The Carnival of the Recipes #54 is up. Fun Fun, you know how I love food! My submission was the Cilantro Sour Cream. Not much of a recipe, maybe I’ll add something better next week. Perhaps my worlds best alfredo sauce. . .not sure if I want to let the secret out though. Hmmm. . .perhaps I should market it instead.

Dad has put up some of the pictures from his, Kurt’s and Kaleb’s camping trip. Check it out.

A weekly post in which I list 7 things in no particular order that make me smile

Here are numbers 64-70

- Movie Popcorn and a date.

- Fresh Cheese Wontons on the Buffet

- Breakfast Picnics in the Park

- New Blue Jeans (that fit)

- Uninterrupted naps

- Cordless phones that dial the numbers you push.

- Raccoons

I was looking at my stats and I am wondering why people are reading this. Sure friends and family are expected to visit daily or at least weekly. But why do the rest of you come back. I’ve not had any great inspirational posts of late, nothing too humorous. I’ve considered changing my format due to the number of strangers reading my posts, maybe work harder, perhaps finds some theme or direction. Decided against it. My original reason to start this blog was to have a place to keep friends and family up to date as well as an outlet for my various rants or revelations. I thought it would be cheaper to be able to get on here and go off on my topic of the moment vs. calling long distance to the list of those I wish to share my life.

Plus it’s also a good way for me to remember what’s happening in my life. My memory is not always as it should be, so I often check my blog to find dates that particular events have happened. But why do you check it? Hmmmm. . . puzzling.

I personally don’t read too many blogs. I did read some of the more popular ones till I started wondering why they were popular. Mostly I read those of people I already know from the “real” world. I read to better understand and know the people that are already in my life. I have only a few others blogs I like to keep up on. I’m even reducing that list more this week. I realized I am spending way to much time reading blogs that while interesting and funny are of no real
“life” value, only idle time being spent. I’ve decided to weed through my virtual list, deciding which to read and which to let go. (It is hard to let go)

My new standards are this: Does it bring me closer to God. Does it encourage me in my growth as a Christian, wife, mother, friend, and child. If you are reading me out of habit please think about it for a second. Is this idle time being spent? Are there other things you should be reading/doing instead? If so you should stop. It won’t hurt my feelings. Just delete me. (Unless of course you are related through blood or friendship in which case reading this is a requirement of the relationship;) If you do find some value here, than you are welcome to stay, just don’t let the time you spend here be a hindrance to your growth, your relationships, or your responsibilities.

Love ya!

This is day 4 of the sugar fast. So far so good. Sarah and I even made cookies on Tuesday with no problem. Tonight however we have been invited to an ice cream social. mmmm home made ice cream. Not to mention the cobblers, pies, and brownies that go along.

Maybe I shouldn’t go.

You’ve not lived on the edge untill you’ve been the kitten of a 3 yr old. Our new kitty (newly renamed Mouse) looks death in the eyes at least 3-4 times an hour.

My first realization of the danger was on day 2. I found Joshua shoving the helpless baby into a jelly jar. Through out that day I would find the cat in various predicuments: a shoe, a sock, a dump truck. Thankfully, he didn’t quite make it into the Milk Jug or the Diet Pepsi Can.

Constantly being carried by the neck or tail, or swung around like a rope by the legs, used as a phone and a hat, this cat has yet to convince his owner that he in fact is not a toy. A glutton for punishment as soon as “Mouse” breaks free he turns back for more. For some unseen reason Joshua is by far his favorite human.

Sunday I found the 6 week old cat, soaking wet hanging from a wire. Having climbed nearly to the roof in an attempt to escape, the cat realized his fear of heights and was frozen, clinging to the telephone wires attached to our house. Apparently Joshua thought he needed a bath.

Yesterday, my loving son walks into my room carring an umbrella. I tell him to go put it back in the closet where it goes. He responds by saying “kitty doesn’t want to go in the closet”. What!?! The umbrella is completely folded up, how could the kitten be in there. Oh but it was. I unsnapped the little tag that holds it together and slowly tried to open the upbrella but I couldn’t. The wires were wrapped on both sides of “Mouse’s ” neck. To open the umbrella was to kill the cat. (If it wasn’t dead already) After a good 8 minutes the cat was free and the umbrella’s was destroyed. As I freed the little baby I held him close to my heart, “I am so sorry! So sorry my little boy tried to kill you!” I put the cat to the floor fully expecting him to run and hide in some safe haven. He instead stumbled quietly and directly to his captor.

3yr old Joshua has memorized his first Bible verse:

James 4:8 Come near to God and he will come near to you.

He never wants any part of memorizing so I thought he was ignoring us the whole time. This morning I heard him saying it to himself only in the Joshuized version:

“I come close to God, God comes close to ME!”

So precious!

“Quality means copious, consistent, regular content that is accessible through all the common channels that comprise the blogosphere.”-Blogs forGod

Hmmm. . . I’m neither copious, nor consistent. Am I accessible? Perhaps I am not a “quality” blog. If that is true why are you here? Oh yeah, cause you love me.

and I you.

No Janae, not Fast Sugar a “Sugar Fast”.

I’m going on one with a couple friends. Anyone else want to tag along? It’s only 3 weeks. Surely someone out there could commit to that.

Joshua has given me many blogworthy events in my life lately. I’ll catch you up on a few.

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A few days back I arrived home to the phone ringing (the phone is always ringing) As I rushed in I shut the door behind me, seeing the look in Joshua’s eyes I quickly reminded him that he was not to go in the front yard without me. Unable to immediately find the cordless phone I instead ran for the bedroom and answered “Corded” phone by the bed. With barely a hello given to my little sis I heard the front door open and close. I looked up seeing Kaleb and Charleigh in the room with me and I realized the rebellious gleam in Joshua’s eye had been read correctly. I tossed the phone down and ran for the front door. (There are reasons why my 3yr old is not allowed in the front with out adult supervision and those reasons don’t take much time.) By the time I got to the front yard (which took no more than 20 seconds from the banging of the door) Joshua had made it to the top of the van. That’s right he was dancing on top of my minivan. I had just began to create a plan on how to get him down when he made it easy for me with a quick hop, slide and jump right into my arms. He looked up at me with a big smile and without giving me a chance to say a word he said “yes mam, I in big trouble”.

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Yesterday at Mazzio’s in the bathroom (in fact the same stall as the poopy shoe experience) Joshua was taking care of buisness and was at the same time trying to tattle on his big brother for an earlier offense. (Now picture my 3yr old: His conversation is often studdered and repeated as his mind thinks faster than he can speak or maybe it’s the other way around I don’t know.) So this is the translated version of our conversation:

“Kaleb, kaleb, Kaleb is a meanie” (repeat 7 times)

(It’s not nice to call people meanie. Are you done going potty?)

“No. He, he, he hurt Charleigh’s feelings” (repeat 5 times)

(I’m sorry about that, are you all done?)

“Uhhhh no. You know my Charleigh? She’s my sister.”

(Yes, I know who Charleigh is. Are you done yet? Can we go?)

“No I still pottying: Kaleb hurt Charleigh’s feelings and she needs a band aid.”

(Why does she need a band-aid? All done?)

“Nope. Cause, cause cause she has hurt feelings, and you need to make Kaleb say yes mam”

(Do band-aids help hurt feelings?)

“Yes, every time. I done now”

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It was late and raining and Joshua was crying in his bed that he didn’t like the lightning. I told him that the storm was a blessing, that God was giving us the rain to help things grow. He said ok and decided to lay down. Five minutes later he was back to crying again. When I went in to check on him he said that Jesus needed to get out of the clouds, stop making rain and come take care of him cause he was scared and he needed Jesus to take care of him and not make anymore rain.