and cornbread

sesame chicken and rice

chicken vermicelli and salad

tacos and spanish rice

shredded pork, mashed potatoes, baked beans

chicken tenders, mac-n-cheese, salad

chicken enchilada stacks

pork sandwiches and fries

We'll just have to see how and when all of this plays out.  I guess it will be our adventure for January!  Ok, that's just too sad.  

We have to find a better adventure!

Living thru faith,

Misty

Our Trip to Texas

I was able to go with Brian to a conference in The Woodlands, Texas this past weekend.  Matt was sick during the week and I wasn't sure if I would get to go.  I spent two days praying and begging and praying that no one else would get sick! It was the first time I have been able to attend and it was wonderful getting to meet people I have only heard about. 

We had a little bit of time after we arrived to walk around by our hotel and ate at this place called The Taco Stand.  I would definitely recommend it; however, if it is windy, be sure to eat inside.  I lost my napkin and my chips!

 The waterway area was so peaceful and beautiful!

When you walk under the bridge, you are greeted by these beautiful tiled murals of different birds.

The conference itself was held at The Woodlands UMC.  It is an amazing church, both the building and the people.  I wish I had taken pictures, but the weekend was packed and it just didn't happen.  But it was a great weekend!  It was wonderful to meet new friends, visit with old friends, and spend time with my hubby.  It was also wonderful to come home to three of my favorite people in the world!  :-)

Living thru faith,

Misty

Yep, It's Monday!

Brian and I got back Sunday evening from a conference in Houston.  It was a great weekend and I will share a little more about that tomorrow.  

Of course, there is no rest for the weary, so we hit the ground running this morning!

So far this morning...

I overslept (not long, just enough to throw the whole morning off) and wasn't able to wash my hair.  Hopefully, the baby powder and clip are hiding that fact.

Sarah woke up crying and pretty much cried until we left the house.  

It was one meltdown after another.

There was only enough lunch stuff left in the house for Matt.  Daniel will be buying his lunch today and I will be running to Walmart during my lunch hour.

Matt did not put the ribs in the refrigerator on Friday so they could slowly thaw out over the weekend.  I had to leave them out overnight and then still thaw them in the microwave this morning.  I was very thankful for the bottle of bbq sauce my friend Kristina had waiting for me.  I still had not gotten any since the birthday bbq incident!

Daniel had a headache.

Brian hurt his back sometime yesterday, 

so he wasn't able to help much this morning.

and...I left my purse in the car and had to track Brian down to get it back since he had the car.

Hopefully, we can only go up from here!

We are still feeling the excitement over the big wins this weekend.  We didn't get to see our Saints play, but were so happy they won!  We even ran into Saints fans in the hotel and at the church we attended Sunday morning!

We were able to watch most of the first half of the Bronco's game in the airport yesterday.  As soon as we landed, we were checking the score.  We missed the winning touchdown, but were able to see the replay after we got home.  I don't think I have ever really paid much attention to the Broncos, but I have to say I have become a Tebow fan.  Since one person doesn't make a team, I guess that means I am now a Bronco's fan.

 So, tonight we are going for 3 out 3.  Tonight it's LSU!

Geaux Tigers!

Living thru faith,

Misty

The Holidays

 We traveled to Louisiana for Christmas to spend the time with family and friends.  And, of course, there is never enough time to see everyone!

We were at my grandmother's for the traditional Christmas Eve lunch of roast, rice, rolls, and ice cream sundaes (ok, there were a few vegetables thrown in there, too!). My dad, Sarah, and my cousin's son Logan had fun handing out the presents.  

My brother and sister-in-law surprised Matt with money toward his car (the one he will purchase once he saves up enough money 'cause Mom and Dad aren't buying one...)


 



However, my brother decided to make him work for it.  He gave it to him in tightly rolled up $5 bills tied up with blue ribbon.

 

Santa brought Matt some more money for that car he is after and a Kindle Fire for Daniel.

That was pretty much all they got this year, but they seemed perfectly fine with that!

Santa brought Sarah a Belle princess dress with tiara, wand, and light up shoes.  Unfortunately, Santa was a little off on the shoe size, so we will have to work on getting some bigger ones.  (It didn't help that the little tart went through a major growth spurt after Santa placed the order.)

She also loved hamming it up for the camera.

The kids loved spending time with their cousins!

We also celebrated my mom's birthday, my sister-in-law's birthday, and after spending time with friends in Tennessee we finally made it back home.  (Only to be welcomed home by snow!)

Just so you know, this is going to be a very busy week.  If I'm not around much, just know that I am still thinking of you all!

Living thru faith,
Misty