Angel Food Ministries Update and What I'm Reading...

This past weekend I was able to pick up my order from Angel Food Ministries. I posted about this previously and you can read what I ordered here. Well, I am very pleased with the quality and the amount of food we received. For the price, it is an EXCELLENT value and I will be ordering from now on. I recommend you check to see if it's available in your community. You can search for locations in your area on the Angel Food Ministries website.

Since I started blogging more frequently I haven't been reading as much as I used to. I need to get back to it. The past few days I read Shadows of Lancaster County by Mindy Starns Clark. It was excellent and I couldn't put it down! If you're looking for Christian fiction with an interesting mystery to solve, suspense and a little romance this is a great choice. Next book I'm reading? Twilight by Stephenie Meyer! I've decided to see what all the buzz is about. I've been assured that the whole vampire thing is secondary in this book and that I'll fall in love with the characters...we'll see!

Earth Day 2009 and Garden Shots...

As always, our town is buzzing with Earth Day festivities each year. It has been a beautiful day today and it was a perfect day for a walk across campus.

Vendors from our city Farmer's Market setup on campus today to sell a few items. I hope they did well enough that they will come back every week. I scored a nice big tomato plant and a yummy burger from Missouri Legacy Beef. Some other groups were giving away freebies and I got a couple of reusable shopping bags and a plum tree!

We have a GREAT Farmers Market and I'll post some shots of that when I get there this year. It opened in March and I haven't been there yet. The weather has been so cold and rainy that it didn't sound too appealing to get up on a Saturday morning to shop there. I will soon. Here are a couple of shots from the mini Farmers Market today.

This is what I saw on the way to the mini Farmer's Market today...

Finally, not too much happening in my own garden yet except some hostas coming out, lemon balm and chives sprouting and my baby weigela is blooming...the lilacs and the large weigelas will be in bloom soon...

Hope you are able to get out and enjoy this Earth Day!

On This Day...

It was still dark when we arrived at the hospital on the morning of April 20, 2006. We parked in the lot and the hospital was lit up from within. I could see the receptionist at her desk, she would be the one to check us in. I don't remember what Pat and I said to each other in the car, but I do remember thinking, "well, this is it"! This baby, my 2nd, was being delivered by a scheduled c-section. I was hopeful that everything would be alright. My first baby was delivered 5 1/2 years earlier by a c-section as well. However, that c-section followed 21 hours of labor and then post partum depression afterward.

I.Was.Scared.

So, we check in and we're escorted to a wonderful room (as wonderful as they get in a hospital). It seemed like we were in there for hours, but we weren't. They finally come and take me to the OR. This time I'm getting a spinal instead of an epidural and it's supposed to work much better. It Does! It takes them a few times to get it to take and I feel the little shocks in my spine each time they try - but it doesn't hurt. When it finally takes they lay me down fast because whatever position you're in when the drug takes effect is what you feel like you're in even though you're laying down. For me, I knew I was laying flat but I had to ask a couple of times if my legs were bent because it felt like I was laying on my back with my legs slightly bent at the knees. Weird. The Doctors and Pat just chuckled and assured me that I was laying flat.

They got started right away and within minutes the incision was open and then Pat starts taking the pictures. The Doctors thought it was funny and told me what I already knew, "Your husband is a sick man"! They posed for a few pictures and then got on with the business at hand...delivering my baby boy! At this point I am completely relaxed and couldn't feel anything. Before I knew it, they are telling me he is out and they are bringing him over to me. It was one of the best moments in my life and I'll never forget it. Oh, and I'm really thankful for the pictures.

Then, Pat left with the nurses and Kyler so they could get him ready for me. I was getting stitched up during this time and this takes quite a while because I had a lot of scar tissue from the last C-section.

When I finally got to the recovery room they brought Kyler to me and we had a few minutes alone and it was pure heaven.

I can't believe it's been 3 years since that day! There have been ups and downs in the 3 years but Kyler has been a true blessing in our lives. Because I had postpartum depression the first time I missed a lot. This time I took it all in and enjoyed every baby moment, toddler moment and now preschooler moment! Okay, well, not every moment!! Kyler has taught me to slow down and smell the roses (or the baby poop). He came out full of energy and curiosity and he is still that way. He is learning new things everyday and it's so fun to watch.

I'm starting to see who my little boy is becoming and I'm on the edge of my seat to see what comes next.

Kobe with his newborn baby brother

Kyler at 7 months old

1 - 1/2 years old

Between 1 and 2 years old

Taken this year - almost 3 years old!

Celebrating The Big Birthday at Chuck E. Cheese

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY BOY!!!

The Joyful Gardener...

I had a distant relative named Nadine Mills Coleman. I'm not sure if I ever got to meet her in person, if so, I don't remember. I wish I could have met her though. if I didn't. My impression about her is that she was quite a character. She was married to O.T. Coleman (my Great Grandmothers Brother) and he was a Soil Science Professor at the University and they lived here in town for many, many years. They actually lived in a quaint little cottage in the middle of town. It's on the historic register now and still looks like a storybook cottage.

Nadine started writing when she was in her 40's. I only know of two books she had published and I don't know if there were more. One of her books is called, The Joyful Gardener (published in 1985) and the other one is called the Mistress of Ravenswood (published in 1992). She also wrote articles for local newspapers and some magazines including The Readers Digest. I wonder what she would have thought about todays technology and how anyone with a love of writing can self-publish on their blog. Both of the books for published locally and I don't think were ever on the mass market.

I have always had interest in her and remember asking my Grandma West about her on many occasions. When I moved here 20 years ago I would drive by that little cottage and think about when she lived there. One of the reasons I have been so interested in her is because of her writing and her love of gardening...two of my loves as well.

I don't know when Nadine died but I think it was in the early 1990's. She was in her mid-90's when the Mistress of Ravenswood was written and published.

Because it's Springtime and flowers are popping up everywhere I thought it would be a fun tribute to Nadine to post some of her writings from The Joyful Gardener since I don't think you can buy the book anywhere. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.




The Joyful Gardener by Nadine Mills Coleman
Have fun while you garden. Once in a while plant something where you want it to be regardless of what the catalogue says. Flowers and shrubs must find it quite dull with spittlebugs weaving webs on leaves, sowbugs nibbling at root stems, and bees poking inquisitive tongues overall.

When I heard that Oriental poppies resented being transplanted I got a spade and moved one just to see how a resentful poppy reacted. Know something? It was tickled pink.

One day I decided that my Japonica bush was too squat. To make it tall and tree-like I clipped the overgrown shrub down to one sturdy sprout. It was furious and said so in strong Japanese Quince language, but I whacked and slashed on it for two years. now I am asked, 'What kind of tree is that?"

From the red soil of Georgia I brought a Texas Star to our Missouri garden. Now the beauty stands 15 feet tall, but it has not yet caught on that it's in Yankeeland. my little secret gives me pleasure.

Someday I plan to have a spindle tree. I know nothing about spindle trees -- what they do or look like -- but I imagine myself remarking casually to a visitor, "By the way, have you seen my new spindle tree?"

Thus, I take pleasure in a spindle tree I do not possess.

Accepted Just As I Am...

I'm reminded today that God is on my side and loves me like a father loves a daughter. He accepts me where I am right now. God wants the best life for me but He accepts what I am today. I don't have to do anything special or be anyone except who I am.

I'm reminded of this from my devotional time today from The Message// Remix:Solo (an uncommon devotional).

My scripture today is Song of Songs 1:5-2:2 but my favorite part is this:

1: 5-6
I am weathered but still elegant,
Oh, dear sisters in Jerusalem,
Weather-darkened like Kedar desert tents,
time softened like Solomon's Temple hangings.
Don't look down on me because I'm dark,
darkened by the sun's harsh rays.
My brothers ridiculed me and sent me to work in the fields.
They made me care for the face of the earth,
but I had no time to care for my own face.

Do you feel feel weathered and time softened? I know I do. When I read this scripture it speaks to me about my insecurities regarding several things:

• How I look
• What kind of work I do
• And generally just how I "measure" up to other people

I think it also addresses that we are busy with our work and we don't have time to take care of ourselves sometimes. At least that's how I feel. It's good to know that God accepts me RIGHT NOW! I don't have to do anything special or be a certain kind of person.

He accepts me as I am!

Song of Songs (or Solomon) is such an interesting book of the bible. It has a lot to say about Love. Love between a Man and Woman. The Love God has for Me.

My reminder today is that God treasures me and He can't take his eyes off of me.

Easter 2009 and what we've been up to...

I haven't posted much lately because we've been so busy. I've missed being in blogland and haven't kept up with reading other blogs much either...I'm making up for lost time and didn't get to bed as early as I should have last night.

Easter has come and gone but I'm posting a few pictures of our Easter celebrating now. On Easter weekend our friends Joy, Josh, Brandon and Benjamin moved to the west coast for their new Army adventure. We'll miss them stopping by and hanging out. Joy, if you're reading this you'd better call me when you get settled. (:

I've also been working in the yard and gardens a lot clearing out the leaves to give the plants that are coming up some sunlight. I don't have any pictures yet because it's just not that pretty right now. What else...hmmm...I've been shopping at my favorite resale shop and I've posted a picture of my latest treasures here. I spent a whopping $19.00 total on the items in the picture. That's really about it. We're getting ready for Kyler's 3rd birthday this weekend, baseball season has started for Kobe and gardening is beginning...it will be a very busy spring and summer.

Hope you have a great day!

Dad getting in on the Easter egg coloring fun

They boys dunking their eggs. This was Kyler's first time (I think)

Ahhh...they love each other!

Joy and Baby Benjamin

The $1.88 "T" that I got from Wally-World and painted and the 2nd french memo board I've made (postcards were printed from the Vintage Moth blog)

Kobe and Brandon surveying their eggs...Kobe silly as always

Kyler cracking open his eggs to get to the Gwok-what (chocolate)

Egg Hunting in our "woods"

My resale shop finds...very cool!

My Easter centerpiece that I copied out of a magazine. Can you see the peeps in there? The centerpiece lasted..maybe...24 hours...jelly beans and peeps stolen by some grubby little hands..I think Dad stole some too. Okay, I'm guilty too.

Times they are a-changin'...Oh..they've already changed...

There has been a lot of talk lately on our campus about how the students are so much further ahead of many of the faculty members regarding technology. I don't know what the average age of a professor is here but I'd bet many of them are 10-20 years older than I am (I'm 40). Many of these people are struggling to keep up with their students and to teach in a way that the students understand.

My kids are 8 and almost 3 and since before they were born we have had a computer, cell phones, DVD player, cable t.v., etc...and we aren't on the cutting edge of technology by any means (no iPhones or iPods in our house). They don't know what life is like without these things and really can't imagine not having them. My husband and I, of course, remember life before these conveniences. I don't think we had cable t.v. until I was in Jr. High (early 80's). We didn't have a computer until I was close to 30 years old and didn't get a cell phone until I was pregnant with Kobe (2000).

Of course it's completely different for our kids. Kobe knows about social networking sites (like Facebook) because he sees me posting there. He knows what it means to chat online, he knows how to log on to our public library account and find books and place them on hold and he can sometimes navigate our computer in ways I didn't think of. Kobe also knows about blogging and what is means to "post". He knows all this because we talk about it at home and he sees what I do. I'm strict about where I let him go online and he's pretty limited to sites like Disney's Toontown Online and Hotwheels.com but even those sites have social networking built in which is where he learned about creating an avatar and an online profile.

So, this morning, I'm coming up the stairs and Kyler says to me, "It's woading (translation = loading)". I say, "What's loading Kyler?" "The waptop (laptop) is woading." Yes, another tech term that my almost 3 year old knows now. The fact that he is telling me the laptop is loading is another issue altogether.

My point is, my children are growing up in a world surrounded by technology and have tons of information accessible to them at any given time. It's a different world and we have to sprint to keep up with them.

Catching Up...

Wow...I haven't posted here for awhile. Been really busy! I'll be posting pictures soon.

Hope you have a great Monday.

Mommy Dearest...

Last night we were fixing dinner and Kobe (the 8 year old) was telling me how hungry he was and that he couldn't wait to eat AND can he please have something RIGHT NOW (imagine whining here). I tell him NO because he will never eat dinner when I let him snack while I'm cooking. I have a hard time getting this kid to eat anything! So, dinner is finished cooking and we sit down to eat and Kobe takes 2-3 bites of food and announces he is full. I'm okay with this if I know he really is full. But I know his routine...he'll eat a couple of bites and then within 30 minutes he is hitting the snack basket. At this point I'm frustrated because I have been having issues with him all day anyway and this is just the icing.

So, this is what I say, "Okay, Kobe, but when you are hungry in a little while you are going to come back in here and finish eating your dinner". To this, my husband (jokingly) says, "Geez, who are you, Mommy Dearest?" "Are you going to make him eat it for breakfast too?". We burst out laughing and my discipline goes right down the toilet (as I write this I see Lucille Ball blowing a Raspberry!)

He did eat later (as usual) and he got a PB &J (2 - in fact)!

See, I'm no Mommy Dearest...

However, for the record, I really don't like wire hangers!

Angel Food Ministries

Have you heard about Angel Food Ministries?

I've known about it for several years but I have never ordered because I could never seem to get myself over to the local church site to place my order. They now have online ordering and I placed my first order this morning. You get a lot of food for $30 and this is a program for everyone. They say, "If you eat, you qualify".

Here is a little information from their website:
Angel Food Ministries is a non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing grocery relief and financial support to communities throughout the United States. The program began in 1994 with 34 families in Monroe, Georgia (between Atlanta and Athens), and has grown to serve hundreds of thousands of families every month across 35 states. Angel Food Ministries crosses denominational lines and has spread the good news of the gospel of Christ through salvation tracts that are placed in each food order.

Angel Food is available in a quantity that can fit into a medium-sized box at $30 per unit. Each month's menu is different than the previous month and consists of both fresh and frozen items with an average retail value of approximately $60. Comparison shopping has been done across the country in various communities using a wide range of retail grocery stores and has resulted in the same food items costing from between $42 and $78.



This is what is on the April Menu...all for $30.

1.5 lb. New York Strip Steak
(4 x 6 oz.)
2 lb. Chicken Breast Stir Fry
(Boneless/Skinless Chicken
Breast Chunks)
2 lb. Breaded Breast Fillet
1 lb. Steak Fajita Strips
20 oz. Supreme Pizza
28 oz. Jumbo Beef Patties
With Gravy
1 lb. All Meat Hot Dogs
10 oz. Individually-Wrapped
Cheese (16 slice)
1 lb. Mixed Vegetables
2 lb. French Fries
12 ct. White Corn Tortillas
1 lb. Rice
15 oz. Peach Halves
6 oz. Pancake Mix
32 oz. 2% Shelf Stable Milk
Dozen Eggs
Dessert

I'd love to hear about your experiences with Angel Food Ministries!