Friday Favorites: Blogs (again)

I think I listed some blogs on a Friday Favorite another time, but there are always more blogs to find and I have two new favorites. They aren't actually "new" blogs, but I just started reading them lately, so they are new to me.

The first one I found was Big Mama, written by Melanie Shankle. She had just written a book called Sparkly Green Earrings and I bought an e-book version and loved it. In fact, it might have been my very first e-book to read on my Nexus 7. I quickly discovered her blog, too, and it's just fun to read about her life with her nine-year-old daughter and their family's lives in San Antonio, TX.

Then from the Big Mama blog, I found her friend, Boo Mama, a.k.a. Sophie Hudson. She has also recently published a book, too, called A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet, but I don't have it yet (waiting for Amazon or Google to make it a "deal"). I look forward to reading her book about her life growing up in Mississippi because I enjoy reading her blog.

These women are friends in real life (as opposed to the blog life) and also do occasional podcasts that are fun to listen to. Imagine just eavesdropping on a couple of friends having coffee and that's what the podcast is. Except that these friends have funny stories, not just boring lives that they are whining about. It's fun to listen to while I'm doing something else (walking, making cards, cleaning).

So, there you have it. Two of my most recent favorite blogs! Hope you're having a Happy Friday!

Mary Lane is Three!

This sweet little bee is turning three today! 

She is the best kind of bee. She doesn't sting and is as sweet as honey!

She loves to dress up in her "ballerina suit" or in a princess dress or this cute bee outfit. 

She most often puts her shoes on the wrong feet, but doesn't seem to mind a bit.

She likes to try to keep up with her big sister and likes to show us things that she can do.

She has a adventurous side, maybe even a little daring, and loves to jump from the ottoman to the couch or other similar antics that make her mother gasp.

She has a mischievous side to her and can get a cute, impish grin on her face when she knows that you know she is doing something that she shouldn't be doing (like sliding down in her chair while sitting at the dinner table).

She loves her sister and her mommy and daddy and if one of them isn't around her, will say, "Where's _____?"

Mary Lane is turning three and I am so thankful that God put her in our family!

Honduras Mission Trip

 The team of 12 youth and 3 adults from Grace Community Church left early this morning to go to Honduras to work at La Providencia orphanage. We got word that they arrived safely in San Pedro Sula (flight destination) and have probably by now arrived in Aguas del Padre where the orphanage is located.

If you are interested in following their trip, click here.

While I have had some anxiety about Daniel going on this trip, most of the reasons were based on my fear, not reality. What I take comfort in knowing is that God is with them wherever they go (Gen. 28:15) and that there is no place that they can go from His Spirit (Psalm 139:7-10). God provided everything Daniel needed financially to go on this trip, another assurance to my heart that He is with Daniel and I am thankful to those who helped make it possible for him to go.

As you know, my son has a fun sense of humor and there is apparently an inside joke among the team about some Spanish phrases that they know. Late last night when we were finishing up his packing, Daniel agreed to pose with his bags to give a visual to the phrase, "No mas pantalones."

My sister wanted to know if he had packed all his pants in his suitcase! Also it should be noted that the hat was purchased for the trip, but after some of Daniel's friends saw his hat a couple of days prior to leaving, Daniel decided that a baseball cap would work just fine to shield him from the sun. I'll be returning the safari hat to Walmart soon!

Eighteen

Photo taken on Mother's Day 2013

 
An open letter to my son on his eighteenth birthday:

Dear Daniel,

When I first held you eighteen years ago, there was no way that I could know how much joy and love and pride I would feel for you throughout the coming years. I had no clue what I was doing as the mom of a boy, since I didn't have any brothers. Thankfully, you gave me lots of grace and still do! As I held you in my arms, I had no idea that you would develop such a passion and love for playing the drums, although I began to see that early on when you began drumming on anything and everything to make your preferred choice of music.

Now that you are reaching an important milestone in your life, one of many happening this year, I want you to know that I am proud of the man you are becoming. I love spending time with you, just hanging out and watching shows on Netflix, or hearing about your day. I am so thankful that you are willing to be open and honest with me about what goes on in your life. You have "let me in" and I look forward to many more conversations that we'll have and to hearing about your many adventures in life.

I love watching you play the drums, and yes, I even love listening to you play, even when it's loud. I also love that you enjoy being a part of a band, whether it's the worship team at church or your jazz combo or just a simple "jam session" with your friends. I love having live music in my living room and getting a "front row seat" to hear what you all are playing.

Another passion of yours is reading and learning, especially when you don't have to do it for a class. I'm glad that you love to read and I love seeing stacks of books in your room, waiting for you to have time to open them up.

And speaking of time, I love how you are a pretty good manager of your time. You are a busy guy, but you know your limits (most of the time) and you are good about making time for your family, your friends and the activities that you are involved in. I remember when you started high school and decided that you didn't want to try to play baseball and be in the school band. You chose to pursue music because you felt more of a leaning toward that long-term.

I am proud of and thankful that you are a man after God's own heart. You aren't ashamed of your faith and are willing to share with others in an unassuming and non-threatening way. I know that you will have struggles and doubts along the way, but I am thankful that you know the Lord and are committed to following Him as you move into your next phase of life.

"Continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:14-17, NIV

Eighteen is a big deal, and so is graduating from high school and going on an international mission trip and starting college. You are facing all of these milestones with your normal, laid-back, fun, embracing-life kind of way and it's very exciting for me to watch!

For your birthday, I give you your wings! Go soar with the eagles and know that God holds you with His righteous right hand (Isaiah 40:28-31; 41:10).

Your mom loves you!

College Parent 101

I have been having this strange problem for the past couple of days. I can't seem to get the song, "Rocky Top" out of my head! It might be due to the fact that we were treated to a live song-and-dance routine performed by the student orientation leaders OR the fact that the ENTIRE song was played over the P.A. system in the dorm this morning as the wake-up call (thank goodness I was already awake).

I think it's safe to say that after spending 48 hours at New Student/Parent Orientation Session 10 at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, I am officially a college parent and have successfully completed College Parent 101!

I don't have anything to compare my experience to, since I haven't been a college freshman in almost thirty a very long time, but my opinion is that the people at UTK do a TOP NOTCH job with giving new students and parents a tremendous amount of necessary and helpful information in a way that can be digested and hopefully remembered (or we can at least look back at the paper and electronic resources they offer). It was definitely time well spent!

When we arrived on campus on Tuesday morning, it was pouring down rain, but I still saw orientation leaders standing outside to direct us to the places we needed to go (and they have groups coming and going at the same time, like a revolving door). The parents were corralled in one location and the students were led to another place. Then after we all got registered, the parents were escorted to an auditorium and were welcomed with cheers and shouts with orange and white pompoms waving. No, they didn't have the UT cheerleaders there, but it was our students who had been instructed to cheer for their parents as they arrived into the room. Daniel said they had the help of a recorded "cheering track" but it was still a fun way to start the orientation.

Most of the time was spent with the students and parents in separate sessions, which was fine. Students and parents need most of the same information, but probably not delivered in the same way, so they knew what they were doing by splitting us up. Also, you had parents there that were all along the spectrum, from it being their first child to the last and even some parents who jokingly asked if they could just go ahead and leave their kids there for college now.

I opted to stay in the dorm for one night and that was my least favorite part of the orientation visit. Let's just say that I've had too many years of living in more pleasant conditions and with the comforts of "home" to have an enjoyable stay in a dorm room that was built in the 1960s. I can do most anything for one night and I am glad that I was able to stay on campus and get to walk around to explore on my own.

Daniel came away from orientation with his fall class schedule pretty much nailed down and had a good time in his sessions, although he thought they were way too long. On the way home as we both "debriefed" and processed the info we took in, we both felt confirmation that UTK is where Daniel is meant to go to college. I even had realization that I can't even picture Daniel as a student at any other college that we visited. Of course, it's a good thing, since he's registered at UT, but to have him feel very excited about getting to move to campus in August makes this mom very content!

Here are some pictures I took on my self-guided walking tour of campus when things got quiet yesterday evening. I'm pretty sure I'm falling in love with the place!

Neck ties, Flair pens, and Legal pads

I never shopped for a Father's Day present for my dad at a sporting goods store. He didn't really have a favorite sports team, unless Oklahoma college teams were in a bowl game. I think he probably liked to fish, but it wasn't something he did very often. Father's Day gifts for my dad usually were either handmade or framed photos or a new neck tie. He always appreciated whatever we got him.

A new neck tie was something we could get Dad for almost any occasion, usually accompanied by a new button-down shirt to go with it. Or maybe the tie was supposed to go with the shirt. At any rate, whatever article of clothing we gave Dad for a gift, he wanted to immediately model it or at least hold it up next to him so we could see how it would look. And then if appropriate, he wanted to wear his new shirt and tie that day. Daniel has a collection of his grandpa's ties and I'm glad that those won't be forgotten.

Some other "favorites" of Dad's that I want to make sure I don't forget are:

Flair pens - I remember that he used this particular type of pen all of the time when he was working. Once he was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, he switched to ball point pens, but I'm sure those felt tip Flair pens were still among his things in his desk drawer.

Legal pads - I would love to know how many of those he used in his lifetime. Many stories, musings, sermons or just lists of things he wanted to remember were recorded on those lined notepads.

Mints - My dad wasn't big on chewing gum, but he liked to have fresh breath, so he often carried a roll of mints in his pocket. I remember that he liked the blue (peppermint) flavor, but I think spearmint and cinnamon showed up on his dresser as well.

Ice cream - Not that I'd ever really forget this, but Dad loved ice cream in any form and most any flavor. He often checked the grocery store ads to see who had Breyer's on sale and he'd go get some Vanilla Bean or Mint Chocolate Chip (not the kind tinted green). He also liked Pistachio and Strawberry and Peach and . . .

For some of my other thoughts and pictures of my Dad, check out these posts:
Father's Day 2012
Father's Day 2010
Father's Day 2008

Easy summer pies

If you know me, you know that cooking is not my passion, although I do seem to enjoy watching shows about cooking and food.  Mainly, cooking is part of what I have to do in life and there are times I enjoy it more than others. My favorite things to cook are usually sweets and recipes that are quick and easy. Here are two summer pies that fit that description to a T!

1. Lemonade Pie (or just Lemon Pie as is written on the recipe card)

This recipe was given to my mom from a friend in New Jersey, Martha Brown, and it became one of our summer favorites when I was growing up. In fact, since it's so easy, I was probably making it on my own when I was 9 or 10 years old. Lots of fun memories associated with this pie. 

As you can see, there are only three ingredients, not counting the pie crust (we use graham cracker crust, but you can make it in a regular pie shell that has been pre-baked). Just stir the ingredients together (thaw the lemonade and the whipped topping first) and fill the pie shell. Refrigerate until time to serve (and it will still be a soft pie). Also, always be sure to remember the sweetened condensed milk, otherwise your guests might pucker uncontrollably (not that I have any experience with that scenario . . .)

2. Strawberry Yogurt Pie (frozen)
This recipe was either given to me by a friend when we were newlyweds or I found it in a magazine and shared it with my friend. Whichever way it happened, my friend's husband actually started making the pie and we knew it was easy if he was making it (no offense intended, but he was a busy med student who didn't have a large repertoire of recipes that he could make).

This pie also has three ingredients (which I forgot to photograph because this isn't a food blog--in case you were unsure of that):  1 6-8 oz. container of strawberry yogurt (I guess you could use any flavor), 1 tub of whipped topping, frozen sliced strawberries (thawed). Stir those ingredients together and place in a graham cracker crust (I used a chocolate one this time, but plain is great). Freeze pie until ready to serve and let thaw out a little before cutting. I also added some strawberries and chocolate chips on top as a garnish.

So if you're needing some quick and easy and yummy desserts this summer, try these pies! Let me know what you think!