Doing the Safety Dance

   Let me preface this post with saying that pretty much everyone in my house is a Facebook addict to some degree. It is isn't quite at obsession level for me, but I do like to see what my friends are up to on a daily basis. Regan would be on Facebook 24/7 if I let her and as grown up as she is at 15.....she is also very naive. If somebody posts a link on her wall that she can click it to get a "free i-pad" then she believes it because it is from her friend. She has a very hard time seperating spam from reality. This is partly why I am so thrilled to be a part of the Trend Micro Titanium Security campaign through my good friends at bzzagent where I have been an agent for many years. For a limited time right now you can get a discount when you purchase online at the Trend website by putting in the code "BZZ30" when you check out or if you prefer to purchase it yourself instead of downloading it from online then feel free to use this printable coupon from  Best Buy that will let you save $30.

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Today I am Experiencing Photo Envy

   Hmmmmm....It has been one week since my girls started school this year, and I have to admit I am slightly bitter. Why? You might ask. Well for the first time ever they both refused to pose for me on the first day of school for an official picture. At the time we were in a rush to get going and I didn't push the issue. Believe me on that morning there was already enough drama going down without me trying to push that battle through. For instance Regan was unhappy with the breakfast choices, and proceeded to pout because I wouldn't let her throw it away and start over. Rebecca couldn't find her "perfect" shoes that were set to match her "perfect" outfit of choice. Picture taking was a moot point, I was just happy to get us on the road to school at all!
    The bitterness really started to seep in later that day as I logged into my Facebook and scrolled through all of my friends and their gorgeous children all happily smiling out at me with their freshly pressed looks, and clean shiny faces. I sadly went through and liked all those precious photos.  Then later in the day another friend of mine had the brilliant idea to just take one of her child after school....after all it was still the first day of school and even though she had forgotten before school it still counted, right? It was a brilliant plan....that I instantly forgot about right away. It was time for mom to do homework when the girls got home from school (Why is it that I always have more homework than they do on the first day back???). With paperwork all read and signed, and then supper to fix, and life just in general getting in the way the photo went completely out the window. I wonder if I could get them to sit still for a first month of school photo? That could still count as scrapbook worthy right?

The Magic of Cup String Phones

 The girls are out of school now for the Christmas holidays and we were watching the movie Grownups with Adam Sandler and Chris Rock. in one scene they are teaching the kids about cup and string phones. I started reminiscing about the time I had made those with my siblings and friends as kids. My girls of course did not believe that it actually worked.

John Mark was quick to remedy that situation and soon we had solo cups and butcher string to demonstrate how great they worked. Then we had several phones as Becca wanted to make them herself. Then we had lines running all over the house and different conversations happening about all kinds of silly gossip.

Who says cheap entertainment doesn't exist anymore and vintage never truly goe sout of style

FYI; They Can't Sign for it

Driving home this morning after taking the girls to school and I drive past the city cemetery.  Not typically anything I pay much attention to, but on this chilly morning i glanced over and oddly enough parked on the road is a Fed-Ex truck. I must admit to doing a double take and I wish I had thought to grab a picture on my phone. It of course begs to be asked....who exactly is he delivering too? So of course i had to come up with theories.

1. Someone seriously has the wrong address or is incredibly morbid about here they send packages too.

2. Fed-Ex employees take breaks in very random places. I don't usually think of a graveyard as a place to hang out, but i am not going to judge anyone else.

3. Some incredibly misguided soul send gifts to some one that is no longer with us.

4. Zombies are real and love Amazon.

Anyone else want to venture to guess

Decorate your Birthday Shoes

Regan asked if she could have a few friends over for her birthday so I asked her to talk to three of her friends at school and to get their shoe sizes.

White canvas Tennis shoes run about $5 at any cheap dollar store type place. I also have a ton of sharpies due to my scrapbooking obsession. Armed with shoes, sharpies, jewels and ideas; then give an hour of your time to decorate.

I divided each shoe into 5 quadrants and chose a theme. This time I decided to make fun shoes to wear to church events and when I work with the youth. I f you look closely you can read across the toes...Saved By Grace. I then removed the laces and just colored sections to match the colors I was using in the shoe. I did some tiger stripes, some polka dots, and scriptures across the heels.

Some of Regan's guests used school spirit scheme, favorite college team, and just a mash up of crazy patterns. we chatted and watched movies while snacking and decorating shoes. The girls thought it was fun and couldn't wait to wear them to school the following week. Another successful and frugal birthday party under our belts and everyone left with a great gift that was cute and useful.

War Zones as Vacation Spots

We have some very dear friends from church that are going on a mission trip. I have to admit I am a bit jealous which is not a Christian trait to have.

I have done several mission trips in my younger days and they are such a powerful events. Life changing even. Not only for those being served, but to bring God closer to you in your life by giving to others. It is something I feel called towards and don't mind a bit all the hard work and intensive labor involved. My Issue is that I can not figure our how to do a mission trip that is meaningful and impacting that I can involve Regan in.

Regan is the child that needs to see for herself how blessed she is in life. As far as disabled children in the world....she kind of won the lottery in all that we have done for her. Of course she doesn't usually see it. If she could see for herself the abandoned children in Mexico City, those who have been banned from reading the word of God, those who cry out in hunger, and those who suffer. My privileged child can't see past her own walker and her own immediate needs.

I am hoping with my friends Mark and Arthur heading to Afghanistan to share some soil and gardening techniques as well as the word of the Lord, that they will come home with stories that will help Regan to open her eyes to the greater world around her. So this evening I chatted with her about the upcoming mission trip and her first question was where were they going? When i replied Afghanistan she answered;
"That should be a nice vacation for the both of them,"
I couldn't help but laugh...I hope one day she can see for herself what an incredible thing that mission work really is.

Recipe: Pork with Apple and Bacon Compote

Apples and Bacon tend to be items I often have in the fridge so if you are looking for an easy and very tasty way to dress up pork, then this is the perfect sauce/compote. I have used this with pork tenderloin for company, pork chops, and even just the thinly sliced pre-packaged pork from the grocery store. it goes great with a side of rice and a salad.

For this recipe for all intents and purposes I will just say I am doing pork chops for a family of four

Ingredients;

Four thin cut pork chops
salt and pepper to season
2 medium apples peeled and diced ( I have used all varieties with success)
4 strips of bacon diced
1/2 white onion diced ( or one whole small one)
1 tbs butter
1/4 cup brown sugar


Season and brown the pork chops on the stove if you are grilling them that's perfect. this isn't a pork recipe but really just the topping is the star.

Cook bacon  until just  starting to be crispy but is still mostly chewy and drain the grease. Reserve the bacon to add back in. In a frying pan melt the butter and add the onions and apples cook til soft. Add the brown sugar and stir until it caramelizes and becomes a nice sauce. Add the bacon back in and serve over your pork chops.

My family adores this with pork. it is a perfect salty and sweet combination that pairs really well with pork. We served it at our family Easter one year with pork tenderloin and everyone really loved it.