Tea Partaay

 Today the girls and I stayed home and did girly stuff all day. My girls are the best. 
Bella was dying to have a tea party so I told her we could have a tea party lunch. But first we baked peanut butter m&m brownies!

After mixing!

Placing the peanut butter M&M's in the brownie batter!

Counting M&M's! There are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,  "seben" says Lili

 After baking it was time to tea partaaay!

Tea party lunch! Mini peanut butter sandwiches, strawberries, flower shape cucumbers, turkey rolls AND...wait for it...

Cheese cut outs! The girls favorite part of the spread

I had to make more! If you watch the show Raising Hope, you will appreciate these :)

Tea partying it up!

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And for dessert, our finished brownies, graham cracker cookies, and chocolate dipped pretzels!

Stars

I haven't been this invested in the Denver Broncos for some years. I remember as a child loving them, football was in my blood. I also remember when I was in high school they won the Super Bowl back to back. That was so much fun! But this year, we made it only to the second round of the playoffs and I am so pumped. I actually started watching games again, instead of napping on Sunday afternoons. Some could call me a fair weather fan, but that's not it. I am a CU and Bronco fan for life! Just like CU, I want them to win, I don't speak badly about them, but I am awaiting to see some life in the team.

And what life we saw this season in the Broncos. Not only were they ultimately successful on the field but they were stars. I think Tim Tebow was obviously the brightest star on the team when it came to attitude...and I really think his teammates followed. I just watched Tim Tebow's post game interview and all he talked about was the great opportunity he had this season, and what a privilege it was to hang out with Zach McCloud he brought to the game. He said its all about your perspective and what lens your looking through.

You see, Tim has chosen to look at the world from the point of view of those less fortunate. He sees how insignificant a game win really is. On the same note, he is still an NFL athlete that plays his butt off for a win. I am sure he would love to be playing again next week, rather than not. But he see that isn't everything. I later saw a highlight from Tom Brady's post interview and he said, winning is all that matters. I am not kidding. He said it and I probably would never have noticed if I didn't see the Tebow interview just before his. The FOX 31 news commentators gave Tebow a hard time saying that his win or lose attitude was not leadership or quarterback quality. I cant even tell you how much I would rather have that attitude in a quarterback!

Aren't these the qualities we want to teach our kids? Is being the most winning-est anything really that important? When we get to heaven do you think God will want to know how many "games" we "won" in life, or how we glorified Him? Or how we loved one another? How we cared for those less fortunate than us. I for one, learned a lot about myself this Broncos season. Something I would NEVER have imagined I would say.

This season Tebow truly was a star and he shinned in a very dark place. Something I pray my for my kids every night!

 "so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe" Phil 2:15

I have never heard so many harsh words about Tim, but I have also never seen so much optimism after coming off a 45-10 loss! What a bright future the Broncos have! What a bright future we have in Christ!

My grandma Nadine gave me this quote when I was in college, only a few short months before she died...
"People are like stained glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within." ~Elizabeth Kubleu

GB2!! Win or lose!!!

What's Next?

My four year old loves a celebration or party of any kind. Much like her mama, she loves any excuse to decorate, wrap presents, or get creative and make things. This last Christmas was definitely the most fun we have had with our girls on a holiday yet. They really are starting to understand the different holidays and what they are about. Its so fun. But after any birthday or holiday Bella always asks, "Whats next mom?". She always wants to know who's birthday is coming up, or which holiday we can decorate for. She even asks who's wedding is next. So cute.

As I put away Christmas I thought about what was coming up for us in 2012. This month I will be turning 30! Yikes. But as far the rest of the year I hope there are some big things. Like big weight loss! I hope that every year, alongside much of America. I also hope for some fun and exciting adventures, a trip...somewhere, anywhere! My husband could really go for a beach vacation, or even a move to a state close to a beach. I am not sure about that, but I do want God to make some changes for our family. Since we move so often I always wonder as I put away Christmas decorations if I will be putting up my decorations on the same mantel next year. Every year I wonder if this will be the year we buy a home, or my husband gets a new job, or if I find my waistline!?

For with all seriousness, the new year always brings up the question, whats next? Thanks for reading along as I find out.

Happy New Year!!!

My Grown Up Christmas List

This is a heavy post. I know that Christmas is supposed to be a light hearted, fun and cheery time. For me it is, thankfully. I am so very blessed to not have any major sadness in my life. Although the negative balance in my bank account for the last 2 days seemed tragic for a moment...its so not. I have a healthy and happy family that I am very, VERY thankful for this year! My neighbor informed me last week that she has no one to celebrate Christmas with. She is feeling so very lonely with her kids and grand kids who are all living out of state. My sorority sister is missing her mother who died of cancer years ago, but misses her like crazy. My sister knows someone who has a husband dying of cancer. He has a 2 year old daughter.

This time of year can be the most wonderful time of the year for some, and for others the worst. Those of us so blessed and comfortable in life, we can so easily forget how blessed we really are.

I can remember as a child my mom would put on Christmas music from Thanksgiving to Christmas. I now do the same, by the way! But one song in particular brings a flood of memories. And not good ones. My parents went through some tough times and separations when I was younger. My mom used to play Amy Grant's Christmas album and when the song  Grown Up Christmas List  would come on she would talk about hers. One year I think she even wrote out a grown up list. The pain she was feeling was so apparent, and clearly the holidays was salt on her wound. The unhappiness she felt was amplified by Christmas.  Here is a version I can listen to Grown Up Christmas List -Michael Buble. The Amy Grant version brings up too many memories for me.

In my life the hurt, loneliness, and pain is drowned out by the birth of Christ.The  Love, Grace, and Mercy Jesus gives me drowns all of this heavy stuff out. I feel the need to apologize if at anytime a Christian has treated you with judgement, hate, or hostility. It may have been me. It may have been someone you loved dearly. But that is not Jesus.  He heals all, Loves all, Forgives all.

Merry Christmas, may it be full of JESUS!

Warranty

My children have a little portable DVD player that we got as a gift from a friend for Bella when she was 2. When the twins were born I would often put on a movie for her while I was breast feeding, or we would use it in the car for long trips to visit family in Greeley. I have since replaced this 3 times. The first time the screen went out, the second time for the eject button malfunctioning. Now our third again has a faulty screen. Granted this DVD player is lower end (rhymes with Shmilps), and it is often operated by little 4 year old fingers,but this thing just keeps going out! I went to exchange yet another one (to a place that rhymes with Shmall-Shmart) and they said that it was past the return date. I began to explain that I have had this problem twice before and have been given a replacement with no problems before. Apparently, they now have a database that will pull up your purchase date and only a 60 day period is for returns or exchanges. This is a great system...for criminals and people taking advantage of the system! But my latest replacement was mid summer. I do not think this is how long a DVD player should last, eh? Am I wrong? So after she told me she couldn't return it, she asked if I had bought a warranty. I had not bought one so she sent me on my way.

war·ran·ty

A written guarantee, issued to the purchaser of an article by its manufacturer, promising to repair or replace it if necessary within a... (in contract law) A promise that something in furtherance of the contract is guaranteed by one of the contractors, esp. the seller's...

Warranty's are so dumb! Here, let me charge you an extra $20 to insure my product does what it is suppose to. Yea, that makes a lot of sense. What happened to just guaranteeing your product will work like it supposed to regardless of a warranty. I mean if you want to get all extreme, I understand that a big purchase like a car can only be guaranteed to work for a certain amount of time. Great, but a $60 DVD player, REALLY?  It just seems silly to me.

I, of course, began to parallel this to life. People now have to buy warranty's on marriage (pre-nups) to ensure the marriage to even ensure it ends that way its supposed to! When we get married (in other words, make the purchase) don't we already guarantee love and faithfulness? When we become Christians, don't we already guarantee love and forgiveness to others? I have been shown otherwise this year. I am not perfect and I mess up everyday. But it seems that people have forgotten what they promised upon the sale.

I refuse to pay extra for a product that should function as its supposed to anyway. Just like I refuse to accept that people are supposed to act as they wish no matter the cost it has on their relationships. Family is family regardless if you were married into it, or born into it. Defend the weak, help the poor. All things I don't need to buy a warranty for. I just need to do it, and work properly. I hope you do the same.

Thankful Tree

I have a tendency to be negative. I always look at the glass half empty, and usually lose a lot of sleep stressing about things. I also find myself always looking at what we don't have.  We don't have a house, we don't have a garage, we don't have really nice clothes, we don't have a nice camera, so on and so on. Its sad the list I could make! But I and not all bad, all the time! I do have my moments of pure gratitude with Jesus. The other day I was putting away free food we got from a friend. Thanking God for free ground beef! But overall I have to admit I am always looking at the downside, when in reality, I am so so so so very blessed. I have healthy happy children...well most of the time! We currently have been overrun by boogers and coughs! We always have a full pantry, a warm home, and many many other luxuries that most of the world does not have. In fact my husband who is a native of Argentina likes to point out how very blessed we are! He laughs at how many toys our girls have! He is a very good check and balance for me when I fall into the typical American material mindset!

So I am making a Thankful Tree! An idea I found on Pinterest. Thank you Nichole for yet another time wasting activity! :) I am listing as many things as I can to put on my tree! Although I can have a bad case of "stinkin thinkin", in my heart of hearts I am so very thankful for what God has given me and my family. Here is my tree! The girls had fun helping me too.

Some things Bella wrote she was thankful for: Her pillow, Monkey Bizness

(a playplace), and drums :)

Some things I was thankful for:

Mormor, my husband, my girls, the dishwasher, my washer and dryer, my Ktichen Aid, and my bed!

Col 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful

Emotional Hoarding

Hoard:

1: to lay up a hoard of

2: to keep (as one's thoughts) to oneself

I have recently discovered my child is a hoarder. No, she is not not stock piling old clothes, crafts, or even chickens. Rather, I found a pile of toys on her top bunk, and under her sisters bed. My older sister was here the other day and was trying to give Isabella a pep talk about sharing with her sisters (she was crying about having to share her Barbies), and explaining how a certain little sister used to take her toys! Us little sisters are such a pain :) Anyway, I have noticed her hiding toys in her bed, but yesterday the pile was out of control. I found two Barbie dolls, three Polly pockets, Buzz, Woody, two Jessie's, Dora, Boots, Rapunzel, among a bunch of other random small trinkets. Its funny how random crap is a treasure for her. Plus, I found old broken leaves and rocks in her "jooly" box (jewelry box). She calls them her special things. I started to think about why she would keep these things. But its simple, to her these have meaning. To me they are trash.

Have you seen the people on TLC living in mounds of stuff? I know they are crazy, I know they have serious issues. It makes me so sad, I cant watch. Usually at one time or another they lost everything (most of the time a loved one died), so now they hold on to EVERYTHING. Literally every wrapper has meaning. Although I don't hoard things, well I may hold on to things I shouldn't!  I am not a hoarder with material objects, but I think there are times I can hoard my feelings. Because of past hurts from relationships I often push a feeling or emotion back. With the intention of sharing the emotion later with my husband. I don't always do it intentionally. I usually have intentions of going back and opening up.

  For my daughter, a pretty leaf is her own perfect little treasure that she can tuck away for a later time. What she doesn't realize is that the leaf dies, falls apart and is even more meaningless than before. Much like our hidden emotions it rots, falls apart, and dies. Therein the same problem or issue still exists, and is not resolved. I am an out spoken person, but often emotionally hoard to avoid conflict in my marriage. So I am making a point to tell my husband when something bothers me, or hurts me.