Look inside the window of my world

One of my favorite recipes ....

2009-07-21T08:13:00.004-05:00

I discovered this tasty dish on one of my favorite websites: http://thepioneerwoman.com/. It's so rich and yummy and has the perfect combination of flavors ... hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

CHEESY OLIVE BREAD

I'm hopping on the McLinky Blog Hop today .. why not join me?

The things that entertain him ....

2009-07-14T06:39:00.005-05:00

My youngest son has always been able to entertain himself. It doesn't matter if he is playing with something expensive or something as simple as plastic army men. In fact, it doesn't even have to come from the store ... while outdoors with nothing to play with, he creates his own magic!

Then there was the Christmas when he came up with an idea to be his own gift ....

Most recently, he started collecting change. It didn't matter if it was in our home, outside, my car or where ever. When he stumbled across a coin or two, he would excitedly run to his homemade bank, empty out the contents and recount.

This went on for days until he had $10 exactly. He declared he was done and off to the store we went to purchase more items for his imagination.

I sure do love this boy and am blessed to be witness to his daily activities :)

Can you spare 5 iminutes?

2009-02-12T13:29:00.005-06:00

I was truly touched by this story and I think you will be too:

http://www.nbcdfw.com/sports/football/A_Game

Another lifetime ..........

2009-01-27T12:54:00.004-06:00

There are times when I see my friend's creations that it causes a little stir in my heart over a time in my life when, I too, created pretty things for children. Even though it was just a couple of years ago that I set this aside, it seems like it's been forever. I took a moment today to look over a site that features some of my work and thought you might like to take a peek too.

http://members.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=coppermop

I am grateful for the time I had to sew and create. It made me realize that I can do whatever I put my mind to. It'll be interesting to see if I'm lead to that place again in my future. If not, I'm okay with enjoying my friend's creativity.

Gotta link for ya

2009-01-14T11:22:00.003-06:00

Here's the ad for the meal plan I mentioned before. I'm excited to get started since I'm now an official member and have seen the types of meals they have planned. So far, my family will be 90% impressed (there's always *something* they'll turn their nose up to, right?). You should be able to click on the banner if you want to sign up:

Lots of changes for '09

2009-01-13T08:17:00.003-06:00

Not only am I focused on getting my spiritual life where it needs, I'm making other changes this year that should improve other areas of my life.

Brad and I attended a preview of Dave Ramsey's program. It's our desire to get out of debt, pay off our house and start living without dragging that financial burden around anymore. We will start the classes on January 22nd (happy birthday to me!) and continue for 13 weeks. I'm hoping it's something that we can also share with our children so that they can learn from his wisdom as well.

Yesterday, while browsing Dave's website, I discovered something that caught my eye ... E-Mealz.com. Hmmm, they say for $1.25/week, they will provide my meal plans and shopping list from the store of my choice. Sounds pretty good to me! I signed up and am looking forward to getting my first list (this Thursday). If the meals are anything like the sample menu they have posted on their site, then I know we will all love this. If you happen to check them out and decide to sign up, I would appreciate the referral .... not sure if you need to tell them Stacey Patterson or Spatter sent you.

I already thought that 2009 was going to be a better year .... with all these new changes, I now KNOW it will be!! Hope you are discovering new things this year to brighten your life as well.

A must read ...

2009-01-09T09:31:00.001-06:00

One of the best blogs to read daily. I LOVE this woman's sense of humor!!

The Country Doctor's Wife: My Day in Court by CDW

Yes, I'm weak ....

2009-01-08T09:19:00.006-06:00

Has it really been almost 4 MONTHS since I blogged? Wow. I truly thought I would do better at this. It has been a challenge with working again; however, I hate using "I'm busy" as the reason I don't accomplish what I want in this life.

I'm going to try to sum up the latter part of last year and what's happened in my life so far this year.

In September, I found myself loving my new job and getting used to the day to day routine that goes along with it. We also were able to attend the Texas State Fair as a family ... an annual event that the boys look forward to every year. Having the opportunity to be at private school, they are blessed with attending the first day the fair opens so it's nice and clean ... an extra bonus (mainly for mom).

Of course, one of the "musts" is eating a huge turkey leg!

October was super busy at the school! We had field trips, health screenings, fundraisers, school pictures and red ribbon week (pledging to stay drug free). The month seemed to go as quickly as it arrived.

November started a busy season for us ... many school activities and the break for Thanksgiving. Little did we know but Liam was going to born before the holiday came. The school let out for the holiday on the Friday before. Since I would be off for an entire week, I was really hopeful that Megyn would give birth during that time so I would be around to help her. That Sunday night at church, she mentioned that she wasn't feeling well and wanted to get her blood pressure checked after service. I went with her and sure enough, it was high. After putting a call into her doctor, it was decided that she should go to the hospital to get checked. Once there, they prepped her cerfix to help it along and had her rest overnight. The next day at noon, they started to induce her labor. She did great and after getting her epidural, we were all able to enjoy the delivery. Liam Jean was born at approx 8:30 p.m. on November 24th. He weighed 8 lbs 5 oz and we all fell in love instantly. I stayed at the hospital until she was released on Wednesday morning. The next day, we went to Ashlea & Nathan's house and dined on lots of good stuff and had a great time with the family.

I returned to work on December 3rd after taking an additional two days off to enjoy Liam (thanks, Christy!). However, it was time to get back to the routine and for Megyn to explore motherhood without a safety net. Her and Liam continued to thrive each day and to find their own routine. The month of December was another short month for us. We were only in session for 3 weeks before our big two week break .. hooray! I was looking forward to spending time with Liam, finishing my holiday shopping and sleeping in. We had a wonderful Christmas with all the kids coming over. Just getting all my children and grandchildren under one roof is a gift ... no need for actual presents! Kyle had flown in the 23rd and was due to go back home on the 28th. He had mentioned to me about a conference at IHOP called OneThing08 that he really felt strongly about me attending. After discussing the dynamics with the rest of the family, it was agreed that I would drive back with Kyle and leave everyone to fend for themselves for a few days. Now, up until that day and even the day of my departure, satan worked long and hard to keep me from going. I came so close to calling off the trip due to various reasons. I AM SO GLAD THAT I DIDN'T!!! The conference was life changing. It truly made me realize the urgency is getting prepared for the day Christ will return. The director of IHOP, Mike Bickle, shed light on the book of Revelation in a fresh way that brought it to life for me. Since then, I've been spending quality time with God each morning. I have a real hunger for KNOWING him and reading his Word each day. I was able to come home and share my heart with Brad and discuss the things I learned and he, too, has been stirred to action. I'm praying that God will give me the boldness I need to speak to everyone that I come in contact with. I love my friends and family too much to not share what I've learned. Jesus is coming back one day and I pray that everyone will be ready and not be caught off guard.

Here it is January already and a new year. Amazing. This year has brought new hope into my life. My heart is so full right now that most days, it spills over from my eyes. There's no way to express the gratitude I have to Kyle for his obedience in pushing me to that conference or for HIS boldness in the way he lives. I am richly blessed and want others to share the same joy I am feeling today. It is my prayer to be a light to everyone that I cross paths with. If this has pricked your heart and given you a desire to know more about God, please ask me ... I would love to share His love with you and tell you my full testimony.

That's my life in a nutshell ... I do hope to do better at blogging more consistently and I will have pictures of Liam to share at a later time ... he's a doll and a keeper! :)

Pink Sox ROCK!

2008-09-20T06:47:00.006-05:00

Lexi is now playing fast pitch softball. She wasn't too thrilled when her mom signed her up. However, after her first practice, she was really excited. As the night of her first game neared, so did dark clouds. While driving toward her playing field, the rain started coming down in a steady drizzle. We arrived to find her on the field and warming up.

Sorry for the far away pics but remember, it was raining and I didn't want to chance getting my camera wet.

Lexi was very excited and eager to get into the game.

It was finally her turn so she put on her helmet and was ready to go.

While I would love to end this post with something like "Lexi hit a homerun" or "Lexi made the winning run", the fact is, it didn't quite happen that way. My two boys were having an "off" night and were fighting so we left the game early. Life goes on, right? ::sigh::

Who needs entertainment when you have KIDS?

2008-09-14T09:12:00.006-05:00

We recently went to a family bbq at my cousin Kim & Billy's house. They have a beautiful house they designed themselves on 15 acres of land. While the adults sat on the back porch in the shade and talked, the kids played and kept us entertained (without really realizing it). Thankfully, they had a badmitten set up and even though none of them had ever played before, they took right to it.

After playing for HOURS, they decided to venture out a little way and check out the scenery. It wasn't long when we looked up to see this scene play out before us:

They had discovered a pile of cut hay and decided they could create something with it.

Needless to say, we all just sat back in awe of their creativity and the fact that we no longer had to worry if they could survive on their own .. LOL.

My kids and grandkids are a true joy and this is just a little glimpse of why.

With a heavy heart .....

2008-09-03T06:51:00.004-05:00

I'm sad to report that my little hamster friend, Cotton, passed away during the night. After her last sickness, we managed to nurse her back and she was doing very well. Then, about a week ago, she started showing signs of getting sick again. I found her laboring very hard yesterday morning and I really thought she would be gone by the time I got home yesterday. However, being the trooper she was, she was still alive and continued to struggle. I'm thankful that her struggle is now over and she's at peace. I will miss her more than I ever thought I would. She taught me that not all rodents are bad.

RIP my little friend.

Blogging without Backup

2008-08-31T09:22:00.003-05:00

My posts seem to get fewer and farther between. I have a good explanation ... I really do! I think there is an unwritten law that says all blog posts must be accompanied by photos. That's been my problem lately ... even though my camera goes where I do, I'm finding it harder to take the pics of our activites.

The biggest change in my life this past month is I now have a J-O-B. I feel very fortunuate to say that I love my job and wouldn't trade it for anything. Since I haven't worked for 11 years now, I really thought it would be difficult going back but it wasn't. To begin with, I'm working at the school my boys attend .. Kaufman Christian School. I'm the Administrative Assistant there so we go to school together. My days haven't been dull so far so time is flying by quickly.

I attended the Women of Faith conference last weekend which was amazing! I always walk away with a new perspective on life and a heart full of blessings.

Yesterday, Brad, the boys and I went to Hawaiian Falls for the last time this season. I think we managed to get our money's worth from our season passes since over the summer, we visited at least once/week.

So, as you can tell .. my life has been anything but boring. I do have lots to document. I just wish I would remember to take pics as it happens.

Supporting the Farmers

2008-08-18T17:49:00.004-05:00

We spent part of Saturday walking around the local Farmers Market in Dallas. I love going down there to buy fresh fruits and veggies. Saturday's weather was wonderful .. the temps were in the 80's! Many other people had the same idea because the place was buzzing with activity. Everything looked so good .. it was hard to decide how to spend our money.

Of course, sampling all the goodies is half the fun!

And you never know who you'll run into ... this guy has a honey display:

One things for sure, you'll always walk away with bags of the freshest available produce.

Baby Dedication

2008-08-17T14:05:00.009-05:00

Today was a special day for my family ... Brylea Nicole was dedicated to The Lord. She looked stunning in her gown. It's my prayer that she will grow into a young girl that loves God with all her heart.

A new life in Christ

2008-08-05T07:59:00.004-05:00

My oldest granddaughter made a very important decision this summer. While attending VBS with her other grandmother, she asked Jesus to live in her heart. Needless to say, our family was very excited for her.

This past Sunday, she followed through with her decision by being baptized. She seemed very happy when she arrived that morning.

When the time came, we went upstairs and she changed into her baptismal outfit.

Pastor Leeman led her into the water and the ceremony began.

Now tell me, does this look like a happy child or what? I'm so proud of her!!

Let's make a difference together ...

2008-08-02T06:27:00.003-05:00

Do something nice today for someone else ... make a donation, no matter what amount. I read this blog faithfully and their story touches my heart. I'm sure it will yours too:

Confessions Of A CF Husband: CFHusband Goes Bald

An answered prayer

2008-07-28T13:27:00.014-05:00

Update: Cotton was nibbling on a piece of strawberry when she suddenly fell over and couldn't get back up. My daughter took her to the vet. He seems to think she has suffered a puncture wound from the cat and it's become infected. He is treating her with a steroid and antibiotic and seems to think she will get well and recover. I certainly hope so.

Last night, I had to have a serious talk with Jesus over my baby girl, Cotton. We've had Cotton for a little over a year and she is the sweetest thing.

I know ... some of you are shuddering right now. Trust me, I used to feel the same way. This is the ONLY member of the rodent family that is allowed in my home.

Anyway, there has been a handful of times that our cat, Baby D, has snuck into the room with Cotton and pulled her cage to the floor. This is Baby D, by the way:

She looks pretty innocent in that picture but I'm not liking her much at the moment.

Back to my story ... about a week ago, Baby D managed to knock Cotton's cage off again. She seemed to be okay so I didn't think much of it. Well, three nights ago, one of her eyes started to water. It was then that I realized she wasn't moving around as much as she normally does. It's part of her daily routine that she will "monkey bar" across her cage and is pretty active throughout different parts of the day. I started watching her closely and saw that her appetite wasn't the same .. she wouldn't take her favorite pumpkin seeds from my hand and eagerly crack them open. Her condition seemed to worsen each day.

Before going to bed last night, the boys and I huddled together for our nightly prayer. This time, the focus was on Cotton. I couldn't stand the thought of her hurting. I prayed for Jesus to heal her or let her go to sleep and never wake up. I went to bed with tears streaming down my face (those of you that shuddered earlier are probably thinking I'm acting ridiculous at this point). Both boys came to me at different times later crying .. it was real mess. I reminded both of them that I had done all I could do.

I woke up this morning and checked on her .. she was inside her igloo and wouldn't come out to greet me like she had in the past. Things were not looking up :( We left the house (I started a new job ... I'll post on that later) and returned after lunch. I made a few phone calls and found a local vet that was willing to work her in today and not charge me a small fortune. As we were headed out the door with her, she came out of her cage and I saw that her eye was back to normal! It was a miracle! I headed down the road with her since I wanted to make sure her legs were okay too. While I was driving, she started climbing up the side of her cage!! I knew then that God had answered my prayer so we turned around and came home. I feel like Cotton is back on the road to recovery and will continue to improve each day. I'm so thankful for answered prayers .. even when they are for the tiny creatures in our life.

Caleb turns FIVE

2008-07-26T16:10:00.007-05:00

Yesterday my grandson, Caleb, celebrated his 5th birthday. We joined him at the restaurant of his choice, Texas Roadhouse, for dinner. After completing a wonderful meal, they loaded him up on a saddle.

As the staff sang to him, Caleb was instructed to swing a napkin around his head which he did without complaining.

Today, we went to Cold Stone Creamery and had his official party. He received an official cap to wear as we got started.

The kids were given a guided tour to the back where Caleb was able to help make a batch of vanilla ice cream.

He then washed up and was ready for his next task.

After a brief lesson on how to mix in your own ingredients, he had the difficult job of choosing only two toppings.

He caught on really quick and went to work.

Of course, the best part was sitting down and enjoying his creation.

Afterwards, he opened a few gifts. He was really excited about one of them ... a rocket!!

Happy Birthday, Caleb! Hope you had a wonderful day!!!

Gone but not forgotten ...

2008-07-22T09:36:00.004-05:00

Yes, it's been a while since I stopped long enough to post. A lot has been going on lately. I truly meant to document last week's adventure with pictures but with temps over 90 degrees everday, I simply didn't have the energy to take snapshots of the sweat dripping off our noses.

Ashlea and I (and Brylea, of course) drove to Kerrville last Wednesday to a) be with Megyn when she had her sonogram and b) move her back home. We left out by 8:30 in the morning after dropping off our 4 kids .. all in different locations :) We made great time despite the fact that Brylea didn't take to the road as much as we had hoped. Poor baby was strapped in that car seat for an awfully long time .. who could blame her for wanting to get out and stretch?

We arrive in Kerrville just in time for me to drop Ashlea and Brylea off at the hotel, fill up the pick up and head over to U-Haul. Yes, that's right .. I was going to be pulling a U-Haul back with us. Joy.

We leave the truck hitched up and go with Megyn (in her vehicle) to the doctor's appointment. We learn that we will be having a baby boy join our family late November. Afterwards, we head back over to pick up the truck, along with it's new accessory.

Thankfully, Megyn was very organized and had all her stuff packed, marked and ready to go. I believe we had the truck and U-Haul loaded and ready to go in under an hour.

We spend the evening having dinner with family and get up early the next morning (in fact, Brylea had all three of us up at 4:30) and we are back on the road.

Megyn has now settled nicely. We have some things left to do to her room before she can completely unpack though (painting, putting in a wood floor, purchasing a wall unit, etc.) but we are getting there.

I'm so glad that she is back home where she belongs. I know God has big plans for her and this unborn baby. Life will certainly never be dull in this house.

To be a kid again .....

2008-07-12T07:36:00.004-05:00

We spent a little time at a local park today to let the kids run and play. They almost immediately ran to the swings and took off. I still have vivid memories of swinging ... those were simpler times.

After that, the kids took off in different directions.

Not sure where Tanner was at this point. Being a nature lover, he was probably already in the woodsy part exploring by now.

Meanwhile, Brylea snoozed away in the summer heat.

Afterwards, when everyone was nice and sweaty, we headed to a shaved ice place to cool down.

Before heading back home, I had to get my hands back on Brylea and get some pictures of her in all her cuteness. It's funny but when we put a bow on her head, we get this reaction most of the time.

I gave her some loving (and got rid of an air bubble in the process).

Decided to take off the pestering bow.

And she quietly took another snooze.

Ahh, to be a kid again ...........

TWENTY-TWO years??

2008-07-10T07:35:00.005-05:00

Wow, it's hard to believe that it's been that long since God blessed me with my son, Kyle. He has grown to be such a great man of God. I'm so proud of his dedication to serve. In fact, he is leaving this evening to go to Panama for a month. It's going to be difficult to go that long without talking to him.

I don't have any of his younger pics to post but here are a few from recent past.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KYLE! I love you very much!!

A dessert with many flavors

2008-07-09T06:10:00.005-05:00

While we were vacationing in Missiouri last month, I met a woman who gave me a wonderful recipe. She made hers using lemon cake mix and frosting. I was told that it could be made with any flavor you desire so I decided to make a chocolate version.

CHOCOLATE BARS

List of ingrediets: Cake mix, can of frosting, 3 eggs, 1 stick of butter, 8 oz. cream cheese (softened), can of cream cheese frosting

Add this mixture to the bottom mixture that is patted into the pan.

ENJOY!

A slave to my machine

2008-07-08T07:41:00.005-05:00

A few months back, I accepted a contract job from a woman who sells little girl's a-line dresses. It doesn't pay that much but since I don't have an income to call my own, I'll take what I can get. Most weeks, I get an order to make 6 dresses at a time. I can handle that. I used to set aside Mondays and get all 6 dresses made and out the door. That way, I still had my week to take care of the house, laundry, playtime, etc.

Since summer has entered my life, things have gotten a little nuts. Vacation, VBS, church camp, new grandbaby, Independence Day, etc. has kept me running so far. Two weeks ago, I received an order to make 28 dresses. WHAT? Ok, she did give me 4 weeks to complete the order .. whew! Still .. why does that overwhelm me? I managed to get the first 5 made and then it came to a screeching halt.

I spent yesterday at my machine all day.

I literally had to make myself sew. When the day came to an end, I had a stack of 16 dresses made. Only 12 more to go ::sigh:: I've set a goal to have them made and out the door by next Monday .. that's IT ... not one more day.

I'll never look at gingham the same way again.

There was a time when I used my machine to make such creations as these:

Now that I think about it, I was a slave back then too ... never mind.

A good time was had by all ............

2008-07-06T07:59:00.005-05:00

We finally had our Fourth celebration ... even if it was a day late. The kids spent a little time fishing before the firework show began. Just wanted to share some pictures that captured the moment ... no explation really necessary.

Yes, we did see a fireworks show. However, unless you are a professional (and I'm not), capturing them is very difficult.

Hope everyone else had a safe 4th!

A special visitor

2008-07-05T17:36:00.001-05:00

Look who came to see me today:

Maybe I should back up a bit .... as you can tell, we've recently had an addition to our family. Even though she wasn't due to deliver until July 11th, my daughter called me last Thursday to let me know that her water had broke. After her contractions started (with the help of piticon)around noon, Brylea Nicole entered the world weighing 7 lbs 15 oz at 5:54 p.m.

Let me share how it all began ...

She will be greatly loved by many.

Independence Day .. what it meant to me

2008-07-05T08:05:00.001-05:00

Our day started off slowly. Very slowly. I had to coax *some* people to wake up and get started.

Need I say more?

After all, the goal here was to get up, get our agenda underway so they could return to the house and do such nonsense as light these:

Now, for me ... lighting fireworks does nothing except scare the pants off of me. I've had too many close calls growing up to know how dangerous these can be. However, the grown man in my house decided otherwise and we, along with millions of others, paid good money to light and blow up several things.

The first objective of the day was to go visit our oldest son, Kyle. He is leaving to spend a month in Panama on a mission's trip.

After being made to get up earlier than he had planned, a certain passenger didn't start out the trip too happy.

However, once we arrived, everyone was in a happy mood and participated in photos willingly. Note that normally, I am the last one to have my picture taken. However, since this was a "going away" event, I decided I would want to have a memory of myself with my son.

We then headed to Chili's to get everyone's tummies full before seeing him off for the day. Afterwards, we headed back home and chilled until our next stop ... a local park for the fireworks show.

Imagine our surprise to get there, unload our chairs and blankets only to find out that the show was scheduled for the next night! What's up with THAT? So, off to plan B. This is the part where we joined everyone else and bought a bunch of explosives. ::sigh:: Our night ended with all of us going home and directly to bed.

I'll continue this adventure tomorrow.