The Blind Side

Do yourself a favor and get a sitter (not a family movie) and go see this movie...




"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Warning: You may gain 5 lbs just looking at this Post!

I’m participating in The Diaper Diaries "Things I love Thursdays"

And believe you me, you may just need what she is giving away over there today if you sample any of these goodies....that I love of course!

Yes, she is a sweet talker....that Betty Crocker...and unfortunately we talk waaaay too much she and I! I found these on sale at the grocery store the other day and figured what the heck....I just cooked these up today and can I just say they are divine!! Seriously, I'm not a huge brownie fan but I love chocolate chip cookies....and was very leery of how the two together would taste...it was a really neat combination and I would definitely buy them again! Plus they look like a million bucks....like one of those desserts that have 50 ingredients and takes all day to make. Of course if that were the case they would not be found on my blog.

What goes better with oooey goooey (my spell check just went bazerk!) goodness than a cup of coffee? While on that same shopping trip I decided to deviate from my mundane Half and Half and splurge a bit on some flavored creamer. My favorite at Starbucks is the White Chocolate Mocha. Only problem is that you have to take out a small loan to keep up that habit so when I saw International Delights "Coffee House Inspirations" White Chocolate Mocha...I was sold.

I have to be honest here....it was good....but it wasn't Starbucks folks. I guess there is no duplicating that frothy goodness that only they can concoct. But I will be using it and would probably even get it again...but not before I check out a few of the other flavors!

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Just call me Martha

OK, so Martha Stewart I may never be, but you can allow a gal to be delusional for a bit right? Thank you.


I have been bitten by the craft bug obviously...how else would you explain my sudden compulsion to want to buy a sewing machine and learn how to knit?!?! Or my recent desire to put a piece of antique furniture in my driveway and paint it?!?! I suppose I have Edie and Melissa to thank for this newly acquired "bug"....they just make it look so fun! And so darn easy!


I found this at Kohl's on sale Sunday. See, before being bitten by the bug, I would have walked right on past this little gem...the whole time listening to that neurotic little voice in my head that says "You can't possibly do that! You will make a big ole mess and it will look disastrous and there you will be...stuck with it!" Yep, that's what I do every time I enter Michael's or Hobby Lobby...I load up my cart...and by the time I am done walking through the store, I have given way to the perfectionist within and decide to abandon the cart...yeah, I know...the employees that have to restock that stuff loathe me!


But this time...I told the small annoying voice to go find some pictures to straighten somewhere and leave me alone!!! I bought it! And I didn't even let it sit somewhere for 2 years before attempting...not that I would ever do such a thing.


I had the courage....I had the plastic applicator...and I had the perfect wall! It really was simple...I can say that because my husband did all of the measuring and Math for me to get it centered...but really, it was easy. Just a little patience...and Voila! The perfect compliment to my Give Thanks Banner dontcha think?

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

A "McK"Photo Lesson

Updated: I fixed the picture....I know...I'm eat up with it people... "My name is Talysa...and I'm an OCD/ADD Perfectionist."

I love learning new things...especially if it has anything to do with photography...and comes with step by step illustrated instructions. Yeah, those are always nice. So with McKMama allowing us to dip into her plethora (just love it when I can use that word) of Post Editing knowledge all day today, I have pretty much been glued to her site today....Here's the trick for getting more than one pick on your page with more freedom than maybe Picasa allows.

So I'm off a hair in my spacing...ask me if I care tonight? On second thought, don't! The more I look at it the more I'm tempted to start over! You know what a weirdo I am about things being so so..anyhoo, this is way more fun that Blogger style huh? And you can bet your hiney that I will be incorporating this more...why do I suddenly become increasingly Southern when I'm deliriously tired???? ...wanna learn how to do this yourself? Go hang out at McKMama's place and soak in the knowledge folks! Her blog is so amazing it'll make you wanna slap your momma!;-)

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Thanks, Printer Obsession, Nerds, and Purity....

Thanks

This week I decided to tap into the Craft Goddess within (I just know she has to be in there somewhere) and make a Thanksgiving Banner (which as you see does not require sewing) as suggested by Edie to remind myself and my family to choose an attitude of thankfulness....in all things...at all times. This took getting acquainted with MS Word in a way I wasn't before...who knew you could do so many neat projects?

I am thankful for so so many things...my husband, my 3 healthy children that I love more than my own life, my salvation and a cross that was my only hope, my home, my friends, my family, the ability to teach my children and spend so much time with them, the wonderful Godly women the Lord placed alongside of me in that journey, the calling on my life to be the lead worshipper in a crowd of the Faithful...I could go on and on and on...and it would never encompass all I have been given...and there is not one thing about myself deserving of any of it. Yet, so many times I allow an attitude of discontent...or ungratefulness slip in and eclipse all of that. I pray that I would become increasingly aware of my blessings...and more in tune with those attitudes in order to weed them out as they try to creep in. Any maybe just maybe, having it written boldly before my eyes will help.

**Wonder if writing out "DO NOT EAT THAT CHOCOLATE" would work? :-)

What are you thankful for?

(See the little baby seat from Pottery Barn Kids attached to our table...Maggie loves to play with her babies and pretend to be momma... and this has been so much fun for her to bring "Lissie" to the table to eat with us)

Of course once I had discovered my new found printer savvy "skills", there was no stopping me! This is a picture frame I bought on clearance 2 years ago at Kirklands...it has been hanging on my wall the entire time with a white piece of paper in the middle that read "5X5 Photo"...sad I know...I gave it a makeover with a nice Monogram...fresh from the printer. Why on Earth had I not thought of this before?!?!

And I would even dare say that I have become a tad dangerous with Word...because just 3 days later, I decided the Monogram was old hat and printed out scripture to replace it.

Either I do not know how to take straight pictures or I need to go right now and straighten this!

Who knows what I'll replace it with next....I did read this quote today and since this hangs in my kitchen I was very tempted..."Never Eat More Than You Can Lift" -Miss Piggy

Nerds
Whose nerdy kids are these anyway?!?!?!
I felt sorry for these 3 and decided to give them a ride to their destination this morning...they said they were headed to "Nerd Day" at LCA....maybe it was my "I Brake For Nerds" bumper sticker?!?



Purity
I had the privilege this weekend of taking a few pictures for friends as they celebrated their daughters decision and pledge to remain Pure until marriage. Let me tell you folks...it does not get much better. It was a beautiful ceremony full of love, encouragement, honesty, and a commitment to follow the path God has chosen for each of us. I cannot tell you the emotion I experienced...and I could not help but think of what I (and so many others) may have been spared had I had someone teaching me this path...and committing to helping me achieve that goal. But my thoughts quickly turned to my own children...my boys and my girl...but especially my girl. Things will be different for her...that's all I could think. They will be different.

One of the sweetest moments...

Her dad placing her Purity ring on her ring finger...to remain until her husband replaces it with a wedding ring. *tear*

This was a Father/Daughter dance that turned full family.

I pray Autumn always knows how special she is...the value of her worth...and that she is every bit the Princess in Gods eyes that she felt like right in this moment.

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Teeth...

.....or the lack of

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Fall Fun

Even though I am no where near being finished with catching up from summer (still have our Sept. trip to Destin to post) I decided I needed to interject a few happenings from the here and now too. Which means someone has been praying for me obviously because we all know that would normally eat at my brain to get things "out of order." So thank you...whoever you are. :-)

Saturday: It's Halloween and even though we don't really get into the whole "Halloween" thing, we do usually let the kids dress up to attend trunk or treat at our church....since they decided not to host one this year, we decided to let the kids go around our neighborhood....we've lived here 2 years and had never been home on Halloween night. We seriously have such a neat neighborhood and it was alive with kiddos and characters of all sorts....kinda reminded me of the neighborhood trick or treat scene on ET.

Tyler was of course too cool old to trick or treat this year....or as he says, it felt awkward last year so he knew it was his last. Maggie decided to be a cowgirl a while back while we were shopping at Goodwill one Saturday. She put the whole thing together herself and it was quite precious! She had plans of taking Bo (freakishly large Standard Poodle) as her horse...but I have no idea how to make a saddle for a dog...or any saddle for that matter! never got around to making him a saddle....And that woulda meant backing him out of the driveway in the car due to the Invisble Fence....so it didn't happen.

Aidan....seriously, will there ever be a year that one of my boys is NOT a Star Wars character?!?! was Jengo Fett....I think....maybe he was a Clone Trooper...I have no idea.
**I stand corrected...while looking back at last years Trunk or Treat pics I see that he was this ONE rare time in his life something else....Edmund from Narnia.

Adam and I decided that we are gonna invite all of our friends over next Halloween for a small "get together" and let all of our kids trick or treat in our neighborhood.

Sunday: Today, Aidan and Tyler and I stayed home from church while fighting off a pesky cold(it may be Monday officially when I get this posted) and when Adam and Maggie got home we decided very impromptu like to go armed with Aleve Cold and Sinus for a drive down The Natchez Trace Parkway...it is a rare jewel that we have here in TN....stretching from just south of Nashville, 444 miles down to Natchez, MS. We saw parts of the original trail and imagined Meriwether Lewis walking along it. In fact did you know he died on it??? Rich in History! God's beautiful creation + History + Homeschoolers = The Perfect Day....well, that and dinner at Loveless Cafe and Motel! (Let's not mention the 5 lbs I gained just by pulling in the parking lot!...ok, that and all this blasted "Fun Size" candy I now have taunting me from within plastic pumpkins!)

Even though the foliage was beautiful I loved this one in b&w best!

**All of these were taken with my new P&S Canon that I got in FL this year....didn't feel like lugging the Rebel along. And speaking of FL I hope to make that my next post!

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Prayers for Stellan

This precious boy and his family need prayer....please take a minute to lift them up and ask for God's protection and healing for baby Stellan. And read more about his miraculous life and his wonderful brave momma here

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

McKMama's giving it away!

Head on over to my friend McKMama's Blog and leave a comment for a chance to win a $200 gift card to Best Buy! Yep, it's that simple!

http://mckgiveaways.blogspot.com/2009/10/amazing-best-buy-giveaway.html


"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Summer Catch Up..Part 2

Man, if only I could just "decide" to start eating better and excercise and be as succesful sticking to it as I have been "deciding" to stop neglecting my poor blog....oh well, anyhoo.

As I was saying in this post, there was a swirl of activity going on around the McManus household this summer....other than camping and swimming in our glorious blow up pool, we also had a few major milestones...some of them not so much. Let's start with the not so much...

Ok, this may not be a milestone for anyone else in my family but it sho' nuff was for me....a whole 4 days away in the beautiful mountains of Gatlinburg with these wonderful ladies God has placed in my life! I'm talking, no kids, no hubbies, private heated pool, hot tub, prayer time, watching movies in the middle of the day, and more food than Dolly Parton herself could serve at her famous Dixie Stampede! It was an amazing blessing and I am already looking forward to next year!

We also joined up with some fellow church goers and Homeschoolers and hit the Tennessee State Fair in Nashville! I'm still trying to figure out how I grew up here my whole life and never went to this glorious funnel cake filled event! And I'm quite certain that it's the only place on Earth that your nose can experience the aroma of Foot Long Corn Dogs and The Swine Barn all at once! Ooohh.. swine...just that word makes me cringe! I'm glad we did go...it was VERY educational and from what I understand, unless someone intervenes, our Mayor has decided the Fairgrounds could be put to better use so it was the last year of the State Fair. :-(

Yep, that pumpkin is REAL!

Now moving along to the more "Milestone" news....

This guy...

Became....

This guy...

And I am pretty sure I now need to add his mouth to our insurance!

Worth EVERY penny! :-)

And this little guy....

Turned "7" :-)

Where does the time go???? Seriously.

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Chocolate Gravy

I've had a few of you ask about my Chocolate Gravy...and although a Food Blog this will NEVER be (love food...can't cook food)...I simply couldn't resist passing on something as sacred in our family as Chocolate Gravy is. My grandma Margaret (moms mom) would make this for me on a whim...didn't matter what time of day or what she was doing...if I wanted it, she delivered. I know that she did this just for me because she herself, nor my grandpa, even cared for it. They would eat it if it was cooked, but it was nothing she made just for the two of them...which in turn always made me feel extremely loved. When I had flown home here to TN from PA to attend her funeral, I stayed at my Aunt Rita's house (moms sister). She cooked Chocolate Gravy one morning for me...I bet it had been 10 years since I had eaten it (grandma couldn't cook for years due to Alzheimers) and boy did I ever feel 8 years old again! I got the recipe from her that day and it is now what I use to make it for my kids. My kids beg for it...especially in the cooler months...I love when I mention making it and their eyes (even my 13 year olds) light up like it's Christmas morning! Sometimes I even make it for dinner...yep, dinner of Champions! G'ma always made homeade biscuits of course but my kids are just as happy with the refrigerator Grands. Also we love the Pillsbury Frozen Southern Style Grands....they are almost just like eating my G'mas...and a heckofa lot easier to make than the way she did it from scratch! :-)

If you have never made this...I say it's something everyone should try at least once in their lives...kinda like seeing New York City. Who knows...it may just become a tradition around your house like it is at ours.

Warning: This recipe isn't gonna find it's way into a Weight Watchers cookbook anytime soon! :-)

Grandma Margaret/Aunt Rita's Chocolate Gravy

• 1 &1/2 Cups Sugar (yes you read that right!)
• 1 &1/2 Cups Water or Milk...(I use Milk)
• 3 Tbsp. Cocoa
• 4-7 Tbsp. Self Rising Flour..depending on how think you like it...You could use a little less or more..it took a few times for me to know how I best liked it.
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla
• 2 Tbsp. Butter

Mix all ingredients EXCEPT vanilla and butter...cook until desired thickness.

Remove from heat and add Vanilla and Butter...serve over biscuits!

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Not Me! Monday

Head on over to McKMama blog and see what she's "ahem" cooking up this week! :-)

• While camping this week I did not find myself at 1 am rationalizing that I needed to eat all three of the "Fun Size" Reese's...for it would make no sense to put the one poor solitary Reese's back in the cabinet alone would it?!?!

• I did not go almost 3 entire days without showering while camping...cause that folks would be nasty.

• I did not eat pumpkin pie in the camper at 2 am.

• My precious baby boy...last of my babies...did NOT in fact learn to ride his bike this week!

• I have NOT decided to stay on a whole other week this week camping and schooling with the kids WITHOUT MY HUBBY!!! Especially if it would mean we have to move our camper to a site without water/septic dumps because I am one spoiled camper and would NEVER be caught on such a site! ;-)
  
  
  
  
  "And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"
  

Wordless Wednesday

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Not Me! Monday

Click on the above link and check out the brains behind this little soul cleansing festivity....McKMama!

• Well, first of all, I am surely not shamelessly posting a Not Me! Monday this week with the sole intent of winning that snazzy giveaway prize! :-)
• While baking cookies this week with my daughter I did not tell her "no honey, you cannot eat raw sugar cookie dough because we just put a raw egg in there and that can cause botulism"....and then proceed to sneak a couple of bites while I had her rinsing out a bowl at the sink.
• I have not washed the same load of laundry 3 times within 24 hours...the second being to get the mildew out from forgetting the first and the third of course from forgetting them the second time!
• I am not glued to my bedroom as I type this because said load of laundry is about to finish and I have forbade myself from dare leaving this room till I put them in the dryer!
• I did not make chocolate gravy and biscuits twice this week...because to do so would make me a liar since I just recently posted on Facebook that I only make such a sweet treat for my kiddos once every couple of months or so.

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

So It's Been a While....

......3 months to be exact....Can I just say that my hat is off to all of you bloggers that manage to run a home, be wife and mom, AND keep your blogs updated regularly! How do you do it?!?!? I was doing great...then summer came along. That's my lame excuse story and I'm stickin' to it! :-)

Truth be told, I'm eat up with perfectionism. There. I said it. So once my camera started getting bogged down with all of our summer happenings and there was no time to edit and keep my blog updated, in chronological order of course (seriously, what the heck is wrong with me?!?) I just kept putting it off waiting for that day that I was gonna stay up till the wee hours of the morning miraculously have 8 extra hours in my day to get caught up...yep, didn't happen folks.

So here I am....and like any good perfectionist would do....I am gonna start where we left off....3 months ago. Not to worry! I will NOT be doing it all in this post.

SO..................Here we go!

Although we spent the majority of our summer hanging out here, we also spent a few weekends and long weekends in June and July hanging at our favorite spot EVER to go camping....Defeated Creek. What could be so fascinating about spending all that time in the great outdoors you say????

Catchin' fish...

walkin' on logs...

cuttin' up worms...

tyin' ropes to buckets...

learnin' from dad...

fishin' off logs....

fishin off logs with your best friends....

rollin' up your pants legs to cool off....

figurin' out how to focus your Rebel...

watchin' sunsets...

catchin' velvet ants....

Swimmin' in the lake...

Bein' uplugged...

findin' mushrooms

sharin' a log with dad....

magnifyin' a cocoon....

learnin' to bait your own hook...

havin' fun with the bucket on a rope...

takin' in the view...

just hangin' out :-)

copyin' dad...

takin' pictures of long legged 9 year olds...

makin' memories....

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Summertime.....

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Swine Flu

I sent Adam and Tyler to Youth Camp this week and could not wait to get them home! We picked them up and went to have dinner at Tyler's favorite restaurant and Tyler was super tired which is typical after a week basically no sleep and non stop activities. Adam wasn't though which made me a bit suspicious. Then by the time we got home, Tyler was telling me that he didn't feel too good. I chalked it up to exhaustion and put him to bed. Before he got to sleep I took his temp and it was 99.7....this raised my suspicions but I still didn't make too much of it. By morning he was burning up with fever of 102!

This went on all day Thursday....and he developed a cough...this made me more nervous than anything given Tyler's history with asthma and pneumonia....including a 7 day stint in the hospital in 2006. And I began to hear on Facebook and get phone calls from other parents that their kids were sick too...So by Friday his fever was 103.3 and he was getting noticeably worse...I decided to take him in to make sure his lungs were ok before we were caught in the weekend with the ER as our only option.

Our pediatrician is a dear friend and our small group leader at church (we are SOOO blessed to have this man in our childrens lives!) and I have come to know his mannerisms when he's examining our kids and becomes concerned...he gets really quiet for a few minutes...I'm no doc but I would assume he is thinking about what step to take next. He listened to his lungs for a really LONG time...so I was nervous he was gonna mention the "P" word....but NOTHING could have prepared me for what he said next....

"You know, if this was January I'd tell you that Tyler has the flu....but this is NOT flu season....and with all of these other kids I'm hearing about being sick from camp...well, it makes me suspicious. I don't want to alarm you but I also don't want to be naive and think it couldn't happen here....this could be Swine."

Ok, this would be where the world stopped....and everything else he said became mostly a blur.

SERIOUSLY?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?

So off to the hospital we went to get the nasal swab. To say that we felt like lepers would be an understatement...the moment I handed the lady the papers and she read "H1N1" she seriously did not hide her shock very well...she said something along the lines of, "Oh my, this is the first one of these we have seen and HE NEEDS A MASK NOW!!!" He was masked and whisked away into a separate area faster than we could say nasal swab! The lady that put his bracelet on him commented "Lord, he is burning up!" ...thanks lady! This sent my poor 13 year old brave boy into tears! He was getting scared of the way everyone was acting...and he is also old enough to be aware of the current events going on in the world and the fact that this has been deadly.

I took this time to reassure him that none of this had caught our God off guard! He was still on His throne and still had Tylers life held in the tight grips of his Sovereign Hands! That no amount of fear or worry could change the outcome...only beseeching our Heavenly Father and asking Him to be in every molecule of Tylers DNA and protect his little body from any further advancement ...if in fact this is what we were faced with. He dried his eyes and we went back to get him tested.

The swab was not bad at all....the waiting was HORRIFIC. We sat and waited for results...because if they are positive, you have to get a second swab. Doc Jason called me on my cell to give me the results..."he has tested positive for Type A Influenza." Tyler was right next to me so I tried to put on a brave face (which he later told me didn't work so well) as not to scare him. I really didn't know what this all meant so he told us we had to get two more swabs to send to the CDC for confirmation of the Swine Flu...this was the very first case that came back positive in our city so the hospital didn't know exactly what to do...and filling out that government CDC form with the title "CDC H1N1 Confirmation" across the top felt just a bit crazy to be honest....by the time we left there everyone was staring at us and it was a surreal moment to say the least! So much for the HIPA Privacy Act!

He is on Tamiflu and we are all on it too as a precaution due to his high risk lungs. So we wait till Monday or Tuesday to get the results from the CDC....we would appreciate any prayers we can get for protection over Tyler and our other 2 kiddos! And please lift up the other 65 or so kids from camp that have since tested positive as well! Yep, you heard me right...there have been 65 confirmed cases of Type A Flu just among the kids that were at our Middle School Camp so far! We are praying for protection over all the others and all of our High Schoolers that will be coming home from the same camp a bit earlier now as a precaution.

So for now we wait, pray, and trust!

Before I go, I leave you with....."the great masked one!" He will kill me one day for this I am sure of it! And did you notice his new summer do? Ok, so it's a little mangled after burning up with fever, vomiting, aching, coughing,feeling overall comatose sleeping for 3 days straight and maybe it's just me but I think he is still a handsome little devil even if he does have "the swine!" :-)

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

This week

This week....

My terrific trio....

has become my dynamic duo.

Adam and Tyler are here for a week at our church's Middle School Youth Camp and we are learning how to live without them...which means me taking out the garbage and unloading the dishwasher...myself...and for Mag and Aidan it means living in their favorite place...their imaginations....and missing their big brother...oh yeah, one less kid also means one less person to buffer the whole "getting sick of each other" thing which leads to the whole "let's bicker about every little thing possible" thing!

Today is Fathers Day and although we sent some cards via Tyler to surprise him this morning, we will be holding off on the FD festivities till they get back Wednesday....and although I will be stoked to have them back safe and sound, I realize God has a purpose got word today that 6 out of the 13 boys Adam has in his group have made decisions for Christ already! for them to be there....and it is bigger than my petty inconveniences or desires to have us all home together.

So until they return, we three will be doing everything possible to keep us preoccupied so that it doesn't seem like an ETERNITY till they get back! swimming, having slumber parties in the family room, eating our weight in Blueberry Cake Shipley's, Mexican food, and Jelly Belly's, perusing through Garage Sales, watching every American Girl movie known to man, playing Wii, having "homechurch" (did I mention Mag has picked up hand foot and mouth virus???), and enjoying the 95 degree weather we have here in TN!!!

Mag and Aidan are enjoying the pool in the backyard

Aidan more than Mag maybe :-) yes, I am aware that his suit is outgrown by about 3 years...he however, has not come to terms with this and is in denial...I pick my battles.

I am enjoying my patio...especially early in the morning with my coffee

And looking at my patio from my screened in porch during the hottest parts of the day..and the mosquito infested evenings!

And my beautiful Hibiscus my hubby bought me before he left....nope, I'm not missing him at all!

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Maggie May...

That was the song that was playing in the delivery room 9 years ago today when Maggie Elizabeth McManus came into this world....head full of jet black hair, spitting image of her daddy, and cheeks made just for squeezin'....turning our world on it's side...and forever pink.

The jet black hair gave way to strawberry blonde waves but the tenacious spirit remained...Only God Himself knew what Maggie would bring to my life....to the life of our family. She has been from day one, strong willed and fiery! While nursing her, as a newborn even, she would clinch her fists and hold her breath till red in the face if I did not get her what she needed quick enough! Guess I should've known then that the toddler years were going to be blood, sweat. and tears! Independent beyond comprehension. "Me do it!" was a common phrase from age 2 and on. And although I thought at times I would surely lose my mind between the ages 2-5, I always knew and even prayed over her that one day that stubborn mind of hers would pay off and be used to bring God glory! I have watched Maggie grow into the most amazing little lady....that fierce independence now plays out in the form of setting her alarm and starting her schoolwork before her brothers have dare dreamed of even stirring...sometimes before I have even stirred! That strong will now looks like a young Daughter of the Most High King that stands firm in her Salvation and will not be shaken in what she believes!

Maggie is the most giving, most humble person I believe I have ever had the privilege of knowing. She is the one in Sunday School that shares her offering money with a little girl that didn't bring any to give. She is the one that brings enough quarters to El Rey to get each of her brothers a piece of gum at the candy machines as we leave. She is the little sister that thinks to bring her brothers their jackets to the car as we are leaving "just in case" they need them later. She is the one that asks me in her bed at night about adopting a a little girl that has no home. She is also the one that asks to sell her Kit Kittredge doll to help someone that is adopting. She is the precious young lady that sits in her bed faithfullly each night and commits to reading scripture and even keeps a notebook that she copies a new scripture a day into....all on her own accord mind you!


And if I ever wondered if God has a sense of humor....I now know. Maggie is the complete opposite of me. Which has made for some interesting battles...but I have learned to choose my battles more wisely these days...and what I have learned through these precious 9 years is that He sent her to me to challenge me....to grow me...to change me....to make me more like Him.


Yes, I see so much of Him in her...I am amazed at the beautiful person she has become...she has the sweetest spirit...everyone that encounters her is touched by it....and if I were to be honest, I would have to tell you that my daughter is someone I look up to....she is someone that impresses me beyond words....she is someone that I would choose to be any day if given the choice. She makes me want to be selfless...braver....better. And I get so emotional when I allow myself to hear God whisper to my heart the plans He has for her....part of me wants to shut it out because I want to hold her tight to me always....but I can't. I hear Him very strongly when He says that He has great plans for a heart like hers....plans that may test me in my own faith and trust in Him. We commit her to You Lord!

At her baptism

kids camp '08

Her favorite thing to do....All things Art!

Happy Birthday my precious Magpie!!!! We love you more than all the stars! :-)

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

True Worship...

As I prepared myself this week to lead worship in the absence of our worship leader, I never prepared the good swift kick in the rear that I got with the message....I get worship SO wrong sometimes....well, a lot of the time if I were to be really honest. I water it down to a set list...to "music" in general even. Don't get me wrong, when I worship....I worship! I go for it with all I have knowing it's His calling on my life to lead others freely into His presence...I give all I have to the Lord and it is never about a song or just music in the moment....but that's just it...I freely give all of myself to Him in song and service....and hide other parts of my life away from Him...clinching ever so tightly till He has no say in it at all. The areas that require sacrifice of self...getting my hands and feet a bit dirty in His name. The areas that may require me opening my little "box" and letting Him in to tear it all down. That neat little planned out ever so perfectly "box". I was humbled to my knees yesterday by this message....and I am encouraging/challenging everyone I know to take 48 minutes of your time to soak it in....receive it! You will not be disappointed you did...and may you...may WE ALL be moved to write our Chapter 12!!! (wish I had a video to post, but you'll have to visit the link to my church)

http://www.longhollow.com/messages/series/27?message=155&media=video


"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Not Me! Monday

Be sure to head over to visit McKMama, the creator of NMM, and read about her life with her "Many small children".....one of them just happens to have worldwide fame. :-)

• I am NOT blog negligent lately!!!! Nope!



• This week Adam and I took the kids to see the movie Earth at the movies...we were the only folks in the entire room...my poor husband got up to get more drink and to take Aidan and Mag to the bathroom and lost his footing about 7 steps up still...literally rolling down to the bottom landing on his back like a dead cockroach...I most certainly did not go back up to my seat (after making sure he was ok of course!) and LAUGH MY REAR OFF!!!!

• I do not secretively take the slightest pleasure in seeing the poor faces of those that fall victim to gravity...that moment in their face when they realize they are going DOWN does not bring me the least amount of pleasure! No that would make me a horrid horrid human being.



• I do not have a 6 year old little boy that has an issue with walking in his sleep and relieving himself in random places!
  
  
• I have not been envisioning my poor husband and his "movie mishap" in my head all week and breaking out into fits of laughter.



• I have not totally fallen in love with running because if you know me that would be about like watching an intoxicated gazelle running through the African plains...and it would not make the least bit of sense knowing that I am prone to do things like this...and if I had in fact defied all of the codes of law that I assume runners have (you know, like..Thou Shalt Not Look Like A Flailing Gazelle when attempting to Run....and Thou Shalt tape your boobs to your chest as to appear to have none Support the Girls Properly) and actually find myself hitting a 3 mile trail (only to run about .5 mile of that) it would not in fact be because of these ridiculously friendly feet freaks that fit me into the most ridiculously comfortable shoes ever to grace my feet!! http://www.fleetfeetnashville.com/



• I did not in fact need Ortho inserts in my snazzy new running shoes because I have "collapsed arches"....because if I did I'm thinking my next stop would be at Publix to pick up some Geritol.

• While vacuuming this week I did NOT become too lazy to move the dog's bed....I did NOT just vacuum around the dog bed....and I did NOT hear "What about under there mom?!?!" only to realize that my 6 year had obviously deemed himself supervisor to my vacuuming responsibilities. Sheesh!



• When I am on stage singing, I have a wire that attaches to my in ear monitors on one end, and a wireless pack on my pants at the other end.....when I have to go to the restroom I obviously have to disconnect the cord as to get my pants down....I did not this past week go to the restroom and get back on stage during rehearsal....start tugging at my wire to get it plugged back in ...only to find that I had zipped it up in my fly and the cord was sticking out of my zipper in the front!!!!!

• Ok, this one is all about confession....that's what we're doing here right??? This IS a safe place right??? Boy, I hope so. Although I do not watch Sex and the City (not judging or implying anything if you do...just my own personal choice) I DID once upon a time....SO when I saw that the Finale was airing as a rerun the other night, I simply could not resist the chance to see Big come in and whisk Carrie away from the deceitful, not attractive in the least, little Russian guy. So what did I do? I set my DVR to record it. When my 13 year old discovered his mothers hour of smut tv this show in our "my recordings" section, he said "Mom there is a BAD (keep in mind the title which is all he saw) show on the DVR and I promise I didn't record it!!!"...I did NOT completely lie and say, "I have no idea why that recorded just erase it son."

• THEN, I did not see said show a few weeks later about to air again on rerun....set my DVR to record it....and remember a few nights later when I was up late that I had it to watch....go into "my recordings"....only to find that my son obviously needs his DVR privileges revoked because the little obviously a lover of all things honest unlike his mother booger had erased it AGAIN!!!! I give up.

"But I will be Faithful in small things.....not neglecting what's right in my hand.....and whatever I do....may it always bring glory to You"

Just incase you wondered if America got it right....

Looks like God voted a few times too.... :-)





"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Wordless Wednesday....sort of.

ordering numbers....

to 50....

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

"Put Me In Coach!"

When we aren't building arks for the rains here in Seattle Tennessee, we are out enjoying the beautiful 70-80ish degree sunshine filled days! This boisterous baby boy of mine sure does love his daddy....and about the only thing I think he could possibly love more than his daddy would be playing baseball with his daddy...Aidan has discovered that he really loves this favorite American Pastime (and he's pretty darn good at it!) and I have enjoyed capturing his newfound passion.

Bo has become his favorite teammate....after his dad of course!

Bo has also become a smokin' Right Fielder!

This one is my absolute favorite....he was looking up at his buddy...his dad.


"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

I pray....

that there is one of these gracing every single corner of Heaven when I get there....

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Belle Meade Plantation

We visited Belle Meade Plantation today in Nashville during one of their "Homeschool Days" they offer there. We had a fabulous time...and learned a LOT...they have a remarkable program there...and we will in fact go back again! We learned that the house was first occupied by Hardings...then in later years his daughter and son-in-law, "General Jackson" would occupy the home. We learned that 7 of our US Presidents actually sat in the same parlor we stood in. We learned that the family (and the farm) was known for raising, breeding, boarding, and racing horses. Mr. Jackson himself paid $25,000 for an English racehorse name Iroquois. Today that would be the same as half a million dollars! When Iroqouis died, General Jackson had his hooves cut off and made into ink wells for his library in memory of his favorite horse. And we were able to see them today. Eww.

The back of the Plantation House...

We happened to run into some fellow homeschoolers from our church there!

We learned that since they didn't have electricity, they had to be super creative. They burned the manure from their horses...and piped the methane gas into their house for light! Genious...I think. They also used tricks such as putting candles in front of mirrors or pieces of tin to reflect the lights adding more light to their rooms.

The kids did a little craft of punching a design into tin (a person that did this would have been known as a "whitesmith") with a nail and glueing a candle onto it to reflect the light. We plan to burn those tonight to see how well that works!

The original cabin the Harding's lived in before building the Plantation House

Mag and Tyler as "Mr. and Mrs. Jackson"

The carriage house

Only after my kids had climbed this, and we had gotten to our car, did Tyler read on our paper "no climbing on the bell tower"...oops!

This was the Gardeners House...the little slanted room on the right is the Greenhouse.

And this was the Dairy House

We learned on our Scavenger Hunt of the grounds that the third step to curing pork is to scrape it...the step before that? Scalding the hog...yep,in that big pot!

Just one of the many BEAUTIFUL carriages in the stables...

And of course what McManus field trip would be complete without the comedy relief of Aidan?

I couldn't help but find it quite comical that my kids said "it would be cool to pump our water like this!" ...um, for what...5 minutes?

It was a BEAUTIFUL day to dig into History...don't ya think?

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

13

Not just a "1" candle....or just a "3"...no, those days seem like they were just yesterday have passed...those candles have been wished upon...their lights blown out...my firstborn child...is 13!!!! And I still cannot believe it...can't even wrap my mind around it to be honest...

It would do me no good (and you would be beyond sick of reading my blog) to try to put into words what Tyler means to me...I will just say this...he saved my life. I was 19 (23 days shy of 20) when I gave birth to Tyler...I was nervous beyond comprehension...I know, shocker right? And he was making me brave before he was even born...Due to preterm labor at 6 months, I was on bedrest for the remainder of my pregnancy...and my water broke a month early ...27 hours ( this kid was obviously trying his best to make sure he was an ONLY child!) into labor I was being prepped for a c-section...I cried like a baby and begged insisted that I be given just a little longer to make progress..I wanted so badly the experience of giving birth to him!!! Thankfully I had a doc that conceded to give me one more chance..upped my meds to the max...and about an hour later...Tyler Keith McManus was placed on my chest...all 6lbs. 11 oz. of him...he was mine...and he needed me...and I needed him...more than I would know at the time... It was at that moment...April 3, 1996 at 4:45 pm that I officially grew up.

I really feel like Tyler and I have grown up together in a way...and I wouldn't change that even if I could...I have enjoyed every moment of it...and I am in awe...amazed even...at the handsome, respectful, funny, ridiculously talented, self-sufficient, thoughtful, loving, young man of God he has grown into. And as sad as I can make myself just by thinking back to all that has passed...as mad as I can get when I realize that there is so much I have already forgotten...I wouldn't trade this guy...and who he is right now...in this moment...for the world. He is not just Tyler, my son...he is now Tyler, my friend...Tyler, my brother in Christ. My only wish now would be that time would slow down a bit...but I know that it won't...so I will try my best to soak up every single day I have with him.

Let Me Hold You Longer By: Karen Kingsbury"

Long ago you came to me, a miracle of firsts: First smiles and teeth and baby steps, a sunbeam on the burst.But one day you will move away and leave to me your past, And I will be left thinking of a lifetime of your lasts.~~~~~

The last time that I held a bottle to your baby lips. The last time that I lifted you and held you on my hip. The last time when you woke up crying needing to walked.When last you crawled up with your blanket, wanting to be rocked.~~~~~

The last time that you ran to me still small enough to hold, The last time when you said you'd marry me when you grew old. Precious, simple moments and bright flashes from the past - Would I have held you longer if I'd known they were the last?~~~~~

Our last adventure to the park, your final midday nap, The last time when you wore your favorite faded baseball cap. Your last few hours of kindergarten, last days of first grade, Your last at bat in Little League, last colored picture made.~~~~~

never said goodbye to all your yesterdays long past. So what about tomorrow -- will I recognize your lasts?~~~~~

The last time that you catch a frog in that old backyard pond. The last time that you run barefoot across our fresh-cut lawn. Silly, scattered images will represent your past. I keep on taking pictures, never quite sure of your lasts...~~~~~

The last time that I comb your hair or stop a pillow fight. The last that I pray with you and tuck you in at night. The last time that we cuddle with a book, just me and you. The last time you jump in our bed and sleep between us two.~~~~~

The last piano lesson, last vacation to the lake. Your last few weeks of middle school, last soccer goal you make. I look ahead and dream of days that haven't come to pass. But as I do, I sometimes miss today's sweet, precious lasts...~~~~~

The last time that I help you with a math or spelling test. The last when I should that yes, your room is still a mess. The last time that you need me for a ride from here to there. The last time that you spend the night with your old tattered bear.~~~~~

My life keeps moving faster, stealing precious days that pass. I want to hold on longer -- want to recognize your lasts...~~~~~

The last time that you need my help with details of a dance. The last time that you ask me for advice about romance. The last time that you talk to me about your hopes and dreams. The last time that you wear a jersey for your high school team.~~~~~

I've watched you grow and barely noticed seasons as they pass. If I could freeze the hands of time, I'd hold on to your lasts. For come some bright fall morning you'll be going far away. College life will beckon in a brilliant sort of way.~~~~~

One last hug, one last good-bye, one quick and hurried kiss. One last time to understand just how much you will be missed. I'll watch you leave and think how fast our times together passed. Let me hold on longer God, to every precious last.

We love you Bug!!!!!

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Apparently, we are Campers

Who knew???? Not us obviously...it only took us 10 years to figure out that spending quality unplugged time away from all other distractions of the world... nestling up to campfires and throwing back burnt marshmallows...would make for what might possibly be our very favorite way to vacation as a family...

Who knew the fog lifting over the lake would greet us every morning?

Who knew we would look left and right of us and this be the closest any other campers would be to us???

And that it would feel like we had the whole park to ourselves?

Who knew I would feel compelled to take random shots of our bikes?

Or that my kids would race to draw with sidewalk chalk as soon as they woke up??

That this would be the view from the Playground?...

that this would be my view through my camera...at the playground??..

and this...

this too...

That we would be become extremely happy and content with things such as ....birdwatching...

Bird identifying...

Daughter holding...

son photographing...

Stopping to smell the wild onions roses....

looking for the perfect rock....

to skip....

collecting rocks and sticks in a "nature basket"...

sitting for hours at the picnic table...

doing this....(mag's birdhouse)

and this...(Aidan's)

paying close attention to detail....

and ending up with this...(Aidan's)

Being just days away from becoming a teenager, and not being "too cool" for painting birdhouses...

reaping the benefits of our hard work...

doing the "dirty" work... :-)

being followed by a ridiculously proud mom sporting a Rebel around her neck at all times...

taking in the sunset....

fireside....

with friends...

WHO KNEW????

I couldn't end this without telling about our God moment....Who knew that when we arrived and were setting up we would blow a fuse and have no electric...no heat...in temps dropping by the minute to freezing???? Who knew that I am a bit nervous about propane heat and was insisting we just use our electric space heaters for the weekend???? I'll tell you who knew...My God that's who!!!! We were probably one of 10 campers in the whole park...and the closest campers to us were at least 10 sites away...there seemed to be a group together so Adam walked down to ask if anyone could possibly help us rookies out. I kid you not...who walked back with him???? An ELECTRICIAN (fuse problem) and non other than a BIOCHEMIST from Vanderbilt to tell me that propane is apparently only one molecule away from Carbon which makes it the safest gas to burn.....hmm...WHO KNEW?!?!?

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Stellan

There is nothing that I could say that would do an ounce of justice to this precious baby boy and how his life has forever changed the hearts of so many....so I won't even try. You can visit his moms site and see for yourself why we love them so...and why he needs prayer warriors right now.... I will warn you though...should you choose to click on this link...you will be forever hooked! And have your socks blessed smack dab off your feet! ;-)

What I am discovering today (thanks to Stellans precious momma) is that maybe, just maybe, I need the time praying for Stellan...time spent at the feet of my Father...more than Stellan may need my prayers. God is Sovereign...mighty to save...and in control of it all...He doesn't need to hear from me in order to decide to perform a miracle in Stellans heart...maybe He simply wants to...LONGS even...to hear from me.

A little Spurgeon as we pray for Stellan....

If there were an ant at the door of your granary

(Charles Spurgeon)

"Do not be afraid--for I Myself will help you--declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel." Isaiah 41:14

"I Myself will help you. It is but a small thing for Me, your God, to help you. Consider what I have done already. What! not help you? Why, I bought you with My blood. What! not help you? Why, I have died for you! And if I have done the greater--will I not do the lesser? Help you? Before the world began--I chose you. I laid aside My glory and became a man for you. I gave up My life for you! And if I did all this--I will surely help you now. If you had need of a thousand times as much help--I would give it to you. You require little, compared with what I am ready to give. It is much for you to need--but it is nothing for Me to bestow. What! not help you? Fear not! If there were an ant at the door of your granary, asking for help--it would not ruin you to give him a handful of your wheat! Just so, you are nothing but a tiny insect at the door of My all-sufficiency!" "I Myself will help you!" O my soul, is not this enough? Bring your empty pitcher here! Surely this well will fill it. Hasten! gather up your needs, and bring them here--your emptiness, your woes, your troubles. Behold, this river of God is full for your supply. What more can you desire? The Eternal God is your helper!

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Tonsils and Tutorials

It's been a while since I've updated what's going on in the McManus house....so here's the scoop.

WARNING: THERE WILL BE NO RHYME OR REASON TO THIS POST AS I AM RUNNING ON VERY LITTLE SLEEP AND NOT NEARLY ENOUGH BRAIN CELLS AT THE MOMENT!

Aidan is, as of this morning, officially on his second go round with Strep this year! It's actually the second time in 2 months....so as you can imagine, we are over fevers and throat cultures....and I am over trying to find ways to bribe convince my sweet lastly born child that it is a good idea to let them jab those hideous cotton topped sticks down the back of his already inflamed and covered in puss sore throat. We (me) are also over 3-4 hours of sleep! Yesterday at this time? 103.5 on the thermometer....Today? Right Now? Outside shootin' hoops with his dad and siblings...Reason? God. And His miracle of a certain candy coated antibiotic. And speaking of candy coated antibiotics...did you know that Publix has FREE ANTIBIOTICS?!?!?!?!? Free. No joke. Not that I endorse an over usage of this stuff...but when your kids need it...PUBLIX!!!!

Apparently doctors have a "scale" on which to rate the size of tonsils....did you know there is such thing as "kissing tonsils?"....meaning the tonsils are so big, they actually touch. Me either. But it turns out that on a scale of 1 to 4, 4 being "kissing tonsils", our Aidan rates a 3! That coupled with the fact that he snores at night, has prompted the doc to recommend a visit to the ENT. Not what I wanted to hear. But I have prayed about it, and instead of jumping the gun, I am gonna wait till he is well, and have our regular Pediatrician...which just happens to be our small group leader at our church...take a gander at them when he is NOT sick to see how big they are under normal circumstances. So, we will wait, pray, and trust that God will give us peace about what will be best for him...and that He is much bigger than tonsils.

Onto tutorials...after a lot of prayer...and asking God to give us a "burning bush" about our next Homeschool year, we have decided to join a tutorial group. LCA...Liberty Christian Academy...it is a 15 year old Homeschool Tutorial group that meets once a week, spends a whole day in various classes, then has work to complete at home the rest of the week to be brought back the following week. The best of both worlds really because they are still at home with me 6 days a week. This school also does various community service projects, has a Ladies night out for the moms, a prom for high schoolers, and a Graduation ceremony for Seniors. We feel beyond blessed by God to be a part of it. I was asked to do this a couple of years ago and felt completely overwhelmed at the thought because the Elementary classes were actually a co-op...meaning to have my kids taught certain things, I would have to teach the kids something as well....HA! Not my comfort zone. And it is a 45 minute drive once a week so I had no idea what I would do with my younger ones while Tyler was in class. So the same lady that invited us 2 years ago, told me that this coming year, the Elementary will also be a tutorial...meaning I pay, they teach. Now we're talkin'.

Tyler will be going into 8th grade next year, and for the first time, this year I was starting to get frustrated teaching him English. I absolutely LOATH English. And although we have a superb Science curriculum, lets face it, I am not gonna be dissecting sharks anytime soon on my dining room table. And that is exactly what they were doing at this tutorial when we went for our interview on Monday. And I knew immediately why I would never do this at home....it smelled to high Heaven in there! But I also knew immediately that this is what I wanted for him...for all three of them really...to do more hands on experiments. So Adam and I prayed about it that day, and felt led to go in this direction for the coming school year. That's how we went into this Homeschooling thing to begin with...knowing that we would take it one year at a time, always seek God for direction, and know we would get creative if that's what it took to accomplish our goal for our kids. As we sat through the orientation, and I heard encouraging words from the many parents that have already graduated their children and seen them off to college, I wept. I can't explain it any better than to just say that I felt as though God Himself was sitting next to me whispering..."I've heard your many prayers...and I know your heart...and I am now meeting you right where you need me most...I have given you this group to encourage your soul....and to help you succeed on this journey."

We originally just wanted to sign Tyler up for Science and Language....but he was pumped about taking a whole year of World Geography. And since World History is what he has been studying all this year, I figured that would be perfect to connect some dots of people and places in his mind. And we were even more pumped to learn that as an 8th grader, he could actually take Spanish 1 this year and have it rolled into his High School credits since he will be studying a High School level curriculum! He is so excited about this one. And I am super impressed that the lady teaching it is actually from Puerto Rico and Spanish is her first language. So, maybe I'll learn a bit more than "salsa" from eating Mexican once a week!

Aidan and Maggie will both be taking History and Science....And Aidan is taking Music and Art. Maggie is taking a half year of Art and a full year of Drama....if the shoe fits right? :-)

God is so faithful....and He really will equip us with all we need to accomplish what He calls us to. Oh me of little faith sometimes.

In other news:

• My poor mom fell and broke her shoulder in 3 places a couple of weeks ago....I've asked her if we needed to get her one of those alert systems that goes around your neck....you know, "Help, I've fallen and I can't get up"....she didn't seem to think that was as funny as I did. Anyhoo, she lives in Roanoke all by her lonesome and for some strange reason, the thought of me bringing 3 kids into her 2 bdrm condo right after having pins drilled into her bones to help her, didn't seem to appeal to her....so we have offered to fly her out here when she feels up to it in the next few weeks while she's off from work recovering from her surgery. Not sure if she'll take us up on it but I sure hope she does. Hint,hint mom. :-)

• We are getting excited about smores going on our first camping trip this year in a couple of weeks.

• I am getting excited about Spring Break! Whoo Hoo!

• I am not "down" with the fact that my Tyler is about to be 13 in 2 weeks....see? I'm not cool enough to have a teenager...word.

• I seriously need to lose 10 pounds or I will be wearing jeans in 105 degree temps this summer and let's face it, that's just not a great idea.

• Shipley blueberry cake donuts are just heavenly. Dunkin Donuts coffee with cream and sugar is divine.... This explains the previous line.

• Are bras really necessary? Because I find them to be a pain in my you know what! To think of the nice pair of shoes or two that I could have had with the dough I forked out at Belk this week! Is this really the thanks we get for nursing our precious children???...a lifetime of paying $50 to put the girls back in their rightful places??!?!?

• Allow me to play matchmaker for a second and introduce you to your soulmate of the bra world....WACOAL. They aren't cheap, but they are amazing. So don't walk past the shoe dept. first or you may come out with a snazzy pair of Rocketdogs, and a piece of fabric and a safety pin for the girls. :-)

• This just may be the longest winded post in history....you were warned.

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

• After dinner this week I was not so lazy that instead of sweeping I just swept the crumbs off the table with my hand and called the dog over to clean them up....BUT if I had, I'm sure my doggy wouldn't have minded one bit!
• I did not intentionally fail to return Madagascar 2 to Blockbuster this week on time...knowing it was gonna cost me the full rental fee again...simply because I was too tired....or because I get this way when my husband is out of town....because that would speak volumes about how much he does daily in my life to keep me going...and about what a mess of a person I would be without him.
• When a poor pitiful teenager stood ringing my doorbell,with what looked to be something he was selling in his hands, I did NOT tell my kids "SHHHH, Be quiet, stay away from the door and the windows, and he will go away in a minute!"....poor guy...poor kids.
• I did not get a new bra this weekend....wear it all day Saturday...miserably uncomfortable....thinking of how I was SO taking it back....only to realize when I attempted to take it off 58 times, that it was on inside out!!!!! I DID NOT WEAR MY BRA BACKWARDS ALL DAY LONG!!!!! SHEESH!

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

On their level...a Wordless Wednesday

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

• On the way home from bible study (at our church) last night, my 12 year old did not inform me that my 6 year helped himself to a doughnut (while they were supposed to be under supervision mind you)......out of the garbage. Awesome.


• I did not dump a load of clean towels and washcloths onto the floor at the foot of my bed this week and proceed to let my family go through them as needed (straight off the floor) over the course of the week....


• And I did not just do the same today with a fresh load of whites!

• While waiting in my dentists office (his actual office not the waiting area) I did not IN THE LEAST feel completely overcome by the urge to straighten that blasted lopsided picture hanging over his desk...good thing he didn't walk in and see that I'm sure...phew!....although he would have thanked me later cause that thing could have caused someone like myself to have a seizure right there on his floor!

• When I lost an hours sleep yesterday due to the time change, it did not in fact make me so delirious that I did NOT care that the pants, I was about to wear to church to stand on stage before 500 people for 3 hours, were so wrinkled that people may have thought I actually slept in them the night before....cause normally I would have cared about that kind of thing....and you know, thrown them in the dryer for 5 minutes.


• Ok, this is really sad I know....I'm aware of this...and I am coming to terms with what this may mean about myself. Friday night when heading out to dinner, I did not take a bath....but refuse to wash my hair cause it takes roughly 27 hours to dry and straighten these days, and somehow rationalize in my head that spraying my cologne on my hair would cover any "3rd day no shampoo" odor it may have been sporting....gosh, I hope it worked.


• I did not do a photo shoot of my kids this week and threaten their very lives because they would not cooperate and kept trying to outdo one another with who could possibly have the most distorted facial expression....I'm thinking these things should be fun and I should maybe even be nice if I actually want them to smile.


• I do NOT feel like making an appointment to see a different hair dresser after 5 years makes me some sort of adulterous harlot....especially after the beach perm.

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Look who's going camping!!!!

Did someone say Smores????

Most of you will remember our first Camping trip back in September...you know, the one that we loved so much that they had to kick us out of the campground and pry us off of the RV seats that we had rented for a week....yeah, that's it....the one that prompted us to go in search of a camper for our family. After looking for months we realized that to get one big enough to grow into, we would also have to get a different truck to haul it with....of course this was a pleasant problem for my husband...what man doesn't like to pick out a more manly truck right? At least my city slicker with a country boy just dying to get out husband does! So we found what our insanely obsessed with all things HOCKEY children affectionately dubbed "The Zamboni"...


The Zamboni was a lonely thing for months and months with no camper to call it's own....after months and months of listening to our kids nag "when are we getting a camper?!?!" looking and comparison shopping, we stumbled upon the "perfect" one for us...price and all! And it ended up being a lot newer than we thought we'd be able to afford...it's a 2007! So without further ado.....drum roll please....I would like to introduce you to the place countless memories and immeasurable laughter will fill our new Home Away from Home....

Here's Aidan the day we bought it at the lot....

Adam taking a walk thru (with the sales guy) ...maybe that snazzy green tie is how we got such a deal!... :-)

Amazing kitchen space for a camper...I'm pumped about all that cabinet/counter space!

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Adam is most certainly my new hero for getting this monstrosity backed into our house without taking out a tree or our mailbox...you rock baby!

We already have dates booked at our favorite campground the end of March and for my birthday in April....and hope to go at least once a month as long as the weather is nice...
Look out marshmallows, Hershey bars, and graham crackers world...here comes McManus Party of Five!!!

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

• After the untimely death of my snazzy little Cuisinart "on demand" coffeemaker, I did not in pure lack of caffeine laziness, throw my hair up into a clippy unbrushed and hop into my car and head down the road to Dunkin Donuts in my pajamas....and while at the window, I did not realize that they were very obvioulsy my long underwear.
• While driving to Dunkin Donuts in my unmentionables, I did NOT see Forsythia blooming and tulips and daffodils coming up out of the ground!!! There's no way this could be since it's only February! Unless you are in Tennessee of course!
• I did not take my youngest two into the almost impossible, usually takes months to get into, holy cow they had a cancellation same day eye Doctor I had for my oldest son knowing full well that they were coming down with strep(cause 22 other kids in our church had it too) and were burning up with fever....and I did not keep whispering in their ears as to not be overheard asking them a million times if they felt like they were gonna throw up because that would have blown my "nope my kids aren't sick" cover....that would have made me an insensitive mommy and a super selfish germ spreader of a person...or a mom of three just trying to keep my head above water...not sure which.
• After leaving the eye doctor with my super dry eyed can you believe will be 13 in 6 weeks?!?!?! 12 year old and heading to get the dreaded "swabbing of the throat" for my other two, I did not make my poor youngest child walk into the doctors office with his mouth down in the hole of an empty Kleenex box....that may have been a bit embarassing...even for a 6 year old with a fever of 102 about to throw up.
• And I am still trying to figure out where an entire box of Samoas went this week.....because it certainly was NOT me!
• And that sleeve of Thin Mints???? Nope, NOT me either!
• And Do-Si-Do's??? AS IF!!!...I don't even like those so I would NEVER just mindlessly dip them into a cold glass of milk eat them at 2am.
• And while driving through town this weekend, I did NOT seriously almost stop at a roadside stand and buy more cookies from those little evil girls in green!!!

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Tornadoes in February

We may have temperatures that reach the high 60's in the middle of February here in the Volunteer State...and we may enjoy them by riding our bikes and playing a little tag football....but when that glorious mid 60's weather gets hit by a cold front, well...that's a recipe for some don't even think about getting any sleep cause you are gonna be up all night watching to see if your house is about to be blown to smitherines nasty weather here in the new extension of tornado alley Tennessee. And although helping our 6 year old push his bike after 5 minutes riding our bikes on bike trails....and sliding down slides at the playground....and playing a little tag football is where you will find us when the weather is in the glorious mid 60's in February in Tennessee.....

THIS my friends is where you will find us, when the weather is gloriously in the 70's by 10am and there is a cold front pushing through from the west, in Tennessee! Camping out in our Tornado Shelter! Ahhh, the bliss of being held up in a 4x6 room with my 3 children...2 of which had just been diagnosed with strep a day prior (hence the pj's and nappy hair) and our 3 dogs (because my children scream bloody murder if we don't bring them in too)...two of which being freakishly large poodles...and the third our diabetic, deaf, with slight dementia mini-schnauzer...awesome. And it just kept getting better as we locked ourselves in and I discover that my youngest son has brought along a bag of Funyons incase he gets hungry while a tornado is barreling over us! It's sort of a drill we go through....watches and warnings go off from the National Weather Service, and we head for the shelter and pray for God's protection over our house and our city as a whole. We have been hit with 2 deadly tornadoes just within the past 5 years here....all within one county....so this is something we do not take lightly, yet at the same time, we choose to trust in the One whose hands calm the seas....and even orchestrates the storms. We sit in darkness, listen to our NOAA weather radio and read scripture....it's amazing how much peace can be found in the midst of a storm....literally speaking and spiritually as well.

Don't let the lighting fool you...it's just my flash...

If you look closely you can see that the Funyons made it about .5 seconds...did I mention I eat when I'm nervous???....it was not full don't worry! And of course no storm shelter is complete without my Bible, my phone, and my Diet Dr. Pepper...the Rubbermaid totes? Those are full of all of our paper photos (pre-digital) and the kids baby books and art over the years. I figure it's the safest place for it all even in the event of a fire. Although, as you can see, it doesn't leave much room for us all....not sure where Adam would have fit that day! And yes, I did say it was 70 degrees out...and yes, that is a jacket you see...I am think blood thinners ridiculously cold natured I tell ya!

As I look at this picture I am so joyed to see the laughter on Aidans face...the winds were SO strong and LOUD outside...but look at that face....no fear. Thank you Lord for your peace that day!

It's actually very dark inside if not for our little flashlight.

There were no tornadoes in our town that day....although a couple popped up South of us. But we did lose a HUGE 20 year old tree to the Straightline winds we had....that exceeded up to 70 mph in some areas. I was gonna snap a photo of it since it was pretty massive and spoke volumes to the power of the winds..and literally took up half of our yard...thankfully AWAY from our house... but my very strange & particular little man neighbor had already started sawing it up by the time I could get out of our little 4X6 filled with dog breath strep breath and funyon breath tornado proof box.

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Football in February

Before I dive into our fabulous day of football in February, let me back up a bit and just say that on our actual anniversary day, we promised the kids we would go and celebrate mom and dad being married 10 years as a family! So what did we do? We went to PF Changs and a Predators game of course! It's one of our oldest family traditions since moving to TN. The kids absolutely love it and to be honest, so do I. I have never been a huge sports fanatic or anything but the first time I saw hockey...I was hooked! Don't get me wrong...it doesn't really speak to the greatness of the sport as much as it feeding my ADD and my need for things to "move along already!"

Football? Oh dear, I almost have a panic attack enduring all those starts/stops....false starts etc. It's more than my running 100 miles a second mind can take! And basketball? I cannot stand the squeaks of their sneakers! It literally can drive me batty! I even cheered for basketball in high school so for the life of me I can't remember when it was exactly that I actually heard the squeak and then could no longer NOT hear the squeak...yes, I realize this makes me officially "weird." Bowling? Can't stand to wait my turn... Golf? Pahh Haa! Tennis? Now that's a sport I could love...IF I had the nice legs to pull of those skirts...that and well, the endurance to play it for more than 5 seconds! Not to mention there is too much grunting that goes with that sport...a little strange to me. So, we're back to hockey....what could you NOT love about hockey?!?!?! I know I know...they are allowed to beat themselves to a bloody pulp and it is actually part of the rules...a little barbaric I suppose...I sometimes wonder if it were so those poor Russians and Canadians could warm themselves up a bit? And I actually don't like it when they fight....we do not glorify it and we have boogoos of learning conversations with our kiddos about why that is NEVER appropriate in God's eyes to handle anger or conflict that way....but honestly, I would rather my kids witness a little "five for fighting" here and there...all within the games rules and regulations and know that that's where it stays, than see some of the less than role model behavior that goes on so often outside of the rules and regulations in so many other sports....and to be honest, if the day comes that I see my kids throwing off their gloves and duking it out with one another to handle their issues, I'll build a penalty box...just kidding, you catch my drift. Besides, it looks like my kids prefer to be a bit more diplomatic.

Now onto warmer, less painful thoughts..

It was literally in the upper 60's here this week so we loaded up the bikes and headed to the park to hit the bike trail....

Aidan made it about .4 miles before acting as though we had just asked him to hike Everest...that's always awesome.

So we ditched the bikes when we made it to the Playground!

Then, Tyler trekked back to the truck to get the football and we ditched the Playground for some tag football...

Someone pinch me...I cannot fathom that this kid will be 13 in a little over a month!

There is something very "real" and poetic almost about this picture of these two...night and day they are!

obviously waiting for someone to throw something their way...

Guess Mag decided to take matters into her own hands instead of waiting...

A little huddle talk...

Although she joined in and was a sport with the boys in her life, Maggie wasn't super impressed with tag football..she was more impressed with the purple weeds...I had a pocketful when we left!

Peyton who????

The kids even invited another little boy named Charlie and his dad to play too!

My big guys...

I live for this smile

The coolest dad in all the land...

enjoying a little Clementine after a hard day of play

The La Jolla....Adam has endless amounts of fun by torturing me over my bike...yes, it looks like I should have grey hair and that possibly all it's missing for a complete look is either a big basket on the back (full of vegetables or flowers) or a little basket up front with a dog in it, but I HATE bikes with 234 gears! I could not even master a 10 speed as a kid...which is odd cause I can drive a stick shift...just not a bike that requires you to change gears...I always make this horrific grinding of gears sound and the chain feels like it's coming off the tracks...and eventually I would find myself stuck in first gear for the remainder of my ride...so I said "so long" to all things manual in the world of bikes. I am however interested in some nifty new automatic bikes my friends have...so who knows, I may retire the La Jolla soon...or just keep it around for when I have grey hair.

A Fabulous February Day!

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

The peace treaty...

I was too lazy to take a pic of this today....but I had to share it. I found this piece of paper when I was wading knee deep in clutter organizing our little homeschool last night. Apparently Tyler and Maggie have come to an understanding of each other and decided to put it down on paper. This cracked me up!

Tylers half of the page said the following: "We will not argue, but we will listen to each other and not do things out of spite."

And this was Maggie's: "I will listen to Tyler and Tyler will listen to me and Tyler will not do karate on me and I will not do karate on him." notice how she managed to slide in the fact that he will still in fact listen to her even if she listens to him??? Poor guy...he never saw it coming!

The middle of the page was where the signatures went...complete with little "x's" marking the spots where their names should go.

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

It's our Anniversary!!!

Adam and I will be officially celebrating 10 years of marriage February 5th! Unofficially, we celebrated this past weekend with a little getaway into the city. We have this thing that we do where we take turns every year planning a little something special....this was prompted many years back when we both tried to plan surprises and we both ended up ruining the others plans....so now we just take turns and it works very well I must say! This year was Adams turn (although as we talked over dinner I discovered that I end up with some whammies in the future too...like our 15th and our 25th! He will have to top '25' with '50' though so I guess all is fair in love... ;-)

We started the evening with dinner plans at a little piece of heaven on Earth "The Melting Pot". I knew we had reservations but I had no idea the work Adam had put into it all....when we were seated, I was greeted by a bouquet of fresh flowers and a card at the table. The card was specially printed inside with the script I put inside Adams wedding band 10 years ago...."Grow old with me, the best is yet to come." Then I was surprised at the end of the meal with our picture specially taken and framed for us...it was really nice. Our meal was amazing...and I suppose it doesn't hurt to have a husband with a Bachelors in Culinary to cook all of that wonderful food for you! Unlike the poor unsuspecting college kids double dating at the booth next to us...we almost had to stick around longer just to watch those poor boys get their raw food set down in front of them....hate that we missed that!

Dessert....hmmm....how do you put into words pure chocolate bliss??? There are no words in my opinion....a plate of rice krispy treats, oreo covered marshmallows, bananas, strawberries, and cheesecake desserts brought out with a hot bowl of chocolate for dipping....I like to think there is a Melting Pot on every corner in Heaven!

After dinner we headed to our fabulous room with a jacuzzi Hotel...then headed to a late show at the movies to see "New In Town"... it was very cute...the fact that we were yawning through it was absolutely no indication that it was not a good movie...it was just an indicator that we are getting old and cannot start a movie past 8pm! Our night was very romantic...very relaxing...and well, I'll stop there! ;-)

But, as if a night away, flowers, and pots of chocolate weren't enough...Adam had one more surprise up his sleeve....THIS!!!

I've never been much of a jewelry kinda gal...guess I make up for it in clothes and shoes and purses....Adam and I have reached a milestone in our marriage...and we have endured and conquered a lot that should have torn us apart during those years....and over the past years our original rings have had some negative memories impressed upon them....some that can even be painful still if I allow....and at this milestone, this ring was presented not to replace my old rings...they will forever also be a symbol of our courage and faith to press on and not give up...and as a memory of when we let Jesus into our marriage...they will always represent those 10 years and how far we made it when everything in this world said we shouldn't have. This new ring is meant as a symbol of all that is to come...and all that we will NEVER have to endure in this next 50 or so years because of all we have been through and all we have learned....it represents an accomplishment, and a new chapter in our marriage....it represents our past, present, and future....and it represents eternity.

I am still simply beside myself...this is by far the most treasured gift I have ever received from my husband....not because it is breathtakingly gorgeous...you didn't think I didn't notice that did ya????...but because of the thought that went into it. He gets me. And I love him for that.

I am still amazed at all God has accomplished through our marriage....and forever grateful that He was there ready to meet us in our brokeness...we simply would not be here 10 years later without Him.

Happy 10 years Adam!!! I love you in a deeper way than I ever knew I could....see you at 50 years baby!!!!

Recognize these two???? Freezing our bums off in a castle in Ireland on our honeymoon????

I love you! ;-)

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

When it's 64 degrees in January...

....this is where you'll find us...so what if it's cloudy & grey??? It's 64 glorious degrees!!!

WARNING: If staring at ungodly amounts of pictures of what, in my very biased opinion is the best lookin' family you'll lay eyes on in this lifetime, is not your cup of tea....this post is not for you!!!

DON'T SAY YOU WEREN'T WARNED!!!

they are so blessed to have such a fun daddy...especially when their mom is busy stalking them with her camera, trying to choose between "aperature priority" and "manual" and which white balance to use and all the while not really having a clue as to what she's doing!

not too big for his dad yet!

see the tongue??? see where he gets it from in one of the pics above??

watching his boy dig sand...

"when my daddy throws me...

"....I can fly!" ....from one of our fav books!

don't hate her....

because she's beautiful!

weee!

tunnel vision

what can I say? McKMama inspires me!

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Field Trippin' and Moon Walkin'

Over the past 2 weeks we have been field trippin' and even went moon walkin' in our little Homeschool! And I have just been either too busy photoshoppin' or cold medicine poppin' to actually post about them. So today since I am home from church sick, I am gonna make sure I get these up.

In December a friend had tickets to go and see "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" at the Nashvile Childrens Theatre downtown....it was wonderful! It is one of my kids favorite movies and they genuinely enjoyed seeing a familiar story come to life. While we were there, we decided to hit the Tennessee State Museum to see an old friend...a mummy to be exact! We have been there numerous times (it's free) and have seen the mummy dating back to 1300 BC (that somehow ended up in Nashville,TN!) many times but Maggie and Aidan have been specifically studying about Egypt and how bodies were mummified in their history so any chance I get to connect the dots in their little minds of what we are studying to something they can feast their eyes (or hands) on, I jump at it! So here are a few highlights from the trip to see the mummy....

Maggie and Aidan watching a short film...

the way Frontier people took care of horse thieves...

the way I plan to take care of teenagers ;-)

Maggie would not have been a horse thief....she's too claustrophobic.

ok, did these have to fade out with the Frontier people???

look at my sweet husband toting around my camera bag...

The mummy....I wish I'd thought to get a pic of his cat mummified at his feet!

you can even still see his teeth...amazing

If you live in the Nashville area, this Museum is a must see....and it's free!

Of course no outing is complete in the McManus family without a little humor...
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Maggie and Aidan were also studying Space and the Planets and Space Travel in Science so we decided to go and check out the new addition to the Adventure Science Center in Nashville. I was super stoked to find out that my teachers ID from our umbrella school got me in for free! And the kids loved the new Space wing of the Center...

Tyler at mission control...

All geared up....Aidan didn't weigh quite enough...guess we should feed him better poor guy

waiting....

...while Tyler does the Moon Walk

waitin' to do moon walkin' father/daughter style...

Life with less gravity...

there is something very priceless about this...

so he's no Michael Jackson, but the man has some moves I tell ya!

ok, this thing is seriously cool...as you turn and tilt it, it's like Google earth...zooming in and out, we were able to find our neighborhood even.

Aidan checking out Saturn and those icy rings...

this big globe thingy changes all the time...very cool

So as you can see we have had a busy couple of weeks learning about life in Egypt and on Space....now, since I'm home sick I think I'm gonna take advantage of the peace and quiet and rest a bit...shhh...do you hear that? ...golden silence! ;-)

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Wordless Wednesday

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Not Me! Monday

This is a snippet of what I did NOT do this week....head over to the "Birthplace of Not Me! Monday" and see what McKMama has NOT been up to as well.....

• I did NOT get so caught up in playing Wii with my son that I forgot all about the fact that I was sporting Biore Pore Strips on my nose and chin when the pizza man arrived!
• I did NOT hibernate within my house for 2 whole days without showering this week because it was 5 degrees outside and I was so cozy in my thermal underwear and pj's that I couldn't bear the thought of parting with them...or stepping onto a cold tile floor....that is complete and utter laziness and not to mention there would be a serious issue of hygiene involved here people!
• While at the altar yesterday, I did NOT have the thought "I wonder if my panties are showing?"
• I did not "ugly cry" (you know,non composed face... snot and all!) yesterday on stage in front of about 500 people , while trying to sing, when our church did Cardboard Testimonies....(this video is not of our church but it is where we got the inspiration and it was pretty much the same, just with stories from our congregation....you will get the jist...and get your tissues before watching!)
  
  
• I was NOT so stinkin proud of my husband for stepping up to share his Cardboard Testimony (which couldn't have been easy) that I could have just squeezed him to pieces....and I was not completely BUMMED when they had too many people and had to "cut" a few testimonies...his being one.... BUT I AM however gonna shout it from the rooftops here on my blog to give Him Praise for what He has done in our lives! ...and because I really am so very proud of him... Here was his "Cardboard Testimony"....

Front of cardboard: "Had affair a year into marriage"

The other side: "Found forgiveness and Christ...Celebrating 10 year anniversary February 5th!"

How would YOUR cardboard testimony read?????

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

When life gives you peanuts....

......Make Peanut Butter!!!

For Math last week, Aidans lesson was all about halves and fourths....and how to follow a recipe...so we shelled peanuts in "half" and we cut celery into "fourths" to go with our homeade peanut butter of course! And although Aidan and I slaved our poor fingers to the bone worked hard shelling peanuts for 30 minutes, dad somehow gets cooking rights in this house....hmmm...you'd think the man has a Bachelors degree from the Culinary Institute of America or something! ;-)

notice my snazzy little $7 food chopper from Aldi?

notice how easy it is for my boy to operate?
notice my snazzy little $7 food chopper did not work!!!

notice his sisters pink apron?

notice his shirt is on backwards?

notice how he could care less that he is sporting a shirt that's on backwards and a pink apron???
notice how he'd rather do his Math worksheet than eat peanut butter on celery?!?!

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

In my weakness

I have sort of a stressful morning ahead of me...and to be honest have been sitting here feeling super inadequate to do what I have been called to do (leading in worship)...most of the time I feel confident in His calling on my life...but sometimes....oh sometimes....sometimes Satan can come knocking, and I just seem to let him in the back door...baggage and all....and he usually comes bearing enough self doubt to almost do this gal in.....so I have needed to be bathed in His word tonight....I just simply love this version of one of my favorite scriptures... And so I just am praying it will comfort you as much as it has me felt like sharing....as you can see...I sometimes need the AMPLIFIED version to "get it"...sort of feels like the Bible for Dummies :-)

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (Amplified Bible)

7And to keep me from being puffed up and too much elated by the exceeding greatness (preeminence) of these revelations, there was given me a thorn (a splinter) in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to rack and buffet and harass me, to keep me from being excessively exalted. [Job. 2:6.]
8Three times I called upon the Lord and besought [Him] about this and begged that it might depart from me;
9But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me!
10So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities, insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distresses; for when I am weak [in human strength], then am I [truly] strong (able, powerful in divine strength).



"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

TB

There is never a dull moment when Aidan is in your midst....

Me (reading a book aloud to the kids): "Fred's father had passed away from TB when she was just a little girl...TB stands for Tuberculosis....which is a sickness of the lungs that can be very dangerous and even fatal"

Me (a little later checking for comprehension of what we had just read): "Can someone tell me what TB stands for?"

Aidan (as though blurting the answer out as quickly and as loudly as he could, would win him a million dollars...seriously all that was missing was the buzzer): "Tobacco and Beer!"

After laughing till I nearly peed myself, I asked him where on Earth THAT came from?!?! He just looked at me with that smile 2 miles wide and said, "You know, that store....Discount Tobacco and Beer!"

Apparently, according to Maggie, he reads it in the backseat everytime we pass it in town.

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Aidan...there really are no words for this kid

So I won't even try.....

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Prayer Request for my baby boy

This week our Pediatrician and dear friend we attend church with, gave us some unsettling news about Aidan (the little bug in the previous post with a smile the size of Texas)....

Adam had felt a "lump" on Aidan's back one night while we were shopping in Lifeway....he just happens to fall at his daddy's hand level and his daddy just happens to love to love on his little guy...I had not noticed any of this before....I somewhat see what Adam is talking about and assure him that I'll just bring it up to our doctor in the morning because we already had an appointment to address some sinus junk he had been trying to kick.

Our appointment is routine....yep, it's a sinus infection....all is well enough. As we are wrapping up, I mention Aidans back and ask if he could have a look. He has Aidan bend over to touch his toes and immediately I could see what he saw.....one whole side of my baby's back was "raised" a bit higher than the other side of his spine....Scoliosis. How did I not ever see this before?!?!? Our doctor is a friend, a brother in Christ, and our small group leader. I knew his face was one of concern. He wrote out some orders to send us to get xrays and as Aidan and the other kids were in the hall picking stickers, I asked him..."Are you concerned about this?" He said, "I am....this isn't typical in a child so young and Aidan is only 6 and has so much growing to do yet so yes, it concerns me." .....Oh Lord, I can't do this....not my baby...I'm not strong enough to handle this fear. I need you Jesus...I need you.

Aidan was born with Pectus Excavatum...which is also known as a "sunken chest." We were told when he was a baby that it was a deformity....gosh I hate that word!....that happens in the womb when tissues and cartilage do not form right in the chest wall. We have always tried to make him feel comfortable with it and have told him that when God made him, he put His fingerprint on him by giving him a special "dip"....that's what he calls it...his dip! :-)When he was a baby it wasn't an issue....as children get older, it can be a major issue! It can begin to impose on the heart and lung capacity can be an issue...Our doctor feels very strongly that there is a connection between his chest and his spine....which makes this whole thing very tricky....figuring out which is the chicken and which is the egg....in other words, which is causing the other to become worse.

Aidan was as brave as brave can be about the whole hospital thing...in fact I heard him telling his brother and sister afterwards that it was "kinda neat"...Thank you Lord for calming his fears! I came home from xrays and awaited his call....while I did of course I scoured the Internet to read about Scoliosis and about Pectus Excavatum and to see if there were any reports of a connection....there were boogoos! And so many families that were frustrated because their doctors would not connect the dots of the two. Both of these issues can require surgeries....and the chest surgery is described as "excruciatingly painful"...requiring epidural catheter to control pain even....and surgery of the spine...that doesn't need an explanation of it's potential dangers.....all of this immediately FREAKED ME OUT!!! I'm talking panic mode. The thoughts of my precious boy going through such suffering.....in my human capacity it is almost too much to bear...How did you do it God????

So I began to cry out to God, literally....I was so overwhelmed with fear. And he so gently began to comfort my spirit with the reminder that Aidan is NOT mine.....he belongs to the One that created him....he is only here with me on loan to make this time here on Earth a time of joy and laughter and a really big toothless smile! And although I think my love for him could never be measured....there is One that loves him far greater than even I could! And although being at the end of my own ability to help my child is what I consider Hell on Earth....and not a place I want to be, it is where he has me....completely dependant upon Him to help Aidan....to spare him from any surgeries....and to heal his little ever growing back. And I began to feel that "peace" that surpasses all understanding....I asked the Lord to please let Aidans back be a "minimal degree"...that's how they measure the curve of the spine. Minimal enough to not spark any interest in talks of treatments. And I asked him to begin to move in his spine and completely heal him if it be His will...we believe He is mighty enough!....and if it not His will for complete restoration, that he would stop any progression in his back and chest from that point forward....and if that were not His will, I confessed and begged that I would need Him to make Himself very real to me and sustain me in whatever we would face...and I committed to give Him glory for whatever His will was for my son....our son.

Our doctor called that evening to tell us the results...he confirmed what I had already seen as they were taking the xrays....Aidan does in fact have a curve in his spine which is diagnosed as Scoliosis of the spine...but he reassured us with this....it is a curvature of only 6 degrees which is considered a "minimal degree"....no joke, his words exactly. And that his first thoughts of his ribs being compromised causing the scoliosis was not the case and his ribs looked perfectly normal...so did the placement of his heart, and the capacity of his lungs....Praise God!!! I immediately felt that it was my God hushing my fears and letting me know that He is there....always, He is there. Lord please forgive me when I doubt you....

So this leaves us with what to do now....he says that we are gonna take another spinal series in late spring to compare to these baseline tests we have now....if there is a change then, we will be sent to a Pediatric orthopaedist. His curve is so "minimal" right now that he says the specialist would do the same thing by waiting to see if there is a change. But he still feels there is a connection to the chest...and there is the very concerning factor that Aidan just turned 6 in September...imagine the growth left ...

So we covet any and all prayers for our little guy that you can send his way. And for Adam and I as well...the enemy taunts us daily with fears of the unknown. If you have a small group or church list you could put him on for continual prayer, please do...he needs it! Pray that NO CORRECTIVE SURGERIES WOULD EVER BE NECESSARY!! Pray for Godly insight for any doctor that sees him....pray that in late spring the x rays would cause professionals jaws to drop! And pray that above all, the Lord would continue the healing process in his back...and chest....we are already trusting and believing that He has started it! And we are praising Him for all He will do in the life of this little guy of ours His.

With so much gratitude!

Talysa

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Catch up....

I have been putting this off day after day because I have had so much I have wanted to write about, but no time in which to write it! And in my not so sane mind, I tend to think things like, "I'm not gonna do it at all if I can't do it perfect right." What is "right" by the way? That's a word that tends to rule my life and I just realized that I have absolutely NO IDEA what right even is! Just some sort of unrealistic standard and pressure I put on myself unecessarily I suppose....please tell me I am not alone in this people!

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Friends and Family!!! I pray that yours was as fabulously blessed as ours here at the McManus house! Here are a few highlights from Christmas morning....a sidenote...we stay home all day and do not go anywhere all day!!! We don't even shower get dressed all day long!!! I grew up travelling to at least 4 houses on Christmas day....so when I moved away with Adam, we didn't have a lot of family close by and we were able to spend the day at home....well, that's all it took....I vowed then that it would be our way of doing Christmas....so now, we spend it with my family before Christmas....and Adams mom and my sister come over to our house later in the day on Christmas Day....my mom lives in VA and she was able to be here last year but not this year due to her work schedule....we missed her!

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Ok, on to the highlights....I have so so much to tell you but I will not be ok with myself if I do not share at least a few Christmas pics...

Cookies for Santa...and notes from Mag and Aidan giving specific instructions as to where to put "their" gifts in the living room so they would know whose is whose....gosh, I have no idea where they get this organization obsession!

The gang leaving out cookies....heading up to bed to try and sleep

Christmas morning...coming down the stairs...I always make them stop for a picture...and they always hate that I do!

My baby boy Aidan with is CARS car track...mesmorized

Maggie had an American Girl Christmas...here she is with Kit, Grace (Kit's doggie) and their matching nightgowns...love it!

Gosh I love this boys smile...and the way it spreads across his whole face! I never get tired of seeing it! This was a boy happy to have a V-Rocker! (Do you see that BEAUTIFUL picture behind him that my wonderful husband got me for Christmas!?!? He rocks! He matched the colors to our living room and everything!...It has Romans 15:13 on it....he knows my heart so well.)

This guy is most certainly not looking more and more like a teenager everyday!!! :-/

Stockings come last in our family...I have no idea why...growing up that's how we did it and my mom always put one of our nice presents in our stocking....like a watch or perfume or something...this year our kids got gift cards in theirs. (And on a side note...I have no idea why my camera focused on Tyler and not the other two...or why if it was gonna blur something out, it didn't get the school books on the table!)...this camera is so above my IQ right now...but I LOVE IT all the same!

We don't have a Christmas "dinner" exactly....we have a Finger Food tradition in our house on Christmas Day....and what you see above (what you see above is Maggie and Aidan sharing in a bowl full of Nerds they got in their stockings...Santa must be in cahoots with our dentist!) wasn't even a fraction of it...Adam cooked a glorious ham and we had potato rolls to make sandwiches on....My mother in law also brought over her famous Asparagus Pesto Pasta...my fav! Oh yeah, and a friendly reminder there on the corner of the table from our Karate Studio to not get behind in our classes as to keep graduation on schedule....oops!

"Santa" somehow forgot the doggies this year....oops! I think Bo was still looking for him....and yes that is my front door wide open on Christmas Day....high 50's here in TN that day!

GI Joe...a real American Hero

Adam LOVES his new digital camcorder....I think it seriously weighs like a pound! I was regretting getting it not even 5 mintes later....doesn't that man know the "no pics of mom on Christmas morning" rule after 10 years!?!?!

The boys got this monstrous hockey table from Grandma Ann....ok, who does Adam think he is fooling here?!?!? Notice HE is playing and Tyler isn't!

Tyler enjoying some new games for his PSP....me enjoying staring at him

I am so mad at myself because I did not get one picture while my sister was here later that night....let's just say that Aunt Ashley created some "shock and awe" in the McManus house when she gave all three kiddos a Wii for Christmas!!! For real!!! And I do not even have one picture of them playing it yet! And it would have nothing at all to do with the fact that I have the sorest arms and shoulders can't get off of it long enough to photograph my poor children and their fabulous new Wii! What did I get??? Let's see...don't forget that I got the Rebel for Christmas...just opened it early so that I could take half decent Christmas photos....my kids picked the coolest things for me (Adam takes them every year and lets them pick regardless of what it is)...Maggie got me a beautiful blue and silver necklace....Tyler picked out a really cool recipe box for me...I really needed one!....and Aidan...oh my...he picked me the most adorable wooden rocker horse with a Santa on it....and it just melts my heart the thought of him looking at that and saying, "Mom would like this"....ahh I love them so much it hurts sometimes you know???!?!?! And I too got a gift card for a mom and Maggie shopping date that we enjoyed New Years Eve at Coolsprings! Maggie was so excited...this was our first year to do this....but it will NOT be our last....it is now a McManus Must for sure! We ate Chinese together in the Food Court and shopped till we dropped....I was so proud that she kept up with her balance in order to have enough for a Bible she had seen at Lifeway the week before. We even had a little talk over lunch regarding Santa....it seems we had been slipping and saying that we got things that Santa had apparently been from Santa....the night before, we were at Target and Adam said...Is this where you got the boys hockey cards...and of course not thinking, I say "Yep!"...I immediately see her wheels turning but I was NOT prepared for what came next...."I don't think Santa is real is he?" Oh dear! I panicked....and lied! Ughh!!! I felt horrible all night long and talked to Adam about it later....the unspoken rule in our house has been that if they ask, we will not lie to them...that's how it played out with Tyler...but he was 10 and she is just 8 so I wasn't expecting it so soon....man is she a smart cookie or what?...so at lunch I came clean with her and told her that I was sorry for lying to her....she seemed relieved to know....but a bit disappointed in knowing cause she said it was fun and magical to believe that he actually came to our house. Gosh, this growing up thing never gets any easier it seems! :-)

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Can you believe it is 2009?!?! I started thinking last night...this year, Tyler will become a teenager.....Maggie will be 9....Aidan will be turning 7....and Adam and I will celebrate our 10 years of marriage in February! Wow....what an exciting year already! And it seems to just keep getting better folks....my God is always up to something and I am always ok with that! I am NOT however gonna share in this particular post....nope, this is way to big people! It deserves to have a post all itself! Keep your radar up...it's coming soon....and I promise you....THIS IS HUGE!!!! :-)


HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! MAY HE RICHLY BLESS THE LIVES OF EACH OF YOU!!!


" And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Prayer For Stellan

McKMama and her family once again need to be bathed in our prayers as Stellan has become sick and his heart has started to give him problems....we have seen God show up in big ways in this little guys life....now let's wait in EXPECTATION for Him to make Himself very real to us again through Stellan! Also pray for his family as they endure this....pray for His peace to be on them at this time... Please click on the link above to recieve updates and to send your prayers and thoughts to this family.....And let us remember that none of this is a surprise to the One that made him!

"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb." Psalm 139:13

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Defying Myself....

Why is it that as the richest nation in the world, with all of our wealth, possesions, and gadgets, we as Americans are among the highest to battle depression and anxiety?

I was immediately convicted intrigued by this question posed by our Pastor this week. Why is it that even with Jesus permeating my heart, my love for Him greater than it has ever been, my family perfectly healthy and whole, my house overflowing with food and "stuff"...I still find myself at times, unhappy...unsettled...anxious...worried...irritable...joy"less"??? You know, like obsessing over the size 8 body that I seriously Talysa get over it because that was like 1998! used to have, or the Pottery Barn'esque rooms that I shamelessly slobber drool over but don't have, or the lady in my church...you know the one...that seems to just have it all together while you walk around like an unraveling hem line...yep, we all know her don't we? And probably waste beautiful time trying to be more like her... Or maybe it's fretting over how to make my marriage "fall apart proof", or what in the world to have for dinner tonight , or baking goodies for all my kids Sunday school teachers, or how I'm gonna make up the 2 weeks worth of school we are behind in right now, did I talk wayyyy too much in small group last night?...I am ashamed to admit that this list could go on and on....my name is Talysa and I am a habitual worrier....ahhh that feels better already! But this is also sinful....it is not what was intended for me...it is killing my joy.

What is Joy??? Joy:When we have a heart for God more than the world or it's circumstances

The same way that we are commanded to LOVE our neighbor as we love ourselves, we are also commanded to be Joyful! Pslam 40:16 & Phil 4:4 Which led to this wonderful beating over the head to get my attention discovery yesterday....Joy, just like love, is too often mistaken as an emotion....something you should feel or you must not have it right?? WRONG! JOY is a choice in the same way that LOVING my husband is a choice....not always a feeling!

And no, it is not always easy....but it is not impossible with the power of His Holy Spirit in us...Galatians 5:22

So when I've gained 10 pounds, I can choose to panic...or pray!....when my marriage hits a rough patch I can choose to worry....or worship! Regardless of my circumstance, He is still who He says He is! He is still worthy of my praise! My hope in who I am because of Him has not changed...so why should my JOY in Him change? We may not live problem FREE lives but through the Holy Spirits power within us, we have the choice to live JoyFILLED lives!!! It's a promise...and He always delivers on His promises!

Here are just a few ways we can have JOYFUL hearts this season...

1.Worship (Pslam 100:1-5 & Pslam 95:1-7)

2.Read the word...this is the number one reason we sometimes become Spiritually Depressed

3.Prayer...it is the ultimate expression of dependence...

I know this post is quite possibly hitting novel status but please do read on a bit further...Martyn Lloyd Jones may have just hit the nail on the head better than anyone in History! LOVE THIS!

Sidenote: The "man" he is referring to in this passage would be the author of Psalm 42:5-6

“Preach to yourself” by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

“Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself? Take those thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originated them, but they start talking to you, they bring back the problems of yesterday, etc.

Somebody is talking. Who is talking? Your self is talking to you. Now this man’s (Psalmist in 42:5-6) treatment was this; instead of allowing this self to talk to him, he starts talking to himself. ‘Why art thou cast down, O my soul?’ he asks. His soul had been depressing him, crushing him. So he stands up and says: ‘Self, listen for a moment, I will speak to you.’…

The main art in the matter of spiritual living is to know how to handle yourself. You have to take yourself in hand, you have to address yourself, preach to yourself, question yourself. You must say to your soul: ‘Why art thou cast down’– what business have you to be disquieted?
You must turn on yourself, upbraid yourself, condemn yourself, exhort yourself, and say to yourself: ‘Hope thou in God’– instead of muttering in this depressed, unhappy way. And then you must go on to remind yourself of God, Who God is, and what God is and what God has done, and what God has pledged Himself to do.

Then having done that, end on this great note: defy yourself, and defy other people, and defy the devil and the whole world, and say with this man: ‘I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance, who is also the health of my countenance and my God.’”

–D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Its Cure(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965/2002), 20-1.

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Not Me! Monday...

I could not give you a better "gift that keeps on giving" than to tell you to check out McKMama and her Not Me Monday musings...so click here and Merry Christmas!

• I did not wear completely non matching socks to church yesterday out of sheer laziness...that would be a bit risky if you were a person that had to stand in front of hundreds of people for a good 30 minutes out of the morning....sheesh!
• While running out to my car early this morning to get gifts out before my husband could see them, I did NOT try to slip my foot into my 12 year olds slippers by the backdoor only to find that they actually FIT!!!! NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
• I did not freak my poor cyber friend out by making her think that I was questioning if the Angel of the Lord had visited her! (thats what I get for asking vague questions!) Not sure which she would have been more freaked out about....being pregnant, or the mere fact that it would have meant that I seriously thought she had a "Mary" experience!
• I have NOT told numerous fibs to my husband, who can't take a surprise obviously, to try to keep his presents a secret...Lord forgive me!
• I have NOT become a blubbering sap over the least little thing this past week...worship yesterday...Christmas songs...reading scripture...Christmas movies...Christmas lights...Maggie's drawing of the Nativity story...my kids singing in Christmas program...leaf blowing across my yard...nope, I am a woman of composure!
• I did not eat more haystacks and peanut butter fudge than I gave away.
• I am NOT seriously about to regift for the first time in my life!!!!! You know, cause I swore I'd never be one of those people!
• After vowing to not send Christmas cards out this year, I did not in fact do it anyway....and the only reason I went against my prior ruling was NOT just because I took the most fabulous pics of my kids and wanted to show them off.... my beautiful kids of course!
• And I most certainly did NOT puff up with pride when someone asked "Where did you get the kids pictures made this year?"....nope, I am totally humble and it would not have flattered me in the least that they thought a pro took them!
• While watching the Charlie Brown Christmas movie last night with my family, I did not spend the last half of the show trying to make sense of why Peppermint Patty looks like a girl, has a girl's name, but gets called "sir" by the little girl in glasses that seems to just follow her/him around.
• This can NOT my last Not Me! Monday posting before Christmas!

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Santa Inspector....

Last night we stood in line for just about an hour to see Santa in our town's square....it is a nice little set up where the kids get their one on one time with him in his "house"....and for $5 get their picture made of course....


During our 12year old whining that he's hungry, 8 year old whining that she's freezing, my ankle throbbing lengthy little wait in line we asked Maggie and Aidan (the only two who still believe) if they thought he was the "real" Santa....they are smart kids and have figured out on their own, just by seeing so many in so many different places, that he obviously has "fill ins" from time to time....


They peered from the line into his little window and both agreed that yes, he did in fact look to be the real thing.....all was well.


Later once we had heard the man behind us telling the whole story of his four divorces, as we moved closer in the line (and had a better view) Adam was commenting on how he thought they were right ....he did in fact look to be the real Santa....


Adam:"Don't you think so Aidan?"


Aidan:(without even lifting his gaze off of Santa)....."No...he's got a watch on...."




"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Christmas Tour of Homes

Somewhere along the rabbit trails that I go down in this never ending world of blogs...I stumbled upon this little jewel....a Blogging Tour of Homes....Fabulous! I just love this idea....especially as a girl that was raised in the south...you know, where we take our "open houses" super serious! I can remember my Aunt Glo taking me to the Christmas Open Houses when I was a young girl...probably about my Maggie's age now...and how I thought I was so "mature" to be able to have my own cup of Spiced Tea... I so should have done that with Mag this year...Next year for sure!

I can't offer you Spiced Tea...or the Peppermint Egg Nog that's in my fridge....but I can take you on a visual tour so to speak of our home and how we "do" Christmas McManus Party of Five style....hope you enjoy...and hope you will follow the link above and play along.

This would simply be "the tree".....it is a special tree for me this year because it is "The Year We Ditched the Pre-Lit" at our house. We had a stayed lit properly for one year hard as heck to put together and take apart prelit for the past 5 years...real trees were super cheap in the Northeast....we were used to paying like $45 for an 8-9 ft Frasier Fir.....then we moved back to TN 5 years ago and holy smokes....the same size and type tree was like $100!!! So we bought a really cheap real one our first year here...which looked like Charlie Browns cause our living room had a vaulted ceiling and I believe the tree was seriously like 5ft tall! My dear husband went the day after Christmas that year and bought me a gorgeous $400 prelit for $75 and Lowes!!!! Whoo Hoo! And it has served us well over the years....but when I found myself dreading Adam getting it out this year because of the stress it induced to put it together, connect lights, see which branch was not gonna work this year, and of course bend the little branches to make it look "natural"...I said "that's it!" Goodwill here we come! Not for one second have I regretted it....especially when I walk into our living room and I smell that smell....ahhhhh....evergreen! And also as a first this year, I did not put one "decorative" ornament on it...it is simply covered in things the kids have made over the years and the ornaments we always get every place we travel to as a souvenier! And I do believe I love it best of all this way!

This is our new addition this year....our "Jesus Tree"....every day our kids take turns placing a heart ornament on it with 25 of the many different names of Jesus...this has by far been one of the best things we have ever done....it only took us 10 years ya know! :-) I had always wanted to do an Advent Calendar with my kids but the perfectionist in me would never consider making one...you know, cause it wouldn't look "right"....and the tight wad in me wouldn't buy one cause they were always pretty costly in my book.....so the best of both worlds collided when I found this one.....ON CLEARANCE....at Target!!! This too has really brought us closer as a family....our kids look forward to seeing what that day holds for us as a family....also one of the best things we have ever incorporated into this Season!
We have a tradition in our house that goes a little like this....Nativity Set...minus Jesus....where is baby Jesus you ask? Well, he isn't born yet of course! We meet him every Christmas morning and place Him with His mom and dad and all of His peeps at the manger! Our kids fight over love placing Him out on Christmas morning! :-)

We have had the same ratty special stockings for 10 years....Adam and I made ours the year we met...and each of the kids...and dogs...have the year they came to be with us on theirs. I have been so tempted to replace them with some beautifully monogramed ones from Lands End....but just can't bring myself to do it....they are special and they will forever adorn my mantle....even when they are grown....there they will hang... waiting. Ok, I'm tearing up...let's move on....onto the fabulous Stocking Hangers I snagged on Clearance at Hobby Lobby....this is my first year to ever have holders so I almost peed my pants when I saw how nice they were made and that "peace" held each one of our family members and "joy" could hold our pooches...AND that they were 50% off!!!...they are indeed heavy enough to kill a small bear I think.

I used to really go all out with the Christmas decorations....not sure what has happened to me...either I'm letting go slightly of the I'm talking must have coordinating Christmas soap dispensers in the bathrooms perfectionism that grips me so tightly at times, or I'm becoming lazy, or maybe a touch of both! I think in all honesty after raising and homeschooling 3 kids under one roof for the last 4 years, I have had to lay a lot of things at the altar....kept like a cover of Southern Living magazine just incase someone were to pop in clean house being on the top of the list! I just simply think the Lord has answered a lot of my prayers in that area and I see things through more perspective eyes now...especially at Christmas. In fact most of the decorations Adam brought down from the attic this year went right back up in the boxes they came down in cause I didn't even want to mess with putting them out....just the basics and the essentials....maybe that's it!... I'm getting back to basics!
So what would be the basics by way of decorations in our house?

My cranberry wreath on the front door...and our wreaths on all of our windows out front...but it's sleeting here in TN and I wasn't about to take my precious new friend camera out into that mess!

A table of Christmas Past

This precious little display putting things into perspective...

My poor uneven, nailed into the frame, Mistletoe

My kids beautiful Christmas artwork all over my kitchen cabinets....yes, I really have come a long way! :-)

Boomama also asked us to leave a recipe on here so here goes....this is from an elderly lady in our old church and she says it was over 100 years old ....and I believe her! :-)

Christmas Wassail:

1 Can Pineapple Juice

1 Gallon Apple Cider

2 cinnamon sticks

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

zests of 1 lemon rind

Mix all together in large pot on the oven and heat....and enjoy the smell your house will have all day long!!!

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Not Me! Monday!

As always, be sure to read about McKMama and her Charming Kids with the link above...it is her idea after all! :-)

• I did not get out of the shower, and halfway dressed before realizing there was conditioner in my hair still!
• Just because I am still afraid to leave my 12 year old son unattended in a department store, does not mean that I would make him come into the dressing room with me while getting down to my undies....because I am sure that might scar him for life!
• I did not step on the scale and see the digits 169 yesterday!!! Because 2 and 1/2 months ago before the foot injury, it said 158....and if it did in fact say 169, that would mean I would be hauling my big rear to WW tomorrow night like it or not!
• And I am sure that those digits would not have a thing to do with my new obsession with Peanut Butter Pie! Nope, not possible!
• I do not have a clever 12 year old that thought he was cute by doing this while I'm trying to get my settings right on my camera....and he most certainly did not think I was quick enough to catch him obviously!


• I am not in fact so distractable the past 2 weeks that I have only managed to get in a few full days of school! That would make me a horrible homeschool mom....(or completely normal...not sure which)
• I did not have a FABULOUS lunch with our dear Missionary friends, the Coopers, in from Mexico for Christmas....that would be have been too good to be true and couldn't have possibly happened! ;-)
• I did not manage to invite my family to my dear friends house for New Years...that would have been supremely rude and rude I am NOT!
• I did not have these conversations this week:

When asked to name the landmark on the screen during Trivial Pursuit, Tyler did not blurt out, "OOOhhh Ohhh I know!!! Big Henry!".......(it was Big Ben)

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ME: Aidan, how many seasons do we have?"

Aidan:"Four....Spring is cool....Summer is Hot....Fall is ummmmm...Leafy!...and Winter is cold"

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Aidan (while looking at a bag of Baked Scoops): "Mom, how do they make these so easy?"

Me: "What?" (completely clueless as to what he was talking about)

Aidan: "These chips, how do they make them so easy?"

Me: "Honey, what in the world are you talking about?"

Aidan: "It says here on the bag, Good Choices....Made Easy!"

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

How on Earth?!?!?!?

DOES THIS HAPPEN?!?!?!

Our first Christmas together as a family....Lee, Massachusetts 1998

1999....Ravena, NY

2000...along comes a sister...and a really cheesy grin!

2001...wow, look at Maggie's strawberry hair!..wonder where that went? ...Forty-Fort, PA

2002...along comes a brother

Don't laugh...you know you have your "do" that you wish you "didn't"

2003 ...we arrive back in Tennessee...some of these were obviously photographed in their frames with my new camera cause I didn't always have a digital ya know!

2004...awww...

2005....

2006..GO PREDS!!! Can you tell we went to Playoffs that year?!?!

2007....so tell me....HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN?!?!

How do they seem to look the same across the dinner table...till you pull out a picture and see just how God is constantly growing, molding, and shaping them into His creations....not mine.

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2008?????

Well, don't hold your breath, but they are in fact coming....I found a location to shoot their pics this year but of course it's outdoors and of course Tennessee is making up for 5 years of rain lost this week!

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Speaking of precipitation...guess what we walked through...tongues out like stretchers for the wounded... tonight???? SNOW....GLORIOUS BIG FAT HEAVY SNOW!!!

It was snowing as we walked into Kohls....and doing nada when we walked out! That's snow in TN for ya! Such a tease! I miss the snow from PA.... (reminiscing)

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And speaking of not holding your breath.....If you are reading this and you are my family or friend....you are not getting a Christmas Card this year.....I made a motion to ban the 213 hours of writing them out and addressing them this morning....and the hubby seconded my motion and you weren't there to object so (pounding gavel) case closed! :-)

I am so stinkin stressed for some reason this year and truth be told, need medication to help me to focus and not be such a worry wart....so it was just an added stresser that I finally realized..."Hey, there is no rule...(other than my book of Perfectionism) that says you must send out Christmas cards or be sent straight to the fiery pits of Hell! Ahhh...I feel free"er" already!.....(taking off the chains of perfectionism and taking on His yoke)

I will however post the kids pics on this site of course!

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And speaking of KOHLS....tonight while shopping, my 12 year old son had a few admirers following him all around the store giggling and running off when he would look at them....Are you kiddin me?!?!? Am I seriously about to have to put a stick on my front porch?!?!? And what did he say when asked about his swarm of giggling fans??? "I don't blame them"....what? What kinda vain little snot am I raising here anyway?... :-) He was joking by the way....or at least I will choose to believe he was since it's my blog and I can get away with denial here!

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Maggie: "Are we gonna do that thing this year that we always do where we dress up like elves and hold garbage bags for families to get toys for their kids?"

Aidan: "Oh Mag, you mean Toys For Todd's?"

So if your name is Todd...you are probably wishing Aidan was in charge of the rule making in this country!

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The Crippled Lamb is one of my absolute favorite Christmas books...check it out!

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"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Wordless Wednesday

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Not Me! Monday

• I did not go through the drive thru at Taco Bell to order a "Fresco" Gordita....and say Baja (where did that come from?!?!) instead...and then realize I had said the wrong word and quickly try to recover by saying "I'm sorry I meant Fresca" Only a scatterbrain would do that....and yes, of course my order was wrong after confusing the snot out of the poor Taco Bell guy.

• I did not keep putting off calling my mom on her birthday till "a better time" until she ended up calling me for something unrelated.....sorry again Mom!

• I did not lose the tape and/or scissors every 5 seconds while wrapping gifts.....ERGHHH!!! would someone puh lease invent something for people such as myself...maybe a Velcro shirt to wear just when you are gift wrapping so you can just stick it to yourself instead of laying it down???? Just a thought. :-)

• I did not attempt to clean my face with toner only to mindlessly grab fingernail polish remover instead! OUCH!

• While wrapping gifts at 2am with the hubby, in complete delirium, I did not say " I don't want to "chimp" on their gift....ya know meaning to say "skimp"

• And he did not relentlessly tease me about it.

• I did not hide the shirt I wanted at Belk, because it was the last Medium in that color, just in case I didn't find one better and wanted to come back for it later that day.

• I did not have my coffee Sunday morning (6:30am) jacuzzi-side...oh wait I did do that...and it was fabulous!

• My daughter did NOT ask for an American Girl Doll from Santa....and then change her mind 2 weeks later...and I of course had NOT already ordered one....

• I do not feel the compulsion need to do strikethrough's now that McKMama ,my blog bestie, let the cat out of the bag!

• I did not plan to watch "A Christmas Story" with my sweet little family for Advent, only to have to turn it off 7 minutes into it due to hearing "SOB" said by the dad.....seriously??? Is this necessary movie making people???? It's Christmas for gosh sakes!

• I do not NOT know when I last washed my hair....ewww!

• I do not already have my eye on some snazzy gear for my new camera....that would be so ridiculously greedy of me.

• I DID NOT JUST CHECK MY EMAIL AND FIND ONE FROM NONE OTHER THAT MCKMAMA HERSELF! SUH-WEET! :-)

• I am not shamelessly fond of her and her cute as bunnies kids and big as Texas heart!...Oh darn, wait...I am!

• I have NOT....no matter what you may have heard (or seen if you were on Hwy, 31)....cried while listening to "The Christmas Shoes" song this week....because I have heard it 100 times and you know....am sick of it of course!

• I am not sitting here at almost midnight, half asleep, waiting for Not Me! Monday to officially begin so I can post this....that would be a red flag that a person has issues I believe.

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

CHRISTmas...

Is anyone else scrambling to get their Christmas "stuff" in order? You know, the tree, the decorations, the schedule for parties and special events at church? Does anyone else suffer from "perfectionism" (it is a disease you know!) like I do and make yourself miserable trying to make sure everything is "so so?"....you know, PERFECT! Seriously, I could (if not very careful) take something like decorating the tree and turn it into a very non enjoyable event because the ornaments are not spaced out enough...you know, for the slew of official tree Judges that will be coming through my house and all! Good Grief! I have no idea why I do this (and probably need medication for it!) So my prayers lately have been prayers of changing all that...trying this year to get back to basics...feeling the release from perfectionism bondage...to remember what this is all about anyway....not decorations...not the tree and it's symmetrical ornaments...and especially not finding "the perfect gift"...ooohh,I can really drive myself bonkers with this one! I want more for my kids....more than just the traditions.... I want them to grow closer to Christ throughout this month...in a real and authentic way...I want to shift their focus from Christmas wish lists to the Christmas Story...His story...His purpose...our purpose.

Our Jesus Tree has already been a huge help on our quest this year to "knowing Him" a little better...We read off lists of 100+ names for Jesus and the kids were supposed to tell us when one of the names I said made them think of who Jesus was to them....I loved that Aidan immediately said "Light" before I even started to read the list...Maggie tried correcting him suggesting he meant to say "Life"...but nope, he meant "Light!"...so we found that scripture...and maybe he had heard it before...maybe not...but I love that my little man had his mind made up about who Jesus was to him....names on it so far? Anointed, Light, Almighty, Prince of Peace, and Christ!

And the advent calendar....ahhh the advent calendar....I only wrote out our activities for one week since Adam works a crazy schedule....but I was overly ambitious I'm thinking! I know, shocking isn't it? :-) I never give my word unless I can keep it to them so I have been to the library twice hunting down "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" movie...I'm still not sure why they wouldn't just give me the number of the bozo that checked it out and never brought it back! :-) We settled for the book as a family read aloud...And then there's "A Christmas Story"...found that at Blockbuster....and the book "The Crippled Lamb" (one of my absolute favs!)...had to hunt it down like a rabid dog!...why pray tell, did I commit to watching movies and reading books that we do not own?!?! So, moral of the story? Go light with your advent...don't be an overachiever...it could very well ruin your happy little advent festivities when you can't actually accomplish your plans....We did however have a great time decorating our Jesus Tree, reading our books over hot cocoa (Mary's Treasure Box is good as well), playing a game of Monopoly for five minutes before switching to Uno Attack,and watching "The Littlest Angel"...tonight? Sleeping bags in the living room floor, popcorn, and "A Christmas Story" for McManus, Party of Five...hmmm, well look at that....

........PERFECTION! :-)

So what do you and your family do to stay Christ focused during this season?


"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Not Exactly ....Wordless Wednesday

Hey you guys....wanna help donate money to three wonderful charities this Christmas Season....yep, not one....three! Wanna chance to win a Canon Rebel Xsi, just like the one I just got (yep, opened mine same day this started...maybe I shoulda waited a bit huh?) and used in these shots below???? (Don't judge me too harsh...no editing software yet remember? This camera can do mad crazy things that I have not dared tap into yet!) Well, click the "Rebel For a Cause" link on my sidebar and donate as little as $10 for a chance!!! And get this....McKMama...you know, Miracle Stellan's mom and I dare say my new blogging world "bestie"....is donating 100% of your money to wonderful charities!!! She has already raised THOUSANDS in just 24 hours!!! You can check out all the details (camera package...it's HUGE!...and all the extra snappy things she is throwing in....and of course you can read about the three wonderful charities you would be helping out! So go on....click that link....give a little this Season...but, don't say I didn't warn you!....You will become another "wolverine" like the rest of us! :-)

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And now, without further ado....Wordless Wednesday

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Advent, Jesus Tree, and the Rebel

Yesterday was our first day of "Advent", we were to find 25 different names for Jesus in the Bible and put the names on ornaments along with the scripture....we will place one name for each day this month on our "Jesus Tree"...and read that scripture. We had lots of fun making it....and dad loved finding the tree at Goodwill for $2!

Maggie did the honors of placing our first ornament...
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Our real tree? Well, I happen to think it looks and smells fabulous! We finally had enough ornaments this year to use just our family (kid made or from places we have visited...that's our tradition) ornaments...it only took us 10 years!!! It's my favorite way to trim the tree....We had such a good time decorating...listening to Christmas music....drinking hot wassail...it still amazes me that we have passed the stages of hanging the ornaments on the upper half of the tree....or keeping ornaments from being eaten....now they are all pitching in with their own opinions of where the ornaments should hang....and they each have their favorite....Maggie's is the hideous Grinch ornament that came in a kids meal from McDonald's I believe....see it in the front? I just love how she thinks it must be the front and center focal point of our tree....

Obviously Maggie thinks our tree is fabulous too! Don't ask because I have no idea!

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Here are a few pics of the trimming festivities!

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I'm hoping by now that you have noticed the ridiculously improved photos on my blog today...where are they coming from you ask???? Meet my new obsession..."the Rebel"...Xsi to be exact!....well, this is actually just one of the lenses of my new obsession... :-) Adam was so good to me...splurging even more to get me a Telephoto Zoom Lens...and even letting me open it early to get "practiced up" by Christmas....it simply cannot put it down! I have already learned so much from my crazy talented friend McKMama, who takes quite possibly the cutest pics ever, and will continue to sponge up her tidbits as she gives them....but I have also signed up for a Photography class....eeehhh! I'm a bit nervous but super excited to learn all about this phenomenal camera! So be warned my insanely adorable children....I am watching you! :-)

Who wouldn't be excited about opening the box, putting on the lens, pointing to the closest thing to me, and coming out with this kind of detail! And look MckMama!!! NO FLASH!!! :-)

OR THIS!!! MY WORD!!! I could just pee my pants with excitement!!!

What I have not however managed to do yet, is understand one blasted iota of the software to edit my pics so all of these pics are as taken...and that's all you may get...for a while because of course I have NOT yet signed up for he computer class it may very well take!

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No snow here...just a few flurries...and I did in fact find milk at the best grocery store in the world Publix....and speaking of best in the world, have I mentioned lately that Gevalia happens to brew the BEST cup of coffee your little caffeine addicted lips could taste??? This morning? Blueberry Creme! Yummers!
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Tonights advent activity? Playing Monopoly as a family! I completely lose interest in this game after about 10 minutes...hmmm....hope I don't accidentally go bankrupt!

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

"Not Me!" Monday

• While making Deviled Eggs this week, I did not manage to smudge the filling onto the bottom of an egg....and proceed to lick it off...if you ate at my house this week, don't worry...I did NOT do that!


• I did not reem my poor husband out for hanging the mistletoe into our trim with a nail! Good Grief...what kind of control freak would do that?!?


• And I most certainly could not have been found further "reeming" when I realized it wasn't even lined up in the middle of the door frame!


• I do NOT have an addiction to QVC.


• Since we had company, I did not wear my robe all day the day after Thanksgiving to hide the fact that I was too lazy to put my bra on....seriously...do people really do such things?
• I did not let my precious children help in the hanging of the ornaments only to go behind them and "fix" them all after they were in bed.


• I did not tell a white lie to my husband about our checking to keep a Christmas surprise...


• I have not boo-hoo'd this week over old Christmas pics of my kids and old Letters to Santa...and I stayed especially composed while reading Aidans dictated letter to "Panta Cause" when he was 2...


• I did not commit pure unadulterated GLUTTON this week!!!


• I did not ask my husband to "do" the lemur (King Julian) on Madagascar 2....and sneak a video...that would be horrifically deceiving!


• And I am most certainly not posting it here for all to see! Pfff...no way!

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

"A Turkey For Me...And A Turkey For You..."

"...Let's eat Turkey in a big brown shoe...." - Adam Sandler

I am happy to report that we did in fact survive Thanksgiving....I have no idea why we were so nervous but I think we both were....when you put complete strangers (opinionated ones at that!) from two sides of the family together, you can't help but pray there will be no slinging of the cranberry sauce! We were of course worried for nothing because everything was wonderful and I dare say everyone had a fabulous day...well, except for the turkey obviously.

Can my man cook a mean bird or what?!

This is totally out of focus I know (trying to learn how to manually set camera) but I wanted you to see the cute turkeys that adorned our fireplace....each had feathers that listed what they are thankful for...couldn't help but crack up at Tylers very obvious 12 year old answers...Jesus, Family, Me

And the chains of gratitude we made on top of the mantle...oh my gosh, there were some of the cutest answers ever! Aidan said he was thankful for Peter in the Bible....Maggie said she was thankful for the planets....and Tyler said he was thankful for his arms and for air....I'm thinking he may have left off the "h" meaning to say "hair"... :-)

BFF :-)

Is it a bad sign when I get the camera out and the kiddos scatter like mice? I did manage to talk (threaten) them into taking just this one....

Sisters....yes, we know...same mom, different dads.

Maggie with Ally...Aunt Ashley's doggie

Tyler twiddling the willow tree branches

Maggie playing with the neighbors dog Rufus...

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I completely forgot to introduce you to the newest member of our family....the "Charger"

Compliments of Olive Garden....I must admit, it is sweet to drive...does this mean we are having a mid-life crisis???

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It is so stinkin cold here in TN tonight...Adam and I have frozen our bums off hanging wreaths on windows...how on Earth did I ever live in NY, MA, and PA all those years???? ...and I think they are calling for a little snow for us...which means there is no bread or milk to be found within a 30 mile radius I'm sure.

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We chucked the fake tree this year! If you want it, it's at Goodwill. Good bye Mr. Pre-Lit Tree....with your faulty lighting and non-pine smelling branches!!! Hello Mr. Post-Lit... Fresh Cut... makin my house smell fabulous, Frasier Fir!

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Giving Thanks

Ok, so this obviously is not my family....and the fact that it is not will never not hurt I'm starting to realize...but by the grace God, with the love and mercy that He has shown us now being given to each other, by perserverance, by mercies that are made new everyday, by faithfulness and forgiveness, by promises that are kept.....maybe... just maybe... one day... my kids can look at this and say that it is in fact theirs.

"Jesus, I am so humbled by all you have entrusted me with....a marriage of almost 10 years...3 beautiful healthy children...a wonderful home to raise them in...more than enough food...the privilege to stay home and not only raise my children but to teach them as well...the grace to accomplish all these things...family and friends...a voice to sing your praises...I could go on and on...but at the end of this list, everything on it would pale in comparison to your life...you gave it so freely...and you didn't have to. You could have looked down on humanity, seen what a mess of a person I would be...all the horrific choices I would make...all the times I would reject you...run from you...hide from your truths...drag your name through the mess I would make of my life... and simply say that I was not worth it. But you didn't. You suffered...bled...cried...died...all for me. Your love came to me unconditionally. And because of it, I'll never be the same...it is because of you that I am anything of worth....thank you!"

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Sometimes....

Sometimes....

We eat leftover carrot cake for breakfast

Sometimes....

We sleep till 9am

Sometimes....

We let our dogs lay on the furniture

Sometimes....

Our little Homeschool becomes Hotelschool when we hit the road with dad

Sometimes....

We let our children scale walls

Sometimes....

We eat Mexican

Sometimes....

We play in corn
Sometimes....

Our poodles forget that they are "Standard" not "Miniature"

Sometimes....

We accidentally swallow teeth

Sometimes....

We are best buddies

What do you do....sometimes???

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Not Me Monday..late edition

• I did not wear the same clothes to the Orthodontist office this morning as I wore yesterday to church (on stage mind you!), thinking I was so savvy to be saving laundry and all, only to realize that I had forgotten the fact that the lady that would be scheduling my next appointment would be my dear friend Paula....who of course...you guessed it...goes to my church.

• I did not, when asked the order of songs for the service, in all seriousness....without even hesistating or realizing what was coming out of my mouth, say "Jesus Moofasah"....ahem, I mean any person with the normal amount of brain cells would have of course said "Jesus Messiah"...where on Earth did that come from????!!!!

• Then, I did NOT stand on stage and think "Moofasah" every time the word Messiah was said!

• I did not walk through Aldi and Wal-Mart tonight shopping for Thanksgiving food, (mutilated ankle throbbing and all!) throwing myself my own mental pity party that went something like this..."Why can't I have a normal family?...You know, the kind that I would just throw together a dish and show up at their house and feel loved and taken care...where everyone wears turkey sweatshirts...and somebody knows how to make chicken and dumplings....and has made a special dish "just for me"...just because it's my favorite of course...where there is no drama...only smiles of course...instead of any sort of holiday meal at all depending on me and my poor husband to make it happen?"...no, I did not do that....

• And I am not totally still whining to my husband about it as I put this crapload of food away! Nope I'm not the least bit bitter about it!

• I did not take a dinner roll and dip it into the tub of butter while I was preparing dinner...nope, you did NOT see me doing that!

• I have not obsessed about the 8 pounds I have gained back since hurting my ankle....or the fact that before that I was .4 oz away from my goal weight...or about the fact that I am seriously depressed that I can't excercise....or about the 10 more I'll probably gain over the holidays...Weight Watchers stock is so about to go up after the holidays!

• I did not have this conversation with Aidan this week....

Me: "Aidan, why do we celebrate Thanksgiving?"

Aidan: "Because the Pilgrims came to America"

Aidan: "I know why we celebrate Christmas!"

Me: :"Why?"

Aidan: "Because it's when Jesus was born"

Me: "That's right! And why do we celebrate EASTer?"

This time Tyler chimes in to elaborate on something and obviously Aidan's wheels have had a moment to turn....

Aidan: "Well, what about WESTer?"

I'll leave you to figure this one out.... :-)

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Fryday contest....shameless attempt to win!

Hey everyone! No blogging today...just desperate to win win win!!! Yes, you are right...I'm shameless! Nah...if you know me at all, you know I'm just bluffing...I don't have a competitive bone in my body....but what I am is a lover of MckMama and her beautiful family....so much so that I am game for any contest she throws my way...even a Fryday Contest...so go check out the Royal McK's and their ridiculously adorable offspring (including a certain miracle...hint: starts with "St" and ends with "ellan") and maybe just maybe you will be able to "read just one"..betcha can't! :-)


"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Wordless Wednesday....

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Not Me Monday

Check out McKMama and her wonderful family....including 2 week old miracle, Stellan!

• While driving in the Smoky Mountains this week (enjoying the museums and indoor pools while poor husband worked) I did NOT hear my daughter from the backseat say, "Hey, I just saw a restaurant back there called "Sexy Stuff"."

• And of course any decent mother would NOT have snickered at her comment! :-)

• I did not just "mmm Hmmm" my 12 year old when he asked me a question, thinking he asked if it was ok to have gum in the pool....only to discover that he asked if he could put his gum in the filter...."you know", he said, "since this is where the bugs and all go."

• I do not still shuffle around the email that McKMama sent to me, weeks ago, afraid to delete it as though it has celebrity status.

• I did not realize on the way to the Mountains that I forgot my laptop and literally begin to have a panic attack at the thought of not being "connected" for 3 days...that would make me a computer wacko I'm thinking..... (thank goodness my husband is)

• I did not just see my Maggie jump in the deep end and swim all the way across underwater on her own!!! Oh wait, I DID just see that! Holey Moley!!!

"And whatever I do, may it always bring glory to you"

Fibs, mohawks, and 7X7

Today I was reading "Mr. Popper's Penguins" to the kids....