My New Love

This is my new love. Please don't tell my last Kitchen Aid, for he might get his feelings hurt. We had a great season together for 11 wonderful years. As the family has grown, and our pizza adventures have grown, my old Kitchen Aid has had a tough time keeping up with things. I found him a new home, where he will be loved and appreciated for many more years to come. Now on to my new love, OH MY! It has been killin' me to have him on my counter for 3 days and not use him, so I HAD to use him today. I have some girls coming tonight for game night and a branding in a couple weeks. What better way to break this critter in then a DOUBLE batch of Cowboy cookies. This guy did not disappoint me. Mind you, there are 18 cups of ingredients that go into a double batch of Cowboy cookies. He handled it like a pro, hence the title ~ Professional 600. I look forward to many happy years in this new relationship.
Happy cooking!!!!

Abbie & Ellie ~ Adventures in Friendship

Today was a day that took me way back. Back to when I was thirteen and got my ears pierced. Ellie, Abbie's girlfriend, turned ten on Wednesday and was allowed to get her ears pierced. Yes, this caused much whining in my home, due to the fact that Abbie will be thirteen (like Mama) when she gets her ears pierced. We were invited to the inaugural ear piercing. It was too fun. Abbie & I were just giddy going through Claire's Boutique looking at all the girly-girl stuff. Mind you, Abbie is my "Bling-Bling" girl. Mama's heart was touched watching Abbie & Ellie being such "girls"....giggling, trying things on, and dragging each other around. Then Abbie announces that we must purchase this 2-part necklace to bring strength & comfort to the nervous feelings of her best friend. You know the necklaces..."best" on one piece & "friend" on the other piece.

So the comfort purchase was made

and happily received by both girls.
Now to commence the era of pierced ears, Ellie must pick her earrings that she wants permanently attached to her ears, for the REST of her life.....nah, just six weeks! With this important decision comes instructions for theses new fixtures in her ears.

All is still good up to this point but the nerves are starting to set in.

Claire's is so sweet to provide a stuffed teddy bear for moments just like these.
Cold feet were vastly approaching. With her options placed before her, a pep talk from Auntie Liz, which included a pinch to simulate the pain, Ellie bravely chose her course of action. She was getting her ears pierced. I will spare you the pictures, for they were not the most flattering of Ellie or my girlfriend, Amy. A "good" girlfriend knows not to post unflattering pictures. The end result remains the same. Ellie proudly bore her newly pierced ears for the whole world to take note of.

Happy Birthday our sweet Ellie.

*Note ~ this was a good experience for Abbie to watch. I haven't heard one complaint about her not getting her ears pierced. It does help that they make magnetic earrings for those terrible mothers like me!

My Girls & The Word

Tonight's bedtime was precious. Trust me, I can't always say that. But nights like tonight are what I pray for. As Abbie is getting ready for bed, she tells me just as casual as picking out her clothes, "Mama, Jesus died for MY sins. That just hit me again tonight. I love Him Mama." Of course this Mama is melting. I tell her, "Oh, I know what you mean, Baby! Mama realizes it all the time too, and I love Him more & more. You will realize more & more His great love for you, Baby." So we just loved talking about Jesus until she jumped into to bed. I left them to do their devotions for a few minutes and cleaned up in the kitchen. The Spirit was in that sweet room while I was in the kitchen. :) I went back to tuck them in and Abbie was so excited about her devotions for today. She said, "Mama, you have got to hear my devotions today. It is so me." She reads me part of James chapter 3, you know, the whole "taming the tongue part". *Note~there is little that melts me more than my babies reading the Word for themselves(and gettin' it).* So Abbie is asking good questions about the passage and then reads her devo to me. She reads the first three sentences and glances up at me; we both crack up. It begged the question, "Gee, who is that?" Abbie, "It is so me, Mama...it gets better!" She proceeds to read her devo with her attitude thrown in, which has me in stitches. She is getting it. She acknowledged things in her life that she wants to change because she loves Jesus. I can't stop praising Him for working in her life.

All this time precious Hope is listening, because they share a room, and is doing her thing in the Word. Hopie said she wanted to be like Mama one day and started underlining things in her Bible. She didn't really understand what she was doing, she is just copying her Mama. She has sat through sermons and just marked away. She marks all the words she can read. It is precious to me to watch & listen to her read the Word. This Bible will hold a very special place in this Mama's heart.

I love the Word of God!

My Man & His Game

Aaron loves baseball & softball. In his own words, he has loved "the game" forever. I refuse to share our story of his autographed drawing of Johnny Bench. We are NOT going there. This post is about my man & his love for the game. This year he is in not one league, but two and happy as can be. The only thing that makes him happier is his bride making it to his games. Last weekend was far too crazy for me to make his games (see Mission Possible post). Things lined up for me to make a game of his today, which made his day. I was the proud wife snapping shots of my man at his game.

My man coaching first base.

An outstanding double to right field.


This is how I got to watch the game...just kidding.
We all had a blast.

Funny Conversations

As parents, you will have those funny conversations that just have you in stitches for days. Today it was Hopie's turn to crack us up. I will leave names out to protect the innocent!

Hope: Is that_________?
Papa: No Hope, that isn't__________.
Hope: Well it looks like him.
Papa: It isn't Hope.
Hope: How do you know?
Papa: ______ is not that skinny.
Hope: Papa, are you calling him the "f "word?!
Aaron & I just lose it at this point. Hopie has no idea what she just said.
Papa: No Baby. Papa DID NOT just call ______ the "f" word.

**The "f" word in this dialogue is "fat". Fat is a big word when your first grader is learning to read.
Oh my, what a life! We are so thankful that Hopie has no clue what she said.

Kung Fu Luke

Our Hopie has been taking Tae Kwon Do classes. We have been going in and watching her classes, as a family. Luke has taking a special interest in her classes. He has displayed some very proud kicks for us at home. Well, one day the girls come home from Auntie Keri's and tell me that Luke did TKD on Willie, the wiener dog. NO! Luke wouldn't do that. The boy does no wrong, according to his mama. Sadly, Rob shares with me that he heard Luke jumping and counting one, two, three and a howl from the dog!
We have had a good laugh about Kung Fu Luke!

**No animals were hurt or harmed, in the above mentioned story** :)

Retreat At Joyner Ranch

We have had a rainier season than normal this year. I am NOT complaining, for we need the rain. I do have a mare that would like to file a complaint. With the rain, she hasn't had the exercise she needs and her living quarters just aren't getting a chance to dry up. So she went out to pasture at Joyner Ranch. She has 20+ acres to run on and friends to play with. She is loving it.

Well, we needed a change of scenery one Friday after school. I needed some horse time & to down time with my babies. Even though they are 9,7, & 2, I will probably call them my babies. We headed out to see Pearl at the ranch. It was just what I needed.

Luke loves the new puppies out there. Can I order one of these for the house? He sure loves it at the ranch!

Dangerous Duo in the golf chart!

We are outta here!

Here is my sweetie, Pearl. I dig her!

I went for a walk with my little man. Can you feel my heart swell?

These are precious times!

This was exactly what I needed!

Mission Possible

4th Grade has been amazing. I would admit, my head was spinning when we first started, but we all survived. Abbie's class has been studying the California Missions this year, which included a visit to La Purisima Concepción.

As a family, we constructed La Purisima Concepción. We learned a lot, burned our fingers on the hot glue gun, and had a blast.
School is so much better the second time around. :)

Our Ninja Girl

Aaron & I couldn't resist this shirt for our Hopie.

She is our Ninja Girl!

A Flood of Love

This floods my heart with love every time I see it. I would take having my name in chalk over lights any day of the week. Especially since it was done out of the kindness of a sweet teenage girl at Flood.

A Walk Through The Years

Cootie Conversation

Abbie: I like ______________. ( a boy she knows)
Mama: Abs, boys have cooties, remember?!
Abbie: Well, I have got to hhhaaavvveee me some of those cooties!!!
OUTBURSTS of laughter from the whole van.

I want to know who took my little pumpkin and what have they done to her!