You Know You Live In California When.......

You know you live in CA when they shut down all the schools and the entire town after only 3 inches of snow has fallen.

(This is the view off our back patio that we woke up to Friday morning) You know you live in CA when rain for 5 days and then a dump of snow calls for headlines on the news that read,"STORM WATCH 2010!!"

(Our backyard)
You know you live in CA when you have to tape your kids feet in baggies to play in the snow because when you go to the closet they own 14 pairs of flip flops and NO SOCKS!!!
(The girls wishing we were in Hawaii already ;)

(The front view of our little street)

Waking up to our little neighborhood covered in snow was so fun. It snowed all day and into the night. The only bummer part is when it snows here all the oak trees snap and we loose our power; so it was a little dark and cold all day. Nothing hot cocoa and playing board games all day won't cure though. We were blessed enough to have Dan home so it was a go sledding, nap on the couch, eat lunch by candle light kind of day. So fun. We took a "home school snow day" of course.

Yahhoooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love when things go on sale don't you? I mean what is the point of even buying things full price when you darn well know that if you wait around long enough the store will put them on sale. Am I right or am I right? ;) I have had my eye on this table at World Market/Cost Plus for two years now but solid wood tables are expensive and we were really holding onto our old one for dear life trying to make it last as long as possible.Long story short; after being painted on by the girls and lit on fire by Dan (fondue night gone wrong) oh and not to mention the chairs were starting to see their age it was just time. We got the table 14 years ago when Dan bought the house and we were engaged so it was a good table. Lots of great memories of family, friends and game nights around that thing. I saw an add last week for up to 40% off furniture and knew we had to make our move. We argued about the bench a little (which the girls LOVE!) but we compromised by Dan buying two extra chairs for adults. :) He said,"Adults don't sit on benches." I say they can sit on the floor then.......just kidding! :)
Dan keeps laughing about how excited I am about a new table but it's just so fun upgrading your furniture! LOVE IT! I know, so simple. That would be me. Oh and after we got this home he said,"Happy Anniversary and Valentines Day!" :) Works for me.

7 Random Things About me.....

My friend Jessica has nominated me for a blogger award which means I am to tell you 7 random things about myself. This could really go two ways; you could read them and never return to my blog as I have been known to give out TMI, or you could be bored senseless cause I don't know that there are 7 random interesting facts about me that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Really I should have my husband and kids do this, you would learn way more "good" stuff. ;)

1. Ever since I got really sick back in May I have this horrible phobia of doctor's, doctor's offices, needles, anything medical basically. I can ONLY go to my homeopathic Doctor. I now take my kids there, my husband uses her and it gets better; I get sweaty, elevated heart rate and horrible anxiety at the very thought of even going into a regular doctor's office or hospital. I am sure it will pass as I continue to heal. I had such a bad experience with the chemo, the response from my Dr. when I got sick and was in the hospital etc. that I have put up this mental block of sorts. Good thing none of my friends are doctors or I may twitch the whole time I am around them. ;) Ok freaking out, gotta quit talking about it.

2. I am kinda a food snob. But not in the fancy way my friends Jess and Jolene are where they enjoy the finer foods and drinks; rolling their wine around and smelling it before partaking (love you guys! he,hee) but in the way that I am so convinced food has EVERYTHING to do with how we feel physically and mentally day in and day out that when I see little kids downing diet soda at circus practice and eating huge bags of fire Cheetos I cant stop obsessing about it. I start to think about how they are working out and not getting water to replace the fluids they are loosing and the dye and the fat in the chips that is so bad while they are working out so hard. My poor kids are in the corner with their bottles of water and veggie sticks. They are going to be so jacked up!

3. I LOVE surprises but just not for me. I like to plan and give surprises. I like to plan weekends away with Dan or decorate the girls rooms with Christmas lights while they are asleep so when they wake up its beautiful. I like to sneak in friends homes and leave treats just because. But try and surprise me and you will be sorely disappointed. I am so nosey and like to know whats up. Control freak as Dan says. But really I think it is that I like to know cause being excited and anticipating what is coming (like our cruise) is half the fun for me. I like the "getting ready" part. :)

4. I knew from VERY early on (high school) that I would marry a blue collar kind of guy. No suit and tie or office job. No regular schedule either. I just knew in my gut I was going to marry someone who wasn't home all the time. I also had sworn off dating and marriage right before I met Dan. When I saw him walk into the restaurant I leaned over to my friend and said with tons of confidence,"I am going to marry that tall man right there." She thought I was crazy since I had never even seen him before in my life. Almost two years later to the date we were married in front of family and friends in my home church. 13 years next month. He's tall, amazingly cute and does NOT have normal hours or days. ;)

5. This is going to sound crazy so please don't take it the wrong way. Only for a very short, short while did I desire to carry a baby. As a women I am sure that seems absurd and not at all normal but its the truth. My ache to become a mama came from somewhere else. It was never a fear of being pregnant or giving birth, shoot I have the highest pain tolerance and was planning on doing it naturally with a home birth anyway. But it was more than that. It was like there was something in me that just knew I would be raising someone else's kids and God had given me this deep, deep desire to not only love and raise the sweet babes that these girls would part with but to love the birth moms as well. Like God wanted to teach me something and help me to grow outside myself through that. There is nothing you will ever experience in your life like walking into a hospital room and having a young girl who just gave birth hand you her daughter and ask you to take the best care of her you can. It's like this privilege that you never earned or will ever deserve has just been given to you. To this day I cringe at the very thought of ever finding out I was pregnant (don't worry not possible) cause I feel like that is not what would be right for our family. It has no appeal to me. Now tell me an adoption story or introduce me to someone who has just placed a baby up for adoption and I'm butter. Weird I know, sorry.

6. I think random things that have no place or purpose. Like yesterday for example I was sitting in church really enjoying the sermon when all of a sudden I got the funniest thought; what if I had a super power and that super power was I could see a little bubble above every ones heads in front of me at church and it said what they were thinking in that moment? Awesome right? It would be like; "eggs, butter, bread and don't forget the milk." or "Man I should apologize for yelling at my wife this morning." or "Pastor is long winded this morning, and I gotta pee!" So much fun! I really hope nobody from our church staff is reading this. :)

7. OK last but thankfully for you least. I have never met a stranger. It drives Dan nuts to go places with me cause I talk to the cashier, the Stare bucks lady, the guy at the car wash. Dan is trying something on in a dressing room and when he comes out I have a new friend. I'm serious and people talk to me everywhere. When I get off the plane or a train or in line somewhere I will tell Dan,"Oh that poor man lost his wife last year and he's so nice. I invited him to church his name is Fred and you guys should really connect you have lots in common." Dan usually rolls his eyes and walks away. Or we will be somewhere and someone will come up to me to chat and I will try to give Dan the low down on how I know them from some random thing and he just sighs heavily. ;) I LOVE people, not as much as animals but I LOVE people. He,hee!

A Recipe & An Update.......

Made this last night for dinner and it was GREAT!Tofu Enchiladas. Oh I can hear it now,"I HATE Tofu!" No you don't hate tofu I promise you don't. It's a mental thing. I thought I hated tofu as well until someone explained that tofu only tastes like what you cook it or season it with. Well, since it has no taste on its own that made perfect sense to me. So with a little cumin seasoning, some enchilada sauce and soy cheese.....
Ta-Daaaaaaa dinner is served. Its really easy if you want to try it out.
You take one package of firm tofu (trader joes) and pat it dry. Place container in freezer for 15 minutes so the tofu crumbles into a bowl when you dump it out.
Add cumin or any other seasoning to taste.
(If you warm the tortillas in a pan with olive oil spray they roll better)
Roll up the tofu in the tortillas with some soy cheese (trader joes) and lay in pan.
Pour enchilada sauce over top, sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Our girls loved it. OK we are making a soup tonight with no meat and if it turns out I will give you the recipe. I know you all can hardly wait! ;)

OK now onto the bathing suit issue. I loved all the advice and took it to heart. I decided to rock it out in a tankini or one piece. I am not judging those of you who put your kids in two pieces and I truly believe until you have little girls its hard to see that they are being bombarded with false sexual images everyday that make them think the way to be pretty, popular and liked is by your body being a certain way or revealing certain things on your body. My kids are sheltered and they even see it. Commercials that are flashed of someone selling car insurance or make up is appalling. The cover of magazines when you stand in line at the store. I just really want our girls to value the entire package God has given them. I agree with one comment to a certain extent; would I tell my girls not to wear make up and then wear it? Well no I would not pour make up on every single day that was out of place lets just say and then tell them it was wrong for them. We tell our girls you can honor and dis honor the Lord in everything, you get to choose. That goes ten fold with your body even if you may not realize you are doing it.

Angela brings up a good point about reading the Every Mans Battle series and modesty. You can affect people and cause them to stumble even without being aware and I just have a hearts desire for our girls to be aware of the impact they are making on others and the kingdom.
I guess I never thought about these things until I had girls and even more so as they get older I desire for them to be raised to respect their bodies and hold a certain standard so that when those husbands come along that I have been praying for they would do the same. Plus after reading Every Mans Battle (which I highly encourage) I realize just how hard we often make it for men not to stumble. I want Morgan and Ryanne to take care of them selves but not get lost in what the world says is the "standard" or what it the norm. I don't want them to go with the flow or turn all their focus inward on themselves. Does that make sense? OK off to find a modest, cute swim suite! :)

To Two-Piece or Not To Two-Piece

OK I am struggling with something (actually kinda shallow) but struggling all the same. I would love your opinion on the matter and please be honest; am I over thinking this?

We have a strict NO TWO PIECE bathing suit rule for our girls. We decided this when they were very young and the thought of our sweet toddlers walking around in a triangle bathing suit top made us cringe. Then as they got older the thought of my kiddo walking around in a two piece with all the sick people out there made me physically ill. I am sure everyone is thinking I am crazy but seriously they are little girls, they are supposed to be running, jumping and playing in the sand and water and NOT worrying about anything showing or being modest with a "to short top." So that's not changing. Case closed.

My dilemma is this; I have ALWAYS worn a two piece. Dan and were talking about our up coming trip to Hawaii & the suits I was looking at on line. Dan said,"honey, do you think its OK for you to enforce the "modesty" one piece rule on the girls and you continue to wear a two piece?" hhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmm...............................so ever since then I have been struggling with the thought that maybe I should not be wearing one either. I mean obviously I am not flipping down the beach exposing my "stuff." So I ask you, whats your opinion on this topic?

Why I Love Being Me.......

"Hey Mama................................""Yes Morgan..............."
"When I grow up I'm gonna take all the money you have saved for college and run away and join the circus OK?"
"OK baby.............."
"Don't worry though mama you don't have to buy me a car when I leave cause I'm gonna ride the circus train."

"OK baby..............."

"Oh and Mama, don't worry cause I think parents get in free to see all the shows when their kids are performers."

"OK baby................" :)

(This morning, she made me my standard breakfast of peppermint tea, an apple and a rice cake with almond butter on it. She served it to me in bed on a tray complete with a card. Morgan said,"Good morning mama, this is your "love breakfast." Can I just say it worked cause truly I felt loved. The cutest part? She thought you cut open the tea bag and dumped the tea in the hot water, so needless to say I only took a polite sup of the tea but the rest was great!)