my family's food is better than yours....

okay, that's not very nice. sorry.

--while i am on the sorry subject....i just need to tell you (in case you haven't picked up on this already)....i am extremely sarcastic. i say sorry a lot, but i never mean to hurt anyone's feelings. i hope you're not offended by the fact that i think my family makes the bestest food in the whole wide world!!--

okay....on with it then.....

there are some serious cooks in my fam.

i mean, they really know how to cook. mmm.....

and cook they do!

i am one of those people who "lives to eat"

(not the other way around- like my significant other).

i really wish i didn't enjoy food as much as i do.

anyhow, that's a whole 'nuther post.....

here are some pics of the incredible feast(s) we had on Easter.

oh- one more thing....

not only do we eat brunch together on Easter....

but we wait several hours and then pull out all of the lunch/dinner fixings- for our second meal.

someone suggested that we only do one meal next year...and she's lucky she's still alive.

(someone, you don't fix it if it ain't broke, ya know?)

here's what we had....

brunch menu: ham, eggs newport, fruit, baked french toast, chili cheese souffle, monkey bread

lunch/dinner menu: ham sandwiches, macaroni salad, deviled eggs, fruit

dessert: brownies, banana pudding, angel food cake (with orange zest frosting!), candy, lemon bars, cookies

my little monkey- stealing some grapes!

praying before the meal....

thanking God for family and for sending His ONLY Son to die for our sins!....and to rise again from the dead!! amen!!

i just love this one, 'cause you can see hudson peeking over the counter!

kelz....and her yummy monkey bread....

who invited this guy, anyway??

kari and her kids made these....cute and delicious....

made with funfetti cake mix...and they taste like those lofthouse cookies! uh-may-zing!!

mom and aunt georgia....making some ham sandwiches!

my mom's macaroni salad....yum!

i am thinking there will be feasts like this in heaven??

i always make this....it's called not yo mama's banana pudding!

angel food cake with orange zest frosting (i need the recipe for this one!)

--i will be happy to share recipes with you- upon request!--

--the recipe for the banana pudding is on my blog- in a post from may of 2009,

called a mama's day delight.--

"Full"

our Easter was very "full!"

that's the best word i can come up with to describe it!

my heart felt "full" all day (and my stomach did, too).

my God is so good and He has blessed me beyond measure.

our day with family was incredible and the day was full of moments that i will treasure forever.

we woke the kids up (bright and early)...

looked through their baskets...

ate junky cereal (which i usually don't buy)....

got ready and went to church.

our church service was awesome!

pastor jack (hibbs) had a word from the Lord!

he gave an altar call at the end and many people went forward to accept Christ!

it was amazing!! and so touching!

after church, we headed to my cousin's (bee-you-tee-full) house (photos a comin')....

where we played all day, ate ourselves silly, hunted for eggs, conversed, watch a video that my cousin's hubby had made....and ate ourselves silly some more

(many photos of the food comin' soon, too!).

we said a lot of "He is risen(s)!" and my cousin's daughter told the story of Jesus' death and resurrection to all of the kids- by using resurrection eggs!

the day was full of blessings, food, fellowship, and fun!

i have SO many pics from our day, that i have to do several posts!

i am planning to share some family recipes, too!

for now, here are some photos of my beautiful family and the time that we shared!

one sleepy kid....with his basket.....

happy boys on Easter morn!!!

kristi, kari, kym, aunt georgia, kelly, barb (my mama), madison, gram, aunt gerene.....

"love at first sniff."

the only problem? they are both male dogs!

(tucker, my cousin's dog...and jackson, my parents' dog, met each other for the first time. they played all day and wore each other out.)

justin and kel (and baby girl, due 9/10)

peytie says, "cheeeeeese!"

my cousin's hubby, jason (the man of the house)...

papa and hudson (i love this pic of the two of them!)

pretty ladies....my sis and my cousin (the hostess)

me and my main squeeze....

alexa loves hudson and she's so good with him!

jack and peytie, listening to maddie!

madison told the kids the story of Jesus' death and resurrection....

with resurrection eggs!

peytie found an egg!

...going in for the kill (i mean "egg"...)

...a man on a mission!

smile!

all of the cute kiddos....alexa, jack, maddie, haylee, arianna,

hudson, sam, bryson, and peyton

yum!

aunt kelly gave the boys some silly string! thank you, sister....and just you wait....

good buddies....sammy and bryson

...ready for battle!

my cute cousin, kym....and my special gram!

my handsome cousin, brett....

this is pretty much how we all felt, after our super fun day together!

Brotherly Love

"Whoever loves his brother lives in the light,

and there is nothing in him to make him stumble."

-1 John 2:10-

it's about a Lamb.....

*(warning: this post is one of those randomallovertheplacegooffonatangent posts! and, please forgive me for my elementary ramblings. i am not a deep thinker or an intellect. wish i was, but i am not. things usually sound way better in my head! i just really wanted to put into words some of the thoughts i am having this week. it's long, too- so i commend you, if you make it through the whole thing!)*

"It's about a Lamb, not a bunny."

as Easter approaches, i had to share this little quote that i recently saw. it's so true....for those of us who believe that Jesus suffered and died upon the cross. while it's fun to hunt for eggs and eat a ton of food (my favorite part of any celebration), that is not what Easter is about. Easter is about a Lamb. The Lamb. Jesus was the Lamb that was slain. He was the sacrifice for our sins (john 1:29).

today, many of us will recognize Good Friday, and it has always been strange to me that we call it "good." it doesn't seem "good" that Jesus suffered such a horrible death. it doesn't seem "good" that His beard was plucked out, that a crown of thorns was shoved deeply into His head, or that nails pierced His hands and feet. it doesn't seem "good" that He was so brutally beaten that He was beyond recognizable. and, that's only scratching the surface of what He endured. for me. for you. He died because....

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (john 3:16)

He died because we're worth it. He died because He wants us to be in heaven with Him when our time on this earth is up. He died because He loves YOU. wow. it's hard to fathom, really.

but- it's not enough for us to just believe that there was a Jesus, or that there is a God (god?). the Bible tells us that the devil and his demons believe in Christ (James 2:19). (and, umm.....they are obviously not in heaven.) what i mean when i say that is, we can't just say...."yeah, i believe there's a God"...do nothing with that belief, and expect to live eternally in heaven with Christ someday. isaiah 43:10 says...

"...so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He."

so, what do we do with our belief in Him? we don't just keep it to ourselves. we seek Him, learn His Word, worship Him for who He is. we grow in faith, and in knowledge....and then our belief turns into knowing Him. having a relationship with Him. for those of us who are Christians, it's not about religion. it's about having a relationship with our Creator. the Maker of heaven and earth. our heavenly Father. our Prince of Peace. our King of Kings and Lord of Lords. our Lamb. it's not about a list of "do's" and "don'ts."

hebrews 12:2 says....

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

wow. we are that joy that the verse speaks of! do you consider yourself a "joy?" i often have a hard time when i think of myself as being a "joy" to the Lord. yet, again and again in His Word....that's what He calls us. (you might even say we're His pride and joy!) Jesus delights in us. wow. it's hard to take in.

though we are His joy, we are stinkin'....rotten sinners. we need a Savior. the Savior. not just any Savior. we need Jesus. and He had to die up on that cross, so that He could make a way for us to join Him in heaven. there had to be a sacrifice for our sins. blood had to be shed.

praise God, though, that our Jesus didn't just die and stay dead. He ROSE from the dead. growing up, i went to a church where our pastor always said...."He is risen!" we'd then exclaim, "He is risen, indeed!"

that is something to celebrate!! so, it is "good" that Jesus died for us. He took the place for us. He died for sins that we commit. repeatedly. everyday. all the time. He, who was sinLESS, died in my place. your place. wow.

i am reminded of a song by chris tomlin, called Jesus Messiah. it should be playing for you now. listen to the words and take them in. and, here's the kicker....

He would have died upon the cross, if only for YOU. if you were the only person on the earth, He still would have died. now, that....??....i seriously can't fathom. He loves me that much. He loves you that much.

my God is not dead. on that resurrection sunday, two thousand (+) years ago....women went to the tomb and found it empty!!

luke 24:4-6 says....

"While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, 'Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen!'...."

my Savior, my Redeemer....He lives!! He is alive and He is active.

(the second song on my playlist right now is called my Redeemer lives.)

do you believe in Him? do you know Him? do you know that, if you died today, you'd spend eternity in heaven? have you asked Christ to dwell in your heart? is your life bearing fruit (can others tell?), because of that decision? remember, we can never be good enough. we can't work hard enough. we will fail, time and again. we can't just profess a belief in some god, and then go on about our merry way. nope. it's much deeper than that.

"good" people don't make it to heaven. people who are saved by God's free gift of grace do. all we have to do is say..."yes....i want that gift that You offer, Lord. i want You in my life. forgive me. thank You for dying for me." and then, we let our lives shine brightly for Jesus. we are still going to sin- a lot. we are going to mess up- a lot. but, if we are committed...we will grow closer to Him each day. we will confess our sin and rejoice in the fact that He will "remember it no more" (heb. 8:12). all sin is bad. on a human level, i sometimes feel that certain sins are worse than others....but they're not. Jesus died for all sin. there's nothing we've done (or can/will do) that is too big for Jesus. He will forgive us if we ask. He died for all of the sins we have committed, and all those we have yet to commit. what an amazing God!!

when you've got a Lamb like that, who needs a stinkin' bunny??

so, on this Good Friday, I say to you.....

HAPPY EASTER! HE IS RISEN!! HE IS RISEN, INDEED!!

10 things you may not know

i got this idea from beth moore's blog. (her blog is www.blog.lproof.org) beth is one of my favorite Bible teachers. she is so anointed and i have learned so much through her teachings. praise God. anyway....recently, beth shared ten things about herself on her blog. things that we may not have known about her. quirky things, even. i try really hard to be authentic. transparent. real. but, nonetheless....here are ten things that you may not know...

1. i must (absolutely must) have something on my lips at ALL times. i don't care if it's lipstick, lipgloss, lip balm, or chapstick...but i hate the feeling of nothing on my lips. it makes me crazy. in fact, it's so important that i have something on my lips at all times, that in nearly every room of my house...you can find a hidden lip product of some sort. i also carry at least ten options in my purse, and have four additional choices in a compartment in my car! i am not exaggerating!

2. i have never had broken a bone, or stitches (aside from the "giving birth" type). i did have a butterfly bandage at a young age...but that's it.

3. i love to read. it's my favorite thing to do! i have a shelf full of books that are yet to be read. i can even read several books at one time. i love cute bookmarks, too. yep...i am totally cheesy like that! i have a kindle, which i love....but i also love making trips to the book store! i could spend hours perusing. (and...i refuse to buy a book without a coupon.)

4. i can't stand things being out of order. i make my family crazy, because everything has to be picked up....all the time. however, there are many "junk" drawers in my home. josh calls me a "shover." and, i hate to admit it, but he's right. my counters (and everything that can be seen) need to be clean and orderly....but i am okay with messy drawers. weird.

5. i have several legal addictions. i can't go a day without a diet coke. i pretty much eat frozen yogurt everyday. i am a total fast-food junkie (del taco's bean and cheese burritos are at the top of my list). i go through certain "kicks," or phases. right now, they happen to be homemade granola and sweet tarts (not together!).

6. i have self-diagnosed ocd (obsessive-compulsive disorder). i don't take medicine for it. maybe i should. ha. well, at least that explains numbers 1, 4, 5, and 8.

7. i hate spending money on gift bags. i don't re-gift, but you can bet i re-bag! aside from the 99 cent- set of two- bags i bought today....i can't remember the last time i purchased a bag.

8. i shower twice a day. what? i like to be clean. is that a problem? well, my parents thought so, when i lived at home. they wanted me to see a shrink. i can tell you what the shrink would have said....."she has ocd."

9. i have a thing for pens. i have a certain kind i like to use, but i enjoy buying and trying out different ones. i like markers, pencils, erasers, cute pencil cases, and flowery journals, too! did i stop maturing in high school, or what?

10. i am a lefty. i hate my writing, but i am somewhat of a perfectionist. i carry correction tape in my cute pencil cases and in my Bibles. i am constantly using the tape to cover up the ugly writing. in fifth grade, i won the "pen and quill" contest in my class at school...and got to compete against lots of other students from the same district. i didn't win.

well, there you have it. my ten. what have you learned??

a) i'm pretty boring

b) i'm pretty quirky

c) i'm pretty sarcastic :)

d) i'm pretty clean

e) all of the above

what are your ten? do share. i am very insecure (#11, maybe?!) and your quirks may help me to feel a bit more normal?! ha ha....

Fun With Friends....In The Snow!

Our friends (the Green's) asked us to join them for a fun weekend in Green Valley Lake. Their son, Nathan, is one of Bryson's best friends! The boys were in the same Kinder class together and now they are together again...in first grade! The Green's go to church with us and Michele (the mommy) and I are in Bible study together. Our friendship sparked last summer, and it's been really cool to get to know them!! We go to lunch with the Green's just about every Sunday after church and the kids all have a blast playing together while the adults chat! Nathan turns eight this week, so the trip was a fun way to help celebrate his birthday!

This past weekend, we stayed at the cabin together...and ate, relaxed, went tubing at Big Bear's Snow Play, sat by the fire, read, had pizza at a great, little place in Big Bear, sang to the cute birthday boy, stopped for a malt at a tiny malt shop in Green Valley Lake, went sledding, practiced snowboarding....and the list goes on. We had such a blast and it was over too quickly!!

This picture looks like a CD cover to me. Not sure why...??

Michele and Emma....

...going up the escalator with my boy!

...waiting in line....to go down!

This was such a fun day....as a family and with friends!!

Josh and I are plotting to steal this one and bring her home!

Bryson went down the slope and didn't get a chance to move out of the way, before Josh sent Hudson and I down. Hudson and I crashed right into B, and we all flew out of our tubes. I landed on top of Hudson and B was okay, but shaken up. His face got scraped up and I think the wind got knocked out of Hudson....but overall, we were okay. Thank God.

Bryson felt like it was his fault, for not moving out of the way. He was sad for a little while...

...Emma all cute and smiley and Hudson...still upset from the crash!

Happy again...and taking a breather!

Nathan had tons of fun!

Mommy and her boys!

Our happy family!

Hudson found a huge pine cone!

And the next day.....

My boys, making the trek to the top of the hill!

Nathan....and the cabin (in the background)!!

...my feeble attempt at being artsy!

100% pure cuteness!

This boy loves "all things snow."

....getting ready for a run down the hill.....

....love me a man who can board!

Poor Michele....getting her jeans all wet....but making good on her promise to build a snowman!

I want to snack on those cheeks...

A snow-girl!

Emma and the snowman.....

I didn't take any snow gear for myself, so I wore Josh's shoes. My tennis shoes were still soaked through from tubing the day before.....

...the birthday boy on his board!

Josh went sledding with Emma and Hudson....

Smile for mom!

....it was very bright out!....and B is sportin' his wound from our crash the day before!

....love those lashes!

B had a blast!!

(I am feeling really bad that there are no pics of Steve on here! He helped Bryson snowboard and he helped with the snowman...and I didn't get any close ups of him! Sorry, Steve! He doesn't like to be the center of attention, so I am sure he won't be heartbroken....but still....)