20-Minute Brownies

Waiting for Kenna's brownies to bake for her party tonight and reading Einstein quotes....HE'S GREAT!

 Here are some of my favorites:

"Once you can accept the universe as matter expanding into nothing that is something, wearing stripes with plaid comes easy."

"If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician.  I often think in music.  I live daydreams in music.  I see my life in terms of music." ---(I identify with this one, so I guess I can say I am like Einstein...ha!  I think I have a weird life soundtrack because certain songs play in my head when I am encountering certain circumstances....really weird, right?  For instance...I won't give you all of them, but say I am in a hurry...I always hear the theme song from Beverly Hills Cop in my head.)  In case you don't know this one, here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4kWpi2HnPU (my hurry up song)

"If a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then is an empty desk a sign?"

"Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves."  :)

"I have no special talents.  I am only passionately curious."

"Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love."

I think the brownies are done...that delightful smell is permeating the kitchen....I am sure there is some theory of how all the atoms are colliding to bring that smell from the oven to my nose....something like Brownian Motion (to my mouth)....(FYI...Brad didn't believe me, but Brownian Motion is a real thing....you can google it)  I dunno....better rescue them from the extreme temperatures....I like them a little underdone.  (Einstein probably did too...we are so alike :)

A Peace in My Puzzle

I emptied the box....the puzzle scattered 'round.  PIECES EVERYWHERE; wrong side up, right side up, or are they right side down?  WHAT A MESS....this seems to me and how can I begin to to see a picture in my life this way...when colors mixed with browns and grays turn right and left in disarray?

Oh Lord, I pray for a PEACE in this puzzle.

So, we've started with a boundary --and the straight edges we found complete my journey's beginning and end with YOU.  Now I can't wait to see the picture in full view...BUT, you say, "BE STILL...this puzzle takes time to make"....and so, I wait.

And I realize in that wait that the most beautiful pieces we have placed have been the ones that have taken time to create.

Even though the whole picture is not in view, LORD, I will continue to trust in you each day as you give me a PEACE in my puzzle.

What a day, right?  The weather was absolutely fabulous...we even put the sprinkler on under the trampoline and had some "mermaid" screams in the backyard as the girls thoroughly enjoyed jumping in the water :)  SO FUN!  I should explain "mermaid" screams....that is what I call their super high-pitched squeals when I worry a neighbor's window may shatter because their squeal has resonated with the frequency of the glass for just long enough :)

Today was tough in another way, though....and one person that had to bring me some bad news used the analogy of the puzzle and so that got me thinking of that little poem above...I wrote it a long time ago, but it fit so well with what he shared with me today and just reminded me that no matter what comes....God is always with me.   Here's a statement I really like...

 I don't know if I have posted this picture before....if I have, sorry....I just like the concept so much....sorry it is a little blurry.  Some days are really stormy and even the forecast doesn't promise much....but, it is possible to have PEACE.

That one makes me smile!  We don't walk through life alone...and there is purpose to our journey!

Happy 11th Birthday Kenner!

She's growing up too fast!  Can't seem to stop her and now she is even wearing my shoes....what to do?

This is a good goofy picture of her tonight at Maggie Moo's....we celebrated with ice cream tonight and will celebrate with ICE on Friday when we all go ice skating.  She was my Mother's Day present in 2003 :) AND....I cannot believe how fast the time has flown by...whenever I think about her and her goofy personality and how easy going she is...I am so thankful for her sweet spirit and that she always tries so hard to put others before herself.  She really enjoys making others happy....I have taught kids and really love being with kids and working with them, but I have not encountered many that are as selfless and sensitive to the needs of others as she is.....She is a rare gem in a world that is full of people who have a "me first" attitude.

Happy Birthday, Kenna-Boo!  We love you!

Daddy, Mommy, Vannah, Kassi, Dani, Karly....and Kooper too!

Skirting The Issue

Apparently, ping-pong tables can't (or just won't) wear skirts!  This is what I have been told...and, in case you are wondering.... I already asked about kilts too because I thought I would try a more masculine angle...haha!

Everyone has the problem in their home with not enough storage space, right?  So, we have a ping-pong table and a foosball table in our basement now, but I need somewhere for all the girl's toys, stuffed animals, and board games and it makes me crazy that there is all this space under the tables that is not being used.  I am one of those people who feels the need to utilize space wisely...I deplore wasted space and I like everything I buy to already have a spot that it can call "home" before I bring it home.  (But, please still invite me over...I will not bring my weird space/stuff issues into your home....I realize not everyone is like me...I feel like that needs to be stated.) So, tonight I bought these black storage bins and filled them with all the girls wonderful toys and goodies and I put them under the game tables....and I am happy the toys are organized and out of the way, only I really don't like seeing the bins either....So, now I am trying to convince Brad that we need to make table skirts for the two game tables, so people won't see all the stuff under them and the basement will appear....clutter-free and well organized *insert sound of wind chimes here* or is that clean as a whistle...not a wind chime....well, those chimes pop into my head when I think of a clean basement.

My attempts at persuasion are not going so well...I think this will end up being a "home alone" project...if you know what I mean.  My help-mate will not be helping me in this endeavor :)  I have been researching table skirts for ping-pong tables and I have just learned that many tournaments use them because they keep the ball from going under the table...now, that is a great angle!  I am going to try that one next.  We could have a table just like the pros, Brad!  Wish me luck :)

It's Unreal!

So, Brad went to the store yesterday to pick up some sour cream for us because we were having tacos/nachos, but that really goes without saying, right?  He grabbed a container that said, "tastes great!"..."It's unreal!"...and he fell for the advertising....really, the sour cream was NOT REAL...it was a disgusting imitation brand that had a really weird aftertaste :)  I had to laugh at that because what he thought it was saying it was and what it actually was were two completely different things....but, it was kind-of meant to lead him astray....

Moral of the story...BE GENUINELY REAL or REALLY GENUINE...whichever you prefer!...then you won't have to make statements about how great you are...people will just know from experiencing the real you.  Then they can say, "She's UNREAL!" and mean it in the best way :)

Because of Christ

I've been thinking about some verses I read in 2 Corinthians this past week.  Chapters 5 and 6 explain how we are to have a ministry of reconciliation.  I really love those chapters because they lay out what I think our mission is all about so simply and beautifully.  To me, it is a great reminder that my job is to love others, to help remove any obstacles that may be in their way of meeting or returning to Christ, and to urge them in that direction in whatever ways I am able...whatever ways God has equipped me for whoever He allows across my path.  This also reminds me that it is not my job to judge anyone or to put any obstacles in their way by my words or actions that could hinder them from finding Christ or returning "home"...I should not have the attitude of the "older brother" and miss out on truly allowing Christ to give me a heart like the Father....a heart of compassion to see as many people come to Christ as possible.

I needed those verses....I needed to renew my mission.  I have had a few days to consider those chapters and I have realized I am sometimes really quick to see faults in others, but I am not as quick to love unconditionally and to offer my hand in this journey.  I don't have to understand everyone's journey....I won't always "get it"...why they made the choices they did....why they took this road when I thought they should have taken the other...and that really doesn't matter.  How many times I have sought to be understood by those I respect only to realize I will not make the same choices as others....and they may not ever "get" me?  That's OK.  So, the journey is not completely about understanding everyone or being understood....but, it is about loving everyone because of Christ.   

May the 4th be with you....

Always.

Sorry.....just couldn't resist it....I love their smiles in this picture.

Tonight, for youth group, Brad used Yoda's Jedi training of Luke Skywalker  as an example and compared it to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane when he kept finding the disciples sleeping....he said Yoda's quote..."Do or do not.  There is no try." was similar to Jesus' statement to the disciples when he said, "The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."  He challenged them to continue training in their own discipleship and following Jesus Christ...asking the hard question of what God wants from them or what he wants to do through them and listening for the tough answer and being willing to push through their "flesh" to accomplish it.  In our flesh...we struggle with trying and failing because only in the Spirit can we be given the power to do the things He asks of us.  That is why we have to trust and have faith that He can and will do great things through us.