Very Proud!

I am bursting with pride! Boo Bear competed in the AWANA Quiz Team Competition for the very first time. She was extremely nervous though she had studied for weeks. She was paired up with her friend that challenges her the most at AWANA. They were an amazing team! They only missed one question in the first round. In the 2nd round they "challenged out" which means not only did they answer the top amount of questions but gained bonus points for doing so. Her teacher told me this is the first time their group has ever done this! WOW! They ended up winning FIRST PLACE in their division! Go, Boo Bear! I thought she would do well but she exceeded my expectations! She was beaming & if it wasn't for the "golf game" cheering environment I would have been doing cartwheels & whooping as I twirled! LOL!

I forgot my camera but made sure to take pics when we came home.

So happy!

Her medal

Yay, Boo Bear!

Another division in her group won 1st place as well. They earned their medals plus a plaque for the church to display. The other divisions all placed too. It was a great day!

I was so impressed at this competition. These boys & girls really had to work hard in order to compete. They had to remember specific details from Bible verses, details about people in the Bible & lessons from their AWANA books. They also had to quote Scripture word for word often matching reference to the verses. It was very impressive & also inspiring. I don't know many adults, myself included, who could have stood ground in this competition. How wonderful to see our children learning about God & hiding His Word in their hearts.

I'm extremely proud of you Boo Bear! I love you!

Are You A Kitty Too?

Josie is one of our youngest kitties. She was born last March & has been raised with Gloria. Sweet Pea came into her room & could hear Gloria squeaking up a storm. She wondered what was upsetting Gloria & a glance in her cage gave her the answer. Josie had somehow crawled into Gloria's cage. At first Gloria was not happy with this intruder. Josie, on the other hand made herself right at home curling up in the corner & taking a nap. After a bit Gloria got used to Josie being there & even came over to check her new roommate out. Josie never tried to attack Gloria or harm her in any way. My guess is Josie thinks of Gloria as another kitty. It cracked us all up & we're guessing this won't be the last time we find Josie snuggled up with her pal.

Happy Valentine's Day!

We usually don't make a huge deal out of Valentine's Day. We don't buy expensive gifts & we don't decorate. We do however like to give homemade Valentines to each other & get the kids a little sweet treat. This year we did something new. We had a Heart Hunt. I was sick all day so I had lots of help. Sweet Pea cut out 18 small hearts for me out of construction paper. Each child had 4 hearts except for Princess who had 2. I wrote their names on them. Dave hid them all over the house. They were told to find the hearts with their own names on them. When they accomplished this they were to bring them to me to turn them in for a prize. Boy were they excited!

Getting ready for their Heart Hunt

So silly!

Bugs looks all over the living room.

I'm not sure what that look was about. Lol!

Found one!

Success!

Sweet Pea helps Princess.

Little Sweetheart

Sweet Pea has to look a little harder for hers.

Elvis was the first to turn his hearts in. For his prize he received a homemade Valentine from Mama.......(more later in this post)

Bugsy received a monkey card from Mama.

There was a special just-for-him message inside.

Dave's Valentine from me. No, you cannot read the message. Lol!

Princess with her Valentine from Mama.

Boo Bear's Valentine from Mama.

Here they are with all their prizes/treats!

They received a homemade just-for-them Valentine from Mama, a Valentine from Nana (Each with $1 inside!) & a candy treat. They were very excited!

Sweet Pea didn't pose with her Valentine but it was a kitten. =0)

And of course a goofy pose! Lol!

Baking With My Boys

We've been trying to get back to making more baked good at home. It saves money which is #1. It is more filling for the kids as it adds to dinner & makes for a heartier breakfast too. The kids all love to cook & bake. I believe it's an important skill for both my girls & boys to learn.

The boys wanted to make Sassy Cinnamon Muffins on Thursday so we set to work. I quadrupled the recipe. I was impressed at how easily Elvis converted the measurements. They took turns adding the ingredients & then stirring them all up.

Stirring the batter together!

We decided to add in an extra treat to our muffins. Apples! I cut the apples up into little pieces. The boys enjoyed taking turns putting them in the batter.

Here are our muffins! We had some for a snack as we couldn't' wait for dinner time. Lol! We all had some at dinner too. Delicious! The boys were very proud of their work.

The Verdict Is In!

Today I made a new recipe for us to try for dinner. Spinach Chicken Alfredo! I got it off of the Internet & it sounded pretty simple and yummy. It's a crock pot recipe & I'm a big fan of those.

Here it is all ready to serve.

We didn't have Rotini so we used spaghetti instead.

Everyone made fun of me for taking a photo of my plate but I liked the presentation. Lol!

The kids were really good helpers today so we had a special dessert as a reward. They didn't know it was coming. Do you think this boy likes sweets?

YUMMY!

She was sleepy so Daddy helped her out with her dessert.

For all our friends out there I had our family rate the Spinach Chicken Alfredo on a scale of 1 to 10. 10 of course was the highest/best. I was pleased with the results. Princess & Dave said they liked it a lot but there were other dishes that were favorites which ranked higher. I thought it was funny that they analyzed it so deeply. Overall it was a hit & Boo asked if I would serve it again soon. The boys, Boo & Dave all had second helpings so that says something good. Lol! =0)

The Votes:

Dave = 8

Elvis = 9

Boo Bear = 10

Sweet Pea = 8

Bugsy = 10

Bouncing Fun!

My Mom bought the kids a trampoline for Christmas. Dave & I had been wanting to get them one but couldn't swing both that & individual Christmas gifts. When my Mom asked for suggestions for Christmas I brought this up. It was a win-win situation. Divided up it came out to the amount she wanted to spend per child. That was with the fantastic price I found it for at Walmart's Black Friday sale. With some diligent waiting, an overnight stay, some strategic planning & help from friends who staked out our "claim" we successfully brought it home!

Dave & Boo set it up yesterday afternoon. The kids are loving the fun it brings & I love that they are getting some of that pent up cabin fever energy out. So much better than constant video games! Hooray!

THANK YOU, GRANNIE!

Who Has God Put On Your Heart Today?

I apologize for falling behind in my posts. Frankly, I have not felt up to it lately. I've been dealing with some tough stuff & am trying to fight off depression. That added to already feeling overwhelmed & the crummy, dreary weather it's a heavy load. Those of you that have had true depression understand how hard of a struggle it is to fight it. It is a powerful thing & not just a simple thing of mind over matter as some think. It bothers me when people lightly shrug it off thinking of it as a weakness in others. Anyone that has experienced it knows it is anything but. Thankfully with God's strength, my prayer warriors & my dearest friend Megan I am keeping my head above water.

I post this about myself & my struggles not for pity or attention but rather to knock on the door to your heart. Is there someone in your life that you have seen struggling lately? Maybe they aren't pouring out their hearts but are guarding them close. But you know they are not themselves & guess something is going on. Reach out to them. Give them a hug. A word of encouragement. Maybe even a helping hand. God wants us to be there for each other. To love one another. We were not meant to be islands. And we are not meant to be judge & jury. Meet that person where they are & lift them up. You will be amazed how much it means to them & how it can change their entire outlook. A bonus is how it makes you feel in return. When we focus on others instead of ourselves it brings joy to us too. God blesses us for it. So think of who you can help today. Who has God put on your heart?

"A new commandment I give to you that you love one another. Just as I have loved you you are to love one another. By this all people will know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34-35

"Therefore let us stop passing judgement on one another. Instead make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way." Romans 14:1

"Therefore encourage one another & build each other up." 1Th. 5:11

Molly

A very loved kitty.