MarytheKaytheBlog

Please send up some prayers for our friends today

Things have been sad, and heavy around our town this week.  A precious young boy, a hero in our town, is probably going to see Jesus soon.  He is the son of one of our sweet friends, and mostly--my heart is breaking for her.  I can't imagine how much her mama heart hurts to see her sweet boy slipping away.  I cannot even fathom it.  My heart isn't as sad for her son--he is about to SEE JESUS.  He's even had some dreams this week about Jesus reaching down to him, and says Jesus is helping him feel safe.

I'm not even going to mention their names here--because their story is not mine to tell.  But, today, I ask you to please pray for this family.  God surely knows their names.  God's practically being bombarded with prayers from our little town this week--all for this boy, who has shown the courage of a hero, the strength and perseverance of a champion, and the faith of a saint...who is about to be welcomed into Jesus' own arms.  Can you IMAGINE being HUGGED by Jesus???

Please, I ask you--if you are the praying kind, please pray for the sweet mama, and the dad.  Please pray for the little sister.  Please pray for the grandparents, and the rest of the family.  Please pray for the friends--and there are MANY.

And please pray for our hero.  That his story of faith will live on, and will lead many to want to join him in Heaven someday.

 

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”   -John 10:27-29

Here's some truth for your Tuesday

In lieu of a well-planned, and thoughtful post on a mentally stimulating topic...you know--how ALL my posts usually are...I am going to shoot ya some truth today.  Mostly, because it's late, and I have a little one that won't quit asking me questions until I physically remove her from the room ask her sweetly one more time to GO. TO. BED.

Plus, I just love it when people are real with me.  So, I am going to be real with you today.  Unlike other days, when I am unreal.

1.  I didn't drink a Coke today.  Well, until 4pm, when it felt like an emergency for me to have one.  My Coke drinking got a little ridiculous towards the end of summer camp (not unusual), so I decided to slow down on my intake for a while.  (Could I get any more non-committal???  At least I am self-aware.  Right?)

2.  I am feeling really good about Rebecca's experiences so far at the junior high.  She is making new friends, and generally enjoying her time there.  She's not real thrilled about having to wake up early every day...but, then, neither is her mother.  *grin*

3.  On the other hand, with homeschooling Sara Beth, I am experiencing what I experience EVERY YEAR with homeschooling:  PANIC.  Can I really do this again?  I just today received most of her new curriculum, and I feel unprepared and un-organized.  I am feeling at a total loss with helping her figure out spelling and handwriting.  I researched a TON, and bought curriculum that I think will help...but, again--PANIC.

4.  I do believe I have a pair of big girl panties in a drawer, and I am going to pull them on, take a deep breath, and do my very, very best for Sara Beth this year.  And, some days, that is going to require a good stiff Coke to accomplish that.  (See #1 above)

5.  I made some Mini Caramel Brownie Bites for a sweet friend today.  Usually, I struggle getting these brownies perfectly out of the mini muffin pan, so I had the BRIGHT IDEA to use mini cupcake papers.  Bad, with a capital B. Idea.  Half the brownie sticks to the paper.  Excuse me while I chew on some brownie wrappers...  Dangit.

6.  I got my hair cut last week.  And it's SHORT!!!  Just-under-the-ears kind of short!  Have I mentioned here that I have hair fixing issues?  Unlike Annelle, I do not have the ability to do good hair.  I have 2 friends who are doing some round-brush blowdryer counseling with me, and I may even need an intervention.  But, little by little, I am figuring out how to fix my hairs.  When I am learnt better how to fix it where it doesn't look like a brown football helmet, I will post a picture.

Well, good gravy dee!  Have I chattered on enough today?  Can you HANDLE the truth? (Name that movie)

What's YOUR truth today?

An EASY New Appetizer for your Next Party!

Oh my.

Buckle up your taste bud seat belts for some spicy bacon cheesy-ness!

I had a fun party last week celebrating one of my favorite people, and wanted to take something different.   I had pinned this recipe on Pinterest recently, and decided to give it a try:

 

 

Source: pearls-handcuffs-happyhour.blogspot.com via MarytheKay on Pinterest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Here's why I LOVE this new recipe:

1.  It's SIMPLE

2.  It's QUICK

3.  It's DIFFERENT

4.  It's YUMMY

How's that for a GREAT recipe?

Please go to Pinterest right now and save this recipe on your boards!!!

I couldn't find the Mini Fillo Shells at my local grocery store (Country Mart), but found them in the freezer section at Walmart Supercenter.  As the recipe stated, I did use the "mild" version of Rotel.  Since I love things spicy--I might try the regular Rotel next time.

Using my Pampered Chef mini scooper made filling the Mini Fillo Shells easy!  I just love these little shells...wonder what sweet thing I could fill in them for a dessert?

 

Aren't these little cutie pies? 

I just LOVE finding new and EASY recipes, don't you?!

What's your best easy recipe find lately?

A New Family FAVORITE!!! The License Plate Game!

I just have to tell ya'll about our family's new FAVORITE car game!!!  It's the U.S.A. License Plate Game (board) by Melissa & Doug.  (And nobody's paying me to talk about it, dangit.)  I have my friend Janna to thank for the idea in the first place.  

Here's how we play (and how Janna's kids taught us):  We keep the game board in our car at all times.  The License Plate Game re-starts every month on the 1st.  All states' "license plates" on the board are turned so that the license plate picture is showing.  Starting on the 1st, whenever we see a car with a license plate not turned over on our board, we turn it over.  (The plates are attached with sturdy elastic bands)

That's it!  It's EASY!

And guess what?  My kids are LEARNING while playing.  They are not only learning state names and placement on the U.S. map, but they are using their BRAINS riding in the car--instead of being "plugged in" to electronics.  

Even more thrilling for my girls, is that they are in a huge competition with Janna's kids (even though Janna's kids don't know we are!!)--because they know that Janna's kids' record is 43 license plates in a month.  My girls are DETERMINED to beat that record.  We've had the board about a week now, and we are up to 41 plates already.  Of course, our hardest plates here in the Midwest are Alaska, Hawaii, Washington D.C., and several of the North Eastern states.

 Now, I will say that living in a tourist town definitely helps with this game.  However, this would make a GREAT gift for your family's next car trip.

And you tourist town folks--I CHALLENGE YOU to try to beat our girls!  I have some pretty competitive girls at my house...as well as a mercilessly competitive husband...who would probably rather drive our daughters around parking lots filled with cars (and license plates!) all night long, rather than lose a challenge.

So, who's in?  Everybody run out and get yourself a License Plate board, and let's get our kids busy using their brains in the car!

Locally, I bought my board at Mardel's, but Toys R Us also carries them.  You can also buy them online at Amazon.

(No one paid me, or gave me anything to talk about the License Plate game.  Dangit.  I'm just telling you about it from the goodness of my little heart.  But, if Melissa & Doug happen to ask about me--please send 'em my way, and be sure to say I accept both cash money and alll-expenses paid vacations)

What makes me smile?

These things make me smile...on a regular basis:

1.  Watching tourists walk around our downtown.  I love seeing their smiles, their hand-holding, and their leisurely pace.  Seeing them always reminds me to slow down, and enjoy more.

2.  When I hear my daughters' voices singing beside me at church.

3.  When I see someone walking a dog in a park, and having to pick up the (eek! fresh!) doggie poo.  (I'm sorry--I'm just being honest here.  I freely admit that my humor is on a junior high level.)

4.  When someone else's baby is screaming at the top of her lungs in Target.  Because I have BEEN THERE.  A LOT.  I usually try to give the frazzled mom an empathetic smile that says, "Hang in there, mama.  This phase will pass soon."

5.  When the "Hot Now" sign is lit at Krispy Kreme

6.  I smile even bigger when my husband turns the car into the parking lot.

7.  When I see an elderly couple holding hands tenderly.  Even better when he's holding her pocketbook.

8.  I also smile when I see an elderly man with a comb-over.

9.  Men with mullets also make me smile.  And I have to say--there are some mighty impressive mullets that come through our town.

10.  Groups of older women walking down the beach together.  There's nothing better than lifelong friendships.

11.  When my junior high daughter reaches out to hold my hand

12.  Miniature-sized things 

13.  When I see the verification phrase: "Prove that you're not a robot"

14.  When I get a new text notification

15.  When I see my husband snuggling with our daughters at bedtime, and telling them his Little Mouse stories.

16.  "Welcome to Florida" signs

 17.  Whenever we sing some of my old favorites at church:  Amazing Grace, Holy Holy Holy...and because of my 3rd grade Sunday School class--a rousing rendition of He Lives.

18.  Any Napoleon Dynamite quote

19.  Fresh falling snow

20.   People who comment!  :-)

 Now it's YOUR turn!  What makes YOU SMILE?

The whole idea for this post is from the brilliant Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop. Please hop on over to her blog to read about what makes other people smile.

Which one are you? Dry grass, or bright green?

I actually posted this back in August 2010, but I have thought a lot about it since then.  Especially this summer, on those unbearably hot days, and when our grass and bushes were withering and dying from lack of water...  

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The other day, something in my yard made me stop in my tracks.  The sight of it was a word picture, that I instantly understood.  I don't know if it was a divine whispering, or if my heart just needed to understand the implications. 

Either way, it doesn't matter.  I've been thinking about it ever since.

The thing I saw in our yard wasn't anything out of the ordinary--apart from the way it grabbed my attention.  It was a sprinkler, spraying water onto dry grass.

Up close, I might not have even noticed anything particular...

But, from a distance, it struck me right away: That after this summer, I feel like the brown, dry grass.  And what I want is to feel renewed and refreshed like the light green grass.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water, 
   which yields its fruit in season 
   and whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever he does prospers.

                    - Psalm 1:3

 I understand that this summer was crazy and stressful for more than one reason.  But, if I were to be honest with you, I bet it could have been less stressful if I had been planted closer to the streams of water.

 Like the brown grass in the picture above, I was close to the streams of water--I work at a Christian summer camp.  I saw the streams of water refreshing those around me.  I saw the streams of water changing lives around me.  But, in the midst of all of the refreshment around me, I allowed my own soil to dry and crackle.

 

It's time I planted myself back beside the streams of water.  Spending more time reading God's Word, nourishing my soul with the Living Water.  Hearing God's Word, and letting it sink down deep.  Allowing my heart to be softened by the water, changed by the water--and not closed up, resisting change with a closed heart.

 

Ah, cool, refreshing, life-giving Water, please rain down upon my dry and thirsty soul.  Amen.

How's your yard looking lately?

First Day of School Pictures and Linky Dinks

  Rebecca's first day of Junior High--and public school!!!!  And guess what?  She had a GOOD DAY!!!  However, she just informed me that going to school, and having to wake up early every single day kind of stinks.  (said the homeschool kid.  Amen, sister, amen.)

 

Sisters, on their first day of school.  Can you tell one is a little more excited than the other?

Sara Beth, on her first day of 2nd grade, homeschool edition.  She is very excited to be staying home with her mama this year...and also that we're heading to the big city library after dropping off her sister.

 

*In my very best announcer-man voice*

AND NOW, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE MOMENT WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR...I PRESENT TO YOU:  MARYTHEKAY'S WORLD  STATE   CITY   IN HER OWN MIND FAMOUS--LINKYYY DINKSSS...

 

My dad, in his recent retirement, has started writing his memoirs.  I couldn't be MORE EXCITED!!!  He is an amazing storyteller.  Our family heritage is rich with people I've never met--but feel like I once knew--all because of my dad's stories.  He has started a blog to begin recording some of these stories, as well as chronicling how faith and medicine merged in 3 generations of medical doctors.

Here are a few of my favorites he's written so far:

I've always loved this story about how my grandfather made a house call on Al Capone.

And this one, it made me tear up thinking about how sweet Miss Lillian loved my daddy.

Lastly, I love this one because it's about my mom and dad.  Our family has lots of stories about some pretty interesting people--mostly because of my mom's big heart for the unwanted, the unloved, and the forgotten.

 

Even a more perfect nail polish trick?  Count me IN!

 

When you feel like your work doesn't matter, or that no one recognizes what you do...read this, and be encouraged.

 

If you don't read anything else, please read this:  10 Ways to be a Happier Mom.  Most, if not all, of these apply to ALL people, not just moms.  I need to print them out, and tape it to my bathroom mirror...

 

Well, that's all I've got, good people.  Ya'll can go on home now.  Go on, skeedattle!

Shoo, now!  I've got things to do, and I don't have time to be sitting around entertaining ya.

Oh, all right.  Be that way, if you want to.  I might as well get you a cold Coke.  Come on--let's see what's on the tee vee.  Ya want some of these bon bons?

Well, good gravy dee, the tee vee won't work...

What you people wanna talk about?

Her Very First Day in Public School

7 years ago, a little fair-haired girl in white velcro Keds, and the cutest pigtails you've ever seen, started school.  But, that day, she sat at our dining table--legs dangling--and I sat next to her, teaching her how to hold a pencil, and write her name, and line up plastic butterflies for counting.  That day, we snuggled on the couch and read a book together, and took turns eating M&Ms for correct answers.

Today, she puts on skinny jeans and a t-shirt, and sparkly Tom's shoes, and wears her fair hair down, straightened, and looking much older than she should.  Today, she gathers her backpack and clarinet, and rushes out the door, nervous and excited.  Mostly nervous. Today, she sits in a classroom, and another teacher gets to see the sparkle in her eyes as she "gets" the new concepts.  Today, she prays that friends will want to sit by her in class, and in the lunch room, and that her mom doesn't make her wait too long at pick-up.

Today, my girl--my sweet, smart, beautiful, crazy funny, and creative soul--spreads her wings a little wider.  

It's a bittersweet day for her mama.  I'm nudging my reluctant girl to the edge of the nest a bit.  My heart hurts for her insecurities and anxiety.  But, I know this is right.  This is the right time, and the right place.

And I know she is going to spread those beautiful wings, those tentative and lovely wings, and she will fly.  

Image credit

Welcome home...Cap'n Crunch! We really missed you...a bunch!!

Does anybody remember this commercial jingle from the 1980's?

I guess I've been in a singing mood these past 2 days.  But, can ya blame me?  I packed up summer camp, and have MOVED HOME!!!

(Can I get a "Hip hip hooray?")

In case you're wondering what a home looks like after living at summer camp for 3 months, here is a leetle beety peek...

 Oh, how I love laundry baskets and bins for moving.  Don't you?

 See those pink bins on the far left?  I've now had those for 12 summers.  They guard and protect...my unmentionables.  (Name that show)

Oh, and while we're name-dropping, let's go ahead and talk about that hot pink Vera Bradley duffel bag.  L-o-v-e.

Oh look--a mountainous mountain of dirty laundry.  And at least 3 t.v. shows' worth of folding.  Am I right?

If you need me in the next couple of days, you can find me:

a)  In the bed

b)  In front of the washer and dryer

c)  Lying on the couch watching t.v. and eating bon bons

d)  All of the above

What will you be doing in the next few days?

Camp's...Out...For...Winter!

In lieu of writing a blog post today, I played a little hooky.

You see--summer camp is over, and some of the staff I've worked alongside all summer is still here at camp with me, cleaning and putting away camp for the winter.  Tonight may be one of my FAVORITE nights all summer!

Here's why:

The last few of us left at camp shared a wonderful meal together, prepared by the talented, and ever-serving Josh.

Would you LOOK how Josh spoiled us!

 

Next, we headed out for an impromptu evening of swimming
There was lots of grinning and giggling...

And some hanging out

And a whole lot of sliding

And more giggling

And lots of splashing

And some yelling, and giggling, and snuggling...

It was a good, good night.

Goodnight, summer.

Goodnight, camp.