Friday, April 27, 2012

In Your Heart





Oh, Milne. He wrote so many sweet wonderful things. Sometimes I apply this to loved ones who have passed away, and other times, loved ones who just aren’t nearby right now. But always, always, we can apply it to our Savior. Always keep Him in your heart, and you will have His companionship and everlasting love. 

(Week 2 of 'positive thoughts inbox')

A Glimpse Into Our Morning

"Aidan, stop drop-kicking you lunch box and go get your shoes on." ~Mom

"Do all teenage boys put their hands in their pockets and slouch?" ~Allie

"Look! The mama bird had food in her mouth. Look! Now she doesn't. She's going to get more. Stay away from Mojo, little birdies."

"If someone tells you to do something you don't want to do, do you have to do it?"
"A friend or a teacher?"
"Just kids. If kids want you to do something you don't want to do, should you do it?"
"I don't know any goats at my school, so I don't think that's a problem."
"*sigh* okay. Children. If your fellow students, children are trying to get you to do something you shouldn't do, should you tell a grown up?"
"No, not if they just want to play on the slide, but you want to go on the monkey bars."
"You know what I mean. If someone wants you to do something bad, you should say no and walk away, right? And tell a grown-up."
"I don't really like telling grown-ups. If you don't do it, then you don't need to tattle."
"Yeah, but what if you say not, but then they get someone else to do it."
"They probably won't."
"Stop playing devil's advocate while your brother is listening. If someone tries to get you to do something bad, or something you don't want to do, you should tell a grown up, right?! I'm talking about bullying things."
"Well, it's not really bullying unless you tell them no and they keep doing it."
Seriously, I think sometimes there is just no talking to that girl! :)

"Hailey said hot dogs are made of liver and hooves and eyeballs. Are they?"
"Well, some hot dogs are made of pieces of meat and things that can't just be cut into a steak or a roast or something."
"But do they have eyeballs?"
"I don't know. That's why we don't have hot dogs very often at our house. And that's why I'm pretty particular about which hot dogs we buy. Just because kids tell me what to buy doesn't mean that's what I'll buy. I'll buy the ones that are more meat and less additives."
"That's good. But what about the hot dogs at baseball games."
"Well, I don't know. Remember how we talked about using all the parts of animals and not wasting? Well a lot of people eat liver. You can order in a restaraunt. It's pretty healthy for you, I guess. I just don't like the texture, so we just get those vitamins from vegetables and stuff."
At this point her face was quite pale and she looked on the verge of tears.
*sigh* "Are you going to cry all day, now because hot dogs are gross?"
"Maybe."
"Okay, I'll call the stadium and find out what hot dogs they use. Is that better?"
"Yes, thank you!"

And yes, I was grateful when they started singing one of their favorite songs really really loud and trying to out-sing each other, because that means my brain got a break for a minute. What's the song? For your listening pleasure....We Are Young. (don't worry, they only know the chorus)  Incidentally, Allie told me that when her teacher asked them at the end of the school day, "What are you all doing tonight?"  Allie replied, "I think I'm going to set the world on fire." She said her teacher laughed, the other students mysteriously didn't follow. :)

Friday, April 6, 2012

100 Foods to Eat Before You Die

Well, I don't know how many versions of this are out there, but this is the list I went with. It's one of those "most people have only done 20 of these" things.  I've tried 53 of these. Some of those that I have not had are not exactly on my list of "got to try it," but we'll see.
1. Abalone
2. Absinthe
3. Alligator
4.Baba Ghanoush
5. Bagel & Lox
6. Baklava
7. BBQ Ribs
8. Bellini
9. Birds Nest Soup
10. Biscuits & Gravy
11. Black Pudding
12. Black Truffle
13. Borscht
14. Calamari
15. Carp
16. Caviar
17. Cheese Fondue
18. Chicken & Waffles
19. Chicken Tikka Masala
20. Chile Relleno
21. Chitlins
22. Churros
23. Clam Chowder 
24. Cognac
25. Crab Cakes
26. Crickets (yuck.)
27. Currywurst
28. Dandelion Wine
29. Dulce De Leche
30. Durian
31. Eel
32. Eggs Benedict
33. Fish Tacos
34. Foie Gras
35. Fresh Spring Rolls
36. Fried Catfish
37. Fried Green Tomatoes 
38. Fried Plantain
39. Frito Pie
40. Frogs' Legs
41. Fugu
42. Funnel Cake
43. Gazpacho
44. Goat
45. Goat's Milk 
46. Goulash
47. Gumbo
48. Haggis
49. Head Cheese
50. Heirloom Tomatoes
51. Honeycomb
52. Hostess Fruit Pie 
53. Huevos Rancheros
54. Jerk Chicken
55. Kangaroo
56. Key Lime Pie
57. Kobe Beef
58. Lassi
59. Lobster
60. Mimosa 
61. Moon Pie
62. Morel Mushrooms
63. Nettle Tea
64. Octopus
65. Oxtail Soup
66. Paella
67. Paneer
68. Pastrami on Rye
69. Pavlova
70. Phaal
71. Philly Cheese Steak
72. Pho
73. Pineapple & Cottage Cheese
74. Pistachio Ice Cream
75. Po' Boy
76. Pocky
77. Polenta
78. Prickly Pear
79. Rabbit Stew
80. Raw Oysters
81. Root Beer Float
82. S'mores
83. Sauerkraut
84. Sea Urchin
85. Shark
86. Snail
87. Snake
88. Soft Shell Crab
89. Som Tam
90. Spaetzle 
91. Spam
92. Squirrel
93. Steak Tartare
94. Sweet Potato Fries
95. Sweetbreads
96. Tom Yum
97. Umeboshi
98. Venison
99. Wasabi Peas
100. Zucchini Flowers

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Small Miracles

This weekend, Alex and Aimee had the opportunity to go to Arlington, TX for the three day statewide Student Council Convention. They listened to some wonderful speakers who encouraged them all to be the great leaders that they are. They laughed, they bonded, they even got to go to Six Flags.
Because of this trip, Aimee was missing the first day of Cheer Clinic, the practices where they learn the new dance and cheer for their try-outs next week. She was also going to miss part of Tuesday's clinic, since they wouldn't be back in time. Aimee was not the only one; there were two other girls who needed to get back for Clinic as well. For these girls, the Student Council director decided that they could leave an hour earlier than what they had originally planned, so instead of arriving in Andrews at 7:00, they were trying to stay on schedule to be back right around 6:00 so the girls could get to the rehearsals on time. Never have I been more grateful for crazy busy evening schedules.
Just before 2:00, the Dallas-Fort Worth area, including Arlington, was hammered with golf ball sized hail and almost a dozen tornadoes.  Had our group stayed that hour longer, they would have been in the eye of the storm. With their new schedule in hand, they left Arlington safe and sound. They said even when they left, the wind and rain were working some of their bus windows open and the bus driver could hardly see because of the downpour on the window. Click here to see some of the video from the storm.
Whispered promptings. Divine intervention. God works through people, his angels on Earth