Ella

Today is a very special day! Our sweet Ella is 2 today!!
I can't even express the JOY she has filled our lives with from her smile that just lights up the room to her sweet kisses we love her sooo much. She is so funny right now just learning to talk, everytime we mention birthday she says "Elmo" - yes she is having an Elmo party and she is slightly obsessed.


I suppposed to post this on Friday,but I could not put into words all the emotion I was feeling at the time. On April 27, 2005 Caleb, unborn Ella, and I were in a near fatal car accident. Looking back over the last 2 years I can't imagine the joy our lives would have lost if God had not protected that little girl. The doctors said she should not have lived, every time I think of that my heart just sinks. The other amazing thing is that she protected me, the doctors said if I had not been pregnant I probable would not have lived that she helped cushion me internally. Wow God is amazing in how he works.

I know some people might ask so why did God put you through all that? I can tell you jsut a few:

1)Life is short and we should live every day because right now might be our last moment
2)All the "things" we think are important are truly not
3) Life is a precisous gift from God and we should not waste it, but for the Grace of God not one of us would be here today

And with all of that said Thank God we are all well and good today and our sweet girl is now 2. I thank God for all the blessings in my life!

How our garden grows

Our roses are in full bloom and how beautiful they are! This morning when I got out of the car all I could smell was rose and it made me smile. Their beauty and fragrance bring me such JOY, I quickly cut a handful and brought them inside to brighten the house. I realized once again it is the simple pleasures in life that bring me the most joy.

Life Lessons

Life is all about learning, and how can we learn if we never try? We never stop learning from the moment we are born to the day we die the lessons are just different, it is this journey called Life!

Some lessons are big life defining ones and others seem less significant but all the same useful. For example Ella(my almost 2yr old) just learned day old Cheerios from under the table are not nearly as good as those out of the box! I imagine this lesson will be repeated as she eyeballs one in the trashcan beside me.

So today learn your lessons well lest you should have to eat out of the TRASH!

Just in case you all are not up on happenings in the technology world, the Apple store opened at the Summit on Saturday. YES my husband got up and was out of the house by 8:15 to stand in line for this event. I thought they would be the only ones there but boy was I wrong! Dano said about 300+ were there. It was an exciting time for the computer world...and I got a T-shirt :)

Dano and Jimmy at the Apple Store Grand Opening

Martha VS Maxine

Martha's Way*
Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.

*Maxine's Way *
Just suck the ice cream out of the bottom of the cone, for Pete's sake! You are probably lying on the couch with your feet up eating it, anyway!

To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.

Buy Hungry Jack mashed potato mix, keep it in the pantry for up to a year.

When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won't be any white mess on the outside of the cake.

Go to the bakery! They'll even decorate it for you.

If you accidentally oversalt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the excess salt for an instant "fix-me-up."

If you oversalt a dish while you are cooking, that's too bad.
Please recite with me the real woman's motto: "I made it and you will eat it and I don't care how bad it tastes!"

Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.

Celery? ? ?Never heard of it!

Brush some beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.

The Mrs. Smith frozen pie directions do not include brushing egg whites over the crust so I don't.

Cure for headaches: take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.

Take a lime, mix it with tequila, chill and drink!

If you have a problem opening jars, try using latex dishwashing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.

Go ask that very cute neighbor if he can open it for you.

Don't throw out all that leftover wine. Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.

Leftover wine???????????
HELLO !!!!!!!

Don't stress yourself out with all the things you "should" do...just do the things you can do there may always be a better way, but we can't all be Martha!

getting started

Ok bear with me this is all new to me.
For my first post let me start with a funny story about my son Caleb

One Sunday mornining Caleb's sunday school teacher came to me she said "I have to tell you what Caleb said"

I got a little nervious never knowing what a 4 year old will say

She went on...While teaching about creation she asked"can you think of anything God did not make?"

Caleb raised his hand "Yes Caleb"

Caleb..."God did not make my bed this morning and neither did I"

I laughed sooo hard