Some Catching Up to Do

I stumbled out of bed this morning with a full day ahead.  I had several things to pick up before the lunch for the family and then the funeral at two.  It doesn't take long for my brain to jump into high gear, full of to-do lists.

I stood at the mirror knowing I didn't have time to wash my hair, plugged in the straightener, then grabbed the blue tube with the age spot minimizer, then the red tube with the puffy under eye reducer, and the red jar of deep wrinkle cream and wondered again if I put them on in the wrong order.  If all this time opening jars and tubes was really a waste of time and money.

I put a little peroxide on my toothbrush to get whiter teeth and remembered the spot on my shirt from stirring last night's Christmas party sloppy joes.  Grabbed the shirt with toothbrush still in my mouth and poured a little peroxide on the spotted shirt.  Rubbed it a little, spit in the sink, and wah-lah(!) - teeth a little whiter and shirt a little cleaner.

Put on the brown pants from yesterday because I really like my little brown striped socks and went to put on my shoes and found my jewelry I had been looking for in the other room tucked snuggly in the toe of the right shoe.

I went in to Walgreens to make photos for the three remaining sisters, picked up more tea and a few things to go on the tables for the family to feel like we really cared about them.
Got back to the church to the kitchen crew organizing all the food.

The service was beautiful.  Linda would have loved it.  After all the sweet songs, funny stories, great hugs - it was what I saw at the end that touched my heart.

A boy bent over a casket grieving his momma.  Weeping over her still body, no longer able to take a breath.

I saw a small boy rocked by the death of his grandma.  Nieces and nephews so sad because she is gone.

What a testimony of a life.

She dearly loved and because of that she was loved dearly.

I didn't tell my girls that I loved them this morning before I left.  I just opened tubes and jars and played with peroxide and straightened my hair, but I didn't see if they had any needs.  I haven't talked to one of my boys in at least two weeks and the other in several days, and it's been a couple of days since I've talked to Kayla.

They all know I love them, but do I show them enough?  If I'm gone tomorrow will they question my love for them or will they know absolutely that I loved them more than life?
Will all my "other kids" know how precious they are to me?  My mom and sisters?  My family who lives on I-45 in a metal building?

Will Michael know without doubt of my love and complete devotion for him?

If I wake up in the morning I have another chance to let them know.  Another chance to cover them up in prayer and love and reasons to miss when I'm gone.  Another chance to love more and serve more and sacrifice more.  No one cares how big my age spots are or how deep my wrinkles are or how puffy my eyes are.  They only care that I love them.

I have some catching up to do.

Navajo Tacos

Last week Kayla and Kevin came in on Wednesday night before they flew out on Thursday for a birthday cruise.  They weren’t here long enough, but we took advantage of every minute.  We ate at her favorite Mexican food place that night and made Navajo Tacos for lunch the next day.  Made Kevin an apple pie and Kayla some snickerdoodles.  We have to fix their favorite things so they will keep coming back!

The four sisters had a “girls’ meeting” and made plans for their “T-Swizzy” weekend.  Kayla got them tickets to see Taylor Swift in Dallas in a couple of weeks.  They are all so excited.

Then they all borrowed curling irons, straighteners, and make up so they could pretty up and get a couple of pictures before heading off to the airport.

While I was cooking they were all making fun of me because Bogey the Rooster died  after a very traumatic day, leaving Bacall, his bride-hen of 4 years behind grieving him and their babies.  They were saying things like “I feel a blog coming on” . . . and other things along that line. 

So I’m going to show them and write about Navajo Tacos instead.  I’ve had several ask for this recipe and I’m just now getting to it.  When we were in Oklahoma where a lot of Indians live, they call them Indian Tacos, but since it was Navajo Indians who taught me,  that’s what we call them.

BREAD

6 Cups Flour

3 Teaspoons baking powder

1 Teaspoon salt

Water

Combine first three ingredients and then add enough water to make a sticky dough.  Pat the dough into circles about salad plate size and about a half inch thick.  Fry in hot grease a few minutes on each side, until they are golden brown.

After they come out of the healthy frying pan, we slather each piece with healthy butter.  Makes is taste better.

This will make enough for a family of 5-7, unless you want to eat some with lots of healthy butter and honey for dessert.

MEAT

Brown hamburger meat and season however you want to.  I use Worchestershire sauce, salt and pepper.

BEANS

You can make a pot of pinto beans, but our family likes these with Ranch Style beans better.  Lots easier too.

Then we top it with our choice of lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, onions, and hot sauce.

HOT SAUCE

Tomatoes

Onion

Jalapeno peppers

Salt

Pepper

Garlic

Cilantro

Crushed pepper

I usually put 2-3 tomatoes in the processor and then finely chop about 2 tomatoes.  I do the same with the peppers and onion. Puree some and chop some.  I use any where from 4-6 peppers and only half an onion.  Really everything is according to how you like it.  I’m bad about just going by the color to know when I have everything in there the way we like it.  I do it different every time.

This meal is a crowd pleaser.  I’ve been cooking these since I was a senior in high school. The largest crowd I’ve ever fed was in Stillwater when we fed over 90 kids the Monday night after our Cowboys beat the Sooners in football.  I just got a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

RIP Bogey

Today I'm thankful for . . .

. . . kids coming in if only for a few hours

. . . plates stacked up more than five
. . . pretty colored bowls
. . . backsplash reminding me of thanks while cooking

. . . girls giggling in the bedroom

. . . girls giggling in the bathroom
. . . balls of cookie

. . . girls eating cookies
. . . her hubby who loves her so
. . . big ladder by big tree
. . . Cowboys beating the Sooners

 

. . . girl hugging dad

. . . text from oldest child/man with word "love"

. . . text from oldest child/man with word "miss"

. . . text from oldest child/man with word "little".

Then There Were Six

On our way home from getting Rachel's driving permit, she asked if she could drive to the church. Hannah asked me if I was scared. I told her that I wasn't, so then she asked Rachel if she was scared. Rachel said, "No...I'm not really scared of the driving, it's just if I can stop..."

I looked in the rear view mirror and saw Leah looking at me with wide eyes.

Hannah looked at me and asked "Now are you scared?"

So even though I told Hannah I wasn't scared, I was fooling a little. After all, we've been through this five times before. I know what to expect.  I know that leaning over the console will not keep you from hitting a curb.  Or that the imaginary brake on the passenger side really doesn't work.  I know that it feels like we are going 80 when, in fact, we are only going 50.  We lived through it before, we will again.

We did a lot of praying then, we covet your prayers now.

Giving thanks today for

Rain

Fresh painted toe nails

RIT dye on carpet looking pretty cute

Hubby teaching me fun things about Rahab

Wind chimes on the front porch

Cleaning for special company

Peach cobbler

Verses for comfort

Tubs full of pictures

Firewood from tree blown over.

Leah is SEVENTEEN!!!!

Leah wanted to be grown up when she was two.  I saw her independence really shine when we took the family to the zoo.  She always wanted to walk ahead of everyone else.  Like she was there by herself.

She had and has a fascination with electronics.  She figured out how to get to the coloring pages of a Bible program we had on the computer.  She also figured out how to copy them for her sisters to color.  As I was cooking supper, I watched her go back and forth from our room to the play room taking coloring pages to her sisters.  She was three.

She couldn't wait to have her own room.  One day she brought a little step stool, her blanket, and her lambie and put it right by our bedroom door.  Told us that was going to be her bedroom.  Now she wants her own car.

On Sunday mornings she works the sound for the service.  She has all the microphones ready to go and has everything her daddy needs in it's place.  She makes sure he doesn't have to worry about getting any of the sound stuff together.  After the service she gathers all of his things while he visits with church family.  Last Sunday I watched as she went up and took his glasses out of his pocket to put them in his office.  He couldn't do it without her.  It's her ministry.

I love you Peas.  You are precious to me.

Hannah is SEVENTEEN!!!!

From early on we knew Hannah was going to be our creative child.  She talked in rhymes so I called her my little songwriter.  She would illustrate her stories in such funny ways, yet at times pull out something you could tell came from somewhere deep within.

Hannah has so much compassion.

With that comes the problem of carrying things she needs to pass on to the Lord.  She's learning.  I've seen her weep over decisions of friends that are not healthy.  

Stella (her guitar) is her friend.  She told me today that if there was a fire in our house she would do all she could to pull Stella out.

They make beautiful music together.  

I love you Belle.  You are precious to me.

Three Girls Sixteen

Their very first photo together.  Rachel is just hours old, Hannah and Leah are 11 months, Kayla is 11, Adam is 14 and Kyle is 16.  

I love this picture.

This is when they are all three 2 years old.  I took them to Lubbock and we went to buy some new pajamas then to the photography studio in the mall.  

Did I mention I was on crutches?  

Just me and the girls?  

Hannah held on to one crutch and Rachel held on to the other with Leah holding her hand.  We were a sight.  What a trip that was!

Hannah

Leah

Rachel

There were times when they were little I couldn't even imagine them at 16.  Here we are.  As it has been with Kyle, Adam, and Kayla, I can honestly say I love them more and more every day.

They are so busy that I am beginning to get a taste of what life will be like when the are all gone.  Makes my heart sad.  I miss the older ones so much sometimes that my heart aches.  Then I remind myself that at least I still have them.

         Love. 

               Love. 

                     Love.

The Need to Draw Me Close

It's still dark outside when He wakes me to visit.  It's not a waking with a start - or even a couple of nudges.  It's kind of like the Hand just scans up my face and I'm full awake.  If I was to talk out loud to Him it wouldn't be sleepy morning voice.  That is how instantly awake I am.

The first time He did this was about 21 years ago.  The top three were little then all snuggled up in bed chasing dreams in their head when He woke me.  Woke me clean up.  I looked at the clock shining 5:15 am and then began to pray.  Prayed for each of them in their angel protected rooms, then prayed for their dad, wherever he was on his travels that week.  I asked Him to put things in their day that would remind them of Him.  A sunrise or sunset.  A song.  A person.  Anything so they could see Him.

For six straight weeks He woke me.  Every morning.  Five fifteen.  I talked to Him about the ones I loved then I went back to sleep to wait on the alarm.  Same prayer every morning.  The prayer He gave.

Then the diagnosis came.  Six weeks of 5:15 private conversations with Him had not only prepared my heart but prepared their hearts as well.  Helped us all to see Him through the whole journey.

Three little heads with a reality of heaven most adults cannot grasp.

Thank You Jesus.

There have been other times He felt the need to draw me close before I even knew I needed Him.  Like almost every day for a week before son's open heart surgery, and a couple of weeks when daughter was struggling.

Then there are the times I never find out what it is for.

I know it is for something.  Or He wouldn't have bothered.

He loves me that much.

 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
   for his compassions never fail.
 They are new every morning;
   great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

So Much

I'm so blessed.  So thankful for my life.  Here are some things I'm praising God for this week . . .

. . . group hugs,

. . . snickerdoodle birthday cookies,

. . . stylin' guys wearing stylin' glasses,

. . . bulk cooking once again,

. . . and friends.

. . . smart chicken momma wanting only the best for her babies,

. . . re-purposed quilt.

. . . Momma and her boy getting wet.

. . . joy all over faces.

. . .  curriculum.

. . . womb mates.