Sunday, December 26, 2010

Scrapbook Sentiments

I enjoyed making this little scrapbook for a friend for a Christmas gift this year. It only took me about half a day to complete and was so much fun! I wanted to remind her of who she was "in Christ." The most time-consuming task was searching the Bible for relevant Scriptures to what I wanted her to remember. It's definitely something I want to do again and will be looking for just the right person who needs one.

Here it is, starting with the front cover and ending with the back cover.










Thursday, December 23, 2010

"Twas the Night Before Christmas"...or my take on it anyway


'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house,
not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse...
Apparently the author didn't have teenagers.
They are up until the wee hours of the morning.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, yes they are
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.
and hopefully mom bought enough stuff to fill them.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds, NOT...remember...teenagers...
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads. or iTunes
And mamma in her kerchief (on her chiropractic pillow)
and I in my cap, wishing everyone would shut up and go to bed
Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap. Yea, right. Try 5 hours.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
Yes, I hear the neighbors celebrating
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Go to sleep, Genny. Pretend you don't hear them.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
No, I am not calling the police. Need sleep.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of midday to objects below.
Snow? In Texas in December? Right.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.
Must be dreaming now.

Oh, the anticipation of waiting for Santa. And how could you sleep when you were so excited? And parents staying up late to put together various assortments of toys and paraphanalia only to be woken at 5:00 a.m. with a whispered, "Dad, it's time to get up! Santa came!" Huh...what? And then there was the year that Jeff convinced the girls that he was a Regional Distributor for Santa because Santa couldn't possibly be all over the world in one night.

I'm wondering if this year will be slightly different - three teenagers in the house who love sleeping in on vacation. I'm betting we get to sleep in until at least 8:00 a.m. Actually, I'm counting on it. And in case you were wondering? Yes, Santa still brings gifts to teenagers.

But I heard him exclaim 'ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"


Monday, December 6, 2010

Couldn't Survive Winter Without Them

Brrr....it's really getting chilly at night now. There are many things I couldn't imagine going through winter without; for example, thick socks, flannel pajamas, goose down comforter, etc. One thing I don't want to go through winter with is dry skin. I hate it. Despise it. Can't stand it. So, here's a few things on my winter survival list:

Oh my goodness....best.lip.balm.ever.
Hands down!
You must trust me on this.


My mother gave me a bottle of this lotion a few
years ago and it has been a favorite ever since.
We've laughed about the name: Elixir of Love #1.
I don't actually know what that means, but Jeff likes it. : )
And, if she's reading this post, I'm almost out.....

Just found this product this week...Garnier Nutritioniste Moisture Rescue.
It's like splashing fresh cucumber gel on your face every morning.
And, it's light and refreshing, and all that good stuff.

My one true love of lotions...Johnson's Baby Lotion.
Oh, the smell, the smell...
I use it every day because thankfully,
you don't have to have a baby to use it.

This last product, of course, is no dry skin remedy. But,
I couldn't imagine winter without it. (For that matter,
I couldn't imagine spring, summer or fall without it either.)
Add a little sweetener, a dollop of whipped cream and bliss.
Please Note: This is not a paid endorsement for any of the products listed above. If, however, someone stumbles on this blog and wants to pay me, they can.

Keep warm!

A Little Joy Can Be a Dangerous Thing

Yes, it is true, my friend, Melissa and I will go to great lengths to tell a good story or set a good stage. I've been helping her decorate the sanctuary at church and it is finally finished. Melissa has gone through many hours of painting, glittering, crafting, glittering, glittering, glittering....sorry. Ask the janitors to tell you how much glitter has been used this year!

This is Melissa perched about 14 or so feet above the baptistry,
which is who knows how many feet above the choir loft,
which is who knows how many feet above the floor.

I actually helped to make this wreath. I have never had
wreath-making skills until this year. Never. Ever.
In fact, there is an unfinished wreath on my hearth right now.

One of my favorite parts of the scenery, and it's on the piano!
The feather tree is so pretty, and Melissa hand-crafted the other
two to make a set. Hoping to get her help on some for
my unfinished mantel, which is above the
unfinished wreath on the hearth.
Sensing a pattern here???

So glad I took this picture of snow on the drum cage.
Melissa spent 30 minutes, once again perched precariously
on a stool getting the gossamer and batting just right.
Sunday morning our drummer's stool collapsed,
sending him and the drum cage and the snow flying.
We didn't have time to repair it. Bummer.




The finished results were quite beautiful. We sprinkled snow on all the trees, and lit the lanterns and it was lovely.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Regrets...I've Had a Few

And they are...in no particular order...pecan pie, ribs, Butterfinger blizzard (even though it was a mini-size), cranberry sauce, Wendy's burger and fries, Jumbo Jack...heavy sigh...back to better eating tomorrow. Do not get on the scale. Do. not. get. on. the. scale.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Thoughts on Thanksgiving

What we're really talking about is a wonderful day set aside on the fourth Thursday of November when no one diets. I mean, why else would they call it Thanksgiving? ~Erma Bombeck, "No One Diets on Thanksgiving," 26 November 1981


Some things I enjoyed on Thanksgiving:

1. As far as food goes...sweet potato casserole, pecan pie, ribs, broccoli salad

2. A wonderful visit with my brother, John, and his kids

3. Being entertained by Katherine's college stories

4. Sending two of my girls off to watch the 10:30 p.m. showing of Harry Potter -- FINALLY! and then letting them stay out with Aunt Amy to go shopping at Wal-Mart at 5:00 a.m. for Black Friday

5. The cold front coming in this evening

6. My mother-in-law's Mac for me to blog on (and check Facebook)

7. Having the Aggies beat the Longhorns -- Whoop!

8. Downtime, with absolutely nothing I have to do

Hope your day was filled with lots of great things, too!


Monday, November 22, 2010

Cake Times Three

Since I've had so much time on my hands (hah!) I managed to make three cakes in one week. Before you are too impressed, they are small, six inches across and don't even use a full cake mix. This is a good thing for my family because I use the remaining batter to make cupcakes.

The first cake was for Rebecca. She has been driving me crazy to eat wedding cake, white cake with white icing. I finally broke down and made her one -- just because.


This cake was for my friend, Lisa's birthday. She loves chocolate so the optimal choice was chocolate cake with chocolate icing.

This cake was for Rebecca's discipleship leader, Michele. Rebecca really loves her, so the heart made a perfect little gift for her birthday. An icing debacle due to poor color choice and bad consistency led me to a little disaster when doing this cake. I had to scrape off the flowers on top of the cake leaving me with smears and a mess about 10:30 one night. I begged Abigail to help me think of some way to salvage it. "Do you have chocolate chips?" she asked. And, thus this little cake received a different treatment than I've done before. Not bad, huh?

And in Other Sports News

After several months' wait, Rebecca finally received her letter jacket that she was awarded in the spring at the track banquet. She was so excited to pick it up and thankfully it was very cold the next day so she could wear it to school. I do believe she would have worn it if it had been 80 degrees though! She has one patch on it so far: District 4x400 Meter Relay. She informs me there will be many more patches to come this year. Stay tuned.


It's That Time Again!

We survived another volleyball season and have jumped in with gusto to basketball. Both the girls are sporting #12 this year, which is exciting because their Dad's number was 12 in high school; however, they weren't thrilled to be wearing each other's number. Go figure.

Abigail gets lots of playing time on the 8th grade team. Rebecca is a starter on the JV Team and a sub on the Varsity Team. We've enjoyed watching the girls and seeing how much they've improved since last year.

Not to wish away the time, but won't it be nice next year when they are on the same schedule and we have two nights of games instead of four? Yea...liking the sound of that.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Oh Yes!

Five pounds! And, no, I won't make a habit of this.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Just Some Things I Want to Say...

First of all...

Dear Kroger, When I bought your "All Natural" Frozen Cut Okra I didn't realize that "All Natural" meant that 1/3 of the package would be the tops of the okra. Please fix that. Thank you.

On a positive cooking note, I am loving Mrs. Dash Tomato/Basil/Herb seasoning. It is simply delish.

On another positive note, I've lost 4 1/2 pounds. Hoping I have the willpower to stay the course this time. After much analysis I realized that I cannot stick with any (healthy eating) plan because I am too easily bored. For instance, Weight Watchers? Tired of counting points. Flat Belly Diet? Tired of trying to schedule eating every four hours, which never coincides with times my family is eating. South Beach? Tired of eggs and salads.

Of course here is where most people would say, "You just need to exercise more." You know what? I'm not listening to you. (fingers in ears) I know it, ok? And, I have been walking around my neighborhood for a brief walk the last couple weeks. Guess what? I'm starting to get bored with that, too. Why can't there be a Scrapbooker's Diet? Let me lay it out for you...

Meal One: Eat a delicious breakfast of big, fat buttery cinnamon rolls with a huge cup of coffee. Pour a second cup of coffee to take to your scrapbook table. Make sure both cups of coffee have plenty of cream and real sugar. Scrapbook for four hours.

Meal Two: Have delivered to your scrapbook room a delicious mushroom/swiss cheese burger with seasoned fries, lots of ketchup and a Diet Coke. (The thought here being that the Diet Coke will offset the fries.) Continue scrapbooking after washing hands. Gotta watch those greasy hands on your paper.

Snack: A delivery of a fresh Diet Coke along with a bowl of popcorn, and possibly a piece of dark chocolate and some almonds will be just the things to tide you over until your evening meal. Continue working on your albums after this small snack break.

Meal Three: Ribeye Steak, Baked Potato (loaded, but no chives please) and a Caesar salad will be your final "big" meal of the day. How about some Crystal Light to drink with that? After all, you should try to cut calories where you can. Not really ready for dessert after that steak, so will reserve it for a late evening "pick me up" snack. Wow! Getting lots of work done on my albums today.

Dessert: How about a nice cup of hot tea and some peach cobbler with Bluebell Vanilla Ice Cream? A couple more hours on the scrapbook and then time for bed...

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have another letter to write. I'll be asking NBC for a chance to star in next year's "The Biggest Loser." And it's all thanks to my Scrapbooker's Diet -- the only eating plan I managed to stick with for an entire year!


Friday, November 5, 2010

From My Nightstand I Recommend...

I've read three books lately that I have absolutely loved and thought, "Who doesn't want a good book recommendation?" Two are fiction and one non-fiction. I know! I actually read a non-fiction book.


"Never the Bride" was humorous and touching, the story of a girl who
desperately wants to be married, but God wants her love for Him to be first.


One of the best books I've read recently due to the dialogue.
(reminded me of Dee Henderson's dialogue --
Dee, where are you? why aren't you writing?)
The story of a reporter who spends time with the Amish and
how it changes her perspective on her own life.

This one was hard. I literally cried through most of it.
The tragedy of the death of your child caused by another
of your children is just too much to think about.
But, Mary Beth Chapman is living through it and the book is amazing.

Let me know if you enjoy one of these great books. I'm off to read the sequel to "Plain Jayne," which is entitled "Simply Sara."

Not Much Halloween Here

On any given year I really would just pass up Halloween as a celebration. I do enjoy the fun of putting costumes together, but no one in my house usually wants to dress up. Abigail went to a friend's house and Rebecca decided to hang out in Grand Prairie with a few of her friends from school.

She dressed as a scientist. I tried to hard to get
her to have ratty hair and be a mad scientist. No go.

Gorgeous sunset at the site of the trunk or treat
with FBC Grand Prairie

Some of the sophomore class from Grace Prep

Best friends, Amanda and Rebecca
Of course overshadowing us was the fact that the Rangers were in the World Series and we not getting to watch the game. We did watch for a bit while the kids went trick or treating, and then on the way home....

This is taken out the car window. The blur in the upper left
is the Goodyear Blimp. The bright white lights are the stadium lights.
So, we were close to the game if not able to watch.

Rebecca didn't get much candy for all our efforts, so even that was kinda blah. I just comforted myself with the fact of how many calories I saved!

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Found on My Computer........Why?

Every now and then some pictures will find their way onto my computer and they leave me asking, "Why, Abigail, why?" She has such a strange sense of humor. I'm hoping that she will read this post and give us some whys and wherefores of these pictures. Maybe you would like to comment and give each one a caption.

1.

2.

3.

4.

These Ain't Your Mama's Brussels Sprouts

Normally I would not even attempt to serve brussels sprouts in my home, the main reason being the cries of, "Those stink!" and "I'm not eating baby monkey brains!" (Thanks, Jeff.) But...I was all alone at home on Friday and determined to try a new recipe: Brussels Sprouts Gratin. And, all I can say is oh. my. delicious. goodness. They were absolutely the best brussels sprouts I've ever eaten. Really. I'm not kidding.

Washed and ready to be chopped

Aren't they pretty?
Like baby cabbages - NOT monkey brains.

Cooking up quite nicely with bacon and shallots

Here we are -- delicious goodness.

I would post the recipe for you, but I can probably guarantee my mother would be the only person in the world who would want it, and she can call me for it if she does.

My Little List of Happy Things

Just some things that made me feel happy today:

1. Texas Rangers in the World Series

2. Spending the day with friends doing crafty things, lunch and great conversation

3. Magic Eraser Sponges

4. Rebecca cleaning the kitchen without being asked

5. Playing a duet with Abigail at the piano recital

6. Wearing a sweatshirt

7. Cherry Pomegranate Crystal Light

8. Crunchy leaves and acorns beneath my feet

9. Payday

10. Did I mention the Rangers were in the WORLD SERIES?!?

Monday, October 25, 2010

Abigail and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day


A Short Story by Genny Holmes

Illustrated by Ray Cruz

I woke up late for school this morning and Rebecca was in the bathroom so I had to go downstairs and on the way down I stubbed my toe and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

When I asked Mom if my khaki skirt was in the dryer she told me Rebecca had forgotten to put it in the dryer last night and it was still wet and I would have to wear my navy skirt. Rebecca's khaki skirt was dry and ready to wear.

While putting my books in my backpack I scratched myself on the zipper and when I went to get a Band-Aid out of the cabinet I knocked over a pitcher of tea on my white shirt and navy skirt.

I think I'll move to Australia.

I went upstairs and put on a navy shirt while waiting for my khaki skirt to finish drying and finally it was dry and when I put it on the zipper busted and stuck and I couldn't get it to go up or down. I called for Mom to please help me and she was mad because she had just bought it a month ago and now she had to cut the zipper to get it off.

I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

I stomped upstairs to get the navy skirt that had a tea stain on it and I knew I wouldn't look good at all because everyone knows you don't wear a navy shirt with a navy skirt. I grabbed a white sweatshirt to wear over the navy shirt but it was going to be 90 degrees all day. Who needs 90 degrees? I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

I could tell because I threw my stuff in the back of the van and got in the middle seat because it was Rebecca's day to ride shotgun. Who needs shotgun anyway? And who needs Rebecca? I hope you sit on a tack, I said to Rebecca in my mind. I hope the next time you get a double-decker ice cream cone the ice cream part falls off the cone part and lands in Australia.

Next week, I said out loud, I'm going to Australia. It's been a terrible, horrible,no good, very bad day.

Mom opened my door, kissed me on the cheek and handed me a tissue. It will be okay, she said. Some days are like that.

Even in Australia.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Grandmother's Baby

If cats could talk, they wouldn't. ~Nan Porter

After scolding one's cat one looks into its face and is seized by the ugly suspicion that it understood every word. And has filed it for reference. ~Charlotte Gray

The reason cats climb is so that they can look down on almost every other animal - it's also the reason they hate birds. ~K.C. Buffington


If there were ever a person who I would have believed would never have a pet, it would be my mother. We had dogs growing up, but never cats. So, the very fact that my mother has one now still gives me a little pause; however, one only needs to visit her to know that her heart has been stolen by Jack. Or, as I like to call him -- "He Who Runs the House." If you question this, how about the fact that he jumps up in her lap every morning so she can rock him? He also decides what time everyone in the house gets up (5:00 a.m. anyone?).

I have no idea what kind of cat he is, but he is incredibly soft!

I don't know what he's thinking here, and
I probably don't want to know.
Mad eyes and ears!

He tried to stand up and get water out of this birdbath,
but it was empty. I made an effort to put water in it right then,
but of course I was too late and he had no desire for any water.

And, he's finished with the likes of us peasants.

The importance of Jack is evidenced by the fact that we spent an entire day at my mother's house and I don't have a single picture of a person. Not one.

Catalyst Worship Conference

Atlanta, Georgia ~ October 6-9, 2010

A Catalyst Leader is: uncompromising in integrity, intentional about community, passionate about God, courageous in calling, engaged in culture and authentic in influence. (taken from Catalyst 2010 Program)

I traveled with a group from my church to Georgia to attend a church music leadership conference. We spent two days listening to speakers, worshipping and being entertained. The theme for the event was "The Tension is Good." Sounds weird, I know. Each speaker took a different aspect of tension and showed how it can play out in our lives to be productive. Tension is not only necessary, but it makes us stronger.

This is waiting to get in the first morning.
When you are one of 13,000 people,
you can feel a little overwhelmed.
(Especially when you are all going into the same doors!)

Catalyst Worship Team


the amazing Kari Jobe

Beth Moore

Hard to tell from this picture, but there is a
guy near the center on a huge trampoline.

Yes, this guy crawled in the cannon and was
shot out of it moments later. Crazy!

Here he is in the net after he landed.

T.D. Jakes, who told us to "get off the caw-nuh" (corner)
and into the middle of the action
More great speakers were: Andy Stanley, Francis Chan, Gabe Lyons, Seth Godin, Perry Noble, Craig Groeschel and Christine Caine. Too much information to even write about here. Sooooo good!

Some of the guys - Jeremy, Jeff, Aaron

Some of the girls - Me, Stephanie, Shauna

A few thoughts from the emcee, Reggie Joiner, about tension...

There is not one aspect of life where tension doesn't have critical value.

If you want a good example of the potential tension has to affect your team, think about the relationship Jesus had with his disciples. A close study of the New Testament recognizes that it was packed with tension. Too many Christians have an image of the twelve best friends sitting in a circle on a peaceful hillside listening to their teacher tell inspirational stories. It's just too easy to miss the point that Jesus almost always made His point in the middle of some extremely tense moments. He actually leveraged tension to mold His disciples into the kind of men who would change the world. Think about it.

He partied with tax-collectors and prostitutes -- to challenge the disciples' deep-rooted prejudices.

He broke sacred traditions -- so they would value people.

He led them into a stormy sea -- to take away their fear.

He let one of his best friends die -- to show them the power of resurrection.

He died a violent death -- to show them how to forgive and be forgiven.

The tension is good. Do I believe that? Well, I'm working on it...