Good Read

This book, written by Karen Kingsbury, was first suggested by my mother (who usually suggests all the books I read). Side note----> if you are a mother, get your Kleenex's ready. I'm not a mother, but the tears came easy for me on this one. Like Dandelion Dust is a story telling of a "perfect" couple who recieve a call stating the birth parents want their adoptive child back. It's a good read, makes you appreciate what God has blessed you with, and will have you in tears of sorrow and tears of joy. Let me know how you liked it!

Baby Morph

Instead of cleaning, or laundry, or any other productive thing I should've been doing, I decided to find out what our children will one day look like......one day that is far far off from now :)

Poor kid :)

Home Sweet Home

Waking up at 10:00 this morning was AWESOME. The down side of traveling is:

1. Laundry
2. No food in the house (including milk)
3. Grocery Shopping

Laundry is going, grocery list is made, and I scrounged up some potatoes, carrots, and a pork loin and threw it in the crock pot (no more gas station food!). Book club is tonight and the gym is on the to-do list as well. It's so nice to be home! We have a blessed life.

South Dakota Gig- Day Four

More challenges, but that's ok. After we said our goodbyes to the very gracious South Dakotans (South Dakota-ins? South Dakotings?), we pulled out and headed home. Such a great feeling. No matter how much fun you have, there is definitely no place like home. We made it to Sioux Falls, SD when Bigger Mama wouldn't accelerate and decided to have a fit. We pulled into a gas station and started looking up mechanics. FYI: No mechanic in Sioux Falls is open on Sunday. It was starting to look like we weren't going to make it home as soon as we were thinking. Just when we were starting to wallow in our tough luck, God saved the day. We originally thought it might be the transmission. Then Geoff thought that maybe, just maybe, it could be a sensor. A trip to O' Rielly and $12 later, we were on the road. Thankfully the rest of the trip was uneventful and we made it home at around 2:30 am. My bed never felt better. Thank you all for your prayers and to South Dakota Presbyterian Youth for making this weekend fun and memorable.

South Dakota Gig- Day Three Continued

Day 3 continues to be fun. Geoff has finally made it in!!!! After a talent show, some good grub, and listening to the speaker, the kids were finally ready for the TGR concert. Because we only had 3/4 of our band members, we weren't sure what was going to happen. God is so faithful. The concert was a blast. I've never seen kids as energetic as these. They even did a kick line to "Hosanna." Haha!

When the concert was done, the boys signed autographs. As I was selling merch, a kid comes up to me and says, "You look like you never sign any autographs. Would you sign my arm?" It totally made my year! I never get to sign autographs. All together, I signed a second arm, 2 pictures, and a drum stick. Well worth the 1600 mile trip.

After the concert, the boys were hungry for ice cream. One would think Pierre would be a larger town since it's the state capital. Not the case. The only ice cream shop opened at 10:30 pm is Walmart- And that's where we headed. Because my husband is so money savvy (aka cheap), we bought a 1/2 gallon of birthday ice cream because it was only $.50 more than the small size. His plan was to eat half of it tonight and eat the rest the next morning. Well, he ate half of it, but ended up giving it to some kids and they ate the rest.

We're having a lot of fun, but can't wait to be home tomorrow!

Here are some more pictures from our day:

Some major head banging.

"Hosanna" kick line.

The kid whose arm I signed.

Andrew eating his 1/2 gallon of ice cream.
We totaled the calorie intake at around 800.

South Dakota Gig- Day Three

Today has been fun and relaxing (for me anyway!). Our hotel is very nice and has a hot tub and pool. Too bad I forgot my swimming suit! (We went to Walmart looking for one at 11:30 last night, but no luck.) We had the privilege of sleeping in until 8 this morning and got up for some breakfast and worship. The kids and staff here are great and have all been very understandable and flexible as we make our way through this recent challenge. During free time, Andrew and I participated in a good for your marriage exercise- Sumo Wrestling. I wish I could say I dominated, but that would just be a straight up lie.

South Dakota Gig- Day Two Continued

With every gig, we are usually faced with a challenge and test of faith. Some are larger than others. Tonight's was pretty big. Geoff and fill-in guitar player Matt K were to arrive by airplane to South Dakota tonight. Because of a delayed flight, Geoff and Matt were unable to make their connecting flight in Minneapolis. God works in mysterious ways, and tonight He showed us once again how in control He really is. As Matt and Geoff were deciding on how they would get to South Dakota, Matt received a phone call stating his mother had passed away. If the flight would've been on time, Matt would've been stuck in Minneapolis while his family mourned and dealt with the loss of his mother. We are praying for healing, strength, and understanding as Matt faces this sorrowful time. Geoff went ahead and took the flight, once it arrived in St. Louis, to Minneapolis. We are praying for safe travels as he flies into South Dakota tomorrow afternoon. We are planning to play the scheduled concert tomorrow night with no lead guitar. We could probably use prayers for that as well :)

South Dakota Gig- Day 2

Snow in Iowa!

The nutritious snacks we brought.

We made it to Pierre, SD! I always complain about not stopping at any sites. By pure luck, our route took us past the Corn Palace. After begging the boys to stop and see it, telling them how cool it is, and how it's the only corn palace in the world, we pulled over at Mitchell, SD. (Lunch time also played a big factor in stopping, I think.) Here are some pictures from the world famous Corn Palace:

Standing in front of the Corn Palace. How Romantic.

"So, what do you do at the Corn Palace."
"Follow the corn feet and you'll find out!"

South Dakota Gig - Day one!!!

Today (Thursday) we rolled out in Bigger Mama. 7 days off work, 4 guys, one girl, 1600 miles, and a van = fun band trip. Matt K and Geoff are flying in Friday night, so it's only a 2:1 boy/girl ratio right now. So far we have learned:

1. The drive from St. Louis to Pierre, SD is boring.
2. Yes, it can still snow in March.
3. Driving in a snow storm at night with the driver having only one good eye is dangerous. As my husband would say, "you gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em." Too bad he has a hard time following his own advice.

At around midnight, we finally decided to pull in at a Missouri Valley, IA Super 8. Lumpy pillows, but a good night's sleep. We should be rolling into Pierre, SD tomorrow afternoon!

Making an Apron...

Growing up with a mother who could sew was the best. My mama is so talented when it comes to creativity and sewing. She made everything from dresses to Halloween costumes, color guard flags to doll clothes, and musical costumes to bridesmaid dresses. I was hoping the gift would pass down to me and.........the jury's still out on that one. A few weeks ago I found a printed table cloth on clearance and thought I MAYBE could make something out of it. So...I made an apron...without a pattern (really relying on those sewing genes. Risky, I know!)

The Fabric. Thank you, Target Clearance!


I used an apron Mom made for a pattern.


Folding and ironing down the edges.


Let the sewing begin!

And after some more sewing magic.....

And 2 broken needles....


The apron was finished!!!!



Not quite Mama quality, but not too shabby :)