CHEESE!

It seems like EVERY Sunday morning, we are rushing to get to church on time. So, when we make it at least 10 minutes before service starts, we know it's going to be a good day!

Just like yesterday morning, the kids were up by 7am, showered, and ready to leave the house by 9:25! We had a friend come to church with us for their first time, so we had to meet her by 9:30 so she could follow us there.

Since we had time to kill, I heard my husband telling the kids that he was going to take their picture since they were all ready. I had it on the wrong setting (again), so they came out kinda blurry. But, I think they still look adorable!

"Say CHEESE!!"


"Now make a funny face!" Look at the way Mocha is looking at Veronica. She thinks she's lost her mind!

SCRIPTURE SUNDAY

On Sundays, I usually post something random. But, besides doing that, I decided I will share a scripture with you all. I pray that it will be a blessing to whoever reads it!

"In my Father's house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." -John 14:2

S'MORES ANYONE?

Did any of you brave the crowds for Black Friday?

I'm totally not a shopper, so the idea of shopping in a massive crowd has zero appeal to me.

Instead, the kids and I relaxed, and when my husband came home from work, he lit a fire. It was so cozy, and the kids were excited! It was our first fire this year.

We were going to do s'mores the old fashion way, but we didn't have the sticks for the marshmallows. I guess we could have just used regular sticks, but oh well. I just lined them up on a cookie sheet and put 'em in the oven. Look at that yummy goodness!! And yes, the chocolate melted on the warm marshmallows.

Mmm..mmmm!

FRIDAY PHOTO FLASHBACK

I started "Friday Photo Flashback" because I have so many pictures from my PRE-digital camera days. I thought it would be fun to scan them and share them here with you. I'm having so much fun doing this, that I would love for you to join me, too! So dig out the photo albums and put your scanner to good use! Don't forget to sign in to MckLinky so we can all visit and comment on each others blogs!

October 2001

I just had to share another Hawaii picture. We loved it there, and it really is the best place to raise kids. The people there are always so friendly, and everyone is "auntie" or "uncle."

This is Eli when he was 16 months old, just sitting there without a care in the world. Isn't the sky and ocean just gorgeous? The beach water always feels like you're walking into a warm bath.

Heaven on earth.

THANKFUL THURSDAY-THANKSGIVING

Today I'm linking up with Sonya @ Truth 4 The Journey for "Thankful Thursday." All you need to do is list five things that you're thankful for this week! If you want to participate, just visit her blog and link up!

What better day to do a Thankful Thursday, than on Thanksgiving! I hope you are all having a wonderful Thanksgiving with your loved ones. Even those who's loved ones may be far away, I hope you know that with Jesus, you will never be alone.

I am thankful for every breath that I have. Each one is a blessing!

I am thankful for my husband and children.

I am thankful for laughter.

I am thankful for peace that surpasses all understanding.

I am thankful that I serve a mighty and faithful God.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."-James 1:17

WORDFUL WEDNESDAY

Soccer tournament this past weekend.

5 kids=12 games total

It was cold!! Look at the hills.


Resting in between soccer games...

Be sure to visit 7 Clown Circus for Wordful Wednesday

OUT WITH THE OLD & IN WITH THE NEW

We've had our couch/sectional for a little over eight years. We purchased it when we lived in Hawaii in 2001. We loved that couch. It was so comfy. Everyone who sat on it never wanted to get up. It was one of those couches that sucked you in.

In the past year and a half, it got more than enough use. With the home fellowship, and numerous people sitting on it at one time, it's had alot of wear and tear. It was so bad, that on one part, the support under the cushions broke. Whoever sat on that part (which for some reason everyone did), it would sink more and more.

My poor couch.

Last year, we were thinking about buying a new sectional, but we thought we'd wait another year since there were other things that were more important at the time.

Well, I guess God felt that it was important NOW.

A friend of ours called my husband and I, and said that they wanted to bless us with a new couch. They felt that the Lord put it on their heart to bless us since ours was literally on it's last leg. Of course, we were like, "What, really??" They told us they had been looking online, and found some that they thought we would like. Sure enough, I loved it right away, and chose the color I wanted.

This was last Tuesday, and the couch arrived on Friday. That quick! Talk about a blessing. We love it, and are so thankful for it as well. They told us to consider this a love offering, and let me tell you, we feel the love!!

The amazing thing is that my husband was praying THAT DAY about a new couch. I don't remember what his prayer was exactly, but I know it wasn't, "Lord I hope we get one today and I hope someone blesses us with one." I think it was just more along the lines that we would be able to get a new couch soon.

Gods timing is always perfect!!

I HEART CHILI'S

Last weekend, (during the Womens Retreat), my friends and I decided to skip the lunch that they were serving and head on over to Chili's. I was craving for a burger, so I was totally content to be going over there.

I wanted to add this to my retreat post, but I thought it would totally take away from the purpose of it.

I couldn't just let these pictures sit in my computer though, so I thought I'd share them here with you guys!

This is the Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip. Doesn't that look yummy?

Their famous Chicken Crispers. These are so light and crunchy.


This was my Mushroom Burger with American Cheese. I don't care for Swiss, so I always substitute. I was only able to eat half of this because I was full from the chips & salsa we had as our appetizer. Oh, but I did finish it that night in my room!


These are the Crispy Chicken Crisper Tacos, and they were so cute wrapped in the mini corn tortillas. My friend had no problem finishing off this plate. Do you blame her?


Hungry?

I am!

SCRIPTURE SUNDAY

On Sundays, I usually post something random. But, besides doing that, I decided I will share a scripture with you all. I pray that it will be a blessing to whoever reads it!

"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever."-Psalm 118:1

FALL SOCCER...CHECK!

This is the last weekend for soccer. All my kids are playing their tournament games this weekend. At least 10 games total. I say at least because my older kids team may make it to the championship and play a 3rd game on Sunday.

I don't know if I mentioned this before, but my oldest daughter plays on my oldest sons soccer team.

And yes, she's the only girl on the team.

Typically, after 10 years old, the teams are no longer co-ed. But, it's not against the rules if you want to put your daughter on an all boys team (which usually doesn't happen anyway). Or, can you imagine a boy on an all girl team? Heehee.

Actually, this team was originally hers when my husband started coaching it when she was 5 years old! Some of the boys are still on the team from when they were that young.

So, I wasn't surprised when she changed her mind at the last minute, and wanted to be on the team this year. It could be a comfort factor since daddy is the coach, but don't get me wrong, she has to play just as hard as the boys, and do everything they do.

Yes, there are times she slacks, but when she's got her game face on, she's GOT GAME! In fact, out of all the boys, she's the second fastest runner, and the fastest boy is an actual "runner."

She cracks me up because she could be girly, and yet be just "one of the boys."

She's definitely not a push over, and the boys don't dare disrespect her. Not just because she is the coaches daughter, but because that is one of the rules my husband laid out right at the beginning. They are not allowed to tease or discourage each other. He demands they respect one another, and foul language is not allowed. He has a great team, the moral is always up, and they do not play dirty. All he wants from them is to have a good time, and they do. I know my husband is proud of his team, and they are always 1st or 2nd place at the tournaments, in Division 1 (yah, baby)!

This is her soccer picture for the year, and I love it. I think it came out great with her hair blowing in the wind. That's the "girly" side of her.

But, look below to the team photo (she is in the middle row, third from the left). She's easy to spot since she's the only girl. My son, Isaiah is standing up right behind her, and my husband is in her row on the far left, kneeling down.

Look at her expression!!! Such a contrast from her indiviual shot!

That's my gurrrlll!!

FRIDAY PHOTO FLASHBACK

I started "Friday Photo Flashback" because I have so many pictures from my PRE-digital camera days. I thought it would be fun to scan them and share them here with you. I'm having so much fun doing this, that I would love for you to join me, too! So dig out the photo albums and put your scanner to good use! Don't forget to sign in to MckLinky so we can all visit and comment on each others blogs!

1979

When I look at this picture, I remember that I hated wearing that dress! Plus, with the "boy" haircut, the last thing I felt was feminine. I was 10 years old at the time, and this was the morning of my First Communion.

Another weird detail that I recall was the carpet in our home. Those of you that grew up in the 70's probably remember having "shag carpet."

34/52 PICTURES OF ME

I'm participating in a year long challenge, created by Carin at Forever In Blue Jeans. The goal is to be in one picture a week, for 52 weeks. Since us moms are always behind the camera, this gives us a chance to get out in front and be in the pictures with our family. So, click here if you want to join in on the fun!

This was last Saturday afternoon at Chili's! We were on our lunch break at the Womens Retreat. Margie and Christina were two of my roomies.

WORDFUL WEDNESDAY

I love this picture that my husband took with his cell phone. This is so typical of my two younger boys...fun and laughter...

Be sure to visit 7 Clown Circus for Wordful Wednesday

SWEET RETREAT

My church had their Womens Retreat this past weekend, and I was so blessed to have been able to go. Jesus met us there and let me tell you, He did a work in our hearts!! If you've never been to one, I want to encourage you to go. It's such a wonderful time to be refreshed in the Lord, and to be away from the distractions at home.

I was so glad to have had three of my friends be my "roomies." I think that makes a HUGE difference at a retreat. I was prepared to whoever they had me in a room with, but was so thankful that I was in a room with my good friends.

On the way there, my friend had to pull over twice because I was getting car sick. Yes, I'm that sensitive to other peoples driving. We got there Friday afternoon, and we were able to relax in our room before dinner.

The weather was GORGEOUS, and surprisingly I hardly took ANY pictures! The beach was literally our backyard, but we didn't go there at all. During our six hour break on Saturday, we all dedicated an hour to ourselves with the Lord, and then we drove to Chili's for lunch, and headed over to the movies to see 2012. Great movie by the way! After the Saturday evening message, we went back to our room and played a competitive game of Pictionary!

After the Sunday morning session, we checked out of the room and headed home. I was so excited to see my family. I missed them so much! My husband did an awesome job with the kids, and they even made it to the first service at church!

Here's the view from our parking lot. There were many different buildings, but our room was behind that building on the left.

This was the dining area where all the meals were served.

This is what we had for dinner that first night. The salmon was so moist! It melted in your mouth.

Another view of Asilomar


Pam, Christina, and Mary. The two women on the right were my roomies.

This was the building we all met at to listen to the special speakers.

This deer was so close. It was literally next to the passenger side of the car. It didn't flinch at all when we were next to it. I was actually scared it was going to try to jump in the car!

I'm looking forward to the next retreat!!

15 MINUTE MEAL

If you are a Costco (or even Sam's Club) shopper, I know you must love the free samples just as much as I do.

If you go at the right time, you can have dinner and dessert while you're there.

I went there a couple of weeks ago and one of the samples was the seven cheese tortellini.

I've bought it before, but I've always used a marinara of pesto sauce with it. The sample lady used something much simpler and tastier (in my opinion).

Shredded parmigiano reggiano and olive oil.

My daughter kept going back for seconds and thirds, so I decided to buy some for ourselves.

The pasta was $2.00 off, so that was a score!!

This was all I needed!


Done in less than 15 minutes. I add the fresh spinach just for color.


So yummy!

SCRIPTURE SUNDAY

On Sundays, I usually post something random. Besides doing that, I decided I will share a scripture with you all. I pray that it will be a blessing to whoever reads it!

"Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.

Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits."-Romans 12:14-16

PHO'...PRONOUNCED "PHU"

Pho' (pronounced Phu), is a Vietnamese soup that is comfort food to my husband and my boys. There are many Pho' restaurants around, but the one they prefer to go to is near our house. It is also one of the more popular ones due to their quality of food and service.

I'm sure many of you have never tried it, but if you have, I'm sure you would love it. With the rice noodles, you have a choice of either thinly sliced beef brisket, pork, or white chicken breast. It's also served with lime, basil, bean sprouts, and peppers that you can add into the soup. There's additional sauces you can add to it as well if you want to make it spicy.

It's fairly inexpensive for the amount of soup that you get, and it is very hearty. I prefer the rice dishes myself, and everything is fresh and light.

A few of us went to eat Pho' after church last week, and a couple of our friends have never tried it.

Well, let's just say that they are now Pho' fans!

This is the name of the restaurant. I took a picture of the menu cover.

I always get #24. You can see that it is not expensive at all. I chose rice instead of noodles.


Danny and Easton playing thumb wars!


Ryan and Eli doing the same thing.

Carmen (on the left) is a Pho' veteran, and this was Pat's first time. Her husband used to eat this all the time.

The basil, sprouts, and peppers that you can add in the soup.

This has the combination of beef brisket & pork. I should have taken a better picture, but the white thing you see there are the noodles.

My #24! The pork is over a bed of fresh lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, and daikon. The bowl on the bottom is fish sauce with chopped vegetables in it. You pour it over the rice and meat. Delicious!

This is the white meat chicken & rice plate.

Here is my husband preparing Veronica & Danny's noodles. They shared that big bowl. Gotta love her expression here. I think she was upset because she was waiting for her Sprite.

And, one more close up of my plate. Now I'm craving for this again!

FRIDAY PHOTO FLASHBACK

I started "Friday Photo Flashback" because I have so many pictures from my PRE-digital camera days. I thought it would be fun to scan them and share them here with you. I'm having so much fun doing this, that I would love for you to join me, too! So dig out the photo albums and put your scanner to good use! Don't forget to sign in to MckLinky so we can all visit and comment on each others blogs!

November 8, 2001

This picture is almost exactly 8 years ago that we moved back to California, from Hawaii.

The night before we moved, we went to dinner with my sister and her family, my mom, and a mutual friend (who is in the picture below).

We all talked, looked at pictures from the time we were there, sang worship songs, cried, laughed, and cried some more.

To say it was an emotional night is an understatement.

My sister and I have always been close, but when we lived there for those eight months, our bond got even stronger, and the same went for our kids. You can imagine how sad we all were to be moving back even though God closed the door on our time living there, and opened every door for us to come back.

But, before I sound too depressing, my sister and her family travel to California frequently so we see them at least twice a year. Her husbands family is from here too.

So, back to this night.

It was getting pretty late and we had to be up really early to get to the airport. But, before we left, we all prayed together, and our friend Tony wanted to pray with the kids as well. So, this picture is of him with three of the kids. My other nephew was already sleeping by this time. If you look on the far left, you can see Eli cruising around, Isaiah is on the left, Miranda in the middle, and my nephew Joshua on the right.

It was a very special evening...

33/52 PICTURES OF ME

I'm participating in a year long challenge, created by Carin at Forever In Blue Jeans. The goal is to be in one picture a week, for 52 weeks. Since us moms are always behind the camera, this gives us a chance to get out in front and be in the pictures with our family. So, click here if you want to join in on the fun!

This is the night of the Father Daughter Princess Ball in September.

My girlfriends and I went to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner.

We had about a 45 minute wait for our table so we decided to go into the mall and walk around. We went into a beauty supply store and started playing around with the makeup. They thought it would be fun to put eyeshadow on me since I never wear it. If I knew how to put it on the right way, I would totally wear it!

Here I am with one of my good friends, Erica. She's going to be one of my roomies at the Womens Retreat this weekend!