Updates!

The potato bread was fabulous! It tasted just like the stuff you would buy in the store (or so I think as I haven't ever bought potato bread, too expensive). But I love the flavor and the texture! And the best part....my kids LOVED it!!! hee,hee!

Our kittens are growing like a bunch of weeds. They will be 3 weeks on Wednesday. I need to take pictures of them. We have 1 boy and 2 girls. Boots, Peanut and Coco (BTW Boots is the boy) :0)

My preschooler had a fantastic day at school today! She had attitude when we got to school but once she stepped into the building she was great! I was so proud of her and told her so when I dropped her off at daycare.

After we got home from school, I suddenly had the onset of a migraine (or the beginnings of one). I picked the teenager up from volleyball practice around 5, came home, fixed some food (leftovers as much as I could scrounge up), ate, took 3 ibuprofen and the last shot of my Diet Mountain Dew and curled up on the couch and caught a nap as the older two did their evening kitchen chores and the younger two headed outside to help dad work on the goat pen. When I woke up about a 1/2 hour later my head was a bit better! I really hate headaches, they suck the LIFE OUT OF ME!!! My poor husband and what he has to endure when I have a headache! Sometimes they are so bad that the only thing I can do is go to bed with ice packs around my head. I have a remedy that seems to help at least it has the last few times I have had a bad headache. 3 ibuprofen and a can of coke. I totally hate coke but the sugar in coke and the stuff in the ibuprofen seem to do something to my headache. CRAZY!!!

I am off to bed now, I think my husband is done being occupied by his tv so I am going to go and spend some time with him! Have a wonderful Monday evening!

Cathi

Another experiment!

On my quest for a GREAT bread recipe, I have tried another one. The last two loaves that I made were good and the kids LOVED it, but I thought it was alot of work! So I checked out this book last week from the library called Old-Fashioned baking (or something like that) anyway...it had a TON of recipes from breads to muffins to cakes (and I am on a quest for a homemade cake recipe), so anyway....I found a potato bread recipe in this book and my DH was peeling potatoes for dinner tonight and had one extra so I decided that it would be potato bread for my next two loaves. WOW, what work there is to making bread! DH being the smarty pants that he is....decided to stand on the other side of the counter and watch me. I was complaining about my wrist hurting as I was kneading the dough and he said.....aren't you glad you didn't live 100 years ago, you would be doing this daily!! My response was "shut-up". Okay so not really a very respectful response to him, but I was rather irritated! Anyway...the bread rose beautifully and baked great, as for taste, I don't know. That has yet to be determined! I thought I would post some pics of before baking and after. We are seriously considering investing in a bread machine but haven't fully decided on it yet or not. We will see. Fall ball begins for Briana tomorrow so for the next 5 weeks our Sundays will be consumed with double header games in the afternoons! That along with volleyball practice daily and games 2 days a week and then clubs/bible study will start up again this Wednesday night for us that I don't know of a night that our family will be around. I will be glad for volleyball/fall ball and any other kind of sport to be over with and some normalcy to come back to our family, oh and did I mention that in the midst of all that running around Jason is doing 2 (yes count them 2) side jobs after work and on Saturdays. I am very much ready for those two be done with. The extra money is nice right now but I would rather have him home than the money. What does the bible say...."the love of money is the root of all evil". HMMM....food for thought! Have a great Saturday evening!!

Cathi

PS while I am thinking about it....a lot of these recipes call for shortening, I don't use shortening (I don't even keep the stuff in my house for that matter) because it has hydrogenated oils in them and I try to stay away from that as much as possible so my question is this (and please leave me a comment on here or email me) what can I use in place of shortening?

Before


After


Look at those UGLY pants! HMMM....he is reading the cookbook I checked out from the library. What I will have to make next for him????? ;0)

My Preschooler!

Today was Keara's first day of preschool. Let me tell you, it was not a good first day of school for that girl! ATTITUDE!!!! And to top it off, today was picture day and she cried and cried right before pictures that she didn't want her picture taken so needless to say when I finally got her convinced that she had to have her picture taken her face was red and blotchy! Those should be some good pics, huh? She also didn't want to put her apple up on the chalkboard and she didn't want to tell something about herself! BUT....by the end of preschool she didn't want to leave and go to daycare, hmmmmm....something really wrong with this picture! Go figure! Hopefully she will get into a routine and know what she can and can't do while at school! Anyway....enjoy the pics of her today! She is growing up way too fast for me! Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Cathi

Isn't she cute and doesn't she look like she is ready for preschool?


AHHH...don't let the looks fool you, she isn't as sweet and innocent as she looks!!!

LifeLight clip

Here is just a glimpse of what LifeLight is all about! I found this on YouTube today put there by my favorite Christian Radio station, Life 96.5. Check this out to see why I say this is the most amazing thing and how it truly glorifies God! Have a good evening!

Cathi

Affects!

The affects too much "partying" can do to a teenager during hayfever season!

This was Briana in high spirits Saturday evening around 7:45pm. She is happy and looking good and really enjoying herself! What a funny girl! I love you baby girl and am so glad that you and I got to "hang" together a little this weekend!!!





This was her last night around 11:36pm. She just couldn't stay awake any longer! She was physically drained! You are an amazing young lady, God has much in store for you, lean on Him always!!!



Have a blessed day!

It ended with a bang!

Fireworks ended the festival, oh so amazing! It was an amazing weekend for Jason and I. Friends, food and the music. Him and I were able to reconnect on a new level in our relationship. I find it amazing how God can bring two people together in different ways and then mold them into one with similar likes and dislikes. God is going to do some amazing things in our little family this year, I can feel it! We are looking forward to next year's festival and what God will have in store for it next year! He is gracious and sovereign. It is amazing that they can still offer this festival for FREE every year, God provides our needs! Have a wonderful Labor Day!

Cathi

Closing night of LifeLight!

The night ended with Natalie Grant and Casting Crowns. Briana loves Natalie Grant's music, she has a beautiful voice, but I was most excited for Casting Crowns. All of their music is driven from scripture and how to apply to every day life. Mark Hall (the lead singer) has written a book called LifeStories (which I am reading again) in which he tells the story of the songs that he has written plus how God has used him. He is also a young pastor at his church in Atlanta, Georgia! If you really listen to their music, God can really speak to you. I remember when I really sat and listened to their song "East to West", I was at the car wash getting the van washed and I sat and listened to the lyrics and I just cried my eyes out. I have been there so many times in my life! God loves me even through my sin, He forgives me of it when I ask and He forgets it as far as the East is from the West!
Lord, you are holy and beautiful, thank you for giving all these people the talent and the heart to go out and reach people through their music and their ministry, You are an AWESOME God!!!

Enjoy the pics!

Natalie Grant


Casting Crowns


Casting Crowns


Casting Crowns


Look at all those people, even on a Sunday night at 11:30pm!!!

Sunday Afternoon!

Yesterday afternoon was when all of my favorite bands played. Again, amazing! Their music, their stories and how God is using them to reach the lost!

33 Miles (also Briana's favorite band, they have a country sound to them) very awesome, her and I didn't get to see the whole thing because we headed up to the First Aid tent to have her checked out!


Matthew West, this guy's story is amazing! Last May he had surgery on his vocal chords and didn't know if he would ever be able to sing again, but through his faith in God, he was healed and was able to sing and perform again! This guy has some awesome music and an amazing voice!!! :-) Praise be to God!


Matthew West again!


Building 429. I love their music, again their music is driven by cicumstances in their lives and by scripture. Their name comes from Ephesians 4:29 "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."


Building 429 again!


It was an amazing afternoon of music and worship!

WELL SAID!!!

This was the banner above the main stage! That says it all!

LifeLight!

I will do this is several posts today. What an amazing weekend it was! I missed my kids terribly but Jason and I had the time of our lives! Church yesterday was amazing! They say that there was 40-50,000 people in attendance representing all different churches around the area. As we worshipped yesterday morning I couldn't help but cry as I could feel God's presence during the music and during the message. "Where 2 or more are gathered in my name, there I am among them." and there He was. I have some great pictures to post so that is why I will do this in several posts. We had some issues with Briana's asthma flairing up yesterday but she continued to do her inhaler, took a nap in the air conditioned van and laid low most of the day yesterday. As I write this post she is still sleeping (it is 11:15am), I am not going to wake her, it was 1:30am before we got home last night and she was beat. Hayfever season is in full swing and when you add to that spending a weekend in a corn field with friends and run no stop and run on very little sleep, her asthma finally caught up with her. Thankfully we didn't end up in the ER like we did last year on the last day of LifeLight but you will see by pics that I post last who it took the toll on her by Sunday night! Anyway....here is some pics from Saturday. Enjoy!

Cathi

Lincoln Brewster (this guy can worship, he is on fire for God, he is also a worship pastor at his church in California, his music is amazing)


LeeLand, another good band that played Saturday night before Michael W. Smith


Michael W. Smith, WOW! That about sums it up! His heart is for God and that is evident by his words and his music!


Look at the people, this is just a glimpse of the people that were there!


AMAZING!