Joy To The World

Recently I was reading about feelings.Feelings are like our relational compass. Indicators of the direction that our relationships are going. Signals that something is good or something is bad.

Joy is a feeling. It's a gooooood feeling. A reallly good feeling.

That being said, I want to share with you all a few glimpses into a day that filled my heart with joy and my house with laughter, shouting and good food. Incidentally, did you know that nearly every use of the word joy or one of its derivatives in the Bible is used in conjunction with singing, shouting or feasting?

We feasted, shouted, giggled, sang and shared the Joy, Joy, Joy we had deep in our hearts.

Let me show you what I mean.

There's joy in them thar eyes, I tell ya.

Brown-eyed Lacy Lou. She's got it. Joy. And best of all, she shares it. Just look at that grin.

Us girls, we decided to hang out and play a board game and watch some Disney TV.

Because nothing brings joy to your heart quite like the music and dance of Hannah Montanna and the sweet giggles of your opponent failing to get the Clue's worked out just right and knowing your going to whip her tail.

But, those boys. Well, they decided to fill the house with loud shouts of joy and jubilation like "Smoked ya!'" and "Oh Snap!" and "Dude!" and "Imma let you have that one!"

along with deep belly laughs, grunts, and other bodily noises that I won't mention on here. Because they are just gross.

After a little game and song and dance time, us girls headed to the kitchen. A place we love to go.

Don't let these faces fool you. They have not lost their joy. Just perplexed at the fact that I don't just buy cookie dough at the store, but make it.

They are starting to recognize the dough now. Joy at the thought of warm, chocolate cookies starts to enter their little minds and smiles creep across their faces soon.

Or it could be that she has the equivalent of one of her dad's power tools in her hand right there. Well, almost the equivalent. Mines a little old and weak. But, you know what I mean. Using an electric mixer can make you feel powerful and joyful all at the same time.

By the time the cookies went in the oven, it was time for this old lady to find some joy in a little quiet time. What to do? Oh, I know. Banish the kids to the outdoors. Yes!

In my quiet time I cleaned the cookie mess and made a new mess cooking dinner. I find it pure joy to cook and clean. I'm just weird like that.

It wasn't long before the call of electronics lured the kids back inside and my quiet time came to an end. But, dinner was ready. Hip, hip horray for a feast!

Boys. Boys! BOYS!! Griffin?! Ty?! Gabe?! Hey- is anyone listening? ANYONE?!

Dinner is ready PEOPLE! Come to the table. Now.

That did it. The mention of food and their focus of joy in electronics shifted rapidly to the joy that growing pre-teen boys find in food.

Notice the nearly clean plates and empty glasses. Boys are so much better at being adventerous eaters than girls. I speak from personal experience.

Griffin, still hungry? Would you like a little salt and pepper on those fingers? Don't forget we have cookies for dessert.

Not so much on the clean plates here. But, full of joy none the less.

Look at that gopher smile. We have a song that goes with that smile and it goes like this.

We are the gopher-girls.

We really go-for guys.

But, they don't go-for us.

We wonder why?

Phhh-Phhh, Phhh-Phhh

(sound made by using that exact face above)

Guys really won't have any trouble going for these girls one day. Even if they eat like birds. Because they are full of joy and share it freely!

This last Sunday at church, Gary Thomas was in and talked about Pure Pleasure, which happens to be the title of a new book he has out. It was a great message and I can't wait to read the book. What stuck with me most is that sometimes we get so hell-bent (yes, I said that) on filtering our lives as Christians that miss oppurtunities to take pleasure and find joy in our lives.

What pure pleasures have you enjoyed lately? How have you experienced joy in your relationships? Share with me, because I'd really like to hear. It would make my day.

All I Want For Christmas...

...is my fwo fronf feeph. My fwo fronf feeph.....

Really, I need just one. But, I'm putting it off until after Christmas. It's hardly noticable and it's been months since that granola bar got the best of me. Yes, you heard that right. A granola bar and I went to battle and it won. Chipped a chunk off my already partially artificial front tooth. I'm feeling a little vulnerable right now after revealing that. Please be gentle with me.

Back to the topic at hand.

All I want for Christmas is....

1. Nike + iPod because I want to Rock and Run. Doesn't everybody?

2. Empty Bottle Moments because they are my favorite. And if you find a little time to throw in with that, I'd really appreciate it.

3. Road ID because if I was to be flattened out like a pancake by some speed demon car one night when I was out after dark, at least I'd look fashionable. Especially with the green, purple or red band.

4. Dutch Oven and Iron Skillet because no girl's kitchen is complete without them.

5. MK's Bold Berry Mineral Blush because my cheeks have just been sad since I ran out.

6. Chi Jumbo Round Brush because mine broke in two pieces a year ago and we battle every morning. I used to win, but more often than not that dang brush is winning these days.

7. Dainty little earrings just because I love them so. There are many things on this site I love, but I love the idea of adorning my ears with dangling little mother of pearl pieces. It's the simple things, you know? Too bad they wouldn't be in in time for Christmas.

8. Ruffled Slippers because we've had snow already this winter and it's bound to be the coldest winter yet. My toes just want to stay warm. But, looking cute is a bonus.

9. A little pampering for the feet because I can count on two fingers the number of pedicures I've had this year. Some sweet nail tech really has their work cut out for them when I walk through the door next.

10. Movies, movies, movies because a person can never have a large enough collection of shows worthy of replaying over and over.

I'm calling it quits here. Not because I'm out of items on my wish list. Don't we all have a bit of a running list of wants and desires?  But, because I'm ehausted from spending the last two nights staying up late doing domestic chores. Chores I've been putting off since last week until after Griffin went to bed because we were having so much fun going to Christmas parties, concerts, working on a puzzle, cooking together, and just spending some quality time together.

THAT is the number one thing on my list. Making memories with my kiddo this Holiday season. As much as possible, I'm keeping the stress to a minimum. Sometimes that means spending a little more time with him and his infectious smile. Other times, it means taking a break from him to re-group so that I can be in a better place when we do spend quality time together. All you parents of pre-teens know what I'm talking about.

What about you? Tell me what's on your wish list for this season?

Off I go now to dream sweet dreams of sugar plum fairies.

'Night all,

Silent Night

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

Apparently there is this annual blog Christmas tradition of challenging bloggers to write posts December 7-20 titled with the name of a song each day. I've heard It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year.
But, here is the deal. We have get one thing straight first. I'm not promising anything. Nope. There is no commitment here. But, I'll o my best to keep up with the others participating in the challenge. Especially since my friend here was the one I heard about the challenge from and she is willing to embark and hasn't posted in 5 months. But, she's been a little busy. I'll forgive her. This time.

On with the challenge.

A snowstorm hit Houston on Friday and the whole city came to a screeching hault.

It was like a white wonderland. Or as close as this part of the South will ever see.

All these cars and me were headed home. Due to the fact that schools and business closed across the city. Weather reports called for 1-4 inches of snow and a night of freezing temperatures.

But the kids were thrilled. Filled with joy. Full of laughter. And wet from head to toe. My laundry this week tripled in size due to the number of times Griffin changed clothes in the span of about 4 hours the snow was available for play.

Lucky for me, I got home just in time to see the blue skies again. But, I'm not complaining. An afternoon off with a fireplace, laughing wet kids running around, and a tasty glass of red wine made for a perfect ending to the week.

I was thrilled the next morning to still find a little of the white stuff hanging around.

Is it too much to ask for two snows in one winter season? I mean, we have now had two in two years. Since it was a balmy, muggy 67 degrees today, I guess it might be pushing it. Just a little.

Hope you all get to enjoy a little (or a lot for you true Northerner's) of snow in your neck of the woods this season.

The Dontwannas

I'm coming down with a bad case of the dontwannas. They are coming on because of this.

It may not look like much to you. But there is snow in them there clouds my friends. Little specs of pink mixed in that orange and a whole lotta white and pink coming behind it. Check it out.

Now, all yous guys from them Northern parts known as Canada that might be visiting on this site and think that's nothing more than a drop in the bucket. But, we folks here in Texas. Well, we beg to differ.

Check out some of the excitement going on in town here.

Just this morning I heard on the news that in the history of recorded weather patters, this is the 34th snowfall to ever bless the Houston area! And, this makes two years in a row of snow in December. What's all this noise I keep hearing about Global Warming? Somebody must be confused about something.

For now, I'm stuck indoors. Itchin' to get out and home to take some pictures of Griffin in the snow. Hopefully, it won't all be melted before that happens and I can share some of the joy with you all.

In the mean time my dontwannas are kickin' up a notch. My feet are ancy and I have a hard time sitting in my chair for more than 5 minutes without moving around a little. I'm totally distracted by the nearby window. Tunes of Let It Snow and White Christmas keep playing over and over in my head.

Alright. Enough of the whining. I'm heading back to the land of cubicles and spreadsheets. Hopefully, my dontwannas will subside enough to have a couple of productive hours today.

Have fun friends. Stay safe and warm.

Easy Cheesy

Hellooooo friends.

I've got a tasty treat for you. So tasty in fact, it gets two thumbs up.

Cheesy? Nahh...just wait until you see what's coming up.

Now, this is cheesy. Cheesy, easy, and a crowd pleasing. You just can't go wrong.

Smoked Gouda Sausage Bell Pepper Breakfast Casserole

1/4 to 1/2 loaf of dried french bread

6 eggs

2 cups of milk

1 tsp dry mustard

1/2-1 lb breakfast sausage

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup of chopped red bell pepper

1 1/2 cups of grated smoked gouda cheese

Mmm... my mouth is watering already. Let me hurry and tell you how to throw this thing together so we can get on with dinner. Or breakfast. Or lunch. Or brunch. Or just whatever meal works best for you.

Tear up the bread into small pieces and layer in a casserole dish. Brown the sausage, onions and bell pepper. I added the veggies toward the end of the browning process because I like them a little crispier in this dish for the texture. I am a texture girl. Too much mush is not a good thing for me.

Add the sausage and veggies on top of the bread. Mix the remaining ingredients, saving 1/2 cup of cheese to top the dish. Pour the egg mixture over the bread and sausage. Top with the remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes.

One more look. These pictures really don't do it justice. The Gouda makes it mouth watering good. You could use boring old cheddar. And normally, I would. But, I threw my frugal caution to the wind when I was shopping and standing over the cheese case. And I am so thankful that I did. My tastebuds thanked me too.

Be prepared for clean plates and big hugs after this meal.

Who doesn't love breakfast meals? Even Ribbon enjoyed the leftovers.

Christmas Glee

Oh how I wish there was a great choreographed routine to watch. But alas, you'll just have to settle for some fab voices and an awsome Christmas tune.


Enjoy,