Ever wondered what 30 batches of peanut brittle looks like?

I love making peanut brittle, especially when it helps pay for Christmas. I get to make something I love to share and others get to enjoy eating it and pay me for it. Win, win, I say...

My peanut brittle recipe is from my Granny Jones and I watched her make it when I was a kid and then watched my Mom make it and she is the one who taught me how. I don't use the microwave, I don't use a candy thermometer. I time it, using my favorite pan (just like the one my mom uses), my favorite spoon (just like the one my mom uses) and a gas stove! I stir it constantly and go by smell, appearance and I can just "feel" it when it's right. Jakeb and I have had some laughs about me becoming one with the peanut brittle. :) He is my peanut brittle fanatic! I can almost guarantee a perfect batch if the weather is cold and not humid. Since it's hot and humid year-round in Singapore, I'm pretty sure I won't be making it for a while. I'll miss it alot. It's like therapy to me and I love being stuck in one place fore 30 minutes at a time. It's a good excuse to slow down and think. I think I like making it much more than I do eating it. I made these 30 batches over the last two weeks and only one of them was not up to my perfectionist standard but it didn't keep it from getting eaten.

Anna was my little helper elf in packaging these gifts up to take to Dallas this weekend. I used popcorn to stuff around the ones that need to be mailed instead of buying packing peanuts. Since it's homemade goodies, I can get away with using the popcorn. I used white popcorn (real popcorn, not microwave in a bag popcorn) and made it with very little oil and then sprinkled shaved glitter stuff all over the top of it to make it look sparkly. Kind of looks like snow. I think Anna was impressed with her mother's creativity. It's not an original idea, not many of mine are.

I'm finished with my "big" orders and can now make it at a more leisurely pace, after giving my stirring arm a break for a few days. Yes, my patient family, you will be getting some too and you won't have to fight for the crumbs off of the pan. I'll make you a whole, real batch with real pieces and I won't make you pay for it! The crumbs, however, are really good on top of Bluebell homemade vanilla ice cream!

Selling Stuff

Before you read any further, let me just say that this blog will not be turning into the Stunz family classified ads. Mostly because there are only about twelve of you who read it so it probably won't do us any good anyway. But just in case.....


We’re selling our Pro-Form 930i Cooling Breeze folding treadmill with iFit technology.

The treadmill is in great shape and we have the manual and all information that came with it when we purchased it from Academy in Feb. 05. The online reviews say that is not recommended for heavy duty workouts but we have all used it, walking and running, and have not had a any problems with it. Tommy has run on it without any issues. (That may get me in trouble but I couldn’t think of a good way to say that it can handle some weight. That may get me in even more trouble…..) Anyway, it has a fan, it folds up and we’ve never hung a stitch of clothing on it! :)

We are also getting ready to put our house on the market after the first of the year and need to get a few things cleared out. It’s all about staging, right?

We have other things that we’ll be getting rid of so if you need something in particular, let me know. I don’t have time for a garage sale, we don’t want to put a bunch of stuff in storage for two years and we won’t be taking a lot of our things with us to Singapore so it needs to go.

Maybe you could help us spread the word that our house will be up for sale soon. If we could sell it to someone without involving a realtor we could all save a lot of money and we would then be able to financially help a family get into a good house. 2000 sq. ft., 4 large bedrooms (all upstairs), 2.5 bath, 2 car garage, lots of closet space, huge backyard, great neighbors, a lot of remodeling over the last 8 years, newly remodeled master bathroom, new a/c, plumbing pipes have all been replaced, the list goes on.

We’ll also be selling our white Toyota Camry ('06 or '07, I can't remember) that is also in great shape with low mileage, but will need it until closer to time for us to leave.

I know, you are probably saying that this is a cheap way to sell our stuff and I would have to agree. We are cheap and we do like saving money! And I don’t like answering phone calls from newspaper ads from people I don’t know. God has blessed us so we’re hoping He can bless others, our friends, through us selling our stuff.

A little slow in blog world...

Pretty much all of the blogs I read on a regular basis are not getting much action these days. I guess we're all busy. I'm too busy to write much these days, although the thoughts and will are definitely there, I just don't have time to sit here and write them down. I've got holiday pictures to share, our 20th anniversary trip to Santa Fe pics and stories (it was incredible!), black eyes from trampolines, school stuff, graduation stuff, moving to Singapore updates, and other random writings as usual. Some day soon, you're gonna get 15 posts a day for about a week.... Watch out!!

I'm always disappointed when I go to my reader and the blogs I look forward to starting my day out reading are not in bold with a number beside it. So I know it's not just me that's busy.

For now, I'm going to finish making my bazillion batches of peanut brittle and getting them all gift packaged up to deliver to customers and finish up the marbles boards that have been ordered. Then I can look forward to finishing the decorations in and on my own house and enjoy the Christmas season with my family and friends and hopefully blog a little.

Hope you're having a wonderful holiday season and busy doing all the stuff that shows others Christ's hope, peace, love and joy.

'till next time.....

Advent, Art, Music & Justice (not necessarily in that order)

There are tons of things going on in my head, as usual, and I wish I had more time to post but I don't. I'd like to post about each of them individually (the first one I already have) but I'm up to my eyeballs in making peanut brittle and painting marbles boards, not to mention trying to fit the other things that go along with being a mom and a wife. So, I've just decided to combine them all into this post.


First
A reminder about the Taft Street Art Market. Art, gifts, coffee, music. It's going to be cool and it's this Saturday from 10-5. See this post.


Second
This past Monday was the beginning of Advent. Our curiosity about Advent has increased over the past couple of years but we still have alot to discover. For many years, we've bought the cheap chocolate calendars for our kids where you eat one chocolate each day leading up to Christmas Eve then you know tomorrow is Christmas. I'm pretty sure there's more to it than opening door number 1 to see what shape your chocolate is going to be. In fact, here is a link to an Advent Guide from Buckner International (an agency for orphans) that you can read daily if you want to. I haven't actually started it yet but I'm going to try to catch up and keep it up. You can even sign up to have it emailed to you each day. How convenient!

Third

Tonight begins a Christmas concert tour called "Gloria". Cindy Morgan and Shawn Groves are a few that will be taking the stage. The concert tonight is in Nashville but they are going to try to show it live on Shawn's blog tonight at 7 CST. Here's Shawn Grove's blog link. I'm pretty excited about this and wish I would have found out about it sooner. Tommy and I went to Andrew Peterson's "Behold the Lamb" tour last year and it was incredible. If you ever get a chance to go to it, you have to! I hope this concert is like Andrew's (yes, we're on a first name basis). I hope it's more of a story concert with really good music as opposed to another singer's rendition of Silent Night. I may be wrong, but we'll see. I love Cindy Morgan and Shawn Groves.

Fourth

This coming Sunday, Dec. 7th at 6:30pm, our church is hosting a benefit concert for IJM. Tickets are $20 and you get a tshirt. Go check it out here.


Fifth
Sara Groves' Christmas CD is really great. I bought it yesterday along with Shane & Shane's Christmas cd. That brings me to five this year so far. If RSB or Alisa come out with one, I'm in trouble.... See this post. Anyway, Track 2, "It's True", has Sara's little boy, Toby, reading from a children's book telling the story of Jesus' birth in words kids understand. In the song, Sara talks about baby Jesus coming and she says that "the play begins with Baby God" and says that He was "the God who came down to find you". He came down to find me. I'm so glad He did! Little Toby also reads that God was like a proud dad who had been waiting for "all these years" to show Him off. It's Christmas time! The time when we celebrate that "Baby God" came to earth in a barn and God set out a bright star to show us The Way to Him. He knew where I was. The star was super bright, it made the other stars pale in comparison. There were only a few shepherds around to show Him off to. No high fives, no blue bubble gum cigars that say, "It's A Boy" on the wrapper. Just a silent bright star, some hay and a bunch of stinky animals and a proud and tired mom and dad. I hope that I, in some way, can help our "Father God" show our "Baby God" off to the world and lead others to find Him.

OH! One more thing, I know our economy stinks right now and thinks are tight for a lot of us but if you happen to find some extra cash laying around or feel compelled to give something that's not extra but may have even been planned for something else that you really don't need, consider giving to Advent Conspiracy. Check this previous post out for more of why this means something to us. "It costs us an average of $.98 to provide clean, safe water to one person for one year: every dollar makes a difference." http://www.water.cc/

Well, this has been a pretty long and random post and probably not even all that well-written but like I said, I'm a little preoccupied with other stuff but I had all of this in my head and it had to come out or it might have exploded. There's more, but this is all I have time for. I know you're bummed about that.

Christmas Music - How much is too much???

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Christmas music!!!

Tommy seems to think that I should only buy one new Christmas album per year and he tries really hard to "encourage" me to adhere to his way of thinking but I can't remember if it's ever worked or not. He has fun trying to limit my purchases but I think we both know that his attempts are futile. I have a cd case full of only Christmas cd's. It went with me when we evacuated for the hurricane! I don't have very many weakness but Christmas cd's and really good candles (like my friend, Laurie J. makes) are up at the top of my "things I gotta have" list.

One year I really did try very hard to only buy one new Christmas cd. I wanted to honor my husband and thought that I could surely do this. I had already bought my one and was very happy with it. I was walking through Hastings (when it was still inside the mall) and a new Harry Connick, Jr. Christmas song was playing through their system. I wanted it sooo bad! Harry is my all time favorite Christmas music and I have every one of his Christmas albums and probably almost every one of his others as well. Anyway, I didn't buy it, although I really wanted to. I walked out into the mall to continue my shopping and a mall employee lady came up to me and gave me a mall gift certificate for $15 because she caught me smiling!! Well, that was just a sign from God so I thanked her, continued smiling, and went right back into Hastings to make my purchase.

This year, I have already bought three! One of which is the latest Harry Connick, Jr., another is Chris Botti (it's really good for background music) and then the Hotel Cafe' Wintersongs with people like Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Barreilles (don't really recommend it, some of the songs are good but not worth buying the whole cd- go to itunes and hand pick the good ones). AND.... Tommy even bought one!! Yo Yo Ma & Friends: Songs of Joy & Peace holiday album. It's really pretty good. Tommy even likes it. He plays cello and other famous artists, that measure up to Tommy's musical standards, play and sing along. It's mostly instrumental.

I'm already up to three new albums this year and I really want another. It's on sale right now too. That's a sign right??? I need to go get Sara Groves new Christmas album. She is my all time favorite artist period and I know that I have every one of her albums. I'm still waiting for Robbie Seay Band's Christmas album and one from Alisa Turner. Definite "must haves" to add to my ever expanding collection.

I thought about doing another hint, hint, wink, wink post but that would be a little obvious, huh? I am going to buy it myself soon, though. So if you plan to put it on my front porch, make it quick! :)

So can you have too much Christmas music? It's pretty apparent what I think.

We proudly announce.....

...that we have a new daughter!!

We are incredibly blessed to be able to sponsor one of the Daraja choir girls that stayed with us in October. Our monthly sponsorship will ensure that she gets a good education. Mercy ("Marcy") had already become a part of our family along with Rahab and Gladys when they stayed with us but now we get to stay in contact with her and keep up with what's going on in her life. What an amazing priviledge!!! Mercy is is 13, she loves to dance, sing and she loves bananas! Along with an amazing life's story, she has such a fun personality and brought a smile to everyone she came in contact with while she was here with us.

I'm not at all trying to bring attention to us but I do hope to bring attention to BrightPoint and share how excited and grateful we are to have this opportunity. The monthly sponsorship cost through BrightPoint is very reasonable. Click on the picture below and go to their website to find out more.

Tori's Blog

I just wanted to let everyone know that our daughter, Tori, has joined the world of bloggers. She has alot going on in her noggin' and she is a really great writer. She's also a pretty busy girl these days so her posts may not be as frequent as she (or I) would like but they are insightful and a good read so go check it out.

Tori's Blog or http://tstunz.blogspot.com/

Taft Street Art Market

Mark your calenders for next Saturday, December 6th, 10-5, for a fun-filled day of shopping for handmade gifts, painting your own ornaments and live Christmas music!

It's at 2115 Taft Street in Houston. Here's the link to the church (Ecclesia Houston), Taft Street Coffee House (great coffee and teas!) and art gallery where the art market will be at.

10% of the proceeds go to Advent Conspiracy.org which funds wells being built to bring clean water to those who need it all over the world. (Living Water International)

I'm Thankful For Fruit

Below is this week’s update from some friends of ours, Nate & Barbie. They are missionaries in South Asia. I’ve asked their permission to share and kept the content just as they wrote it. The abbreviations and misspellings are on purpose so as to not draw attention to themselves for security purposes. It was very humbling to me when I read this. Once again, I am moved to ponder all that God has so graciously given us. So, I’m thankful for fruit. I have three bunches of beautiful bananas and a bag of apples and oranges in my kitchen right now. We are having some friends over for breakfast in the morning so some of them will be eaten. But there are only five of us in our family and chances are some of it will be thrown out if we don’t eat it quickly enough or use it to bake with. We are blessed and will probably never have to go without fruit.

“Went to the next-door slum/garbage-picker colony to share fruit with the kids and songs about JC again...

Our family enjoys going out to the community next door each month. We try to give them something nice, and sing to the crowd about JC. It’s just hard to try to make sure each child gets just one piece of fruit - and then to realize there is not near enough to go around anyway!.. The grimy mass of arms and hands reach up, grasping, straining, each one connected to a dirty little face, with bright expectant eyes. You can imagine any one of them thinking...,

"Something different! These strangers came again, and are giving fruit today. Maybe I'll get one. I hope there'll be enough! This is fun. We don't understand these people very well, but they sing to us, too. I understand some words. But, I hope I get one of those fruits. Most of my day is spent running around our colony, in and out of the rows of huts made out of trash. We play games. I also spend a lot of time sorting through bags, peeling labels off of plastic bottles, and helping pile the stuff that's no good in the corner. Its pretty dirty here, but we're ok. And, I hope I get some fruit. My head itches a lot. And sometimes my stomach hurts - bad. But, I always eat my rice. We don't get much else. Hardly ever get fruit. And my clothes are too big - and dirty. I hope to get some other clothes to change into soon. But, good clothes don't come along very often. People just don't throw 'em away. But, maybe I'll get a piece of fruit! None of us can read - but we can find the good stuff in the trash. That's what we do, and mom and dad don't think we can do anything else. We don't get to go to school - mom and dad never did. So, they don't care whether we go or not. If we had the money to go, the school might not let us in anyway. Most people treat us like animals. But, I like fruit! There are a lot of us kids here. Some will get two fruits, if they can. There's not always enough. And sometimes I don't... Well, not this time, either. Maybe next time. Maybe, next time..."

Be thankful this week. Be thankful!”


This is a prayer that they have asked us to pray for the children of South Asia. Before you click the “x”, please pray for our friends, for their safety and the work they are doing and for the children of South Asia.

"Pr that every child in [south Asia] will soon hear about a Saveur who wants to carry them."

"HALLELUJAH, HALLELUJAH"

Can you hear it? The Hallelujah Chorus??? Come on, sing along with me.... "HA llelujah, HA llelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hal lehe lu jah!" Ok, now refer back to this post from last week to get a clue as to why I am singing.

Tommy and I returned from our WONDERFUL trip to Santa Fe, NM last night. We left NM at 3:45AM, drove to Dallas to pick up Anna and then arrived home at around 8:30PM. Really long day in the car and it was sooo good to be home. Tori and Jakeb had stayed home because they are working kiddos now. They purchased our Christmas tree yesterday and had it all set up and smellin' awesome! They rearranged the furniture and everything, got the decorations out and even set a few up. Great kids!!! We all love Christmas time! Sure wish it was cold!!

So I get settled in after a long day, we bring all the stuff in, I visit with the kids a bit and ooh and aah over the tree and then go upstairs to change into my pj's. I turn and look into my bathroom and something incredible was sitting on my toilet. My toilet, you say? Yes, my toilet. It was this..... my very own.....


Tori said that one day this week she came home to find it sitting on our front porch. She didn't quite know what to do with it until we got home so she put it on my toilet assuming I would pee my pants when I saw it. I was pretty darn excited!! I refrained from peeing my pants, though, even though we had been in the car for quite some time and I really did have to go. TMI, I know, sorry...

So, to whomever reads this blog, one of the twelve :), I thank you. H0pefully I can thank you in person one day if I find out who you are but even more than that, I hope I get to bring it over to your house full of something yummy and liquidy (it won't leak!) to share with you. I'll be watching to see who has that telling smirk on their face when I see you next, so if you don't want me to find out you'd better practice up on your lying face.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We really have sooooo much to be thankful for. And now, I'm thankful to have a new crockpot that won't leak!

Randomness

Tommy sent these quotes to me the other day from one of his favorite authors. I can’t tell you which one because some of the others on the list are not really appropriate for a family blog. Not bad, just inappropriate for this venue. If you want to know where they came from, you’ll have to ask Tommy. :)


Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach a person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks.

Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.

All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

In the '60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

Hint Hint Wink Wink...

Last night we were sitting around watching mindless tv, Home Improvement, I think. A commercial came on and they might as well have just shown the picture and played the Hallelujah Chorus in the background. The commercial would have been cheaper and it would have worked for me. I gasped in delight and one of the kids elbowed Tommy and said "hint, hint, wink, wink". :)

It's a sealing crock pot! OH MY GOODNESS!!!! How many times have I spilled soup or chili or bean or wassail in my car or on ME??? I thought it was awesome when I got the crock pot that had a carrying bag. There's not too many things that I MUST have but this is something I really think I must have one day! It definitely falls in line with some of the most ingenious creations ever!! Can you tell I'm excited about this!

Well, I pretty much know I won't be getting that from Tommy for Christmas because he doesn't usually like getting me appliances for Christmas and that probably wouldn't really fall in line with thoughtful gifts. But, I am going to plan on getting one before we move next year. Heck, I could pack it full of soup and it wouldn't spill!

20 Years of "I Do's", "I Still Do's" and a few bad "do's"!

November 19th was on a Saturday 20 years ago but today, this Wednesday, November 19, 2008, marks mine and Tommy's 20th wedding anniversary. What an achievement!! We are pretty proud of ourselves in an unprideful kind of way. I've said it before that I can't believe that we are old enough to have been married for 20 years.

Someone asked me a few years ago how you know when you've met the one you're supposed to marry. Is there a way? My answer to her was that if you can't imagine your future, your life, everything you do from this point forward without him then that is a really good indicator. There are other factors, of course, but that's a pretty good test. I knew Tommy for a year before I was even attracted to him, we were friends, and really good ones. But there came a point where I knew I couldn't imagine my life without him in it. Thankfully, he came to the same conclusion about me. :) I still feel this way and am so grateful for what we've shared over the last 20+ years. We have been incredibly blessed by God.

We wouldn't be here, in this place, 20 years later, without our parents, our children, our siblings, extended family members, mentors, and friends who have helped shape who we are and challenged us to be better at whatever we do.

We knew each other for 3 years before we got married, about 2 of those were dating and engagement. Tommy attended his last college class on Friday morning, drove home that afternoon, and we got married the next day. We were 21 and thought we knew it all. Boy, did we get a clue real fast! The last 20 years have brought good times, tough times, adventures, victories and even failures but through all of that, we have learned to love each other more deeply and honestly. Our choice to a lifelong committment is definitely what has seen us through.

The next 20 years and hopefully more will hopefully bring good times, fewer tough times, adventures, victories and even fewer failures. Bring it on! We want to be that old couple that still holds hands and the love we share is honest and apparent - the old couple that young couples look at hoping that's what they will look like one day.

So... I've put together a photo documentary of our "I Do's" and a few bad "do's" that we have sported over the last 20 years for you to enjoy, laugh at, tease us about, etc. Man, what were we thinking in some of those? We've come a long way, I think. We're proud of our family, our accomplishments, our committment and our life we've made together. We've learned from our strengths and our weaknesses. We've grown and we know we're not done. We're proud of where we've come from, where we've been and where we're headed.

The song in the photo album is an old Cindy Morgan song called "How Could I Ask For More". It's "our song" so to speak and just makes me cry every time I hear it. It's so perfect for us. Enjoy the pics and the journey through time. Turn your speakers up and tell the kids the be quiet.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I hope the world can see how much we love each other cause "We Still Do!" and we always will.

Anna's Harvest Feast Project Was A Success!

Anna hosted her first harvest feast last Saturday for her school project. She worked so hard on this and it went over quite well. She easily made a 100!

She chose several people who came over on the Mayflower and settled in Plymouth and also a few Indians who were at that first harvest feast hosted by the Pilgrims. She researched and wrote up a bio of each person and everyone that came on Saturday read about who they were. We learned alot, ate alot and had a great time. She planned games like hopscotch, marbles and hide & seek but there were very few children and the adults ate too much so no one really felt like playing. I'm pretty sure that's how it would have been in 1621 too.

Tommy's parents came with cornbread. My parents and sister and neices came with their version of Indian head pieces with turkey feathers and had made up names for themselves. Names like "Woman Hollering", "Runs With Idiots", "Forgets Name" (she's almost 50!) and "Poke A Hole In Head" (she just had her wisdom teeth removed). Another sister came later, the one who is directionally challenged, her name was "Sakaga Which We'". I have such a weirdly creative family, eh?

Anna chose for my dad to "play" the part of Chief Massasoit of the Wampanoag tribe that joined the Pilgrims at the feast. The Wampanoag brought 5 or 6 deer to share at the original feast so my dad brought deer jerky that he made from his own deer meat.

Great job, Anna!!!


When you play the slideshow, you can click on any picture to zoom in. Also, the pics are repeated so I could fill up the album. Haven't quite mastered Smilebox yet. It sure beats posting individuals in blogger, though!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

In case you're interested, here is a website that we found a ton of helpful and interesting information about the Wampanoag, the Mayflower, the Pilgrims and Plymouth.

I Love My Kids!!!

It seems like just the other day when Tori came into our lives and then just a few days later came Jakeb and then maybe a week or two later came Anna. In only one week, Tommy & I will celebrate our 20th anniversary and it's been almost 18 years since we started this parenting thing. Can we really be that old??? I don't think so. I'm not real sure how this happened. We must have time warped or something.....

Our kids are growing up - quite nicely I might add. I don't think I could be any more proud of them. (Is that correct grammar?)

Anna, being in 4th grade now, went back to her Kindergarten teacher's class last week and read to those precious little5 yr. olds. Could Anna really have been that little just a few years ago? It was so sweet to see her sitting in that big rocking chair reading to them.


Jakeb started his first job last Tuesday at DJ's BBQ. He turned in his application and was hired on the spot. Since we homeschool, he gets to work during the day then he does his school in the afternoon. He got his first paycheck yesterday. Pretty impressive! We are planning his 16th birthday party (it's not till March but we have to start planning now because of what he wants to do). 16 years... man, time flies!

Tori starts at Kohl's tonight for her first "real" job. She goes for orientation and then will start working for real next week. I'm thinking she's going to like her first paycheck too. She and Jakeb are both saving for the next mission trip back to Kenya so the bulk of their paychecks are going in the bank for that. Tori graduates just a few short months from now and is gearing up for a full schedule at our junior college this Spring. She was accepted at UNT and will start there in the fall of '09 as a sophomore.

Major change is in the air for the Stunz family. It's just the way it was designed to be but there will be lots of tender, tearful moments ahead for mom, I'm afraid. I love my kids!!

The History of Holidays

Anna and I are busy planning a Pilgrim's feast for her history project that compares the similarities and differences in how the Pilgrim's celebrated their first harvest feast and how we celebrate today. We'll have Captain Myles Standish, Elder Brewster, Samoset, Squanto, Chief Massosoit, Governor William Bradford and several others in attendance. It's been a very interesting project and should be alot of fun for our family.


I came across this on the The History Channel. I'm posting it, mostly so I can keep track of it but I thought I'd share it with you as well.

Go check it out for some interesting and fun historical facts that you and your kids can read, watch and listen to about your favorite holiday.

Smart Aleck Test Answers

I'm a smart aleck. Pretty much our whole family is when it is not disrespectful, even though sometimes that line is crossed.

Here are some actual test answers (although I didn't check snopes) from some smart aleck students. I think some of these really should have deserved extra credit but my kids better not get any ideas! I'm sure these answers weren't from home school students! And my kids would never....... :)

Consider Christmas Part 4 - What the Kids Had to Say

If you're just joining in on this string of posts, start here and read up.

I asked the kids to describe what they thought about Christmas last year in a sentence or two. Here's what they said:

Anna (9) I did not like at first but I liked it after.

Jakeb (15) I liked it because I felt good afterwards that we had done that but it was still hard to find something good to give. The joy of receiving wasn't as great but the joy of giving was way better and I still got some good gifts.

Tori (17) It was worthwhile overall. It was not something you decide you're gonna do the week before. It takes too much time to plan the gifts and make them meaningful, especially for someone like me who waits to the last minute.

Here is Anna's recipe for Ice Cream Sandwiches. Life happened and we haven't made them yet but we're going to this week! Man time flies!!! She found the recipe on Food Network and wrote it out for me to make it more personal and like I said before, put all of the ingredients together in a gift bag with the recipe - minus the ice cream which was in the freezer. We ate the ice cream a long time ago.

This is probably the last post on this unless something else profound comes to mind. As if this has all been profound in the first place...

Have a meaningful and merry Christmas!

2007 Letter - Consider Christmas Part 3

This is the 3rd post in this Consider Christmas series. There's at least one more, maybe two to go on this topic. Go down a bit or click here and start at the beginning if you're just tuning in.


Below is the letter that we sent to our close family last year. Since this was so involved and we knew it would take time to plan, we sent it out pretty early - in October. We sent it out on nice green linen paper with a few Christmas designs on it and we all signed each one.

Like Tommy said in Part 2, we're not trying to "toot our own horn", although he didn't quite say it that way. I think he used a more intellectual term. :) We've been asked about how we did this so we thought putting it out here would be the best way to explain it.

October 2007

Well, Merry Christmas Family! Yes, this is a bit early but we figure the stores are getting ready so we should get a jump on things as well. We are planning something for this Christmas that we wanted to make you aware of as soon as possible. Mostly because we’re really excited about it but also because it will affect the gifts we will be giving. We also thought that it might influence the way you decide to spend, purchase and give your gifts this year.

Over the past year+, several experiences have raised our awareness of our desire to purchase and consume when the simple need for clean water in Africa and other countries is so critical. We have so much while people around the world are dying from malnutrition and disease due to the lack of clean drinking water. Tori will be going on a mission trip to Kenya in July 2008 to help build water wells. Jakeb, Tori and Andrea have been involved with our Student Ministry’s water project called H2O4K (water for Kenya) and we as a family have decided to make this need a focus for our Christmas giving this year. Christ, and His birth will remain our main focus, of course. We feel, though, that by taking some of the excessive consumerism we typically participate in out of this year’s festivities and focusing on real giving (giving water, giving life) that we can make a real difference. We think we can do this while still enjoying our favorite traditions and the good feelings we get when we share gifts. …more about this later in the letter.

To make a long story not quite so long… We have committed as a family to give a set dollar amount to an organization called Living Water International. You can check out this organization at www.water.cc.

What we’ve chosen to do this Christmas comes from an idea we’ve been following called “Advent Conspiracy”, www.adventconspiracy.org. This idea encourages us to “worship more, spend less, give more and love all”. The statement at the top of their website is, “Advent Conspiracy is an international movement restoring the scandal of Christmas by substituting compassion for consumption.”

Since the bulk of what we normally spend on Christmas will be given to providing water, we will be spending less on gifts so we can give more and in turn love all as a part of our worship for Christ who did the same thing for us. This simply means that instead of giving a toaster to those on our Christmas list, we’ll give something that costs little or nothing but is given from the heart with the one we’re giving to specifically in mind. Who knows, these gifts may even be better than some of the stuff we’ve given in the past.

We are not trying to change what you do for Christmas. The traditions we all love, giving gifts, enjoying family time and celebrating, are all part of God’s design for celebration. We believe this! For this year, and maybe just for this year, we have felt convicted to do things differently. We know that this may be a little “out there”. We’d love for you to understand that this is not something we’re forcing our kids to do. In fact, they were involved in making the decision to do this from the start. We think that through the process of creative planning, the gifts we give will be a lot of fun. We also have special things planned for our Christmas morning that might just make it the most memorable Christmas we’ve ever had. We are excited about doing this as a family!

Are we canceling Christmas? No. Will we still have a Christmas tree? Emphatically, YES! This was one of the mandates from all three kids! :) Will we eliminate all excess in our celebrations? Probably not. Will we judge others for how they choose to celebrate Christmas? Absolutely not. We all enjoy giving and receiving gifts. We’d like to ask you, though, to consider this when you plan your Christmas shopping trip - spend less, or none at all, on the gift you would give to us and give either all cash or a small gift and the rest in cash. Should you decide to “spend less and give more”, we’ll add your money to ours and it will all go to Living Water International.

This may all sound a little forward but we’ve always been told that it never hurts to ask and we really believe in this project and want to make a difference. We know we can’t fix the problem, we just want to help. Each time you take a drink of clean water from the sink in your kitchen that is only steps away, first, be thankful. And second, be thoughtful of how you might join us in this effort. We are looking forward to spending this holiday season with you!

Merry MasCHRIST!! Merry CHRISTmore!! Merry Christmas!!

If it were easy ... Consider Christmas Part 2

You’ve heard of the five love languages right? There are basically five ways that people feel loved and one of the ways I feel love from people is when they spend time with me. So the way we did Christmas last year appealed to me because I got to show people love in the way I feel loved – how selfish is that?

I gave Anna a day at the zoo and it was an amazing day. I gave Tori a concert ticket of her choice and we went and saw Sara Bareilles, Ingrid Michelson and others. We had a good time listened to good music. I signed Jakeb and I up for the Hog’s Hunt 25k and we had an awesome time training for and running a race through Huntsville State Park together.

I think the kids enjoyed their gifts from me but I have a feeling I probably got more from my presents to them than they did.

My favorite gift given to me was a Bible. Andrea bought a journal and she and the kids hand wrote some of my favorite passages in it. To know that they took the time to write some of the words I love so much and to know that they know me well enough to know what to write was very meaningful.

It is so easy to break out the credit card or spend some cash to buy those on my Christmas list the latest gadget or a cheese slicer or something. And like Andrea said that is not always wrong. In fact this year we are doing a version of Christmas that looks like what we have always done while being mindful of what we learned last year.

To do Christmas the way we did it last year was hard work but it is a Christmas we will never forget. And even though it seems a bit self-righteous for us to tell you about it, we hope we can help inspire others to do the same and experience Christmas at a different level. It is like someone told us about moving overseas – “if it were easy everyone would be doing it.” It is worth the work.

Consider Christmas

Last year we approached Christmas drastically different than we ever had before. For several years, Tommy and I had been increasingly convicted that what we did for Christmas should be different, less consumeristic and materialistic and more thoughtful, but we never really quite knew what to do with that conviction and how to apply it to us until last year.

We came across Advent Conspiracy and it intrigued us so we dug in. We got the kids together, showed them videos (below) and explained what we'd like to do this year (last year). We wanted to make sure that they were okay with it and wouldn't get to the other side of Christmas and feel like we'd taken Christmas away from them but we wanted to teach them that Christmas can be less focused on "me" and that is the way it should be. We wanted it to be balanced and not just yank the tree skirt out from under them. Our goal was to help us all realize how greedy we are and how all the money we normally spend on often cheesy Christmas gifts could actually help others live - not just have stuff they don't have but to LIVE, survive, breathe another day.

We sought out an organization that we wanted to give to, we made thoughtful gifts or bought them, spending less, some of our gifts involved no money at all but involved lots of thought and time. We sent a letter to our closest family members that we exchange gifts with and asked if they wanted to participate as well. It was honestly the most challenging way we've ever celebrated giving at Christmas but definitely the most fulfilling. I weaved a basket! Tori gave Tommy a breakfast date and me a coffee date, Jakeb painted something for Anna's room, Anna gave me a recipe for ice cream sandwiches (one of her favorites) and all the ingredients along with it so we could make them together. I gave Jakeb a driving trip to Pearland (him driving since he got his permit) with a stop at Starbucks, of course. Tommy made my dad some rockin' glazed and seasoned pecans that we got from our huge Texan-sized pecan trees in our yard. We had such a good time thinking, planning and giving. With what we saved and what family members gave, we were able to give a substantial donation to water projects through Living Water International. We gave the donation online on Christmas morning together as a family. It was pretty cool.

Giving as we did last year opened all of our eyes to how consumeristic we are and honestly, how greedy we are. But it also opened our eyes to how thoughtful we can be and how fun and fulfilling giving can be. It was a great Christmas. We've tweeked it a little for this year but we are still focusing heavily on giving or making gifts that are meaningful. No one is getting a toaster or waffle iron this year. :)

Consider Christmas with us this year as to how you will buy and give. Let me encourage you to plan your budget, write it all down, it's amazing how much money we spend this time of year and most of us don't even know what we've spent until the dust settles. It's not wrong to spend money, we have been blessed and there's nothing wrong with spending but as you consider this over the next few weeks, my guess is that while you're out shopping, you'll see a few things that turn your stomach. We are generally a greedy and materialistic society.

Consider buying meaningful gifts or making them. Even though making a gift often costs the same if not more than buying something, and it takes alot of time, it is a way better gift. Consider buying gifts that help others around the world. Or consider matching what you've budgeted for Christmas with a gift to an organization of your choice.

More than anything, consider Christ this Christmas. I believe He'd say give of yourself everytime. Spend time with those you love. Give memories that won't end up in a storage building or a garage sale next spring.

WOOHOO, WHAT A RIDE!

God gave me several things this morning that made me smile as I started out my day. This was one of those. Thought you might could use a smile today too. I pictured me skidding sideways into Heaven with my arms stretched out in an attempt to balance myself and a big smile on my face. I slide up to meet my Jesus and say, "Hey! I'm here!" :)

Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely and in an attractive and well preserved body but rather to skid in sideways - Mocha Latte in one hand, chocolate in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOOHOO, WHAT A RIDE!"

(Thanks, Laurie!)

Real Teachers Have Big Sonic Drinks

Today we had a few interuptions so Anna was finishing up a Science paper at about 5pm while a friend patiently waited and curiously looked around our school room/office. She was pretty impressed that Anna was getting to do school with her skates on and a pixie stix shoved in her mouth. How's that for a couple of homeschool perks?

Anna's friend told me that I should have a big Sonic cup. It puzzled me. She meant that I needed one because that's what all the teachers at her school have on their desks.

Definitely tomorrow! Cause I'm a real teacher too.... the large drink on my desk will finally make it official. It's like I've found the missing link, the last piece to the puzzle!

What a mouthful!

Crunchy, Peanuty, Perfectly Yummy Mouthful!

I LOVE baking over the holiday's!! When it starts to get cold out, I just want to be in the kitchen and forget that anything else exists. I love to bake. Over the past several years, I've sold goodies to help pay for Christmas but this year, I just don't have time this year. I'm narrowing the choices and I'm only going to make peanut brittle this year. I make it the old-fashioned way, no candy thermometer and about 30 minutes of constant stirring. It's my Granny's recipe and I remember her and my mom making it when I was growing up. It's probably my favorite thing to make. While I'm stirring, I get lost in stories and memories and just feel so good when the batch turns out. I'm 2 for 3 so far this season.

Soft, Incredibly Delicious Gingerbread Mouthful!

These cookies are not homemade but they are one of my holiday favorites. I discovered them years ago but I have had trouble finding them over the last couple of years. When I saw them yesterday in Houston, we bought two bags. I was nice and shared a couple with Tommy. They are a soft, mildly flavored gingerbread cookie with a thin, crunchy coating of icing or glaze. Oh my goodness, they are soooo yummy! Perfect with a strong cup of coffee.

A mouthful of Anna!

A friend's dog got a mouthful of Anna's face last night! It's more like a bunch of scratches and her jaw is sore but the prognosis is good. Our friends felt horrible. She was at their Halloween/fall party and they were grilling hot dogs and wings. Anna was trying to hug him while he was working on a bone. Not a good idea. They think the dog was probably a little on edge due to the chaos of kids playing and the smell of meat cooking. Sensory overload, I guess.

I hope your holidays are filled with all sorts of yummy mouthfuls! Try not to eat anyone's face, though, because "that would be canibalism and it is frowned upon in most societies". (Johnny Depp from Charlie & The Chocolate Factory)

Thankfully, God is still in control!

In a previous post, I told you that Tommy and I already voted. I won't speak for Tommy but if you ask me who I voted for, I won't tell you. I don't want to be defined in any way shape or form by who I voted for. Some of my friends and family may think less of me for saying that, for not being willing to take a stand for one or the other, but there are just so many things that I don't agree with on both sides. Honestly, my hardest decision was actually whether to vote or not. I know, you say it's my duty, my right and my privilege as a citizen. I agree and I did, only because I truly believe that God is in control.

Anyway, I ran across this video of John Piper, author and pastor, from a blog I read and I thought it was excellent, the blog post and the video. John Piper really spoke my heart inasmuch as he talked about how politics and how God is in control and we should care more about serving The King rather being so concerned about politics. I am sick of how politics is affecting how we love each other. The world will not end when Obama or McCain gets elected. The world will end when God says so.

Here is my comment that I wrote on the blog that I mentioned above:
For the next four years, no matter who is our President, we will just have to pray like crazy and live out our faith like never before and remember that loving others, even those we might disagree with, is still what we are supposed to be about.

Thankfully, God is still in control. That is the only thing that brings me any peace in all of this.

Here is the video.

Halloween Shmalloween!

Halloween was kind of fun when the kids were little but even then it was way too expensive and over rated. The candy, costumes, etc..... None of it is really healthy, I don't think, except the fun family memories and we do have some of those. The whole reason behind why it's celebrated, the dark undertone that surrounds it all just bothers me. It can be fun and some of the costumes we've seen over the years have been pretty creative but I just never have understood all the hype and it really is getting to be a consumeristic nightmare and way out of control.

I do have to say that I have always loved those Green Apple, Caramel suckers that come out for Halloween but I haven't seen them in a couple of years. I miss those for sure.

A month or so ago, Tommy and I were trying to think of something fun to do this year since the kids are older and we just couldn't come up with anything creative (surprise, surprise) so we decided we'd just stay home and pass out candy to those who stop by. That's way more fun to me anyway. (Although, we would not be giving candy to adults or teens who is dressed up and were trick or treating without a kid. That's just ridiculous!! Go buy your own candy.) Anyway, we were saved by the Buc football game! Woohoo!!! No costumes, no buying candy that we would eat too much of anyway, we didn't even have time to carve pumpkins this year. That part is fun and I regret we didn't get to do that.

Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not passing judgement on anyone! If your kids are dressing up and we were going to be home, I'd say please bring them over. We did our share of that when our kids were little and definitely had some fun but I'm just not a big fan of Halloween.

I'm sure when we have grandkids - YEARS from now -we'll have some dress-up, pumpkin-carving, candy-filled Halloween fun! And I'm guessing that we, as grandparents - did I say YEARS from now?!? - will most likely want to purchase their costumes and candy (within their parents limitations, of course).

If you're headed out to go trick or treating tonight with your kids, have fun and be safe!! Don't come by our house though, our porch light will be off and we'll be at the game eating popcorn balls and maybe some of those suckers, if I can find some today, and probably watching the Bucs lose again.

Daraja Children's Choir of Africa

As posted previously, we had the incredible pleasure of meeting this choir and hosting three of the girls, Rahab, Gladys and Mercy ("Marcy"), and a chaperone (Christi) in our home for several days. It was a life-changing experience for our family. It would probabaly take more words than you would care to read to express how much this experience meant to us and how our hearts are both broken and full as a result of our encounter.

They are an wonderful and inspiring group, the kids and the leaders! Please pray for them as they continue their first fall tour for provision, health, safety, strength and encouragement along the way.

Enjoy the photos! One particular photo, the one of Tommy with only Gladys, was very special. She requested that this photo be taken specifically of just her with Tommy. She has no earthly father. I can't imagine what was going on in her head.

The song behind the slideshow, Everlasting God, is sung by Daraja. This song just keeps ringing in my heart. I hope it stays there. They love God, their Everlasting God, with everything in them.

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:28-31

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We need your help!

Several posts back I mentioned how Anna is a great paraphraser (can that be a noun?). She is good at understanding the general concept of something and then putting it into her own words.

Her weekly spelling test has an extra credit section for her to write a verse that is given to her that goes along with her spelling list and then if she writes it correctly on her test from memory she gets extra credit. We need help in deciding if her paraphrase should count for extra points or not. Technically she would get 1 point for the scripture and 1 point for the reference but it's your opinion so you can give her as many points as you want to.

Here's the bible version:"Now I pray to God that you do no evil; ...but that you should do that which is honest." 2 Corinthians 13:7 (Actually, her curriculum uses "ye" and "thee" and "thou" but we definitely take those out! They really need to update some of this stuff.)

Here's Anna's paraphrase:
"He will pray to God for no evil, but that you should be true to God." 2 Coileile 13:7

What do you think??? She's eagerly awaiting your comments. :)

Our street stinks!

Literally!

We live on a busy street and that's a huge downside of our "location, location, location". But a sewer line busted down on the corner this afternoon and a pretty good-sized river of sewage began to flow. It stinks!

Anna went out to ride her bike. Why she'd want to do that, I have no idea but I told her to be careful to stay out of the sewer with the Leave It To Beaver mom voice and all. How often is it that a mom gets to tell her kid that?

Cars are driving by, some slow and some without a care in the world. I guess they'll wonder why their garage smells like a campground bathroom.

The upside - the first 2-3 feet of grass that was almost dead from all of the hurricane limbs that were there after the hurricane will be well fertilized now.

Voting, Upset Stomach and Good Medicine

Tommy and I voted today. Tommy had his mind made up but I didn't. I can't tell you what a hard decision it was for me given the lousy choices I feel we've been given. I honestly didn't know who I was going to vote for until I was actually in the booth and prayed my final "God help me" prayer and made my choice. I had a sick stomach for several hours and it would have been that way no matter who I chose.

A juicy hamburger and some homemade chocolate chip cookies shared with three precious girls from the Daraja Children's Choir on tour here from Kenya and their chaperone was the perfect medicine for making my tummie happy again. It has been so incredible having them in our home. They are so full of energy and joy. I'll share more pictures soon. We've had such a good time with them and they've loved everything I've cooked for them so far, going back for seconds and even thirds every meal. Those who know me well, know that this makes me very happy. One of the girls is eating her weight in bananas, she's eaten at least 6 and a half so far today - that I know of.



So, if our country goes into the toilet, we'll just go live with them!

The Daraja Children's Choir is here!!!

Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. 1 Chronicles 16:8-10

The Daraja Children's Choir from Kenya arrived in town yesterday and will be staying through Tuesday. Even though most of them have already lived through hardships in their 12 or 13 years that we would never dream of in our lifetime, the scripture above is exactly what they live out as they tour the US sharing their gifts and talents and love for Christ. They are full of gratitude - it's humbling, really.

We have the amazing gift of being able to host three choir members and one chaperone through Sunday. Some of these kids are from the orphanage that Tori visited this summer in Kenya. One of the girls, Gladys, is staying in our home they actually hung out with while Tori there - how cool is that???

It is awesome to see such extraordinary hospitality coming out in my kids. They were so excited that the choir was coming and that we were going to get to host a few of them. They have just been so loving and wonderful to them. This is an eye and heart opening experience for Anna and she is eagerly soaking it all in. I'm thinking it might be changing the course of her life in some way.

Perhaps the choir would say we're blessing them by giving them a place to stay and food to eat but I know we are receiving at least twice as much of a blessing by their presence in our home. They are so sweet and full of wonder and an obvious love for Christ and having fun doing what He's allowing them to do. One of the girls prayed last night before we went to bed. It was one of the most honest and incredible prayers I think I've ever heard.

Go check out the info on the choir and you can also go here and see "our kids". Rahab, Mercy and Gladys Wanaguru. Please pray for the choir and their leaders as they are touring all over this fall with 20+ kiddos.

The choir will be performing at our church this Sunday night at 6pm. It's a free concert. You just have to come!

Final Farewell

Well, this should be the last post about our dog, Karat. We will bury a special rock and a picture that Anna drew of him in his grave because that's what Anna wants to do and that will bring comfort to her.

Today, I had alot of housework and stuff to get done as a mom so my teacher responsibilities had to be rearranged. I planned out Jakeb and Anna's assignments to be ones that they would not need my help on but they did get things done.

One of Anna's assignments was to write a three paragraph story about Karat. I thought this would help her process and reflect on the positive. First paragraph was to be why she loved him. Second, fun things she did with him. And third, why she misses him. While we were talking the assignment through, she was telling me stories and I told her that those were the stories she needed to write about. Then, in an attempt to prompt a third paragraph, I asked her why she would miss him and she simply said "because he's dead".

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to make light of his death in any way. We miss him and Anna is still very sad but it is true, afterall, that we wouldn't miss him if he weren't dead.

Maybe Dogs Do Have a Sense of Humor

All of the family left except for dad and me on the day the hurricane was supposed to hit. Dad and I had to pack up the dogs and board windows and all that fun stuff. Everything seemed to be going as planned… the bags were packed, Bella in the kennel and Karat tied to the leash in the back of the truck. Karat had never been in any car situation but Bella had and had either thrown up or peed everywhere. This experience with Karat was not much different. We got to the intersection of Center Way and Magnolia and Karat decided to release all bodily fluid and make a dash for it. Little did he know the restraints around his neck would stop him from going anywhere but hanging from the side of the truck. Dad rushed out to pick him up not knowing of the cruel act that Karat had displayed before his escape attempt. We had to go back home so dad could change his shirt and wash up. Karat learned his lesson that day.

Maybe Karat had a sense of humor… I mean what other dog would decide to pee before making an escape attempt. He must have know it was a win-win situation for him but the total opposite for us… or dad. hah

Photos To Remember Karat By

These aren't terrific photos but I guess we didn't take very many of him and I finally found some so I thought I'd put them out there. The first one is a few years ago when it actually snowed here on the Gulf Coast of Texas. The second is earlier this summer and the third is when we evacuated for Hurricane Ike recently. He was already not looking so great. He was happy and healthy up until about a month ago so at least he wasn't sick for very long.

Karat - Part 2

I got a phone call at work. It was Andrea and she said, “There is a dog in our garage.”

I said “Is he mean? If not run him out!”

She said, “I put him there.”

That was the first I knew about Karat. I thought we would find his owner and get back to our one dog existence.

Karat was a mellow dog. He never got too excited about anything. One of the reasons we got a dog was so I could run with it. As soon as Bella grew up enough I started running with her. The problem though is that she is so hyperactive that she would pull me down the street when I wasn’t fast enough. Then she would wrap me in the leash as she ran in big circles around my intended path. When it was safe I would just drop the leash and let Bella run free and she loved it.

After we got Karat I would take Bella out of the pen in the morning to run and he would just whine. I thought maybe he wanted to go running too so when he was old enough to run I put the leash on him instead of Bella. It turns out that he wasn’t interested in running at all. He just didn’t want Bella to leave.

As we ran I had to practically drag Karat along with me. Where Bella was spastic, Karat was lethargic. We ran on the sidewalk that goes behind the houses on Azalea. When we made the turn away from the road I dropped the leash so Karat could run free. Instead of taking off like a rocket as Bella normally did Karat stopped.

I stopped too and turned around and looked at him. He looked at me like “If you want me to run some more you’re going to have to make me.”

In the mornings when I fed the dogs I would let them out and they would run and play. Karat was the dog who would come fall on my feet as I filled up the water bowl because he wanted me to pet him. Only after I scratched his ears or rubbed his belly would he go off to see what Bella was up to.

We'll miss you Karat!

Our dog, Karat, died sometime yesterday afternoon. We knew it was coming and almost hoped it would be sooner than later because he was just so ill and he looked miserable. We did all we could but he just got so skinny and mellow over the last month, we really noticed he was not right over the last month or so. The picture above was taken in March (he hated baths!)and he was fine then.

Yesterday around lunch time, I looked out and saw him moving a little in the dog house but then around 5pm or so Jakeb came and told me that he wasn't moving at all. When Tommy came home from work, he dug a grave and he buried our big orange dog.

We are all very sad but Anna, our 9 yr. old, is particularly sad. One of the best things about Anna is that whatever she loves, she loves deeply and she really loves our dogs. This is her first real experience with death and having to say a hard goodbye to something she loves so much and go through the grieving process. As a parent, it's so tough to see your children hurting so much.

We told Anna we will just need to focus on the good stories and we do have a few with Karat. Starting with how we got him.

When Jakeb was in 4th grade, 6 years ago, Anna was 3. The day was November 19th and Jakeb's class was having their Thanksgiving Feast at school. I was supposed to take carrots and forgot. So, Anna and I dropped Jakeb off at school and went to the store to buy carrots and bring them back. When we got back to the school, there was a super cute little orange puppy with huge feet (we knew he would be a big dog!) hanging around the outside entry to the school. Anna immediately fell in love and I thought I would be a bad role model if I just left that puppy there to get run over in school traffic. We dropped off the carrots, picked up the dog and took him home. He had no collar. We made all the appropriate phone calls and did all we could to return him to whoever he belonged to but we had no luck in finding his home. So, we kept him. Bella, our hyperspastic English Shorthair/Pointer, needed a playmate anyway and we had room in our big "dog yard". We named the big-footed, orange dog Karat for three reasons. We found him while dropping off carrots, he was orange and November 19th is mine and Tommy's wedding anniversary so I guess I had diamonds on the brain. :)

The Stunz family blog posts for the next few days will be dedicated to Karat and stories about him. I will try to get the kids and Tommy to tell a story or two. It's always good to remember the fun times when you miss someone.

Girl Stuff - Passport to Purity

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Last week, Anna and I got to go on our first mother/daughter Passport to Purity overnight date. I started this with Tori when she was 9 and the Tommy started it with Jakeb when he was a bit older. Boys are different than girls. I know, you had no clue.....

Anyway, since we hardly ever go by the book on things, we take three years with three well-planned and memorable dates to complete this with each kid. The program says to complete it all in one weekend when they are 11 or 12 but we found that there is information in it that they should know when they are younger, especially the girls as they develop earlier. They look forward to it each year and so do we. Tori and Jakeb have already received their "passport". I am so grateful for this program and cannot praise it enough. It is beneficial on so many levels, education, communication and spending time with each individual child -the list goes on.

Anna and I went to Houston and stayed at a 4 star hotel (thanks Priceline), ate at Cheescake Factory (her favorite in the world!) and shopped at the Galleria until our feet could go no more and we got our ears pierced. The ear piercing was a surprise gift for her. She was surprised and thrilled and then nervous when the Libby Lu lady got that gun out and it became a reality. I joined in the fun and gifted myself with getting my second holes pierced as well. Yes, a 41 year old got her ears pierced at Libby Lu! Funny, huh? So, we have the experience of getting holes punched in our body to share forever!

The pictures are pretty self-explanatory except for the green stuff. That was a project for one of the sessions that started with clean water, talking about her having good friends and then we dumped coffee grounds, dirt, green food coloring (bad friends) to show how they mess things up. We also did another fun puzzle project. The projects are all planned out for you in the program. They say the hard stuff. You just have to plan ahead a little and gather the supplies. It really couldn't be any easier.

It was the start of three years of fun, memorable dates with Anna. We're already ready for next year.

Hope4Kenya Photo Memory Book is DONE!!

I created a photo memory book at the request of our student minister of this summer's Kenya mission trip that our daughter, Tori, along with over 30 others went on.

It is an 8.5x11 brown suede-like bound book and includes 35 pages of quotes from the team members and photos of everyone who went. I worked pretty hard on it, compiling the quotes and going through hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of photos and then matching them up with the quotes to tell the story, and I'm pleased with how it turned out. It captures the events and stories that made this trip so special.

If you'd like to see it online, you can get the link here from the Kenya trip blog. I also have my copy if you'd like to look at it close up. You can't really read the quotes online. My copy has some errors, which was expected but still disappointing, but I'll be ordering me another copy of it now that those are all fixed up.

Presidents and a Hint of Football

Has anyone been paying attention to the presidential election campaign stuff? If you’re over 18, I would hope the answer is yes. But all I have to say is it stinks for yall so-called adults because if I were an adult, I would be a dangerous voter. I know nothing of the existing politics these days. Nothing on the war in Iraq. Nothing on the 7 billion dollar market thing. Feel free to correct me on what in the world this thing is called but all I know is that people lost a lot of money. I know nothing on what Barack Obama’s views are. Same with John McCain. The only thing I got out of any of this presidential campaign is the hilarious SNL videos with the actors making fun of debates. So to conclude this pointless post to inform you that I am a better person for not voting because of my under-age, I will encourage those who vote to hang in there because I am glad I’m not you. Besides God will take care of the whole thing. Vote-on.


Oh and to further conclude this post, I also have to say that if you are an Oklahoma University fan, consider this sentence as a rubbing-our-awesome-win-in-your-face type of sentence.

I liked it when I was two!

Last night we sat down with the kids and restructured some things in how we do chores, etc. We've been working with a broken system for about a year now and it was time for change. Anyway, that's not what this is about but in the course of that conversation, Anna said, "I liked it when I was two!". What she meant was that when she was two, she was utterly and completely waited on and cared for. Not a care in the world, if she wanted something, she barely had to ask and it was either done or provided right then.

Our life is about to get crazy! We've are homeschooling two kids, we've got one kid graduating and taking care of all the college stuff, Christmas, graduation party, 3 birthday's right after Christmas (18, 16, & 10- all milestones birthday's) fixing and selling a house (the market stinks!), planning a move overseas (yes, in June or July), finding schools overseas, packing stuff to leave in storage, packing stuff to go, packing a kid for college, the emotions of leaving family and friends and a daughter behind, the list seems endless and overwhelming so if you see us over the next few months and our eyes are spinning around in our heads, you'll know why. It will be so much fun to go but it won't be so much fun getting there. Have I ever mentioned that I hate packing??? Man, this will be my packing nightmare on steroids!

Oh, to be two again.....