A New Favorite Thing

I got it today.
It is one of my most favorite things in life.
I use it everyday, I mean, EVERY day.
Sometimes it seems to be only thing that keeps my head attached.
Other times, I leave it on the shelf, glad to leave it at home for the day.
Sometimes I schedule or attend meetings to discuss it.
Once in awhile, it makes me cry.
Then other times, I look at it and grin from ear to ear.
What item in a persons life can bring such a range of emotion?

My new calendar!
(Yes, I got a new calendar in July, I carry a school year one as that is the year I really operate on.)

Let me tell you about my new little friend. She is blue pleather. She fits nicely in my purse. She is a monthly and daily calendar, with tabs and a pen holder. It has a closure strap. And best of all, I actually found it at Wal-Mart for only $8! I am so happy! If you ever want to meet my new gal pal, she will be in my purse, waiting for the next entry. I would recommend her to anyone.

Happy Scheduling!

ABC's

A. Attached or single? Happily attached
B. Best friend? Scott, my husband and my great sis in laws
C. Cake or pie? For being a cake decorator, I don’t really like cake. As for pies, I like some (ice cream ones), my favorite though is my warm apple crisp, yummm!
D. Day of choice? Nothing particular, just the day of the week when I can be with my husband.
E. Essential items? Bible, computer, Bigelow lip gloss and gum
F. Favorite color(s)? Royal purple
G. Gummy bears or worms? Ughh, neither, they are gross.
H. Hometown? Nampa, Idaho
I. Favorite indulgence? Onion rings (I’ve wanted them lately), ice cream with hot fudge and nuts, and dark chocolate
J. January or July? That is tough. Love the July time with the family. January is nice with the snow but cold!
K. Kids? 3 darling daughters
L. Life isn’t complete without? Jesus.
M. Marriage date? June 6, 1992
N. Number of brothers or sisters? 1 wonderful sister! She is awesome!
O. Oranges or apples? Oranges are about the best food God made (next to peanut butter)
P. Phobias? Heights! My palms sweat and heart races even watching someone doing something that involves heights.
Q. Quotes? "God is good. All the time." "It is all about Jesus." “The cake isn’t done until the kitchen is clean.”
R. Reasons to smile? Jesus, marriage, children, my great job!
S. Season of choice? Fall – the crispness in the air and the change in the light of the sun. Spring – the tulips!, the newness of everything.
T. Tag 5 people: The first 5 to read this…. that means you!!!
U. Unknown fact about me. I love Neil Diamond concerts. – I’ve been to three as an adult and saw him once as a child.
V. Vacation of choice? Our someday (hopefully in the reasonably near future) “WE’RE DEBT FREE” vacation to Disneyland/Disneyworld.
W. Worst habit? Procrastinating and complaining
X. Xray or ultrasound? Ughh, both mean the doctor suspects something is wrong. I will pick xray, because that will probably be easier to treat?????
Y. Your favorite food? Peanut butter
Z. Zodiac sign? Sagittarius but who really cares!

Summer Photo Diary

As summer is winding down, (yes I know it is only the end of July but school is beginning in a couple of weeks for us) I am tempted to think we did not do anything much but be "busy". I looked back at photos and noticed that we had lots of fun in the midst of our "busy" days.

Get-away to a friend's cabin with some lady friends. This is me and Amy (my sis-in-law).

Our day at the zoo. These are the monkeys that weren't in their cages!

My daughter Amanda was baptized. (This is a copy of her testimony, the pictures include other people's children and I don't want to post without permission.)

Genesis Camp with Hannah

VBS -Power Lab

Four generations together. I spent time with my grandma who visited in July. Her visit previous to this was in 2001.

Watch out, Scott enjoys this too much!

However, Jenna really wishes this could stop. The Fourth of July- family fun!

Kid's Camp with Amanda (is that an eye roll? or is she just tired?)

PICTURE IN CAMERA, CAMERA IN COLORADO!

The County Fair - we won ribbons! Amanda received 3rd for a watercolor and 1st for a photo. I received 2nd for a photo.

Things that didn't get pictures taken:

• Swimming with the whole family.
• Bike rides with dad.
• Planting and raising our salsa garden.
• Softball games.
• Aunt Becky's birthday.
• Other family get togethers.

Summer is not over and I know we have many more great things planned for great times together. I am amazed as I look back and notice how many opportunities we were involved in to share Jesus or grow in our faith. I praise God for these opportunities. I desire that everything our family does would somehow have an eternal purpose in directing us and/or others to the cross of Jesus. This can happen even in the mundane or the routine and even at a family BBQ. God is what this life is all about. It is a gift. May I not fall into the trap that this life is about me. May I live a life that pleases my Creator and points others to the cross where Jesus died for our salvation.

Tagged, ughh

This new form of cruel and unusual punishment was unleashed on me by Jackie. She tagged me (and all Bethel Babe Bloggers). I could refuse to participate, but then the Bethel Babes may ask, "What does she have to hide?" So to prove that I can wear my mess as well as the next one, I joined in. Will you?:

"This is a photo tag. You have to take photos of these 10 photos as they are right now. (not cleaned, scrubbed Do not PIMP your house!)" - direct quote from Jackie.

1. The kitchen sink - hmmm, I rinsed them but the dishwasher was full (hate it when I forget to run it at night.)

2. The fridge - I am sure something is growing somewhere in there. I was at camp last week and have not cleaned it out since getting back.

3. Laundry Room - (not a room - just a closet)

4. Kids - Barbies are the game of the week for these ladies. My oldest child was where I couldn't take a picture - getting dressed, you'll see her in a bit.

5. Favorite room - Oh, there's the other kid. She followed me through all the rest of the pictures, wondering what on earth I was doing. I love the living room. We visit there, we relax (occassionally), we play games there and generally hang out there.

4. Favorite Shoes - They just spent a week with me at camp and need a bath.

7. Closet - Small, very small and a tight squeeze.

8. Dream Vacation - Not the ultimate, but I really want to go there soon for a Scott and me vacation.

9. Self portrait - I am not an artist so I opted to let the camera do the work.

10. The toilet - Need I say more.

So, I challenge you to join in the, uhh, fun? No, torture. Well, it's not that bad. It just feels so personal, maybe invasive. Well, you let me know what you think.

Velcro?

I was gone for the week. I was at camp with my oldest daughter. I was a counselor. I left my two youngest at home with dad. Actually, I mostly left them with my sister in law, Amy (wonderful woman). She took charge of the kids most days and evenings as Scott worked. Amy planned a week full of great activities calling it "Camp Auntie M'amy". The kids did crafts, went on field trips (water park/picnic, rodeo, softball game, and more), and played lots! The kids had a great time. I spent the week at camp; able to devote myself to the role of counselor, building relationships and being present for the needs of my kids at camp because of Amy's capable care and love for my kids. I missed them yes, but did not fret for them.

On Friday I came home. Since the time I arrived back, I believe that I have become the loop side of the Velcro. Every time my children come near me they press in a little closer and I need to pry them off of me when I have to move. I love their expression of love for me. I have to admit I have wanted to hold them closer too. I have heard on several occasions the spontaneous utterances of "Mom, I missed you for hundreds of days" or "Mom, I am glad you are home" or "You were gone lots of days mom". I can never doubt that my kids love me. They were nurtured, cared for and loved in my absence and still they missed me. I love being their mommy.

Lost & Found and a Goal Completed

The library is a part of our summer fun. This often includes attending the Thursday family programs. Today's family program was called Backyard Safari. It was filled with bugs, including a millipede, hissing cockroach and walking sticks. Even the Terminix guy was there with termites and other icky six legged critters. Needless to say we viewed these attractions a few feet from the tables. The kids also made a great walking stick craft (using a stick, four chenille wires and two wiggly eyes). I ran into a friend there and we decided to file that craft in our mind as a good one for kids.

The rest of the summer fun at the library includes checking out books and reading them. The checked out books come home and are put in the library basket, unless the girls are reading them, then they are by the kids' beds. Well, needless to say I thought this was a full proof plan to keep from loosing a book. That was until this book came into our home:
Yes, it's title is Messy Bessey. I thought that appropriate once it went missing. We looked high, we looked low, we looked under, we looked between, we looked in cars, we looked in bags, we looked in cupboards (even the bathrooms), we looked in hampers, we looked in drawers and more. It was nowhere to be found! Ugh. We looked, the library searched. It wasn't found. So we paid $12 to replace the book. This all began in April. Then last night, my husband pulled out our college year book. He occasionally refers to it when he gets friend requests on Facebook. As he opened it to look up a former classmate, lo and behold, what was in the book? Messy Bessey's School Desk! How fitting. I took it with me to the library today and was told I get to keep the book as the library had already replaced it. Oh joy. For whatever reason, I am not real excited to have this new $12 book in our collection.

On a fun note, the kids finished the reading program a couple weeks ago. We finally got there today to pick up their prizes. They got restaurant coupons, fair admission, little toys (soon to be lost) and a new book each (Messy Bessey not included). They did a great job reading finishing their goal of thirty days, twenty minutes a day. My girls LOVE to read. The kids were excited to have there picture taken with the library mascot "Booker Bee", as well.

FAMILY + FRIENDS + FIREWORKS + FOOD = FUN

Ahh, another 4th has come and gone. Happy Birthday America! I am blessed to be an American. I feel pride for this nation, I love to hang our flag on any appropriate occasion. Our America, there is no other place in the world like her. I pray my children learn to love their country as I have. I am glad God placed me here. May I not waste all the opportunities being an American allows me and may I always remember that my freedom was bought (and continues to be bought) with a huge price tag. So in honor of this occasion, the Slater clan has chosen to follow a well laid out formula for expressing our appreciation of our freedom. This formula goes as follows:

FAMILY + FRIENDS + FIREWORKS + FOOD (grilled)= FUN

(Due to technical difficulties, I will get the pics put in later.)

Weather Forecast - Tornadoes Ahead

This last week has been a whirlwind to say the least. However, I have to express that God has amazing power to sustain a person in such times. I went to Genesis Camp (2 1/2 days), made cupcakes for a wedding (125), taught my cake decorating class, prepped for VBS, painted sets for VBS, facilitated and prepped for a training for VBS volunteers, visited with my grandmother (in town from California whom I rarely see), blew up 100 helium balloons with my husband for a church picnic, decorated rooms for VBS and set up supplies, shopped for VBS, staffed a nursery for Sunday when workers were slim (but as always, the Lord supplies), and on top of it all I got a terrible cold complete with no voice, raging headaches and sore throat. Whew. Are you tired yet? Suprisisingly my answer is no. Not much more than normal. I credit my Father with his care and provision meeting my every need. He is so good! Please don't look at the list of tasks I had to do and have pity on me. Instead, thank my Father, God the Creator and Sustainer, for his greatness. He is so good!!! I must also give my husband a lot of credit for being a blessing. He has pitched in extra, never complained and has not expected me to be Mrs. Cleaver this week or the Merry Maid. Boy, the house can sure use some TLC soon, but hey, the dishes are done (thank you Mr. Wonderful)! Here are some fun pictures of this week in a nutshell.

My daughter Hannah and me before the "Princess Dinner" at camp.
Our cabin of ladies, showing our victory of being the #1 cabin at camp.

The kids helped with painting the VBS sets and decorations.

Some of the 125 cupcakes I made for a wedding. Scott delivered them to Bogus Basin (he is the best husband in the world!).

The completed cake of one of my students. She did her homework and practices a lot!

Four generations together, my grandma, mom, me and the girls.