Take Back Your Children

It didn't happened overnight. Then again...it usually doesn't.

It's more subtle...extremely devious and artful. It appears in your children and begins to rears its ugly head in yourself.

Discontentment. Disrespect. An argumentative spirit.

It's like the boiling frog who has no idea he is headed for his grave. It's so slow. It's scary slow. Out-of-your-control slow.

But that's the way he works. Sly. Deceitful. Clandestine.

Satan is good at what he does. He's been doing it a long, long time. We need to see the alarming warning signs. We need a Neighborhood Watch Program over our family and our personal soul.

2010 has been the most challenging year we have ever experienced. EVER.

Health issues, family matters, questioning weather we are still supposed to home school, managing two hormonal teenagers, constantly shelling out money for broken down items or things that were stolen in the middle of the night. Water leaks in two different parts of the house causing mold. Friends that have pulled away for various reasons. The weight of knowing you are the only child your parents have left...

The result? Feeling lost, lonely, uncertain and bewildered. None of these exemplify traits from the Holy Spirit.

Then comes the discontentment and confusion. First in you then in your children. It's like a butterfly dropping the pollen of disrespect to each person it touches. Unknowingly, you are affected and infected. Children who usually don't argue are forming a new art with it. Your teenagers seems to ignore all values taught to them their entire life and you disagree about everything. I mean everything.

What happened? I haven't a clue but I know that Satan was having a hay-day. He's after my children and my household. I even bought into the lie that maybe we weren't called to home school.

I have never felt the way I have these last twelve months. Completely at the end of myself...which is where God wanted me. Empty of myself and full of Him. My husband and I began passionately pursuing God. Separately and together, we anointed each bedroom and prayed fervently over our children. In our angered determination, we rebuked Satan and the horrid character traits that were transforming our home. We called on some special friends to join us in dedicating 2011 to the Lord and HIS calling. They came and prayed over each child and every room in the house. An hour an a half of incredibly peaceful anointings took place that day. They gave us a scripture verse that the Lord laid on their hearts for our family. Proverbs 14:26: Those who fear the Lord are secure; He will be a place of refuge for their children." WOW!They spoke powerful words over each room as they prayed...unity, peace, the gift of discernment, valor of courage, focus, creativity, dreams, words of knowledge, clarity of mind, tranquility. We heard from the Lord that day as He poured out His peace and comfort to our hurting and exhausted souls.

If you are experiencing any of these same delimas in your home, I encourage you to fervently seek after God and find a strong prayer partner that you and your husband can fully trust. Stand on God's word and His calling for your life. Do NOT buy into the lies of Lucifer. He wants your children so you must fight for them. With God on your side, the victory will be yours!

We are still home schooling and although the varied emotions of five different people living in the same household are still there, we handle them differently now. As I was typing this blog, two of my children were beginning to argue. I started to intercede and resolve the issue when my youngest said, "Mom, wait a minute. Let us try to work this out." And they did. No arguing. No hurtful words. It was peacefully over in less than a minute. Although it's not always like this, it is happening more and more. That disrespectful butterfly was crushed and instead of immediate condemnation and correction, we sit on the couch and talk about what just happened and how we can change for the better. My household is already different in just one month...oh, to be emptied of myself more often.

The signs are more obvious to me now and I pray they never again gain a foothold as they once did. He is a gracious, forgiving AND powerful God.

What always amazes me is that He loves my children even more than I do! Thank you, God, for doing what we could not.

Practical Life Skills Book for Your Kids

I totally forgot that I mentioned this book months and months ago and then never did write my thoughts on it! Please forgive my absent-mindedness!

I have owned this book for 12 years and found it to be a priceless gem in teaching my kids life skills even at an early age of 2!

The book is endorsed by the Ezzo's (Growing Kids God's Way) and is an incredible wealth of information. The first half talks about Dynamic Devotional Living, which includes structured and unstructured devotions as well as a prayer list.The next section is Cultivating Family Unity along with gifts and talents. I love the 12 pages on Biblical Character Traits. My kids just finished keeping a notebook of all the biblical traits listed in the book and scripture references for each one. The section on manners is entertaining yet helpful! Then my all-time favorite part is the Practical Living Skills checklist - even though I started this when my now 17 year old was 5, I still use it today to check off things that my 12 and 14 year have accomplished. I review the book every few months and when I recently noticed that there were still a few items that I hadn't taught them yet, I was right on it. Things like oiling a bicycle, mopping the floor, operating the washing machine and learning basic electrical repairs. The very next week I had my son help his daddy put a new plug on my bread machine! Some of the items on the list will get checked off naturally, but others will never even think of making an appearance in your brain! If you do not have a list of this nature, then it may never occur to you to teach your child that skill. (Notice the "why" written by my son next to needlework - needless to say, that is one skill we did NOT teach him!)I did check online and the book is still in print and sells for $9.45 at http://www.gfi.org/java/jsp/cust_store.jsp

If you have younger children, I believe that this may possibly be the best $10 you will ever spend! Thanks for letting me share :)

Homemade Bisquick Mix

My kids adore home made biscuits and oh, how easy they are to make. Before I became Suzy Homemaker, I would just make them from the Bisquick box...full of all it's chemicals, vegetable shortening and preservatives! But atlas, a home made recipe is beckoning your name - 4 simple ingredients and I promise you that your family will rise up and call you blessed (well, at the very least, they will smile and ask for more!)

Most of the recipes I found either included sugar or shortening/lard. I finally landed with this one and am very happy with the results. Topped with local honey or Polaner Fruit Spread and they will never ask for cereal again!

Word of caution here...if your family is not used to bread items with whole wheat flour, then it will behoove you to use unbleached, sifted white flour. If you add any wheat flour, they will be a little more dry and heavy. My family is used to this kind of bread versus the light and airy, no consistency, white flour biscuits! A good alternative is white whole wheat flour. It is much closer to all purpose flour than regular whole wheat flour, which tends to produce heavy and somewhat crumbly biscuits.Homemade Bisquick Mix

6 cups of flour (sifted - I mix my flours to include whole wheat and sometimes rice flour)
3 T baking powder
1 T salt
1/2 cup cold butter

Mix together and then cut in butter. Store in refrigerator for up to 4 months.


Now for the biscuits...

2-1/4 cups of Homemade Bisquick Mix
2/3 cup milk

Mix together and then roll out on counter and cut using a cookie cutter. If you use any whole wheat flour, you will need to add 2-3 tablespoons of milk until you get a doughy consistency. After you stir in the milk, knead the dough on a floured surface a few times to allow some gluten to develop. This helps the biscuit to rise up nicely. Brush the biscuits with a little milk or melted butter before baking to give them a nice golden brown color. Bake at 450 for 8-10 minutes

Can't you smell them now..... :)

Lies Satan Tells Us

My church cell group has been watching the video series "The Power of Your Words" by Robert Morris and I can tell you that it is convicting and life-changing! I have an uncontrollable need to take notes every time I am there because there is SO much to learn. One session was on the lies that Satan feeds us. So tricky, is Satan, that these lies seems like truth:

Lie #1: We have the right of free speech. Actually, we don't. If it is wrong in God's standard, it doesn't matter what the world's standard is. Psalm 141:3 reminds us, "Take control of what I say, O Lord, and keep my lips sealed."

Lie #2: As long as we are just kidding, it is okay. If you say something, then most of the time you mean it. You can't follow up every sentence with "I was just kidding." You can be a black belt with your words; beating people up with your tongue. Remember that out of the heart, the mouth speaks.

Lie #3: As soon as our words are forgotten, the influence is gone. Absolutely false. Words do not evaporate - you either speak life or death with every sentence you speak. Some people have the ministry of tearing people down and being discouraging. Make sure this is NOT your ministry. Just like good words last, bad words last; and sometimes they last a life time.

Your words have the power to heal or wound; to encourage or dishearten; to speak truth or to deceive; to praise or to criticize.

Here are some more scriptures that should take residence in our heart and maybe as a post-it note on our mirror:

Matthew 12:36-37: "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

Proverbs 19:21: “The tongue has the power of life and death.”

Proverbs 12:18: “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”

Proverbs 15:4: "The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.”

If you raise the standards to the words your speak to others, your marriage will get better. Your kids will do better and your circumstances will improve. You can determine your future quality of life by the words you speak today.

I remember saying as a child, "But I don't have any control over what I say - it just comes out!" The sad truth is that we do have control but choose not to utilize it.

Your words are your choice...will you choose wisely?

Eleven Reasons to Keep Homeschooling

Someone sent this to me and I thought it was note-worthy to send to my home schooling blogger friends out there!


Homeschooling is often hard work and sometimes discouraging because we’re stuck in the ruts and can’t envision the end results. As we near the halfway mark in the traditional school year (although we all know schooling actually goes on year-round), we would like to encourage our readers with some focus.

Reasons to homeschool vary almost as much as homeschoolers themselves. This is not an all-inclusive list, but we hope it is a reminder to you of why you began this task in the first place and the catalyst to keep at it.

1. You and your children can start every school day with God.
This includes prayer, Bible reading, songs and discussion. Our family is praying through a Voice of the Martyrs prayer calendar every day this year (arranged by country). We spent a few months last year praying specifically for all the homes on our street. We read missionary biographies regularly.

2. You are not in this alone.
God will sustain you in this homeschool journey. If you don’t have a supportive homeschool group, check CHEA’s Homeschool Directory for a group near you. Pray for God to provide you with godly encouragement from like-minded homeschoolers.

3. You don’t have to know everything to love and teach your children.
When you’re overwhelmed with a foreign language or geometry, resources exist to help. Co-ops, community college classes, online courses or curriculum, or a friend who is gifted in that area can help.

4. Your family will be stronger, and learn conflict resolution and grace.
My children are 2, 8, 12, and 14. If I wasn’t homeschooling, the kids would likely be scattered across town in different schools with separate lives. God set us in families for a reason. Let’s learn together how to face the world together and be prepared for the tasks God will give us.

5. You won’t miss anything.
If the kids are off in different schools, there are a vast number of their daily moments you will miss. A homeschooling veteran friend of mine once said: “They grow up so fast, but I have no regrets. I didn’t miss a single thing.”

6. You can reinforce what your children are learning.
When you see a Latin root, you can point it out (my kids’ favorite). When you see an image of a historical figure on TV, you can say, “Look kids – it’s Benjamin Franklin,” because you know what they are studying.

7. You can “do life” with your kids every day.
The kids can learn beside you in so many ways: grocery shopping, buying a used car, learning how to turn off the water when they accidentally break a pipe (the day after Christmas, no less), mowing the lawn, painting the kitchen, helping change the baby’s diaper, balancing a checkbook. I graduated first in my public high school class, but I barely knew how to do laundry and knew next to nothing about car maintenance.

8. You can teach your children Christian worldview in all that you do.
The state doesn’t choose the curriculum, you do. You are free to discuss God’s providence in history, His hand in science and nature, His beauty in music and art. You can ask yourself daily, “Are my children learning to be disciples of Christ?”

9. You can protect your children from negative influences and equip them for the future.
Of course the big, bad world is out there, but why not prepare the kids before sending them out to the wolves? How about teaching them discernment and truth first? Homeschool kids have been shown to be less peer dependent than their contemporaries.

10. Because when your kids need an answer, you are the someone who is there.
Not the feminist scholar. Not the atheist. Not the humanist. Not the media.

11. You can meet your child’s unique needs.
There is no “magic cookie cutter” that produces “educated” children. You know them better than anyone else, so help them find their God-given gifts and guide them through their weak spots.


Great reminders, fellow homeschoolers. Just remember...always start your day with God - if He's not in charge, you might as well go back to bed!

The Orange Strategy

I was reading a website the other day that talked about the "Orange Philosophy." I copied this from their website in case you haven't heard:

"An Orange thinker asks, “What if church leaders and parents synchronized their efforts to fuel wonder, discovery and passion in the next generation?” By combining the critical influences of the light of the church (yellow) and the love of the family (red) the Orange Strategy shows a generation that God is more effective than either of us alone. Think of the Orange Strategy like a big fire poker. If you stoke up a fire, it burns brighter and longer. We stoke the fires of children and students with wonder, discovery and passion."

Here are some highlights of some of the training sessions that they do in different churches nation-wide:

* Teaching alone does not equal discipleship. Discipleship is teaching within a RELATIONSHIP.

* Until you allow kids to do something significant, they will not understand their own significance.

* The Gospel is transformational. If kids participate in The Great Commission, their faith will stick.

* As a leader, it's not about what I want from people but what I want for people.

* Kids need leaders who love and value them for free.

* No one has the influence that a parent does, but others do have influence. Who will the "others" be and how will they influence our kids?

* It's less about our ability to be appealing and more about the ability to be authentic.

Even though I haven't been to an Orange Thinker seminar, it seems that the bottom line is this: Whether it's with my kids or someone else's children, the most important things I have to offer are my time, my love and authenticity.

Are you an "orange thinker"?

Your Choice

"Among the participants in a recent study of identical twins, there was a pair of brothers in their 40's whose lives were quite opposite. One of them was a happily married lawyer with a flourishing practice. The other was a twice-divorced alcoholic who had gone from job to job all his life. The questionnaire they filled out asked, "What made you the way you are?" The researchers were astonished that these two men had written identical answers to that question: "My father's death when I was ten years old."

I was saddened when I read the above but not truly shocked. I think we all know the underlying truth here...it is clearly not what happens to us that makes us happy or unhappy.

It is how we react.

If my husband rejects an idea I have, I can choose to give up or look for alternative ways. If there's a problem in a relationship I am in, I can blame the other person and walk away or I can see it as a way to learn more about how to love and show compassion. I can allow the stress in my life to make me sick or I can use it to make me stronger and more dependent on God. My weakness can defeat me or it can make me wonderfully aware of God's strength.

Lord, help me choose the way I react today...

The Conductor

Why do we watch the conductor in music? To keep tempo, to see dynamics, for expression instructions...and the list goes on.

In a believers life, God is our conductor - He gives us our life's tempo, leads us in our expressions and dynamics. God is the source of life leading us through the troubled times, even putting down the baton and clapping out the tempo for the times when we can't see but maybe can hear. He conducts us through the dynamic ups and downs of life, celebrating with us when it is done correctly and working with us when it isn't quite right.

It's one thing to experience a piece of music being written in your own life, but it is something extraordinary to witness it in someone else's life - especially when it is one of your own children.

Two weeks ago, we invited some friends over to pray with us and our home to begin the new year. The Lord laid this heavy on my husbands heart, so he was following the Lord's prompting. I will blog more about what transpired that evening later, but I can tell you that it was the most incredible hour and a half prayer session that we have ever experienced.

My daughter began to weep as our friends prayed over her and her room. I believe this was the beginning of Victoria's score sheet.

Her demeanor changed - overnight.

There was something different in her eyes.

Then came Friday night Refuel - an extra worship service that our church has started doing once a month. I wasn't sure that we were going since my husband had been in TX for the last three days. He came home and announced that he did indeed want to go. I believe this angered Satan. Instantly, I began to get agitated at the smallest things. Then, when we told the kids what we had planned, Victoria got very upset. Satan was working hard to keep us from going. Once I finally received an attitude adjustment myself, we were ready to enter God's presence. Victoria's last words before we left the house were, "I don't want to go - it's nothing but singing and I can't sing. Why do I have to go?"

I hesitated going. I know she doesn't enjoy worship. She's deaf. She can hear the music but has no idea when to sing and when not to sing. She can read the words and tries to mouth them as she sees other peoples mouths moving, but that is the extent of her participation.

Then I felt the nudge - the Holy Spirit nudge. We had to go...we needed to go.

What awaited us? Two hours of the most incredible, candlelight worship experience I have had in quite a while. The freedom to worship as though you were the only person in the room. The presence of the Lord was so prevalent...so thick...so anointed. My 17 year old who played the guitar the entire time, even mentioned how strong God's presence was. He said, "I am physically, mentally exhausted but spiritually on top of the world!"

My daughter walked in the house and said, "Why do I feel this way?" When I tried to get her in touch with her feelings, all she could say was, "I think the Holy Spirit touched me. I feel different. I feel strange. Are they doing another service like that again? I want to go back!"

Oh.My.Stars!

I do believe I just witnessed the first notes being penned to her song...

The Map Unfolded Today!

I am totally flabbergasted.

I just hung up with a friend, talking 90 miles an hour, in complete awe of how this day has turned out.

Mind-blowing. Jaw-dropping. Stupefying! (I love that word!)

Please forgive me, but I am going to have to be vague since the matter at hand is rather personal and private.

There was a chain of events that took place in our home last week that caused a ripple effect to transpire. My husband and I were at peace with the new decision (or so we thought) and were moving ahead with the only obvious answer at hand.

Unbeknownest to me, my husband began to feel uneasy about our decision and started praying that the Lord would open another door (this would have to be a miracle since there were no other avenues open last week). Well, it all unfolded today! When I sat down to read my devotion this morning, I was passionately moved. I knew of at least 4 people - including myself - who would benefit from the insightful words that Sarah Young penned, so I posted it on my blog. I finished my prayer time and went on with my day. it wasn't until after lunch that my whole world started in a head-throbbing, massive whirlwind!

After three hours of phone calls, emails and internet searching, the door was not only open but the road was completely paved!

I had tried on three different occasions to reach my husband to let him know what I was going through but was unsuccessful in reaching him at work. Although I was excited about what God had done, I had not realized to what extent He had been working. When I finally got a hold of Allen, I quickly told him about my unbelievable day and what direction our life was now taking! Much to my surprise, he was more than elated. He shared with me that this was a complete answer to prayer - something he had been praying about for days but never shared with me! Talk about confirmation - I feel so relieved and all giddy inside!

Then I received icing on the cake...when I sat down to write this blog, my previous blog popped up. I couldn't believe what I was reading again - it was my devotion from this morning:

"Let me prepare you for the day that stretches out before you. I know exactly what this day will contain, whereas you have only vague ideas about it. You would like to see a map, showing all the twists and turns of your journey....I will not show you what is on the road ahead, but I will thoroughly equip you for the journey."

I have never read the same devotion in the morning and again at night. It was amazing how the words that God spoke to me through my devotion this morning is exactly what happened to my day - He had it all planned out. He had the map and all I had to do was trust Him. WOW!

I can tell you that Satan is NOT happy with these results or my public declaration of God's all-powerful, mighty hand that completely orchestrated these events to HIS will. Right in the middle of typing this blog, I had to stop and pray and scream for Satan to flee in the name of Jesus! He began to put doubt in my mind that tomorrow these events will begin to crumble right before my eyes. It will not happen, Satan - my God is in complete control and you are completely powerless! So, hit the road Jack and don't come back!! Okay - I feel better :)What an astonishing God we serve! Thank you is just not sufficient, Lord. Such a remedial, empty word for what You do for us.

You are truly indescribable!

A Map for Today

This is 100% copied from my devotion called Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. It is written in first person with God as the speaker and is just too good not to pass along...

"Let me prepare you for the day that stretches out before you. I know exactly what this day will contain, whereas you have only vague ideas about it. You would like to see a map, showing all the twists and turns of your journey. You'd feel more prepared if you could somehow visualize what is on the road ahead. However, there is a better way to be prepared for whatever you will encounter today: Spend quality time with Me.

I will not show you what is on the road ahead, but I will thoroughly equip you for the journey. My living Presence is your Companion each step of the way. Stay in continual communication with Me, whispering My Name whenever you need to redirect your thoughts. Thus, you can walk through this day with your focus on Me. My abiding Presence is the best road map available."


I pray this is just what you needed to hear today. I love the way God speaks right to my soul and knows exactly where I am - mentally and spiritually - every moment of each day.

Girlfriends in God

When bad things happen, we cry out in desperation for someone to care.

A simple text message or a lengthy, alarming phone call. What we desire is to hear a compassionate voice on the other end of the phone.

I am reminded of the story of the little girl who was sent on an errand by her mother. When the girl was gone far too long, the mother demanded an explanation. The little girl said that on her way she had met a friend who was crying because she had broken her doll. "Oh," said the mother, "then you stopped to help her fix her doll?" "Oh, no!" replied the little girl. "I stopped to help her cry!"

Sometimes that's all we need. Someone to help us cry. We not only need God in the midst of a storm, we need each other.

If I know my friend is unable to speak because the words are blocked by the huge boulder of insurmountable salt water ready to burst through her sockets, my floodgate of tears immediately opens. I loose all control and begin to weep with her. More times than not, that's all she wanted.

Kindness. Compassion. Empathy.

Words that need to be practiced DAILY in our interactions with the people we meet - those special to us as well as complete strangers. A sweet word. A sincere hug. I gentle reminder that nothing surprises God and that He loves us beyond measure.

Kindness is simply compassion at work and love in action. I often wonder just how amazed we will be when we get to Heaven and find the unlikely, unknown but devoted servants of God exalted above all others - rewarded for their quiet and often unseen acts of kindness. Kindness does not look for reasons. Compassion doesn't ask for limitations - it searches for opportunity.

Paul writes that we must "prove" ourselves by being patient and kind. How we handle relationships exhibits the depth and validity of God's love at work in and through us.

As I posted on Facebook last week...I hate storms, but have finally come to terms with the fact that they are certain. So is God's deliverance. Sometimes He delivers us from the storm and other times He delivers us in the storm. Either way, God is with us.

I love the girlfriends in my life - I love the strength I draw from them, the compassion I receive from their words, the Biblical wisdom they instill in me and the accountability that is always there.

The next time you are at the other end of a heart-breaking phone call, remember to just stop and listen. Hear her heart and when the time is right, shower her with your golden nuggets of insight.

Or maybe...just cry with her.

One Thousand Gifts

"As the moments slip down the hour glass of time, I am scratching down the gifts—just as they happen, as they arrive, as they are unwrapped—that He has given that make my life grace, the daily graces that He gives in an infinite number of ways, that stir me."

I love reading her writing...and learning about the 1000 Gift List was just what we needed - another special moment for my kids and I to share together as we start our morning.

"I am seeing things I have never seen before, attuned and aware of this constant, endless stream of gifts from His hand. I am one waking from slumber….from the stupor of indifference and ignorance. I have sight, fresh and keen—the world is new and full of His gifts."

Ann Voskamp's website is my new passion. Her words drip off the page right into my soul and strike chords that only He knew existed. This complete stranger writes in such a way that I sit back in awe, wondering if she has been secretly living in a corner of my abode.

She reminds us that we often we "miss" Him...what He has created; what He has graced us with. Fulling seeing yet completely blind. The Gift List makes us aware of His love, His presence and His ability. It helps us acknowledge what He has showered us with and to pay attention to the little details of the world He has given us.

"We need to have everyday epiphanies everywhere." I love that. I think I will make that my statement and goal for 2011!

What are you thankful for? The sound of a windmill...the smell of fresh baked bread...the baby frog in your flowerbed...listening to your children laugh...cracking open a new book...your friend who always has a listening ear...just writing them down as they happen begins your gratitude journey.

Ann states that, "The Thousand Gifts list is about the gifts Abba gives His children every day… and, ultimately, about the very gift of self, life as we know it."

As I began to read further, I found this interesting conclusion:

Participants who kept a gratitude journal felt better about their lives as a whole and were more optimistic about the future. They reported feeling more joyful, enthusiastic, interested, attentive, energetic, excited, determined, and strong.

We have started our gratitude journey with The Thousand Gift List. Won't you start yours today? I believe it will change you forever...eternally.

A Memorable December...

WOW!! It's been 14 days since I last wrote a blog! But what is so exciting is that I vowed to myself I wouldn't write a sentence in my blog during the holidays while all the grandparents were here and although it was difficult, I was able to be true to my word (it was just an internal vow, but I still felt good about not breaking my own promise!)

Now that I am biting at the bit, I don't know where to begin :)

First and foremost, I can say that the family time we had together during December was amazing and much needed. Kyle (our 17 year old son) is usually at church, work or concurrent at school, so we get very little quality time with him. I always take three weeks off from schooling Adam and Victoria, so it was 100% playtime in our house! Here are some of the highlights of our three week sabbatical:

* 3-4 hours of game playing everyday (one day we spent 4 hours playing Monopoly!)
* Candlelight dinner together every evening till Christmas Day
* Watched movies that made us laugh and cry together
* Incredible brunch at Bellini's - highly recommend this restaurant!
* Shopped till our money was all gone :)
* We visited Walmart everyday for 8 days in a row - we're going to add this to our 12 days of Christmas for next year - haha!
* Awesome girl time while we all got new hairdo's!
* The men enjoyed two hours of listening to different muffler sounds on old trucks on YouTube - they laughed hysterically!
* Baked and baked and then ate enough sugar to last us all year long (although I did make a healthy honey apple pie and honey cinnamon rolls :)
* Reminisced at pictures taken during the 2010 year - amazed at how the kids have changed
* Met daddy for lunch while he was on his break at Iguana's - love their salsa!
* Experienced the Bricktown Water Taxi while it was 70 degrees and gorgeous - then treated everyone to Toby Keiths for dinner!
* Drove around town for two hours looking at Christmas lights at Chesapeake and gorgeous Nicholas Hills
* Stayed up until the wee morning hours just catching up on each others lives
* Slept in so late many mornings that we only had to eat two meals!!
* Scrolled through my Facebook to show everyone all my photo albums - we really did a lot in one year!

Most importantly, we talked, laughed, cried, talked, laughed and talked some more.

Everyone is gone now...including the two dogs we were pet sitting and the house is back in order. The amount of clutter and disarray from having eight people living in the same house for 14 days is incredible. Funny thing is, I wouldn't have changed a thing. I have learned to relax in the midst of chaos to enjoy what really matters - people not perfection.

I pray your holidays were festive and that you made memories that can be talked about for years and years to come.

Thanks for letting me share...it's been a joy :)