A Favor and A Reward

I have a tiny little favor to ask of all you nice people.

Remember The Bald Buddies? Who could forget right?

There's a chance for you to join in The Bald Buddies, and you won't even have to shave your head!

Noah & Tate: Self Portrait

The hospital that is treating Tate is called the University of Iowa Children's Hospital. There is currently a voting contest going on and the top 3 hospitals that win receive a game room for the kids. Tate's hospital is currently in 4th...SO CLOSE! Tate and his family, along with so many others spend a lot of time away from home and within the walls of this hospital. Who couldn't use a game room?!? :)

Plus, every time you vote your email in entered into a contest to win an XBox 360. Bonus.

The contest is in the final days so there's no time to waste. Click here to vote for the University of Iowa Children's Hospital.

Yesterday Tate and his family found out that the results of his latest MRI showed a decrease in the masses that they are treating, which means the Chemo plan is working and they'll stay the course. Praise God!! Praying healing for this sweet little guy's body, and peace and strength for him and his family.

Tate's mom, who is also a good friend of mine, has this quote on her facebook.

Yesterday is history

Tomorrow is a mystery

Today is a gift.

How true. How easily I forget that.

If you happen to go vote, please leave me a comment letting me know you did (honor system here) and your name will be entered for a $5 Starbucks card! Yeah baby.

Is that bribing?!? Of course not! It's encouraging.

Now go vote.

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Help Me...

I woke up in a mood this morning. You know the mood, the one where I'm quite certain that I am the only one in this household that bothers to pick up, clean, move, or remember the needs of anyone other than myself. OK, maybe it's just me...

It's not pretty. It involves me huffing around muttering under my breath about the slobiness of all. I think the word "ungrateful" may have been thrown in as well. Along with the phrase, "WHY AM I THE ONLY ONE THAT *fill in the blank*"

Poor, poor pitiful me.

I do this. It's a cycle. I go for quite a long time cleaning up after everyone, not minding it all that much. After all, my job is to stay at home and take care of the stuff that needs to be taken care of...it's what I choose to do. I reason that the others go to school and to work, so I should pick up more slack. In part, that is true. But the other part....well that's a whole other story. The other part is what causes me to snap every so often. The other part is that in reality, there are not enough hours in the day for me, myself and I to do all that needs to be done around here for everyone else.

The other part is now called Picking Up After Ones Self. Oh, I say it around here all the time. Maybe they just don't know what I mean. They claim they "just don't see" the stuff. *insert eye roll*

I need your help. They need your help. How do you get the family to pitch in without throwing a fit first? :) What are reasonable expectations for them? How do you keep track? How many chores, how often? Rewards for them? Punishment for them? :)

*disclaimer: My hubby does a great job (most of the time) about helping out...but if you have a system that works for husbands, I'd be happy to listen ;) *

Anyone else throw fits? Seriously, I just need to know...

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Little Bit of This, Little Bit of That...

Let me just say that I am a little jealous annoyed that it seems like everyone around me has turned into a fantastic photographer. Some of your blogs I visit and each and every time there is a perfect picture to match your post.

Barf. :)

For awhile I liked to just blame it on my camera...it's not fancy enough. But reality has settled in, and it is in fact not my camera but a certain someone named Sarah that operates the camera. It's not my gift. Reality hurts sometimes. As my friend Shanon would say...Buck-Up Barbie.

Plus, pathetically poor pictures are still entertaining, right?!? Good.

Here's a list of some of my favorite things lately:

1) God. Period. And this song in particular just keeps summing it up perfectly. "Even when I'm caught in the middle, of the storms of this life I won't turn back I know you are near. I will fear no evil, for my God is with me. And if my God is with me, whom then shall I fear?" So thankful He never lets go of me...

2) My husband. Watching him love the flock God has entrusted to him is something I can't quite explain. Thankful for the new understanding I have of Pastor's and their calling. Praying each church goer everywhere understands the love and burden their pastor feels for them...he's fighting for you, and he's on your side. Love him, and lift him up in prayer.

3) Believers that I can go to who encourage and offer support and prayer. Over the big stuff and the trivial.

4)

I got his little doohickey at a Scentsy party. It plugs into the wall and you put these little scented wax squares in the top of it and it makes the whole house smell yummy! Genius.

5)

I can't get blogger to flip this picture...imagine that. Our Ladies Bible Study is in week three of this study. Words cannot express how much I love it. Love it, love it, love it.

6)

I bought these magnets in the dollar bin at Target. Makes me smile every time I go to the fridge...so quite often.

7)

Fake pumpkins and gourds that I cannot kill.

There are also a few things I am not loving...

1) The house goes from picked up to disaster in about 3.2 seconds. If I could just learn how to function well in mess then I would be set. Instead, I start to feel claustrophobic and get crabby.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B: Their version of picking it up.

About three articles of clothing in that pile are actually dirty.

2)

The stuff that used to be piled in baskets on the desk, until I walked past it this morning and my hips knocked it all on the floor.

I guess I've avoided the mess for long enough...better get at it. You can bet I'm gonna be listening to this song while

getting the job done. If I only had a tambourine... *wink*

Happy Thursday!

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Pan of Deliciousness

I posted the recipe for this beautiful pan of deliciousness last year. (they really do taste delicious...it's my poor photography skills that do it injustice.)

I've actually had requests from bloggers for the recipe again. I think it may be the only thing anyone has ever asked me to repeat. Yep, they are that good. For the record, it's not really my recipe, I got it from my Aunt Dawn. On behalf of everyone, Thank You Aunt Dawn!

You can click HERE for the recipe.

Welcome.

And so it is....the added winter poundage begins....now.

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The Bald Buddies

The Bald Buddies

When I think back to when I was a kid, there are certain events that just stick. Occasions that I'll always remember. Saturday night, after their flag football game will be one of those moments for my boys.

When we moved to tiny town four years ago, Tate (red shirt, 2nd from right)was one of the first friends Noah made. To meet Tate is to love him, it's pretty much that simple. This Summer Tate found out that he has Hodgkin's Lymphoma stage 3. The fight is on. As the boys learned about Chemo, and why it was necessary to make Tate better, they learned that it was likely Tate would lose his hair. Without batting an eye, the boys were certain they should shave their heads too so that Tate didn't have to do it alone.

Kids are amazing little creatures. As I heard of Tate's diagnosis, my first thought was how unfair it was. I wrestle with the reality of it, almost unable to wrap my head around it, yet those boys...they just knew they needed to join him, to let him know he's not in it alone.

And that's what they did.

Ben shaved the heads of eight little boys Saturday night. It was a night filled with laughter...I'm pretty sure all of tiny town heard us. It's a night none of us will forget.

This morning, as my bald headed little boys hurried to find stocking hats to cover their cold heads, I smiled, wishing I could be in the classroom today as those bald headed little guys arrived, smiling about the way they now feel bonded together. Bald Buddies.

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If These Walls Could Talk

It has been quite the week here in the parsonage. One of those weeks where I think to myself...if these walls could talk.

Actually, I think Sunday night those walls were trying to give me a heads-up. I filled the bathtub to take a bath, and that's when the water began seeping though the bathroom floor/kitchen ceiling, raining through the ceiling fan light fixture. We surely aren't the first to get that lovely experience in this parsonage.

Many of the pastors and their families that have ministered here in our church over the past 152 years of its existence have lived within these walls. They likely knew what I am currently learning; that ministering to people is much like parenting your children. They can bring you the greatest joy or the deepest pain. Either way, they drive you to your knees before The One you truly serve, with tears of joy or tears of pain.

For me, there's a sense of comfort within these walls, a sanctuary of sorts. Not only because it's home, but because I know that God sustained those in ministry before us, some through the same trials and joys of life ...and some through much, much tougher ones. He will see us through just the same.

I've learned something about myself this week. There are trials and circumstances in my life that feel like mountains. Huge mountains. I tend to wander around at the base of those mountains...pacing. Viewing them as permanent fixtures, because after all, they're mountains. That view, leads me to pray that God would be with me, sustain me...which is fine...but what if, what if they're not meant to be permanent. What if God is just waiting for me to exercise some faith in who I say He is, in what I know He's capable of. What if I believe He is the God who does the impossible? What if those mountains are meant to be moved?

Time to stop pacing at the foot of the mountain. Time to start standing on the truth of His Word that has never failed me, not once.

...Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. Matthew 17:20-21

And when He does it, may the first words out of my mouth be glory and honor to Him.

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Because I'm a Mom Blogger...

Friday I promised you all some pictures. Let the record show that I actually followed through this time even though blogger wouldn't cooperate with me ALL DAY LONG.

Friday night we totally got our butts kicked on the football field. I say "we" but it was really not me...all I contributed to the game was sitting in the bleachers and chatting while consuming hamburgers, nachos, and various sugary treats. Despite the loss, Julie had fun at her first official American homecoming.

Here's Joe and Julie at the homecoming dance. I was not actually there to take the picture...but don't think I didn't think about it ;) Cute aren't they...poor Joe, I shouldn't be so hard on him. He's not actually done anything wrong...except being alive and a boy and interested in my Norwegian daughter. He did friend request me on facebook, so that earned him some brownie points...it makes spying a tad bit easier...not that I'd ever spy *cough*

I'm sure I'll eventually come around from tolerating Joe to even liking him...as long as he doesn't fail any of my impossibly high standards. And there I have another post...my semi-impossibly high standards...I could also blog about how I hope Joe doesn't know I have a blog. :)

To be fair, I'm not being hard on boys. I have three of them. I will be equally unexcited about teenage girls that come along. Just to prove it to you, last Friday night at the game, a little girl in Noah's 2nd grade class came up to Ben and I to ask where Noah was. Ben started to tell her and then saw my "don't you dare tell her where my sweet little boy is" before we both looked at her and said, "Sorry, not quite sure" Don't judge...it wasn't a lie, I wasn't exactly sure ;) I'm not gonna help the girls find my son...2nd grade or not! Oh I kid...a tiny, tiny little bit.

Moving on...

Ben and Julie before the game...

Seriously, it was adorable. He looks good with a daughter...it's a good thing we borrowed one.

All the queen candidates (Julie is 2nd from the left)

This is Julie and Leika. Leika is the other exchange student in the school.

The End

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