Homemade Pizza

A great way to end a crazy week.....have three of the grandsons over! Of course, Tater is here everyday, but he really gets excited when 'his cousins' come over and play! Friday morning, Connor came over, and the two of them had such a great time! First activity for the day, PLAY-DOH!  I love the guy who invented Play-Doh!

Next on the schedule was playing Wii....oh my!  Two 3-yr-olds + MarioKart = great morning entertainment!  It took them about 10 minutes to finish one race!!  But they loved it and had great fun and that's all that matters!

At 12:00 we went and picked up Caleb at school....let the fun begin! While Tater and Connor have fun together, adding Caleb to the mix takes it to a whole new level! (Word of explanation here: It was Jammie Day at school, so yes, Caleb is wearing his jammies in some of the following pics!)

Homemade pizzas were on the menu for the day.  I made the dough, divided it into four balls, and gave each of the boys one...and one for me!. With a little help from Nana, we got the dough rolled out into circles.....somewhat. Then each of the boys spooned and spread their sauce and added cheese while Nana sliced up some ham & turkey...sorry, all out of pepperoni and sausage! Then more cheese on top!

Then into the oven they went.  What shall we do while we wait?  Eat more cheese, of course!!!

The pizza turned out pretty good! The boys were surprised, I think! I know they had a fun time, and it is definitely a do-again project!

After naptime, it was time for some more Wii!  Best entertainment of all, watching two 3-yr-olds and a 6-yr-old playing Wii....especially boxing!!  First, though, Caleb & Tater played Carnival Games while Connor was still napping.  Then bowling.  Couldn't get a picture of the boxing....would've been just a blur!

What a fun day!!  Made this Nana one happy lady!!

So Maybe Not Every Day

Maybe the goal of doing a blog post every day was a little over-achieving. Maybe I don't need to post if nothing of consequence happens. Maybe I don't need to write something down just to be writing something down. Maybe I get busy some days and don't have time to write. Maybe I'm tired some evenings and just don't want to do blog. Maybe sometimes I just forget!

So I'm going to take the stress off myself. I've been too hard on myself. I know no one else really cares whether I post every day or not, but I said I was going to, so I've felt bad when I didn't.  That's exactly why I don't make new year's resolutions! 

But I do promise to try to be better about posting. I promise myself to at least try.  And when I have something to write about, I'll write about it! And if I don't have time to write about it the day it happens, I've figured out how to change the date on the post!!

So there!

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Freedom through Christ

Yuri, imprisoned in Russia in the 1940's at the age of 12 for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his family...because he was caught, his family starved to death, and he only survived because he was put in prison. Years later he was still imprisoned, lost in the beauracracy of the day.  But God sent a miracle...He sent a worn, used Gideon Bible into the prison where Yuri was, and Yuri became a Christian. And even though he was in bondage, he was freed.

My friend who went to Russia several years ago told Yuri's story this morning in Sunday School. He told how he had visited a prison filled with violent political prisoners, of the barrenness and filth of the aging prison, then of getting to the top of the spiraling staircase in the dormitory where the prisoners were and finding fresh paint, clean floors and walls, ivy painted on the walls, and meeting Yuri. He told my friend, "For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Phil 1:21) Yuri had such a peace that even living almost his entire life in prison was nothing. Because it was there that he had found Christ. He told of the many prisoners there who had found Christ within those crumbling walls who now had a hope for the future, who now were set free in their hearts even though they would never be set free of the prison walls.

Four years later, my friend returned to Russia where he was scheduled to speak in a worship servicein a church. As he sat waiting, he watched the little children being led in to sit on the front row. As the old man who was leading them turned to sit down, my friend recognized him....it was Yuri!  In Russian, he said to him, "Yuri! You've been set free!"  To which Yuri replied, "Ah, but I was already set free in my heart!"


The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed. (Luke 4:18)

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Weddings & Farewell Receptions

How strange it is to say 'hello' and 'good-bye' all in one day. People come and go in our lives, everyone on their own little conveyor belt, going at their own speed, and sometimes our paths travel along together for a while. And whether those together times are just a short while, or whether they last for years, the times together with friends are cherished. That's just the way life is. And today was one of those days that found one conveyor belt running alongside of mine and another one moving on.

This morning we officially said 'hello and welcome' to Mary, Buck's new wife. They had a beautiful wedding ceremony followed by a simple cake & punch reception, then followed by a big family lunch at Kenny Blanek's cafe. And since Kerry and I are sort of adopted family, we were included. It was good to see Buck's kids and some of the grandkids who were here...Melissa & Leonel came from Caracas, but the children stayed there; Melissa and her grandson were here from Dallas; and Mike and his family were here from Houston. And we had the opportunity to meet some of Mary's family. Like me, she has a big family!  I expect our 'conveyor belts' to run alongside one another for awhile...hopefully a long while....as we welcome her into our hearts and lives.

(There will be a picture in here later of us with Buck & Mary....Leonel took the pic and will send it to me!)

This afternoon, the ladies of the church officially said 'farewell' to Liz. Liz & Ronnie are retiring Jan. 31....next weekend! Liz has been such a integral part of my life over the last 20 years! Being our church pianist, she has accompanied me numerous times singing both solos and in ensembles. She is so very talented on the keyboard, making the notes just dance and float through the air. She has also been a friend, and she will be greatly missed. This afternoon was her "Farewell Tea", and next Sunday, the 31st, we will have a retirement party for her and Ronnie. And although their 'conveyor belt' is beginning to head off in another direction, we will continue to keep in touch with them as they seek the Lord's direction in their retirement years.

Friends come and friends go, but they never really leave our hearts and minds as the memories made together linger, waiting to be visited from time to time. And who knows when our conveyor belts will come together again, if only for a short visit.

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A Blast from the Past

Look what I found in the closet! I've been working all week on the closet and files in the computer room. Tater has been very interested in everything I've pulled out of the closet....especially this old electric typewriter!  And it's not even all that old!

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He's Already in Your Tomorrow!

He's already in your tomorrow
He's walking one step ahead
Whether it's joy or it's sorrow
He'll do just what He said
He'll never leave you lonely
In the land of the great unknown
He's already in your tomorrow
Don't be afraid, keep pressing

(Mark Lanier/Phil Cross)


I heard this on the radio the other day.....such an awesome truth!
 
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Facebook Friends

One of the fun things about Facebook, other than keeping in touch with friends and family and reconnecting with old friends, is making new friends. It is not unusual (for me, anyway) to become FB friends with 'third-party' friends...for example, friends of my friends who seem pretty cool according to their comments I read on my friends' posts. I have found some pretty awesome friends whom I have never met in person! So the other day, I requested to be friends with a friend of one of my new friends. (Are you confused yet?)

To my surprise and delight, this is the response I got back...."Oh my gosh, Diane! I was just looking at your pictures and realized I'm the Kathie that kept Dana when she was little!" What? This friend of a friend of a friend is actually one of my long-lost friends!! 

In another lifetime, when Jenni & Melynda were in elementary school, I had to find someone new to keep Dana during the day. God placed in our lives a wonderful Christian mom who kept children in her home.....Kat's Kids was the name of her in-home daycare. For two years Dana stayed with Kathie; even when she started kindergarten, she stayed with Kathie in the afternoons.

Kathie was the best childcare provider we had ever had. She loved 'her kids', and they loved her. I can remember when Dana had chicken pox, I called Kathie to tell her, and Kathie told me to go ahead and bring her over! All of the other kids had either already had chicken pox or their parents didn't mind them being exposed, hoping they would get them before starting to school. So I took her, and Kathie put her in the bathtub with Aveeno bath and let her soak her little itching body! Another time, we had to be gone out of town overnight, and Dana stayed with Kathie. We still have a little recipe book that Kathie made with the kids....it has recipes submitted by the moms (favorites of the kids) and recipes made up by the kids. It is a priceless treasure. And in the attic are two things that will be passed on to Dana's kids....a bear-shaped corner shelf and a doll cradle given to her by Kathie, made by Kathie's dad. Get the picture? She was really special to us.

Then we moved to San Angelo. And as much as we missed Kathie, we lost touch with her.

Until today.


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